《Return of Chaos》


 Prologue: Heroes of Old and New

    Prologue: Heroes of Old and New


    ¡°¡­The fuck do you want, old man?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Dean Wrikax, as straightforward with your feelings as ever. How goes things here, at the University?¡±


    ¡°The school¡¯s fine. Better than ever. But that ain¡¯t what you¡¯re here to talk about, is it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Judging by your attitude, you must have heard, then? About the Keys?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if that¡¯s what you call those Earthian Chaotics. Look, I don¡¯t appreciate what you¡¯re tryin¡¯ to use the Schools of Chaos for. Our schools are for Nimalians, and top-tier Chaotics, at that. Why¡¯re you tryin¡¯ to shove a buncha outsider scrubs into the system?¡±


    ¡°I understand that the Schools of Chaos are intended for Nimalia¡¯s best and brightest, but this makes them excellent for teaching the Keys how to use their newfound abilities. Your school in particular has classes and curriculum with just that goal in mind, does it not?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but that¡¯s for Tres¨¦dian Chaotics who never had a chance at proper schoolin¡¯. It ain¡¯t a loophole to shove anyone you want into the system!¡±


    ¡°Wrikax¡­ just what do you know about the Keys?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I know that it¡¯s some kinda bullshit from that Oraculm of yours.¡±


    ¡°The same Oraculm that predicted and aided in the anti-Nanocreature efforts twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­Bullshit. You never offered one bit of advice back then.¡±


    ¡°Not directly to you or the rest of your squad, no. But I did speak to Commander Nik¨¦yin several times. It was at my behest that she created Hero Machina in the first place, and it was at my behest that she continued to put you on missions even after it looked as though you were falling apart. I would like you to take a guess as to why I made these suggestions.¡±


    ¡°¡­What, that stupid fuckin¡¯ book? I find that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, the Oraculm holds the secrets to our future. If we wish to survive, we must abide by them ¡ª or at least take them into account.¡±


    ¡°And these¡­ ¡®Keys¡¯ are a part of that?¡±


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    ¡°Indeed. Surely the word must have some meaning to you? According to old mission reports, the Priors you ran into twenty years ago all mentioned Keys at some point.¡±


    ¡°¡­Coincidence. It¡¯s gotta be.¡±


    ¡°It is not. The Keys, these eight Earthian Chaotics, are instrumental in saving our galaxy from absolute ruin. You have seen for yourself just how dangerous Morcii and his Nanocreatures are. You have seen for yourself the evidence that the Nanocreatures are returning. You have heard for yourself the history of the ancient Aldredas from the Prior Arc¨¢n. Surely, you must realize that we must actively support the Keys of our time, lest we make the exact same mistakes as our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ alright. Fine. Let¡¯s say I agree with all that. But there¡¯s still a problem here ¡ª how do you know these Earthians are the Keys?¡±


    ¡°Oh please, Wrikax, I hardly need the Oraculm to tell that. During the brief Chaos Quake a couple months ago, two of them were on a Nimalian world ¡ª and I¡¯ve received a report that they could use their abilities during that time, when no other Chaotic could. That alone should be proof that they are, in the very least, exceedingly abnormal ¡ª and therefore worthy of our attention.¡±


    ¡°What? You received a ¡®report¡¯? Where¡¯s the proof, huh? Sounds like bullshit, to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, what of the definitively verifiable reappearance of the Master Ayas in the same location as the Ayas Keys immediately prior to the Quake? And then once more on Earth, a month later? Nimalia¡¯s own Ayas Sensors detected it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Coincidence.¡±


    ¡°You speak that word a lot. I begin to wonder if you truly understand its meaning.¡±


    ¡°Look, old man, you may¡¯ve convinced Kevken, Kaon¨¦, and Rebehka that that stupid book of yours has merit, and they might¡¯ve convinced Kev¨¦rin to let these ¡®Keys¡¯ into the fuckin¡¯ system. But that don¡¯t mean that I believe a word outta your mouth. If those ¡®Keys¡¯ end up at WCU, then I¡¯ll teach ¡®em just fine, ¡®cause that¡¯s my job¡­ but I still ain¡¯t convinced that they¡¯re anythin¡¯ more than a coincidental fluke. You¡¯re gonna need more than that dusty tome to convince me.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I am content that you are at least willing to give them a chance. But be warned, Wrikax ¡ª recent years have made it abundantly clear that whatever you did to vanquish Morcii the first time is not a permanent solution. If you are able to think of something else to handle the growing threat, then I would be pleased to hear it, but as things stand¡­ the Keys are the only answer.¡±


    ¡°If the Keys are our only answer then it¡¯ll be because I trained ¡®em up to be the best Chaotics there ever were, not because your dumb prophetic brick said so. I don¡¯t need no ¡®prophecy¡¯ to tell me what to do; only I get to do that.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. I only wish you the best in your efforts.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight. If we beat the Nanocreatures once, then we can do it again! I¡¯d bet my ass on it!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ if you insist. But I have now said everything that I have meant to say; I must get going now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ somethin¡¯ about goin¡¯ to Earth with Kaon¨¦ and Kevken to meet up with these ¡®Keys¡¯, huh? Sounds fun. Now don¡¯t let that door hit you on the way out¡­ or do. That¡¯d be funny.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Dean Wrikax, you truly never change. It¡¯s refreshing to speak to someone who doesn¡¯t let my title change how they interact with me. That being said, however, I must insist that you keep everything I have said here in mind. Your story is long past; these coming years will be driven by the new generation. And between all of the looming evils that threaten the peace and livelihood of the entire galaxy¡­ only time will tell if anyone will be left to record the saga of the Keys.¡±

 Volume 1: New World - Arc 1: Chosen Homes - Chapter 1: An Oracles Word

    Volume 1: New World


    The Keys'' journey has only just begun


    Yet the tale they live first opened long ago


    Heroes, old and new, their stories past and done


    Will assist the Keys ¡ª and yet past strength will show


    That despite heroes come and gone, their enemy remains


    Its power is now weak, but in the future, it may reign.


    <hr>


    ARC 1 ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    Chapter 1: An Oracle''s Word


    ¡ª Monday, October 17, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°It may be twenty years later than hoped, but at long last, the Keys to our future have finally appeared. The galaxy entrusts you with its survival!¡±


    ¡°The galaxy, huh¡­¡± a young man muttered to himself as he walked down a lengthy metal hallway. He sighed and brushed his fingers through his black, unkempt hair in an attempt to distract himself, even if only for a moment¡­ but as he glanced to the side at his reflection in the hallway¡¯s side window and beheld the military uniform that adorned his lanky, six-foot tall body, he couldn¡¯t help but think back to the news he had just been delivered.


    ¡°So I¡¯m a ¡®Key¡¯, then, huh¡­¡± he muttered again, staring at his own light-skinned visage in the window¡¯s reflection. ¡°What does that even mean? Hmm¡­¡± His eyes dropped down to his right hand, which he slowly outstretched ¡ª and then, with a brief flash of white light, a claymore materialized into his hand. The silver blade practically shone under the hallway¡¯s light, its 1-meter length terminating in a double crossguard that bore the colors of blue and gold. In the center of the crossguard, just above his hand, was a faintly glowing pale blue orb ¡ª an obvious sign as to the weapon¡¯s special nature.


    The man turned the blade over and inspected it thoroughly, holding it up to the light for a moment to watch how it reflected off of the perfectly clean blade. So this¡­ claymore¡­ is called ¡®Arc¨¢n¡¯, huh¡­? the man thought to himself, and then sighed as he allowed the weapon to disappear with another flash of light. Damn it, Austin, just what have you gotten yourself into¡­


    He turned his attention downwards again to peer through the hallway¡¯s window, and at the blue and green sphere swathed in wispy white below. Earth appeared every bit as beautiful as he expected from orbit, and yet, looking upon the planet that he called home merely reminded him that ¡®home¡¯ was a place he could no longer return to. Neither him, nor any of his friends, nor the four other young adults he had met earlier that day aboard EA¡¯s cruiser. All of the others had proven capable of summoning some kind of special weapon, not unlike Austin¡¯s claymore: Spike could summon a pair of red and golden gauntlets, Twy possessed a gray and silver bow, Sky found herself with a green bo staff, Phoenix produced a pair of crimson and silver chakrams, Conrad beheld a black and silver glaive, and Kestrel wielded a long, dark green and silver spear. Furthermore, each of their weapons sported a softly glowing orb matching the weapon¡¯s primary color, identical to Austin¡¯s claymore or Pierce¡¯s blade whip. If the gray-haired Nimalian leader known as Pallan was to be believed, their ability to summon these weapons meant that all eight of them were ¡®Keys¡¯: individuals who were somehow important in saving the entire galaxy from a vast threat.


    ¡°Which means we¡¯re all ¡®chosen ones¡¯, I guess,¡± Austin muttered to himself as he turned away from the sights of Earth and continued down the space station hallway. ¡°I would think that was cool¡­ if only it didn¡¯t give SERRCom even more of an excuse to conscript us. Damn it.¡± He sighed with irritation and thought back to barely an hour ago, when General of the Space Forces Matthew Lead ¡ª the commander over the entirety of Space Exploration, Reconnaissance, and Response Command (better known as SERRCom) ¡ª declared that SERRCom¡¯s conscription orders had been officially endorsed by not only the United States of America, but also by the United Nations. With that, Austin¡¯s last hope of returning to his normal life had been dashed, and he still hadn¡¯t the slightest idea how SERRCom had convinced the world to go along with its whims.


    I wonder how the others feel about this¡­ he thought to himself as he rounded a hallway corner and approached one of the doors. Haven¡¯t had a chance to talk with them since the meeting. Hopefully I¡¯m not the only one who thinks that¡ª


    ¡°It¡¯s complete and utter bullshit!¡±


    Austin jumped in surprise as the door in front of him slid open, just in time to hear an angry exclamation. He turned his head to the side, toward the source of the shout: a short, light-skinned girl with wavy, shoulder-length black hair. She wore the same kind of military uniform as Austin, and also matched his youthful appearance ¡ª though her expression was currently sporting a scowl as she stomped the ground, ignoring Austin¡¯s arrival as she continued ranting.


    ¡°You all agree with me, right? Right?!¡± She glanced around fervently with her brow furrowed. ¡°Not just the US, but the UN, too?! This is nonsense! How the hell did SERRCom convince them that conscripting a bunch of innocent people was cool?!¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, settle down, Sky.¡± A huge, incredibly fit man with a dark complexion sighed and scratched the short black hair that adorned his head. ¡°Shoutin¡¯ won¡¯t help at all¡­¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The wavy-haired girl, Sky, turned toward the large man with her fists planted impudently on her hips. ¡°C¡¯mon, Spike! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to just take this lying down?!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Spike groaned and leaned back against his chair. ¡°If only it were that simple¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s that simple,¡± replied a tall young man from across the room. He wore a runner¡¯s outfit ¡ª stained with sweat from a day¡¯s worth of activities ¡ª on his slim, light-skinned athletic frame, though the medium-length, side-swept dirty blond hair on his head and the trimmed beard on his chin seemed comparatively well-kept. ¡°With an organization like SERRCom,¡± he continued as he casually leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, ¡°force is the only thing they recognize.¡±


    ¡°Force? C¡¯mon, man.¡± Another young man, this one skinny and tan-skinned, yawned broadly as he slouched back against one of the room¡¯s lone couches. Long brown hair, tied back into a low ponytail, draped over the gray t-shirt he was wearing. After finishing his yawn, he sighed and glanced over at the man with the runner¡¯s outfit. ¡°I know you have ¡®experience¡¯ with your powers, Pierce, but don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna try and fight an interstellar military.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I hate to say it, Conrad, but Pierce is right,¡± interjected a short young woman with an ebony complexion and athletic frame. Her black hair was tied back into a high splayed-out ponytail, coupled with a long, thin beaded braid that draped down just in front of her right ear. Combined with a purple crop top, knee-high boots, and a set of slim-fit jeans that nicely accentuated her figure, she seemed to ooze style, despite the handful of tears and fraying that appeared across her clothing and ponytail. She took a deep breath and passed Pierce an annoyed glance before saying, ¡°though, you know, if you had just listened to me back when we first got back to Earth, maybe we wouldn¡¯t even be here!¡±


    Pierce made a face at the ebony-skinned woman. ¡°Damn it, Phoenix, you¡¯ve been on my ass about this the whole day. Lighten up already.¡±


    ¡°Lighten up?!¡± Phoenix echoed incredulously, fury briefly flashing across her face, ¡°you, of all people, barely have the right to¡ª!¡±


    Phoenix cut herself off as another woman, with pale skin, an enormous height, and long, white hair tied back into a braid stepped up, standing in between her and Pierce. With a solemn expression, the pale-skinned woman held her hands out toward Phoenix and Pierce, passing each of them a blank glance.


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce simply snorted in response and turned away.


    Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed warily before backing away herself. ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    Heh¡­ Austin smirked to himself as he watched them try to ignore each other, and the pale-skinned woman return to sitting on the couch next to Conrad. What a dynamic they have¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of amusing how easily Kestrel can shut them up, huh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Austin whipped around to his side, where he found another young woman, with the same height, complexion, and overall body figure as Sky ¡ª only with a long ponytail instead of Sky¡¯s wavy, shoulder-length hairdo. ¡°Oh¡­ Twy.¡± Austin sighed of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t sneak up on me like that.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even trying,¡± Twy retorted. ¡°Just how jumpy are you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse me if this whole situation has put me a bit on edge,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°¡­I guess I can¡¯t argue with you there,¡± Twy slowly replied as she glanced to the side, where Sky had once again launched into ranting. ¡°This whole situation is just¡­ ugh.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ll say¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Austin!!¡±


    He looked up to find Sky staring at him, her brow still furrowed in anger. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± Austin replied warily.


    ¡°You agree with me, right?!¡± She pointed at him, and then gestured back at Spike, who was still sitting in his chair. ¡°Spike doesn¡¯t even want to try fighting this shit! Help me beat some sense into him, will ya?¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­ I mean, I agree that this whole conscription thing is bullshit, but¡­¡± Austin looked over Twy, then at Spike, and then at the other four in the room. ¡°¡­We¡¯re talkin¡¯ about SERRCom, here. What the hell can we even do against them? I mean c¡¯mon, Mote alone could probably wipe the floor with all eight of us, simultaneously! And you wanna fight him?!¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Pierce chuckled and shook his head before pushing off of the wall and turning toward Austin. ¡°I think you¡¯ve forgotten something,¡± he remarked, as he held his hands out; a brief flash of light later, a silver, curved blade with a handle appeared in his left hand, and a larger, rapier-like dark blue handle appeared in his right, with both connected by a long, glowing blue tether. ¡°We¡¯re chosen ones, dude. With these weapons, we can do what we want!¡±


    ¡°Tough words, for someone who already lost to Mote,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°Yeah, but that was before I knew I could do this.¡± With a smirk, Pierce whipped around and sliced into the metal wall with his blade, producing a visible gash.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Twy exclaimed, quickly pulling together a bubble of water and using it to cover the gash that Pierce¡¯s blade had left in the metal. ¡°We¡¯re on a space station right now! Are you trying to kill us?!¡±


    ¡°Relax. We¡¯re in an interior segment, there¡¯s no risk of decompression.¡± With another flash of light, the weapon in Pierce¡¯s hands disappeared as he turned back toward the damaged wall. ¡°But the fact that you¡¯re so concerned proves my point. Just think about it: there¡¯s no way in hell that a regular blade should be able to cut metal like this. But our weapons can.¡±


    ¡°You have superspeed, of course the extra speed is gonna give your attack extra force,¡± Austin countered.


    Pierce sighed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Just try it yourself if you don¡¯t believe me. These weapons of ours are hella sharp, way sharper than anything we¡¯d need to take on¡­ well, anything!¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Spike replied as two magnificent, crimson gauntlets ¡ª wreathed in gold and silver trimming, with softly glowing pale red orbs inset just above the wrists ¡ª appeared on his arms and hands with a flash of light. He held out his arms to look the gauntlets over, pausing for a moment to stare at the small silver spikes that extended out of his knuckles. ¡°The thing is¡­¡± he continued, turning his attention back to Pierce, ¡°the only thing such sharp weapons are good for is killin¡¯. Are you sayin¡¯ you¡¯re willin¡¯ to take someone¡¯s life to get outta this?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­¡± Pierce stared at Spike, dumbfounded, before snorting and turning away. ¡°It¡¯s possible to not kill someone with a weapon¡­¡±


    ¡°Still probably shouldn¡¯t try declaring war on a fucking interstellar military,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°But there¡¯s probably another angle to this, right? Why don¡¯t we just figure out if SERRCom has dirt on the UN, or something? If we could expose that, then we¡¯d get people back on our side.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Not that easy¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kestrel¡¯s right,¡± Twy said. ¡°I think the answer is too simple for us to take advantage of. Like, it isn¡¯t that SERRCom has dirt on the UN, so much as just a lot of soft power, you know? They¡¯re funding and leading a bunch of different public works projects all around the globe, projects that the host nations would have a lot of trouble funding themselves. Including America.¡±


    Conrad glanced between Kestrel and Twy in confusion. ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s saying that the governments on Earth are kowtowing to SERRCom because SERRCom has a lot of money and resources,¡± Phoenix stated, and then sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t quite think of it that way before, but she¡¯s right. Damn it. We can¡¯t beat money¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t just give up!¡± Sky exclaimed, flames briefly wreathing her arms as she glanced around the room at everyone present. ¡°There has to be something we can do. Right?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Austin looked down at his hand as he summoned the blue and golden claymore once again. ¡°Maybe¡­ we shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    When his words were met with silence, Austin looked up from his blade, only to find everyone in the room staring at him incredulously. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± he questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re buying into that ¡®chosen one¡¯ bullshit,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°No, no, this is one thing I agree with him on,¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°If someone tells me that I¡¯m going to save the galaxy one day and be a motherfucking hero, then I¡¯m not going to tell them ¡®no¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Figures that you could get infatuated with this idea¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s at least a silver lining, right?¡± Austin insisted, ¡°if we really are chosen ones, or this ¡®Key¡¯ thing or whatever, then that probably means special treatment!¡±


    Sky snorted in derision. ¡°Yeah, like being conscripted, right?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this whole ¡®Key¡¯ thing originate from a¡­ a ¡®prophecy¡¯?¡± Twy questioned incredulously. ¡°Does that not set off red flags for anyone else? SERRCom can¡¯t be acting on a so-called prophecy, can they?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but they should. And not only that, they are.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Everyone in the room turned toward the entrance, where there now stood an older man with a thin frame, light complexion, and sharp cheekbones. Medium-length, graying hair covered his head, and on his face was a goatee of similar coloring that tapered down into a point just above his collar bones. When coupled with the faint, yet still evident age lines on his face, he appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old. What¡¯s more, the words he spoke weren¡¯t actually in English ¡ª Austin, and everyone else present, were only able to understand him due to wearing special headsets capable of translating foreign speech in real-time.


    ¡°¡­Pallan?¡± Sky muttered, watching the man step into the room. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Archon¨¦ Culana to you,¡± replied a tall man who entered the room just after Pallan. His dark hair was long in front but short in back, partially obscuring his olive-skinned face; the rest of his thin, yet still clearly toned body was covered by a thick green military uniform with black trim. He wore on his face the sort of frown a parent would wear when reprimanding their child, but the distinct lack of blemishes on his otherwise generic face made it clear that he was no older than his early twenties. A large patch sewn onto a flap attached to a strap on his shoulder named him as 1st Lieutenant Mote Emerson, the leader of the Eximius Vir ¡ª Earth¡¯s first four Chaotics, and by far the most powerful.


    The moment Mote entered the room, the atmosphere chilled, with both Austin and Twy taking a couple steps away from the door.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± Pierce remarked with a scowl as he glared at Mote. ¡°Back to waste our time with pointless lectures some more?¡±


    ¡°Only to rectify your lack of respect¡ª!¡± Mote began, taking a step forward ¡ª only to stop when Pallan stretched his arm out, gesturing for Mote to stay back.


    ¡°Relax, young Earthian,¡± Pallan commented, ¡°I hold no disgust for interacting on a given-name basis. In fact, I find being overly formal to be quite suffocating.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that attitude, Archon¨¦,¡± replied a middle-aged man with light skin and short black hair as he stepped into the room on the other side of Pallan from Mote. He wore black military fatigues, on which there was a sewn patch that named him as Colonel Kaji Saito, the leader of the team in charge of supporting and directing SERRCom¡¯s Chaotics both in and out of the field: Chaotic Support Fireteam 1, better known as CSF-1. ¡°But, respectfully, you are the head of a nation. I hardly think it¡¯s a bad idea to make sure people remember that.¡± Saito glanced toward the eight young adults in the room and offered them a small smile. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just cut to the chase,¡± Phoenix interjected, her arms crossed as she stared at the three new arrivals. ¡°What is it that you want with us?¡±


    ¡°The answer to that question is simple,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°The eight of you are Keys, designated and bestowed Chaotic abilities by the Ayas to fulfill the Ayas and Universe Key prophecies. To this end, you will, of course, require further training. That is why I am here.¡±


    Pierce snorted incredulously. ¡°An old man¡¯s going to teach us how to use our powers?¡±


    Pallan shook his head. ¡°I will not be doing the teaching. I am merely the facilitator of the Oraculm.¡±


    ¡°And why should we believe you about these stupid prophecies?¡± Sky shot back, ¡°what proof do you have?¡±


    ¡°The words written in the Oraculm are proof enough for me.¡±


    ¡°What?! Don¡¯t tell me you go around, robbing people of their freedom just because some book told you to do so?!¡±


    Pallan¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°If it were up to me? Absolutely. The fate of the entire galaxy is not a subject to be taken lightly, and I will do whatever it takes to see it safe.¡±


    ¡°Now, that said,¡± Saito quickly interjected, ¡°the eight of you certainly do have some unique abilities that lend¡­ well, some credence to the Archon¨¦¡¯s claims. Namely, those weapons you can summon.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Pallan nodded. ¡°Under normal circumstances, a Chaotic would only be able to summon an Ayas Weapon if they had access to an Ayas themselves. And yet, the eight of you can summon these weapons without any Ayas. This is what truly convinced me that you are the Keys.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve just said that at the start¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t justify everything that¡¯s going on right now,¡± Sky insisted. ¡°Why don¡¯t we get a say in the matter?¡±


    ¡°Their reluctance to accept the Keys and their role in the prophecies led to the downfall of the Aldredas,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°I refuse to see our era meet the same end.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is SERRCom really going along with this?¡± Twy questioned, her attention directed toward Saito.


    The Colonel sighed wearily and stepped forward to stand alongside Pallan. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure I buy into this prophecy business myself,¡± he admitted, ¡°but the Archon¨¦¡¯s plan to train the eight of you aligns with SERRCom¡¯s interests. So, in that regard, yes. We¡¯re going along with it.¡±


    ¡°What about our interests?!¡± Sky repeated, ¡°I¡¯ve yet to hear a satisfying answer to that!¡±


    ¡°Chaotics the galaxy over are conscripted at younger ages than you,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°To expect different treatment is foolish.¡±


    ¡°Foolish¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Moreover, you clearly do not understand the threat that lays before us, so allow me to elucidate. You all are aware of the Nanocreature War that occurred 20 years ago, yes?¡± Pallan swept his eyes over everyone in the room as he continued, ¡°dozens of CSA worlds were ravaged by the Nanocreature menace. Millions upon millions of souls lost their lives during that conflict, and millions more were forced to destroy their own friends, family, and countrymen who fell to the Nanocreature corruption. Had the war gone on for another month, or even another couple weeks, then Nimalian and Earthian worlds would befallen the same fate, as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we beat them, didn¡¯t we?¡± Austin countered. ¡°Or rather, you Nimalians did. Hero Machina fought the commander of the Nanocreatures and killed him, which made all of the rest dissolve.¡±


    ¡°You are mostly correct. Hero Machina did indeed fight Morcii, but they did not kill him. They merely defeated him. The Nanocreatures are not gone for good; in fact, as we speak, ¡®metallic infection¡¯ incidents across the galaxy are once again on the rise. As it stands, only Keys are capable of permanently destroying Morcii¡­ only the eight of you can put him down for good.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ a tall order,¡± Conrad replied uneasily.


    ¡°Indeed. Which is why it is imperative that you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uh, excuse me, Archon¨¦,¡± Saito cut in, and then turned back to address the rest of the room. ¡°I understand if all this talk about the Nanocreatures and ¡®saving the galaxy¡¯ is a bit much, because it¡­ uh¡­¡± He glanced over at Pallan. ¡°¡­Well, it is.¡±


    ¡°It is typical for those inexperienced with the Oraculm to write off its words,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°One day, you will see that I¡¯m right. I only hope that day does not come too late.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saito adopted a pained smile. ¡°¡­Still, the Archon¨¦ here is willing to give the eight of you a fantastic chance to learn more about how to handle your powers. And since it¡¯s in everyone¡¯s best interests for the eight of you to become proficient with your abilities as quickly, effectively, and efficiently as possible, the General decided to go along with the Archon¨¦¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­?¡± Twy prompted.


    ¡°A week from today,¡± Saito answered, ¡°the eight of you will be sent to Nimalia, the Homeworld of the Nimalian Union. There, you¡¯ll study at one of the Nimalian Schools of Chaos¡­ under one of the former members of Hero Machina themselves.¡±

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 2: An Elites Future

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 2: An Elite''s Future


    15 Minutes Later


    I can¡¯t believe it¡­


    With an irritated frown upon his face, Mote stormed down one of the hallways of the Space Defense Station Opportunity, SERRCom¡¯s secondary headquarters. The beautiful vista of Earth and the stars behind it stood just outside the hallway windows to his right, but he paid the view no mind as he stewed in his own thoughts.


    When the hell did the recruits get so special? he thought to himself as he continued down the hallway, they can barely hold their own in a fight. Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy have yet to beat me in a training match, even with all of them against me. Just earlier today, I had to save that entire group from EA. And then that new Velocitechnic has the audacity to attack me! And now they¡¯re being given such preferential treatment, just because they can summon special weapons? This is ridiculous!


    With the thought of special weapons, Mote reached out his hand and summoned his massive battlehammer into it. The weapon¡¯s massive blue and silver hammerhead sat atop a metallic gray pole nearly six feet long, with a softly glowing blue orb inset on both sides of the hammerhead. Every member of the Eximius Vir can summon a weapon like this¡­ so why is it so special that the recruits can do the same?


    ¡°Ah¡­ excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mote dismissed his hammer and glanced up, where he found another man standing in the hallway. The man was tall, though slightly shorter than Mote (who himself was just over six feet tall), and possessed a light complexion with short black hair. His clean-shaven face made him appear rather young, aided by his clean and well-put-together outfit consisting of a thick green jacket that wrapped part-way around his chest and extended down past his belt, a leather-like sash, black slacks, black boots, and a green sort of half-cloak that attached to his belt rather than his shoulders and extended down to his boots ¡ª almost like a long skirt or kilt that was open in front.


    Mote beheld the man warily. If I remember correctly¡­ this is Kievkenalis Yumach. His irritated frown momentarily deepened into a full-on scowl. ¡­One of the Nimalians.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kievkenalis frowned. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°¡­No.¡± Mote shook his head and took a deep breath in an effort to reset his expression to neutral. A second later he returned his attention to Kievkenalis, who was staring back with a concerned look on his face. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Kievkenalis smiled and nodded curtly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the Archon¨¦¡ª er, for Pallan Culana. Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back there.¡± Mote pointed behind himself, down the hallway. ¡°In one of the meeting rooms, talking to the¡­ ¡®Keys¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course!¡± Kievkenalis nodded again and began briskly walking down the hallway, calling out ¡°Thanks!¡± as he did so.


    Mote stared after Kievkenalis for a couple seconds before turning around and beginning again down the hallway. Those Nimalians¡­ I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re the head of a nation, or former heroes, he thought bitterly, I just can¡¯t believe that we¡¯re handing over the recruits to them. What the hell is the General thinking? Earth¡¯s first new Chaotics in years, and we¡¯re sending them off to someone else!


    A frustrated sigh escaped Mote¡¯s lips as he attempted to puzzle out General Lead¡¯s reasoning, but all he succeeded in doing was deepening his own irritation. The past two months had been incredibly frustrating already, with the brief Chaos Energy Quake at the end of August, his supposed vision, and then the Aldredas technology treasure hunt that resulted from his vision. The preferential treatment Mote had received as a result of the vision and the technology found during those missions was already more than enough to annoy him, but at least he possessed the skill and ability to earn his own accomplishments. The recruits had neither skill nor ability, as far as he was concerned, and thus they didn¡¯t deserve even half of the attention they were getting. Just what the hell is going on, lately? Ever since that damn Quake, I feel like I¡¯ve jumped into some kind of bizarro world¡­


    ¡°Ah, Mote! There you are!!¡±


    Once again ripped from his thoughts, Mote looked up with an irritated expression on his face ¡ª only to loosen up when he spotted two individuals, a man and a woman, standing next to the hallway windows in front of him. The man possessed a broad build and an incredible height of six and a half feet, coupled with an olive complexion, short dark hair, and a uniform that matched Mote¡¯s. The woman also bore the same skin and hair complexion, but her hair was longer and tied back into a low ponytail, and the top of her head came up to just below the man¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Oh¡­ hey, Mark, Danielle.¡± Mote nodded toward the two.


    ¡°Finally get out of all the meetings?¡± Mark questioned as Mote came to a stop next to them.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s been really busy, huh?¡± Danielle questioned, ¡°I thought we¡¯d just return to Earth and then, you know, do our normal debriefing. But instead, we got sent to fight EA, and then transport the recruits around, and then we got to meet a bunch of important Nimalians! Who would¡¯ve expected for that to happen?!¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Mark smiled in response to Danielle¡¯s excitement. ¡°It is pretty neat, huh? I can¡¯t really say I ever expected to meet two members of Hero Machina, either. They seem a lot more grounded than I expected.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?!¡± Danielle excitedly replied, only to follow with a resigned sigh as she turned to look out the hallway windows. ¡°If only Kate got to meet them, too¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her own fault,¡± Mote declared. ¡°The Director warned her that she would get a talking-to about her uncouth behavior before we left to back up CSF-1, and her attitude while we were away simply worsened.¡±


    ¡°For a bit, sure,¡± Mark responded, ¡°but the two of you sure seemed to get along well enough after we left the ship yard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and she even helped you against that Drakkar leader, didn¡¯t she?¡± Danielle pointed out, ¡°c¡¯mon, Mote! Don¡¯t be so hard on her!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that her help was invaluable, and that her attitude improved, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that she has to answer for her previous behavior.¡±


    ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you¡¯d say that,¡± Danielle responded, her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out in a pout.


    ¡°Even so, you seem a little¡­ stiffer than usual,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Ever since that big meeting earlier with the recruits, the General, and Archon¨¦ Culana, in fact. Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You could say that,¡± Mote muttered.


    Mark and Danielle exchanged uneasy glances before turning back to face Mote. ¡°¡­Do you want to talk about it?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what good it would do to ¡®talk¡¯ about things,¡± Mote replied, his frustration evident in his tone. ¡°Ever since the damn Quake two months ago, it feels like things have been going crazy. People just aren¡¯t listening to reason anymore. Visions, prophecies ¡ª it¡¯s all nonsense, but for some reason, people are taking them seriously!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mark rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. ¡°So this is about that whole thing with the recruits, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda think that prophecy stuff is really weird, too,¡± Danielle remarked, and then shrugged. ¡°But the new guys showed that they can summon those weapons out of no where, so I guess that does mean that they¡¯re special somehow. Right?¡±


    ¡°Us being able to summon weapons doesn¡¯t make us special,¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s actually one of the many ways in which we are unique,¡± Mark replied. ¡°Not a very good example.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Mote snorted derisively. ¡°Even so. Let¡¯s assume, for the sake of argument, that the recruits actually are special. Why, then, would we so readily hand them over to the Nimalians?¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been asking that very same question.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Mote, Mark and Danielle all turned around, to find a lone man approaching them. He possessed a stout build, average height and light skin, with a graying military cut topping his head, a bushy gray mustache upon his face, and sharp cheekbones. His mouth was turned up into a disarming smile, but his perfect posture ¡ª combined with his impeccable outfit, consisting of a buttoned-up military dress shirt and navy blue slacks ¡ª belied a commanding, confident aura. Mote had no need to read the man¡¯s name patch or look at the stars sewn onto the shoulder of his shirt to identify him as David Shepherd, the Commander of the General Forces ¡ª the man in charge of all of SERRCom¡¯s ground-based military activities, and effectively the second most influential individual in SERRCom.


    ¡°Uh, s-sir!¡± Mote stuttered out as he and Mark both jumped to salute him. Danielle passed them a confused look for a second before realizing the Commander¡¯s rank and following suit.


    Shepherd merely chuckled in response. ¡°At ease, Lieutenants. No need to be so formal around me. If anything, I¡¯m the one who should be uneasy, meeting with SERRCom¡¯s famed Eximius Vir!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Mark replied as he slowly relaxed and replaced his arm by his side.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Are we¡­ really famed?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°But of course,¡± Shepherd insisted. ¡°The four of you are the most recognized faces in SERRCom among the general public. I simply cannot overstate how lucky both Earth and SERRCom are to have such a skillful and powerful team of individuals as yourselves. And CSF-1, of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­ thank you again, sir,¡± Mark responded sheepishly. ¡°But there¡¯s no need for such high praise. We¡¯re just doing our jobs, really.¡±


    The Commander smirked. ¡°That modesty is exactly why people like you. Keep up the good work, Lieutenants, and I¡¯m certain that you¡¯ll propel SERRCom to even greater heights!¡±


    ¡°If I may ask, sir,¡± Mote interjected, ¡°are¡­ well, you aren¡¯t just here to speak with us, are you?¡±


    ¡°Ever the astute one, Lieutenant Emerson,¡± Shepherd answered. ¡°You¡¯re correct. My purpose here is to meet with General Lead and the Nimalians. I can hardly afford to miss a visit from our esteemed allies.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re really cool, aren¡¯t they?!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    The Commander passed her an amused smirk. ¡°¡­Indeed they are. Though it certainly raises a few questions, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°¡­Sir?¡± Mote questioned warily.


    ¡°I believe you said as much yourself, didn¡¯t you, Lieutenant Emerson?¡± Shepherd turned toward Mote with a knowing smile. ¡°The Nimalians only just showed up today, and already, they¡¯re claiming that SERRCom¡¯s newest recruits are special individuals, and insisting that we send them to their own Homeworld for training¡­ doesn¡¯t it strike you as a bit, convenient?¡±


    ¡°It does, sir,¡± Mote responded firmly. Finally, someone who sees reason¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree,¡± Shepherd remarked, and then turned toward Mark and Danielle. ¡°What about the two of you? Any thoughts or feelings on the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a little confused about why we¡¯re forcing them to join SERRCom¡­¡± Danielle said. ¡°They really don¡¯t seem to like it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, it truly is unfortunate¡­¡± Shepherd signed forlornly. ¡°However, as the old saying goes, great power comes with great responsibility. These four ¡ª well, eight, now ¡ª recruits may help change the course of Earth¡¯s future. Why, you Eximius Vir have already shown just how useful Chaotics can be.¡±


    ¡°I see that you agree with General Lead on this, sir,¡± Mark observed.


    The Commander chuckled briefly. ¡°Lead and I may have our disagreements,¡± he commented, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean that everything the man does is wrong. Recruiting these new Chaotics was certainly the correct move.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°I take it you disagree?¡± Shepherd glanced over at Danielle. ¡°Like your friend here?¡±


    Mark adopted a pained expression, pausing for a moment. Eventually, he responded, ¡°¡­permission to speak freely?¡±


    Shepherd smiled. ¡°For such important folks as yourselves? You don¡¯t even need to ask. The Eximius Vir always have permission to speak freely in my presence.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then¡­¡± Mark took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°well, it just doesn¡¯t seem right to force people to join a military against their will. SERRCom, as an organization, is supposed to protect Earth and her people. If we just trample over those people¡¯s rights, then aren¡¯t we going against our very reason for existing?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate what you¡¯re saying here, Lieutenant,¡± the Commander replied, ¡°however, there is a minimum level of strength and power that SERRCom requires to be able to protect Earth. As it stands, SERRCom would not be able to stand against any other force in the galaxy. Not the Drakkars, not the CSA, not the Syraus, nor the Riaxen. We wouldn¡¯t even be able to fight off the Nimalian Union, and they were regarded as the weakest civilization in the galaxy until we came along. What good is a shield, if you don¡¯t forge it out of the best materials you can find?¡±


    ¡°I agree wholeheartedly, sir,¡± Mote declared. ¡°SERRCom needs to be able to stand on its own. The new recruits, once they receive the proper training, will help us do that. The only problem is the idea of sending them away¡­ they can¡¯t help SERRCom if they aren¡¯t even here.¡±


    Shepherd nodded sagely. ¡°Indeed. One might even say that it defeats the entire purpose of recruiting them.¡±


    Mark glanced between Mote and Shepherd uneasily. ¡°But, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, there the three of you are!¡±


    The four individuals standing in the hallway all turned toward the source of the shout, to find Colonel Saito approaching alongside a tall woman with a dark complexion. A black army cap covered most of her black hair, which was tied back in a short ponytail.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Colonel Saito and Major Hackett,¡± Shepherd declared as the two approached. ¡°A pleasure to see you here.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± Saito turned toward Shepherd in confusion, only to suddenly stop in his tracks. The Colonel¡¯s expression stiffened as the corners of his mouth turned up into an uneasy smile. ¡°Oh¡­ Commander Shepherd. I¡­ didn¡¯t expect to run into you here, sir.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, there¡¯s no need to be so stiff with me, Saito,¡± Shepherd replied. ¡°We¡¯re all part of the same organization, here.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you need something from us, sir?¡± Hackett questioned curtly.


    ¡°Oh, I was just having a nice chat with Lieutenants Emerson, Cox, and Carver,¡± Shepherd replied, flashing a brief smile as he did so ¡ª though for a moment, Mote thought that the Commander¡¯s smile seemed more strained than it did before. ¡°But¡­¡± Shepherd then glanced down at his watch. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m out of time. I have a meeting with Lead that I really shouldn¡¯t miss.¡± He began walking down the hallway, stepping between Saito and Hackett before raising his right hand to casually wave at the group behind him.


    Silence befell the hallway as Shepherd continued on; only once he had rounded a corner did Saito and Hackett turn back toward the Eximius Vir.


    ¡°What did Shepherd say to you guys?¡± Saito pressed.


    ¡°Ah, just¡­ telling us his opinions regarding the Nimalians and the recruits,¡± Mark replied with an uneasy smile.


    ¡°Let me guess. He doesn¡¯t like the idea of sending them off to train with the Nimalians?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! How¡¯d you know?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°In working closely with General Lead, I¡¯ve had more than my fair share of encounters with Shepherd,¡± Saito responded warily. ¡°He doesn¡¯t exactly hide his Earth-centric opinions, and he clashes with Lead often. I know he¡¯s gotten into spats with Commander Markovic, of the Space Navy, as well. ¡­He¡¯s no good, is what I¡¯m saying. Don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    ¡°Why not, sir?¡± Mote asked, ¡°everything he said just now made sense to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how extremists get you,¡± Saito countered. ¡°They start small, with something easy to agree with, and then slowly drag you down the twisted path toward their actual opinions.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Commander Shepherd is an extremist?¡± Mote replied incredulously, ¡°that can¡¯t be so. For him to have achieved the rank that he has, clearly his views and actions are at least somewhat valid.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so confident,¡± Hackett interjected. ¡°Most of the positions in the top brass are political. All you have to do is appeal to the people who could put you there.¡±


    ¡°Respectfully, Major, you could say the same about General Lead,¡± Mote countered. ¡°The position of General of the Space Forces is appointed by the UN. That¡¯s as political as it gets. Why is it that you trust Lead, then, more than Shepherd?¡±


    ¡°Mote, let¡¯s not antagonize them¡­¡± Mark commented wearily.


    Irritation crossed Mote¡¯s face, but he quickly suppressed it and then bowed his head toward Saito. ¡°¡­Sorry, sir. I didn¡¯t mean to speak out of line.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito released an apprehensive sigh. ¡°¡­Listen, Mote. I¡¯m not trying to say that Shepherd is always wrong. And calling him an ¡®extremist¡¯ probably was a little much. But that man is willing to cross many lines to get what he wants¡­ and he isn¡¯t above using you. Just remember that.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyways.¡± Saito glanced over at Mark and Danielle. ¡°About why I¡¯m here ¡ª we have new orders.¡±


    ¡°Aw, already?¡± Danielle responded with a pout, ¡°but we just got back to Earth earlier today!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how the chips fall when you¡¯re as important as us,¡± Saito quipped. ¡°Specifically, the three of you, along with CSF-1, will be in charge of escorting the recruits as they return home to pack in preparation for their training on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°What about Kate?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°She¡¯s not coming,¡± Saito answered. ¡°Director Hamasaki has barred her from missions and most research for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Danielle muttered.


    ¡°I did warn her,¡± Mote insisted, and then turned back to Saito. ¡°So we have to play babysitter for the recruits, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s only for a week,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Once they¡¯re gone, we can get back to normal business¡­ for the most part.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°¡­Well, SERRCom isn¡¯t about to let the recruits go to an alien planet without any kind of Earthian guide or supervision. One member of CSF-1 ¡ª most likely Captain Travis ¡ª and one of you three will accompany the recruits during their stay on Nimalia.¡± Saito looked over at Mark. ¡°I was thinking of picking you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep them safe, sir!¡± Mark replied enthusiastically.


    ¡°You¡¯re splitting up the teams?¡± Mote frowned. ¡°I thought the point of sending off the recruits was to not divert our time and energy. That¡¯s the only thing we actually get out of this. And now you¡¯re telling me that we aren¡¯t even getting that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too small, Mote,¡± Saito declared. ¡°The primary reason we¡¯re sending the recruits to Nimalia is because they can get a far better Chaotic education there. That¡¯s all that High Command cares about; freeing up time for us is just a pleasant bonus.¡±


    ¡°Do we know how long they¡¯ll be on Nimalia?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Not sure¡­ but most likely over a year. Maybe two.¡±


    ¡°Two years?!¡± Mote exclaimed incredulously, glancing between Mark and Saito several times before continuing, ¡°sir, do you really mean to split us up for that long? This is ridiculous!¡±


    The Colonel shrugged. ¡°It is what it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s madness, is what it is. First those recruits steal our time, and now they¡¯re stealing away our teammates¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame them,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°To be honest, Lead has been wanting to test this kind of split for a while. The four of you have shown that we don¡¯t really need every member of the Eximius Vir in one place at one time ¡ª more often than not, just one or two of you is more than enough to handle whatever we¡¯re up against. Hell, Mote, you and Kate proved that yourselves when you fought Telregina.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t win against Telregina,¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t defeat her in battle, no, but given that the Drakkar Faction Leaders are all immortal, highly skilled Chaotics, I¡¯d count being able to stand up to one for as long as you did a victory.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ Mote, it¡¯s okay,¡± Mark commented, drawing the attention of his friend. ¡°I don¡¯t mind being sent to Nimalia to help out. Besides, it isn¡¯t as though I really helped all that much during our last few missions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°The four of us are stronger together. Besides, you never know when we¡¯ll need your strength or durability.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Mark smiled. ¡°I appreciate the thought, but really, you, Danielle, and Kate are far more effective combatants than I am. Who knows, maybe I can learn a thing or two myself from this trip to Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°Man, I wanna go to Nimalia¡­¡± Danielle turned toward Saito. ¡°Can I go with them? Pleeeaase?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Saito replied, just before Mote could open his own mouth to respond. ¡°I can spare Travis and Mark, but I¡¯d rather not split the team even further. Especially since Kate won¡¯t be coming on missions with us for the immediate future.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Mark reached over to plant his hand on Danielle¡¯s head and ruffle her hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the chance to visit every now and then. And when you do, I¡¯ll be sure to have some souvenirs and a hot meal ready for you. Ooh, maybe I can learn something about Nimalian cuisine¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, alright¡­ but I¡¯ll hold you to that!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like this¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Consider your complaint heard,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid the plans are already set.¡±


    Mote fought to suppress a scowl in the Colonel¡¯s presence. Little about everything he had just heard pleased him ¡ª now, not only were the recruits getting special treatment, but they were also effectively stealing away one of his friends. I hate this¡­ he thought bitterly, and then released a frustrated sigh. Well, at least I won¡¯t have to waste my time teaching them anymore. In that sense, at least SOME good came out of all of this¡­


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± The Colonel sighed loftily and turned around to begin walking off in the same direction from which he came, with Hackett following suit. ¡°You had best get to bed early and get plenty of rest,¡± he shouted over his shoulder to the three Eximius Vir, ¡°the recruits head home tomorrow morning, and we¡¯re going with them. It¡¯s going to be a busy week!¡±

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 3: An Imperiums Home

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 3: An Imperium''s Home


    The Next Day


    ¡°Oh man¡­ I forgot how warm it can get around here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Texas,¡± Austin replied incredulously. ¡°It¡¯s barely over 80 degrees right now, that¡¯s not even that hot for October. What¡¯d you expect?¡±


    ¡°Hey now, even 80 can be a bit much if you aren¡¯t prepared for it,¡± replied a man with a light complexion and short blond hair, covered by a backwards black baseball cap. The rest of his outfit consisted of a green t-shirt and jeans, mirroring Austin¡¯s own casual wear of a blue t-shirt and jean shorts. ¡°Still¡­ I used to be able to stand this kind of weather just fine,¡± the man eventually continued. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve been gone for too long.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you were here?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm¡­ I guess it was when you graduated high school.¡±


    ¡°That was two years ago!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ I guess it was, huh?¡±


    Austin simply shook his head before turning his attention out of the car window next to him. The sun sat high in the sky, bearing down through cloudless afternoon skies on the vast flat urban areas of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex as Austin and his uncle ¡ª Captain Luke Travis, a member of CSF-1 ¡ª zoomed through the streets in a self-driving car. The car had earlier hosted Spike, Sky, Twy, Mark, and Danielle as well, with the crowd thinning as it stopped first at Spike¡¯s home, and then dropped off Danielle and the Chao twins at theirs. Austin and Luke were the only ones left, now making their way out of Plano and to the hotel that Austin¡¯s family was staying at while they awaited a new home to move into.


    A new home¡­Austin mused, it¡¯s been a month since EA destroyed our house¡­ thankfully most of my stuff is in my apartment down near UT, but Mom and Dad and Madison lost a lot¡­ fucking EA. What was he even trying to pull?


    ¡°Whatcha thinkin¡¯?¡±


    Austin glanced over at his uncle, who eyed him curiously. ¡°¡­Nothing much,¡± Austin eventually replied. ¡°First time I¡¯ll see everyone in just over a year, though, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t go home during the summer break, huh?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°No. Spike did, for a month, so I figured I¡¯d stay behind and take advantage of havin¡¯ the whole apartment to myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I get that.¡± Luke sighed loftily. ¡°I wish I had that chance, myself. You don¡¯t get many chances to have your own room in the military.¡±


    Austin¡¯s expression collapsed into a resigned scowl. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, shit. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bring that up¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a little late to do anything about that, now, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, at least on the bright side, now you get a free visit to an alien planet!¡±


    ¡°It would be better if I got to choose whether or not to go.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Luke chuckled uneasily. ¡°Yeah, I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°Although¡­¡± Austin held out his right hand and summoned the Arc¨¢n claymore. In the fairly small car, there wasn¡¯t much room to wave the sword around, but Austin still paused for a moment to inspect its gleaming blade and polished blue and gold double crossguards. ¡°¡­I might be able to get behind this whole ¡®Key¡¯ business.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t expect you to come around to this whole idea so soon, honestly.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like being conscripted,¡± Austin retorted, momentarily passing his uncle an irate glare. ¡°But the ¡®Key¡¯ stuff¡­ well, chosen ones always get preferential treatment, you know? It¡¯s like I¡¯m the main character of a new adventure story, and cool shit always happens to the main character!¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Luke grinned. ¡°Guess I should¡¯ve expected you to frame this whole thing like a story, huh? You were always doin¡¯ that as a kid, it¡¯s amusing to see that you still do.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Austin protested, ¡°now you¡¯re just makin¡¯ me sound like a kid!¡±


    ¡°Heh, sorry, sorry,¡± Luke replied, his grin gradually lessening into a slight smile as he looked down at the blade in Austin¡¯s hands. ¡°These weapons, though¡­ they really are somethin¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Austin nodded as he eyed the sword again, only to dismiss it a moment later, causing it to disappear into thin air. ¡°I tested its sharpness last night, and it¡¯s really sharp. I could cut through metal with minimal effort, and I made sure that Spike and Mark weren¡¯t around so that I wasn¡¯t accidentally copyin¡¯ their powers. I¡¯m almost afraid to use it, it¡¯s so sharp¡­¡±


    ¡°And here¡¯s hoping you won¡¯t have to,¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so¡­¡± Austin paused for a moment, his attention directed outward at the buildings that rushed past. Eventually he turned back toward his uncle and asked, ¡°do you know exactly where on Nimalia we¡¯re gonna be? And who we¡¯ll be studyin¡¯ under?¡±


    Luke shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than you do. Just that, supposedly, one of the former members of Hero Machina will be teachin¡¯ you¡­ maybe that Kievkenalis guy. I hear he¡¯s a pretty powerful Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°All six of them are,¡± Austin replied. ¡°I mean, how couldn¡¯t they be? They saved the whole fuckin¡¯ galaxy!¡±


    ¡°Well, they do have the word ¡®Hero¡¯ in their squad name.¡±


    ¡°Right? What a conveniently cool name! Not to mention the shit they pulled off 20 years ago against the Nanocreatures. The battle of Neticen especially, I mean, have you seen those videos? A massive, climactic battle against evil that resulted in the destruction of a planet¡­ it¡¯s like a fuckin¡¯ anime!¡±


    Luke smirked in amusement. ¡°Sounds like someone has a celebrity crush.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯m just appreciatin¡¯ everything they did,¡± Austin countered. ¡°I don¡¯t like bein¡¯ forced to do anything against my will, but bein¡¯ able to summon a cool sword at will, and study under a hero against literal evil¡­ that almost makes up for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, but try not to get too carried away. Chaotic training and combat isn¡¯t exactly sunshine and rainbows.¡±


    ¡°It could be if you were a Solartechnic.¡±


    Luke passed his nephew an amused glance. ¡°Been lookin¡¯ up stuff on Chaotics, have we?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a Chaotic now. A Simulator Psychotechnic, to boot, which means I can copy other people¡¯s powers. I just figured that it¡¯d be in my own bests interests to see what kind of powers are out there to copy.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Luke reached over to ruffle Austin¡¯s unkempt hair. ¡°You really are the same as ever, huh? Once something catches your interest, away you go!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop that!¡± Austin batted away Luke¡¯s hand and passed him an impatient glare. ¡°I¡¯m 20, you know! Stop treatin¡¯ me like a kid!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll lay off,¡± Luke replied with a chuckle, and then directed his attention outside as the car slowed to a stop. ¡°¡­Well, I guess we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± Austin exclaimed as he threw open the car door and leaped out into the sun and the heat. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He grimaced through squinted eyes. ¡°I¡¯m glad to be out of the car, but, damn, it¡¯s really bright out here¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with ya there. Let¡¯s get inside.¡± Luke gestured toward the hotel entrance as the car drove away to rejoin the public transportation network. The two men then rushed through the hotel doors, where Austin stopped to sigh of relief.


    ¡°Wherever it is that we go on Nimalia, I hope it¡¯s nice and cool,¡± he commented.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ guess so.¡±


    Confused at Luke¡¯s apathetic response, Austin glanced over at his uncle, only to find him scanning the hotel lobby apprehensively. ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Luke looked over at his nephew before shaking his head. ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­I bet it¡¯s Dad, isn¡¯t it? You aren¡¯t lookin¡¯ forward to talkin¡¯ to him.¡±


    Luke smirked, though his brow was furrowed in frustration. ¡°Saw right through me, huh?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem too thrilled to hear about Dad when I called him a while ago.¡± Austin crossed his arms. ¡°What, you scared that he¡¯ll take my side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared because I know that he¡¯ll take your side,¡± Luke replied, and then sighed. ¡°Oof. The Colonel thought your Dad would take this whole ¡®year on an alien planet¡¯ business better if I delivered the news, since I¡¯m his brother¡­ but, personally, I think that¡¯s just gonna make it worse. Chris has always been super protective of you and Maddie¡­¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t see much sympathy from me here,¡± Austin countered as he began leading the pair across the lobby and to the elevators. ¡°I might not be opposed to spendin¡¯ some time on Nimalia, but this conscription shit is still fucked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Luke simply shook his head in resignation. The pair then entered into a conversational lull as they took the elevator up four floors and navigated the hallways to find the room where Austin¡¯s family was staying.


    ¡°Not a very big place¡­¡± Austin muttered as they approached the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best we can do on such a short notice,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to get SERRCom to get your folks a better place, but, uh. It¡¯s harder than you¡¯d think.¡±


    ¡°An interstellar military that loves dropping billions of dollars on massive spacecraft can¡¯t afford to get my family a better hotel?¡± Austin questioned incredulously as he gave the door a loud knock, ¡°especially when they¡¯re at fault for our house gettin¡¯ destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t us, that was EA.¡±


    ¡°And he wouldn¡¯t have destroyed our house if SERRCom was competent at stoppin¡¯ him.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± Luke groaned. He then opened his mouth to respond, but just before he could, the door in front of them opened, revealing a tall, thin man with short black hair, an aging face, and a casual demanor.


    ¡°Hey, Dad,¡± Austin greeted.


    ¡°Austin!¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened with glee. He took a step forward, his arms already out in preparation to embrace his son, when he froze in his tracks and locked eyes with Luke ¡ª at which point his expression and demeanor both rapidly cooled. ¡°¡­And Luke. What a¡­ surprise.¡±


    ¡°¡­H-hey, Chris.¡± Luke waved casually, though his tone immediately revealed his unease. ¡°Uh, long time no see, huh? Ah ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Austin¡¯s dad stared at Luke for a moment before sighing and turning around. ¡°Come on in.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see what you mean,¡± Austin whispered to his uncle before following his father into the hotel room. Luke simply responded with a resigned sigh and followed suit as well, making sure to close the door behind him.


    Once in the room, Austin took a moment to look around, though what met his eyes seemed to be a simple, standard hotel room: two beds, with the off-white sheets made; a small bathroom near the front, just next to the room¡¯s entrance; a window on the far side of the room, through which sprawling flat cities could be seen; and a small desk, on which there was an open laptop. Not much here¡­ Austin mused, though I guess I should have expected that. Our house WAS destroyed, there wasn¡¯t exactly much to recover¡­


    ¡°Are you doing okay, Austin?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked up, to find his father standing in front of the window and looking out over the city. Austin passed Luke a quick glance before crossing the room to stand next to his dad as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m okay as can be, I guess.¡±


    His father looked over at him, and then gestured for him to step closer. ¡°C¡¯mere.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª? Aw, Dad, c¡¯mon!¡± Austin protested as his father embraced him in a hug.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in over a year, just give me this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch. Whatever, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh. Well it sure sounds like you haven¡¯t changed much.¡± Austin¡¯s father finally released him and stepped back, regarding him with a slight smirk. The smirk then quickly transformed into an irate frown as he turned around to face Luke. ¡°So,¡± he began, his tone rapidly cooling, ¡°¡­just what the hell is SERRCom tryin¡¯ to do with my son?¡±


    Luke released a lofty sigh as he scratched the back of his head, his eyes cast downward. After a moment of silence, he looked up to meet eyes with Austin¡¯s father. ¡°¡­Well, you¡¯re not gonna like anything I have to say here, so I guess I might as well just lay it all out. First, the conscription order has been officially recognized by both the US and the UN, sooo¡­¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Austin¡¯s father¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, at which point he whipped around to address his son again. ¡°Is that true?!¡±


    ¡°I looked it up earlier today, and, well¡­ yeah, it is,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. Not only does SERRCom suddenly whip this conscription bullshit out of its ass, with no warning whatsoever, but it also got the governments to all play along?¡± He glanced between Austin and Luke in frustration. ¡°Does no one see this damned slippery slope that we¡¯re on?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you won¡¯t see much argument from me there,¡± Luke responded. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a little messed up.¡±


    ¡°A ¡®little¡¯?! Apparently all SERRCom needs is one convenient excuse and they can suck up anyone they want! And before you start!¡± Austin¡¯s dad pointed an accusatory finger at Luke just as the latter opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t give me any of those bullshit platitudes like you just did. Unlike my son, you voluntarily signed up for this mess, even after I and everyone else advised you not to. You¡¯re a part of the problem!¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, Chris. Yeah, you and Mom tried to talk me out of it, but don¡¯t act like you¡¯ve been against my job at SERRCom for the entire past decade. You were just as interested as everyone else when I told you all those stories of working alongside the Eximius Vir!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make what I said any less true. If you¡¯re the one workin¡¯ so closely with SERRCom Chaotics, then why the hell couldn¡¯t you have said anything against draftin¡¯ Austin and his friends?¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯d be nice if I had that much power, but I really don¡¯t. I¡¯m just a Captain.¡±


    ¡°You could quit.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first to have suggested that, but it ain¡¯t that simple¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not that simple?! It¡¯s two words: ¡®I quit¡¯. It doesn¡¯t get much more simpler than that!¡±


    Luke released another sigh as he looked away, seemingly searching the walls for a response. Before he could speak again, however, Austin spoke up.


    ¡°Uh, Dad¡­¡± he said warily, ¡°it¡¯s¡­ I mean, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re speakin¡¯ up for me, but it¡¯s not all bad.¡±


    ¡°¡­And why¡¯s that?¡± His father replied tentatively.


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s the other reason that I¡¯m here. Or, I guess, it¡¯s why Spike and the twins are in town, and I just came along, since there isn¡¯t really anything for me to pack here, but, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, because of the destroyed house¡­¡± His father nodded along as he shot Luke a glare. ¡°Yet another fault of SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t the ones who blew up the neighborhood,¡± Luke countered. ¡°That was entirely EA.¡±


    ¡°I still have a hard time believin¡¯ this ¡®EA¡¯ person is real. He just sounds like a terribly convenient scapegoat, to me.¡±


    ¡°No, he really is real, unfortunately,¡± Austin interjected. ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but there really is a doppelganger of me out there, and he really did attack me and SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± His father shook his head in disbelief. ¡°¡­Anyways, I think I interrupted you. You were saying?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Well, uh¡­ I¡¯m gonna get to spend the next year or so on an alien planet!¡±


    ¡°¡­On an alien planet?¡±


    ¡°On Nimalia, specifically,¡± Luke clarified. ¡°It¡¯s the Homeworld of the Nimalian Union. It¡¯s very advanced, and perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a part of SERRCom to visit Nimalia,¡± Austin¡¯s father argued, ¡°it ain¡¯t cheap, sure, but free trips are no reason to join a military!¡±


    ¡°¡®Not cheap¡¯ is a bit of an understatement, Chris,¡± Luke countered. ¡°A stay on Nimalia for even one day is far too expensive for the average Earthian if they aren¡¯t being subsidized by SERRCom somehow. The tech and economic disparity between Earth and Nimalia is just too great. And a whole year? There¡¯s no way in hell that¡¯s happenin¡¯ without SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an argument for findin¡¯ ways to make the trip cheaper, not for joinin¡¯ the fucking military!¡±


    ¡°Dad, c¡¯mon! Can¡¯t you cut Luke at least a little slack?¡± Austin cut in, drawing the attention of his father and Luke both. ¡°Look, I agree with what you¡¯re sayin¡¯, but, like¡­ the opportunity to spend a year on another world is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Weren¡¯t you always tellin¡¯ me that I should take more chances, as a kid?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes, but not like this!¡± Austin¡¯s father regarded him with confused surprise. ¡°Are¡­ are you really fine with this? What about your college degree? You¡¯re already halfway through!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the cost of tuition you¡¯re worried about, SERRCom will reimburse you,¡± Luke declared.


    ¡°What?! That¡¯s not¡ª! ¡­Well, yes, that does help some, but¡­ that¡¯s not the point! The point is that SERRCom can¡¯t be allowed to just run roughshod over people¡¯s freedoms! This is a terrible precedent to be setting!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a precedent that ends with Austin and his friends.¡± Luke nodded toward Austin. ¡°Show ¡®im why.¡±


    ¡°I dunno if that¡¯s a very convincin¡¯ argument, but okay¡­¡± Austin shrugged and held out his right hand, again summoning the Arc¨¢n claymore into his grip. He then turned toward his father, who was now staring at him in abject surprise. ¡°This sword¡­¡± Austin looked down at the blade before meeting eyes with his father again. ¡°¡­Being able to summon it isn¡¯t a normal Chaotic ability. This is a unique thing that me and my friends can do. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to Nimalia, to learn how to better use our abilities, and then do what no one else can.¡±


    ¡°¡­This story sounds mighty suspect to me,¡± Austin¡¯s dad eventually responded. ¡°How the hell do you know this is a ¡®unique¡¯ thing, huh? And what do you mean by ¡®what no one else can¡¯?! That sounds like a sappy line from a recruiter, to me!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Look, Austin, I¡¯m sure you mean well, and I¡¯m sure you do want to visit Nimalia, but how the hell are you trustin¡¯ SERRCom with anything at this point? If you give ¡®em an inch, they¡¯ll take your whole life!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re gettin¡¯ out of hand, Chris,¡± Luke interjected. ¡°You were makin¡¯ valid points before, but don¡¯t let your dislike of SERRCom lead you to think that everything we do is bad, or a lie!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Even twenty years ago, SERRCom was content to use force against the nations of this Earth to get what it wanted! Granted, what it wanted was complete nuclear disarmament, so that, uh, wasn¡¯t entirely a bad thing¡­ but the fact remains, Luke, that your organization clearly thinks that they can do whatever they want, with complete impunity. The writing was on the wall two decades ago, and this conscription business merely confirmed what everyone already suspected. It¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Twenty years ago¡­? Wait, are you talkin¡¯ about that spat with the American government? The US started that, you know! You can hardly blame SERRCom for retaliating!¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but I can blame them for punishin¡¯ the rest of the planet for something one government did.¡±


    ¡°How is it ¡®punishment¡¯ to force everyone to get rid of their nuclear warheads?!¡±


    ¡°¡®Force¡¯ bein¡¯ the operative word, here! It¡¯s exactly like I said¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uh, sorry, excuse me¡­¡± Austin dismissed his claymore and quickly made his way toward the front of the room, passing his father and uncle barely a glance and a wave as he said, ¡°I¡¯m just, uh, gonna go get some fresh air¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is everything alright, Austin?¡± his father questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Austin replied. ¡°You two just, uh¡­ keep talking.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Luke passed him a look of concern. ¡°If you want, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere, Luke!¡± Austin¡¯s father interjected as he pointed at Luke. ¡°I¡¯m not done with you yet, and I¡¯m not about to let you disappear for another two years with minimal contact before I¡¯m done!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding¡­¡± Luke muttered, ¡°Chris, this is just¡­¡±


    The rest of their argument quickly faded behind the room¡¯s door as Austin closed it behind him, now standing in the hallway just outside. He took a deep breath and then released a weary sigh, at which point he glanced left and right to see if anyone else was around. Seems like no one¡¯s here¡­ he observed, and then turned toward the elevator. I guess that makes sense, it¡¯s still mid-afternoon or so. Lots of people would still be at work, or school. As is, we only caught Dad ¡®cause he works from home¡­


    At the thought of his father, he sighed again. An argument between Luke and his father had been inevitable ¡ª he knew that from the start. However, the level of anger his father had shown surprised Austin, and the back-and-forth he had been witness to stressed him out. Part of him did agree with his father about SERRCom; there was little that the organization had done recently to encourage Austin to trust it in any real capacity. And yet, as he held out his hand and summoned his blade once more, there was another part of him that couldn¡¯t resist the thoughts of embracing his supposed role in saving the galaxy. Someone, or something, had chosen him for some reason. Whatever that reason could be, it could lead to a far more interesting life than a degree in computer science and a career in programming could get him ¡ª or so Austin thought. The only problem was that this more interesting life also laid in the hands of an interstellar military with a fondness for throwing its weight around¡­


    ¡°Wha¡ª Austin?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked up, momentarily abandoning his train of thought as he made eye contact with a young woman just in front of him, standing in the elevator. Her light skin and shoulder-length black hair matched Austin¡¯s in color, though her orange t-shirt seemed to clash against his own blue shirt. ¡°¡­Oh. Hey, Madison¡­¡± he muttered, dismissing his claymore again as she stepped out of the elevator. ¡°You¡¯re home¡ª uh¡­ back from school early.¡±


    ¡°This is the same time as always,¡± she countered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me two years is enough for you to forget.¡±


    Austin sighed warily. ¡°I see two years isn¡¯t enough for you to change.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say the same about you,¡± she shot back, and then eyed him from head to toe. ¡°¡­Hmph. Just as unkempt as always.¡±


    ¡°Unkempt?!¡± Austin reached up to brush his hands through his hair. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­ look, this is an intentional look, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is¡­¡± Madison shook her head. ¡°¡­Damn it. I¡¯m the one who actually studies, and does work. You¡¯re just a good-for-nothing, so why the hell do you get the cool powers?¡±


    ¡°Good-for¡ª?! Hey! I get good grades and shit!¡±


    ¡°And then you somehow manage to go and get our house destroyed. That sure isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°God damn it, am I gonna have to explain this to everyone I meet? It wasn¡¯t me who destroyed the house, it was EA! My evil twin!¡±


    ¡°Right. Your ¡®evil twin¡¯. I guess I should blame this ¡®evil twin¡¯ for having to spend every night and evening in the same room as Mom and Dad?¡±


    ¡°Literally yes. What more do you want from me? There¡¯s recorded footage proving I¡¯m right, you know!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Madison simply turned away from him and began walking down the hallway. ¡°Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a second!¡± Austin called after her, prompting her to stop and glance back at him. ¡°Uh, well, Dad and Luke are having a¡­ discussion. You might not want to interrupt.¡±


    Madison¡¯s eyes momentarily widened. ¡°Uncle Luke is back?! When?¡±


    ¡°He came with me. But like I said, he¡¯s¡­ busy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Go figure. Everything¡¯s gone to shit.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s my line. I¡¯m the one who got fucking drafted, you know. Don¡¯t forget that!¡±


    Madison rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll be fine, they never argue in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?! You entitled¡­! Argh.¡± Austin groaned in disbelief as his sister turned around to continue walking down the hallway. He whirled around and barged into the elevator himself, eager to take a step away from everything and get some time to himself. Everything really has gone to shit, he mused, I just¡­ I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on anymore, do I? Fuck. Even this trip to Nimalia is basically just a distraction¡­ what even caused everything to start going downhill? Oh yeah, that¡¯s right¡­ EA.


    The elevator stopped at that point, opening its doors to show Austin the lobby. As he stepped out of the elevator, and began crossing the lobby, he couldn¡¯t help but scowl to himself. EA really is at the core of all this, isn¡¯t he? He¡¯s the one who attacked SERRCom, who revealed me and my friends to them. He¡¯s the one who unleashed a giant mech on my neighborhood¡­ and then kidnapped a bunch of unrelated people, effectively forcing them into SERRCom¡¯s hands, as well! Fuck that guy. I don¡¯t even know why he has my face, or why he exists, or why he¡¯s doing anything that he¡¯s doing¡­ but I do know that he¡¯s an asshole, and that he needs to be stopped. Heh. I guess that should be my ultimate goal, then, huh? The one, concrete objective that does actually require joining SERRCom¡­ With one final step, he pushed through the lobby doors leading to the world outside. You had better watch out, EA. All this frustration that people are feeling is because of you, and I¡¯m going to make sure that you know it! Just you fucking wait!

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 4: A Keys Family

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 4: A Key''s Family


    ¡°Why the hell are we here?¡±


    ¡°Do we really need to explain ourselves again?¡± Mote retorted impatiently, ¡°we¡¯re here so that you can pack your things for leaving Earth.¡±


    ¡°And my stuff isn¡¯t even here in the Bay,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°It¡¯s all down at Caltech. There¡¯s no point in coming here!¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s not what you said yesterday.¡±


    ¡°That was before I knew you dumbasses would insist on tagging along. I don¡¯t need you all up in my business.¡±


    ¡°So you do have things at home, then? You just don¡¯t want us to see them.¡±


    ¡°Listen here, you entitled fuck, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­¡±


    Saito sighed warily from his seat at the front of the self-driving car as Mote and Pierce¡¯s heated exchange dominated the atmosphere. Barely fifteen minutes had passed since Saito, Mote, Pierce, and Conrad had entered the car en route to Pierce¡¯s home near San Francisco, and virtually every minute had been filled with Pierce and Mote¡¯s arguing. I know Mote has a hard time making new friends, Saito mused, but this is just ridiculous. Did something happen between them¡­?


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, this is for your own¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking tell me that this is ¡®for my own good¡¯. You know what would be, though? If we went where my shit actually is!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you two, cut it out,¡± the Colonel finally interjected, ¡°you clearly aren¡¯t going to convince each other of anything, so cut your losses and save your breath.¡±


    ¡°Colonel¡¯s got a point,¡± Conrad quickly added from his seat in the back of the car. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier if we all just took a nap?¡±


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d want a nap at a time like this,¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°How the hell do you manage to take naps all the time?¡±


    ¡°Well, currently, I¡¯m not. Which is part of why it¡¯d be nice if the two of you quieted down. It¡¯s hard to nap when people are arguing near you.¡±


    ¡°You must be joking,¡± Mote replied, his tone deadpan. ¡°How irresponsible can you be?¡±


    ¡°Mote,¡± Saito cut in sharply, ¡°let¡¯s not start with the arguing again.¡±


    ¡°But, sir¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Leave it, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, sir,¡± Mote responded stiffly as he turned to face forward in his seat beside Saito at the front of the car.


    The Colonel released a quiet sigh in response. It wasn¡¯t often that he had to pull the rank card to get Mote to listen to him ¡ª something must have agitated Mote to a far greater degree than normal. Now that I think about it, he seemed a little irritated last night, as well. ¡­Well, there¡¯s no time to talk at the moment. I¡¯ll have to wait until later to catch him alone¡­


    ¡°Heh. Not so feisty when your boss is around, huh?¡±


    ¡°That goes for you, too, Bradley,¡± Saito quickly declared, turning his head just enough to look Pierce in the eye. ¡°Enough with the arguments. Cut it out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can just boss me around like you do with Mote,¡± Pierce countered irately. ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up for this shit, you know!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, but that doesn¡¯t change the situation. As it is, the current arrangement is a courtesy to you. If you want to keep acting up, then we can just throw you in a brig until the date of departure, and then you won¡¯t be able to pack anything or see any of your family before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°This is bullshit¡­¡± Pierce added under his breath, though still loud enough for Saito to hear. The Colonel could see Mote¡¯s brow furrow in response, and he began turning to respond, but Saito subtly shook his head to stop Mote.


    ¡°¡­Think of it this way,¡± Saito began after a moment of silence, ¡°this is an opportunity to spend a year on another Homeworld! Not many people get that chance. Hell, you might actually be the very first Earthians to get that chance.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was opposed to hanging out on Nimalia,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°It¡¯s this whole military shit that¡¯s nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Well, while you¡¯re on Nimalia, your only concern will be learning how to better use your abilities. You won¡¯t have any SERRCom duties for at least another year, maybe even two. Maybe, if you¡¯re lucky, something about your circumstances will change before then.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a statement of fact. Regardless, for someone who dislikes the thought of joining SERRCom so much, you sure are putting up quite the fight against going home.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah. Because, like I said earlier, my stuff isn¡¯t at home.¡±


    ¡°Do you not want to see your family? In the very least, it could be useful for me to explain the situation directly to your parents.¡±


    Pierce¡¯s brow furrowed as he turned away to stare out the car window. ¡°¡­I am an adult, you know. I¡¯m even old enough to drink. My parents don¡¯t speak for me, and you don¡¯t need to speak to them on my behalf. I can do that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, then.¡± Saito shifted his attention to Conrad. ¡°What about you? Do you feel the same way?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh.¡± Conrad shrugged noncommittally. ¡°I don¡¯t really care either way. I guess there¡¯s some stuff from home I could grab. Probably wouldn¡¯t be very convenient for you, though.¡±


    ¡°Kids these days,¡± Saito muttered. ¡°Neither of you care about seeing your family, do you?¡±


    ¡°Not while you¡¯re around,¡± Pierce shot back.


    Saito shook his head warily before returning his gaze to Conrad. ¡°Do you want to drop by your home, or not?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°If we really are going to be gone for over a year, then I might as well say goodbye to my favorite bed¡­ or, wait!¡± His eyes momentarily widened. ¡°What¡¯s the limit on stuff we can bring with us? Can I bring my bed?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ bed?¡± Saito sighed in disbelief. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll see. I can¡¯t make any promises.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ oh well. Worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± The Colonel leaned over toward the car¡¯s console and brought up the navigation display. ¡°Well let¡¯s get this over with. What¡¯s your address¡­?¡±


    *


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°This¡­ is where you live?!¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Conrad yawned and stretched after stepping out of the car. ¡°I don¡¯t visit too often, though.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly see why¡­¡± Saito muttered as he and Mote stood next to Conrad in stunned awe, both of their attentions directed up at the large house standing in front of them. A luxuriously manicured lawn and shrubbery were blocked off from the sidewalk by a metal fence, with a locked gate standing guard over the walkway that lead up two short sets of steps to the front porch. The house itself overlooked the porch and extended to the side both ways for many meters; it was only after looking for the side of the house that Saito noticed a garage and driveway hidden by shrubs and another gate, accompanied by a rather expensive-looking car parked in the driveway. Two trees stood on either side of the house, growing up alongside it to give the large building the impression of being nestled into a forest, despite being located in an affluent suburb. From the outside, little about the house itself stood out other than its size, but the Colonel could see an extravagant chandelier through one of the windows, and a highly decorated dining area through another.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you lived in such¡­ extravagance,¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ say,¡± Saito commented. ¡°You sure as hell won¡¯t see a house this big in Japan.¡±


    ¡°Houses get bigger in other parts of the country, you know,¡± Pierce pointed out.


    ¡°Bigger, sure. But not so decorated or kept quite so nicely. And that car over there¡­¡± the Colonel nodded toward the sleek silver vehicle sitting in the driveway. ¡°That¡¯s a human-drivable model, and it looks new. Newer than the grandfathered-in cars, at least. And it¡¯s a Mercedes, too. Do you have any idea of how much those cost?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Conrad glanced over at the car. ¡°¡­Oh, that one¡¯s Angela¡¯s. I guess she¡¯s home, then.¡±


    ¡°That car is owned by one person?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. My parents each have their own car, too. And another one that my Dad uses at the track.¡± Conrad shrugged. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little over the top, but hey, what are you gonna do? Anyways, let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sure,¡± Saito muttered, dumbfounded as Conrad stepped up to the front gate and flashed his wrist over a scanner. As the gate unlocked and Conrad and Pierce began to move through, Mote approached Saito and leaned over to whisper in his ear.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± he said warily, ¡°this¡­ this isn¡¯t a normal house, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Mote. No, it is not¡­¡± Saito sighed wearily and then began walking up the pathway to the house. ¡°Well, let¡¯s¡­ see what¡¯s inside, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ sir,¡± Mote replied stiffly.


    Even Mote is surprised, Saito mentally observed, and then turned his attention to Conrad, and the young man¡¯s plain outfit of a cheap gray t-shirt and shorts. Though you can hardly blame him, with how plainly Ashworth dresses. I thought he was just joking earlier when he asked about bringing his bed with him, but now¡­ oof. What a place.


    ¡°Well¡­ welcome to my family¡¯s house, I guess,¡± Conrad said as he opened the front door, revealing a large entryway with a small fountain to the right. A blue rug covered the tiles leading from the front door to the back of the room, which itself consisted of two stairways up to the second floor, and a hallway leading out from each of the three walls in the back. To the left, opposite of the entryway from the fountain, was a large oak-and-glass display case that featured a vast collection of photos of people Saito didn¡¯t recognize.


    I guess this is his family? Or not¡­ The Colonel frowned in confusion as he looked over several of the pictures. In one, he saw an older man with a light complexion and blond hair, standing in front of a shiny black car with a smile on his face; in another, he saw the same man and a woman with similarly light skin and red hair sitting at a small, romantically-lit table overlooking a majestic forested valley, with both of them smiling at the camera. On a different shelf, he saw a photo of two women sitting around a smoldering campfire in the morning light; one of the women had a toned, athletic build with dark skin and wild, frizzy black hair, while the other possessed lighter skin, silky straight black hair, and a face that Saito was instantly able to identify as east Asian, likely Chinese. Who are these people? Friends of the family¡­? the Colonel wondered, as he passed Conrad a surreptitious glance, taking note of the young man¡¯s naturally tan-colored skin and brown hair. Or¡­ wait¡­ When he returned his attention to the display case, he found himself looking at one particular photo that was centered and emphasized over the rest: a photo showing the older man and woman, standing in the back; in front of them were three women, two of them matching the two Saito had already seen, with the third possessing blond hair and the same light skin tone as the older couple. And then, standing to the side of the three women ¡ª and looking several years younger than them ¡ª was a tan-skinned boy with long brown hair. Is that¡­ Conrad?


    ¡°Oh¡­ you found the family portrait.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Saito glanced over at Conrad as he stepped up to the display case. ¡°So that is you?¡±


    ¡°From four years ago, yep.¡± Conrad nodded, and then pointed up at the older couple in the portrait. ¡°That¡¯s Mom and Dad, and my sisters in front of them. The blond woman in front of them is Angela, the Asian one is Caecilia, and the black one is Katarina.¡±


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    ¡°Surprised they don¡¯t look like Conrad?¡± Pierce questioned with an amused smirk. ¡°Heh. Most people are. Just goes to show that you shouldn¡¯t assume shit based on someone¡¯s appearance, huh?¡±


    ¡°You were even more surprised back when you found out I was adopted,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Wha¡ª! Look, I was in middle school! That¡¯s way different!¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s pretty interesting to know,¡± Saito remarked as he turned back toward the display case and the myriad of photos stored within. ¡°Looks like you have a happy family.¡±


    ¡°Well of course it does,¡± Conrad retorted. ¡°You¡¯d never show the bad in a display like this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Well¡­ of course.¡±


    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t really blame you for being surprised. Katarina and I have always seemed to have that problem. Angela and Caecilia never did, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps because you wear such plain clothes?¡± Mote suggested.


    ¡°Katarina doesn¡¯t wear plain clothes,¡± Conrad countered, and then pointed at one of the photos showing the dark-skinned woman posing in a party dress with an expensive-looking purse and shiny earrings.


    ¡°I mean, just spit it out, dude,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s black, and you¡¯re latino. The answer is right fuckin¡¯ there.¡±


    ¡°I think immediately jumping to ¡®racism¡¯ is too simple.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s exactly as simple as the average person¡¯s thought processes.¡±


    ¡°Says the white guy?¡±


    ¡°Tch. I¡¯m just saying, man. I¡¯m sure Katarina would agree, too.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess you aren¡¯t wrong, there.¡±


    ¡°I find it rather interesting that you¡¯d imply that people have an easy time believing that an Asian would be rich,¡± Saito commented. ¡°Can¡¯t say that¡¯s been my experience.¡±


    Pierce turned toward the Colonel and opened his mouth to respond, only to stop himself. ¡°¡­Uhhh¡­ well¡­¡± He glanced away uneasily.


    Saito chuckled in response. ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. I know you Americans have different expectations and stereotypes from us Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Conrad,¡± Mote suddenly stated, distracting both Saito and Pierce as he focused his attention intently on Conrad. ¡°¡­You say you¡¯re adopted. Do you know your birth parents?¡±


    ¡°Mote, come on, now,¡± Saito quickly interjected. ¡°You can¡¯t just ask these things.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t mind,¡± Conrad replied, and then shrugged. ¡°Though, no, I don¡¯t. Never really thought about trying to find them, either. Just doesn¡¯t seem worth it.¡±


    ¡°So you never knew them? When were you adopted?¡±


    ¡°According to my parents, as a baby. I¡¯ve been with this family my whole life.¡±


    Mote stared at Conrad for a moment in silence, before snorting in disdain and turning away.


    ¡°¡­Well, anyways,¡± Saito spoke up again, ¡°we do have business to attend to. Conrad, lead the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well, would you look at this. The disappointment has returned¡­ alongside a couple of lapdogs.¡±


    ¡°Who goes there?!¡± Mote demanded, sparks momentarily wreathing his arms as the four men turned their attention to the top of one of the staircases ¡ª where a young woman with long, blond hair now stood. Her clothes appeared casual, with a simple red blouse and fitted jeans, but Saito could tell that the fabric was immaculate; paired with her subtle jeweled earrings, the Colonel could tell at a glance that the woman¡¯s ensemble spared no expense.


    ¡°Hey, Angela.¡± Conrad offered the woman a casual wave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just ¡®hey¡¯ me,¡± Angela retorted, her brow furrowed, and her nose turned up in disdain. She descended the steps, but stopped just before the floor level, keeping her eye level just a couple inches above everyone standing in the entryway. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, returning home unannounced?¡±


    ¡°You never complain when Katarina comes unannounced,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Yes, because she¡¯s actually accomplished, and working toward something worthwhile with all her heart.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s working toward a Ph.D in geology¡­¡±


    ¡°And what of you, hmm? What are you working toward?¡±


    Conrad simply shrugged in response. ¡°Eh, I¡¯ll find out one day.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Angela shook her head. ¡°And this is why you¡¯re the disappointment.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ¡°Man, you really haven¡¯t changed, have you?¡± Pierce interjected as he glared up at Angela. ¡°Just as massive a bitch as always, huh?¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re just as vulgar as always,¡± Angela shot back. ¡°I knew you would be a terrible influence on poor Conrad the day I met you, and lo and behold, I was right.¡±


    ¡°Terrible influence my ass. I don¡¯t fucking berate Conrad for not meeting some arbitrary worthless standard.¡±


    ¡°No, but you do drag him away from the one worthwhile thing he¡¯s ever done¡­¡± She moved her gaze over to Mote and Saito, at which point disgust clearly washed across her features. ¡°¡­And to the military. Not just any military, either. But SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°I guess that would make us the ¡®lapdogs¡¯ you mentioned,¡± Saito replied with an amused smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know just why you think that,¡± Mote growled.


    ¡°Typical SERRCom.¡± Angela snorted in derision. ¡°You think you can just go anywhere you like and take whatever you want. Hmph. Well that won¡¯t work here, not in this household.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Angela, lay off of them,¡± Conrad spoke up. ¡°You haven¡¯t even properly met them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to meet them to know who they are and what they do,¡± she countered. ¡°And the fact that you don¡¯t seem to care about what¡¯s happening to you is simply astounding. Like it or not, you are an Ashworth, Conrad. You are destined for something better than lowering yourself to the level of a cog in a massive machine of murder. And you deserve better friends than ones who would drag you down to that level.¡±


    ¡°SERRCom is not a ¡®machine of murder¡¯,¡± Mote snapped.


    ¡°And I wasn¡¯t even the one who ¡®dragged¡¯ him down, anyways!¡± Pierce exclaimed.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine, guys. Just let her vent.¡± Conrad shrugged and began walking toward the ground-level hallway leading out of the room to the left. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go get my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª! Conrad, I¡¯m not done with¡ª!¡± Angela jumped down the rest of the steps and took a step after Conrad, but he had already disappeared around the corner. With a huff, she crossed her arms and glared at the hallway he had just left through. ¡°Hmph! That ungrateful¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, sure, Conrad is the ungrateful one,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get snappy with me, Pierce Bradley.¡± Angela whipped around to shove her finger into Pierce¡¯s sternum as she glared up at him. ¡°I know how people like you work. You only got close to Conrad for the wealth.¡±


    Pierce returned the glare as he swiped her finger away. ¡°¡¯People like me¡¯? Seriously? Piss off. No amount of money is worth having to talk with your bitchy ass.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! This is exactly¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Saito spoke up, immediately drawing the attention of both Angela and Pierce. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± the Colonel continued, ¡°what is it that you do? As a job, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Of course.¡± Angela stepped away from Pierce and cleared her throat, taking a moment to clear some of the ruffles in her blouse before answering, ¡°I work as an Aerospace Engineer for Boeing. Already, I¡¯m the lead on two different projects ¡ª one of which being Boeing¡¯s new mainline commercial airliner. And still, I have the time and ability such that I¡¯m able to return home to meet with our parents about managing my father¡¯s company.¡± She grinned proudly, though her brow was still furrowed into a haughty glare. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m quite accomplished.¡±


    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Mote deadpanned.


    ¡°Actually, unironically, yes. Very impressive.¡± Saito nodded in approval. ¡°Now, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is it that you don¡¯t like about SERRCom? We have a wide variety of engineering projects that benefit the public, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, like that oversized dam you¡¯re building across the mouth of the bay?¡± Angela snorted. ¡°You can¡¯t fool me. It¡¯s obvious that SERRCom has ulterior motives with each and every ¡®public works¡¯ project you embark upon. At the end of the day, you are still a military ¡ª your leader is a General, after all. And the only reason any military exists is to kill; I refuse to support such murder. And the fact that everyone else is willing to do so, merely in exchange for their own benefit, is appalling.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even close to true¡ª!¡± Mote exclaimed, but stopped himself as Saito held up his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mote,¡± the Colonel commented, ¡°I¡¯m sure the lady has valid reasons for feeling the way that she does.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear that from a member of SERRCom itself,¡± Angela spat.


    ¡°Just as I¡¯m surprised to hear such a nuance-lacking anti-military opinion from a Boeing engineer,¡± Saito countered. ¡°You are aware that your company has been working on ¡®defense¡¯ contracts for the US military for well over a hundred years now, right?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± Angela¡¯s eyes went wide as she drew back, apparently caught off-guard by Saito¡¯s assertion. ¡°W-well, yes, of course I knew that. But the defense division is a separate part of the company. Nothing I do benefits it.¡±


    ¡°You really believe that? Heh.¡± Saito snorted in amusement. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more than enough development contracts in my forty-nine years to know that military and civilian development cross-pollinate ideas and technologies at an incredible rate. Military engineering trickles down to civilian projects, and civilian techniques make their way into military hardware. Hell, SERRCom¡¯s own C-01 Pelican courier aircraft makes use of the same model of jet engines that civilian airliners use today.¡±


    ¡°The Pelican doesn¡¯t use the same engines that Boeing aircraft do,¡± Angela countered. ¡°They have incompatible mountings¡­¡±


    ¡°That was just one example of a military vehicle that uses civilian parts. The point is, when you work for a company that has an explicit division that works on military hardware ¡ª somehow, someway, sometime, your work is going to contribute to that hardware. Even if it¡¯s just by keeping the company afloat.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph. And just what does a silly military officer know about engineering?¡± Angela shook her head as she turned around to ascend the stairs. ¡°What you say might apply to other companies, and even to the Boeing of the past, but the current company is different. Now, I¡¯ve had enough of your nonsense; do whatever you came here to do, do it quickly, and then leave.¡±


    Saito, Mote, and Pierce watched Angela disappear up the steps and down one of the second-floor hallways, leaving silence in her wake. A second later, the silence was broken by the sound of Pierce laughing to himself.


    ¡°Heh, that was pretty good.¡± He turned toward Saito with a smirk on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Angela so flustered!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what you deserve when you make so many baseless and unreasonable claims,¡± Mote asserted, his gaze still directed upward at the hallway Angela had disappeared into. ¡°Arrogance is never productive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fucking rich coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Says the inexperienced Chaotic who had the gall to attack me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, screw you.¡± Pierce scowled before turning on his heel and making for the door. ¡°I just remembered that I have some shit I need to take care of. I¡¯ll be back before Conrad¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Hold on¡ª!¡± Mote quickly reached to grab Pierce, only for the latter to open the front door and then disappear in a puff of wind. With an irate scowl, Mote made for the door himself. ¡°That irresponsible¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, Mote,¡± Saito interjected, placing his hand on Mote¡¯s shoulder to stop him in his tracks. ¡°Let him be.¡±


    ¡°What? But, sir!¡± Mote protested, ¡°he just ran off! Are you going to let him escape SERRCom so easily?!¡±


    ¡°Relax. We already know his identity, so he can¡¯t run away forever. Besides¡­¡± Saito turned toward the door himself and stepped toward it. ¡°¡­I have an idea of where he went. You stay here and watch Conrad. Try not to get into too much trouble; I¡¯ll go find Pierce.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, sir.¡± Mote offered a quick salute. ¡°Good luck with finding him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I shouldn¡¯t need it,¡± the Colonel remarked as he stepped through the door. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°So this is it¡­?¡±


    Colonel Saito stared up at the apartment building in front of him, and then at the block around him. The afternoon sunshine clearly illuminated the dilapidated and run-down nature of the buildings on the street, as though the city was barely able to send regular cleaning or maintenance crews. Clusters of five- and six-story apartment buildings rose just high enough into the sky to cast shade over much of the block, yet not high enough to evoke the feeling of a well-built up urban center. Trees were planted along the road every several meters or so, but the rest of the block was covered in cold, gray pavement ¡ª pavement which featured several cracks from wear and tear, and haphazardly laid asphalt lines from previous attempts to fix said wear and tear.


    After taking a moment to investigate his surroundings, Saito finally moved toward the entrance to the apartment building in front of him, where he was met by a small, run-down lobby. His eyes swept across the deflated couch and cracked floor tiles that featured prominently in the lobby, and he scrounged up his nose as a faint, unpleasant smell wafted through his nostrils. Is that¡­ cigarette smoke? The Colonel stopped for a moment to pull out his phone and compare his current location to his desired destination; after confirming that they were the same, he stashed his phone and approached the stairs, doing his best to ignore the latent smell of smoke.


    Half a minute and three flights of stairs later, Saito found himself standing at the end of a fairly short hallway, with several apartment doors on both sides ¡ª and no windows to the outside world. All that met his senses was the dim light of old, naked bulbs, and the continued smell of cigarette smoke baked into the walls. He took a deep breath and began walking down the hallway in search of a particular door¡­ and just as he found it, it opened up. Out stepped an older man, with a receding hairline, average height, and pudgy build, covered by a slightly wrinkled polo shirt and jeans.


    ¡°Oh, hello,¡± Saito greeted, only for the man to turn his way and stare blankly at him. A moment passed with no response; when it became clear that the man wasn¡¯t going to say anything, Saito continued, ¡°¡­apologies for intruding. I¡¯m Colonel Kaji Saito, from Space Exploration, Reconnaissance, and Response Command. You probably know it as SERRCom.¡± He then pointed at the door that the man had just stepped out of. ¡°Does Pierce Bradley live here?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m his father,¡± the man slowly replied.


    ¡°Ah. Good.¡± Saito nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Is he here now?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Well, as you may have heard, Pierce has recently¡­ been recruited by SERRCom. I¡¯m here to help him pack his things, and explain to you and his mother just what lies in his future. If he hasn¡¯t already told you.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± The man grunted in acknowledgment and began walking forward, pushing past Saito to approach the stairs. ¡°You can talk to his mother about that,¡± the man replied as he reached the stairs and began descending. ¡°I have some business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, then,¡± Saito muttered to himself as he bemusedly watched the man disappear down the stairwell. I think I can see why Pierce didn¡¯t want us to come here¡­ still. I do have business to¡ª


    ¡°Riley, what the fuck?!¡±


    The Colonel glanced back at the now-closed apartment door, through which he heard a shout that he could easily identify as coming from Pierce. He stepped up to the door and prepared to knock, but stopped momentarily as more voices drifted into the hallway.


    ¡°Damn it, Riley,¡± came Pierce¡¯s voice again, ¡°what did I tell you about leaving your shit everywhere?¡±


    ¡°It was there for literally five seconds, you impatient asshole,¡± replied a younger, female voice. ¡°I¡¯ll move it when I¡¯m done cleaning Cooper¡¯s kennel.¡±


    ¡°You can clean the damn kennel without leaving a bucket of water in the middle of the walkway!¡±


    ¡°And where else would it go, huh? Do you want me to clean the whole living room, too?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d sure as hell be nice if it was clean¡­¡±


    ¡°Well tell Mom and Dad to do it, then. It¡¯s their mess.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?! The last time I told Mom to move all of her shit out of the living room, she cried about it for hours!¡±


    ¡°So how do you think I feel, huh? Since you graduated and left, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s had to deal with this crap! Literally!¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t mean you can leave a fucking bucket of dirty, soapy water sitting on the floor! This was the only damn pair of jeans I brought with me!¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should¡¯ve brought another pair, then!¡±


    ¡°Oh look at miss jeans over here with two fucking pairs of jeans just wherever she goes. Aren¡¯t you rich!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one with a fucking millionaire best friend, what the hell are you complaining about?!¡±


    ¡°Alright, now you listen here, Conrad isn¡¯t just¡­¡±


    At that moment, Saito withdrew from the door, with a wary frown on his face. When Pierce had protested against going home earlier in the day, the Colonel thought that he was just being hard to work with ¡ª the rest of the recruits had behaved similarly, after all. But now, after seeing where Pierce was living, briefly interacting with his father, and then overhearing an argument with who Saito assumed to be Pierce¡¯s sister¡­


    There is no world in which me stepping into that apartment will improve things, he thought to himself warily. With a sigh, he slowly turned away from the door, and began to approach the stairs back to the lobby. The recruits wouldn¡¯t need to leave Earth for another week, after all; there was no pressing need for him to speak to Pierce or his family. For now, the Colonel decided to retreat to his hotel, and see what the following day could bring.

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 5: Helping Hands

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 5: Helping Hands


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Aight, put that one over there. I¡¯ll take it out to the car.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, bro, you don¡¯t have to be light on me. I can take it the whole way myself!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but those weights are kinda heavy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ha! I know you¡¯re super strong now, but that doesn¡¯t suddenly make me weak. You straighten shit out here, I¡¯ve got the car.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Spike raised his hands in surrender as a young woman, with a similar dark complexion and hair color to his own, effortlessly carried a large box out the front door of his family home. While the top of her head only barely reached Spike¡¯s shoulder, her outfit ¡ª athletic shorts, a yellow tank top, fingerless gloves, and workout shoes ¡ª showcased her obviously muscular build, rivaling Spike¡¯s own. In fact, her overall appearance bore a striking resemblance to Spike, with her height and dreadlocks being the only obvious differences.


    ¡°Where¡¯d your sister go?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s carryin¡¯ some of my old weights out to her car,¡± Spike replied as he turned toward the stairs, where Mark was descending with another box in hand. ¡°Figured she could have ¡®em, since I don¡¯t have much of a use for ¡®em anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Mark commented as he reached the bottom floor and gingerly placed his box on top of a stack of boxes in the living room. ¡°Moving is always a good time to get rid of things you don¡¯t need anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Spike¡¯s sister remarked as she re-entered the house and closed the door behind her. ¡°I was already looking to replace my old weight training equipment, so this whole thing where you got super strength and can¡¯t use your old stuff anymore has sure worked out for me!¡±


    ¡°Chipper as ever, huh, Aqua?¡± Spike commented with a smirk. ¡°¡­Uh, sorry ¡ª Lindsey¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon, you know I don¡¯t mind when you use my first name. And it sure ain¡¯t every day I get to see my little bro,¡± she replied with a grin as she playfully punched his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned if I miss helpin¡¯ you out.¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate the help, but Mark and I could¡¯ve handled this ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! More hands make for faster work. After all, you might be super strong, but you sure ain¡¯t super fast.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ guess so.¡±


    ¡°Still, we¡¯ve been movin¡¯ shit around for a straight two hours now.¡± Aqua glanced over at Mark and the stack of boxes next to him, and then at the five other piles of boxes in the living room. ¡°¡­We¡¯ve made good progress, I think. At this rate, all of Spike¡¯s stuff will be out by mid afternoon! So how¡¯s about a break?¡±


    ¡°Tired already?¡± Spike teased.


    ¡°Please. I could still run laps around you.¡±


    ¡°I certainly won¡¯t argue with a break, myself,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t need to rest your body, it¡¯s always nice to rest the mind.¡±


    Aqua pointed at Mark and winked at him. ¡°That¡¯s it exactly!¡± She then placed her hands on her hips as she eyed Mark from head to toe. ¡°¡®Sides, I¡¯d like a chance to get to know the folks who¡¯ll be takin¡¯ my favorite little brother under their wing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your only brother,¡± Spike retorted.


    ¡°Shush, you,¡± Aqua shot back before returning her attention to Mark. ¡°So what¡¯s your deal, huh?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ deal?¡± Mark questioned, confused. ¡°Are you asking about what Spike will be doing with SERRCom¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I already heard the details of that from Spike himself. Some¡­ conscription bullshit. Which isn¡¯t great, but I can¡¯t hold that against you. Unless you¡¯re the one who gave the order.¡±


    ¡°No, that was the General¡­¡±


    ¡°Good to hear! Whoever that is, I can punch him out later, but I¡¯ve got no beef with you. What I wanna know now is your story. What makes you tick, why¡¯re you here? That stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well¡­ there¡¯s not really much to say, there.¡± Mark shrugged. ¡°I joined SERRCom because I¡¯m a Chaotic, and I¡¯ve been working for them ever since, as part of the Eximius Vir. Insofar as what I¡¯m doing here, well, I¡¯m just helping Spike and his friends to pack their things for their trip offworld, is all. I¡¯m supposed to tag along there, as well, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, offworld?!¡± Aqua¡¯s eyes widened with surprise as she glanced between Spike and Mark. ¡°That¡¯s the first I heard that part! You mean you¡¯re leavin¡¯ Earth?!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I missed tellin¡¯ you that?¡± Spike scratched his head uneasily. ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the part you should¡¯ve lead with!¡± Aqua punched him in the arm again. ¡°So where you goin¡¯? Somewhere exciting, I hope?¡±


    ¡°Nimalia,¡± Mark replied. ¡°The homeworld of the Nimalian Union.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh! I¡¯ve heard plenty about the Nimalians, and their pretty little homeworld. You better take lots of pictures while you¡¯re there, Spike. They¡¯ve got some fantastic sights that you¡¯d never be able to see on Earth!¡±


    ¡°They do?¡± Spike responded cluelessly, ¡°I never really looked Nimalia up, so I wouldn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Go figure. Well, I¡¯m sure Sky¡¯s done her research. She should do well enough in draggin¡¯ you everywhere you oughta go!¡±


    ¡°You know Sky?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Do I know Sky?!¡± Aqua echoed incredulously, and then scoffed. ¡°Of course I know her! And Austin, and Twy, too. The four of ¡®em have been practically glued together since they were kids. I always thought Spike would end up with one of the twins, and then what do you know, Sky actually came to me for advice on askin¡¯ him out a few years ago.¡± She then turned toward Spike and grinned. ¡°The two of you make a cute couple! Make sure you keep it up and get Mom that grandkid she so desperately wants!¡±


    ¡°What, so she can stop pestering you about your lack of a boyfriend?¡± Spike shot back.


    Aqua responded with a wink. ¡°You know it!¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Mark released a small chuckle as he watched the two siblings¡¯ banter. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, have the two of you always gotten along this well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°We¡¯d get into fights a lot, like, physically,¡± Aqua added, ¡°but it was all in good fun. Right, bro?¡±


    ¡°Well, there was that one time you accidentally broke a couple of my ribs¡­¡±


    ¡°And you broke my arm during that same fight, so I¡¯d say we¡¯re even.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Ah¡­¡± Spike looked down at his hand. ¡°¡­Too bad we won¡¯t be able to do that anymore.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would be a pretty bad look if you accidentally put your hand through my stomach,¡± Aqua quipped.


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Spike regarded her with an unamused frown. ¡°It¡¯s a legitimate problem, not somethin¡¯ to take lightly¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Judging by how you handled all these boxes here, you sure seem to have your newfound strength under control.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ still¡­¡±


    ¡°Spike is right, to an extent,¡± Mark piped up. ¡°New Chaotics can typically keep their powers under control in normal circumstances, but they can still easily lose control when stressed or under pressure. That¡¯s one of the things I hope the Nimalians can help you with, and in the meantime, it can certainly be beneficial to be careful.¡±


    Spike passed his sister a knowing glance. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll lay off.¡± She threw up her hands in surrender and then bowed her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I pushed any buttons.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear.¡± Aqua began doing a couple stretches as she continued, ¡°well, we should probably get back to work and finish this up. I¡¯ve got an evening class to prep for, after all, and if I tell my students to just punch dummies all night, they might catch on that I¡¯m just makin¡¯ it up as I go! Ha!¡±


    ¡°And I told Sky that¡¯d I¡¯d help her move her stuff later, as well,¡± Spike declared as he rolled his shoulders. ¡°So I¡¯m with ya!¡±


    ¡°I can hardly argue with that enthusiasm,¡± Mark replied with an amused grin as he moved to pick up a stack of boxes and begin moving them toward the door. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, then!¡±


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°There¡­ oof. Why do I have so much stuff¡­?¡±


    Twy stared down at the small pile of boxes in front of her, each filled near-to-brimming with folders, binders, and notebooks of old drawings and notes. ¡­I hope all of this can survive in storage, she thought to herself warily, and then glanced around herself at her surroundings: a modest bed covered in pale blue sheets, a couple shelves filled with books and manga, a small desk bearing a small cup with a variety of different pens and mechanical pencils, a dusty easel sitting in the corner, and nearly a dozen posters and paintings lining the walls, most of them featuring views of natural landscapes, both real and fantastical. These were the contents of her bedroom in her family¡¯s home, the objects and furniture she had left behind after moving south for college ¡ª and the items that her parents now insisted that she completely pack away.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    With a sigh, she grabbed an empty cardboard box from next to the door and carried it over to her bookselves, where she began unloading the books into the box. Five boxes in, and I still have these books leftover. Not to mention my old paintings. What am I even supposed to do with those? She paused to look up at one of the paintings on the wall next to her bookshelves, just above the head of her bed. Bright blue and white strokes came together to form the image of a massive, majestic waterfall under puffy clouds, with a lush, green forest in the distant background. It¡¯s been quite some time since I last made one of these paintings. I should get back into it. If only I had the time¡­


    Her contemplative gaze drifted down from the painting to her right hand. With an uneasy frown, she furrowed her brow and focused for a brief moment, after which a flash of white light burst from her hand, followed by the sudden appearance of a recurve bow. The bowlimb was swathed in extravagant, if somewhat futuristic silver and gray geometric designs, as well as softly growing white orbs set near the top and bottom of the bow, around where the string attached to the bowlimb. This bow¡­ she looked it over before pulling the string back. The moment it was displaced by more than a couple centimeters, an arrow of bright, silver light sprung into existence, with its end remaining attached to the bowstring. Twy played with the string a bit, watching the silver arrow morph with her movements before slowly and cautiously returning the bowstring to its normal position, at which point the arrow blinked out of existence. So this is¡­ an Ayas Weapon? This is the reason that Pallan guy thinks that we¡¯re¡­ what, ¡®Keys¡¯? She sighed as she allowed the bow to disappear in a flash of light. This¡­ I don¡¯t know what to think of all this. But, for a weapon¡­ why a bow? I¡¯ve done a little bit of archery, but not much, and never outside of school. I just don¡¯t get it¡­


    As she went back to packing her things, her mind drifted to her friends, and the weapons that they were now able to summon. Spike could cover his arms in extravagant gauntlets of red and gold, and Sky could bring about a green and silver staff; as both of them were involved in martial arts to some degree ¡ª Spike far more so than Sky, to be sure ¡ª Twy figured that their new weapons fit them well. Her own bow, as well as Austin¡¯s sword, however, seemed comparatively out of place, given that neither of them were skilled in the use of their weapons. In fact, while Austin had once started kendo lessons at Spike¡¯s behest, he had actively avoided continuing them ever since. He was even less of a swordsman than Twy was an archer ¡ª though just as she thought that, she recalled the moment barely two months ago when she had challenged Austin to a duel and lost. ¡­Maybe he¡¯s better than I thought. Or maybe his weird level of skill that night had to do with our new powers. I do remember Sensei mentioning something about longsword techniques, and Austin¡¯s blade is definitely some kind of longsword. Hmm, perhaps we¡¯ve all suddenly gained a basic level of proficiency in our new weapons? I should test that. ¡­Just as soon as I finish packing¡­


    ¡°Hey, sis! Sis! You done yet?¡±


    Twy released a sigh and glanced toward the doorway just in time for Sky to pop in and begin scanning the room¡¯s interior. ¡°As you can see,¡± Twy replied impatiently, ¡°no, I¡¯m not done.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Damn.¡± Sky frowned. ¡°I was hoping you could help me with my own stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you even have left to pack? I thought you brought almost everything down to our apartment.¡±


    ¡°All the easy to carry stuff, yeah. But I left all the big stuff behind, you know, the furniture, most of my camping gear, some of my old climbing gear¡­ heh, guess I won¡¯t ever need that again, huh?¡±


    Twy shook her head in resignation as her sister grinned and briefly lit a spark in the palm of her hand, as if to drive home her point. ¡°You really have embraced your new powers, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well of course!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°I can control fire and summon a cool-ass staff out of thin air, that¡¯s fucking awesome!¡± Her previous grin was quickly wiped clean and replaced with an irate scowl. ¡°Though I guess our powers are the reason we got conscripted, which is really not cool. ¡­But!¡± Her face lit up again as she unconsciously jumped and pumped her fist. ¡°Because of our powers, now we get the chance to check out an alien planet! How fucking cool is that, huh?!¡±


    ¡°You seem really fired up about all this¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, no, that¡¯s my line! You can¡¯t steal the puns from me!¡±


    ¡°What? ¡­Oh.¡± Twy rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember that.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just being too down about everything,¡± Sky declared. ¡°Not everyone gets superpowers, you know? You should try to enjoy it! Hell, your water stuff has way more practical use than my fire.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware, but being able to control water doesn¡¯t help much with packing.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Can¡¯t you just carry things around with water? I¡¯ve seen you do it with people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the thing about that is that anything water touches tends to get, you know¡­ wet. Which isn¡¯t good for cardboard, the last I checked.¡±


    ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun,¡± Sky responded with a pout.


    ¡°If you want to see me try that badly, then we can start with your stuff,¡± Twy retorted.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just, like, control the water so that it can carry things around, but doesn¡¯t actually get absorbed? That¡¯s a thing your kind of Chaotic can do, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I haven¡¯t practiced nearly enough to manipulate water with that level of precision. I can make bubbles and jets, and that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s something to try for in the future, then! Imagine how easy it would make moving if you could do it without moving your own body!¡±


    ¡°That would be nice¡­ but for now, I¡¯ll have to make do with my own two hands.¡± Twy then resumed moving books into the box sitting in front of her. ¡°You should probably get back to packing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Sky sighed. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want Dad to just throw everything away, huh? Though I guess tossing everything in storage is basically the same thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Twy shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think Dad¡¯s the one who would care the most¡ª¡±


    ¡°Twy! Sky! Can I have a moment?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, speak of the devil,¡± Sky replied with an annoyed smirk as an older woman¡¯s voice emerged from down the hallway.


    ¡°What does Mom want now¡­?¡± Twy questioned uneasily as she stood up and approached the door. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she have Danielle helping her?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know her. She just can¡¯t stand the thought of idle hands.¡±


    ¡°Says the person who¡¯s been standing here doing nothing.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I was just tryin¡¯ to cheer up my wonderful twin sister¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Twy, Sky!¡± came the older voice again, ¡°did you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Twy shouted into the hallway, and then passed her sister an annoyed glance. ¡°Let¡¯s go already.¡±


    Sky made a face back at Twy, but the latter simply didn¡¯t respond as she led the pair down the hallway and a flight of stairs. At the bottom was a modest living room, outfitted with a couch, a recliner, and a TV mounted on the wall. A handful of boxes occupied space on the floor, as well as a ladder ¡ª on top of which was Danielle, with her right hand transformed into a power drill as she drilled a handful of holes into the ceiling.


    ¡°Ah, there the two of you are!¡±


    Twy and Sky turned their attention past the ladder to the kitchen on the far side of the living room, where they spotted an older woman with a short stature and a bob cut.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s even going on here?¡± Twy questioned as she looked up at Danielle again. ¡°Mom, are you really putting one of the Eximius Vir to work for you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine!¡± Danielle exclaimed from atop the ladder. ¡°It¡¯s just a ceiling fan! Well, and fixing the fence in the backyard. And replacing some of the light bulbs in the kitchen¡­ the ceiling in there is really tall, you know?¡±


    Sky stared up at Danielle incredulously. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious,¡± their mother replied from within the kitchen as she scrubbed down a dirty dish in the sink. ¡°With your father always at work, and all you kids away at college or whatever it is Clarice is up to right now, no one¡¯s ever around to help.¡± She then nodded up at Danielle. ¡°But this kind young woman volunteered her abilities. And how useful they are! Just turning into whatever you need at a moment¡¯s notice!¡±


    ¡°Glad to help!¡± Danielle replied cheerfully.


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad to hear that!¡± The twins¡¯ mother then glanced over at them. ¡°Are the two of you as useful as her?¡±


    ¡°Need anything cooked?¡± Sky questioned with a smirk as she lit a small flame on her fingertip.


    ¡°Put that fire away. You were already good enough at creating fires out of nothing while cooking as is, the last thing you needed was the ability to make flames at will.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Mom! I¡¯m at least good at grilling stuff. And making camp food, too!¡±


    ¡°Well we aren¡¯t camping right now, are we? Anyways, the kitchen and the atrium need sweeping. You know where the broom is. Get to it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you want us to pack up our rooms?¡± Twy interjected, ¡°something about using them for other purposes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know. And I still do. But the cleaning comes first, and it would get done faster if you didn¡¯t stop to argue with me.¡±


    The twins passed each other annoyed glances before sighing in tandem. ¡°Alright, Mom. Whatever¡­¡± Sky muttered as she moved over to the broom closet.


    ¡°And what about you, Twy?¡± Their mother gently set a clean dish off to the side and then looked up at Twy. ¡°What was your power, again? Some¡­ nature thing?¡±


    ¡°Water, Mom,¡± Twy replied. ¡°I can control water.¡±


    ¡°Well why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?! Water is exactly what the garden needs right now. And your father¡¯s tool shed could use a wash, as well!¡±


    ¡°What? But that¡­ I can¡¯t really¡ª¡±


    ¡°Surely you can. It isn¡¯t as though watering plants or washing a couple walls is all that difficult. I¡¯m sure you can manage.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Twy sighed again in resignation. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! Now get to it, there are a couple other things that I¡¯ll need both of you around to handle afterward¡ª¡±


    Their mother was cut off as three loud knocks emanated from the front door, followed almost immediately by the door opening and Spike¡¯s head appearing through it. ¡°Excuse me, anyone home?¡±


    ¡°Spike! You came!¡± Sky exclaimed gleefully, rushing over to the front door as Spike pushed it fully open and then leaping at him ¡ª only for him to step to the side, causing her to stumble past him. ¡°What was that for?!¡± she muttered irately as she turned to glare at him.


    ¡°Oh, is that Spike? Wonderful!¡± The twins¡¯ mother raised her hand to wave at Spike from the kitchen. ¡°Excellent timing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Mrs. Chao,¡± Spike greeted cordially as he stepped inside and removed his shoes. ¡°Everythin¡¯ well?¡±


    ¡°More than well, thank you for asking. In fact, I was just having the girls help me out with some cleaning. With you around, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go even faster!¡±


    ¡°¡­Cleaning, huh?¡± Spike questioned stiffly, just now noticing the broom still in Sky¡¯s hands as she stuck her tongue out at him.


    ¡°Cleaning isn¡¯t so bad,¡± Mark commented as he stepped inside just after Spike and closed the door behind him. ¡°It¡¯s always good to keep a clean home, I say.¡±


    ¡°Mark!¡± Danielle exclaimed, and waved down at him with her drill hand. ¡°Hey! What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The twins¡¯ mother regarded Mark with a curious expression. ¡°And who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, apologies, ma¡¯am.¡± Mark straightened up and offered a quick salute. ¡°I¡¯m 1st Lieutenant Mark Cox, from SERRCom. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one of those Eximius Vir fellows, aren¡¯t you? Even better!¡± The mother grabbed a towel and began drying off her hands as she gestured up at Danielle. ¡°Why don¡¯t you help your friend, here? Setting up the ceiling fan should be a walk in the park for you both. And after that, the AC unit out back could use some work¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mom, seriously?¡± Twy interjected, stepping in between her mother and Mark. ¡°Spike and Mark just got here, and you¡¯re already putting them to work? Aren¡¯t you the one always telling us about the importance of hospitality and all that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Her mother passed her a curious glance before lowering her voice to a stage whisper. ¡°Are you interested in the young man in the back? Is that why you¡¯re concerned?¡±


    ¡°W-what? N-no! Of course not¡ª that¡¯s not the point!¡± Twy¡¯s face flushed red as she gave her mother an annoyed look. ¡°You can¡¯t just order people around like this, is what I¡¯m saying!¡±


    ¡°So feisty. What¡¯s gotten into you? You¡¯ve never talked back like this before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, no matter.¡± Her mother turned around and began rummaging around in one of the cupboards. ¡°The way I see it ¡ª if SERRCom is going to go off and draft two of my children, then the absolute least they can do is help out around the house in return. I see nothing wrong with that.¡±


    ¡°What? But, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not what I¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Twy, really,¡± Mark stated as he stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ¡°This kind of help is what I¡¯m here for, after all. ¡­Sort of.¡±


    ¡°I only came to help pack, personally,¡± Spike commented, only for Sky to impatiently jab him with the end of her broom. ¡°¡­But, uh, I guess I can help with the¡­ cleaning.¡±


    ¡°See, Twy? It¡¯s no problem!¡± Her mother remarked. ¡°Now let¡¯s all get to work, everyone! That¡¯s enough idle chit-chat for now!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Twy looked around as Spike and Mark moved into the living room to begin working on their new tasks, and Sky began sweeping the atrium. The twins exchanged a brief glance, only for Sky to shake her head in resignation; in response, Twy simply sighed and turned toward the front door. ¡­Well, she thought to herself as she stepped out the door and looked to her left at the small front yard garden, ¡­just leave it to Mom to be complete unfazed by having five different Chaotics in her living room. This really is how I remember home¡­ She then shook her head to clear her thoughts and summoned up a small bubble of water, beginning the process of watering the plants in front of her.

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 6: Breaking Bread

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 6: Breaking Bread


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Hmm¡­ how about this one? These aren¡¯t too short, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­ don¡¯t know the weather.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, sure, but it sounds like even SERRCom doesn¡¯t know where, exactly, we¡¯ll wind up. Which is a little bullshit, but the only thing left to it is to prepare for any climate!¡±


    ¡°Lot of clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, but I¡¯ve learned how to pack efficiently. My clothes also take up much less space than most others would!¡±


    Kestrel stared at Phoenix blankly, and then glanced over at the mirror leaning against the wall ¡ª which made blatantly apparent the differences in the two womens¡¯ statures. Phoenix¡¯s five foot and one inch height paled in comparison to Kestrel¡¯s six feet and two inches, compounded further by the latter¡¯s overall fuller figure. To add to the matter, every aspect of the room they currently stood in was tailored to Phoenix¡¯s own tastes ¡ª it was her bedroom, after all. A couple dressers and a free-standing mirror lined one of the walls of the small, cozy room, with a variety of track- and field-related trophies and medals placed haphazardly across the dresser tops. Against another wall was a virtual mountain of clothing, nearly as long as Phoenix was tall and continually growing as she grabbed outfits out of her closet and held them up to her body in the mirror, tossing any she didn¡¯t like away and throwing the rest onto the red sheets of her twin-sized bed. A couple posters adorned the walls, most of them track or fashion related, particularly of the ¡°athleisure¡± variety. Overall, little about Phoenix¡¯s room stood out in any real way ¡ª if anything, it was Kestrel who appeared out of place in the context of the small room and the bed that was clearly shorter in length than her.


    After looking around for a moment, Kestrel grunted in disapproval and sat down on the edge of Phoenix¡¯s bed, where she hunched over with her elbows on her knees.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon,¡± Phoenix responded, her hands planted on her hips as she turned to face her friend. ¡°I wish I had your height, you know. It¡¯s hard to get people to take you seriously when you¡¯re short.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, you¡¯re right. It was insensitive of me to bring up your height out of the blue like that. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Kestrel looked up at Phoenix, though remained hunched over as she was. After a moment she looked away, still expressionless. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay,¡± she eventually muttered, ¡°you¡­ did nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I agree, but I suppose I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Phoenix replied with a wary sigh. She then turned around and stepped into her closet, where she began rummaging around through more clothing. ¡°I still think you should embrace your body more, though. If you let me, I¡¯m sure I could pick something cute for you!¡±


    ¡°¡­You already picked most of my wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°Which is how I know that it¡¯s filled with those oversized gray sweaters, cardigans, and plain long dresses. It¡¯s a nice look every now and then, but sometimes you need to spice it up! Show a little more skin!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, okay, maybe not showing skin per se. I know you and the sun don¡¯t mix well. But still, there¡¯s a whole world of fashion out there that you¡¯re missing out on!¡±


    ¡°¡­Mnn¡­¡±


    ¡°What? How do you know? You haven¡¯t even tried! Hell, we¡¯re about to go to a whole new planet! The Nimalians have some interesting fashion of their own. Some of it¡¯s kinda weird, but hey, it might interest you. You never know!¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so.¡±


    Phoenix shook her head in resignation as she stepped out of her closet with a crimson tank top and a pair of capri pants, at which point she held up the clothes against her body and looked herself over in the mirror. ¡°That said¡­¡± she muttered as she continued inspecting her appearance, ¡°the fact that we even have to go to Nimalia in the first place is¡­ well, I¡¯ve talked your ear off about this already, so you know well how I feel. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard you say much about it yourself. What do you think about this whole situation?¡±


    Kestrel glanced over at her friend, and then leaned back, moving her arms back to support herself as she closed her eyes. ¡°¡­Not sure.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can understand that. This has all happened pretty fast, after all. Hell, it¡¯s been barely half a week since that fucktard EA kidnapped us¡­ fuck, just thinking about that is riling me up. His arrogance just pisses me right off, and that¡¯s saying something, seeing as how we¡¯re friends with Pierce!¡±


    ¡°¡­Was right about one thing, though¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Phoenix turned away from the mirror to give Kestrel an incredulous look. ¡°Right about what?¡±


    ¡°Conscription. It¡¯s galaxy-wide. And¡­¡± Kestrel reached out with her right hand, into which she summoned a long spear with a blade nearly a foot long and a five-foot shaft. Right where the pristine silver blade joined with the gunmetal gray shaft were spiked crossbars, forming an ¡®X¡¯ when looked at from above and bending slightly in the direction of the spearhead. Just above the crossbars was a long, dark-green ribbon, attached to the shaft just below a softly glowing dark-green orb. ¡°¡­This¡­ isn¡¯t normal,¡± Kestrel continued after turning the weapon over in her hands a couple times. ¡°Even for Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°¡­So? The Eximius Vir can summon weird weapons, too.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t normal, either¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what? You¡¯re saying that¡¯s good enough for SERRCom to just grab us off the street and chuck us at an alien planet?¡±


    ¡°¡­Weren¡¯t you¡­ looking forward to Nimalia?¡±


    ¡°Nimalia being a desirable tourist destination is completely independent from my question.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mmm¡­¡± Kestrel dismissed her spear in a flash of white light and looked down. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t know.¡±


    Phoenix shook her head in irritation as she tossed the clothes in her hands onto her bed and retreated once more into her closet. ¡°I¡¯ve yet to hear a satisfying answer. The best I¡¯ve heard is some nonsense about the ¡®greater good¡¯, but I¡¯d like to see some concrete proof on this supposed ¡®good¡¯. As far as I can tell, this is all just¡­¡±


    As Phoenix began ranting while continuing to sort through her closet, she failed to catch the soft thud of footsteps just outside her bedroom door. Standing silently in the hallway was Major Rachel Hackett, with her fist just inches away from the door ¡ª frozen in place after hearing part of Phoenix and Kestrel¡¯s discussion. After a moment of thought, the Major withdrew her hand from the door and turned away, her lips pursed in apprehension as she exited the small hallway.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Hackett glanced over at the couch placed against the back wall of the small living room in which she now stood. Sitting on the couch was a woman with a dark complexion and long, dark, wavy hair. She wore a green button-up blouse and a pair of black slacks, and she had her bare feet propped up on an ottoman set in front of the couch, seemingly relaxing after a day at work.


    ¡°¡­Is it Phoenix?¡± the woman prodded after Hackett failed to respond.


    With a deep breath, the Major stepped forward away from the hallway and then stopped to lean on the wall. ¡°No, she¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to worry, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The woman pulled a face. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯ me, please. You don¡¯t look much younger than me, after all. Just call me Tywin.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°If you insist, ma¡ª uh¡­ Tywin,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°You military types really like your ¡®sirs¡¯ and ¡®ma¡¯am¡¯s, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess you could say that.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Tywin leaned even further back in her chair and closed her eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with the opportunities SERRCom has given my daughter, so I can¡¯t complain too much.¡±


    ¡°Opportunities?¡± Hackett passed Tywin a confused look. ¡°You¡­ you do understand what¡¯s about to happen to Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Drafted into SERRCom after she discovered some funky new powers. I take it she¡¯s been giving you a hard time about that?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    ¡°It figures. Phoenix has always been headstrong and independent, for better or for worse. Intensely competitive as well, that girl. Still, whether its through being drafted or her own choice, getting to travel the galaxy is an opportunity most people on Earth don¡¯t get. It¡¯s certainly not an opportunity I or her father would¡¯ve been able to give her.¡±


    The Major momentarily glanced around at the small apartment, and the relatively few furnishings or decorations. An aura of frugality emanated from the sparse living room and dining area, though Hackett suspected that the frugality wasn¡¯t by choice.


    ¡°Now, that said¡­¡± Tywn opened her eyes and turned toward Hackett again. ¡°If I hear that my sweet baby girl was hurt while under your watch, there will be hell to pay!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Hackett offered a nod in response. ¡°You have my word, we¡¯ll do our best to keep her and her friends safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, Major.¡± Tywin then stretched and yawned broadly before grabbing a remote and turning on a small TV on a table across the room from the couch. ¡°Anyways, with the heavy talk out of the way. You wouldn¡¯t happen to be from California yourself, would you?¡±


    ¡°I am, actually. How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Just a lucky guess. But now, for the real question¡­ Warriors? Or Lakers?¡±


    Hackett couldn¡¯t help but allow an amused smirk to cross her face. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m an LA girl. It¡¯s Lakers all the way.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, I should¡¯ve figured!¡± Tywin shook her fist at the Major. ¡°You Lakers fans are everywhere. Just who won the championship four years in a row a while back, huh? That¡¯s right, the Warriors!¡±


    ¡°That was an impressive streak, to be sure, but that was fifteen years ago. And Shawn Wallace jumped ship to the Lakers after that, might I add.¡±


    ¡°Only because of all that LA money. We didn¡¯t need him, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Warriors stop winning after he left?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! The fact that the Warriors were able to win in the first place was impressive enough, given the state of the Bay Area. We had money and people leaving in droves, and still, we won, four times in a row!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± Hackett pursed her lips and looked down. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for making light of that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s your fault¡­¡± Tywin sighed wearily. ¡°The entire Bay Area has been in dire straits for as long as I can remember. That earthquake back in ¡®88 did a real number on us¡­ not that I was old enough to remember it when it hit. But I can hardly blame people for wanting to leave for somewhere that isn¡¯t a disaster of flooded land and floundering industries.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. You make it sound rather bad around here, though. Is there a reason you haven¡¯t left, yourself?¡±


    Tywin smiled bitterly. ¡°We would if we could.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    A protracted silence fell over the room as Tywin flipped through various TV channels, and Hackett avoided all eye contact. The quiet lasted for nearly a minute; eventually, the Major opened her mouth to attempt a new line of conversation, but just before she could speak, the front door to the apartment opened up. Standing in the doorway was a bald, stout man of average height and a dark complexion, slightly darker than Tywin¡¯s. He wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and carried in both his hands brown bags.


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± the man announced as he stepped inside and kicked off his shoes. ¡°I brought dinner. And a straggler, too.¡±


    ¡°Apologies for intruding,¡± said Colonel Saito, as he stepped into the apartment behind the man.


    ¡°Colonel?¡± Hackett regarded him with surprise. ¡°What are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, is that Chinese I smell?¡± Tywin interjected, sniffing the air twice before getting up from her seat to approach the man and relieve him of the paper bags. ¡°Thanks for picking it up, Wayne.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do when Phoenix is in town,¡± the man, Wayne, replied. He glanced over at Hackett, and then back at Saito, as he continued, ¡°though¡­ she isn¡¯t leaving just yet¡­ is she?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s clear until Sunday,¡± Saito answered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you still have some time with your daughter.¡±


    ¡°While I don¡¯t mean to sound crass,¡± Tywin said as she began emptying the paper bags onto the small dining table, ¡°why are you here, if not to whisk Phoenix and Kestrel away?¡±


    ¡°Just picking up my colleague, that¡¯s all. I ran into Mr. Myles here completely by chance.¡±


    Wayne grunted in response, but had already disappeared into the kitchen, so Hackett couldn¡¯t tell what kind of expression he was wearing.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tywin finished setting out the various to-go boxes on the table and turned toward the hallway, shouting, ¡°Phoenix! Kestrel! Food¡¯s here!¡± She then looked back at Saito, and then at Hackett. ¡°Will the two of you be joining us for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ we couldn¡¯t possibly intrude,¡± Hackett quickly replied as she pushed off of the wall and approached the front of the apartment, where Saito was still standing.


    ¡°Are you sure? The more, the merrier, I always say, especially in regards to dinner.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate the offer, Mrs. Myles, truly,¡± Saito responded, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to decline. There¡¯s a couple things the Major and I need to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Your loss,¡± Tywin declared as Wayne moved into the dining area and the door to Phoenix¡¯s room finally opened. Phoenix and Kestrel quickly emerged, with the former at first eagerly rushing toward the small dining table ¡ª only to stop when she spotted Saito and Hackett.


    ¡°¡­What are you doing here?¡± She questioned impatiently.


    ¡°Nothing that you need to worry about,¡± Saito replied casually as Hackett slipped on her shoes. ¡°We¡¯ll check in again on Friday. Don¡¯t forget to pack your things!¡±


    Phoenix simply huffed in response before turning back to the dining table and digging through the boxes, with Kestrel standing just beside her and looking over her shoulder.


    Saito then turned toward Hackett and nodded toward the door, at which point he opened it up again and stepped out into the dusk-lit outside world. Hackett followed suit, stopping for a brief moment to bid Tywin farewell before finally closing the door behind her.


    As the two began walking down the exterior stairs to the ground and then over to the vehicle pick-up zone, the Major finally broke the silence, asking, ¡°sir, is there really anything for us to attend to, this late in the day?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. That was just an excuse,¡± Saito replied as he quickly called a car. ¡°Forcing the new recruits to keep spending time with us won¡¯t endear them to us in the slightest. Best to be hands off, for now.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°How are Myles and Nielson handling things? Could you tell?¡±


    ¡°They spent most of their time in Phoenix¡¯s room, so I can¡¯t say. Kestrel is unreadable, anyways.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± The Colonel nodded absentmindedly as an empty silver car rolled up to them in the darkness. The two officers promptly climbed in, at which point the car shot off on its way to their hotel.


    ¡°Did you have anything in mind for dinner?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Careful, Major, or I¡¯ll think you were asking me out!¡±


    Hackett passed Saito an unamused glance as the Colonel chuckled to himself.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. Couldn¡¯t resist,¡± Saito remarked, managing to suppress his own amusement with a subdued smile. ¡°Though, now that I think about it¡­ Hackett, doesn¡¯t your wife live in California?¡±


    ¡°She does, sir, but not around here. We have an apartment near LA.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s still the same state, it can¡¯t be that far.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 5 to 6 hours from San Francisco to LA by car.¡±


    ¡°¡­Little more than I thought. Still, this is a good chance for you to spend a couple nights at home, Major. It might be the last chance you get for a while.¡±


    ¡°For a while?¡±


    ¡°Consider it a¡­ gut feeling. Things have been escalating quickly these past two months, and I¡¯d be willing to bet that we¡¯re just going to get busier and busier.¡±


    Hackett sighed wearily. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. Between these new recruits, EA, the Drakkars, and all of that Aldredian technology we recovered¡­ still, sir. We are on the job. I¡¯m not sure if I can justify a visit to LA¡­¡±


    Saito smirked. ¡°Well, Major, as luck would have it, Bradley¡¯s college is near LA, and he¡¯ll have to drop by sometime this week to clear out his dorm room. Sounds like plenty of justification to me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we determine that Bradley has the highest flight risk of all the recruits? I¡¯d have to spend all of my time watching him¡­¡±


    ¡°He is the highest risk, that¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll actually run off. For all his bluster, he doesn¡¯t seem like the type to abandon his friends¡­ and even if he does, he won¡¯t be able to run from SERRCom¡¯s beaming tech for long.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Major, I¡¯m saying that you can go to LA without having to watch over Bradley. If something goes wrong, then I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that to you, sir.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Hackett.¡± Saito passed her an incredulous glance. ¡°Don¡¯t make me order you to see your own damn wife.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Hackett released an amused snort. ¡°¡­Alright, sir, if you insist.¡±


    ¡°Damn right I do. You know, Major, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had to spend so much time convincing someone to go home.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should take your own advice, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Ha! I think a trip to Japan would be a little more difficult to justify than a trip to LA. Besides, it¡¯s not as though I have anyone waiting for me there.¡±


    ¡°Still no success in your dating life, huh, sir?¡±


    ¡°My dating life doesn¡¯t even exist,¡± Saito retorted. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never been good at the whole romance thing, anyways. It¡¯d just be a waste of time at my age.¡±


    ¡°With that defeatist attitude, it¡¯s no wonder,¡± Hackett remarked. ¡°You and Travis, both. Sometimes I think the two of you actually enjoy being alone.¡±


    ¡°I think the Captain just likes guns too much. If his rifle could talk, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have married it by now.¡±


    The Major smirked in amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love to hear that you said that about him, sir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure that he¡¯d argue,¡± Saito replied with a chuckle. ¡°¡­But anyways, Major. You head back to LA tomorrow morning, Mote and I can take care of around here for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sir. Will do. Should I report back on Sunday?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the morning, preferably. Don¡¯t want to miss those shiny new AR implants the General is giving everyone, now, do we?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I suppose not¡ª¡± Hackett began, only for a low grumbling from Saito¡¯s stomach to interrupt her. ¡°¡­Well, sir,¡± she continued in amusement, ¡°speaking of missing things, we probably shouldn¡¯t miss dinner, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ let¡¯s take care of that,¡± Saito responded as he began using the car¡¯s center console computer to search for nearby restaurants to close out the day in.

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 7: New Opportunities

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 7: New Opportunities


    The Next Day


    The clacking of keys on a keyboard being depressed filled a small office room, featuring just a handful of desks and computers. Clean, white flooring with silvery walls and ceiling tiles rounded out the office¡¯s sterile appearance, offset only by a holographic view of the Earth below taking up the entirety of one of the walls. This magnificent view of blues, greens, and whites swirling together against a backdrop of star-speckled darkness appeared across many of the rooms of Opportunity, SERRCom¡¯s Headquarters in space ¡ª yet it was not enough to distract the lone woman sitting behind a computer in the back of the office. Her pale skin and glasses were masked by her brown bangs as she hunched over in front of her monitor, with her messy ponytail draping down in front of her right shoulder. While the patch on her black jacket was currently hidden from view by the computer and desk in front of her, it nonetheless identified the woman as Researcher Kirstin MacTavish ¡ª one of the four members of CSF-1.


    While not actively participating in a field mission, Kirstin would often spend her time in the massive office wing of the space station Opportunity, taking advantage of SERRCom¡¯s Earthian Technological Advancement Agency¡¯s computers to work on various research projects or tune up CSF-1¡¯s armor and weaponry. She wasn¡¯t technically a member of the ETAA ¡ª CSF-1 fell under the Earthian Space Force Command branch of SERRCom, rather than the Earthian Interstellar Intelligence Command that was in charge of the ETAA ¡ª but her title as ¡°Researcher¡± as well as her role as CSF-1¡¯s ¡°support technician¡± nonetheless allowed her access to the ETAA¡¯s resources. The fact that her father was the head of the ETAA certainly didn¡¯t hurt, either.


    There¡¯s¡­ a lot here, she thought to herself as she scanned the screen in front of her. An assortment of text and files met her eyes, all originating from the massive cache of information that CSF-1 had managed to recover from the Aldredian Dreadnought a week ago. Kirstin had been hard at work that past week attempting to decipher the files and coalesce any galactic coordinates into a single list, yet even now, she had barely managed to even scrape the surface of what had been found.


    How long is this going to take¡­? she wondered, there¡¯s so much here¡­ several terabytes of data that all needs to be translated, both linguistically and computationally speaking¡­ and then any coordinates we find need to be mapped to the modern galaxy. Which shouldn¡¯t be too hard, I suppose, but if we find any planetary coordinates, then I don¡¯t know how we¡¯d even begin deciphering those. Figuring out where on a planet¡¯s surface to look would definitely require a lot of effort¡­ oh, no, just thinking about it makes me antsy¡­


    ¡°Oh, well what do we have here?¡±


    ¡°Ack¡ª!¡± Kirstin jumped, startled, and then snapped her attention toward the source of the remark: a somewhat scrawny, pale-skinned woman standing in the entrance to the office, with a coffee mug in hand. Her long, blond hair was tied back into a pony tail, and her outfit was rather plain, consisting of a white t-shirt, jeans, and a lab coat. From her stature and soft face, the woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties; but on her coat was a name patch naming her as Senior Researcher Sarah Tobias ¡ª one of the most skilled and influential researchers in the entirety of the ETAA, second only to the Director.


    ¡°O¡­oh¡­ S-Sarah¡­¡± Kirstin muttered, quickly breaking eye contact and looking back at her screen as Sarah stepped into the office and let the door close behind her. ¡°¡­D-don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t, uh, s-sneak up on me¡­¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sneaking,¡± Sarah replied casually, her words carried by a soft English accent. ¡°I think you just need to work on your nerves, Kirstin.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, you¡¯re here even earlier than I am, and everyone already calls me an early bird!¡± Sarah glanced up at a digital clock on the wall, just over the entrance, that read out a time of 7:45 in the morning. She then turned back toward Kirstin and approached, taking a sip from her mug before questioning, ¡°just what are you working on? This wouldn¡¯t happen to be that data cache you brought back from that Aldredian shipyard, would it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ mmhmm.¡± Kirstin nodded timidly as Sarah finally rounded her desk and laid eyes on her screen. ¡°The¡­ there¡¯s a lot of, um, d-data to sort through¡­¡±


    ¡°There sure is. How much did you manage to bring back, again? A hundred terabytes? Two hundred?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ a-around, um, t-two hundred and, uh, thirty.¡±


    Sarah whistled. ¡°That¡¯s a lot. Especially just sitting around on an abandoned Dreadnought in deep space!¡±


    ¡°If¡­ if we h-had enough, uh, time¡­ c-could¡¯ve got more¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s a bloody shame, but don¡¯t blame yourself for it. Scott would¡¯ve loved to get his hands on that Dreadnought, too, but keeping it away from the Drakkars was the right choice.¡± Sarah sighed wistfully. ¡°Oh well. Do you know what¡¯s in the information you managed to claim? How much of it is novel, compared to just backups or operating data that the galaxy already knows about?¡±


    ¡°T-to early to¡­ to say¡­¡± Kirstin responded meekly, her eyes still glued to the screen in front of her.


    ¡°I suppose it has only been a week. Ah, well.¡± Sarah plopped down into one of the desk chairs, setting her mug off to the side and puttting her credentials into the computer in front of her before turning back to face Kirstin. ¡°Say, what do you make of those new Chaotics SERRCom picked up? That¡¯s an interesting subject, no?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I guess. I, uh¡­ I dunno about that, um, Ora-Oraculm, thing, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, ¡®prophecies¡¯ seem pretty silly to me, as well. But those weapons they were able to summon¡­ those don¡¯t look anything like what I¡¯ve seen from a Formtechnic.¡±


    For the first time since Sarah entered the room, Kirstin finally glanced her way, briefly making eye contact. ¡°¡­Y-you think they¡¯re, um, u-unique¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a good chance,¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve studied Chaotics in general a lot, and the ability to summon weapons out of thin air like that is something that only Materiatechnics or Formtechnics can do. However, Formtechnism usually isn¡¯t limited to just one, specific item. For example, Telregina is a Weapons-type Formtechnic who uses a massive variety of weapons when she attacks; I believe Mote can attest to that.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°D-do you¡­ do you think it¡¯s, um, a n-new type of Chaotic?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but a whole new type seems like a stretch, as well. Then again, the Eximius Vir have unique weapons, as well. It¡¯s quite odd.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kirstin looked down again. ¡°¡­I¡­ I h-heard that, um, that one of the n-new Chaotics, uh¡­ used their powers d-during the, um, Quake¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sarah passed Kirstin a curious look. ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°F-from, uh¡­ th-that, um, well¡­¡± Kirstin frowned as she took a moment to think. ¡°I th-think his name was, um¡­ Allan?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Pallan? That Nimalian Archon¨¦ who¡¯s hanging around?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ interesting. I¡¯m not sure if I trust everything he¡¯s said, but that¡¯s an oddly specific claim to make without evidence. Hmm¡­ if it¡¯s true, though, then¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I-it¡¯s like the, um, th-the Eximius V-vir¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking!¡± Sarah exclaimed, and then frowned. ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s still not quite the same. We know now, due to your recent mission, that the Eximius Vir can use their powers even in a void of Chaos Energy, but even they couldn¡¯t use their powers during the Quake two months ago. With the new Chaotics, it¡¯s reversed ¡ª assuming that Pallan is right, at least.¡±


    ¡°H-how¡­ how do you know the r-recruits can¡¯t, um, use th-their powers in a CENT field¡­?¡±


    ¡°I read the report that Mote filed a couple weeks ago about his fight with EA¡¯s robots on Earth. They used a Chaotic as a hostage, and the Chaotic didn¡¯t seem to be able to use their powers while inside the CENT field that was covering the robots. We know now that that hostage was one of the new Chaotics, the Velocitechnic, specifically. So they aren¡¯t quite like the Eximius Vir.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°These past couple months have just been revealing mystery after mystery, haven¡¯t they? Oooh, it¡¯s all just so interesting! So much new material to look into!¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t act like you aren¡¯t looking forward to it, either!¡± Sarah remarked as she passed Kirstin a knowing grin. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be working so early in the morning if you weren¡¯t, would you?¡±


    Kirstin passed her colleague a brief glance before hunching over even further and refocusing on her work.


    ¡°Heh¡­ fair enough.¡± Sarah shrugged and swiveled her chair around to face the computer in front of her. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s enough chit-chat for now. Time to see what discoveries today holds¡ª!¡±


    Just as Sarah finished her sentence, the office door shot open, eliciting a startled yelp from Kirstin. Sarah simply gave the entrance a casual glance, spotting a tall young woman with olive skin standing in the doorway. She wore a thick green military uniform with black trimming, as well as a red bandana that covered her messy blond hair tied back in a pony tail. On her legs were two armored greaves that covered her entire lower legs and possessed extravagant red and golden designs, topped by a faintly glowing red orb inset just below the silver knee guard on each greave. A patch on her upper chest named her as 2nd Lieutenant Katherine Faulkner, one of the four Chaotics of the Eximius Vir.


    ¡°Look who the storms blew in,¡± Sarah remarked as Kate stomped into the office, only for another young woman ¡ª this one dressed in the black jacket, pants, and boots that was the uniform of normal SERRCom soldiers in the Space Navy ¡ª to also appear in the doorway. ¡°Well, now¡­¡± Sarah eyed the soldier with curiousity. ¡°Just who is this?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, ma¡¯am,¡± the soldier replied as she saluted and then stood at attention just outside of the office. ¡°I¡¯ve just been ordered to watch the 2nd Lieutenant, is all.¡±


    ¡°Fucking chaperone¡­¡± Kate muttered as she dropped into one of the desk chairs and crossed her arms in a sulk. ¡°This is what you get for speaking against power. Fucking bullshit¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah, I see.¡± Sarah smirked as she watched Kate finally uncross her arms and input her own credentials into the computer in front of her. ¡°This is about that argument you had with Hamasaki, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kate shot Sarah an annoyed glance. ¡°How the hell do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°Word travels fast about the famed Eximius Vir. It¡¯s hard not to know when one of you gets in trouble.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ ridiculous¡­¡± Kate grumbled under her breath, and then whipped around to shove her finger in Kirstin¡¯s direction. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t spoken out against the Director¡¯s stupid-ass decision, you wouldn¡¯t even fucking be here right now, you know?!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡± Kirstin drew back, startled, and then stuttered out a reply. ¡°Uh, uh, th¡­ thanks¡­?!¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Kate, don¡¯t lay into Kirstin for this,¡± Sarah admonished, ¡°while I¡¯m sure CSF-1 appreciates you coming to their aid, it nonetheless remains that it¡¯s your attitude that¡¯s getting you in trouble.¡±


    ¡°And how the fuck would you know that?¡± Kate shot back.


    Sarah stared incredulously at Kate for several moments. ¡°¡­Hmm, I do wonder.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Kate grunted and turned back to her computer. ¡°This whole ¡®punishment¡¯ doesn¡¯t make a damn bit of sense, anyways. Like, what fucking good does it do to stop me from helping the ETAA¡¯s own research projects, huh?! The Director might as well be shooting herself in the fucking foot just to ¡®teach me a lesson¡¯. Pah!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been barred from working on any of the new data from the Dreadnought, or anything else we got from that damn ship yard. It¡¯s fucking stupid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Kirstin and I will manage just fine without you, for the time being.¡± Sarah glanced back at Kirstin. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin stared at Sarah, wide-eyed, and then ducked her head down behind her monitor as Kate turned to look at her. ¡°¡­Y¡­yes¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Like she can replace me,¡± Kate scoffed, and then pointed at her own head. ¡°I¡¯m literally supernaturally intelligent, you know!¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so.¡± Sarah deadpanned. ¡°For someone as smart as yourself, surely you must know that actions have consequences.¡±


    ¡°And what have I done to deserve this damned consequence?¡±


    ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t know, do you.¡±


    ¡°You gonna keep being coy with me, or are you gonna actually answer my fucking question?¡±


    ¡°Me? Being coy? My, I don¡¯t know what you could possibly mean.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Sarah¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now now, let¡¯s not shout. You don¡¯t want your research ban to be extended, do you?¡±


    Kate glared at Sarah. ¡°You¡¯d fucking tattle on me? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°¡®Tattle¡¯ is such a strong word. Besides, we are dealing with Director Hamasaki, here. If she wants to know how you¡¯re doing, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll find a way.¡± Sarah then glanced upward, at a part of the ceiling. ¡°It might not even be that difficult!¡±


    Kirstin and Kate both glanced up at where Sarah was looking, where they found a small, dark half-sphere mounted on the ceiling. Oh, she¡¯s talking about the cameras¡­ Kirstin thought to herself.


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Kate snorted derisively and turned away from Sarah. ¡°Fucking¡­ whatever.¡±


    ¡°And with that out of the way, let¡¯s all get to work, shall we?¡± Sarah declared, glancing between Kate and Kirstin.


    ¡°Ah¡­ r-right¡­¡± Kirstin responded uneasily.


    ¡°I would, if I had access to the new data,¡± Kate replied.


    ¡°You have plenty of other things on your plate, don¡¯t you?¡± Sarah questioned, ¡°I recall you mentioning working on a new ship blueprint. Why don¡¯t you work on that?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but it isn¡¯t as interesting as the new data¡ª¡±


    ¡°But it is, nonetheless, something you can work on.¡±


    ¡°¡­This is bullshit. I hate this.¡± Kate grumbled as she turned back to her computer, with Sarah and Kirstin eagerly doing the same. ¡°What a load of fucking cock. Damned nonsense. I bet Danielle and Mark aren¡¯t getting bossed around like this¡­¡±

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 8: Old Memories I

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 8: Old Memories I


    ¡°¡­And that park over there! That¡¯s where we spent most of our time as kids. I had a lot of fun there!¡±


    ¡°A lotta scrapes and bruises, too,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, like you¡¯re one to talk,¡± Sky shot back as she elbowed him in the side. ¡°You got hurt more than the rest of us, combined!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I can take it. You, Twy, and Austin? Especially ten years ago? Y¡¯all were basically twigs!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can take a hit from you! Uh, well, not now¡­ but I used to be able to!¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Mark chuckled, drawing the attention of Spike and Sky. ¡°This all is just¡­ so interesting to see. And not in a bad way, mind you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, guess so¡­¡± Spike turned away from Mark to look out over the residential park in front of the trio. The park greens spanned half a block on each side, with a smaller wood chip-covered play area featuring a swing set, see-saw, and various other pieces of playground equipment. A handful of old-growth oak trees dotted the premises, providing plenty of shade against the Texas sun ¡ª shade that Spike, Sky, and Mark gladly took advantage of. Spike and Sky had just finished packing barely an hour ago, and the two ¡ª along with Mark ¡ª were due to meet up with Austin, Twy, Luke, and Danielle down in the state capital of Austin, Texas later that evening. The city of Austin was around a four hour drive from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, where the trio currently were; as they didn¡¯t need to leave just yet to arrive in Austin by 6pm, Sky had suggested that the trio take one last walk around their home neighborhood.


    ¡°This place really takes me back,¡± Sky declared as she continued surveying the park. ¡°Though, it hadn¡¯t really occurred to me until just now that the last time we spent much time here was years ago.¡± She glanced toward Spike. ¡°Can you believe that?¡±


    ¡°We did graduate from High School two years ago,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°No, it was before that! Do you not remember?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right, huh.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen to make you stop going?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Nah, nothin¡¯ like that,¡± Spike replied airily as he took a seat on the ground with his back against the trunk of a large tree. ¡°We just kinda stopped hangin¡¯ out outside. Partly ¡®cause Austin and Twy preferred the indoors.¡±


    ¡°Those two never did like a good adventure,¡± Sky huffed, and then looked up at the tree. ¡°Hell, they never even liked climbing trees! And that¡¯s, like, the quintessential little kid thing to do!¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose I¡¯m not too surprised to hear that,¡± Mark commented, watching as Sky approached the tree Spike was leaning against and began climbing her way up the trunk. ¡°But the four of you have been friends for a long time, then, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Sky exclaimed gleefully as she jumped up onto a branch, where she perched on her feet and began looking for another branch within reach. ¡°I¡¯ve known Spike for over half my life!¡±


    ¡°When¡¯d we meet? Second grade, right?¡± Spike nodded as he watched Sky¡¯s climbing out the corner of his eye. ¡°We woulda been around¡­ eight, huh? I guess that adds up.¡±


    ¡°How did you first meet?¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°Heh,¡± Spike chuckled in amusement. ¡°Austin and I were playin¡¯ off on our own one day, and then outta the blue, Sky just ran up, introduced herself, and joined in the fun.¡±


    ¡°I remember Austin being really butthurt about it for a while,¡± Sky remarked, now straddling a thick branch nearly fifteen feet in the air. ¡°He really didn¡¯t like me at first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he came around eventually,¡± Spike replied. ¡°Twy was almost the same way with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised to hear that,¡± Mark commented. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Twy didn¡¯t like you at first?¡±


    ¡°More like she just didn¡¯t like people,¡± Sky responded. ¡°She really liked staying all cooped up in her room. It actually wasn¡¯t until we got Austin to play with us regularly that she joined in!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡­¡± Mark looked up at Sky, and then down at Spike. ¡°Are¡­ the two of them¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Together?¡± Spike shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°But they should be!¡± Sky declared, and then swung out of the tree, using a brief burst of flames to slow her descent just before she landed in Spike¡¯s lap. ¡°They should really take a page from us!¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch it!¡± Spike exclaimed irately, ¡°that could¡¯ve hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re fine, though, right?¡± Sky playfully punched his chest. ¡°It¡¯s that super durability! I bet you can take anything that I can throw at you!¡±


    ¡°For better or for worse¡­¡± Spike grumbled, only to sigh in resignation as Sky kissed him on the cheek. He then looked down at her with a mixture of amusement and frustration. ¡°You cheeky little¡­!¡±


    ¡°Well, I can see that the two of you get along well enough,¡± Mark observed with a grin.


    ¡°We are a couple, and I say there¡¯s no shame in letting the world know that!¡± Sky declared as she repositioned herself in Spike¡¯s lap to nuzzle his chest with her cheek.


    ¡°Sure, but there are still limits,¡± Spike insisted.


    ¡°I thought you liked it when we cuddled!¡±


    ¡°W-well, yeah, but not in public¡ª!¡±


    The two momentarily stopped bantering and turned their attention toward Mark, who was covering his mouth with his hand as his shoulders slightly shook.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­ heh¡­¡± He held up an apologetic hand toward the duo. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ well, out of everyone in the Eximius Vir or CSF-1, I think Major Hackett is the only one in a relationship, and I¡¯ve never even met her significant other.¡±


    Sky raised an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°Not used to public displays of affection, eh?¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡ª¡± Mark began, and then suddenly glanced off to the side. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­ Mote¡¯s calling me. Sorry, I should probably take this.¡±


    Spike stared after Mark as the latter moved away, with his hand cupped over his ear. ¡°¡­Look, you done scared him off.¡±


    ¡°Ah, like a little bit of cuddling would scare him off,¡± Sky responded dismissively, and then looked up at Spike with an annoyed expression upon her face. ¡°But I got something to talk about with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s never a good sign,¡± Spike replied flatly.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m serious,¡± Sky insisted. ¡°Why don¡¯t you touch me anymore?¡±


    ¡°W¡­what?!¡±


    ¡°Seriously? You haven¡¯t noticed?¡± She looked down at his hands, which both rested on the ground by his side. ¡°You aren¡¯t holding me, or stroking my hair¡­ what¡¯s with that? Normally you¡¯d tousle my hair all the time, but the last time you did, was, like¡­ over a month ago!¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­¡± Spike glanced away and took a deep breath. ¡°Look¡­ things are different, now.¡±


    ¡°Different my ass!¡± Sky countered, ¡°what, you mean our powers? So what? What¡¯s that got to do with what I asked?¡±


    ¡°Are you kiddin¡¯?¡± Spike responded incredulously, and then moved his right hand against the bark of the tree trunk behind him. Effortlessly, he shoved his fingers into the tree, and then scooped out part of the bark as easily as if it were sand. Then, he closed his fingers around the bark in his palm, forming a fist and utterly crushing the bark. When he opened his fingers a second later, only dust-like specks of wood remained.


    ¡°¡­What, are you afraid of hurting me?¡± Sky questioned after watching the display of might.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Spike questioned back.


    ¡°I mean¡­ a little, I guess. But it can¡¯t be that much of a problem, can it? You don¡¯t see any stories about other superstrength Chaotics accidentally crushing people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re on Earth, where there ain¡¯t any Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Okay, true¡­ but you¡¯ve always been way stronger than me, you know? What¡¯s different now?¡±


    ¡°This superstrength thing is an entirely different order of magnitude. I used to be stronger than you before, sure, but I couldn¡¯t fold you in half and throw you across a football field!¡±


    Sky grimaced. ¡°That¡¯s, uh¡­ one hell of an image.¡±


    Spike looked away. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize!¡± Sky guided Spike¡¯s gaze back to her own with her hand on his chin. ¡°That wasn¡¯t¡ª well, I think I understand what you¡¯re getting at, at least. Still, though¡­ with your type of Chaotic ability ¡ª that is, Forcetechnism ¡ª doesn¡¯t your innate durability get passed on to whoever you¡¯re touching? At least partially?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spike looked down at her with surprise. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I looked it up, silly,¡± Sky remarked with a smirk. ¡°I am capable of having a smart thought every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Heh, guess so. Still¡­¡± Spike looked down at his right hand. ¡°I just¡­ can¡¯t bring myself to be as physical with people as I was before. It¡¯s just¡­¡± His brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± Sky reached up to loosely embrace him. ¡°I understand. It¡­ well, I¡¯m gonna be honest, it kinda sucks, but I get it. You don¡¯t want to hurt me, and that¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll try to get a handle of my new powers as soon as I can¡­ then, we can go back to normal.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me! You better not keep me waiting too long!¡±


    ¡°You really can be impatient sometimes, you know that?¡±


    ¡°You should think of it as a compliment! Your girlfriend is saying she can¡¯t wait for you to touch her! What guy wouldn¡¯t like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Spike sighed as a bemused smile crossed his face. ¡°I dunno what I¡¯m gonna do with you.¡±


    ¡°Well, once you get those powers under control¡­¡± Sky lowered her voice as she raised an eyebrow suggestively. ¡°I have a few¡­ suggest¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m back. Hope I didn¡¯t keep you too long.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Spike replied, offering Mark a curt wave as Sky drew away from him with her lips pursed in annoyance. ¡°We were just wrappin¡¯ up a nice little chat.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Sky pouted, and then glanced up at Mark. ¡°¡­Well, hear anything important?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nothing much,¡± Mark responded. ¡°Mote just¡­ wanted to talk, we¡¯ll say. You know how he can get, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°What, assholeish?¡±


    ¡°Sky, really?¡± Spike admonished.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, I¡¯m right and you know it,¡± Sky retorted. ¡°That guy really needs to pull that stick outta his ass.¡±


    ¡°Funny, Kate says the same thing all the time,¡± Mark commented, and then looked up at the sky. The autumn sun was beginning its descent from the height of the sky, indicating a time of early afternoon. ¡°¡­Well, I think we should probably get going, if we want to reach your friends before sunset.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true enough,¡± Spike remarked, and then glanced down at his girlfriend. ¡°Hey, get off me.¡±


    ¡°Wow, not even gonna ask,¡± Sky replied cheekily, though rolled off his lap and then jumped to her feet all the same. After brushing herself off, she glanced between Mark and Spike expectantly. ¡°Well? Shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Spike nodded as he led the group away from the park. ¡°Back to our apartments, we go¡­!¡±


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Alright¡­ I think that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Yep¡­ all that¡¯s left is the furniture,¡± Twy remarked as she wiped her hands. ¡°And Sky¡¯s room, I suppose, but she and Spike can handle that when they get here.¡±


    ¡°And now we just have to wait for the food,¡± Austin replied as he practically threw himself onto the couch that remained in Twy¡¯s apartment near the campus of the University of Texas. He, Twy, Luke, and Danielle had all arrived earlier that day to begin the moving out process, and now ¡ª just before sunset ¡ª they had finished packing all of the loose items in Twy¡¯s bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. A handful of boxes sat in the corner of the living room, designated to be donated or sold off, while the few items that Twy wished to actually take with her were packed into a couple of suitcases.


    ¡°Still¡­ gotta be honest, I expected this to be more of a pain than it was,¡± Luke commented as he leaned against the living room wall near the couch. ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it easy, Twy.¡±


    ¡°I just like to keep things clean, that¡¯s all,¡± she responded with a shrug. ¡°And I try not to keep too much ¡®stuff¡¯ around¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you had a lot more stuff back at your home in Dallas!¡± Danielle exclaimed from her perch on the arm of the couch. ¡°Why¡¯s that? Don¡¯t you live here, not there?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but moving things back and forth can be really annoying, so I just left most of my things back home. Sky certainly has more crap than I do.¡±


    ¡°If Spike¡¯s complaining is anything to go by, she probably has the most stuff out of the four of us,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°Something about having shit scattered all over her room?¡±


    The corners of Twy¡¯s lips pulled up into a resigned smile. ¡°It¡¯s pretty messy, alright. But she¡¯s at least able to keep her mess confined to her room, so I can¡¯t complain¡­ too much.¡±


    ¡°Is Sky hard to live with?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Hard to live with¡­?¡± Twy echoed as she passed Danielle an incredulous glance. ¡°I mean, I wouldn¡¯t say that. I have some complaints, sure, but there¡¯s no such thing as a perfect roommate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the only perfect roommate is no roommate,¡± Austin interjected. ¡°Man, I wish I could afford to live alone¡­¡±


    ¡°You even got problems with Spike, huh?¡± Luke commented with an amused smirk.


    ¡°Spike himself is fine. I like havin¡¯ him around, actually. But when Sky comes over¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah, yeah.¡± Twy laughed uneasily. ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Danielle glanced between Austin and Twy with a confused look on her face. ¡°What are you talking about? Is something wrong with Sky?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Danielle, nothing¡¯s wrong here,¡± Luke stated, his smirk growing into a grin. ¡°They¡¯re just sayin¡¯ that Sky and Spike might enjoy each other¡¯s company a bit too much.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Sex, Danielle. They¡¯re talking about sex.¡±


    ¡°W-well I wasn¡¯t going to say it,¡± Twy insisted, as her face flushed red.


    ¡°Oh, right¡­ I¡¯ve heard Kate talk about that sometimes,¡± Danielle remarked, placing a thoughtful finger on her chin as she looked up. ¡°Mote always gets mad when she brings it up, though. Supposedly it feels good, but I¡¯ve never tried it.¡± She looked over at Twy, and then Austin. ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª w-what?¡± Austin spluttered; he and Twy briefly made eye contact, only to quickly look away. ¡°Th-that¡¯s, um. Well, I mean, no?¡±


    ¡°H-how does this matter to anything?¡± Twy questioned, her gaze diverted and face fully flushed.


    ¡°I just wanted to know,¡± Danielle replied as she glanced cluelessly between the two. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it embarrassing to not have had sex?¡±


    Luke chuckled for a moment before responding, ¡°it is for people who take themselves too seriously.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª I don¡¯t take myself too seriously!¡± Austin quickly countered, ¡°this is just, you know. Way too sudden of a conversation topic!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who brought this up?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°W-well, kinda, but¡­ that¡­!¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha¡­¡± Twy laughed uneasily as she rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°Maybe, um, let¡¯s¡­ talk about something else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s going on, but sure,¡± Danielle replied. ¡°What about Nimalia? That¡¯s where you guys are going, right? Do you know exactly where, yet?¡±


    ¡°Not even the Colonel knows,¡± Luke answered. ¡°All we know is that they¡¯ll be studying under one of the former members of Hero Machina, at one of the so-called ¡®Schools of Chaos¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Danielle stared at Luke, wide-eyed. ¡°A School of Chaos? ¡­I¡¯ve never heard of it before, but it sounds really cool!¡±


    ¡°The Schools of Chaos are six private institutions that were set up to teach Chaotics,¡± Austin commented. ¡°They¡¯re each headed by one of the old members of Hero Machina, the people who saved the galaxy from the Nanocreatures twenty years ago.¡± He then grinned. ¡°And we¡¯re gonna get to learn from them directly!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s been doing research,¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°Well, yeah. I mean, c¡¯mon! Back when you heard that we were gonna be learning from some of the galaxy¡¯s literal heroes, weren¡¯t you interested in learning more, too?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but¡­ are they really that big of a deal?¡±


    ¡°Literal. Galactic. Heroes. Do I really need to say more?!¡±


    ¡°To be more specific,¡± Luke spoke up, ¡°according to the reports, Hero Machina was a group of six Chaotics who confronted the leader of the Nanocreatures in battle, and killed him. Twice. If you believe the Nimalians, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I believe ¡®em!¡± Austin declared. ¡°It all lines up, the timing, the explanations, the everything. No one else can explain why the Nanocreatures all just up and dissolved outta no where!¡±


    ¡°You talk awfully authoritatively for someone who was less than one year old during the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°So? You were only ten!¡±


    ¡°Alright, so they saved the galaxy once. That¡¯s great! And I really do mean that. But¡­¡± Twy glanced doubtfully between Austin and Luke. ¡°How do we know that they¡¯ll actually be able to teach us about our powers? Or that they¡¯ll actually want to?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Being really strong doesn¡¯t mean that you know how to teach others,¡± Danielle added. ¡°Like, everyone always says that my shapeshifting is really powerful, but I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start if I had to teach someone else.¡±


    ¡°How powerful is your shapeshifting?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ I don¡¯t really know how to define that, in the first place¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, for one, she can turn into a Frigate,¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°What?! She can turn into a¡ª!¡± Austin whipped around to stare at Danielle incredulously. ¡°You can turn into a whole fuckin¡¯ Frigate?!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. A small one, but¡­¡± Danielle shrugged. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that hard, but apparently it¡¯s impressive or something¡­¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Luke commented, ¡°the largest and most complex things most Transtechnics can turn into are mechs or fightercraft, and even those are rare edge cases. So, yeah, a spaceship 80 meters long is impressive.¡± He then turned to face Twy. ¡°Anyways, Twy, as for your question¡­ I really don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve looked the Schools up on the Relaynet as well, and they do seem to be considered prestigious, so there¡¯s that. But I¡¯ve never actually met any of these Hero Machina folks. The Colonel briefly met with two of them¡­ what were their names¡­ Densalon and Yumat, I think?¡±


    ¡°Kievkenalis Yumach,¡± Austin corrected. ¡°Currently, the Dean of the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana. And a Chaos Conduit! Literally the only one in the galaxy, aside from one of the Drakkar Faction Leaders! And then Kaon¨¦ Densalin is the Dean of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Right, right¡­¡± Luke passed his nephew a glance before looking back at Twy. ¡°Regardless. Based on what the Colonel said, it could be a mixed bag, insofar as them liking you or even wanting to teach you. Though I guess there is one key thing that they¡¯d agree with y¡¯all on¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­And what would that be?¡± Austin prompted after a moment of silence.


    ¡°You should know if you looked up as much information on them as you said you did,¡± Luke replied. ¡°They¡¯re all pretty anti-conscription, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Twy¡¯s expression clouded. ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°You guys really don¡¯t like conscription, huh,¡± Danielle observed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ stupid, that¡¯s why,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°But hey, if they don¡¯t like conscription, then maybe we can convince ¡®em to convince the General that this whole thing is fuckin¡¯ stupid!¡±


    ¡°Wait, this doesn¡¯t add up,¡± Twy interjected. ¡°If they don¡¯t like conscription, then why are they willing to teach people who were just conscripted?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they just sympathize with us. It¡¯s not like this whole thing is our fault.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, and I mean this as lightly as possible ¡ª don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Luke responded. ¡°The Colonel said that Yumach and Densalin both seemed to defer to Archon¨¦ Culana a lot. There¡¯s a chance the Archon¨¦ is just pushing Hero Machina around.¡±


    ¡°Archon¨¦ Culana? You mean that Pallan guy?¡± Twy frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but he rubs me the wrong way¡­¡±


    ¡°He can be pretty damn self-righteous, that¡¯s probably why,¡± Austin replied. ¡°Still, he was the one who figured out that we¡¯re ¡®Keys¡¯ or some shit, so hey, he can¡¯t be all bad.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that even means anything¡­¡±


    ¡°It means we get cool-ass special weapons and special teachin¡¯, that¡¯s what!¡±


    ¡°I guess, but what about all that other stuff he mentioned, about prophecies and stuff? That sounded a bit ridiculous to me.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°It sounds like there¡¯s a lot you guys don¡¯t know,¡± Danielle commented.


    Luke sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll say. Not really a fan of walkin¡¯ into this with so much unknown¡­ but that¡¯s basically been life for the past couple months, so hey, can¡¯t really argue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s been a hard couple months for you, huh?¡± Austin snorted.


    Luke passed his nephew an incredulous glance and opened his mouth to respond, only to stop himself and then shake his head. ¡°¡­Never change, Austin. Never change¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn, one day,¡± Twy responded as she rolled her eyes, and then glanced toward the front door when she heard a loud knock. ¡°¡­But for now, that should be our pizza. Let¡¯s eat some dinner, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please!¡± Austin exclaimed as he leaped off of the couch and watched Twy open the door to greet the delivery person. ¡°Nothin¡¯ like pizza to close out a long day of work and a heady talk¡­¡±

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 9: Old Memories II

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 9: Old Memories II


    The Next day


    ¡°Finally, here we are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ guess so.¡± Conrad looked up at the apartment building standing in front of him. ¡°Haven¡¯t been here in a while.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost surprised you were ever here at all,¡± Phoenix remarked, and then strode forward through the front doors of the apartment building. ¡°Now hurry up, we¡¯re on track to be late as is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Conrad sighed wearily and stepped forward himself, his hands in the pockets of his shorts as he followed Phoenix through a tiny, yet well-kept lobby and up a set of stairs in the back. Just as he reached the top of the first flight, he looked up at Phoenix, who had just stopped another flight up and was staring at him impatiently.


    ¡°As lethargic as ever, huh?¡± she commented, her arms crossed.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s rushing,¡± Conrad countered as he continued to climb the stairs at a casual pace. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? It¡¯s not like Kestrel¡¯s going anywhere without us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Kestrel I¡¯m concerned about, it¡¯s Pierce,¡± Phoenix replied, glancing down at a watch on her wrist before returning her attention to Conrad just as he reached her level. ¡°You know how he is with arrival times. Tonight¡¯s dinner is likely the last we¡¯ll have here for quite a while, and I would rather it not be ruined by him holding our tardiness over our heads the whole time.¡±


    ¡°You say that¡­¡± Conrad began as Phoenix whirled around and rushed up another flight of steps, ¡°but aren¡¯t you just as hard on him whenever he¡¯s late to something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just giving him a taste of his own medicine, that¡¯s all,¡± she replied as she stopped at the third floor and waited for Conrad to catch up. ¡°Now c¡¯mon, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Conrad sighed in resignation. ¡°The two of ¡®em never stop¡­¡± he muttered under his breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Phoenix passed Conrad a suspicious glance as he finally reached the third floor, but then she shrugged and turned around to begin walking down the interior hallway. Conrad followed at his own pace, arriving by her side just after she had stopped in front of one of the doors and pushed the buzzer. The two waited for a few seconds; Phoenix eventually reached for the buzzer again, but just before she could press it, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was an older man, with an average height, a thin build, light skin, and short, blond hair with thin streaks of gray. His eyes quickly flitted between Phoenix and Conrad, while his expression remained blank.


    ¡°Ah, Phoenix, Conrad,¡± he remarked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you again, Mr. Nielson,¡± Conrad replied as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket to perform a casual wave.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to pick up Kestrel,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°Is she around?¡±


    ¡°Mmm. She should be.¡± The man glanced back and shouted, ¡°Kestrel! Your friends are here!¡± He then turned back to Phoenix and Conrad and nodded toward the interior of the apartment behind him. ¡°You can wait inside.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Conrad nodded as he and Phoenix stepped inside, where they stopped on the small area of tile at the front of the apartment. From there, they could see the well-furnished living room, featuring a silvery-gray couch with a chaise lounge and a recliner off to the side. A minimalist coffee table stood just in front of the couch, and on the opposite wall was a sizeable television that currently displayed a twisting swirl of ambient colors. All along the wall between the couch and the TV were a series of bookcases; while they all carried books, one was set up with a couple dozen novels placed such that their covers were on full display.


    Phoenix eyed the display from top to bottom, slowly looking over the cover of each novel. ¡°¡­Still writing?¡± she questioned as she turned her attention toward Kestrel¡¯s father.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, yes.¡± Mr. Nielson glanced toward the display himself before moving into the kitchen, where he disappeared from view. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a couple new publishing deals, recently,¡± he continued, as the sound of clattering and moving dishes emanated into the living room, ¡°but the deadlines are killer. I¡¯d hoped to get some good work done this week, but then I heard that Kestrel has super powers? And some nonsense about SERRCom? It¡¯s all a little¡­ distracting.¡±


    ¡°Is it, now.¡± Conrad replied flatly.


    ¡°It¡¯s very bothersome, but at least this happened to Kestrel. She¡¯s always been self-sufficient, capable of taking care of herself. If this nonsense had happened to either of her brothers, then¡­ oof. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever hear the end of it.¡±


    Phoenix and Conrad passed each other incredulous glances, but otherwise didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± the man continued, and then peeked his head out of the kitchen to direct his attention to a side hallway. ¡°Kestrel! Did you hear¡ª? Ah, there you are.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response as she stepped into the living room, passing her father a blank glance before turning toward Phoenix and Conrad.


    ¡°Yo.¡± Conrad offered a casual wave. ¡°Ready to go?¡±


    Kestrel looked off to the side, at a window in the back of the living room through which angled rays of late-afternoon sunlight shone. Wordlessly, she approached a coat rack and grabbed a wide-brimmed summer hat with a black band tied around the crown and planted it on her head; she then turned toward Phoenix and Conrad and nodded.


    ¡°Do you have your keys?¡± Mr. Nielson called after Kestrel as the trio approached the front door, ¡°your mother¡¯s busy with a surgery tonight, and won¡¯t be home until late, so I¡¯ll be locking up before then. Don¡¯t get locked out.¡±


    Kestrel simply responded with a single nod before stepping into the hallway outside her family¡¯s apartment, with Conrad and Phoenix quickly following suit.


    ¡°Going without sunscreen today, huh?¡± Conrad questioned as he eyed Kestrel; between her hat, black thigh-high boots, gray oversized sweatshirt, and silver summer dress, the only part of her pale skin that was visible was her face.


    Kestrel nodded once in reply. ¡°Too annoying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel ya,¡± Conrad responded, ¡°I never bother with it, either.¡±


    ¡°You really should,¡± Phoenix countered, eyeing Conrad¡¯s tan skin, as well as the t-shirt and shorts he wore over it. She then glanced down at her black sweatpants and crop top, and her own dark skin. ¡°I know the common wisdom is that people with our complexions don¡¯t need sunscreen,¡± she said as she looked back to Conrad, ¡°but that¡¯s not really true. Forgo it now, and you¡¯ll regret it later in life!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances,¡± Conrad deadpanned, and then smirked when he noticed a slight upward tug at the corner of Kestrel¡¯s mouth. ¡°Hey, see, she agrees.¡±


    Phoenix glanced at Kestrel herself, and then shook her head and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re too soft on him.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine,¡± Kestrel responded, and then looked toward the stairs. ¡°¡­Going?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right!¡± Phoenix whirled around on her heel and began marching off toward the stairs. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Aw, shit¡­ we¡¯re going to be hella late if don¡¯t hurry!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Conrad replied dismissively as he began following at a casual pace. Kestrel promptly fell into pace alongside him, with the trio finally setting out from the apartment.


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°Well, well, well, would you look here. A bunch of slow¡ª!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Pierce,¡± Phoenix interjected crossly as she approached the front of a Chinese restaurant with Conrad and Kestrel in tow. In front of her stood Pierce ¡ª who wore a self-amused smirk on his face ¡ª as well as Colonel Saito and Mote.


    ¡°It nonetheless remains that you¡¯re late,¡± Mote stated, his arms crossed. ¡°We were supposed to meet ten minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, give them some slack,¡± Saito insisted, passing Mote a weary glance before turning toward the restaurant and stepping forward. ¡°Let¡¯s get our table, I can¡¯t wait to eat.¡±


    Conrad watched the Colonel disappear into the building, followed closely by Mote. ¡°¡­Why are they here, again?¡± he questioned, glancing at each of Pierce, Phoenix, and Kestrel in confusion.


    ¡°Something about having to keep tabs on us,¡± Pierce muttered as he approached the front doors himself. ¡°But you better not complain now, after leaving me to deal with both of them all day long!¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, good point.¡± Conrad shrugged and stepped forward himself, finally entering the restaurant just after the rest of his friends. Inside, Saito had already announced their presence to the waiter, and gestured for everyone else to follow him to their reserved table. Before long, they were all seated ¡ª Saito, Conrad, and Pierce on one side of the table, and Mote, Kestrel, and Phoenix on the other ¡ª and pondering what to order for dinner.


    ¡°You guys eat here often?¡± Saito asked, glancing up from his menu to look at each of Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel.


    ¡°Every now and then¡­¡± Conrad replied flatly as he flipped the menu over in his hands. ¡°I prefer tacos, personally¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll eat anything,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Chinese is a good compromise. A little something for everyone.¡±


    ¡°You could say the same about tacos.¡±


    ¡°I agree, tacos are strictly superior to Chinese cuisine,¡± Mote interjected. ¡°If that was an option, we should have picked it.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a little late to say that now, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pierce replied impatiently.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even made aware that we were eating out until an hour ago. No one gave me the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Settle down, Mote,¡± Saito cut in, immediately quieting the Electrotechnic. ¡°This dinner isn¡¯t for you, anyways. Tonight is the last night our four new recruits are spending in their hometown before they have to leave and clear out their college dorms, so this dinner is supposed to be a treat.¡±


    ¡°And we appreciate that. ¡­I think,¡± Phoenix replied as she passed a surreptitious glance toward Conrad. She then looked over at Mote, who wore an irritated expression on his face. ¡°Surely there¡¯s something here you might like. As Pierce said, there¡¯s a little something for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Mote stared down at the menu and flipped through it for a second. ¡°¡­I¡¯d prefer something spicy. With meat, preferably some kind of beef.¡±


    ¡°Picky, much?¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Listen, you, I didn¡¯t¡ª!¡± Mote turned to begin berating Pierce, but was stopped as Kestrel flipped his menu open to a particular page and pointed at one of the options. ¡°¡­¡¯Sichuan Dry Fried Beef¡¯¡­¡± he read aloud, and then passed Kestrel a confused glance. ¡°¡­Are you suggesting this?¡±


    Kestrel responded with a single nod.


    ¡°I¡¯d go with her rec, if I were you,¡± Conrad commented. ¡°She¡¯s never steered me wrong before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯ll eat anything,¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°¡­Maybe I should¡¯ve just pretended all along to only like tacos and burritos. Maybe then we¡¯d get them more often¡­¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I suppose it is true that the person with the broadest tastes tends to get fucked over,¡± Phoenix responded. ¡°Sorry, Conrad. We can grab something tomorrow morning, before we all leave.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡± Conrad held up his hand and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t actually mind that much.¡±


    ¡°You often say that. It¡¯s okay to take a firmer stand every now and then, you know.¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly astute advice,¡± Mote commented.


    Phoenix leaned forward to pass him a glare over Kestrel, who sat between them. ¡°¡®Surprisingly¡¯?¡± she echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Can we at least get our food before we start getting on each other¡¯s asses?¡± Saito interjected, and then flagged down a waiter. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have to deal with this until I have something to put in my stomach.¡±


    ¡°I can agree with that,¡± Conrad remarked, backed up by a firm nod from Kestrel.


    ¡°¡­Apologies, Colonel,¡± Mote slowly replied.


    ¡°Just keep it in check,¡± Saito responded, and then turned toward the waiter as they approached. The six quickly rattled off their orders, at which point the waiter gathered their menus and left for the kitchen.


    ¡°So,¡± Saito began speaking again, clasping his hands on the table as he slowly scanned the others seated with him. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually been to the San Francisco Bay Area, before. It¡¯s a nice place you have here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Phoenix replied, ¡°now if only all of the people who are leaving agreed¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame them,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°You can¡¯t make a living off of pretty sights. People go where the money is, and it sure as hell isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°It could be, though. But you can¡¯t make that happen if you don¡¯t stick around.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t MIT on the east coast?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°I was going to come back,¡± Phoenix responded defensively. ¡°I do like it here. The climate, the beaches, and the people, too. According to my parents, it was even better forty years ago, before the big quake of ¡®88 and the collapse of all the levees. I just wonder, if we could get back to that¡­¡±


    ¡°Getting the land back won¡¯t bring back the people or the businesses,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°It¡¯s all fucked, and trying to fix it is hella crazy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny to hear, from the person who almost fought me over SERRCom¡¯s right to the dam,¡± Mote interjected. ¡°All the reports claimed you operated across multiple different nights here, even when you were supposed to be near LA.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Pierce passed Mote an incredulous glance. ¡°How do you¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°That was supposed to be confidential information,¡± Saito commented as he side-eyed Mote, who rapidly withered under his gaze.


    ¡°How long has SERRCom been watching me?!¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really the man to ask about that,¡± Saito replied, ¡°but from my understanding, let¡¯s just say you made a bit of a splash when you showed up to destroy EA¡¯s robots a couple weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°I told you you should¡¯ve kept your powers under wraps,¡± Phoenix declared irately as she glared at Pierce.


    ¡°¡­Hey, hey, look, that¡¯s all in the past,¡± Pierce responded with an uneasy smile, only for it to suddenly shift into a confident smirk. ¡°Besides, if not for that, then we wouldn¡¯t have learned how important we are to saving the whole damn galaxy!¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve liked that just fine,¡± Conrad deadpanned, with Kestrel offering a quiet grunt of agreement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away with that ¡®Key¡¯ business, anyways,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°Trusting the words of a prophetic book is folly. Only fools believe in foreordination.¡±


    ¡°Look, man, normally I¡¯d agree. But how the hell else do you explain this?¡± Pierce questioned as he summoned his bladed energy whip into his hands.


    Mote simply regarded the weapon with disdain. ¡°There are a number of different explanations that don¡¯t require the belief in a prophecy. Single-item Formtechnism, for one.¡±


    ¡°But whatever it is, you should really put that away,¡± Phoenix commented warily. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get kicked out because you were brandishing a weapon!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce grunted in annoyance as he allowed the weapon to disappear from his hands ¡ª right as the waiter returned to the table, with a variety of dishes in tow.


    ¡°Ah, about time!¡± Saito eagerly eyed the incoming food, helping to pass each incoming dish to the appropriate recipient. Before long the table was filled with spicy, sizzling beef; a handful of different plates with golden noodles mixed with onions and shrimp; and a handful of chicken-based dishes, covered in all kinds of sauces.


    ¡°Oooh, that smells good,¡± Phoenix remarked as she served herself some of the shrimp chow mein. ¡°I¡¯m going to miss this while we¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it,¡± Saito commented as he began eating some of the chicken. ¡°You won¡¯t have any of this on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°As long as they have meat, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°But if they¡¯re fuckin¡¯ vegans, then we¡¯re gonna have problems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re complaining about vegans?¡± Conrad questioned flatly.


    ¡°I¡¯m complaining about the potential of me having to eat vegan food. Slight difference,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t care what other people eat, so long as I get to have what I want.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do Nimalians eat?¡± Kestrel asked, her attention on Saito as she grabbed some of the beef for herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good question,¡± the Colonel responded. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually eaten anything Nimalian. Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Mark¡¯s looked into Nimalian cuisine a bit,¡± Mote said. ¡°According to him, it varies just as much as Earth food, which is to be expected from a nation spanning so many planets. Apparently Nimalia itself has a lot of food that¡¯s basically just a bunch of stuff piled on top of different kinds of bread.¡±


    ¡°What, like a pizza?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°Or an open-faced taco?¡±


    Mote shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Mark was the one who looked it up.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, most cultures have some kind of food item that involves putting stuff on bread,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°And as far as I could tell, a lot of the Nimalians¡¯ basic ingredients are similar to ours. While Pierce and I were on Ainminthalus, we were still able to get our hands on things like eggs and bacon. Or at least, some kind of meat with the same consistency as bacon.¡±


    ¡°Tasted slightly different, though,¡± Pierce said. ¡°Not as¡­ savory, I think is the word. It was a little sweet, too. Which is hella weird for meat¡­¡±


    ¡°Spice?¡± Kestrel questioned as she glanced between Pierce and Phoenix.


    ¡°Spicy foods, hmm¡­ I don¡¯t actually remember all that many¡­¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°There was some¡­ but not a lot. That might just be an Ainminthalus thing, though.¡±


    ¡°It got me real good the first week or two we were there, though,¡± Pierce grumbled. ¡°I saw these little pepper-shaped things in one of the supermarkets ¡ª it looked like a pepper, same size as one, same color, the whole works. But it tasted like an apple! A fucking apple!¡±


    Phoenix grinned. ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you spit something out so fast. Even after you got your superspeed!¡±


    ¡°You dislike apples that much, eh?¡± Saito questioned with an amused smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the biggest fan of apples, but the real problem was expecting a pepper and getting very much not a pepper,¡± Pierce insisted, and then glared at Phoenix. ¡°You would¡¯ve done the same!¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s something to look out for, then,¡± Conrad commented flatly. ¡°But at the end of the day, we still don¡¯t know what we¡¯re getting ourselves into on Nimalia, do we?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry about that.¡± Saito responded wearily. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get more concrete info about which school you¡¯ll be at, but I haven¡¯t heard anything yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ annoying,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Are these guys just super unorganized? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it¡¯s a matter of being unorganized. We are talking about the people who saved the galaxy, once, after all ¡ª and now they head their own schools. Fairly prestigious ones, too, if Nimalian news and rating boards are to be believed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know, I suppose,¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°I dunno, that just sounds to me like it¡¯ll be a lot of work¡­¡± Conrad grumbled.


    ¡°Of course it will be a lot of work,¡± Mote declared. ¡°Training your abilities is not something that you should take lightly.¡±


    ¡°Oh please.¡± Pierce rolled his eyes. ¡°What the hell is there to teach about superspeed, anyways? I don¡¯t need a teacher for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, one of the Deans is a Velocitechnic,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m sure you could learn a lot from him.¡±


    ¡°Pssshh, as if. What¡¯s he going to do, beat me in a race? I bet I could run faster than him, anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really, Pierce?¡± Phoenix shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, your arrogance is nothing short of absurd,¡± Mote stated as he glared at Pierce. ¡°That attitude will come back to haunt you one day.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Pierce countered as he returned the glare.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. The fact that the first thing you did after learning about a skilled Chaotic was boast about how you could beat them, despite knowing nothing about them, is ridiculous. If you can¡¯t even beat me, then how the hell do you expect to beat so-called galactic heroes?¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s¡­¡± Pierce scowled. ¡°The only reason I couldn¡¯t beat you is because you had on that stupid armor! With no armor, no shielding, I would run circles around you.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯d be little able to hurt me while you did.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s just¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Mote, Bradley, cut it out,¡± Saito demanded, his stern gaze slowly passing between the two men. ¡°¡­What is it, with you two? No, don¡¯t answer that,¡± he quickly added as both Mote and Pierce opened their mouths to respond. ¡°For the rest of tonight, I¡¯d better not hear another argument between the two of you, again. Understood?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes, sir,¡± Mote begrudgingly replied.


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce snorted, but offered little other response.


    ¡°Good.¡± The Colonel nodded and then took another bite out of his meal.


    A brief spell of awkward silence befell the group as everyone continued working through their food, with Mote and Pierce both stubbornly refusing to meet each other¡¯s gaze. It wasn¡¯t until nearly a minute later, when Phoenix had finished her chow mein, that she looked back to the rest of her group and broke the silence.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± she started, and glanced toward Saito. ¡°¡­As much as I dislike being forced to do something, being able to spend a year plus on an alien Homeworld is certainly an interesting opportunity. But isn¡¯t this expensive? What does SERRCom get out of this?¡±


    ¡°To be candid, the General is hoping that the eight of you become powerful Chaotics,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted as she looked down.


    ¡°There must be more to it than that, though, surely?¡± Phoenix pressed, ¡°compared to the rest of the galaxy, Earth and SERRCom might as well be dirt poor. Paying to send eight people to an alien Homeworld for over a year can¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s the thing.¡± Saito pursed his lips. ¡°SERRCom isn¡¯t actually paying for this. Archon¨¦ Culana is.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, really?¡± Conrad questioned incredulously. ¡°¡­Does he really believe that book of his that much?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see any other reason for him to go this far,¡± Saito replied, and then frowned. ¡°Which is a little concerning, to be honest. Dogmatic individuals can be a real pain to deal with in the long run.¡±


    ¡°Hey, the dude¡¯s paying our way. What¡¯s to complain about?¡± Pierce asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a free lunch, so they say,¡± Saito said, and then released a deep, exhausted exhale. ¡°¡­Still. For now, the Archon¨¦¡¯s goals line up with SERRCom¡¯s, and so we¡¯re sending you all to Nimalia. Just¡­ be careful while you¡¯re there. I can¡¯t help but think that something is¡­ off.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°What is there that¡¯s so important for us to learn, then?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°simply training our powers can¡¯t be so difficult that we need a teacher on another planet¡­ is it? I mean¡­¡± She glanced over at Mote. ¡°The Eximius Vir were trained here on Earth, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°We were,¡± Mote stated.


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re also pretty unique, as Chaotics go,¡± Saito commented, and then turned back toward Phoenix. ¡°There are a handful of lessons that the Eximius Vir didn¡¯t need to learn, or that they picked up much more quickly than a regular Chaotic. Things like Overdrives, how to stop yourself from going Berserk, the difference between direct and indirect manipulation and what that means against different types of Chaotics, how to protect yourselves in battle without armor or shields, how to deal with CENT fields¡­ the list goes on and on. Most of it doesn¡¯t even apply to them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you know plenty enough, already,¡± Pierce observed.


    ¡°I only know as much as I need to fight against enemy Chaotics,¡± Saito countered. ¡°To truly learn how to handle everything I just mentioned, I think you really would need to learn from another trained Chaotic. And that just isn¡¯t something that SERRCom can offer you.¡±


    Mote pursed his lips and furrowed his brow in response to the Colonel¡¯s assertion, but didn¡¯t offer a verbal reply. Conrad noticed the change in his expression, however, and immediately spoke up. ¡°What do you think of all this?¡± he questioned, his attention directed at Mote.


    ¡°¡­¡± The Electrotechnic stared at Conrad, only to sigh in resignation a moment later. ¡°¡­Whatever the General says, goes,¡± he eventually said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lead knows what¡¯s best for SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s encouraging to hear,¡± Phoenix responded sarcastically.


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± Saito replied with a shrug of his shoulders, and then looked over the rest of the table, and the dishes that were largely empty. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Might as well be,¡± Pierce said as he stretched his arms. ¡°I¡¯m ready to get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°As am I,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Saito glanced between the two before shaking his head and indicating to one of the waiters to bring the check. ¡°Well, while we¡¯re waiting for that¡­¡± He looked back to everyone else seated at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose any of you have interesting stories from your time here?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, that isn¡¯t even close to true,¡± Pierce countered immediately, and then smirked. ¡°Hell, remember that one time you tried those super hot noodles they serve here? We finally found your spice limit, that day!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that wasn¡¯t just me. It fucked you up, too.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I didn¡¯t vomit all over the fucking table because of it.¡±


    ¡°No, but I do remember you spending a conspicuously long period of time in the bathroom, afterward,¡± Phoenix interjected.


    ¡°How the hell do you know that?¡± Pierce gave her the stink-eye. ¡°You weren¡¯t watching me, were you?¡±


    Phoenix rolled her eyes. ¡°I can assure you I wasn¡¯t watching you in the damn bathroom.¡±


    ¡°How long ago was this?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Four years,¡± Kestrel replied curtly.


    ¡°And I have a much higher spice tolerance now,¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°I could¡¯ve had that dish right now and been fine.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you, then?¡± Phoenix challenged.


    ¡°I just wasn¡¯t feeling it, that¡¯s all.¡± He then eyed her mischievously. ¡°But, hey. Next time we¡¯re here, I¡¯ll try it if you do.¡±


    ¡°Have you been paying attention? That¡¯s going to be at least a year from now!¡±


    ¡°Is that a no?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not, I¡¯ll eat you under the table in two year¡¯s time. You¡¯d better not complain about it, though!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Pierce pursed his lips and snorted, in what was an obvious attempt to supress laughter.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Phoenix stared at him in confusion, only for realization to wash over her face, followed quickly by irritation. ¡°Oh, you asshole!¡± She kicked him under the table. ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you said it, not me,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk.


    ¡°Please. You couldn¡¯t even handle me.¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge? Sounds like a challenge to me.¡±


    ¡°Is anything ever not a challenge to you?¡± Conrad interjected.


    ¡°I can think of a few things,¡± Saito remarked with an amused smile as he signed the recently-arrived receipt. He then stood up, prompting the others to do the same as he stretched. ¡°That was a decent dinner, but I¡¯m ready to get some rest now.¡±


    ¡°You and me both,¡± Conrad replied, followed with a yawn.


    ¡°Man, what is it with you and sleep?¡± Pierce questioned as the group began moving toward the front of the restaurant.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for you, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hard to argue with that logic,¡± Saito remarked, and then stopped to address the rest of the group. ¡°Now, remember, tomorrow you all need to take care of clearing out your college dorm rooms. SERRCom¡¯s taken care of most of the paperwork regarding this move, so there shouldn¡¯t be much else you need to do, but we all need to meet back up on Sunday morning. So don¡¯t waste time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, we got it,¡± Pierce replied dismissively.


    ¡°Good.¡± Saito glanced over at Mote and nodded before offering a curt wave and parting ways with the group, with Mote in tow. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all on Sunday, then!¡±

 V1 - A1 - Chapter 10: An Old Lifes Dusk

    NEW WORLD ¡ª CHOSEN HOMES


    <hr>


    Chapter 10: An Old Life''s Dusk


    Two Days Later


    ¡ª Sunday, October 23, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Oof¡­ agh.¡±


    Austin winced as he gingerly rubbed his left shoulder, and the bandages that covered it. The skin remained tender and sore after having been pricked by a handful of different needles ¡ª and that was far from the only part of his body that felt uncomfortably off. His eyes and ears both, while perfectly functional, felt vaguely puffier than normal; Austin couldn¡¯t tell if the sensation was real or a concoction of his mind, and could only hope that it would subside soon.


    He glanced to the side as he slowly walked down a metal hallway, with the entire right wall occupied by a holographic view of the Earth below. Once more, he now stood within the space station Opportunity, where he had been for almost a day. After packing everything up in their apartments and fully moving out, Austin and his friends had returned to the space station alongside Luke, Mark, and Danielle, where they were immediately put through preparations for off-world travel ¡ª specifically, the Installation, Immunization, and Disinfection Process, commonly referred to as IID Process for short. This process initially involved short surgeries through which two sets of cybernetic implants were installed: a set of ocular Real-Time Video, or RTV, translation implants as well as a set of cochlear Real-Time Audio, or RTA, translation implants. Together, the implants would allow Austin and his friends to understand the written and spoken words of many languages throughout the galaxy, a convenience that Austin openly welcomed. He simply hoped that the uncomfortable sensation in this eyes and ears would soon subside.


    Following the installation of the implants was the Immunization step, wherein Austin and his friends were vaccinated against a variety of common or dangerous diseases that were present throughout the galaxy. The full list of diseases that he was now vaccinated against had flown completely over his head; he hadn¡¯t even considered the fact that unique diseases would exist beyond the bounds of Earth until a nurse walked in with a handful of syringes. Austin had no fear of needles, but the surprise set of vaccinations annoyed him nonetheless, and his sore shoulder simply irritated him even further. Well, at least I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting sick while I¡¯m out there, I hope, he thought to himself. Man, I¡¯m gonna be mad if I DO get sick¡­


    Thinking about sickness then led Austin to briefly wonder about the third step of the IID Process: Disinfection. As it was explained to him, the Disinfection process actually needed to be repeated every time someone traveled to a different planet, so as to prevent the spread of non-native pathogens. A reasonable precaution, Austin thought, if annoying ¡ª but what amazed him more was the one exception: travel by Interstellar Gate. Apparently, through currently unknown means, the Interstellar Gates were capable of detecting and destroying unwanted or uncontained pathogens during transit. The fact that no one knew how the Gates were capable of doing this astounded Austin; he knew that they were technological devices left over by the ancient Aldredas, but he figured that thousands of years would surely be long enough to figure out all of the intricacies of the Interstellar Gates. That there were still unknowns seemed rather odd.


    ¡°Yo, Austin!¡±


    Snapped out of his thoughts, Austin glanced to his left, where Spike had just emerged from another hallway. ¡°Oh, hey.¡± Austin nodded at his friend as Spike approached and then fell into step beside him. ¡°You got all your shots?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Spike rolled his left shoulder multiple times and then began massaging it with his right hand. ¡°They had to turn on a CENT field just so the needles could get through my skin. That was a weird feelin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, that makes sense. Without a CENT field, your skin is harder than steel. Can¡¯t really pierce it with a needle.¡±


    ¡°Guess not. Makes me worry about if I ever need some kinda first aid, and there¡¯s no CENT field around¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯re also way less likely to even need first aid than a normal person. Hell, if you end up in a situation where you need first aid, then whether or not a needle can pierce your skin is probably the last thing you¡¯d need to worry about!¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess so¡­¡± Spike sighed and shrugged. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see. How about those translation implants, though? That¡¯s some neat stuff.¡±


    ¡°No kidding!¡± Austin remarked, ¡°we really do live in the future! When they gave me that little example brochure, with the Nimalian writing on it ¡ª it looked like perfect English to me. The translation was super fluid, like it was written that way in the first place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alien tech for ya,¡± Spike replied. ¡°Now we don¡¯t need those annoyin¡¯ headsets just to understand the Nimalians, either. Damn, this is so convenient.¡±


    ¡°When you have a big, interconnected galaxy like ours, it¡¯s probably necessary. One less thing you have to worry about when crossing borders.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, speakin¡¯ of things to worry about¡­¡± Spike eyed an open door near the end of the hallway, and Luke standing just outside of it. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this thing we¡¯re goin¡¯ to now, exactly? Some kinda primer on¡­ somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of information SERRCom wants us to know before we leave Earth and potentially embarrass them abroad,¡± Austin replied as he rolled his eyes. ¡°Probably nothin¡¯ too important.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t be sayin¡¯ that just yet,¡± Luke remarked as the two fell into earshot. He gave them a casual wave as he continued, ¡°the stuff you¡¯ll hear here is actually pretty important.¡±


    Austin and Spike stopped next to Luke and glanced through the open door. Inside was a small meeting room, with a whiteboard on one end and nearly a dozen chairs situated around a large table in the center. Already present in the room were Twy and Sky, as well as Pierce, Phoenix, Kestrel, Conrad, and Mark, all of them engaged in various levels of idle chit-chat with each other.


    ¡°¡­Looks like a classroom,¡± Spike observed, with a tinge of disappointment in his voice.


    ¡°¡­I guess it does, huh,¡± Luke replied after briefly surveying the room himself. ¡°Though I guess meetings are a lot like classes, huh? Long and boring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear that from a military officer,¡± Austin commented. ¡°Don¡¯t y¡¯all have all kinds of briefings and debriefings and rebriefings or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Hey, just ¡®cause we have a lot of meetings doesn¡¯t mean that we like having meetings,¡± Luke countered. ¡°They¡¯re important, I understand why we have ¡®em. But I don¡¯t think I know of a single officer or soldier who thinks briefings aren¡¯t boring.¡±


    ¡°Already speaking on the behalf of all of SERRCom, are we, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Luke, Austin, and Spike all turned to look down the hallway, where they saw Colonel Saito approaching ¡ª alongside Kievkenalis, dressed in the same green uniform with black trimming that he wore the last time Austin saw him.


    ¡°Oh, sir!¡± Luke offered a quick salute as Saito stopped in front of him. ¡°Ah¡­ you heard that, huh?¡±


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s my official duty to impress upon you the importance of briefings,¡± Saito replied, and then smirked. ¡°But, that would be just as boring as the meetings themselves.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ good one, sir.¡±


    ¡°Do most Earthians not like meetings¡­?¡± Kievkenalis questioned as he glanced between the two SERRCom officers. ¡°I actually find them rather fascinating! Most of the time, at least.¡±


    Saito and Luke simply responded with blank stares, but Austin and Spike regarded the Nimalian with awe.


    ¡°Wow, they really do work!¡± Austin exclaimed, ¡°I could understand everything you just said!¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Kievkenalis passed Austin a clueless glance, only for his eyes to briefly widen in realization. ¡°Ah, you just received RTA implants, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Shit, I didn¡¯t actually expect them to work this well. It¡¯s like you¡¯re actually speaking our language!¡±


    ¡°They really are an incredible piece of technology, but keep in mind that not everyone has them. That¡¯s actually one of the things we¡¯ll be going over.¡± Kievkenalis glanced at each of the four men standing in front of him, and then gestured toward the open room. ¡°Well, if you all really dislike meetings that much, then we should probably go ahead and get started. After all, the sooner we start, the sooner we can be done.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that. C¡¯mon, Austin, Spike.¡± Luke nodded toward his nephew and his friend and then sauntered into the room. The rest quickly followed, with Luke, Austin, and Spike claiming seats next to Twy and Sky while Saito closed the door to the room and Kievkenalis walked up to the front.


    ¡°Someone finally shows up, huh?¡± Pierce remarked, his feet propped up on the table and his hands clasped behind his head. ¡°Just how much more time are we going to have to burn, here?¡±


    ¡°Pierce, cut the attitude,¡± Phoenix quickly admonished, only for Kievkenalis to hold his hand up and shake his head.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, we are a bit late,¡± the Nimalian stated, and then looked over everyone in the room. ¡°Apologies. But allow me to properly introduce myself, as I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve spoken directly to most of you¡­ I am Kievkenalis Yumach, a Chaostechnic. Most people know me as the Dean of the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana.¡± He briefly bowed his head. ¡°A pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°¡­You named your school after yourself?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s common for Nimalians to place their name on anything that they create.¡± Kievkenalis passed Conrad a curious glance. ¡°I take it Earth isn¡¯t the same?¡±


    ¡°It is, and it isn¡¯t,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°But we can talk about that later. I¡¯m sorry for my friend¡¯s interruption; please, continue.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here really is in a rush, huh? I¡¯m not sure why, but okay. I can accommodate.¡± Kievkenalis placed a small device on the table and then stepped away as he began again to address the room. ¡°Broadly, there are two purposes of this meeting: to inform you of some of the details of your stay on Nimalia, and to tell you a couple things about Nimalian culture that would be important to know when interacting with Nimalians. We Nimalians and you Earthians may look the same, and even have largely similar organ systems, but we are still different, and it¡¯s important to know how.¡±


    ¡°Oh, boy, a history lesson¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath.


    ¡°As far as the administrative details go,¡± Saito started as he walked up next to Kievkenalis and turned to face the room, ¡°SERRCom will be granting each of you a monthly living allowance during your stay on Nimalia. Nothing extravagant, but it should be enough to have a little fun every now and then. Food and board should already be covered.¡±


    Kievkenalis nodded. ¡°That¡¯s correct. Pallan is handling that part.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Saito side-eyed the Nimalian for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing. ¡°Captain Travis and Lieutenant Cox, here, will be joining you on Nimalia. They¡¯ll be your points of contact if you need to talk to SERRCom or someone on Earth for whatever reason. And if you misbehave, it¡¯s their job to tattle on you, so watch out.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Colonel, don¡¯t turn ¡®em against me this early,¡± Luke complained, albeit with an amused smirk.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re coming with us?¡± Austin turned toward his uncle in surprise. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I thought I did. Oops,¡± Luke replied sheepishly.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have a familiar face around, though,¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°For you guys, maybe,¡± Pierce interjected, and then gestured to himself and his friends as he glared at Luke. ¡°To us, though, you¡¯re just another SERRCom Officer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I know.¡± Luke sighed and casually leaned back in his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promise not to be too hard on you.¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Saito spoke up again, drawing the room¡¯s attention back to him, at which point he looked over at Kievkenalis. ¡°Our guest here should be able to explain the rest.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Kievkenalis nodded once, and then scratched his head. ¡°Well¡­ as for which school you¡¯ll actually be attending, it¡¯ll mostly likely be either the Densalin School for Chaotics, or Wrikax Chaos University. They¡¯re both¡­ fairly different, so I¡¯m going to leave it to the others to show off their own campuses whenever you arrive.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to arrive tomorrow?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously. ¡°How do you not know where we¡¯re going?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Kievkenalis waved her off. ¡°I¡¯m sure Kaon¨¦ and Kev¨¦rin already figured it out. They¡¯re always on top of things like this. Anyways¡­¡± He glanced down at the device he had set on the table earlier and began fiddling with it, just in time to miss the wary glances that Twy and Sky shared. ¡°Now, to the main point of this meeting¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Teach!¡± Spike rasied his hand for a moment, stopping just long enough for Kievkenalis to look his way before continuing, ¡°you¡¯re one of the members of Hero Machina, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The Nimalian stared back at him in mild surprise. ¡°¡­Well, yes, I used to be. Ten years ago, that is. I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s left on the team anymore.¡±


    ¡°Sure, y¡¯all quit the military,¡± Austin interjected, ¡°but you¡¯re still Hero Machina, the saviors of the galaxy, right?¡±


    ¡°Saviors? Ah ha¡­ that¡¯s a bit much¡­¡±


    ¡°Are the stories not true?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be more specific¡­¡± Kievkenalis scratched his head again. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the Nanocreature War¡­ then, yes, we did participate, but a lot of the tales about us are pretty exaggerated¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the Battle of Neticen? Where a whole planet got destroyed?!¡± Austin exclaimed, ¡°that¡¯s real, right? I¡¯ve seen the pictures!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, yes, but those were very unique circumstances. Christean¨¦ can¡¯t normally do that kind of thing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are we gonna get a chance to learn from Christean¨¦?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ ¡­maybe?¡± Kievkenalis shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re more likely to learn from one of the others¡­ and this is all beside the point, anyways. We can talk about 20-year-old history some other time.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, as I was saying¡­¡± The Nimalian nodded toward Saito, who dimmed the lights in the room. Kievkenalis then pushed a button on the device on the table, at which point it projected a hologram of a planet into the air. On the surface of the planet appeared six continents ¡ª three of them forming a large, upside-down ¡®L¡¯ sort of shape in the north and west and connected by small land bridges, while the other three were separated by ocean and spread off to the south and east. ¡°This¡­ is Nimalia, the Homeworld of the Nimalian Union,¡± Kievkenalis explained. ¡°I won¡¯t go over our entire history, that¡¯s a lesson for another time. But it is important to know the six Continent-Nations. Here,¡± he pointed at the three continents connected by land bridges, ¡°is Nimaliaka, East Nimaliaka, and Rel¨¦diaka. Nimaliaka is home to Nimalia¡¯s Interstellar Gate, located in Nimaliaka Central. Here.¡± He pointed at a dot located near the northeastern coast on the continent in the middle of the other two, north of Rel¨¦diaka and west of East Nimaliaka.


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    ¡°What? That isn¡¯t central at all,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± Kievkenalis shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask a Nimaliakian why it¡¯s named that way.¡±


    ¡°Where are you from, then?¡± Phoenix asked.


    ¡°Here.¡± The Nimalian pointed at the landmass to the east of the rest, which stretched a significant distance both north and south of the planet¡¯s equator. ¡°Riverana. That¡¯s my home.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve heard that name before¡­¡± Twy cocked her head and furrowed her brow as she attempted to recall. ¡°¡­Oh! Isn¡¯t Pallan from there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Kievkenalis nodded. ¡°Archon¨¦ Pallan Culana is the leader of Riverana, in fact.¡±


    ¡°What does ¡®Archon¨¦¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess that wouldn¡¯t translate, since it¡¯s a political title. Hmm¡­ Archon¨¦ is an inherited title, typically passed down through children.¡±


    ¡°What, like a king?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll go with that,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°The concept of hereditary leadership is a little outdated by most galactic standards, I know, but Archon¨¦s typically don¡¯t possess that much actual power.¡±


    ¡°Sounds kinda like the UK, then,¡± Twy suggested.


    ¡°Still, you guys really still have kings and shit?¡± Pierce scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me every country is like that.¡±


    ¡°The system works well enough. There hasn¡¯t been any political upheaval in hundreds of years,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°Riverana, Nimaliaka, East Nimaliaka, and Rel¨¦diaka all have Archon¨¦s, with varying levels of power. Only Tekdec¨¦, here¡­¡± He pointed at the continent in between East Nimaliaka and Riverana. ¡°¡­And Tres¨¦d, here¡­¡± He then pointed at a southern continent, nestled in between Rel¨¦diaka and southern Tekdec¨¦. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t have Archon¨¦s. Tekdec¨¦ is a democracy, in fact. There isn¡¯t a single inherited position in its entire government.¡±


    ¡°What an amazing feat,¡± Austin drawled.


    ¡°What about Tres¨¦d?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Ah¡­ they, uh¡­¡± Kievkenalis stared uneasily at the hologram of Tres¨¦d for a moment ¡ª notably, unlike the lush green that covered most of the other continents, Tres¨¦d appeared to be a solid block of sandy beige. ¡°¡­Well, there¡¯s no national government, there. Tres¨¦d is instead split up into a bunch of different ¡®Compounds¡¯, as they¡¯re called. They¡¯re basically a disparate and very loosely connected network of city-states.¡±


    ¡°¡®Compound¡¯?¡± Austin echoed incredulously, ¡°that doesn¡¯t sound very impressive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°I heard from another Nimalian that one of the continents is a lawless wasteland,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°That¡¯s Tres¨¦d, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not not Tres¨¦d.¡±


    Sky crossed her arms and eyed Kievkenalis warily. ¡°Why are you being so cagey about this?¡±


    The Nimalian sighed. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not from Tres¨¦d, and I don¡¯t want to incorrectly characterize them. Dav¨ªdrius has been working hard to improve the place, and he¡¯s made a lot of progress. Calling Tres¨¦d ¡®lawless¡¯ is a little too careless, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­?¡± Pierce echoed.


    ¡°Yes, Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax. He¡¯s the Dean of Wrikax Chaos University.¡± Kievkenalis passed Pierce a curious glance. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, the name just sounds familiar. From where, though¡­¡± Pierce crossed his arms and pursed his lips in thought, only for realization to cross his face a moment later ¡ª followed immediately by his brow furrowing. ¡°Oh¡­ right. Trenon talked about him¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right¡­¡± Phoenix nodded, and then looked down. ¡°Trenon¡­¡±


    Kievkenalis glanced between the two in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Pierce shook his head and sunk back into his chair. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, then.¡± The Nimalian shrugged and then pressed a button on the device, at which point the holographic planet was replaced by a calendar of sorts. ¡°Now, Nimalia¡¯s day is the same length as Earth¡¯s ¡ª in fact, all of the galactic Homeworlds have the same day length, but we can talk about that later. The year lengths are what¡¯s different. In particular, Nimalia has 360 days in a year, split into ten months of 36 days each: Maliath, Nimath, Winth, Beauth, Solith, Skydiath, Aldredath, Colyath, Ranth, and Monoth. Each of those months are further split into four weeks of nine days each. The first six days, Sundia, Mondia, Grudia, Watedia, Windia, and Skydia, are considered workdays ¡ª while the next three, Isdia, Firdia, and Ligdia, are the weekend. For reference, today¡¯s date on the Nimalian calendar is Skydiath 3, in the year 8054.¡±


    ¡°A six day workweek? Aw, man¡­¡± Conrad groaned.


    ¡°At least we get a three-day weekend, every week,¡± Twy pointed out.


    ¡°Yes¡­ it will probably take some adjustment, but personally, I find that it works out well,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°Though I¡¯ve seen some suggestions of turning Watedia into an off day, and Isdia into a workday, so the workweek is a little more spread out, or even just shifting the workday balance to 5-4 instead of the 6-3 that we have now¡­ but you don¡¯t see many people follow either of those schedules.¡±


    Everyone in the room responded with blank stares. Upon seeing this, the Nimalian chuckled uneasily. ¡°Ah¡­ right, sorry. I guess it¡¯d be hard to understand that when you only just heard about our calendar.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°What about holidays, though? Y¡¯all have those, right?¡±


    ¡°We have holidays that we celebrate, yes, but we don¡¯t always get off of work for them,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°Since you¡¯ll be students, the most relevant holidays to you are the seasonal breaks. There are two-week breaks spread throughout the year, each of them a week after a solstice or equinox. We just had the summer break a couple weeks ago¡­ which reminds me. You all will be coming into the system on the third week of the semester, and given your, uh¡­ unique circumstances, you¡¯ll be placed in your own, special class.¡±


    ¡°Taught by someone from Hero Machina, right?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Yes. Should be the Dean of whatever school you end up at.¡±


    ¡°What a fucking answer¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Still, we appreciate the information,¡± Mark commented, briefly passing Pierce a side glance before turning back to Kievkenalis. ¡°Is there anything else we should know? Perhaps about social faux pas or anything of the like?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes, of course.¡± Kievkenalis gestured toward Saito, who brought the lights in the room back up to their normal level as the Nimalian turned off the hologram device. ¡°There aren¡¯t many faux pas, per se, in Nimalian culture,¡± Kievkenalis began, ¡°but the biggest one would probably be blatant disrespect or disregard for nature. Nimalians usually highly value their environment, and the natural beauty of it. Doing anything to ruin that is¡­ not good, we¡¯ll say.¡±


    ¡°So don¡¯t litter? That¡¯s easy,¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°It goes a little beyond just not littering,¡± Kievkenalis corrected. ¡°Leaving tracks, or just signs of human activity in general, is frowned upon. When you go out into the wildnerness, you respect it, and leave it alone as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a bit much,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Do you guys just never hunt? Or build cities?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, there is some level of encroaching that occurs¡­ but we try to minimize it whenever possible. Hunting, aside from the rare culling of an overpopulated species, is largely a thing of the past, anyways. The vast majority of Nimalian animal products is synthetic.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°That could explain a few things¡­¡± Phoenix mused.


    ¡°It really shouldn¡¯t. Our meat, in particular, is indistinguishable from real animal meat,¡± Kievkenalis asserted. ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s better, even! Both taste-wise, and health-wise! Ah, the wonders of modern technology¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that really it, then?¡± Conrad questioned, ¡°just¡­ don¡¯t mess with nature?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just number one,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°Nimalians are typically peaceful, loyal, and honest. We don¡¯t like to fight unless we really have to¡­ so getting overly angry, violent, or confrontational is especially bad. Watch out for that.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you basically say the same thing about most cultures?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°Ah ha, I suppose so!¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°Do keep in mind that I¡¯m trying to summarize an entire planet¡¯s worth of people, here. Cultural norms vary within each of the Continent-Nations, so there aren¡¯t a lot of blanket statements I can make¡­ you¡¯ll just have to go there and see for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Fantastic advice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it actually is,¡± Phoenix stated as she passed Pierce an impatient glare, only for him to respond with a dismissive shrug. She then turned back to Kievkenalis. ¡°Is there anything else we should know?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think I¡¯ve covered most everything¡­¡± Kievkenalis stopped to think for a moment. ¡°¡­You should be fine on the food front. Earthian and Nimalian dietary needs are pretty similar. Hmm¡­ ah, right!¡± He clapped his hands together and looked at everyone in the room. ¡°If Earthians are anything like Nimalians, then¡­ well, let¡¯s just lay it out. As I said earlier, Nimalians and Earthians have very similar organ systems. That includes sexual organs. Same for the other races in the galaxy, actually. I guess a common ancestor will do that for you¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± Twy stared at the Nimalian in disbelief. ¡°What¡­ what does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Do young, college-aged Earthians not have relatively higher sex drives?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ well, that¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a yes, chief,¡± Luke commented with a smirk.


    ¡°I suspected as much,¡± Kievkenalis stated. ¡°Anyways, my point is that, while Nimalians and Earthians can engage in the physical act of sex with each other, they still aren¡¯t sexually compatible. That is, a Nimalian and an Earthian can¡¯t have a child together ¡ª in fact, none of the different races of the galaxy can interbreed. However, don¡¯t take that to mean that you can have unprotected sex all you want! You¡¯ve just received the standard suite of galactic vaccinations, which is good, but they don¡¯t protect against everything. I¡¯ve seen a couple people make that mistake, and it isn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    ¡°So just keep on doing what I¡¯ve been doing, then? No problem,¡± Pierce casually replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s, uh¡­ th-thanks for telling us¡­?¡± Austin responded uneasily.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Kievkenalis smiled. ¡°Just wanted to do right by my students!¡±


    ¡°And on that note¡­¡± Saito stepped up to the front of the room next to Kievkenalis. ¡°¡­I believe we¡¯re just about done, here. Any final remarks, Dean Yumach?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for allowing me to stay on your space station for this week,¡± he replied cheerfully, and then looked back to the rest of the room. ¡°And I look forward to teaching you all! Uh, not personally, but still. There¡¯s a lot that we can learn from each other!¡±


    Sky regarded him with confusion. ¡°There is? What could you learn from us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, more than you might think. But that¡¯s a discussion for a later day!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Saito declared, just before Sky could attempt to ask another question. ¡°This has been a long day for most of you, between the implant surgeries and the vaccinations, and now this meeting. And tomorrow is going to be even longer, as you all finally set out for Nimalia. I highly encourage you all to get a good night¡¯s sleep¡­ as you will head out tomorrow morning!¡±


    <hr>


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Yo Conrad, it¡¯s about time you got here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Conrad replied dismissively, and then yawned as he stepped up next to Pierce, Phoenix, and Kestrel. ¡°Man, it¡¯s too early for this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost ten,¡± Pierce countered incredulously.


    ¡°Which is too early.¡±


    ¡°Ever the sleep-seeker, I see,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    Conrad merely grunted in response before taking a seat next to Kestrel. The four friends were currently waiting in a small side room aboard Opportunity, with all of their packed bags in tow. Each of them had two suitcases packed to full with clothing and other personal affects in preparation for over a year away from Earth, as did Austin, Spike, Sky, Twy, Luke, and Mark, who were all standing or sitting in various locations around the room.


    ¡°¡­Still.¡± Phoenix glanced back at the others, watching Austin and Spike show off and compare their new weapons; Sky and Twy checking their bags to make sure they hadn¡¯t forgotten anything; and Luke and Mark quietly discussing work-related matters. ¡°¡­To be the last one here,¡± Phoenix continued, turning back to face Conrad, ¡°you were really cutting it close.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I knew they were never gonna leave without me,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°¡®Sides, that Pallan guy isn¡¯t even here yet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pierce looked over at the room¡¯s empty entrance. ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ pain in the ass, making us wait this long¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you always arrive early to stuff, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. My ¡®early¡¯ is on-time. I can¡¯t help it if other people suffer from chronic tardiness.¡±


    ¡°So what, do you just show up awkwardly early to parties all the time?¡± Phoenix questioned with an amused smirk.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be awkward if people didn¡¯t collectively hide behind the shield of ¡®fashionably late¡¯,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I can work around fashionable lateness ¡ª I am a fashionable dude, after all ¡ª but it¡¯s still a hella stupid concept. I have places to be, things to do! People being late just wastes my time!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, if you say so.¡±


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d say that. I bet you¡ª¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Kestrel interjected, nodding toward the entryway.


    Pierce, Phoenix, and Conrad all followed her gaze, spotting the gray-haired, goatee-sporting figure of Archon¨¦ Pallan Culana. Just behind him was Kievkenalis, and then after him, Colonel Saito.


    ¡°Alright, looks like everyone¡¯s here,¡± Saito remarked as Pallan and Kievkenalis stood off to the side. ¡°¡­Well, this is it. The big day! Anyone have anything they want to say before you all get going?¡±


    ¡°Is being ¡®fashionably late¡¯ a thing on Nimalia?¡± Pierce immediately questioned, prompting a quiet facepalm from Phoenix.


    ¡°Fashionably late?¡± Kievkenalis echoed cluelessly. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that phrase before¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha!¡± Pallan let out a brief chuckle before responding, ¡°how much tardiness is acceptable depends on where you go and who you talk to, Omni Key.¡±


    ¡°¡­Not the answer I was looking for,¡± Pierce muttered to himself, and then passed Pallan a confused glance. ¡°Wait, Omni Key?¡±


    The Archon¨¦ responded with a knowing smile. ¡°Now is not the time. I will explain better at a later date.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of later¡­¡± Saito glanced up at a clock on the wall that currently read ten o¡¯clock in the morning. ¡°¡­Looks like any further questions or statements will have to wait. Your Gate Window is now.¡± He stepped back out of the room as he offered Luke and Mark a wave. ¡°Keep an eye on them for me, Captain, Lieutenant!¡±


    ¡°Yessir!¡± Luke replied with a quick salute ¡ª just as a bright flash of light briefly engulfed the small waiting room. A moment later, the light subsided, revealing that the group was now standing in a massive, metal room. Skylights ran the length of the ceiling, allowing sunlight to fall onto a pair of railway tracks that ran into the room from a dark tunnel nearly a hundred meters back. Flanking the rails on both sides were a series of trees, planted in special planters and bathed in light from the skylights as well as the glass walls on both sides of the room. Through the glass walls, the busy skyline of New York City could be seen, as well as the SERRCom Planetside Headquarters across the street, and the United Nations Headquarters down the block. And yet, of all of the sights, none of it could compare to the strange ring planted partway in the ground against the far wall.


    At eleven meters in diameter from outer edge to outer edge, and ten meters between inner edges, the giant ring towered over everything present. Ornate royal blue, silver, and white geometric designs wreathed the entirety of the ring, though of a softer and more curved nature than the harsh angular designs on Mote¡¯s Aldredian armor or Raenaros. Near the base of the ring, around where it was anchored vertically in the ground, was a small panel of sorts ¡ª a panel that a man was currently punching some kind of code into. A second later, the man stepped back, at which point a translucent black film manifested in the ring¡¯s interior, as though it were an old tube television turning on for the first time in a while. After manifesting, the black film shimmered slightly and darkened, and gold lines all around the ring began to softly glow.


    ¡°¡­Whoa,¡± Austin muttered in amazement. ¡°Is this¡­ the Interstellar Gate?¡±


    ¡°It is, indeed,¡± Pallan replied, stepping forward and looking up at the massive device before turning around to face everyone present. ¡°Some of you have experienced Gate travel before, but for those of you who have not, well. It¡¯s simple.¡± He then picked up his lone bag and marched off toward the Gate. ¡°Follow me!¡±


    ¡°Wha-what?!¡± Austin spluttered, watching the Archon¨¦ walk off without a care in the world. ¡°That¡¯s¡­! There has to be more to it than that!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve used the Gates countless times, and I¡¯m no worse for wear!¡±


    ¡°What, are you scared?¡± Pierce taunted as he grabbed both his bags. He then eyed Austin with a smirk. ¡°Feel free to stay behind, loser! C¡¯mon, Phoenix, Conrad, Kestrel! Let¡¯s go see the other side!¡± A cloud of dust quickly replaced him, and the black film that filled the Gate¡¯s interior rippled softly as he disappeared through it just after Pallan.


    ¡°That foolhardy¡­ ugh.¡± Phoenix shook her head and sighed before grabbing her bags and walking toward the massive ring. ¡°One of these days, you¡¯ll really get in trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So this thing is supposed to take us to another planet, huh?¡± Spike questioned as he watched Conrad and Kestrel follow Phoenix toward the Gate.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Luke answered casually. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t even feel anything. You just step through, and suddenly, you¡¯re in a whole new place!¡±


    ¡°Good enough for me!¡± Sky exclaimed as she grabbed her suitcases firmly in hand and then blasted forward with a small explosion of flame. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Another planet, here we come!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Twy watched, dumbfounded, as her sister disappeared through the Interstellar Gate¡¯s event horizon after Kestrel. ¡°¡­This is still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s weird, but it¡¯s clearly fine, so¡­¡± Spike shrugged, at which point he heaved one of his bags over his shoulder and began marching toward the Gate himself. ¡°C¡¯mon, y¡¯all! This is a big day!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say,¡± Austin muttered as he watched Spike and Mark disappear through the Gate, leaving only himself, Twy, and Luke behind. He then looked over at his uncle once more. ¡°You¡¯re sure it doesn¡¯t feel weird, or anything? How does this even work? It¡¯s not tearin¡¯ our molecules apart and reassemblin¡¯ us at the destination or anything, is it?¡±


    Luke picked up his bags, passed Austin a glance, and then shrugged. ¡°Beats me.¡±


    ¡°What? Hey, wait¡ª!¡± Austin started, but Luke had already set off for the Gate. ¡°¡­Aw, c¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°It¡­ should be fine,¡± Twy commented uneasily. ¡°I mean¡­ billions of people use the Gate Network every day, right? It has to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Man, I just wanna know if walkin¡¯ through this thing is gonna zap me apart,¡± Austin replied. ¡°It¡¯s that whole teleportation issue thing, you know? What if the me who walks out the other side of the Gate isn¡¯t me?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking now? You never complained about any of the times we were beamed around.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw, fuck¡­ am I not even the original Austin anymore?!¡±


    Twy rolled her eyes and leaned over to pick up her bags. ¡°Of all the things to worry about, I guess I should¡¯ve expected this to be the one you got stuck on.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even gotten a straight answer, yet,¡± Austin countered. ¡°Do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did look into how the Gates worked last night, to try and prepare myself for this¡­¡± Twy looked up at the black event horizon that filled the softly glowing ring. ¡°Based on what I read, the Gates work in a very similar manner to beaming technology, and stepping through one feels the same as being beamed around. Which is to say¡­ it doesn¡¯t really feel like anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how does it work?¡±


    Twy looked up at Austin, back at the Gate, and then back at Austin. She then smiled and giggled briefly before setting off toward the Gate. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you on the other side!¡± she shouted over her shoulder.


    ¡°Aw, what?!¡± Austin stared after her in exasperation, only for her to disappear through the event horizon a second later. ¡°¡­Man, this is dumb,¡± he muttered to himself, and then shook his head rapidly to clear his thoughts. ¡°Okay, c¡¯mon, Austin. It¡¯ll be fine. Right? It¡¯ll be fine. If Twy¡¯s okay with it, then it¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll still be you.¡± With pursed lips, he grabbed his suitcases and began to approach the Gate himself, though he stopped again just in front of the event horizon. From this close distance, the black film appeared dark and featureless, as though it were a massive plane of tinted glass ¡ª and the ring itself stretched high into the air, standing well over five times his height. ¡°¡­Okay. Okay.¡± He took a deep breath in an attempt to steel himself for stepping through the Gate, at which point he glanced to the side, at the windows that showcased the skyline of New York. This is the last of Earth that I¡¯ll see for a while, isn¡¯t it¡­ well¡­ the Nimalians don¡¯t look so different from us. So their planet can¡¯t look much different, either, right? C¡¯mon, Austin. Stop stalling! Here we go!


    And with that, he finally stepped forward, moving through the black event horizon ¡ª to the world beyond the bounds of Earth.

 V1 - Arc 2: The World of Nimalia - Chapter 11: A New Lifes Dawn

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 2 ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 11: A New Life''s Dawn


    ¡°¡ªOof! ¡­Whoa¡­¡±


    Just as soon as Austin had started walking, he stopped again. He now stood with his back to an Interstellar Gate, having just stepped through ¡ª and feeling nothing in the process. The only sensation that crashed over him was a brief moment of disorientation as the glass-walled Gateport in New York was instantly replaced by a comparatively narrow hallway, barely larger than the Interstellar Gate itself. As with the Gate on Earth, two sets of railroad tracks ran right up to the Gate, and disappeared down a dark concrete tunnel in the opposite direction. On either side of the tunnel were two wide ramps that each lead up to large double-doors, and the ceiling entirely consisted of glass panes that allowed Austin to see the blue skies and wispy white clouds above. If not for the railroad tracks, Austin might have guessed that he currently stood at an airport gate, rather than an interstellar traveling facility.


    ¡°Yo, Austin! Get your ass in gear!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin snapped his gaze to his left, where he spotted Spike standing amongst the rest of the group at the base of the left ramp. Pallan and Kievkenalis were already at the top of the ramp and discussing something with an individual that Austin didn¡¯t recognize; Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, Kestrel, and Mark were already climbing the ramp as well, leaving only Luke and Austin¡¯s friends to wait for him.


    ¡°You really did take your time, huh?¡± Sky remarked as Austin finally approached them.


    ¡°Maybe if someone had actually answered my questions earlier, I¡¯d already be here,¡± he grumbled. He then glanced back at the Interstellar Gate behind him, just in time to watch the black film that was its event horizon briefly flash white before dissolving into nothing, revealing the long extent of dark tunnels that existed behind the Gate. ¡°¡­Kinda expected more outta the Gate, to be honest.¡± He then looked around at the concrete tunnel the group currently stood in. ¡°The Gateport, too. This place looks really bleak¡­¡±


    ¡°The Interstellar Gates are basically a mass transit system, to the rest of the galaxy,¡± Twy commented. ¡°I guess they¡¯d probably view a Gateport like we do an airport, and those aren¡¯t always fancy.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Most Gate travel is done through trains,¡± Luke stated, and nodded down at the two pairs of rails that ran up to the Gate. ¡°So most people would only see this part of the Gateport for a couple seconds. I bet once we get through those doors, we¡¯ll see what Nimalia really has to offer.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going, already!¡± Sky exclaimed, her bags in hand as she whirled around on her heel and began marching up the ramp. Spike quickly followed, as did Luke and Twy ¡ª until Austin stopped her.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he called out, ¡°you were gonna tell me how the Gate works, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± Twy glanced back at him, then up at the currently inactive Gate. ¡°¡­Uh, well, it¡¯s kinda complicated. It¡¯s something to do with Subspace¡­ I don¡¯t really know all of the details, but the the important part is that there¡¯s no molecular disassembling or reassembling involved. Your body is perfectly intact.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good! Now, see, why couldn¡¯t anyone have just said that?¡± Austin muttered as he began ascending the ramp alongside Twy. ¡°That was, what, two sentences?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should¡¯ve thought of this concern before actually showing up at the Gate?¡± Twy countered.


    ¡°You want me to think ahead? C¡¯mon, Twy, what do you take me for?¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is too much to expect of you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª? Aw, c¡¯mon, you weren¡¯t supposed to agree with me!¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Twy responded with a brief giggle before shaking her head and looking up at the double doors that the duo were now approaching. ¡°¡­We¡¯re on a whole new planet, can you believe that? I wonder what we¡¯re about to see!¡±


    ¡°The Nimalians don¡¯t look much different from us,¡± Austin replied as the two passed through the doors, ¡°so the Gateport probably doesn¡¯t look much different from Earth¡­ either¡­?¡±


    On the other side of the double doors was a long, elevated pedestrian pathway. The rest of the group that had gone ahead of Austin and Twy were all gathered along the pathway¡¯s railing, looking out over the Gateport that was now visible to them. The pathway itself followed the tunnel that led to the Gate for a couple dozen meters before turning off to the side, where it passed over a massive indoor arboretum, filled with lush green trees and a handful of small creeks. Along the far wall, at the bottom, were a number of storefronts, not unlike a mall; while on the second floor, at the other end of the elevated pathway, appeared to be a long chain of security devices and checkpoints. And on the other side of those were massive glass walls, through which the outside world could be seen.


    Towering, snow-capped mountains dominated the distant landscape, stretching for as far as the eye could see in a vaguely parallel direction to the Gateport windows. Billowing white cumulus clouds, along with more distant strands of cirrus clouds, covered nearly half the sky, offering a varied backdrop to the sky-reaching mountains ¡ª as well as to the city skyline in the distance. Skyscrapers of all manner of design filled out the skyline; some of them towering chunks of glass and metal, similar to many skyscrapers found on Earth, while others bore more natural contours, appearing as though they were the trunk of a branchless tree or an artistically organized stack of boulders. Many of the buildings were wreathed with greenery every five to ten floors, a fact that was obvious even from many kilometers away. And then, in contrast with the natural building contours were colored floating dots that zipped through the sky ¡ª dots that Austin was able to identify as hovering transit vehicles, as one landed on the grounds just outside of the Gateport.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Austin muttered, his head slowly sweeping from left to right as his eyes took in the sights around him. His attention was then brought back to his friends as Spike released an impressed whistle.


    ¡°The Nimalians sure know how to make a Gateport, huh?¡± he remarked as he looked down at the indoor forest below.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s really something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Luke replied. ¡°I¡¯ve used the Gates before, but now that I think about it, this might be my first time through a proper Gateport.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly nice, I agree,¡± Kievkenalis affirmed as he approached the group, ¡°but if you like this, then you should see some of the Gateports in the CSA. They put Nimaliaka Central to shame.¡±


    ¡°The CSA?¡± Sky questioned as she turned to face the Nimalian. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The Core Space Alliance,¡± Luke answered. ¡°A government-like alliance of the United Siion Nations, the Dra¡¯kis World Coalition, and the Citan Republic ¡ª all located close to the galactic core, relative to the rest of the galaxy anyways. Hence the name. As a whole, they¡¯re the biggest, richest guys on the galactic block.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s one way of putting it,¡± Kievkenalis commented, and then cocked his head in thought. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s pretty accurate, actually.¡±


    ¡°Even so, what you have here is beautiful,¡± Twy declared. ¡°Even if it¡¯s manicured¡­¡±


    ¡°There are much more beautiful places on Nimalia than the Gateport Arboretum, I can tell you that!¡± Kievkenalis replied with a grin. ¡°Just take a hike through the Nimaliakian mountains, visit Lake Deepsough over in East Nimaliaka, see the Giant¡¯s Forest in Rel¨¦diaka, or the Anika Falls, in Riverana¡­ you might just be able to see it all during your studies here. Oh! Which reminds me.¡± He glanced over his shoulder at Pallan, who was confidently presenting some kind of identification to bewildered security agents across the pathway. ¡°¡­Being an Archon¨¦ means that Pallan can fast track us through all of the Gateport security. We¡¯ll be on our way soon to meet with Kaon¨¦ and Kev¨¦rin.¡±


    ¡°Will we be studying under them?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°Probably?¡± Kievkenalis shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been on Earth for a week, so I¡¯m a little out of the loop. But whatever the plan is, I¡¯m certain they¡¯ll know.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°How¡­ uncomfortably cavalier of you,¡± Twy remarked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to have said something like that about me. Weird.¡± The Nimalian passed Twy a curious glance before turning around and gesturing for the group to follow him. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s time to go. Let¡¯s not keep Kaon¨¦ or Kev¨¦rin waiting!¡±


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s kind of a small campus, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Smaller than UT, sure, but there are also way less students here,¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°And this campus is waaaay nicer than UT¡¯s, anyways!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Hell, it feels like even the air itself is cleaner, and crisper!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so,¡± Austin responded, passing his friends a glance before turning back to look at the grounds in front of him. All of the Earthians, along with Kievkenalis and Pallan, were currently standing in a large practice field, around the size of a soccer field, covered with grass and bounded by trees on all sides. To the east of the field was another just like it; both fields were located on the west side of a small school campus, located in the foothills to the west of Nimaliaka Central. Well-kept stone pathways connected the fields to the rest of the campus, which featured a handful of multi-story buildings that almost seemed to disappear against the sky and the backdrop of the city, due to clever use of windows, paint, and the simple fact that they all featured magnificent gardens on their roofs. The grounds all around were immaculate, featuring well-maintained grass and shrubs, while also hosting a number of mature trees with sturdy branches and thick leaves to provide cover from the sun above. In front of the campus¡¯s main hall ¡ª which could be seen from the practice fields ¡ª was a large fountain, firing spouts of water nearly twenty meters into the air as students occupied nearby benches and chatted away their free time. The tallest of the trees grew near the main hall, reaching such impressive heights that the five-story building almost appeared to be a small house in the woods; only the large banner on its front stood out, reading: ¡°Densalin School for Chaotics¡±.


    ¡°No litter¡­ everyone picks up after themselves,¡± Spike observed as he watched two students grab their lunchtime remains and carry them back into one of the buildings. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s uniforms, either. I could live with this!¡±


    ¡°And the view¡­¡± Twy looked up to the west, where the magnificent mountains loomed even closer than at the Gateport. ¡°¡­I could get used to this.¡±


    ¡°Neither of you are wrong, for sure,¡± Austin remarked, and then crossed his arms impatiently. ¡°But if this is where we¡¯re supposed to be¡­ then where are the Deans?!¡±


    ¡°What, you can¡¯t handle a little wait?¡± Pierce interjected, turning toward the group of four with an amused smirk.


    ¡°Oh shut up, Pierce.¡± Phoenix moved to face Austin and his friends as well, while standing beside Pierce. ¡°You were complaining about tardiness just earlier today.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that was different.¡± Pierce simply waved her off as he scanned the surrounding trees and the nearby mountains. ¡°We were stuck in a tiny little room then, but now! Get a load of this fresh air!¡±


    ¡°It certainly is nice,¡± Spike commented, and then glanced over as Conrad and Kestrel joined the group. ¡°So what do y¡¯all think of this place?¡±


    ¡°Lots of nice places to nap. Soft grass, lots of shade¡­¡± Conrad said, briefly eying Kestrel as she stepped to the side to take cover in the shade of a massive tree. ¡°¡­Kinda warm, though, despite the breeze.¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you always think of napping?¡± Sky questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Hey, sleep is good for you.¡±


    ¡°¡®All good things in moderation¡¯,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Too much sleep is bad for you.¡±


    ¡°I try to tell him that all the time,¡± Phoenix responded with an exasperated sigh. ¡°He never listens, though.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t knock it ¡®til you try it,¡± Conrad quipped.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m with Phoenix on this one,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Life is too short to spend half of it unconscious. I have places to be, things to do! Which reminds me, where the hell are those Deans we¡¯re supposed to meet?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Austin exclaimed, ¡°weren¡¯t you just¡ª!?¡±


    A nearby boom interrupted Austin, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the air over the field just in time for a man to gradually lower himself to the ground using jets of flame. The man wore a black and gray uniform with white trimming, coupled with a black scarf that fluttered behind him in the heat generated by his flames ¡ª flames that set the ground around him on fire as he landed. As soon as he alighted, however, he casually snapped his right fingers, at which point all of the flames around him instantly winked out, leaving behind slightly charred grass and dirt. He then brushed himself off and turned toward the Earthians, revealing his average height, light skin, short black hair, and thin mustache; just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, a woman¡¯s voice interrupted him.


    ¡°Kev¨¦rin! What have I told you about setting the grounds aflame?!¡±


    The man glanced up as a short woman with olive-toned skin and dark wavy hair alighted on the ground next to him. She wore a dark blue uniform instead of the man¡¯s black and gray, which came with a shawl wrapped just around her shoulders, as well as a sort of blue half-cloak that attached to her belt and extended down to her boots around her black slacks.


    ¡°¡­Ah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Kev¨¦rin casually responded as he watched the burnt ground around the woman quickly turn green and lush once more. ¡°See? Fixing this pitiful amount of damage is easy for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer not having to fix it at all,¡± the woman shot back.


    ¡°Ah, Kev¨¦rin! Kaon¨¦!¡± Kievkenalis stepped forward to approach the two newcomers, and then stepped to the side to glance between them and the Earthians. ¡°Everyone, you¡¯ve already met Kaon¨¦ once. She was present when the Archon¨¦ told you all about being Keys. She¡¯s also the Dean of the Densalin School for Chaotics ¡ª the campus we¡¯re standing on right now, in fact!¡±


    ¡°And the campus I¡¯d very much like to keep intact,¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered as she threw Kev¨¦rin an annoyed glance.


    ¡°And this,¡± Kievkenalis gestured toward Kev¨¦rin, who promptly gave a brief wave. ¡°Is Kev¨¦rin Tyrion, Dean of the Tyrion Institute of Chaotics. He and Kaon¨¦ are here to talk with you all about how your stay here is going to work.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean we¡¯re finally going to learn where we¡¯re going to be?¡± Sky immediately questioned, ¡°we¡¯ve been in the dark this whole week!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was a bit much,¡± Phoenix added.


    ¡°Let¡¯s calm down, everyone,¡± Mark interjected, glancing toward the other Earthians before looking back at the Nimalian Deans. ¡°We are in the presence of Hero Machina. Let¡¯s show some respect.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard in a while,¡± Kev¨¦rin remarked, and then rolled his eyes. ¡°¡­Is what I wish I could say. You save the galaxy one time, and it¡¯s all people ever remember you for¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah! Because what you did was fuckin¡¯ awesome!¡± Austin exclaimed. ¡°I mean, yeah, the Nanocreature War was bad, but stuff like the battle of Neticen is like straight out of a movie, you know?¡±


    ¡°The Battle of Neticen isn¡¯t where the war ended¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded.


    ¡°Regardless, we can talk about what happened two decades ago another time,¡± Kev¨¦rin cut in. He then crossed his arms and slowly swept his gaze over each of Austin, Spike, Sky, Twy, Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re the ones we¡¯re supposed to teach?¡±


    ¡°These are indeed the Keys mentioned by the Oraculm,¡± Pallan stated from the side. ¡°Your task is to prepare them for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know, I know.¡± Kev¨¦rin waved off the Archon¨¦ and turned back to the group. ¡°¡­Do any of you have any prior military experience or Chaotic training?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°We were kinda, you know¡­ conscripted? Against our will?¡± Austin responded in mild irritation.


    ¡°Yes, you and every other Chaotic in the galaxy. We can discuss that part later,¡± Kev¨¦rin said. ¡°Here¡¯s a more immediately relevant question, though: do you guys think that you¡¯re as important as the Archon¨¦ says you are?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Austin glanced uneasily at his friends. ¡°¡­Well¡­¡±


    ¡°We can do this,¡± Pierce interjected as he summoned his bladed whip weapon into his hands. ¡°Seems impressive to me!¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh. That really is an Ayas Weapon,¡± Kev¨¦rin remarked after taking a moment to inspect the weapon in Pierce¡¯s possession. ¡°Be careful around Dav¨ªdrius with that one, though.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Anyways!¡± Kev¨¦rin clapped his hands together and took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m not one to back out of a deal that¡¯s already been made. The eight of you, and your two chaperones, will join one of the Schools of Chaos, where you¡¯ll learn all of the skills you need to handle yourselves as Chaotics. But we don¡¯t yet know which school that will be.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Sky exclaimed impatiently.


    ¡°Uh, as one of the designated chaperones, I think it¡¯s my duty to step in, here,¡± Luke commented, momentarily raising his hand to get Kev¨¦rin¡¯s attention. ¡°Respectfully¡­ we¡¯re grateful to have this opportunity, but are you really saying you aren¡¯t ready for us yet?¡±


    ¡°I never said that,¡± Kev¨¦rin countered. ¡°The choice of school has already been narrowed down to two, we just need one final piece of information to make the choice.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°What is it that you need¡­?¡± Twy questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty simple.¡± Kev¨¦rin turned toward Sky and pointed at her. ¡°You¡¯re a Pyrotechnic, right? Step forward.¡±


    ¡°Me? Why?¡± Sky eyed him warily, though stepped forward all the same. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I get it,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°Is this¡ª?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your tryouts,¡± Kev¨¦rin finished with a smirk, and turned toward Sky. ¡°I¡¯m also a Pyrotechnic, which means that your skill as a Chaotic will be the easiest for me to judge. Seeing as you all have the same amount of experience, which is to say¡­ minimal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t lump me in with those guys,¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve had plenty of experience with my power!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have,¡± Kev¨¦rin deadpanned. ¡°Regardless, to see what school you make it into, we¡¯re going to have a little duel here. Me and¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Sky! Sky Chao!¡± Sky responded, her previous wary expression wiped clean by an excited grin while small flames licked at her fists.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re all ready to go,¡± Kev¨¦rin observed, and then gestured for everyone else to stand back. ¡°Now, don¡¯t expect to win. Just fight as best you can, and we¡¯ll judge you based on that.¡±


    ¡°Ha! You say that, but I¡¯m still trying for the win!¡± Sky nodded in affirmation as she took a battle-ready stance. ¡°Another Pyrotechnic, huh? Finally, a chance to really let loose!¡±


    ¡°You get ¡®im, Sky!¡± Spike shouted from behind her, ¡°kick his ass!¡±


    ¡°You damn well better!¡± Pierce added, ¡°if we end up in a shit school, then this is all on¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Ignore him. Do your best, Sky!¡± Phoenix cheered.


    ¡°¡­You all are really excitable, huh?¡± Kev¨¦rin commented, and then shook his head before turning back to Sky. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing else to it. But first, a couple ground rules: don¡¯t leave or shoot any flames outside of the practice field, and make sure that you don¡¯t accidentally target your friends. Also, when I say ¡®stop¡¯, the duel stops. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I got it, I got it,¡± Sky responded impatiently as she bounced on the balls of her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and get to the fighting part already!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Kev¨¦rin took a deep breath and then backed into a defensive stance himself. ¡°¡­Alright. We start on my mark. Three! ¡­Two! ¡­One! ¡­MARK!¡±

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 12: Key Placement

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 12: Key Placement


    ¡°Three! ¡­Two! ¡­One! ¡­MARK!¡±


    As soon as the word left Kev¨¦rin¡¯s mouth, Sky swept her right arm in front of her, generating a massive blast of flames that rolled across the ground in front of her. Reacting quickly, Kev¨¦rin jumped backwards and then launched himself into the air with a blast of his own, where he then began hovering by continually combusting the air beneath his feet and palms. Sky snapped her attention up to him and rapidly launched a series of firewaves toward his location, only for the Nimalian to deftly maneuver around the flames without being touched once. As soon as there was a lull in Sky¡¯s attacks, Kev¨¦rin launched one of his own, firing a small fireball straight at Sky¡¯s position ¡ª a fireball that she just barely managed to dodge by diving out of the way.


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Sky turned her annoyed gaze back toward Kev¨¦rin, just in time to spot another three fireballs headed her way. She dived out of the way once more before rolling back to her feet and blasting the ground directly underneath her, launching herself into the air toward Kev¨¦rin. He blasted himself backwards to remain out of reach and then fired off another two fireballs toward Sky, who managed to evade by blasting herself to the side and then further upward.


    ¡°Alright, so you already figured out the flying trick!¡± Kev¨¦rin remarked as he watched Sky maintain her position in the air just as he was. ¡°That¡¯s not bad! But what else can you do?¡±


    ¡°What else is there to do¡­ but blast you away?!¡± Sky exclaimed as she thrust both her palms forward, generating a massive plume of flames that filled the sky and roared toward Kev¨¦rin. With no where to dodge, the Nimalian instead seized control of Sky¡¯s own flames and forced them to part just as they passed by him; surprised by the move, Sky faltered just long enough for Kev¨¦rin to lash out with his own attack, firing off a narrow gout of flames several dozen meters long from his fingertips directly at his opponent. The gout initially hit Sky and knocked her back, the flames licking away at her clothes and skin yet leaving no burns due to her own fire resistance as a Pyrotechnic ¡ª after the first blow, however, Sky finally came to her senses and blasted herself away from the gout, where she briefly flew an evasive path through the air in an effort to keep away from Kev¨¦rin¡¯s flamethrower technique.


    A couple seconds of dodging later, the Earthian Pyrotechnic dived toward the ground, at the same time that she held her right hand out toward Kev¨¦rin and generated a massive spinning column of flames around him. The flames blocked his vision of his surroundings, so he stopped launching fire from his fingertips and instead wiped away the fire tornado around him ¡ª just in time to spot Sky rocketing up at him from below, with a green and silver bo staff in her hands. Kev¨¦rin¡¯s eyes momentarily went wide as he spotted the weapon, and then he blasted himself backwards just as the tip of the staff intercepted the air where he had just been. Undeterred, Sky pressed the attack as she lunged forward through the air and made several more swipes with her staff at Kev¨¦rin, each time just barely missing as the Nimalian easily dodged out of the way. After several more swipes, Kev¨¦rin lashed out on his own, creating a whip of flames out of his hands that he used to snatch Sky¡¯s staff out of her grip and chuck it away.


    ¡°H-hey!!¡± she exclaimed indignantly, her attention momentarily on her staff as it clattered to the ground below. Just as she returned her attention to Kev¨¦rin, however, he lashed out with the fire whip again; she just barely managed to dodge out of the way, but as she did, Kev¨¦rin launched a small wave of flames at her from his left hand. She reflexively blasted herself upwards to evade the flames ¡ª where she then fell into the waiting grip of Kev¨¦rin¡¯s fire whip. It wrapped around her ankle and yanked her out of the air, at which point Kev¨¦rin chucked her directly at the ground. Disoriented, Sky was little able to catch herself, though a cushion of flames nonetheless appeared under her just as she hit the ground, successfully softening her fall.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± she muttered as the flames winked away, only to leap back to her feet as Kev¨¦rin alighted on the ground a couple meters away. Before she could launch another wave of flames, however, the Nimalian held up the palm of his hand toward her.


    ¡°Stop. The duel¡¯s over,¡± he declared.


    ¡°Aw, what?!¡± Sky responded incredulously, ¡°but I can still fight! We aren¡¯t done here!¡±


    ¡°The purpose of this duel wasn¡¯t to fight to incapacitation,¡± Kev¨¦rin countered as he brushed off his sleeves, offering Kaon¨¦ a brief glance as she used her powers to return the burnt practice grounds to their lush green appearance once more. He then turned back to Sky. ¡°The purpose of this duel was to judge your abilities, and I¡¯ve learned enough in that regard already.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t sweat it,¡± Spike remarked as he approached Sky, along with Twy and Austin. ¡°Considerin¡¯ you were up against one of the members of Hero Machina, I think you did pretty well!¡±


    Kev¨¦rin sighed in exasperation. ¡°Hero Machina is in the past. None of us are in the NSD anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well the point still stands,¡± Spike replied as the rest of the Earthians approached as well.


    ¡°It was a fun fight to watch, at least,¡± Luke declared.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but more importantly than that¡­¡± Pierce eyed Kev¨¦rin impatiently. ¡°You said that duel was supposed to determine what school we get into, right? So which one is it? And if it¡¯s not the better of the two ¡ª you should give me a chance, I¡¯m sure I could do better than her!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even a Pyrotechnic!¡± Sky countered.


    ¡°So?¡± Pierce crossed his arms as he glanced between Sky and Kev¨¦rin. ¡°Chaotics fight other Chaotics of different types all the time, right?¡±


    ¡°While that¡¯s certainly true, it¡¯s also true that it¡¯s far easier for a Chaotic to judge the abilities of another Chaotic of the same type,¡± Kev¨¦rin stated.


    ¡°What¡¯s your judgment, then?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    Kev¨¦rin glanced at her for a moment, and then over at Kaon¨¦, who offered a brief nod. ¡°¡­Well,¡± Kev¨¦rin began again as he turned back to address the Earthians, ¡°¡­there was a little more skill there than I expected, I¡¯ll admit, but there¡¯s also still a lot for you to learn. Which, to be clear, is not meant to be an insult ¡ª it¡¯s expected. Honestly, for having just discovered your powers less than two months ago, you¡¯re actually faring rather well.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sky pumped her fist. ¡°That means I did good, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eeeehhh¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin eyed her warily. ¡°You did well for someone who just recently discovered your Chaotic ability, but the overwhelming majority of Chaotics your age have had over a decade to learn how to work with their abilities. That means that there¡¯s quite a bit of catching up you all have to do.¡±


    ¡°You better not be saying what I think you¡¯re saying,¡± Pierce growled.


    ¡°Relax! It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to send you to an inferior school,¡± Kev¨¦rin retorted. ¡°All six of the Schools of Chaos are prestigious institutions. Normally, admittance is incredibly competitive ¡ª we cap each class at 100 students, after all, and we receive thousands of applications every year. The fact that the eight of you get to bypass all of that is an opportunity you should be very grateful for.¡±


    ¡°And we are,¡± Phoenix stated, cutting off Pierce just before he could respond. ¡°We don¡¯t mean any disrespect¡­ we just want a properly challenging education, is all.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°We do?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Maybe we should start from the top,¡± Mark interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the Schools of Chaos, and how the Dean of each school is a former member of Hero Machina, but I¡¯m afraid we don¡¯t know much of the details. If it isn¡¯t any trouble, would you mind explaining how the Schools work to us?¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Kev¨¦rin looked at Mark in surprise, and then passed an irritated glance toward Kievkenalis. ¡°Hey, Kevken, I thought we told you to tell them about the Schools!¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Kievkenalis questioned, and then glanced off to the side, as though looking at invisible text. ¡°¡­Oh, hey, you did. I guess I missed that message. My bad.¡±


    ¡°Kevken¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded in an admonishing tone.


    ¡°Ah ha, sorry, sorry,¡± Kievkenalis replied with a sheepish grin. ¡°I was a little busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it falls to me to explain things, then.¡± Kev¨¦rin sighed and turned back to address the Earthians. ¡°The Schools of Chaos are a group of six academic institutions that are focused around teaching young Chaotics how best to handle their abilities. Typically, the Schools are an optional, but challenging final stage of education before a Nimalian Chaotic would enter employment with the Nimalian Systems Defense ¡ª or the NSD, the military of the Nimalian Union, in case you didn¡¯t know. And each school involves six years of schooling, instead of the standard two years of conscription training. As such, we both expect a certain level of prior training, as well as teach a lot of military-oriented material. The one exception is Wrikax Chaos University, which hosts a number of classes for novice-level Chaotics for¡­ a number of reasons.¡± Kev¨¦rin briefly glanced off to the side before clearing his throat and continuing, ¡°regardless, all of the Schools expect the most out of their students, and hope to instill the proper sense of responsibility that comes with a Chaotic¡¯s powers.¡±


    ¡°Question.¡± Conrad half-raised his hand for a moment. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want that responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Conrad, seriously?¡± Phoenix interjected in an admonishing tone.


    ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± he replied, passing her a quick glance and then looking over the rest of the Earthians. ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon. Pierce, Austin, just a week ago you both were complaining about being forced into this.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ sure, but¡­¡± Austin stammered out.


    ¡°The ¡®being forced¡¯ part sucks, but I¡¯m not about to argue against getting a premiere Chaotic education,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°You sure you aren¡¯t just trying to avoid all of the extra work, Conrad?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m with Conrad!¡± Sky exclaimed, her fists on her hips as she turned to glare indignantly at Kev¨¦rin. ¡°We haven¡¯t actually agreed to any of this. And now, we don¡¯t even get a say in what School we go to! Don¡¯t you see how fucked up this is?¡±


    The Nimalian Pyrotechnic simply regarded her with pursed lips, not responding for several seconds. ¡°¡­Do you not think that every Chaotic has the same questions?¡± he eventually replied, with his brow furrowed in frustration. ¡°You aren¡¯t unique here. You¡¯re already getting tons of preferential treatment, as is.¡±


    ¡°What Kev¨¦rin means to say,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly stepped up next to Kev¨¦rin, passing him a brief glance before turning back to address the Earthians, ¡°is that, unfortunately, no Chaotic has the luxury of choice that you desire. Gaining a Chaotic ability is not something that you can choose to do. It isn¡¯t something that you can influence ¡ª it isn¡¯t based on your environment, or your upbringing. Even genetics can¡¯t fully explain who becomes a Chaotic and who doesn¡¯t. Ultimately, people all over the galaxy are unexpectedly and randomly being granted incredible power, and this power can absolutely harm others if not handled responsibly. This is why Chaotic education is so important.¡±


    ¡°This basically sounds like you¡¯re just forcin¡¯ people to learn the difference between good and evil,¡± Spike replied. ¡°How¡¯s that different from just a regular upbringin¡¯?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ shook her head. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t just that. When I talk about responsibly handling your powers, I¡¯m not just talking about conscious decisions. Even unintentional actions can have dire consequences. Perhaps it¡¯s a Pyrotechnic who unconsciously superheats the air around them when they¡¯re angry, or a Velocitechnic who accidentally kicks just a little too hard when playing with their friends. It¡¯s the little things that you don¡¯t think of that you need to look out for; that¡¯s probably the most important part of a Chaotic¡¯s education.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sure, yeah,¡± Pierce responded, his tone at first uneasy before he fell back into his normal confidence. ¡°But none of us have had accidents like that. I think we¡¯re all good to go on that front.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessarily true¡­¡± Mark countered.


    ¡°¡­Even if it isn¡¯t, so what?¡± Pierce replied impatiently, ¡°these ¡®accidents¡¯ can¡¯t be that deadly. Otherwise they¡¯d be all over the Relaynet!¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t ¡®all over the Relaynet¡¯ because of how unfortunately common they are,¡± Kev¨¦rin retorted. ¡°Even some of the most powerful Chaotics in the galaxy have stories about accidentally harming friends or loved ones. This is not a subject to be taken lightly.¡±


    ¡°Even in Hero Machina?¡± Austin challenged.


    Kev¨¦rin¡¯s irritated gaze fell on Austin; for a moment, Austin thought he saw the Pyrotechnic¡¯s eyes briefly flick toward Kaon¨¦, at which point he opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected before Kev¨¦rin could say anything, stepping forward to place herself between him and the Earthians. She slowly glanced between the two, and then continued, ¡°¡­this is not the time nor the place for disclosing tragic back stories. Now, listen¡­¡± She turned to face the Earthians front-on. ¡°I sympathize with your frustration here, I really, sincerely do. More than you realize, or perhaps want to accept. But for the time being, I implore you to give a proper Chaotic education a chance. Don¡¯t do it for us, don¡¯t do it for Archon¨¦ Culana, don¡¯t even do it for SERRCom¡­ just do it for yourself, and your friends. I promise I will do my best to make sure you don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    The soft sound of grass and distant leaves being rustled in the wind filled the air as silence briefly befell the group. Kaon¨¦ remained where she stood the entire time, her hands held out toward the Earthians in a disarming gesture; it was not for several more seconds before the silence was finally broken.


    ¡°Well, if you really insist,¡± Pierce replied airily. ¡°Like I said earlier, I won¡¯t argue against a chance like this.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you literally just arguing the point?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°I was arguing one specific sub-point, not the whole deal,¡± Pierce quickly countered. ¡°If someone¡¯s going to give me a free spot at a prestigious school, where I can learn from the best, then I¡¯ll be damned if I just walk away from that.¡±


    ¡°In isolation, it definitely is an intriguing offer¡­¡± Twy mused.


    ¡°SERRCom supervision will be minimal while we¡¯re here, anyways,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°We can do as Kaon¨¦ said¡­ learn for us, not anyone else. I mean, I don¡¯t know about the rest of y¡¯all, but I¡¯d certainly like to be able to get back at EA one day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better motivation than nothin¡¯,¡± Spike replied. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are¡­¡± Sky muttered, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, I guess if I can learn more cool tricks to use with my flames, then it¡¯ll be worth it!¡±


    ¡°Man, you guys are nuts¡­¡± Conrad sighed. ¡°Guess there¡¯s not really much of a choice, though, is there?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like we¡¯re all in, then!¡± Phoenix remarked, as Kestrel offered a brief nod of affirmation.


    ¡°And now, for the real question,¡± Luke commented, his eyes on Kaon¨¦ and Kev¨¦rin. ¡°So where are we headed, and who¡¯s doin¡¯ the teaching?¡±


    ¡°Right. Ahem!¡± Kev¨¦rin cleared his throat and straightened his back as Kaon¨¦ stepped back to stand beside him. ¡°Based on a variety of criteria and circumstances, we¡¯ve decided that you all will be attending Wrikax Chaos University ¡ª or WCU, for short ¡ª headed by Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax himself. He should be able to help teach you the basics.¡±


    ¡°I will be helping to teach you, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated, ¡°but I won¡¯t be able to join you immediately. I do still have things to take care of here, after all.¡±


    ¡°Finally! An answer!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah, but we already know the basics¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Do you?¡± Kev¨¦rin challenged, ¡°tell me, what do you know about Berserk episodes? Direct versus indirect manipulation? The different types of Chaotic abilities?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure I could figure it out on my own¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Kev¨¦rin replied dryly. ¡°Anyways¡­ it¡¯s only fair to warn you that Dav¨ªdrius can be a bit of a hardass, and rough around the edges. Try not to be too flippant with him.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted,¡± Phoenix responded as she passed Pierce a side glance. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone behaves.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like at WCU?¡± Mark questioned. ¡°Is it as nice as here?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ll get a chance to see the campus later today,¡± Kev¨¦rin replied. ¡°In fact¡­ I believe your transport should be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is,¡± Pallan commented, stepping forward and nodding toward the other Nimalians. ¡°Dean Tyrion, Densalin, I again thank you for your time and patience.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Archon¨¦,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded cordially.


    ¡°As for the rest of you¡­¡± The Archon¨¦ turned toward the Earthians. ¡°It is time to be going. I would very much like to reach Compound Tresnon before nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Compound Tresnon?¡± Pierce echoed, ¡°¡­why does that sound familiar¡­?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you will learn once we get there,¡± Pallan replied, at which point he turned around and began walking off. ¡°Now, after me! We have a transport to catch!¡±


    ¡°¡­And just like that, huh?¡± Austin muttered as everyone began picking up their bags and following Pallan off of the practice field.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not so bad,¡± Twy replied as she fell into pace alongside Austin. ¡°At least we know where we¡¯re going now, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Austin commented, and then looked up at the snow-capped mountains to the west, and the crisp, blue skies filled with fluffy, white clouds above. ¡°¡­I can only hope it¡¯s as good as here.¡±

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 13: Dashed Expectations

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 13: Dashed Expectations


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°¡­What the hell is this? Where are we?!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Kev¨¦rin told you,¡± Kievkenalis replied as he glanced at Austin before continuing down the disembarkation ramp of the transport craft. ¡°This is Compound Tresnon, in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± Austin muttered as his gaze slowly swept across the scene in front of him. A cloudless, pale blue sky hung above him, filled only with the light of the setting sun. The buildings all around were short ¡ª few were over three stories tall, and there wasn¡¯t a single skyscraper in sight. In fact, the tallest building couldn¡¯t have been more than five stories tall, and appeared just as dirty and mundane as all of the rest, constructed out of rocks and concrete as it was. Sand blew across the dreary streets, which themselves appeared severely worn down and in dire need of maintenance. In the distance, Austin could spot a wall running the entire perimeter of the small town. Compound Tresnon couldn¡¯t have possibly been much larger than ten kilometers across, a stark contrast to the incredible urban sprawl of Nimaliaka Central ¡ª or even any major city on Earth. Beyond its walls stretched a vast, flat wasteland, filled with nothing but sand for as far as the eye could see. The only geographical feature of any interest was the massive body of water to the south, which itself stretched to the southern horizon, its shoreline reaching far to the east and west.


    ¡°Well, this is, uh¡­¡± Phoenix briefly stopped on the disembarkation ramp next to Austin as she took in the sandy sights herself. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t say I expected this.¡±


    ¡°I knew they were sending us to the worst school,¡± Pierce declared irately as he pushed past Austin and Phoenix with his bags in tow, and Conrad following. ¡°Those assholes, sending us to a desert wasteland, what the fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­At least it isn¡¯t hot?¡± Twy commented hopefully from behind Austin and Phoenix. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s kinda cool¡­¡±


    ¡°That might just be because it¡¯s sunset,¡± Austin countered, and then sighed dejectedly. ¡°Man, what a place¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax, young Earthians,¡± Pallan commented, placing his hands on Austin and Twy¡¯s shoulders and offering a nod toward Phoenix. ¡°Tresnon may be small, but its people are not. Tres¨¦dians are hardy and experienced, Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax and his compatriots especially so. You will learn much here.¡±


    Phoenix rolled her eyes and began walking down the disembarkation ramp. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure¡­¡±


    Pallan shook his head solemnly before beginning down the ramp while gesturing for Austin and Twy to follow. ¡°You¡¯ll understand one day. Now come along, let¡¯s not leave our hosts waiting.¡±


    Austin watched Pallan join Kievkenalis and the rest of the Earthians at the base of the ramp. ¡°¡­How long is that guy gonna stick around with us?¡± he whispered to Twy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± she responded in kind, ¡°probably until we¡¯re actually settled in?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Austin sighed again. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get goin¡¯, then.¡±


    The two finally descended the ramp themselves, joining Spike and Sky on solid ground. As the last two off of the transport, everyone else was already present, with Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy standing off to one side, Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel standing a little bit a ways from them, and Luke and Mark idly chatting near Pallan and Kievkenalis, who both appeared to be looking for someone. Before long, another two individuals entered the small landing area from outside. Both were women, and stood equal in height to Austin¡¯s own six feet. One of the women had dark, messy, shoulder-length hair, tan skin, and possessed a lithe figure, covered in part by a pair of baggy white cargo pants and a large beige shawl that covered her entire upper torso. Slung over her shoulder was a black strap hooked to two ends of a long sniper rifle, and on her mildly aged face she wore a confident smile. The other woman appeared much younger ¡ª around 20 years old ¡ª and somewhat more uneasy, despite her clearly muscular build that rivaled even Spike¡¯s. Her appearance was otherwise mundane, with a plain face, light skin, medium-length black hair, and a pair of beige cargo pants, a white shirt, and a beige cloak.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally arrived,¡± Pallan remarked as the two women approached. He then glanced around. ¡°¡­Where is Dean Wrikax?¡±


    ¡°Really, old man?¡± the tan-skinned woman retorted, ¡°you¡¯ve talked to him plenty, you know exactly why he ain¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Pallan sighed and shook his head in disappointment. ¡°He still doesn¡¯t see, does he?¡±


    ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t either,¡± the woman replied, and then nodded toward Kievkenalis. ¡°Hey, Kevken. Nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Kievkenalis nodded back. ¡°Is Dav¨ªdrius doing well?¡±


    ¡°Same as always,¡± the woman remarked, at which point she nodded toward the Earthians. ¡°So, these the folks?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kievkenalis stepped to the side and gestured for everyone to approach. ¡°Everyone, this is Selind Condsa, the Head of Defense here at Compound Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to meet ya, I hope,¡± Selind replied casually, and then jerked her head toward the light-skinned woman beside her. ¡°And this is Kar¨ªsah Lekai, Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s kid-in-training.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Kar¨ªsah spluttered out as her face flushed red. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha ha!!¡± Selind released a loud guffaw as she heartily slapped Kar¨ªsah on the back. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m just playin¡¯ with ya!¡± She then turned back toward the Earthians as she continued, ¡°but more seriously, Kar¨ªsah here is the strongest student at WCU. She¡¯s even one of the Elite Six! Which is very impressive, in case you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°The hell is the Elite Six?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s six Schools of Chaos, right? I¡¯m sure y¡¯all are smart folks, so I¡¯ll let you work it out from there. My main point is that the two of us are leaders of sorts here at Compound Tresnon. If you ever have a problem during your stay here, feel free to come to either of us.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problem could warrant carrying around a Laser Sniper?¡± Luke questioned as he gestured toward the long-barreled gun on Selind¡¯s back.


    ¡°You never know,¡± Selind replied casually. ¡°Sometimes, you find you need to shoot somethin¡¯. And when I¡¯m in a real bind, this thing works wonders as a club!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an Imarin model? Those things could shoot a sandwich outta your hand from 25 kilometers away, why the hell are you just walkin¡¯ around with one?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Looks like someone here knows his guns.¡± Selind smirked as she eyed Luke. ¡°Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t actually an Imarin. Those things are way too hard to come by. This one is an older model, a Lisarin.¡± She then glanced back at her gun with mild frustration. ¡°Parts are pretty sparse around here, too, so the damn thing isn¡¯t in very good shape¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d still like to take a look at it, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Luke commented. ¡°I don¡¯t often get a chance to handle a Laser Sniper.¡±


    ¡°Ha! We¡¯ll have to see about that. I can¡¯t just let anyone who asks play with my toys, you know,¡± Selind replied with a wink.


    ¡°Selind¡­ really?¡± Kar¨ªsah interjected as she glanced uneasily between Selind and the Earthians. ¡°Please don¡¯t play with the guests¡­¡±


    ¡°You really need to lighten up, Kar¨ªsah. You¡¯ll never get Relia like this.¡±


    ¡°Selind¡­! C¡¯mon, that doesn¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Anyways!¡± Selind glanced back at the group before turning around and gesturing for them to follow. ¡°We have places to be, so let¡¯s walk an¡¯ talk.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wow, what a duo!¡± Sky remarked to Spike as she grabbed her bags to begin following after Selind and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°If everyone¡¯s like that, I think I¡¯ll like it here!¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ if not for all the sand,¡± Spike retorted as he brushed himself off before picking up his own bags. ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s everywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve only been standing here for¡­ I dunno, ten minutes?¡± Austin complained as he joined the group leaving the landing area. ¡°Real sandy place, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    Before long, the group had exited the small complex that was Compound Tresnon¡¯s airport. Outside were dusty streets and beige-walled buildings, with groups of pedestrians appearing just frequently enough to make it clear that Tresnon was a bustling town, but not enough to make it feel crowded. As soon as the Earthians were outside and taking in their new surroundings, Selind took charge and began leading them down what appeared to be the main street, toward a large, rectangular building in the center of the Compound.


    ¡°It occurs to me that I still don¡¯t know all y¡¯all¡¯s names,¡± Selind remarked as the group passed by one of the run-down buildings on the block.


    ¡°Ah, right, sorry!¡± Kievkenalis apologized, ¡°I forgot to introduce everyone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we can handle it,¡± Luke replied, and then glanced toward Selind, who was walking backwards to face the group following her. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Luke Travis, from SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Lieutenant Mark Cox, from the same organization,¡± Mark added.


    ¡°A Captain and a Lieutenant, huh?¡± Selind eyed the two before glancing at the rest of the Earthians. ¡°So the eight of you are the ones Dav¨ªdrius is supposed to be teachin¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°I¡¯m Pierce. Pierce Bradley! I¡¯m open to learning from the best, but I¡¯m still not sure what this Dav¨ªdrius guy can teach to the fastest guy alive!¡±


    ¡°Heh! That¡¯s a good one, Pierce!¡± Selind chuckled, and then stopped briefly when she noticed the annoyed look on Pierce¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Oh, you¡¯re serious? Well, in that case! Ba ha ha ha ha ha!!¡±


    ¡°H-hey,¡± Pierce interjected irately as Selind broke into boisterous laughter, ¡°the hell is so funny?¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­ oh, you¡¯ll see,¡± Selind replied as she wiped a tear from her eye. ¡°You and Dav¨ªdrius are gonna get along real well.¡±


    ¡°Realistically, though¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah cut in, ¡°you should be careful with the boasts. Those won¡¯t get you far here in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Good! Maybe he¡¯ll finally learn,¡± Phoenix commented, passing Pierce an amused glance before turning to address Selind and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°I¡¯m Phoenix Myles. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Conrad. Conrad Ashworth, if we¡¯re doing full names,¡± Conrad added as he offered a casual wave. He then jerked his thumb toward Kestrel, who nodded once. ¡°And that¡¯s Kestrel Nielson.¡±


    ¡°Sky Chao, at your service!¡± Sky grinned and pointed finger guns at Selind as she lit small flames at her fingertips. ¡°The fiery, feisty, and in some sense, more spiky of two twins!¡±


    Twy shook her head in resignation as she put Sky¡¯s flames out with a small bubble of water. ¡°I guess that makes me the reasonable one, then. I¡¯m Twy Chao¡­ the older twin.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, sis! Don¡¯t be like that!¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all never were good at first impressions,¡± Spike remarked, and nodded toward Selind. ¡°The name¡¯s Spike Sutna.¡± He then glanced at Kar¨ªsah. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest student, huh? Is that literal, or figurative?¡±


    ¡°Most people mean it both ways, but I¡¯d hesitate to say either¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah glanced away, hiding her entire face as she continued walking forwards ahead of the group.


    ¡°That means you¡¯ve got superstrength, then, right? Hey, so do I! We should spar sometime!¡±


    Kar¨ªsah glanced back at Spike, her eyes slightly widened in surprise before she turned forward again. ¡°¡­Sure. Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°That leaves just you, then,¡± Selind commented, falling back into the group to throw her arm around Austin¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Let me guess. Austin Travis, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He stared at her in confusion. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°The old man over there sent a list of y¡¯all¡¯s names before you got here,¡± Selind stated as she nodded toward Pallan, who simply shook his head in response. ¡°Someone had to read them, and it sure wasn¡¯t gonna be Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not painting a very impressive picture of the dude,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Selind quipped. She then released Austin and worked her way back to the front of the group. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius can be a bit of an ass, sometimes, but he¡¯s pretty good at what he does. Surprisingly so, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°What does he do, this grand and fantastic leader of yours?¡± Pierce questioned, his tone deadpan.


    ¡°Ah ha ha! Let¡¯s not get carried away, now!¡± Selind laughed briefly before stopping in her tracks, causing everyone else to stop behind her. Standing in front of them in the newly dusk light was the large rectangular building in the center of Compound Tresnon, standing only five stories tall ¡ª and yet still being the tallest building in the entire Compound. ¡°¡­Tres¨¦d used to be a much harsher place, you know,¡± Selind eventually continued, and then glanced to her left and right, where the wall surrounding the Compound could just barely be seen over the tops of shorter buildings. ¡°Tresnon is the largest Compound in east Tres¨¦d ¡ª and one of the largest on the whole continent ¡ª but even then, we aren¡¯t that big. We¡¯re still bound by the walls, and this shield generator here.¡±


    ¡°This is a shield generator?¡± Austin questioned as he looked up at the plain building.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s one inside,¡± Selind commented. ¡°It used to be running every minute of every hour of every day, because it needed to. But, thanks to the efforts of Dav¨ªdrius, that isn¡¯t necessary anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Selind,¡± Kar¨ªsah said, ¡°you¡¯ve helped a lot, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Selind waved her off as she turned away from the building and began walking again.


    ¡°So why was it necessary in the first place?¡± Luke questioned as the group began moving through the town streets again, ¡°is it related to why you¡¯re carryin¡¯ around that gun?¡±


    Selind glanced back at him; for the first time since she appeared in front of the Earthians, her smile disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s because of the Bleeders.¡±


    Pierce snorted in amusement. ¡°Bleeders? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°You outsiders always laugh,¡± Selind replied, her expression grim. ¡°But the Bleeder gang of old was nothing to scoff at. They raided and plundered as much as they wanted, all over the wastelands. They killed, they took, they stole. Objects, people, your¡­ sense of personal safety, I¡¯ll say. All of it could disappear in a single night.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ rough,¡± Spike responded uneasily.


    ¡°You did say ¡®of old¡¯, though, right?¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°Has it gotten better¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep! Thankfully, it has!¡± The smile returned to Selind¡¯s face, though this time without a hint of cheekiness ¡ª her expression seemed perfectly sincere. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius and I started up this Bleeder Reformation Program, you see. We figured out that the best way to stop the Bleeders was to give ¡®em actual jobs and trainin¡¯. Turns out, the only reason half the Bleeders do what they do is ¡®cause there ain¡¯t much else you can do to survive in this wasteland of ours, and then they get wrapped up in the evil shit that the other half does. Who knew?¡±


    ¡°When you put it that way, you make it sound like there¡¯s still plenty of them out there,¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°Well, yeah. The Bleeders are still a threat, I won¡¯t lie to you there, but they¡¯re a significantly reduced threat. You don¡¯t have to walk around with a gun everywhere you go anymore!¡±


    ¡°And yet you still do,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± Selind adopted a sheepish grin. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s an old habit I haven¡¯t been able to break.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know that you¡¯re doing better than ever. Sincerely, it is,¡± Luke commented, and then passed a side glance toward Kievkenalis and Pallan. ¡°But¡­ excuse me while I play the boring adult here, but is it really a good idea to send us to a place with active threats?¡±


    ¡°All is as it is meant to be,¡± Pallan replied.


    ¡°I call those weasel words,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°The Bleeders are a minimal threat to Compound Tresnon,¡± Kievkenalis stated. ¡°The defenses and number of Chaotics here are too great.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the attention,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°The Bleeders know Dav¨ªdrius has powerful friends in powerful places. Attacking here would be suicide!¡±


    ¡°Well now that you¡¯ve said it, it¡¯s gonna happen,¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°Tresnon, though¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, and then glanced up at Pierce. ¡°Tresnon¡­ it sounds familiar, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like Trenon,¡± Pierce commented. ¡°I don¡¯t remember if he actually mentioned this place, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Trenon?¡± Selind glanced toward Pierce in surprise. ¡°You mean Trenon Rakos? You know him?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± Pierce responded in kind. ¡°We, uh¡­ met him a few months ago, on Ainminthalus.¡±


    ¡°I guess he did mention Dav¨ªdrius, didn¡¯t he?¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°Yeah, and his sister, too. Over and over again¡­¡± Pierce turned back toward Selind. ¡°So he really did come here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He wasn¡¯t actually that notable, to be honest,¡± Selind commented. ¡°He was one of the first WCU grads to actually get accepted by the NSD, but that¡¯s really the only reason I remember him. He didn¡¯t stand out much. He has a younger sister who¡¯s currently enrolled at WCU, though. A third-year, named Liask.¡±


    ¡°Liask? Is here?!¡± Pierce and Phoenix exchanged uneasy glances.


    ¡°¡­Something wrong?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Phoenix slowly turned back toward Selind. ¡°What¡­ what was the last you heard about Trenon?¡±


    ¡°Well, he went off and joined the NSD.¡± Selind shrugged. ¡°Not really sure after that. I heard he was in constant contact with his sister, though. Maybe you should ask her. Speaking of, we¡¯re here!¡±


    The group had just arrived at a set of small gates, connected to a small two-meter wall that spanned just over a hundred meters in length. As Selind pushed through the gates, the area inside of the wall came into view: a barren, rocky field took up the entirety of the front area, with three flat-top buildings in the back barely lit by small lamps in the darkening dusk. Each building possessed the same plain gray-and-beige sand-and-stone appearance as the rest of the buildings in Tresnon, and were arranged in a vaguely ¡®U¡¯ shape, with the building at the bottom of the ¡®U¡¯ farthest away from the gate and the tallest, at three stories. The two buildings to its flanks were both only two stories tall, somewhat less than a hundred meters in length, and far less than half that in width. A small stone plaza filled the space between the buildings, but otherwise the entire campus was dusty and featureless, save for the austere sign on the center building that read: ¡°Wrikax Chaos University¡±.


    ¡°This is it!¡± Selind exclaimed, her hands planted on her hips as she surveyed the campus. She then turned around to gaze proudly upon the rest of the group. ¡°What d¡¯ya think? Impressive, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± Austin muttered uneasily, ¡°it¡¯s, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be it,¡± Pierce remarked as he looked over the three buildings. ¡°This? A prestigious school? We just got duped, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Of course WCU is prestigious. Look!¡± Selind pointed at the windows on the left building. ¡°We even shine the windows!¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Pierce glanced cluelessly between her and the windows. ¡°What¡­ what does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Ah, relax, I¡¯m messin¡¯ with you!¡± Selind smirked and slapped Pierce heartily on the back before turning to address the rest of the group. ¡°¡­Well, sort of, anyways. Look, I know outsiders have places better than this, so I understand your, uh¡­ dislike, to put it bluntly. But for Tres¨¦d, this is actually pretty damn good! I¡¯m proud of it.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here is,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked. ¡°I hope you all will come to appreciate it, in time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what people say about shitty situations that they got numb to,¡± Austin muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Anyways.¡± Selind clapped her hands once to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯m sure y¡¯all have had a long day of travel, so let¡¯s go get you all settled¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oi, Selind! Kar¨ªsah! What¡¯s all this about?¡±


    ¡°And there he finally is,¡± Selind remarked as a tall man approached. ¡°About time!¡±


    The man simply regarded her with an unamused expression, a full black goatee surrounding his frowning mouth while he did. His dark tan skin and black hair gave him a similar appearance to Selind, and he was just as tall, though his scruffy hair was long enough in front to frame his face down to his cheeks, and long enough in back to be tied into a low ponytail. A light beige scarf wrapped around his neck and drooped down over his right shoulder, barely covering the top of an unzipped thick beige jacket with two breast pockets and the sleeves rolled up, revealing his white undershirt and black fingerless gloves. Baggy beige and white cargo pants and brown boots rounded out the rest of his desert-colored outfit.


    ¡°Where were you, Dav¨ªdrius?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned as the man surveyed the group with his arms crossed. ¡°You were supposed to meet everyone at the airport!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He regarded Kar¨ªsah with mild confusion, at which point he noticed Kievkenalis standing off to the side. ¡°Wait, Kevken? What are you¡ª? Oh.¡± Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s expression rapidly hardened as his eyes fell on Pallan. ¡°Back again, old man?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gathering years just as quickly as I, Dean Wrikax,¡± Pallan retorted.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯m only 40.¡± Dav¨ªdrius then turned his attention to the Earthians. ¡°¡­So these are the ones?¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Luke commented. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Luke¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I read the file, I know your names.¡± Dav¨ªdrius waved him off and sighed. ¡°I just forgot you were comin¡¯ today. What a fuckin¡¯ day.¡±


    ¡°Is somethin¡¯ wrong?¡± Selind questioned.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine.¡± Dav¨ªdrius passed her a brief glance before looking back to the rest of the group. ¡°So,¡± he started, ¡°you idiots really think you can save the galaxy, huh?¡±


    ¡°Idiots?!¡± Sky echoed incredulously.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know us!¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°I bet I¡¯m way smarter and faster than even you!¡±


    ¡°Faster? Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted dismissively ¡ª and then instantly disappeared from where he was standing, with only a small dust cloud to occupy his space. Before Pierce could even react, the Nimalian reappeared in front of him, his foot stopped mere millimeters from Pierce¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Wha-what?!¡± Pierce reflexively jumped backwards as everyone else backed away. ¡°The hell was that?!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted again as he casually drew back and returned to a standing position. ¡°So much for ¡®faster¡¯, eh? If you really were, you woulda seen that comin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, well¡­ you just caught me off guard, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡±


    ¡°Is it normal for instructors to launch unexpected feints on their students, here¡­?¡± Mark questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Only if they¡¯re smartasses,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°Even then, I ain¡¯t never once hurt a student, outside of sparrin¡¯ or practice duels, at least, but there it¡¯s expected.¡± He glanced back at the rest of the Earthians. ¡°Y¡¯all ain¡¯t smartasses, now, are ya?¡±


    ¡°Only a couple of us,¡± Phoenix replied as she side-eyed Pierce, who responded with a scowl.


    ¡°Dean Wrikax, I must ask you to be more considerate toward the Keys,¡± Pallan interjected. ¡°The circumstances of their enrollment here are most dire.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, so says that stupid book of yours.¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°You Earth folks, what do you make of this, huh? Do you believe in prophecies?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head as Conrad remarked, ¡°sounds pretty silly to me, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, guys! We¡¯re supposed to be heroes, or some shit!¡± Pierce exclaimed, ¡°we might as well embrace it!¡±


    ¡°The opportunities we¡¯re getting because of it are nice,¡± Twy commented, ¡°but¡­ believing in a prophecy is kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s good that we¡¯re on the same page there, mostly,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated as he fixed the group with a hard stare. ¡°Now I want y¡¯all to understand just one thing: I may have agreed to teach y¡¯all, against my better judgment, but that doesn¡¯t mean I believe in stupid prophecies or destiny or whatever the fuck. And I heard from Kev¨¦rin ¡ª I don¡¯t wanna hear y¡¯all tryin¡¯ to impress or flatter me by talkin¡¯ about my days with Hero Machina. The shit we did way back when was all luck, that¡¯s all. Right place at the right¡ª well, wrong time, I guess. Still.¡± He swept his gaze across the group. ¡°You¡¯ll be learnin¡¯ the basics, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll go easy on you. We take shit seriously here at WCU, and I expect y¡¯all to do the same!¡±


    ¡°Keverin really wasn¡¯t kiddin¡¯ when he called Dav¨ªdrius a hardass,¡± Austin muttered to Spike, who responded with a snort of amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that at least he ain¡¯t Mote,¡± Spike then whispered back, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure this is much better.¡±


    ¡°Anyways.¡± Dav¨ªdrius uncrossed his arms to plant his hands on his hips. ¡°Due to the¡­ unique circumstances of y¡¯all bein¡¯ here, you won¡¯t be joinin¡¯ any of the existin¡¯ classes. I¡¯ll teach you personally, at least until Kaon¨¦ gets here to take over. Your teachin¡¯ll start on the 10th, that¡¯s in, what, five days? ¡®Bout that. Use that time to get used to WCU and Tresnon. Y¡¯all will be stayin¡¯ in the dorms here on campus, on the nearside. Kar¨ªsah, you know where the keys are, can you show ¡®em around? I¡¯ve got some shit I need to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Can do,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°When should I see you home?¡±


    ¡°Probably ¡®fore you. I¡¯ll grab dinner.¡± Dav¨ªdrius turned once more toward the Earthians. ¡°Now y¡¯all better behave yourselves. I¡¯m off!¡± Before anyone could object, he again disappeared in a cloud of dust.


    ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Sky muttered flatly as she stared at the rapidly dispersing dust cloud. ¡°¡­What a guy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Dav¨ªdrius, for you!¡± Selind remarked with a smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s a great guy once you get to know him.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t anything just be great from the outset around here?¡± Austin complained.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯ll be fine!¡± Selind countered, before turning toward Kievkenalis and Pallan. ¡°Hey, I got a couple things I¡¯d like to go over with you two. Kar¨ªsah, you go on ahead with the dorms.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Kar¨ªsah responded as Selind walked off with Kievkenalis and Pallan in tow. She then turned back to the Earthians and gestured for them to follow her as she began approaching the building on the left. ¡°Alright, follow me! The dorms are this way¡­¡±


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Alright¡­ that¡¯ll do for now.¡±


    Pierce stepped away from the closet, briefly scanning the shirts that he had just hung up before turning his attention to his surroundings: a small room, with a plain bed in the corner just long enough to support his height, a single dresser, and a window that overlooked Compound Tresnon. The floor underfoot was made out of stone, presenting a rough, uneven texture that nonetheless felt strangely comfortable to Pierce¡¯s feet. It¡¯s not the biggest, or the nicest of rooms¡­ he thought to himself as he stepped up to the window and pushed aside the curtains to look outside. But at least I have it all to myself.


    The moonlit buildings of Tresnon laid before him, but despite observing them with his eyes, his thoughts were elsewhere. It hadn¡¯t been long since Kar¨ªsah had led the Earthians to the dorms and shown them their rooms, which seemed to be located on the far end of the building from the current students. The fact that the dorms had empty rooms in the first place was a surprise to Pierce, but he wasn¡¯t one to argue as each of the Earthians received their own room. Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy, accompanied by Luke, were rooming on the first floor ¡ª while Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, Kestrel, and Mark were staying on the second.


    As he continued looking out over Tresnon, however, Pierce couldn¡¯t help but wonder why there were so many empty rooms in the first place; after all, there were a few dozen empty rooms and a couple of kitchens between the Earthians and the closest of the current students. If WCU, as one of the Schools of Chaos, was truly as prestigious as the Nimalians claimed, why wouldn¡¯t it be packed with students? Was there something wrong with the school? Or maybe it¡¯s just the location¡­ he thought bitterly as he eyed the vast sandy desert stretching out to the north of Tresnon. I mean, c¡¯mon, this place is right on the shore of a massive fucking sea, and there¡¯s STILL sandy desert all around it? How fucking shitty can you get?


    ¡°I see you¡¯re all set up already.¡±


    ¡°It helps that I don¡¯t bring my entire wardrobe with me everywhere I go,¡± Pierce shot back as he turned toward the entrance to his room, where Phoenix was leaning on the doorway. ¡°Are you all unpacked?¡± he questioned as he crossed his arms and passed her an incredulous look. ¡°With all that shit you brought with you? You might even give me a run for speed.¡±


    ¡°High praise, coming from you,¡± Phoenix deadpanned, and then glanced around the small space. ¡°Still, all things considered, these dorms aren¡¯t too bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kinda weird, honestly.¡± Pierce tapped the stone floor with his bare feet. ¡°Stone flooring, on the second floor? That¡¯s pretty sturdy. Still, I would¡¯ve liked to at least have a sink in my room. Having to share a bathroom with the rest of you is going to be a real pain.¡±


    ¡°You spent a whole summer sharing one with me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. How do you think I know I¡¯ll dislike it?¡±


    Phoenix fixed Pierce with a disapproving stare, to which he responded with a self-amused chuckle. ¡°¡­On a more serious note,¡± Phoenix began after a couple seconds, at which point she paused to step out into the hallway and glance both ways. She then stepped back into Pierce¡¯s room and lowered her voice, saying, ¡°¡­Trenon¡¯s sister goes to school here, right? Are we¡­ are we going to do anything about that?¡±


    Pierce¡¯s expression collapsed into a scowl as a faint throb passed through his lower torso. ¡°¡­What is there to do?¡± he questioned, ¡°we know she¡¯s here¡­ so what? We don¡¯t even know what she looks like.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but it sounds like they don¡¯t know what happened to him. Shouldn¡¯t we tell them?¡±


    Pierce stared at Phoenix for a moment, his brow furrowed, before glancing away and sighing in frustration. A couple seconds passed as he thought the subject over in his head; Phoenix did have a point, in that Trenon¡¯s younger sister certainly deserved to know his ultimate fate. Still¡­ he thought to himself, are we really the ones who should be delivering that kind of news? It¡¯s been almost two months since then. Why hasn¡¯t the NSD informed his next of kin on their own?


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Phoenix? And Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Pierce looked up toward the entrance to his room, where Kar¨ªsah now stood in the hallway. He approached the doorway, coming to a stop just short of Phoenix as he replied, ¡°yeah, that¡¯s us. What do you¡ª?¡±


    His breath caught in his throat as he laid eyes on another woman, standing next to Kar¨ªsah. She looked young, younger even than Pierce and Phoenix, with tan skin, shoulder-length black hair, and a prominent scar stretching from just above the left corner of her mouth, down her neck, and disappearing below the collar of her shirt. She seemed to smile at Pierce, before she turned around and ran off, disappearing into the darkness¡­ which was quickly replaced by the sight of a singular, feral, wolf-like beast with silvery, metallic rashes covering its body. It snarled, and then lunged at him¡ª


    ¡°Uh, Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± He jumped, startled out of his thoughts as Phoenix waved her hand in his face.


    ¡°You okay?¡± she questioned, ¡°you just spaced out, there¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­¡± he muttered, and then slowly looked to the side¡­ where the tan-skinned young woman with the prominent scar still remained. What the hell¡­? he thought to himself as he reflexively grasped his lower torso with his right hand, she¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s the girl from¡­ from that vision that I had! Shit, now that I think about it, I saw that Dav¨ªdrius guy in that vision too, didn¡¯t I? What the hell? How? What does this mean?


    ¡°What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°¡ªUh, n-no, that¡¯s¡­¡± Pierce drew back in surprise as the woman addressed him. Shit, was I staring at her? Damn it, get a grip, Pierce! He then shook his head and adopted a sheepish smirk. ¡°Sorry, sorry. You just¡­ look familiar, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well of course she does,¡± Phoenix remarked as she gave Pierce an odd glance. ¡°She¡¯s Trenon¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Pierce¡¯s eyes went wide as he rapidly glanced between Phoenix and the new woman. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m Liask. Liask Rakos,¡± the woman commented as she stared incredulously at Pierce. ¡°Were you not listening the first time?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ huh. Sorry.¡± Pierce looked down sheepishly, though internally, he was scowling. This chick is Trenon¡¯s sister? The one I saw in that vision? What the hell¡­ what does this mean?


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Liask¡¯s attention lingered on Pierce for a moment before she turned toward Phoenix. ¡°Trenon and I would write each other as often as we could. About once every other week or so, recently ¡ª and he mentioned the two of you a lot. You met him on Ainminthalus, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s right,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°He was our liaison while there. He¡­ he was a good guy.¡±


    ¡°Though maybe a little too strait-laced,¡± Pierce commented, and then forced a smirk as he glanced at Liask. ¡°He talked about you a lot, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s always done that¡­¡± She briefly glanced away before returning her attention to the duo. ¡°He talked about the two of you a lot, too. Which is why I wanted to talk to you¡­¡±


    ¡°I told her that the two of you seemed to know Trenon,¡± Kar¨ªsah stated. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Phoenix smiled slightly as she looked back to Liask. ¡°How can we help?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m worried about Trenon,¡± Liask replied. ¡°Like I said, we¡¯d write each other every week or two, except¡­ about a month and a half ago, he suddenly stopped writing back. I assumed it had to do with that weird Quake, but then the Quake went away, and I still haven¡¯t heard from him¡­¡± She glanced at each of Pierce and Phoenix, wary hope in her eyes. ¡°The two of you were with him around that time, right? Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Pierce rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.


    ¡°Has the NSD not told you anything?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± Liask replied bitterly. ¡°But I¡¯m a Tres¨¦dian, so of course they wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Liask¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered, ¡°you know that¡¯s not true¡­¡±


    ¡°But it is, isn¡¯t it? Trenon had to fight a lot to get to sign up for the NSD, you know? And the Dean is always complaining about them.¡± Liask turned back to Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you. Did something happen to Trenon?¡±


    Pierce and Phoenix exchanged another glance. Phoenix then pinched the bridge of her nose as Pierce sighed wearily. ¡°Well, he, uh¡­¡± Pierce began, pausing for a few moments before finishing his thought. ¡°¡­He died.¡±


    Liask¡¯s expression of wary hopefulness remained unchanged as she simply stared at Pierce. ¡°¡­He what?¡±


    ¡°It was at the beginning of the Quake¡­¡± Pierce pursed his lips and looked down, finding himself little able to maintain eye contact with Liask. ¡°There was¡­ well, I think it was a Berserk Chaotic. They were wreaking havoc, and Trenon was one of the Chaotics who helped get them away from the city. But he got wounded in the attack, and¡­ didn¡¯t survive.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. That¡¯s¡­ ¡­oh¡­¡±


    Hearing the strain in Liask¡¯s voice, Pierce couldn¡¯t help but finally look up. She was still looking at him, but her eyes were glistening, and she was covering her mouth with her right hand ¡ª or rather, as Pierce looked closer, he noticed that she was stroking the scar that stretched across her lips.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­ we really are,¡± Phoenix said softly. ¡°I¡­ Trenon was a good man. I could tell that he loved you.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ did he say anything?¡± Liask glanced desperately between Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Before he¡­ did he? Anything?!¡±


    Pierce nodded solemnly. ¡°Yeah. He said¡­ to tell you that he loved you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ oh, oh no¡­ no¡­¡± She hunched over slightly, grasping her arms as a tear rolled down her cheek, opposite the side of her face with the scar. Then, with a furrowed brow, she turned her attention up at Pierce. ¡°This, this is a joke, right? Some kind of cruel prank that outsiders like to play?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce snorted and pursed his lips. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t lie about something like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Liask looked down again, her scruffy bangs momentarily obscuring her eyes. After a moment, she straightened her back, took a deep breath¡­ and then slammed her left fist into the far wall as she released a furious shout, blasting a hole through the stone wall.


    ¡°Holy¡ª!¡± Pierce and Phoenix drew back in abject surprise as Liask then began stomping off down the hallway, her footsteps shaking the building through force alone and leaving behind cracked imprints in the stone flooring.


    ¡°Liask!¡± Kar¨ªsah shouted after her, to no avail ¡ª Liask continued stomping off, the vibrations from her exit gradually lessening as she got farther away. With a worried expression on her face, Kar¨ªsah turned back toward Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t realize it would turn out like this¡ª¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine,¡± Phoenix assured, ¡°you had no way of knowing. She has a right to know what happened to her brother, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, agreed,¡± Pierce commented, and then nodded toward the hole in the wall across from his room. ¡°But what the hell is that about?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry about that. Liask is a Forcetechnic, just as I am, and we can get a li¡¯l¡­ uh¡­ destructive when we¡¯re¡­ frustrated.¡± Kar¨ªsah forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Dav¨ªdrius what happened, and we¡¯ll get this fixed as soon as possible. For now, though, I¡¯m going to go make sure that Liask is okay. Sorry!¡±


    Kar¨ªsah then took off jogging down the corridor, though with conspicuously fewer vibrations than when Liask had departed. Pierce and Phoenix watched her go for a couple seconds before releasing a collective sigh.


    ¡°Well that was¡­ something,¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ was not prepared for that,¡± Phoenix remarked, and then passed Pierce a curious glance. ¡°¡­What was that about Trenon¡¯s last words, though? Didn¡¯t he¡­ well, didn¡¯t he not get to finish what he was saying? Don¡¯t tell me you lied to Liask¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, really?¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence, but it was still obvious what he was going to say. A guy like Trenon, mentioning his sister in his final words? He definitely wanted us to tell her that he loved her.¡±


    Phoenix stared at him for another couple seconds before shaking her head and looking away. ¡°Alright, then. I¡¯ll trust your judgment¡­ just this once.¡±


    ¡°Heh. That means a lot, coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Only because I¡¯m saying it to you,¡± Phoenix retorted, and then pushed off of the doorway to Pierce¡¯s room and stepped into the hallway. ¡°Anyways¡­ I think I¡¯m going to head back to my room, unpack a few more things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pierce sighed again as he glanced at the night sky through his bedroom window. ¡°¡­And I¡¯m gonna try getting some sleep. You know, try to get my body used to this new time zone.¡±


    ¡°Fair. I should probably do that, too¡­ well. ¡®Night.¡± She offered a brief wave before turning around and moving down the hallway toward her own room.


    ¡°¡®Night,¡± Pierce replied, watching her retreating form for a second before backing into his room himself, more than ready to leave the day¡¯s events behind him.

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 14: Calm of the Present

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 14: Calm of the Present


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Tuesday, October 25, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Here you go, sir. Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Thanks,¡± Mote responded absentmindedly as he grabbed his lunch tray and turned to find a place to sit. Lunch hour had only just begun, so the cafeteria still had plenty of empty seats; he quickly selected one in the corner in the back, where he dropped his tray onto the table and then pulled out a book. ¡®War of the Ring¡¯ read the book¡¯s title ¡ª it was a new novel that purported to adapt a famous old medieval fantasy story to a science fiction ringworld setting. Mote had little interest in the adaptation aspect, but the reviews claimed that the book¡¯s attention to scientific details was incredible, so he decided to give it a shot based on that.


    Not so bad so far, he mused as he grabbed a crushed red pepper shaker from the table and dumped copious amounts of pepper onto the pepperoni pizza slices he had claimed from the lunch line. It was hard to go wrong with pizza, though even then, the pizza served in Opportunity¡¯s cafeterias required an extra kick to appeal to Mote¡¯s tastebuds. As he opened his book up to the bookmark and held it open with his left hand, while picking up the pizza in his right, he momentarily stopped to consider his circumstances: here he was, sitting alone and reading a book while having a calm lunch around Earth. Things have really calmed down recently¡­ he thought to himself, there¡¯s so much less to do. Less urgent things to do, at least. I suppose I AM scheduled to help Kate and Kirstin out with studying the Aldredian armor later today¡­ but that shouldn¡¯t take more than a couple hours. Anyways. He turned his attention down to the novel in his hands as he took a bite out of the red pepper-covered pizza. Where was I¡­? They had just reached the wall of the ring, and discovered that atmosphere leak¡­ ah, here we go.


    Many minutes passed as Mote continued eating and reading, tuning out the growing lunchtime cacophony in the cafeteria as he focused on the story before him. The heroes had just reached the wall of their ring world, where they found a hole that was steadily releasing an outflow of precious atmosphere. The hole was no where near large enough to vent the entire ring¡¯s atmosphere at once, but it was old enough to cause the air all around the ring to thin just enough to detect ¡ª and now, the heroes were trying to pin down exactly who had caused the damage in the first place. I wonder how they¡¯re going to explain this, Mote mused as he finished his pizza and took a moment to wipe off his hand with a napkin. They¡¯ve already established that the ring¡¯s walls are incredibly thick. Something big enough to blow a hole through it seems a bit much for this group to handle. I suppose there was that conglomerate they ran into a while back, perhaps they¡ª


    ¡°Oh, hey! Whatcha reading?¡±


    Mote looked up, to find the smiling face of Danielle looking down at him. ¡°¡­Likely nothing you¡¯d be interested in,¡± he replied as he grabbed his bookmark and placed it in the book.


    ¡°Aw, you always say that,¡± Danielle pouted as she plopped down into the seat across the table from Mote.


    ¡°I say it because it¡¯s true,¡± Mote retorted as he watched her copy his earlier move of dumping copious amounts of crushed red pepper onto her pizza. He couldn¡¯t help but smirk; Danielle had no actual need to eat, as she could simply use her Transtechnic ability to shapeshift herself into a form that had ¡®just eaten¡¯ ¡ª yet even so, there were times that she longed for the taste of actual food. Today seemed to be one of those days.


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡± Danielle shrugged and began eating. Between bites, she glanced over at Mote, asking, ¡°you up to anything interesting today?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you call ¡®interesting¡¯,¡± he commented. ¡°Kate wanted me to help her out with the Aldredian armor this afternoon. Aside from that, just a couple drills, a bit of training.¡±


    ¡°Just a normal day, huh?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. All the excitement from earlier in the month seems to have calmed down, thankfully.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully?¡± Danielle frowned. ¡°Aw, but I thought most of that was fun!¡±


    Mote passed her an incredulous glance. ¡°You thought babysitting the Black Suns and fighting Drakkars was fun?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I more meant the whole ¡®discovering new alien tech¡¯ thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you even know how any of it works?¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not the one who said I was excited about it.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Mote!¡± Danielle quickly finished one of her pizza slices before turning to give Mote a look of excitement. ¡°We found so much cool stuff, though! Like, that armor of yours, you said it could fly in space! Right? That¡¯s pretty amazing!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it looks stupid¡­¡± Mote grumbled.


    ¡°You said that about the armor itself, too, but I think it looks really cool!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°You just don¡¯t know what ¡®cool¡¯ looks like.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who asks to turn into a dragon every other mission?¡±


    ¡°Hey, dragons are really cool!¡± Danielle retorted. ¡°Take that back!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Mote sighed, though wore on his face an amused smile all the same. ¡°Never change, Danielle.¡±


    ¡°You realize you¡¯re saying that to a shapeshifter, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Colonel! Major!¡± Danielle and Mote looked up to find Saito and Hackett approaching, each of them with a lunch tray in hand.


    ¡°Mind if we join you?¡± Saito asked.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Danielle replied cheerfully as she scooted over on the bench to make room for Hackett.


    ¡°We were just discussing whether or not I knew what ¡®cool¡¯ looked like,¡± Mote commented as Saito took a seat next to him.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware this was even a question,¡± Hackett remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°See?¡± Danielle stuck her tongue out at Mote. ¡°Told you!¡±


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    The Electrotechnic released a sigh and shook his head in response. ¡°Everyone always treats me like I¡¯m a stick in the mud¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I hate to break it to you, Mote, but¡­¡± Saito paused for a moment to take a bite out of his pizza before continuing, ¡°you kind of are.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all bad, though,¡± Hackett commented as a frown crossed Mote¡¯s face. ¡°Every team needs an anchoring presence.¡±


    Mote simply regarded the Major with an unamused expression before looking away.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be able to have a nice, calm, regular lunch together again,¡± Saito declared after a moment¡¯s silence. ¡°You can forget how nice this is when you spend a month constantly on the go, doing mission after mission¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°Having an actual break would be nice, though,¡± Danielle stated.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we won¡¯t be getting one soon,¡± Saito countered. ¡°The techs over at the ETAA are still working through those coordinates that we recovered from the Dreadnought, and if one of them pans out, then CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are at the top of the list to investigate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but I suppose it¡¯s necessary to keep the technology out of the Drakkars¡¯ hands¡­¡± Hackett lamented.


    ¡°You had a brief break recently, though,¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°Because you ordered me to, sir.¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly, I only threatened to order you.¡±


    Hackett rolled her eyes as Saito grinned in self-amusement.


    ¡°You got a break?¡± Danielle questioned as she looked over at the Major. ¡°What¡¯d you do?¡±


    ¡°I just visited my wife,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°She was awfully surprised to see me.¡±


    ¡°Surprised in a good way, or a bad way?¡± Mote asked.


    ¡°What an astoundingly cynical question!¡± Saito remarked. ¡°You might as well just ask if her marriage is falling apart!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sorry¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mote,¡± Hackett replied with a slight smile. ¡°But to answer your question, she was glad to see me. She¡¯s doing well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like, having a wife?¡± Danielle questioned, ¡°or even just being in a relationship, I guess. You¡¯re the only one in our whole group who has one, right?¡±


    ¡°What a gut punch¡­¡± Saito muttered.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you, sir, who said that dating would just be ¡®a waste of time¡¯ at your age?¡± Hackett remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°Come on, Major, you¡¯re not supposed to use my own words against me!¡±


    ¡°¡­Is it harder to get a relationship when you¡¯re older?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°It can be,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Most people who are interested in being in a relationship are already in one by the time they¡¯re my age, or even Hackett¡¯s age.¡±


    ¡°You seem oddly interested in this whole relationship thing,¡± Mote observed as he gave Danielle a curious look.


    ¡°Has someone caught your eye?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°No¡­ not really,¡± Danielle commented, ¡°but, you know. None of us Eximius Vir have ever been in a relationship, or even really had the chance to, so¡­ I was just curious.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Saito admitted. ¡°The four of you never really had a chance to interact with other kids your age¡­ not until recently, at least.¡±


    ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t suggesting that we try to date the new recruits,¡± Mote responded.


    ¡°Ha! No, Mote, I¡¯m not. I can barely imagine that working out, anyways!¡±


    ¡°What about my question, though?¡± Danielle turned toward Hackett. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered, yet!¡±


    ¡°So I haven¡¯t. Hmm¡­¡± Hackett paused for a moment to think and eat part of her pizza. ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to explain what a romantic relationship is like, really. I guess it¡¯s kind of like¡­ having a best friend, but closer. More intimate, both physically, and emotionally.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay. Hmm¡­¡± Danielle looked down at her empty plate. ¡°I wonder if I can have that, some day¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a young man that suits you well, one day,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°Or woman. Or whatever you¡¯re interested in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± She passed him a doubtful glance. ¡°But you¡¯re still single, too, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The Colonel adopted a pained expression as he replied, ¡°you guys just aren¡¯t going to let that one go, are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hold your breath, personally,¡± Mote stated, ignoring Saito¡¯s quip as he addressed Danielle. ¡°Our work isolates us from the rest of the world, and for good reason. We have too much to do to waste time on futureless relationships.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a little harsh, don¡¯t you think?¡± Hackett questioned. ¡°Besides¡­ as important as our jobs are, you can¡¯t make your life revolve entirely around it. That¡¯s how you burn out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Mote responded, and then patted the book on the table near him. ¡°Which is why I have non-work-related hobbies.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should¡¯ve expected you to say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mote! You shouldn¡¯t think about work all the time!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s more fun things to do than read books, too! There¡¯s places to go, things to see! Like Nimalia! ¡­Aw, why do only Mark and Luke get to go to Nimalia, anyways?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, why do they have to go to Nimalia?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Well those are two very different questions,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°But we¡¯ve been over this. The new recruits went to Nimalia to train, and Mark and Captain Travis went with them to watch over them. We need someone to tag along with them, after all. And it would be a waste to have the entirety of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir there.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Danielle pouted.


    ¡°Is it not a waste to have any member of CSF-1 or the Eximius Vir there?¡± Mote pressed, ¡°Mark and the Captain both have invaluable skills that are being wasted on being chaperones for a bunch of kids!¡±


    ¡°You realize you¡¯re only a couple years older than the recruits, yourself, right?¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°The recruits may be 20 years old, but their inability to accept the responsibility of their positions is the mark of childish immaturity. And then we send them off anyways, due to a prophecy, of all things?!¡± Mote looked around at each of Saito, Hackett, and Danielle. ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one who sees how ridiculous this is, right?¡±


    ¡°This again¡­¡± Saito sighed warily. ¡°As I said, Mote¡­ we¡¯ve been over this. The supposed ¡®prophecy¡¯ doesn¡¯t factor into SERRCom¡¯s decision to send the recruits to Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you claimed that the Nimalians can teach them better than we can, but I don¡¯t buy that, sir. You were able to train us just fine.¡±


    ¡°And it took well over a decade to get the four of you to where you are now,¡± Saito countered. ¡°If having the recruits learn from Nimalian instructors can halve that time, then it¡¯s worth it. I simply don¡¯t see what the problem is, here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t like teaching them, anyways, Mote?¡± Danielle questioned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong now¡­?¡±


    Mote scowled and looked down as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just¡­¡± He glanced up at Danielle, and then back to Saito. ¡°¡­For as long as SERRCom has existed, we¡¯ve been relying heavily on the other nations in the galaxy, the Nimalians especially. But this can¡¯t last forever. Sooner or later, SERRCom ¡ª and Earth ¡ª will need to learn to stand on its own two feet, and part of that means training our own Chaotics. Not handing them off to someone else!¡±


    ¡°In an ideal world, perhaps I would agree with you,¡± Saito replied. ¡°It certainly would be nice if SERRCom was capable of being completely self-sufficient. But we don¡¯t live in that world, Mote, and we won¡¯t for quite some time. That isn¡¯t something to lament, either. If anything, we should be glad to have allies like the Nimalians who are willing to help us, even if that help is somehow in their own best interests.¡±


    ¡°The Colonel¡¯s right,¡± Hackett declared. ¡°The galaxy is a connected place, after all. We should take advantage of that, rather than pretend that no one else exists that could help us when we need it.¡±


    Mote grunted in disapproval. ¡°¡­Just sounds like we¡¯re handicapping ourselves, to me¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Well, regardless¡­ nothing we do or say now will change the fact that Mark, Travis, and the recruits are on Nimalia,¡± Saito stated. ¡°I appreciate you raising your concerns, Mote¡­ but the plan remains the same. This is the best we can do with the cards we¡¯ve been dealt.¡±


    A heavy silence fell over the table as Saito and Hackett continued eating their lunch, with Danielle fidgeting uncomfortably and Mote staring at the wall past the table. A holographic view of Earth stretched across the entirety of the far wall, a sight that most would find fascinating ¡ª but to Mote, it merely deepened his frustration. Why couldn¡¯t Earth be self-sufficient? And why do others seem so opposed to the idea, to start with?


    Just as Mote began to turn this thoughts over in his head, he noticed a clock on the far wall that read a time close to 1 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s right.¡± He grabbed his book and empty lunch tray and stood up from his seat. ¡°Kate wanted me to help her with the armor this afternoon¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember reading something about that¡­¡± Saito remarked, passing Mote a sideward glance. ¡°Take care, then. Try not to break anything.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, sir.¡± Mote nodded toward the Colonel, and then passed Hackett and Danielle brief glances before turning toward the garbage bins, prepared to finally continue on with his day.

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 15: Discoveries of the Past

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 15: Discoveries of the Past


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°Alright! Boot it up!¡±


    ¡°Starting up the Raenaros¡­¡± Mote muttered in response as he sat back in the Corvette¡¯s captain¡¯s chair. The longsword emblem under the chair began to glow a soft blue just as the helmet of the Aldredian armor appeared over his head, temporarily blocking out his vision. A moment later, the black nothingness was replaced by a view of Raenaros as though from a camera hovering outside the ship, allowing Mote to see both the Corvette and the small docking bay in which she sat.


    ¡°Everything looks fine¡­¡± came Sarah¡¯s voice from somewhere on the bridge behind Mote. ¡°Kate, Kirstin, you both have the Aldredian cipher, yes?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm¡­¡± Kirstin responded.


    ¡°I have the glasses,¡± Kate remarked. ¡°It¡¯s a real pain in the ass that we can¡¯t get the fucking ocular implants, though. Especially when those new recruits, and even CSF-1 just got some!¡±


    Mote frowned in response to Kate¡¯s complaint. She was obviously talking about Real-time Video, or RTV implants that were installed in the eyes. As their name suggested, they allowed for the real-time translation of visual text, effectively allowing anyone with a set of RTV implants to read text in a language that they otherwise didn¡¯t know. All four members of the Eximius Vir possessed the audio version of the translation implants ¡ª the RTA implants ¡ª but as Mote understood it, the process for installing those implants in the Eximius Vir had been incredibly difficult due to their passive increased durability. Furthermore, the Eximius Vir¡¯s powers couldn¡¯t be disabled by a CENT field; as a result, installing the cochlear RTA implants had required an incredibly precise set of beaming operations, such that SERRCom simply wasn¡¯t comfortable doing the same on the Eximius Vir¡¯s eyes. So, while the new recruits and the members of CSF-1 were recently able to obtain sets of RTV implants, the Eximius Vir were left out, only able to access visual translation technology through special AR glasses.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but also inevitable,¡± Sarah commented, putting voice to Mote¡¯s thoughts. ¡°You Eximius Vir are much too tough for the RTV implant surgery. You¡¯ll just have to make do with the glasses.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Kate grumbled, ¡°doesn¡¯t make it any less fucking annoying¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on the work at hand, shall we?¡± Mote suggested. ¡°I¡¯d prefer to get this over with.¡±


    ¡°What, laying in a recliner and doing nothing for an hour isn¡¯t relaxing?¡± Sarah quipped.


    ¡°Believe it or not, no, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Stop being a damned stick in the mud,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Your help here is advancing science for everyone!¡±


    ¡°The only ¡®help¡¯ I¡¯m offering is a warm body for this stupid armor,¡± Mote countered. ¡°I¡¯d rather be doing anything else if I could.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still sulking about this stuff? Didn¡¯t we discover just the other day that your fucking armor can use its flying system even under normal gravity? I¡¯d say that¡¯s a hell of a discovery!¡±


    ¡°Get back to me when you figure out how to fix the armor¡¯s activation requirements.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t like all of the attention, do you?¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°But unfortunately, Mote, I¡¯m going to have to ask you to grit your teeth and bear with us. Today, I¡¯m interested in looking into Raenaros¡¯s CCS, and you¡¯re the best ¡ª well, only ¡ª candidate we have to do that.¡±


    ¡°CCS¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Chaotic Channelling System. You and Kirstin mentioned in your reports that this ship is capable of serving as a conduit for your electricity as though she were your own body. I want to see that in action, and figure out if that¡¯s actually what¡¯s happening here, as well as any other limitations on the system.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see,¡± Mote responded curtly. As much as he disliked being a guinea pig, further study of the so-called CCS intrigued him. Aside from the fabrication system, Raenaros¡¯s Chaotic conduits were the most interesting aspect of the craft; if he could master the system, then Mote figured that the ship could be an incredible force multiplier for SERRCom.


    ¡°¡­It¡­ it¡¯s taking, um, l-longer than usual¡­¡± Kirstin eventually stated.


    ¡°Hmm? What is?¡± Sarah questioned.


    ¡°Th-the, um, the s-startup sequence¡­¡± As Kirstin spoke, Mote could hear her interacting with one of the consoles on the bridge. ¡°It¡­ it¡¯s g-going through, um, a-a lot more checks than before¡­¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s fuckin¡¯ weird,¡± Kate commented. ¡°Why the hell is it doing that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps it¡¯s the environment,¡± Sarah suggested. ¡°If the reports I read are correct, then all of Raenaros¡¯s prior activations were in moments of immediate need. This is the first time we¡¯re starting her up purely for study purposes. Perhaps the ship can detect that she¡¯s in a safe location ¡ª maybe by monitoring Mote¡¯s vitals, to see if he¡¯s in distress ¡ª and if she is, then she goes through a more thorough list of startup checks.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a large assumption,¡± Mote replied.


    ¡°True. It is just a shot in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Th-that seems, um¡­ c-correct, actually,¡± Kirstin said. ¡°Th-the readouts¡­ they, um, they s-support Sarah¡¯s suggestion¡­¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°I wonder if this will expose any new information or systems. What an interesting turn of events!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, but it also means we have to sit here and fucking wait for even longer than before,¡± Kate complained. ¡°Waiting is all I¡¯ve been doing, lately. I can¡¯t even work on my own projects without fucking supervision!¡±


    ¡°Still on probation, are we?¡± Sarah deadpanned.


    ¡°Yeah, and it¡¯s fucking stupid. Here we are, three of the greatest minds in SERRCom, all working on the same damned project, just because Hamasaki thinks I ¡®acted out¡¯!¡±


    ¡°You did act out,¡± Mote declared. ¡°You are acting out.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up, I don¡¯t need you piling on¡­¡± Kate grumbled. ¡°I could be working on those mechs we recovered from the Dreadnought, you know! I bet those things have a ton of cool shit on them. But nooooo, gotta be babysat all fucking day long!¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you acted like a responsible adult, you wouldn¡¯t be in this position,¡± Mote shot back. ¡°I¡¯ve told you before to cut the attitude; well, this is what happens when you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°My attitude isn¡¯t bad enough to shoot SERRCom¡¯s own technological progress in the foot! I¡¯ve already done tons for SERRCom as is, they should be fucking grateful!¡±


    ¡°And they are, but your abilities don¡¯t make you beyond reprieve. We Eximius Vir are still beholden to the same rules and regulations as everyone else, and that means that we must still be punished when we violate them, just like everyone else. In your case, that means blocking access to research projects, since it¡¯s the only damn thing you care about.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Kate grunted in irritation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lecture me about this shit¡­¡±


    ¡°Apparently I do, since you still haven¡¯t learned,¡± Mote countered. ¡°All you need to do is stop acting so hostile towards other people. It isn¡¯t hard!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, what-fucking-ever¡­¡±


    ¡°Ever the pair, you two,¡± Sarah remarked.


    ¡°Fucking, shut up,¡± Kate growled. ¡°Shit¡¯s no fun when Mote¡¯s around¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you seriously not¡ª?¡± Mote started admonishing her, only to stop himself as a large message box appeared in the center of his vision. As the text was in the Aldredian language, he couldn¡¯t read it, and he moved to dismiss it as he had with other such messages ¡ª that is, until Kirstin spoke up.


    ¡°W-whoa¡­¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s an odd response from you,¡± Sarah commented. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Is it related to this message that just showed up on my HUD?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­ I think,¡± Kirstin responded slowly. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ i-it¡¯s asking if, uh, i-if we want to do the, um¡­ r-re-i-initialization. Which, uh¡­ i-includes a language option¡­¡±


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    ¡°A language option?¡± Kate echoed incredulously. ¡°What use would that be? All of the options are just going to be variants of Aldredian.¡±


    ¡°Still, the fact that we¡¯re being offered a reinitialisation is novel,¡± Sarah pointed out. ¡°Raenaros didn¡¯t do this any other time she was booted up, right? This is more evidence for my earlier suggestion ¡ª and, more than that, a reinitialisation should surely grant us greater access to the ship¡¯s systems.¡±


    ¡°I take it I should start the process, then?¡± Mote questioned, and then moved to select the option that was equivalent to ¡®yes¡¯. He may not have been able to read the text, but his previous interactions with the system allowed him to at least tell the difference between ¡®yes¡¯ and ¡®no¡¯. As soon he selected the ¡®yes¡¯ option, the message disappeared ¡ª and then, slowly but steadily, the elements of his HUD that he could see began to change. At first, it all disappeared completely, but then the elements returned one by one: the shield charge readout, a display of hull integrity, an altimeter and other meters relevant to air travel, gauges showing how much thrust each engine was outputting, a small readout that the ship had just configured itself for an Electrotechnic captain¡ª ¡­Wait, wait! Mote¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion as he focused on the Electrotechnic message. ¡­I can read it!


    ¡°It¡­ i-it¡¯s all in, uh, English!¡± Kirstin exclaimed.


    ¡°Well, well, well,¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°It translated everything into a language that we ¡ª that Mote ¡ª actually knows. How did it even do that?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe it, um¡­ maybe it was l-listening to us, um, talk? A-and translated, uh¡­ a-accordingly?¡±


    ¡°That is an option, if perhaps uncomfortable in the security implications. Even more disturbing might be that it was able to interface with Mote¡¯s RTA implants and download data off of them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it what?!¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a suggestion,¡± Sarah replied. ¡°¡­Still¡­ we should definitely inspect all of the translation systems present for any kind of unauthorised access. Same for the computers around here.¡±


    Kate snorted in derision. ¡°That¡¯s one hell of a paranoid response.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. The automatic translation is amazing, but at the same time, we can¡¯t just let alien technology interface with our own without any kind of supervision. Kirstin, can you look into that for me? In the meantime, Kate, let¡¯s set up for the CCS testing. With the interface in English, now, we should be able to get far more information out of this than I expected!¡±


    ¡°You sure sound excited.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you? This is a breakthrough! Almost literally! I know you like to talk about those a lot.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, well¡­¡±


    As Kate and Sarah continued discussing the new system and setting up for their tests, Mote returned his attention to his HUD. Every single element was now legible to him, and if the reactions of Kate, Kirstin, and Sarah were any indication, then the projected displays throughout the rest of the small bridge were now in English as well. Which could mean that everything on the ship is translated, now, Mote mused, would that include video, as well¡­? His thoughts momentarily turned to the video of the red-headed woman that he had seen the very first time he activated Raenaros. The woman in the video spoke Aldredian, and all of the background text was in Aldredian ¡ª but with this new discovery, perhaps he would be able to understand what she was saying. Perhaps he would be able to tell why she had appeared in his vision¡­


    ¡°Alright, everything¡¯s setup. Mote, are you ready?¡±


    After hearing Sarah¡¯s prompt, Mote dismissed the idle thoughts from his mind; his personal investigation could wait until later. The woman appearing in my vision is likely a coincidence, anyways. That, or some kind of trick my mind is playing on me, or faulty memory. Anyways¡­ ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± he eventually responded as he settled into the captain¡¯s chair, preparing himself mentally for a series of boring tasks. ¡°So, how is this going to work¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    2 Hours Later


    Focused silence, accompanied only by the soft sounds of typing, permeated a small office room aboard the space station Opportunity. At one of the desks near the middle of the room sat Sarah, typing away her findings from earlier, while at one of the desks in the back sat Kirstin, who worked on a separate task altogether. Half an hour had passed since the two had wrapped up the day¡¯s testing on Raenaros; Mote and Kate had since split off to continue studying the Aldredian Armor, while Sarah and Kirstin had returned to their office to write up their findings. Raenaros¡¯s Chaotic Channeling System had proved to be an intriguing piece of technology ¡ª according to both the tests and Mote¡¯s own testimony, the CCS allowed him to manipulate electricity throughout the craft as deftly and easily as he could through his own body, enabling him to perform incredibly precise voltage tweaks within the craft as well as fire off lightning strikes with far longer range, power, and accuracy than he could all on his own. In Sarah¡¯s words, the system could be ¡°the first real breakthrough in Chaotic ability amplification that the galaxy has ever seen.¡± Now, the challenge was to figure out exactly how it worked ¡ª or, in the very least, to reverse engineer a version that SERRCom could produce with its own technology.


    That challenge was one for the future, however; for now, Sarah had only to write up her findings and attempt to convince the higher ups in SERRCom that reverse engineering the CCS was a worthwhile project to pursue. And while she worked on that, Kirstin took up a different project: continuing to analyze the data retrieved from the Aldredian Dreadnought. The amount of data retrieved was incredible, such that Kirstin still hadn¡¯t been able to look through most of it, but she had already discovered a few dozen galactic coordinates. These coordinates were nearly a hundred thousand years old, and as such they required some re-calibration in order to account for stellar drift and apply them to the modern galaxy; this was the process that Kirstin now focused on.


    Alright¡­ that should do it for now¡­ she thought to herself as she stared at the screen in front of her. Thankfully, the Aldredians based their galactic coordinates on the Interstellar Gate coordinate system, so translating them into our own units isn¡¯t difficult. Now, I just need to apply a hundred thousand years of stellar drift. Finally, I should have some workable coordinates soon¡ª


    ¡°Well! Looks like the tae o¡¯ ye are hard at work!¡±


    Kirstin felt every muscle in her body reflexively tense as a thick Scottish accent drew her attention toward the entrance to the office. Standing in the doorway was a man of average height, with light skin and short, scruffy blond hair. A similarly scruffy goatee adorned his face, which itself was angular and bore faint age marks that made the man appear to be around 50 years old. He wore a black shirt and pants, as was common for SERRCom personnel, though over that he had on a white lab coat. Sewn just above his left breast pocket was a mundane patch that named the man as Scott MacTavish, the Director of the Earthian Technological Advancement Agency ¡ª and Kirstin¡¯s father.


    ¡°Oh, Scott!¡± Sarah looked up from her work as the Director stepped into the office. ¡°Did you finally manage to weasel out of the day¡¯s meetings?¡±


    ¡°Ach¡­ I suppose sae,¡± Scott remarked with a weary sigh. ¡°I get meetin¡¯s are important, but I just spent five hours listenin¡¯ tae six different project proposals. And I have another three tae listen tae tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°You better brace yourself, then, because I have a new proposal coming up soon, myself!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sometimes I wish I could gae back in time and tell my younger self to nae accept the Directorship¡­¡± Scott shook his head in resignation before glancing toward the other room inhabitant. ¡°¡­Doin¡¯ well, Kirstin?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­!¡± Her eyes widened in response to being directly addressed, at which point she awkwardly glanced away. ¡°Uh¡­ y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good tae hear. How¡¯s your mother doin¡¯? I haven¡¯t had the chance tae talk tae her in a while.¡±


    ¡°Sh-she¡¯s¡­ um, she¡¯s f-fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Scott nodded approvingly before turning back toward Sarah. ¡°Sae what¡¯s this about a new proposal? This have anything tae dae with Raenaros?¡±


    Sarah smirked. ¡°It does. I had a feeling you might be interested.¡±


    ¡°Reverse-engineering mysteriously advanced spacecraft is how I got tae where I am,¡± Scott declared. ¡°O¡¯ course I¡¯m interested in Raenaros! I also would have loved tae see that shipyard that CSF-1 saw¡­ quite a shame Captain Krick decided tae blow it up.¡± He passed a glance toward Kirstin. ¡°How was the yard? How amazin¡¯ was it?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ uh¡­ i-it was, um¡­ cool, I-I guess?¡± Kirstin responded without once making eye contact.


    ¡°Ah, what a lucky lass ye are!¡± Scott exclaimed. ¡°Ah wish I could see some of the things you¡¯ve gotten tae see.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, well. Being Director comes with its own responsibilities.¡± Scott sighed again as he turned to address Sarah once more. ¡°Sae what¡¯s this about Raenaros, hmm? Tae catch your eye, I bet it¡¯s something about the Chaos Energy-based systems, isnae?¡±


    ¡°You know me well,¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°It¡¯s the Chaotic Channelling System. The tests with Mote were incredibly promising! If we could reverse-engineer it, then we could have a way to artificially amplify a Chaotic¡¯s powers. Doesn¡¯t that sound amazing?¡±


    ¡°It definitely does sound useful¡­¡± Scott commented as he stroked his bearded chin in thought. ¡°Sounds like an easy sell tae the military side of things, for sure. Being able tae literally sell something like a Chaotic amplifier tae the rest of the galaxy is certain tae be appealing tae the General. ¡­Though it sounds like arms dealin¡¯, when I say it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose it does¡­¡± Sarah frowned, and then shrugged. ¡°But there¡¯s still a lot of potential for good. I don¡¯t think anyone would argue with being able to better fight the Drakkars, or the Riaxen!¡±


    ¡°True!¡± Scott nodded approvingly. ¡°Still, Ah cannae officially approve the project without goin¡¯ through the proposal process, sae I expect tae see that on my desk soon!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have it ready for you even sooner than that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d expect nae less from ye, lass!¡± Scott grinned, and then glanced over at Kirstin again. ¡°How¡¯s your work goin¡¯, Kirstin? Any interesting discoveries of your own?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ s-sort of¡­¡± She paused for a moment, looking over the data on her screen ¡ª just as the stellar drift computations completed, and a handful of notes about the new coordinates appeared. ¡°O-oh! Um, I ad-adjusted some more of the, um, the c-coordinates from the, uh, the Dreadnought¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, really? Is there anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin skimmed through the notes for a moment. ¡°¡­Huh. Uh, s-some of them, um, l-line up with the m-modern day, uh, homeworlds.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Scott moved to the back of the room to peer over Kirstin¡¯s shoulder at her screen; she uneasily fidgeted in her chair as he approached, but he seemed too focused on the data to notice. ¡°¡­Huh. So they dae!¡± he remarked after looking everything over himself. ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Coordinates for Earth, Nimalia, Siionleh, Y¡¯kisdral, Citici¡­ hmm, even for Tyrnaus and Turiax.¡±


    ¡°Th-there¡¯s also, um¡­ a s-second set of, uh, t-two-dimensional coordinates with each, uh, homeworld,¡± Kirstin pointed out. ¡°P-probably pointing to, uh, s-something on the surface?¡±


    ¡°That does seem likely¡­¡± Scott nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I wonder what those point tae. If there¡¯s some kind of Aldredian data or technology cache sitting right here on Earth, under our noses¡­ well, that could be quite the discovery!¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ s-so I¡¯ll, uh, l-look into those¡­¡± Kirstin responded, and then passed her father a brief glance. ¡°A-also, uh, I already, um, ad-adjusted some of the, uh, c-coordinates a f-few days ago¡­ they s-seemed, uh, p-promising, so I, um, s-submitted them to, uh, well¡­ th-the ETAA, a-and General Lead¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? Good work!¡± Scott grinned at Kirstin; she met his eyes for only a brief moment before looking down, though a subtle smile appeared on her face.


    ¡°Th-thanks¡­¡± she responded quietly.


    ¡°Aye! I had a feeling that you had promise with SERRCom. It¡¯s good tae know I was right! Keep up the good work, Kirstin!¡±


    Just as quickly as the smile had appeared, Kirstin¡¯s expression returned to mild discomfort. ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways.¡± Scott stepped away from Kirstin¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ tae gae take a look at Raenaros myself, see if there¡¯s any spacecraft-related tech we could pull out of it. Sarah, that CCS stuff does sound promising; send me a couple quick notes, will ye, lass?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sarah nodded. ¡°But, Scott, you do know that Raenaros won¡¯t activate without Mote around, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that, but even a ship that¡¯s shut down has secrets you can learn,¡± Scott remarked, and then made for the office exit. ¡°And now, tae the fun part of my job!¡± Before either Sarah or Kirstin could say anything more, he had disappeared through the door, leaving behind only echoing footsteps as he briskly walked down the hallway.


    Sarah eyed the now-empty doorway with an amused smirk before glancing toward Kirstin. ¡°That Scott¡­ ever the busy one, hmm?¡±


    ¡°U-uh¡­ I-I guess¡­¡± Kirstin muttered, her head down and shoulders hunched as she focused on the screen in front of her.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s make like him and get to work, then, shall we? Science never sleeps, after all!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s hands then began flying across her keyboard as she resumed typing up her proposal. As she did, Kirstin eyed her uneasily, and then shifted her attention to the empty doorway, where her gaze lingered for several moments. Eventually, she released a quiet sigh and returned her attention to the screen in front of her, tuning out thoughts of her father in favor of the work at hand.

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 16: Sights of a New Land

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 16: Sights of a New Land


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Isdia, Skydiath 7, 8054 ¡ª


    (Thursday, October 27, 2129 AD)


    ¡°¡­Oh, Luke, Mark. Didn¡¯t expect to see y¡¯all here.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Luke offered a casual wave as Austin and Spike stepped into the small kitchen area in which he was sitting. ¡°If anything, I think I¡¯m the one who should be surprised to see y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mark nodded in agreement as he searched through one of the kitchen cabinets. ¡°I thought you guys didn¡¯t like waking up early.¡±


    ¡°Usually, yeah¡­¡± Austin admitted sheepishly, ¡°but it¡¯s still already ten or so, right? Figured I shouldn¡¯t spend the whole morning sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Ah, fair enough,¡± Mark commented as he continued looking through the kitchen. The cooking area was located on the first floor of the dorms, just a couple doors down from the Earthians¡¯ rooms. It featured a small dining table, only large enough for four, as well as counter space for cooking. Accompanying that counter space was a variety of cooking implements, ranging from a stove-like device to a stone fire-driven oven built directly into the wall. The kitchen even featured a large, refrigerated stone box built into the wall across from the oven, with a couple of giant ice cubes sitting in the bottom. As the cubes were far too large to use for any practical purposes ¡ª they were nearly half a meter long on each side ¡ª Mark speculated that they existed as a backup cooling system for any items in the refrigerator.


    Sitting in a bowl atop the counter were a handful of Nimalian cooking tools, of similar shapes to the spoons, knives, spatulas, and other implements that could be found in a common kitchen on Earth. And then, just next to that bowl, was another bowl filled with Mark¡¯s own Earthian cooking tools. However, aside from that, the kitchen and the cabinets that lined its walls were empty. No food was present; aside from the Earthians, there were no occupied rooms near this kitchen, so it seemed to have been completely left alone.


    ¡°Enjoyin¡¯ the new place?¡± Spike questioned with a smirk as he watched Mark unpack more tools and lay them out on the counter.


    ¡°¡­I suppose you could say that,¡± Mark replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to be living here for over a year, after all. I figured that I might as well make myself at home, and see what kinds of tools this kitchen has. Maybe I can even make regular meals for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Aw, you don¡¯t have to do that,¡± Austin quickly responded, only for Mark to shake his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he insisted. ¡°I actually enjoy cooking. Besides¡­ when living in a foreign land, it¡¯s not uncommon to get homesick. If I can assuage that a little bit by making familiar dishes from home, then I¡¯d be more than happy to cook for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ever the considerate one,¡± Luke remarked from his seat at the dining table.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ I just try my best to help out those around me, that¡¯s all,¡± Mark responded bashfully.


    ¡°Well, hey, I ain¡¯t complainin¡¯,¡± Spike declared. ¡°I look forward to seein¡¯ what you can cook! But, in the meantime¡­¡± He glanced over at Luke. ¡°Austin, the twins, an¡¯ I were gonna go check out the town, you know, try to get to know this place where we¡¯ll be livin¡¯. You up for that?¡±


    ¡°Oh! It sounds like my timing was perfect, then!¡±


    The four men looked toward the kitchen entrance opposite of Austin and Spike, where Kar¨ªsah now stood, wearing what looked like the same white and beige outfit as she had a couple days ago.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Kar¨ªsah, right?¡± Mark turned toward her. ¡°How can we help?¡±


    ¡°I was actually hopin¡¯ to help all of you,¡± she replied as she glanced at each of the others present in the room. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend, after all, so there aren¡¯t any classes. I had some errands I needed to run, so I thought¡­ why not use this as a chance to show y¡¯all around?¡±


    ¡°Certainly can¡¯t argue with having a guide,¡± Luke commented as he casually stood up from his seat. ¡°Not to mention how useful it¡¯ll be to have someone who actually understands us.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ that was one of the things I was thinkin¡¯, too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Austin passed his uncle a confused glance. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just get some kind of universal translator implants? I mean, we¡¯re talkin¡¯ to Kar¨ªsah here just fine, and she understands us. Why would we have problems in town?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone in Tresnon has RTA implants,¡± Kar¨ªsah explained. ¡°In fact¡­ pretty much only the students and teachers here at WCU have the implants. Selind and some of the other Defense Force members are some of the only exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well that¡¯s inconvenient¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s awfully nice of you to offer a tour!¡± Spike remarked. ¡°We really appreciate it! Lemme go get the twins, and then we can head out!¡±


    ¡°We should probably check with the others, too,¡± Luke commented as Spike left. ¡°Austin, can you go get Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel? See if they¡¯re interested in a tour of Tresnon?¡±


    ¡°¡­Eugh¡­¡± Austin passed his uncle a look of uneasy disgust. ¡°You want me to get Pierce¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Well, if you¡¯re that reluctant¡­¡± Luke turned toward Mark. ¡°Can you do it, then?¡±


    ¡°Got it, sir!¡± Mark offered a quick salute and a nod toward Kar¨ªsah before leaving the kitchen himself. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ I didn¡¯t expect y¡¯all to like my idea so much,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry if we¡¯re putting too much stress on you,¡± Luke responded. ¡°I can roll back that request, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just¡­ a weird feeling, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, we¡¯ll be in your hands, then. I am rather interested in seeing what this place has to offer¡­¡±


    ¡°And whether or not it¡¯s all as dusty as what we¡¯ve already seen¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s plenty enough to see,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied as she adopted a reassuring smile. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to show you everything, of course, but by the end of today, you¡¯ll have seen everything you need for your stay here. I hope you like it!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­And here is the campus plaza. We just left the dorms, obviously ¡ª now, the building to your left is the administration building, and the one across from the dorms is mostly classrooms. Though, most of them aren¡¯t used right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°There just aren¡¯t enough students¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°The Schools of Chaos cap enrollment at 100 students per class, and WCU was renovated a few years ago to be able to support that¡­ but in reality, we only have around 50 students per class. That¡¯s around 300 in total. Not a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°So people just aren¡¯t signing up? I wonder why.¡± Pierce snorted in derision as he glanced around at his dusty surroundings. He, as well as all of the rest of the Earthians, currently stood within the small stone plaza that occupied the space in the middle of the three buildings on the WCU campus. A thin layer of sand and dust carpeted the square, as well as the handful of benches that existed along the building walls ¡ª but the square was otherwise empty. Small groups of students would occasionally come and go, offering the Earthians and Kar¨ªsah odd glances as they passed by, but not stopping to interact. Many of them seemed guarded, or otherwise wary of the Earthians.


    ¡°It is pretty dusty around here,¡± Conrad observed with his hands in his pockets as he followed Pierce¡¯s lead in looking around. ¡°Maybe people just don¡¯t like the desert?¡±


    ¡°Tres¨¦dians are well used to livin¡¯ in the desert, believe me,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded, and then shook her head forlornly. ¡°I wish we could get more Tres¨¦dian Chaotics to sign up for WCU¡­ but it¡¯s hard. Then again, few things aren¡¯t, around here.¡±


    ¡°You really know a lot about enrollment and all that shit, huh?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a student yourself, though? Why do you care about all this?¡±


    ¡°That have anything to do with you being one of the ¡®Elite Six¡¯?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ sort of,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied sheepishly. ¡°The Elite Six title is¡­ a little overrated, honestly. It¡¯s not like I try much harder than anyone else around here. I didn¡¯t really do anything to get this level of strength¡­¡±


    ¡°What does the title actually mean? Is there some kind of official tournament, or something?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ yes.¡± Kar¨ªsah nodded. ¡°The Annual Chaotic Tournament, usually referred to as the ACT. It¡¯s a competition between all of the Schools of Chaos to see who is the best Chaotic ¡ª in terms of fighting, at least. The ACT is team-based, but even so¡­ people have taken to grouping the top Chaotic from each school into this ¡®Elite Six¡¯ nonsense.¡±


    ¡°So you won a Chaotic tournament against everyone else? Wow, that¡¯s really cool!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Ah, no, not quite¡­ my team lost last year, to Sm¨¦than¡¯s team, from KCC. And then they lost to Cart¨¦rius, from TIC, in the finals.¡±


    ¡°Sm¨¦than? Cart¨¦rius? Heh. They sound like chumps,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°If there¡¯s a tournament here, then I¡¯ll be at the top of it before you know it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to have an easy win as long as I¡¯m around!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t underestimate Cart¨¦rius, either,¡± Kar¨ªsah stated. ¡°He¡¯s a Materiatechnic, and almost as skilled as Kaon¨¦, in many ways. He¡¯ll probably keep winning until he graduates.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce released a proud snort. ¡°I¡¯ll see about that!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ you Earthians really are a proud lot¡­¡±


    The arrival of a new voice prompted the group to turn to the left, toward the administration building. Approaching from the building was an older woman, about average height, with tan skin, scruffy black bangs, and long black hair tied back into a ponytail. She wore a white shirt, beige pants, brown boots, and a beige cloak, not unlike Kar¨ªsah ¡ª but she also bore a set of black gloves that went up just past her wrists.


    ¡°And who might you be?¡± Pierce questioned as he eyed the woman with mild irritation.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah stepped up to the woman just as she stopped in front of the group. ¡°Everyone, this is Ralak Adax, one of the teachers here at WCU. She¡¯s the Head of Combat, actually.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± Ralak grunted as she slowly swept her gaze across the group.


    ¡°Head of Combat, huh? You must be pretty skilled, then!¡± Spike remarked. ¡°What kind of stuff do you teach?¡±


    Ralak turned to stare at Spike. ¡°¡­I teach Chaotics how to not die.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. ¡­Well, yeah, I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°And I also try to teach them how to not get into fights in the first place.¡± She momentarily looked down at her gloved hands before returning her attention to the group. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing you learn from your time here, it should be this: never fight when you don¡¯t have to, and never force others to fight when they would rather not.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Yeah, but what about when we do have to fight?¡± Pierce pressed, ¡°what do you know about that? What kind of Chaotic are you, anyways?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tres¨¦d is not a place that usually cares about manners,¡± Ralak commented, ¡°but few Tres¨¦dians will take challenges like that lying down. Be careful who you approach.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Pierce stared at her incredulously. ¡°I¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°My Chaotic type does not matter at the moment, anyways. I won¡¯t be the one teaching you. Not at first.¡± She then turned around and resumed walking, taking her away from the Earthians and the square altogether.


    ¡°That was¡­ something,¡± Sky said with a confused frown as the group watched Ralak leave.


    ¡°Are all Tres¨¦dians this¡­ curt?¡± Twy asked as she turned toward Kar¨ªsah.


    The Tres¨¦dian released a weary sigh before responding, ¡°¡­more often than I¡¯d like, yes. But don¡¯t worry, once you get to know Ralak, you¡¯ll be able to tell that she really does care. Just like Dav¨ªdrius!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s story, anyways?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°he sure didn¡¯t seem pleased to see us when we first got here. So why is he even teaching us in the first place?¡±


    ¡°The other Deans talked him into it¡­ but don¡¯t worry about his attitude,¡± Kar¨ªsah insisted. ¡°He complains about a lot of things, even things that he actually likes. It¡¯s just how he is.¡±


    ¡°How endearing,¡± Phoenix deadpanned.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really somethin¡¯,¡± Luke remarked, and then jerked his head toward the campus gates across the training fields. ¡°How about showin¡¯ us the rest of the town? I think we¡¯ve spent enough time here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right! Sorry, sorry.¡± Kar¨ªsah began leading the group toward the gates as she continued, ¡°the rest of Tresnon is more lively than the campus, especially on a weekend morning. Just wait until you see the lakefront¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­Huh. Nice view¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, really now?¡± Phoenix questioned as she passed Pierce an incredulous glance. ¡°What happened to all of that complaining earlier, hmm?¡±


    Pierce responded with an unamused snort as he continued to look over the scene before him and the rest of the Earthians. A wide, gentle slope descended down to a bustling market street, with solid stone buildings and colorful signage on the north side of the street, and open-air stalls on the south side. Large pavilions covered the stalls, providing much appreciated shade against the overbearing sun shining down through cloudless skies; under these pavilions, crowds of patrons buffeted each other around as they inspected the myriad goods and items for sale. On sale in one such stall appeared to be collections of tools crafted out of stone and metal ¡ª in another stall farther down were crates full of fish and other creatures that appeared to originate from the water. Even more goods appeared along the length of the market street, itself nearly two kilometers long by Pierce¡¯s guess ¡ª though all of the goods seemed to be utilitarian in some nature. Tools, food, clothing; as far as Pierce could see, there wasn¡¯t much in the way of art or decorative items.


    The buildings on the north side of the street were just as busy as the stalls, with people constantly flowing in and out of the doors. With few windows, it was difficult to see inside many of the buildings, but the signage was enough to indicate that many of them were grocers or clothing stores. Most of the buildings had front-facing loading areas as well, where small trucks would park to unload goods. Pierce watched as one such truck, now empty after unloading its cargo, carefully maneuvered through the crowded street and down a ramp on the south side ¡ª where it soon entered the Tresnon docks. Said docks spanned the shores of the massive lake that bordered Tresnon; so massive was the lake, in fact, that it stretched to the southern horizon with no opposite shore in sight. Had Kar¨ªsah not explicitly called the body of water a lake, Pierce would¡¯ve guessed that they were looking at the shores of an ocean.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The docks and piers that lined the lakefront stretched on even further than the market street, with busy cargo docks located near the center of the street and smaller piers on the ends, filled with lakefood shops and docked fishing boats. While not as busy as the market street itself, the piers were still filled with people rushing about to purchase lakefood or tend to the boats. There was even an area on the near side of the docks that seemed to be dedicated entirely to bars, restaurants, and other recreational businesses, each with colorful signage to draw customers in.


    However, despite the bustling streets, numerous businesses, and dozens upon dozens of colorful signs, sand-toned beige and stone gray dominated the colorscape. Stone buildings, beige pavilions, beige clothing, and the subtle presence of sandy dust in the air made it clear that ¡ª despite the lakefront ¡ª this market existed in a desert.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to see this many people¡­¡± Conrad remarked as he stepped up next to Pierce.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pierce nodded absentmindedly. ¡°¡­Well, I have to give credit where it¡¯s due. This place looks more interesting than I expected. It¡¯s still no bay area, of course, but¡­ not bad.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­? I think?¡± Kar¨ªsah responded from the side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°That kind of compliment is about as good as you can expect from him.¡±


    ¡°I, for one, think this is an incredible find!¡± Mark said, his eyes sweeping across the markets and stalls in wonder. ¡°Particularly the grocers, and the seafood there, down at the docks. I¡¯ve been wondering what kind of food items might be available here; I can¡¯t wait to check it out!¡±


    ¡°There any places you recommend?¡± Luke questioned as he passed Kar¨ªsah a glance. ¡°Preferably, ones that we could visit and buy from without having to talk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the lack of translation implants around here is kind of an issue¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah frowned as she looked up in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ there¡¯s S¨¦dian¡¯s Produce, at the far east end of Market Street. They sell some of the produce that we manage to grow at the farms; I think they should have enough signs for you to manage without having to ask for help, or haggle¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Sky turned to Kar¨ªsah in surprise. ¡°Farms? Around here?¡±


    ¡°There is a massive lake right over there,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s fertile land bordering it, as well.¡±


    ¡°There is, but not as much as you would hope,¡± Kar¨ªsah stated. ¡°Mirage Lake does give Compound Tresnon and the surrounding area more water and rainfall than in the rest of Tres¨¦d¡­ but it still isn¡¯t much. There¡¯s barely enough to support Tresnon as is, and, well¡­ I¡¯m sure you all know just how small the Compound is, compared to cities on the other continents.¡±


    ¡°Or on Earth¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Spike remarked as he looked out over the massive lake to the south. ¡°Even with this much water around you, you still live in a desert? That¡¯s rough.¡±


    ¡°It also doesn¡¯t make much sense,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Where the hell does the lake¡¯s water come from?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not really my area of, uh, knowledge, eh heh.¡± Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily. ¡°I do know that Tresnon has used Hydrotechnics in the past to help refill the lake¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. Hydrotechnics can refill the lake?¡± Twy looked at Kar¨ªsah in confusion. ¡°Does¡­ does that mean that Hydrotechnics can just¡­ conjure up water out of nothing?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Kar¨ªsah returned the look. ¡°They¡¯re Chaotics. It¡¯s what they do. Just like how Pyrotechnics can make fire out of nothing, or Electrotechnics can make lightning out of nothing. It¡¯s all the same.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, I guess. But not really? ¡­But I guess it actually is¡­ huh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lost,¡± Sky declared. ¡°Sis, what the hell are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Probably the conservation of matter,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°Normally, you can¡¯t just make matter or energy out of thin air. Physics doesn¡¯t work like that. With the bullshit that is Chaos Energy, though, I guess it makes some level of sense that being able to conjure up matter out of nothing is just something that Chaotics can do¡­ as little physical sense as it makes.¡±


    Sky stared at Phoenix blankly for a couple moments. ¡°¡­I¡¯m still lost.¡±


    ¡°Chaotics can defy the laws of physics,¡± Spike stated.


    ¡°¡­Oh. Well, yeah, I already knew that!¡± Sky exclaimed, and then crossed her arms in a huff. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say that?¡±


    Phoenix responded with a weary sigh. ¡°Right. Why didn¡¯t I.¡±


    ¡°Well, any other places we should know of?¡± Conrad questioned as he turned back toward Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Aside from this produce place?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Other than S¨¦dian¡¯s, there¡¯s also Karnan¡¯s ¡ª a general goods store ¡ª and Ralgia, a clothing store. Those are the big three in Tresnon,¡± Kar¨ªsah answered.


    ¡°What about restaurants? Or bars?¡± Pierce asked. ¡°Any cool places to hang out?¡±


    ¡°Bars? Uh¡­ I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t really go to bars¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t tell me that you Tres¨¦dians are a bunch of teetotalers¡­¡±


    Kar¨ªsah stared at him in confusion. ¡°¡®Teetotalers¡¯?¡± she echoed.


    ¡°Folks who don¡¯t drink,¡± Luke answered. ¡°That don¡¯t drink alcohol, that is. You know, beer, wine, the whole works.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right.¡± Kar¨ªsah passed him a glance before returning her attention to Pierce. ¡°In that case, drinkin¡¯ alcohol is actually kind of a problem around here. Tres¨¦dians tend to do it too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Not you?¡± Kestrel asked.


    ¡°No. For one, most Introtechnics have a very difficult time gettin¡¯ drunk, and I have two different Introtechnic abilities. So drinkin¡¯ would be pointless.¡±


    ¡°Sucks to be you,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Velocitechnic?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned. ¡°Velocitechnism is a type of Introtechnism. Your inherent durability will also make it very difficult for you to get drunk.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw, fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°Not liking that speed so much, now, huh?¡± Phoenix smirked as she jabbed her elbow into Pierce¡¯s side, to which he responded with an annoyed scowl.


    ¡°Last thing we need is a drunk speedster, anyways, so that sounds fine to me,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Alright, you¡ª!¡± Pierce started, but was interrupted as Sky asked Kar¨ªsah another question.


    ¡°Was there a second reason you don¡¯t drink?¡± Sky asked, ¡°you started with ¡®for one¡¯. Is there more to this story?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Kar¨ªsah smiled sheepishly. ¡°Well, Dav¨ªdrius doesn¡¯t drink, either, so I never really had a chance to try it while growin¡¯ up.¡±


    ¡°I mean, most kids don¡¯t get alcohol while growin¡¯ up,¡± Austin said.


    Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°Most? What kind of losers did you grow up with?¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Hate to burst your bubble, Austin, but Pierce has a point,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Most folks I know had a shot at alcohol before they were of legal age. I know me and your dad sure did.¡±


    ¡°Why would whether or not Dav¨ªdrius drinks affect you, anyways?¡± Sky questioned as she turned back to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°What, is he your dad or something?¡±


    ¡°We-well, no¡­¡± The Tres¨¦dian Forcetechnic looked down. ¡°He doesn¡¯t really like it if I call him dad¡­ but he did take me in after I lost my parents, and gave me a home. And raised me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So he¡¯s your dad.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ don¡¯t let him hear you say that. He doesn¡¯t like the idea of bein¡¯ a parent.¡±


    ¡°But why? Isn¡¯t that kinda messed up¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Luke loudly cleared his throat, cutting off Sky and drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s save the deep backstory questions for another time, and another venue,¡± he continued. ¡°Let¡¯s not burn much more of Kar¨ªsah¡¯s time than we have to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s fine, really,¡± Kar¨ªsah insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t have much else to do today.¡±


    ¡°What, do you not have any friends to hang out with?¡± Pierce questioned with a self-amused smirk.


    ¡°What? Of course I do!¡± Kar¨ªsah then looked off to the side. ¡°She just¡­ isn¡¯t in town at the moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we¡¯re still grateful for the little tour,¡± Luke quickly interjected to stave off the awkward silence that threatened to overtake the group. ¡°Anywhere else we should see?¡±


    ¡°What about the walls?¡± Spike questioned as he looked out over the city. Due to the fact that the group stood at the top of the slope down to Market Street, they could easily see the tall stone barrier that surrounded the entirety of Tresnon. ¡°Seems like an important part of the city.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I guess it is,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked. ¡°I guess it might be useful to show you all the guardhouse, as well. Alright then, everyone, follow me! Let¡¯s go see Tresnon¡¯s wall!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So this goes all the way around the city, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do much good if it didn¡¯t, after all.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Austin muttered as he looked left and right at the long wall on which he and the rest of the group stood. At just over three stories tall and wide enough to host a two-lane road, the solid structure that was the compound wall appeared much sturdier than Austin expected. Stone made up the majority of the wall¡¯s construction, with metal plating attached to the outer side. On the top of the wall, a chest-high barrier protected the path from the outer world, while the inner side of the path was guarded by a simple metal railing that looked to be flaking paint and rusting in parts. Every couple hundred meters along the top of the wall, there were large guns with single seats for a gunner. Each gun had a massive barrel, and they were all currently pointing skyward, as though stowed away for later use.


    The wall ran the entire way around Compound Tresnon, and even a couple hundred meters into Mirage Lake so as to prevent any intruders from simply swimming in shallow waters around the wall. From where Austin stood, he could tell that the two wall endpoints in the lake also featured tall towers, out of which several guns protruded ¡ª likely additional fortifications to prevent intruders from circumventing the wall.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of guns¡­¡± Conrad observed as he casually looked over the wall himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty standard, really,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented. ¡°A wall on its own doesn¡¯t help much against attackers. You have to be able to drive them off, too.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°You say ¡®standard¡¯ like this kind of wall is common,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°They are common,¡± Kar¨ªsah answered. ¡°Every Compound in Tres¨¦d has a wall. Most of them aren¡¯t as big or heavily defended as Tresnon¡¯s, but every Compound has one. Many have shield generators, too.¡±


    ¡°I remember someone saying that Tresnon has a shield generator,¡± Mark commented as he looked to the tower in the center of the town. ¡°So this is a common thing, then?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, yes. Though, accordin¡¯ to Dav¨ªdrius and Selind, most Compounds don¡¯t have to run their generators as much as they used to.¡±


    ¡°And let me tell you, it was a real pain in the ass to reach that point!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª? Oh!¡± Kar¨ªsah looked past the Earthians as Selind walked up behind them, dressed the same as a few days ago ¡ª including the gun slung over her back. ¡°Selind! Did we interrupt a patrol?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine.¡± The older Nimalian manuevered through the group to stand next to Kar¨ªsah and then looked over all of the Earthians. ¡°Nothin¡¯s happenin¡¯ today, as usual. Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ to miss.¡±


    ¡°You patrol the wall¡­?¡± Austin questioned uneasily before looking out into the desert beyond the bounds of Tresnon. ¡°Just how dangerous is this place¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I just said that it¡¯s usual for nothin¡¯ to happen,¡± Selind countered. ¡°This wall, those guns, the patrols¡­ they¡¯re mostly a holdover from the past. From when they were actually needed.¡±


    ¡°Against the ¡®Bleeders¡¯, right?¡± Twy asked.


    Sky released an amused snort. ¡°I still can¡¯t get over that name¡­¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t uncommon for gangs to have stupid names,¡± Spike pointed out, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t change how dangerous they can be.¡±


    Selind nodded. ¡°He¡¯s right. The Bleeders now are a husk of what they used to be, but just ten or twenty years ago¡­ it was real rough out here. It¡¯s hard enough tryin¡¯ to live in this shithole wasteland that is Tres¨¦d, havin¡¯ to deal with roving bands of raiders, kidnappers, and just fucked-up ruffians was¡­¡± She trailed off before shaking her head and adopting a smile. ¡°Well, it ain¡¯t so bad now, ever since Dav¨ªdrius started makin¡¯ an actual effort to clean up the place. Y¡¯all don¡¯t have anythin¡¯ to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I feel convinced¡­¡± Austin muttered as he eyed Selind¡¯s laser sniper.


    ¡°How bad could these ¡®Bleeders¡¯ really be, though?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°you have Chaotics around here, right? Hell, there¡¯s a big fucking school right in this town with a ton of them! I¡¯d think it¡¯d be easy for you to fight off a bunch of gangsters.¡±


    ¡°WCU is pretty new, less than fifteen years old. Most Compounds don¡¯t have nearly this many Chaotics in one place,¡± Selind countered. ¡°Besides, the Bleeders have Chaotics, too. Hell, it used to be that most Tres¨¦dian Chaotics would join the Bleeders. Led to some¡­. real lopsided confrontations.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Most Tres¨¦dians suffered at the hands of the Bleeders, or know someone who did,¡± Kar¨ªsah said. ¡°I understand that can be hard to believe, since outsiders typically don¡¯t have to deal with stuff like this¡­ but just keep that in mind when you talk about the Bleeders here in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Suffered¡­ how¡­?¡± Austin asked warily.


    ¡°Austin!¡± Twy exclaimed with a frown. ¡°That¡¯s hardly an appropriate question¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine.¡± Kar¨ªsah passed Twy a reassuring glance before turning to Austin. ¡°I lost both my parents to a Bleeder attack.¡±


    ¡°As have many other Tres¨¦dians,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Used to be that most Tres¨¦dians grew up without one or both of their parents, and let¡¯s just say that not all of that was due to the harsh land. Hell, even Dav¨ªdrius lost his parents to a Bleeder attack. In fact, he lost his whole Compound! Sometimes I really wonder how he manages to forgive folks who used to be in the gang¡­ I only lost my husband, and it¡¯s still hard.¡±


    ¡°His whole Compound¡­?¡± Twy echoed uneasily.


    ¡°What do you mean about ¡®forgive¡¯?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°are you saying that these Bleeder assholes aren¡¯t actually being punished for what they¡¯ve done? ¡®Cause they sound really awful!¡±


    ¡°Believe me, I used to think like you did,¡± Selind replied. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius did, too. Back when his Compound was razed, he tracked down every last Bleeder who participated and killed ¡®em all. Wasn¡¯t until later that he had a change of heart, and started the whole Bleeder Reformation Program. But he ¡ª and I, as well as Tresnon ¡ª are only willing to forgive the folks who admit they were wrong, and come to us with a genuine desire to make things right. No one here will show any mercy to a Bleeder who continues to actively participate in their fucked up crimes.¡±


    ¡°Thinkin¡¯ that you¡¯ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, huh?¡± Luke questioned.


    Selind passed him a confused look. ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an old Earth saying. Basically saying that you can get better results if you treat people well instead of like shit.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Well, yeah, that¡¯s basically it. And it seems to be workin¡¯. Combined with a handful of other things that I won¡¯t bother boring you with, the reformation program is actually driving down the number of Bleeders around here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of amazing, really,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked. ¡°And also weird. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of former Bleeders living right here, in Tresnon, all trying to make up for the things they did in the past. And when you meet any of them¡­ you¡¯d never know.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that rehabilitation works? Wow,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°Who knew?¡±


    ¡°It works most of the time,¡± Selind commented, and then patted the gun slung over her back. ¡°And when it doesn¡¯t, I have this!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised that you all are able to forgive people who do such¡­ heinous things,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°You¡¯ve lost family to the Bleeders, and you can still forgive them? I¡¯m not sure I could do the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ that¡¯s just how things are, here in Tres¨¦d.¡± Selind shrugged. ¡°You get used to it.¡±


    ¡°And the Deans decided to leave us here¡­?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Hey, now. The Deans are old friends of Dav¨ªdrius, and smart people in their own right. If they think you¡¯ll be safe here, then you¡¯ll be safe here,¡± Selind declared. She then grinned and winked at him. ¡°Hell, as the Head of Defense here in Tresnon, I¡¯ll say that your safety here is guaranteed! I¡¯ve lived in Tresnon for my entire life, and we¡¯ve only been attacked once during that whole time. And that was over twenty years ago!¡±


    ¡°Well now you¡¯ve gone and jinxed it¡­¡±


    Pierce shot Austin an annoyed glance. ¡°Are you always this much of a downer?¡±


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Austin responded indignantly, ¡°these are legitimate concerns, you know!¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon. If this place ever gets attacked, then we can just use our powers to fight ¡®em off! Or at least,¡± Pierce smirked at Austin, ¡°I know I can. Guess it might be a bit much for you, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not fight over this,¡± Selind interjected. ¡°Don¡¯t get too carried away, either. The Bleeders ain¡¯t as strong as they used to be, but they still ain¡¯t weak. Attackin¡¯ a Bleeder Chaotic head-on without a plan is a surefire way to die. Or worse.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce crossed his arms, at the same time turning his nose up at Austin before looking away. Austin responded with an irate sneer before glaring off in the opposite direction.


    ¡°¡­To talk about less, uh, heavy stuff¡­¡± Luke said, and then gestured at Selind¡¯s gun. ¡°You said that was a Lisarin, right? You got any more of those laying around?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You actually remembered? Impressive,¡± Selind remarked with a smirk. ¡°We have a few more, but only for use by the Defense Force. I could maybe make one exception¡­ if you can prove that you¡¯re a competent sniper.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about that,¡± Luke declared. ¡°I¡¯m one of the best marksmen in SERRCom. In fact, I wanted to bring my SR02, but then I was told that it wouldn¡¯t be necessary¡­¡±


    ¡°SR02? The only SR-series sniper I know of is from the Black Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean the SR-24 Railgun? Man, I wish I had one of those. A mag rifle that can floor you from 7 kilometers, can you just imagine that?¡±


    ¡°7 kilometers is nice, but I can get 10 with my Lisarin and a good vantage point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and laser snipers are great, too, but laser snipers and mag rifles are good for different things. Against a shielded target, a mag rifle is the way to go, and in my line of work, most of my targets are shielded.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Selind grinned with amusement. ¡°It sounds like you really do know your stuff. Maybe I could learn a couple things from you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no, don¡¯t count on that,¡± Luke replied sheepishly. ¡°I just know some of the specs of laser snipers, I¡¯ve never actually gotten to use one. That¡¯s why I¡¯m interested.¡±


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re interested in only the gun?¡± Sky teased.


    Luke passed her an unamused glance as Selind released a hearty laugh. ¡°Ah ha ha! I think I¡¯m gonna like you guys!¡± she responded with a smirk, and then winked at Luke. ¡°Let¡¯s just start with the guns and see where things go, eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ ah, whatever.¡± Luke sighed before glaring at Sky. ¡°You can be a real piece of work, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°But kind of refreshing, too,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked. ¡°You guys are a little more energetic and a lot less guarded than most Tres¨¦dians. Showin¡¯ you around has been fun.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Conrad stared at her incredulously. ¡°I feel like all we¡¯ve done is dig up a bunch of bad memories for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we kinda did¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine,¡± Kar¨ªsah insisted. ¡°All of that stuff is in the past, you know? You had no way of knowing, anyways. I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°You really are a big softie,¡± Selind declared as she slapped Kar¨ªsah on the back, causing the latter to jump in surprise. ¡°Now if only Relia was around more to see that!¡±


    ¡°S-Selind¡­!¡±


    ¡°But, all that said.¡± Selind turned back to face the Earthians. ¡°So she was takin¡¯ y¡¯all on a tour, huh? Well, my patrol is pretty much over, now. Anywhere else y¡¯all were interested in seein¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Actually, I had one more thing!¡± Sky raised her hand for a moment before continuing, ¡°how do Tres¨¦dians celebrate birthdays? Is that a thing you do around here?¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, that¡¯s right, it¡¯s Spike¡¯s 21st birthday today, isn¡¯t it?¡± Twy mused.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have to go out of your way for that¡­¡± Spike insisted.


    ¡°Birthday ¡®celebrations¡¯ aren¡¯t really a thing around here, anyways,¡± Selind commented. ¡°Many folks aren¡¯t even sure exactly when their birthday is¡­ but! I certainly won¡¯t argue against a good reason to visit the lakefront!¡±


    ¡°I do remember smelling some decent food from around there¡­¡± Conrad said, with Kestrel offering an affirmative nod just beside him.


    ¡°I still had a couple errands I needed to run, but¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah glanced up at the sun, noting its slow descent toward the western horizon. ¡°¡­It¡¯s about mid-afternoon? Akos¡¯ Fish should be open now. They have some of the best lakefood in Tresnon!¡±


    ¡°Not to mention large portion sizes,¡± Selind remarked as she playfully elbowed Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Just perfect for a big girl like you, huh?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah responded with an unamused frown. ¡°Selind¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s fish we¡¯re going for, then I¡¯m in!¡± Phoenix declared, and then passed Sky and Spike a questioning glance. ¡°That is¡­ if we wouldn¡¯t be intruding.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯ll be great! The more the merrier, I always say!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Right, Spike?¡±


    ¡°You certainly do say that a lot,¡± Spike replied with an amused grin.


    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re all on board, then,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Kar¨ªsah, mind leading the way?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± she replied with a smile as she began to lead the group down the wall. ¡°Now, they have a lot of lakefood options, but personally, I think the stuffed Erki is the way to go. Just add a little bit of Kero sauce, and¡­¡±


    The group then continued down the wall toward one of the exits, everyone more than prepared for a late lunch to celebrate not just Spike¡¯s birthday, but also the end of the tour of their new home for the immediate future.

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 17: An Old Heros Teachings

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 17: An Old Hero''s Teachings


    3 Days Later


    ¡ª Sundia, Skydiath 10, 8054 ¡ª


    (Sunday, October 30, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Alright, our first day! I¡¯m so excited!¡±


    ¡°Figures you would be¡­¡± Austin muttered groggily.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, who wouldn¡¯t be?!¡± Sky exclaimed, energetically looking at each of Spike, Twy, and Austin as they stared back at her with varying levels of awareness. ¡°We¡¯re finally about to get some real lessons on how to use our powers! Austin, weren¡¯t you really excited about this yourself?!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to be up and about by 8 in the morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Still aren¡¯t used to it, after over a month of dealing with SERRCom?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Austin snorted dismissively, and then glanced off to the side as Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel approached. The eight Earthians now stood in the middle of WCU¡¯s practice field, each of them ¡ª except for Sky, who could easily warm herself with her Pyrotechnism ¡ª bundled up in some kind of jacket or coat as they stood in the cool winter morning air, watching morning light pour over the campus as they awaited the start of their first class. A handful of students could be seen crossing the campus¡¯s central square to enter either of the two classroom buildings, but overall, foot traffic seemed light.


    ¡°I see the four of you are up early¡­¡± Phoenix observed flatly as she stepped up next to Twy and Sky.


    ¡°Not by choice,¡± Austin responded impatiently.


    ¡°Can¡¯t handle a good morning start, huh?¡± Pierce jabbed with a smirk. ¡°This is the best part of the day! Albeit in part because losers like you aren¡¯t around to bring down the atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Pierce¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re the only one here who actually likes early mornings,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Early my ass, 8 in the morning isn¡¯t early. 5 is early, maybe 6. This is just normal!¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re full of energy, too,¡± Spike deadpanned, his voice filled with the low rumbling of just having awoken.


    ¡°Of course I am.¡± Pierce shot Spike an incredulous glance, as though the latter had failed to understand a basic fact. ¡°How else are we going to show this Dav¨ªdrius guy that we know our stuff, if we aren¡¯t fully awake and ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Aw fuck, you¡¯re one of them mornin¡¯ folks? Just fuckin¡¯ great¡­¡±


    The group turned toward the main campus area, where they had just heard a deep voice ¡ª only to find Dav¨ªdrius approaching from that direction, dressed in the same beige outfit as when they had first met him as he groggily rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re not a morning person, either?¡± Phoenix observed as he stopped just in front of the group.


    ¡°Not durin¡¯ the winter, I ain¡¯t,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, and then took a deep breath. ¡°Well, ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ to it. I got a lotta shit to do today, so an early mornin¡¯ class is the only place I could fit y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°Works out for us!¡± Pierce remarked as he cracked his fingers. ¡°I¡¯ll take every advantage I can get!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius stared blankly at Pierce. ¡°¡­Right.¡± He then turned his attention to the rest of the group. ¡°Alright, well, looks like y¡¯all are all here, so let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°What are we doing first?¡± Sky asked as she shot her hand into the air. ¡°Basic training? More mock battles? Some kind of secret Nimalian training technique?!¡±


    ¡°Get your head outta the sky,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Y¡¯all are basic-ass Chaotics who just discovered your abilities barely two months ago. Y¡¯all still need the basic courses.¡±


    ¡°Basic?!¡± Pierce exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Y¡¯all talk back so much¡­ you¡¯re more like Tres¨¦dians in that regard than I expected. Which ain¡¯t a good thing,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. Pierce opened his mouth to respond, but Dav¨ªdrius quickly continued, cutting him off. ¡°Anyways. I¡¯ve read what SERRCom¡¯s been ¡®teachin¡¯ y¡¯all, and it¡¯s nothin¡¯. They ain¡¯t said a word about any of the important shit, just jumped straight to tryin¡¯ to train your powers, which is nuts. They clearly don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°We are some of the first ever Earthian Chaotics,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s to be expected that SERRCom doesn¡¯t know how to train Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re defending SERRCom, now?¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t the point, anyways,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°The point is that y¡¯all don¡¯t know as much as you seem to think you do.¡± He then glanced over at Sky. ¡°What I heard from Kev¨¦rin about his little match with you supports that.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Sky exclaimed indignantly, ¡°but I did just fine! Hell, considering who I was up against, I think I did great, even!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t know enough to self-judge like that. Kev¨¦rin said that all of your attacks were big, sweepin¡¯ plumes of fire. Nothin¡¯ focused, minimal strategy, attackin¡¯ with reckless abandon ¡ª all marks of a beginner.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw¡­¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re going to show us better, then?¡± Pierce replied crossly.


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°Eventually, aye. But, before that, I need to see where the rest of y¡¯all stand. Kev¨¦rin tested our li¡¯l pyromaniac here, but now it¡¯s up to me to test the rest of y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°So we are doin¡¯ mock battles, then?¡± Spike slammed his fists together eagerly. ¡°Against a Velocitechnic¡­ I won¡¯t argue with that!¡±


    ¡°But wait, didn¡¯t Kev¨¦rin say that he could only test Sky since he wasn¡¯t familiar with the rest of our abilities?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°He¡¯s plenty familiar with Chaotic abilities across the board. All of us Deans are,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°I bet what he actually said was that it¡¯s easier for him to judge a Chaotic of the same type, which is true. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t judge other Chaotics at all. In fact, I have to judge y¡¯all, just to know where to start when teachin¡¯ y¡¯all. That said¡­¡± He turned toward Pierce. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the Velocitechnic. You can be my warm-up.¡±


    ¡°Warm-up? Ha!¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°You¡¯d better watch out, old man, or that attitude will bite you in the ass!¡±


    ¡°Old man?! I ain¡¯t even middle-aged!¡±


    ¡°Still past your prime, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t know anythin¡¯ about bein¡¯ a Chaotic. Or even anythin¡¯ about Nimalians. Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius pursed his lips and then pointed at the sidelines of the practice field. ¡°A¡¯ight, everyone, back off. Hot-head stays here for the match.¡±


    ¡°I would say good luck,¡± Phoenix commented as she began backing away from Pierce, ¡°but I think it would be more fun to watch you get your ass handed to you.¡±


    ¡°As if I need luck, anyways,¡± Pierce shouted back with a smirk. ¡°The drive to prove your spite wrong is more than enough!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re self-aware or just that much of a hotshot,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked as the practice field cleared out. ¡°Just how fast do you think you are, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Faster than you, I bet,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°¡­Uh huh. Right,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned. ¡°¡­Anyways. Some ground rules: don¡¯t leave the practice field, and no cheapshots. No neck, no groin, no headshots. This is just a sparrin¡¯ match, and while I doubt you could actually hurt me, you still need to take those rules to heart. Not everyone you fight will be as durable as you.¡±


    Pierce had opened his mouth to respond halfway through Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s comment, but suddenly faltered after the final sentence. His brow furrowed, only for him to quickly wipe the frustration off of his face and crouch into a runner¡¯s stance. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. I¡¯m still gonna show you up, though.¡±


    ¡°Still with the attitude. Folks like you never learn with words¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, though his focus remained squarely on Pierce. ¡°¡­So, here we go. We start on ¡®go¡¯. Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ go!¡±


    A cloud of dust instantly replaced Pierce as he blasted forward at supersonic speeds, reaching Dav¨ªdrius in the blink of an eye ¡ª only for the Nimalian to deftly sidestep the incoming kick. Surprised, Pierce was little able to defend himself, leaving his back open for Dav¨ªdrius to whip around and slam his own foot down onto Pierce¡¯s back, dropping him to the ground. Pierce quickly jumped to his feet and backed a couple steps away from Dav¨ªdrius before disappearing in a cloud of dust again, crossing the entire practice field and back again in a zig-zagging attempt to confuse Dav¨ªdrius. After a second of that, he then dashed toward the Nimalian¡¯s back for another strike attempt, only for Dav¨ªdrius to whirl around and grab Pierce¡¯s incoming leg, yanking him through the air and chucking him at the ground. Pierce rebounded with a pained grunt, but quickly rolled back to his feet and instantly lunged at Dav¨ªdrius again, only for the latter to deflect Pierce with a kick. The Earthian hit the ground hard, but again rolled to his feet and lunged for Dav¨ªdrius, hoping that a series of rapid-fire attacks would work better than the failed attempt to confuse his opponent. What followed were a series of lunges, each blocked by Dav¨ªdrius, and each time Pierce simply jumping back to his feet and lunging once more; a dozen such attempts occurred over the span of a second, only for Pierce to once again back away as he realized that the Nimalian remained completely unfazed.


    ¡°That really the best you got?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, his arms crossed.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted in irritation before dashing off once more. He made to throw another kick, but just before Dav¨ªdrius could catch his leg, he feinted and dodged around to the Nimalian¡¯s back, where he launched another kick ¡ª only for Dav¨ªdrius to whirl around on his heel and drop his elbow on Pierce¡¯s incoming leg, dropping the both of them to the ground. Just as quickly as they went down, they were both back on their feet, at which point Pierce disappeared again and began running a circle around Dav¨ªdrius, just out of arm¡¯s reach. At his supersonic speed, Pierce¡¯s circular running rapidly whipped up a massive, whirling cloud of dust, obscuring the environment all around Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª only for the Nimalian to suddenly jump to the side, grab Pierce¡¯s arm out of the dust cloud, and then chuck him at the ground across the practice field. How the hell did he catch me?! Pierce thought in frustration, but just as he jumped back to his feet once more, a whirling cloud of dust appeared around him. Reflexively, he squinted and shielded his eyes to block dust and sand from getting into them as he attempted to make out Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s moving form. You can¡¯t be serious. Is he just copying me now¡ª?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Pierce¡¯s thought was cut short as a sudden blow from below launched him skyward. The swirling dust rapidly disappeared from sight, replaced instead by a view of Compound Tresnon below, the shimmering blue of Mirage Lake to the south, and the vast swathes of sandy wasteland to the north. Based on how small WCU now looked, Pierce estimated that he was now just over a kilometer in the air ¡ª and just as he determined this, he noted a small speck rapidly approaching him from below. It didn¡¯t take long to figure out that the speck was Dav¨ªdrius, so Pierce whipped his body around in the air just fast enough to slam his foot down on top of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s approaching form ¡ª only for Dav¨ªdrius to grab his leg, whirl him around through the air, and then chuck him at the ground. Startled by the sudden reversal, Pierce was little able to catch himself as he slammed into the ground a half-second later, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that obscured his surroundings. As he slowly regained his bearings, he began climbing back to his feet, only for the cloud of dust to be wiped away by a blast of wind as Dav¨ªdrius stopped just in front of him.


    ¡°You adapt fast,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, only for Pierce to quickly jump to his feet and back away. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you still ain¡¯t done.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°You think I¡¯m willing to lose here?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed warily as he shook his head. ¡°The point ain¡¯t about winnin¡¯ or losin¡¯¡ª!?¡±


    The Nimalian stopped himself short as a curved blade on the end of a long energy tether attached to a blue and silver hilt appeared in Pierce¡¯s hands with a flash of light. Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s expression immediately collapsed into a scowl as Pierce whipped the weapon forward, sending the silver blade streaking through the air. Dav¨ªdrius quickly threw himself out of the blade¡¯s path, only for Pierce to whip around toward his new location and yank the tethered blade in a new direction. Streaks of light flitted through the air as the blade¡¯s ever-changing path reflected sunlight in every direction while it chased Dav¨ªdrius, whose attention was focused on the blade to constantly dodge out of its way. Alright, he¡¯s distracted! Pierce continued directing the whip blade for another couple moments, watching Dav¨ªdrius for an opening ¡ª until the Dean had turned his back on Pierce. Time to strike!


    Instantly, Pierce lunged forward toward Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s open back and slammed his foot into the Nimalian, launching him across the practice field, where he hit the ground tumbling. ¡°Ha HA! Yes!¡± Pierce whooped, and pumped his fist ¡ª though as he did, he realized that something was missing. ¡­Wait. ¡­Where¡¯d my weapon go?!


    Just as he realized that he had somehow been disarmed, Dav¨ªdrius was on him again, grasping the whip blade in his own hands. Before Pierce could react, Dav¨ªdrius swept his legs out from under him with a kick and then immediately followed with a bicycle kick, launching Pierce skyward before he could even hit the ground ¡ª and then, before Pierce could gain any real vertical distance, Dav¨ªdrius firmly grasped the blade and threw the tethered handle around Pierce, instantly wrapping the Earthian with the energy tether. Dav¨ªdrius then yanked on the tether, reversing Pierce¡¯s upward momentum in a split second and slamming him back into the ground, stunning him and blasting dust away for meters around. For several seconds, Pierce¡¯s dusty world spun around him as he fought to suppress the nausea that had briefly overtaken him¡­ and then, just as he tried to get back up, he felt someone¡¯s foot on his stomach holding him down.


    ¡°Alright, you little shit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled as he glared down at Pierce. ¡°This match is over.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Pierce smirked with spite as he returned Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s glare. ¡°Mad that I finally got the best of you?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ¡®best¡¯ me for shit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Pullin¡¯ out a fuckin¡¯ knife is needless escalation. Never do that in a sparrin¡¯ match. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce then began struggling against the light blue energy tether that had him restrained. ¡°Just get this thing off me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your weapon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked as he stepped back. ¡°Just dismiss it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh yeah.¡± A brief flash of light followed, at which point the blade, tether, and hilt all disappeared from sight. Pierce quickly jumped back to his feet and began brushing himself off.


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe the old bastard was right¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he continued staring at Pierce. ¡°¡­You really can summon Hastryth.¡±


    ¡°Pretty great, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pierce remarked with a grin.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted as the rest of the Earthians began to approach the two Velocitechnics. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve used that damn weapon before,¡± he continued, ¡°and I¡¯ll tell you now that it¡¯s more trouble than it¡¯s worth. Don¡¯t rely on it.¡±


    ¡°Weird advice, coming from someone who it worked on.¡±


    ¡°A single landed kick doesn¡¯t make you a winner,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°If that¡¯s your logic, then I¡¯ve won a dozen times over. The more pressing issue is you tryin¡¯ to use a bladed weapon during a sparring match!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s really not cool,¡± Spike declared. ¡°Were you tryin¡¯ to draw blood?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­!¡± Pierce scowled as he glared at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before the fight that nothing I could do could hurt you?¡±


    ¡°That was before you whipped out a fucking blade,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered irately. ¡°A blade moving fast enough could cut you or me just as well as a normal person. And Ayas Weapons, like Hastryth, can entirely bypass Introtechnic durability. Using that weapon is playing with fire!¡±


    Pierce simply regarded the Nimalian with an annoyed scowl. As much as he wanted to argue, he could tell that Dav¨ªdrius was legitimately agitated ¡ª and more than that, the Dean had a point. ¡°¡­Well, fine,¡± Pierce eventually responded. ¡°What about the rest of my performance, then? Surely I¡¯m better than just a ¡®beginner¡¯!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius released a wary sigh and scratched his head before replying, ¡°¡­you did adapt faster than most beginners, I¡¯ll give you that. Once you found that somethin¡¯ didn¡¯t work, you didn¡¯t keep tryin¡¯ it, for the most part. But!¡± The Nimalian pointed at Pierce just as he began to pump his fist. ¡°You still made a number of beginner Velocitechnic mistakes. You might be fast, but you can¡¯t ever just assume that you¡¯re faster than your opponent ¡ª and most of the shit you tried only works if you are. Based on this match, I¡¯d guess that you can max out at or just above Mach 3¡­ but I can do more than twice that.¡±


    Conrad whistled. ¡°That¡¯s pretty fast. I already had trouble following the fight, as is¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you just boasting, now?¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Funny, you were doin¡¯ just that ¡®fore we fought,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°But I¡¯m statin¡¯ facts. If you ever find yourself fightin¡¯ another Velocitechnic¡­ well, generally, you should try not to fight Velocitechnics. But if you have to, you need to figure out if they¡¯re faster than you or not, because that answer will change everything about how you approach the fight. ¡®Cause if they¡¯re faster, then they can track everything that you try to do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce scowled and glanced off to the side. ¡°¡­At least I was able to land a blow once.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to learn before you can celebrate that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded impatiently, and then gestured for Pierce to step back as he turned to address the rest of the Earthians. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s one down. Which of you is up next?¡­¡±


    <hr>


    20 Minutes Later


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s the last of you, innit?¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Spike grunted as he rolled and massaged his shoulder. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll feel that in the morning¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Forcetechnic, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted, and then turned his attention to sweep across the rest of the Earthians. Each of them had now engaged the Nimalian Dean in brief 1-on-1 sparring matches, with each of them attempting to land a blow on Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª and only Pierce, Kestrel, and Spike managing to actually do so. Now, they all stood on the sidelines to catch their breaths and recover from the momentary spurts of activity.


    ¡°¡­Well?¡± Sky eventually questioned as Spike approached and stopped at her side. She turned toward Dav¨ªdrius to continue, ¡°how¡¯d we do?¡±


    ¡°Did you learn anything useful from these matches? Or were you just tryin¡¯ to beat up a bunch of newbies¡­?¡± Austin asked warily.


    ¡°There¡¯s no fun in fightin¡¯ folks who don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°But I did learn a couple things from these matches, here. Namely, that no one¡¯s taught y¡¯all the meanin¡¯ of restraint.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously telling us to hold back?¡± Pierce questioned with a smirk. ¡°Are you just mad that some of us managed to land hits on you?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius sighed and massaged his brow for a moment before turning to address the group again. ¡°My point is that many of your attacks are wasteful. The Pyrotechnic, especially ¡ª what¡¯s your name, again?¡±


    Sky stared at him incredulously. ¡°¡­I¡¯m Sky.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about is most obvious with you. Big sweepin¡¯ waves of fire, columns of flame, fire tornadoes ¡ª it¡¯s all pointless if you¡¯re only fightin¡¯ one person. And this goes for all of y¡¯all.¡± Dav¨ªdrius slowly surveyed the group as he continued, ¡°learn to focus your attacks. Try not to destroy everythin¡¯ around you if you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Great advice,¡± Conrad remarked, deadpan.


    ¡°You have entirely different trainin¡¯ to focus on,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, passing Conrad a glance. ¡°A Visitechnic like you ain¡¯t much good in a straight-up fight, but there¡¯s still plenty of shit you can do.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you want us to learn to focus our abilities, okay,¡± Twy responded, ¡°¡­is that really all? That sounds like basic advice¡­¡±


    ¡°A basic level of skill calls for basic advice,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°But no, that ain¡¯t all. Given how much some of y¡¯all like to go all-in¡­¡± He passed an impatient glance toward Pierce, who simply responded with a smirk. ¡°¡­I figure just tellin¡¯ y¡¯all to reign it in won¡¯t actually stick. So, today, y¡¯all are gonna learn about the one thing that¡¯ll force you to reign it in: the Berserk State.¡±


    ¡°Berserk State¡­?¡± Phoenix echoed uneasily. ¡°Is that¡­ the same as ¡®going berserk¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Aye. You¡¯ve heard of it, then?¡±


    ¡°¡­In a manner of speaking,¡± Pierce answered, with his lips pursed and gaze averted.


    Dav¨ªdrius glanced between Phoenix and Pierce. ¡°¡­Sounds like someone¡¯s had direct experience. How much do y¡¯all know?¡±


    ¡°Can we not talk about it?¡± Pierce responded irately.


    ¡°¡­That bad, huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius exhaled deeply. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s what can happen if you ain¡¯t prepared. Goin¡¯ berserk ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ to take lightly.¡±


    ¡°What does going berserk even mean?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s what it sounds like. When a Chaotic goes berserk, they basically lose their mind and revert to a sort of feral rage where they attack everything and anything in sight, usually with full force. It doesn¡¯t last forever ¡ª usually only a couple minutes, if you let the Berserk State run its natural course ¡ª but that couple minutes can be more than enough to cause a lotta destruction.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ bad,¡± Austin muttered.


    Dav¨ªdrius snorted. ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t say. It¡¯s the single biggest piece of ammunition that non-Chaotics can use to justify conscription, and the worst thing about it is that they ain¡¯t even wrong to be worried.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that¡­?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°What even makes someone go berserk?¡± Twy added.


    ¡°The answers to those questions are the same,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°The basic cause of goin¡¯ berserk is usin¡¯ your abilities too much in too short a period of time. All that Chaos Energy usage builds up and basically overloads your body, forcin¡¯ you to go berserk.¡± He then cast a glance at Pierce and Sky. ¡°Which is part of why it¡¯s good to have restraint.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha¡­¡± Sky released a nervous laugh. ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you do now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°In fact¡­ Chaos Energy overusage can have even worse long-term effects. Y¡¯all ever heard of CSD? Chaotic Self-Destruction?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re makin¡¯ that up,¡± Pierce countered warily.


    ¡°I wish I was, but CSD is very real. In fact, Kevken ¡ª uh, Kievkenalis ¡ª almost died from it. The only reason he didn¡¯t is that he got lucky.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s CSD¡­?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kinda like cancer, but caused by Chaos Energy,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained. ¡°As you use Chaos Energy throughout your life, by using your Chaotic ability ¡ª well, it causes small amounts of damage to your body. Damage that you can heal, if you¡¯re responsible with your powers¡­ but too much Chaos Energy causes a bunch of damage that you eventually can¡¯t recover from. Now, before you worry too much, most Chaotics don¡¯t actually die from, or even suffer from CSD. But it is somethin¡¯ to keep in mind¡­¡± He glanced at Phoenix. ¡°¡­Especially you. Chaostechnics are far more likely to suffer from CSD than any other type of Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good to know,¡± Phoenix replied uneasily.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s also a long-term problem. This berserk stuff sounds more immediately relevant,¡± Pierce insisted, and then turned toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°You said that Chaotics can go berserk from using their powers too much, but how does that explain someone going berserk in the middle of a calm city?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t the only way to go berserk,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Where was this city? Wait¡­ does this have anythin¡¯ to do with the Chaos Quake a month or two ago?¡±


    Pierce and Phoenix exchanged uneasy glances before the latter replied, ¡°well, it was immediately before the Quake began¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. I see. Well, as I said, anythin¡¯ that causes a Chaotic to use or process far more Chaos Energy than normal over a short period of time can drive them berserk. Overuse of your abilities or Overdrives is the most common example¡­ but the Chaos Energy Quakes are an example of an environmental effect that¡¯ll do it, since there¡¯s a short burst of Chaos Energy before it all goes unusable.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an uncomfortably broad cause of going berserk¡­¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t it?¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked with a bitter smile. ¡°And that ain¡¯t all, either. Too much stress¡¯ll do you in, too. As will any kind of extreme emotional response. Get too angry, frustrated, or sad ¡ª that¡¯s a berserk Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, I can see why people would be wary of lettin¡¯ Chaotics do their own thing¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Kind of, but a more humane response would be to install a robust support system for Chaotics. Not conscript them into the fucking military!¡± Phoenix exclaimed. ¡°The only ones who benefit from that are the governments.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius chuckled. ¡°Ha! You won¡¯t hear any arguments from me, there. But, as it turns out, fightin¡¯ against literal millenia of conscription culture is just a little bit difficult.¡±


    Austin regarded Dav¨ªdrius with surprise. ¡°You¡¯re against conscription, too?¡±


    ¡°¡®Course I am,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied indignantly. ¡°¡­That said, I grew up here in Tres¨¦d, where conscription ain¡¯t a thing anyways. None of the Nimalian militaries want Tres¨¦dians. So my perspective is a bit different¡­ still, last I checked, all the other Deans are against it, too. Either way, that ain¡¯t the topic of today¡¯s lesson.¡±


    ¡°What is today¡¯s lesson?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°so far we¡¯ve just fought a bit and then learned about this berserk stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°And the rest of today will be spent on exactly that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Now that you know that goin¡¯ berserk is a possibility, we¡¯re gonna work on tuning how you use your abilities to minimize the chances of you goin¡¯ berserk in a real fight.¡± He then began stretching. ¡°Which will, of course, involve some more sparrin¡¯ and power usage. So let¡¯s warm up! This might be your first day ¡ª but it¡¯s gonna be a long one!¡±

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 18: Limits of Power

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 18: Limits of Power


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Aw, man¡­ we¡¯re out here in the field, again?¡±


    ¡°Suck it up,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he threw Conrad an annoyed glance. ¡°You¡¯re here to learn how to get better with your abilities, that means lots of physical effort.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m still sore from yesterday¡­¡± Austin muttered as he massaged his thighs. ¡°What do running laps and doin¡¯ push-ups have to do with bein¡¯ a Chaotic, anyways¡­?¡±


    ¡°Chaotic combat is incredibly physical. You could have the strongest Chaotic ability in the galaxy, but it wouldn¡¯t mean shit if your body was weak,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°¡­Unless you have one of those abilities that just let you change your body on a whim¡­ but none of you do.¡±


    ¡°Sure wish I did¡­¡± Conrad replied with a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little unfortunate, but it¡¯s just how things go,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, from her position standing next to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°But y¡¯all want to get better with your powers, right? Just think of this as part of that!¡±


    ¡°Easy to say when you¡¯re a Forcetechnic who just is innately strong,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°What are you even doing here, anyways?¡± Pierce questioned as he eyed Kar¨ªsah. She was the only new addition to the morning scene, compared to yesterday; otherwise, the empty practice field of WCU hosted only Dav¨ªdrius and the young Earthians. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re supposed to learn from you, too.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. Kinda.¡± Dav¨ªdrius crossed his arms and straightened his back as he addressed the group. ¡°Yesterday, I taught y¡¯all about the Berserk State. Today, I¡¯m gonna teach you about the other two States most Chaotics experience: Overdrive, and Cooldown. And Kar¨ªsah is gonna help me demonstrate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to help,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented as she bowed her head slightly.


    ¡°Overdrive, huh?¡± Spike echoed, ¡°that sure does sound interestin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel that this ¡®Overdrive¡¯ thing sounds counter to what you taught us yesterday,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Yesterday, you said that using too much Chaos Energy can make us go berserk¡­ but ¡®Overdrive¡¯ sounds like exactly that!¡±


    ¡°And it is,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°But there are still times and places for usin¡¯ Overdrives. If you¡¯re responsible, you can even use Overdrives without goin¡¯ berserk. Chaotics all over the galaxy do it all the time!¡±


    ¡°Well now it sounds really interesting!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°What do they do? And how can we use one?!¡±


    ¡°And does it have anything to do with how your voice gets a little echo-y when you say the word ¡®Overdrive¡¯?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve got an Overdrive, and they¡¯re verbally activated, like Chaostechnic abilities,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded. ¡°But novices like you ain¡¯t got any business usin¡¯ Overdrives. Hell, I¡¯d be surprised if any of you actually could. But, to start: an Overdrive is a temporary state of increased power that a Chaotic can enter by callin¡¯ out the word ¡®Overdrive¡¯ and then the Overdrive¡¯s name. Like so: Overdrive: Speed Break!¡±


    Following the declaration, little happened. Dav¨ªdrius and his surroundings remained unchanged.


    ¡°¡­Did something happen?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°Not that y¡¯all would be able to tell,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°All my Overdrive does is increase my speed and reflexes. The difference would be basically undetectable to novices like y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is why Kar¨ªsah is around, then?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Dav¨ªdrius nodded as he placed a hand on Kar¨ªsah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s far more obvious when Kar¨ªsah¡¯s Overdrive is active ¡ª but I have a couple more things to say before we demonstrate this. Namely, Overdrives don¡¯t last very long. Only around ten to twenty minutes, and then its effects wear off.¡±


    ¡°You say ¡®my Overdrive¡¯ and ¡®Kar¨ªsah¡¯s Overdrive¡¯, like they¡¯re unique,¡± Phoenix observed. ¡°Are you saying that every Chaotic has a unique Overdrive?¡±


    ¡°That is, in fact, not what I¡¯m sayin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°With millions of Chaotics throughout the galaxy, do you really think every damn one would have a unique Overdrive? That¡¯d be fuckin¡¯ insane!¡±


    ¡°I was just asking a question, you don¡¯t have to be so rude about it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad question, though,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented. ¡°Most Chaotics who have Overdrives only have basic ones. You can tell if their Overdrive has ¡®break¡¯ in the name. Speed Break or Velocity Break for Velocitechnics, Force Break or Strength Break for Forcetechnics, Fire Break or Pyro Break for Pyrotechnics ¡ª you get the idea.¡±


    Pierce smirked as he eyed Dav¨ªdrius with amusement. ¡°So you only have a basic Overdrive, huh? What a hero!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Speed Break has served me well enough,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped back, but then continued staring at Pierce, as though attempting to process something in his mind.


    Eventually he just shook his head and turned his attention to the rest of the group ¡ª just in time for Sky to call out, ¡°Overdrive: Fire Break!¡± When nothing happened, and her voice remained unchanged, her excited expression collapsed into a frown. ¡°Aw¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°You can¡¯t just use an Overdrive from the start. You have to unlock your own before you can use it, and it¡¯ll be the only one you ever can use.¡±


    ¡°How do we unlock it, then?¡± Austin questioned.


    Dav¨ªdrius eyed both Sky and Pierce with apprehension before responding, ¡°¡­a Chaotic can unlock their Overdrive by goin¡¯ through some kind of intensely stressful situation that¡¯s somehow tied to one of their most deep-set fears.¡±


    ¡°¡­Intensely stressful?¡­¡± Spike echoed in confusion. ¡°What, like somethin¡¯ life-threatening?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the main way it happens, aye.¡±


    ¡°That means we can force it then, right?!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°we can just orchestrate some kind of controlled exposure to life-threatening circumstances, and bam, Overdrive!¡±


    ¡°I knew one of you would say that, but it¡¯s a shit idea,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°For one, needlessly puttin¡¯ yourself in that kind of danger is always a bad idea. Chaotics die all the time from tryin¡¯ to force an Overdrive unlock like this¡­ it just ain¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah nodded in agreement. ¡°Plus¡­ it¡¯s my understanding that Overdrives unlocked that way tend to be weaker than more, uh¡­ ¡®naturally¡¯ unlocked Overdrives.¡±


    ¡°So unlocking an Overdrive is like some kind of fight-or-flight stress response, then?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°I guess you could say that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Generally, the more stressful or life-threatening the situation, the stronger or more unique the Overdrive. Some Overdrives even have powerful effects that trigger immediately on activation. For example, when Kaon¨¦ activates her Overdrive, all weapons within ten kilometers of her just instantly break.¡±


    ¡°Ten kilometers?!¡± Pierce exclaimed incredulously, ¡°are you serious?!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius smirked. ¡°That was what I said the first time I saw it in action. But hers is easily the most powerful Overdrive that I know of; most ain¡¯t that wide reachin¡¯. Like Kar¨ªsah¡¯s.¡± He turned toward the Nimalian Forcetechnic as he took a couple steps away from her. ¡°Mind explainin¡¯, Kar¨ªsah?¡±


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    ¡°Sure,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a nod before turning toward the Earthians. ¡°My Overdrive is called ¡®Stand Your Ground¡¯. When I activate it, well¡­ it gets a lot easier to stand my ground, I guess.¡±


    ¡°¡®Easier¡¯ my ass. Don¡¯t downplay your abilities!¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°When she uses Stand Your Ground, she¡ª you know what? Let¡¯s just demonstrate. First, we¡¯re goin¡¯ to show you what normally happens when a Velocitechnic kicks a Forcetechnic. You ready, Kar¨ªsah?¡±


    She quickly squared her shoulders and slightly bent her knees, bracing for an incoming blow. ¡°Ready when you are,¡± she replied.


    A second after the words left her mouth, Dav¨ªdrius disappeared from where he stood and instantly appeared next to Kar¨ªsah ¡ª who herself was launched clear across the practice field in the same instant. She rolled along the ground and managed to stop herself just before she hit the far wall, kicking up a massive dust cloud in the process.


    ¡°¡­Wasn¡¯t expecting that,¡± Conrad deadpanned, as Kestrel offered a brief nod from beside him.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, watching as Kar¨ªsah picked herself up and then leaped through the air, easily clearing the dozens of meters between her and Dav¨ªdrius to land at his side. ¡°See? Duratechnism ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ to scoff at.¡±


    ¡°I was honestly expectin¡¯ you to kick me harder,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented as she brushed some dust and sand off of her clothes. ¡°I barely felt that one.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re sturdy as fuck, everyone knows. Now let¡¯s do that again, but with your Overdrive this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? The last time you kicked me like that when I had my Overdrive going, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I know what I¡¯m doin¡¯. Just do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. Overdrive: Stand Your Ground!¡±


    Just like when Dav¨ªdrius activated his Overdrive earlier, nothing about Kar¨ªsah¡¯s appearance or surroundings changed. But just after uttering the words that caused her voice to echo, Kar¨ªsah again backed herself into a defensive stance, bracing herself against another incoming blow.


    ¡°A¡¯ight. Now watch this.¡± Dav¨ªdrius passed the Earthians a brief glance to ensure that they were watching, at which point he again launched a supersonic kick at Kar¨ªsah ¡ª only this time, when the kick connected, she remained standing exactly as she was. Instead, Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s foot rebounded off of her body as his face scrounged up in pain.


    ¡°Aw, fuck!¡± he swore as he grabbed his foot. ¡°Fuckin¡¯, fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Kar¨ªsah eyed him warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ just, fuck. I forgot just how sturdy you get¡­¡±


    ¡°I did warn you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, shut up.¡±


    ¡°¡­What did we just watch?¡± Conrad questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°I bet I can guess,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Kar¨ªsah¡¯s Overdrive must make her virtually immovable. With a name like ¡®Stand Your Ground¡¯, it only makes sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically it,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°I¡¯m not completely immovable, though. And I¡¯m still affected by gravity.¡±


    ¡°But if her opponent is a person, or another Chaotic? Oof.¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head as he released his foot and gingerly tested putting his weight on it.


    ¡°That sounds so cool!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°did you come up with that name yourself? It¡¯s so cool, like a signature move, or something!¡±


    ¡°But why not name your Overdrive something else?¡± Twy asked, ¡°instead of giving your opponent a hint as to how it works?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not somethin¡¯ you can control,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°Chaotics don¡¯t actually consciously pick the name of their Overdrive. When you unlock it¡­ the name just comes to you, and you say it. Far as I know, there ain¡¯t no conscious decision involved.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°After all, there¡¯s no way someone would willingly pick a generic Overdrive. Unless they were losers.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hold it.¡± Dav¨ªdrius eyed Pierce suspiciously. ¡°¡­That¡¯s the second time that happened.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce returned the look. ¡°What, are you just mad you have a basic Overdrive?¡± His eyes then widened as he held a hand to his throat. ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only person who heard that, right?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°No, I heard it, too¡­¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Pierce, your voice just did the same thing that mine does when I say ¡®Chaos¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Overdrive¡­¡± Pierce repeated, only to find that as he spoke the word, a barely perceptible echo accompanied his voice. ¡°¡­Ha! So I have an Overdrive, then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°But, how? Y¡¯all are novices, ain¡¯t you? When the hell did you unlock an Overdrive?¡±


    ¡°And what is it?¡± Kar¨ªsah asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Pierce began to respond, but faltered as soon as he realized that he had no answer. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius said that Overdrives can only be unlocked in stressful situations,¡± Phoenix commented, and then turned to glare at Pierce. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been involved with even more fighting than I thought you were!¡±


    ¡°Well maybe if you didn¡¯t decide to hold yourself back, you¡¯d be on my level right now!¡±


    ¡°Still, I find it hard to believe that you could unlock your Overdrive, and not remember it¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, as he held a hand to his bearded chin in thought. ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s possible that the experience was so traumatic, that you just forgot¡­¡±


    Pierce stared at the Nimalian incredulously, at first prepared to insist that he hadn¡¯t had any such experiences, but then he paused to run through the prior two months in his head. As he recalled Trenon¡¯s death, the skyfall on Ainminthalus, his multiple encounters with EA¡¯s robots, and the burglars he had accidentally injured back in Oakland¡­ it occurred to him that there were actually a handful of events where he couldn¡¯t quite recall all of the details. His encounter with the burglars stood out the most, as his memories of the event were all in a haze ¡ª the encounter wasn¡¯t life-threatening by any stretch of the imagination, but the fact that it had caused him distress was undeniable. Could he have possibly unlocked his Overdrive during that event, and then forgotten all about it¡­?


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not about to try lording this over us¡­¡±


    Pierce glanced over at Austin, who was currently regarding him with a wary stare. With a smirk, Pierce replied, ¡°maybe you should try harder if you don¡¯t want to fall behind, loser.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves, here,¡± Dav¨ªdrius quickly interjected. ¡°Without knowin¡¯ what your Overdrive even is, we can¡¯t know how useful or powerful it is. For all we know, it could be Speed Break.¡±


    ¡°As if my Overdrive would be so lame.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented.


    Pierce stared at Kar¨ªsah warily, and then glanced at Dav¨ªdrius, who simply looked back with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Go on, try it,¡± the Dean insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t leave us hangin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You afraid that Speed Break is what you actually have?¡± Phoenix taunted.


    ¡°As if. It won¡¯t work,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Just watch. Overdrive: Speed Break.¡±


    When the imperceptible echo accompanied Pierce¡¯s voice all throughout the activation phrase, his expression rapidly collapsed into a scowl ¡ª while Dav¨ªdrius began to chuckle.


    ¡°What was that about havin¡¯ a lame Overdrive?¡± the Nimalian commented.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon¡­ this is lame. I don¡¯t even remember unlocking the damn thing, and then I find out I have the weakest Overdrive in the book?¡± Pierce crossed his arms and irately turned away from the group. ¡°This is fucking lame.¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least you have one,¡± Conrad pointed out, to which Pierce responded with an annoyed glare.


    ¡°This is a good opportunity to quickly explain the Cooldown State, though,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Especially since you¡¯ll need to watch out for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce turned back to face the Nimalian. ¡°And just what the hell is it, then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. ¡°The Cooldown State is when a Chaotic suddenly can¡¯t use their abilities. Usually lasts for a few hours, sometimes a full day. The trigger is actually very similar to the Berserk State ¡ª overuse of Chaos Energy, particularly of Overdrives, can trigger the Cooldown State. In fact, with Overdrives specifically, you¡¯re more likely to go into cooldown than you are to go berserk. Goin¡¯ berserk usually only happens if there¡¯s stress involved.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so not only is there a risk of us losin¡¯ our minds if we use our powers too much, now there¡¯s also a risk of us just suddenly losin¡¯ our powers altogether?!¡± Austin exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Hey, I said it¡¯s termporary,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°And if you¡¯re responsible, it won¡¯t happen anyways. I ain¡¯t gone berserk or entered cooldown in almost twenty years.¡±


    ¡°¡­So you have gone berserk, then?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°I have, and we don¡¯t talk about it.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not entirely uncommon, though,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented. ¡°Most Chaotics ¡ª well, most Tres¨¦dian Chaotics, anyways ¡ª go berserk at least once in their life. It¡¯s just inevitable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly encouraging,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°If anything, it¡¯s a good reason for more trainin¡¯,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°The best way to stop this stuff is to be prepared for it. And the best way to be prepared, is to train!¡±


    ¡°But not just regular training, though!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°These Overdrives sound really useful, but it also sounds like we¡¯ll never get one from regular training! We need some real action!¡±


    ¡°Now that, I can agree on,¡± Pierce added as he turned toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°We really aren¡¯t novices, you know. At least, I¡¯m not ¡ª as you saw, I even have an Overdrive! We can totally handle more dangerous stuff.¡±


    ¡°More dangerous stuff?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed incredulously, ¡°and what the hell are you thinkin¡¯ of, huh? You don¡¯t seriously want to wander out into the wastes and fight Bleeders or somethin¡¯, do you?¡±


    ¡°Kicking the asses of a bunch of evil gang members? Are you serious?!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°of course we¡¯d want to do that!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, sounds like a great time!¡± Pierce agreed.


    ¡°Well too bad, because that¡¯s not an option,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°No matter what you think, you are not ready for any kind of field trainin¡¯. You still have a lot to learn.¡±


    ¡°No complaints here¡­¡± Conrad responded airily.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Pierce threw his arm around Conrad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to figure out what special abilities you have in store? Imagine what you could do with an Overdrive, and that glaive of yours! Maybe you could actually be useful in a fight!¡±


    ¡°Yet another reason to keep y¡¯all outta the field: those Ayas Weapons ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ to take lightly,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°I ain¡¯t keen to take you out until you can understand that!¡±


    ¡°Aw, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interrupted as he glared at Pierce. He then swept his gaze over the whole group, continuing, ¡°whether or not y¡¯all want to accept it, y¡¯all are novices. Newbie Chaotics. And until you properly understand the basics, you ain¡¯t goin¡¯ anywhere! Understand?¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± Phoenix replied, passing Pierce an annoyed glance as she did.


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡± Sky responded with a pout. ¡°Man, this sucks¡­¡±


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°Now get ready for some more training. Now that you know the three basic Chaotic States ¡ª Berserk, Overdrive, and Cooldown ¡ª we¡¯re goin¡¯ to experiment with those last two, so you can experience firsthand what Cooldown is like. And that means pushin¡¯ y¡¯all to the limit!¡±


    ¡°To the limit?!¡± Austin echoed incredulously.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to hit Cooldown!¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Besides, if you want to get in the field so fast, then your training will have to be just as fast and hard! Now get ready for another long, hard day!¡±

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 19: Return to Space

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 19: Return to Space


    1 Day Later


    ¡ª Tuesday, November 1, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Alright¡­ everyone¡¯s here. Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t feel like everyone¡­¡± Danielle muttered.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Mote passed her a glance before looking over the small briefing room himself. The only individuals present for the briefing were himself, Danielle, Colonel Saito, Major Hackett, and Kirstin ¡ª a far cry from the full might of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little unfortunate, but it¡¯s what we have to work with,¡± Saito declared, drawing everyone¡¯s attention back to him at the front of the room. ¡°Our next mission shouldn¡¯t be too involved, anyways. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve said the same at the outset of most of our missions last month, sir,¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°Hence my usage of the word ¡®shouldn¡¯t¡¯,¡± Saito countered. ¡°Anyways, let¡¯s get this briefing started. Thanks to the work of MacTavish here, a handful of the coordinates that we pulled off of that Aldredian Dreadnought have been translated and analyzed. As you all may have guessed, our new mission is to investigate one of them.¡±


    ¡°Do we know what we¡¯ll find?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°If we already knew, we wouldn¡¯t need to investigate,¡± Mote replied flatly.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah, but that¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax, Danielle, I know what you mean,¡± Saito commented. ¡°Based on MacTavish¡¯s analysis of the spatial coordinate, our new target is actually located in deep space. Likely some kind of space station, possibly derelict¡­ though if our previous findings are any indication, then the station might just be in perfect working order.¡±


    ¡°Do we still not know how that is?¡± Hackett asked. ¡°How those Aldredian outposts and ships were in perfect condition after thousands and thousands of years, that is?¡±


    Saito turned to Kirstin. ¡°Do we?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ w-well¡­¡± The Researcher glanced uneasily between the two officers. ¡°¡­N-no¡­ I was, um, hoping th-that this, uh, st-station would help explain¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, MacTavish. We¡¯re dealing with some weird technology here; I don¡¯t expect you or anyone else to have the answers immediately,¡± Saito replied. ¡°That¡¯s the whole purpose of investigating, after all. To try and figure this shit out.¡±


    ¡°The fact that we¡¯re going along, though¡­¡± Mote frowned. ¡°I suppose the General thinks that the Raenaros will be needed again?¡±


    ¡°Either that, or your armor. You have to admit, Mote, they were necessary to access the shipyard.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°But I digress. Let¡¯s go over the details of the mission, and then I¡¯ll field any more questions,¡± Saito stated. When the others responded with silence, he continued, ¡°alright. This coordinate is just over 34 thousand light years from Earth, down the uncolonized Perseus arm. That translates to about a 3 day trip on the Genesis; we¡¯ve seen worse. And as you all already know, we¡¯ll be leaving at the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Somewhat short notice, isn¡¯t it, sir?¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°It is, but again, it¡¯s nothing we haven¡¯t dealt with before,¡± Saito replied. ¡°The General ¡ª as well as many other people in SERRCom ¡ª are eager to see what secrets hide in these coordinates we pulled from the Dreadnought, which means that we should be expecting this kind of short turnaround rather frequently for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I thought we were gonna get a break after the last treasure hunt,¡± Danielle complained.


    ¡°And we did. For over a week!¡± Saito responded cheekily, and then adopted a more serious expression. ¡°You¡¯ll just need to tough it out. This is important work.¡±


    ¡°Do we know anything about the space station, apart from the fact that it¡¯s¡­ likely a space station?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have an Interstellar Gate, we know that much,¡± Saito commented. ¡°We¡¯re taking a ship by necessity this time, rather than caution. Otherwise, we don¡¯t know much, so be prepared for anything. As for what to bring: we¡¯ll obviously need the Raenaros and the Aldredian armor. Mote, MacTavish, I¡¯ll leave it up to the two of you to make sure we get both of those aboard the Genesis. Otherwise, just bring your normal loadout. I¡¯ve already gotten my hands on several sets of atmosphereless armor, just in case wherever we end up doesn¡¯t have working life support, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Glad to know we won¡¯t suffocate, sir,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°Very funny, Major. Now, that¡¯s all I have to say about the mission. Pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°At least we should be done quickly, then,¡± Mote remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hope,¡± Saito replied, and then gestured at Hackett. ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s go make sure our gear is in order. Major, you¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir.¡± Hackett promptly stood up from her seat and followed Saito out of the briefing room.


    ¡°¡­Well, I guess that¡¯s that, huh?¡± Danielle questioned as she passed Mote a glance. ¡°What do you think we¡¯ll find?¡±


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Mote replied flatly as he stood up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m not one to speculate.¡±


    ¡°Aw, that¡¯s no fun¡­¡± Danielle pouted as Mote began leaving the room, with Kirstin scurrying after him. ¡°Hey,¡± Danielle called from behind them, ¡°do you want my help?¡±


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    ¡°We can handle ourselves,¡± Mote answered through the doorway, and then turned to begin walking down the hallways toward the research labs that currently hosted the Aldredian armor and Raenaros. He offered Kirstin naught but a brief glance as she timidly followed just behind him, her head bowed the entire time. ¡­Stuck with her again, he thought to himself while he walked, there¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯s smart, but getting information out of her is such a pain. If only Kate didn¡¯t have such a terrible attitude, she would be the far superior technician and researcher¡­


    ¡°U-um¡­¡±


    Mote glanced back at Kirstin, who made eye contact for a brief moment before averting her gaze. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Mote prompted after a second of silence.


    ¡°W-well, uh¡­ th-the, uh, y-your armor is, um¡­ v-very¡­ very in-interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So?¡±


    ¡°I-I, uh¡­¡± Kirstin began tapping the tips of her index fingers together uneasily as she continued, ¡°I think that, um, y-you should be, uh¡­¡±


    Mote¡¯s brow furrowed in irritation. ¡°Now even you are trying to tell me how to feel about the armor?¡±


    ¡°N-no, that¡¯s not¡ª!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Mote turned his back on Kirstin to continue walking forward. ¡°I don¡¯t care how interesting you find the armor or the Raenaros, at the end of the day, they¡¯re only tools to me ¡ª tools that I¡¯ve been forced to use. I have no interest in how they¡¯re ¡®special¡¯ or ¡®unique¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±


    Silence fell over the two as they continued navigating the hallways of the space staiton Opportunity. Several minutes passed before the silence was broken, but not by either of Mote or Kirstin.


    ¡°This stupid piece of shit, just give me your fucking secrets already!¡±


    ¡­I guess we¡¯re near the lab office, Mote mused as Kate¡¯s voice echoed through the hall. A couple seconds later had him and Kirstin standing at the entrance to the office; just as the two approached the door, it suddenly slid open ¡ª revealing Kate standing in the way.


    She took a half step forward before realizing that Mote was standing in her way, at which point she stepped back and regarded him with confusion. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, Mote. And Kirstin!¡± Sarah turned her chair around to face the office entrance and offered a curt wave. ¡°What nice timing, you have!¡±


    ¡°Timing¡­?¡± Mote muttered warily as Kirstin ducked past him and retreated to her desk in the corner. Without sparing her another thought, Mote crossed his arms and eyed Kate with irritation. ¡°I¡¯m not here to help your research.¡±


    ¡°Of course you aren¡¯t. I¡¯d never expect you to be that considerate,¡± Kate retorted as she rolled her eyes. ¡°Which is why I asked: what the hell are you doing here? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re just here to get in the way of my fucking work!¡±


    ¡°Then I have bad news for you,¡± Mote replied as he nodded toward one of the desks in the middle of the room. Mounted on an armor stand next to the desk was the Aldredian armor, in all of its crimson, gold, and black magnificence. ¡°We have a new mission, and the Colonel wants me to bring that armor with us.¡±


    ¡°A new mission? Well why didn¡¯t you fuckin¡¯ say so?!¡± Kate exclaimed as she whirled around on her heel and bounced over to her desk. ¡°Finally, some fresh fucking air! Give me just a sec and I¡¯ll be ready¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute,¡± Mote interjected. ¡°Were you invited to the briefing?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure I just missed the message or something¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never missed a briefing notification before. Face it, Kate. You aren¡¯t on this mission.¡±


    ¡°What?! Why the hell not?!¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Do you really not remember your punishment?¡±


    ¡°Oh, believe me, she remembers,¡± Sarah remarked with an amused smile. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t complain about it every half hour if she didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Aw, this is fucking horseshit!¡± Kate responded, scowling. ¡°This new mission is about one of the fucking Dreadnought coordinates, isn¡¯t it? And the Director wants to keep me off this mission just because?! Doesn¡¯t she know how much I can help?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be just fine without you,¡± Mote commented flatly.


    ¡°¡®Just fine¡¯ my ass! Who was it who had to save you from that flat-faced bitch at the shipyard, huh?!¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate that you helped, I really do. But you have to understand that your actions have consequences, Kate, and that means being punished for talking back to or disobeying a superior.¡±


    ¡°So?! If it wasn¡¯t for my ¡®talking back¡¯, CSF-1 would¡¯ve fucking died on that Dead Space planet, you know!¡±


    Mote released a frustrated sigh. As petulant as Kate was being, she had a point. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t up to Mote to make the decisions of who went on what missions, and he wasn¡¯t about to begin questioning the process mere hours before heading out on one.


    ¡°Relax, Kate,¡± Sarah remarked, drawing the attention of the two Chaotics. ¡°Without the armour or Raenaros around, maybe you¡¯ll actually get permission to work on those mechs you wanted to work on!¡±


    ¡°Get your silver lining bullshit out of here,¡± Kate retorted irately. ¡°Fucking hell, I only had permission to work on, like, three things, and now two of them are gone! What the hell! Why does a person like me need permission to research shit, anyways?!¡±


    ¡°If you behave yourself, things will go back to normal soon enough,¡± Mote countered as he moved over to the Aldredian armor and held his hand toward it. It soon disappeared in a brief flash of light, forming a small rhomboid device that Mote quickly snatched out of the air.


    ¡°¡®Behave myself¡¯ my ass,¡± Kate muttered as she glared at the device in Mote¡¯s hands. ¡°What am I, a fucking child?!¡±


    ¡°You do behave like one, at times.¡±


    ¡°You take that back, you son of a¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Kate,¡± Sarah interjected as she stood up from her chair, casually approached the two Chaotics, and then threw her arm around Kate¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You might not have access to the armour or the Corvette, but we¡¯ve only had those two items for less than a month. Before all of this, weren¡¯t we working on¡­¡± She passed Mote a surreptitious glance before finishing in a loud whisper, ¡°project Doomsday?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s mostly done,¡± Kate muttered back. ¡°The hell else is there to still do?¡±


    ¡°I would say, but I¡¯m afraid not everyone in this room has security clearance.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ true¡­¡± Kate nodded, and then smirked smugly at Mote. ¡°You don¡¯t know what we¡¯re talking about, do you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ and I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a good reason for that,¡± Mote replied as he began backing toward the office door.


    ¡°Damn straight there is! You just wait, Mote. When this Project is out, it¡¯ll make your stupid little Corvette look like¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now now, I think we¡¯ve said enough,¡± Sarah quickly cut in, and then flashed a smile at Mote. ¡°Apologies. Do you have everything you need?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he replied, and then passed a glance toward Kirstin, in the back of the room. ¡°Kirstin?¡±


    ¡°Ah!!¡± she yelped, spinning around in her chair to stare at everyone else with wide eyes. ¡°Wh-what?!¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind us, Kirstin. Just make sure you get everything you need,¡± Sarah commented. ¡°Mote, don¡¯t worry about her. I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s out of here by the time she needs to be.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll leave her to you, then,¡± he replied. ¡°If you need me, I¡¯ll be preparing the Raenaros for departure.¡±


    ¡°What we need is for you to fucking leave already,¡± Kate declared. ¡°We can¡¯t discuss our work with you sitting around on your ass!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Mote responded stiffly, but wasted no other words on the conversation as he finally stepped out of the office to continue his preparations for the upcoming mission.

 V1 - A2 - Chapter 20: Dueling Wills

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 20: Dueling Wills


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Windia, Skydiath 14, 8054 ¡ª


    (Thursday, November 3, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Oof¡­ man, I¡¯m sore all over¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it¡­¡± Conrad muttered in response to Austin as he trudged alongside the other Earthian Chaotics, gingerly massaging his shoulder the whole time. ¡°We¡¯ve only been students for a week, and already we¡¯re being driven into the ground¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, suck it up,¡± Pierce remarked with a smirk as he threw an arm over Conrad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Hard training like this is a sign of respect! It means the Dean thinks we can take it! And, more importantly than that ¡ª it means that we¡¯ll be able to see real fights just that much sooner!¡±


    ¡°You want to see a real fight¡­?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°That¡¯s Pierce, for you,¡± Phoenix replied with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Even after seeing the results of a ¡®real¡¯ fight first-hand, he can still barely grasp the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut the hell up, you know what I meant,¡± Pierce retorted as he drew away from Conrad to eye the rest of the group with annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s all about doing real work, you know? Actually doing something of substance with our powers. Kicking the asses of bad guys, and all that.¡±


    ¡°I get it, I wanna do that, too,¡± Spike commented, and then looked down at his hand as he slowly closed it. ¡°¡­But we ain¡¯t ready for that, yet. And tryin¡¯ to jump into it too fast is a recipe for disaster.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t ready my ass, we¡¯ve already been in fights and done perfectly well!¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kestrel¡¯s right,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°Did you forget that we lost against EA?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve at least won once against him,¡± Austin quickly declared. ¡°Hell, if not for you guys¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not doing this here,¡± Twy interjected, the suddenness of her comment causing Austin to draw back in surprise. He then turned away dejectedly as she continued, ¡°either way, I agree with Spike. We shouldn¡¯t get too ahead of ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell, you guys are hella uptight¡­¡± Pierce muttered to himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s an odd way to say ¡®reasonable¡¯,¡± Phoenix countered, and then stopped to look up at the walls of WCU that now stood before the group. The day¡¯s training had brought them just outside of Compound Tresnon¡¯s walls; only just now, under the golden and orange-tinted light of sunset, was the group able to return to the campus.


    Pierce sighed. ¡°Time for another boring evening in the middle of nowhere¡­¡±


    ¡°There really doesn¡¯t seem to be anything going on around here, does there¡­¡± Phoenix commented with a frown.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯d¡¯ya expect? We¡¯re in a dinky little town in the middle of buttfuck, nowhere,¡± Austin replied. ¡°¡®Sides, I¡¯m perfectly fine staying in my room.¡±


    ¡°Not all of us are shut-ins,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Some of us like to actually, you know, go out and talk to people. Novel concepts for a dweeb like you, I know.¡±


    Austin shot Pierce a glare and began to respond, but was cut off as Sky said, ¡°you know, things actually seem kinda weird around here.¡±


    Spike looked down at her with a confused expression upon his face. ¡°¡­Weird?¡±


    She nodded, and then looked around at the group¡¯s surroundings. They still stood just outside of the walls of WCU, on the main road that led up to the campus. Traffic was light, but even so, the occasional pedestrian would walk up or down the street. ¡°¡­The people, here¡­¡± Sky eventually continued, watching as one such pedestrian moved to the far side of the street as they passed the Earthians. ¡°¡­It¡¯s like they¡¯re avoiding us.¡±


    ¡°Avoiding?¡± Twy echoed incredulously. ¡°Are you sure they aren¡¯t just keeping to themselves?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they just hear us talking in a language they don¡¯t understand, so don¡¯t even try to talk to us,¡± Austin suggested.


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t just randoms on the street, it¡¯s the students, too!¡± Sky countered. ¡°Just the other day, I went around the parts of the dorm where the other students live and tried to introduce myself, but everyone acted really cagey and didn¡¯t want to talk.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like they just didn¡¯t want to talk,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°An entire dorm, though?¡­¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°look, I get some people not wanting to talk. But usually there¡¯s at least a couple of outgoing people wherever you go.¡±


    ¡°¡­Might just be how people are around here,¡± Spike replied with a shrug. ¡°Bein¡¯ social doesn¡¯t really sound like a priority for most of the Tres¨¦dians we¡¯ve met. Might be the same for the rest.¡±


    ¡°What a boring place¡­¡± Pierce muttered as he finally began to approach the campus gates, with the rest of the group slowly following. ¡°That tour a week ago gave me hope, but nothing¡¯s happened since. Fuck, man, I just want something to happen. Give us some fucking action¡ª!¡±


    Pierce¡¯s words were interrupted by the loud thundering rumble of something impacting the ground nearby. A couple shouts could be heard afterward, followed shortly by a second rumble.


    ¡°Is that¡­ cheering?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Is someone fighting?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°If they are, we might be able to get in on it!¡± Pierce remarked, and moved to finally enter the campus gates. ¡°Let¡¯s see what the hell is going on!¡±


    Once through the gates, the Earthian Chaotics were immediately greeted by the sight of a small crowd formed on the sideline of one of the campus practice fields. The field itself featured a handful of sandy craters that weren¡¯t present at the beginning of the day ¡ª and standing just across a crater from each other were Mark and Kar¨ªsah. The other Earthians had only a brief moment to recognize the two before they lunged at each other, fists out, and then slammed into each other with such tremendous force that the sand at their feet depressed and the two were rocketed backwards. Mark quickly summoned his green- and silver-wreathed halberd and shoved the weapon¡¯s head into the ground to slow himself, while Kar¨ªsah did the same with her fingers alone; the latter then slammed her fists into the ground at her feet, launching herself across the practice field toward Mark. He eyed her incoming form carefully, dismissing his halberd in a flash of white light and then reaching out with his right hand to grab Kar¨ªsah¡¯s incoming fist and swing her around. Just before he could throw her, however, she lashed out with her leg, successfully nailing Mark in the sternum and launching him at the far campus wall.


    ¡°Wh-what the¡ª?!¡± Twy exclaimed incredulously as she watched the two duke it out. ¡°What, what happened here?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Are they sparring?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°And no one¡¯s stopping them?¡± Pierce watched with a scowl. ¡°When I suggested more sparring, Dav¨ªdrius shot me down! What the fuck?!¡±


    ¡°Mark and Kar¨ªsah have a different level of skill than us, that¡¯s probably why,¡± Spike countered. ¡°Just watch.¡±


    The eight Chaotics continued watching as Mark and Kar¨ªsah slowly approached each other, fists out in defensive stances. They circled each other for a couple seconds, catching their breaths, before Kar¨ªsah lunged at Mark, ducking low to go after his legs. He quickly backstepped in an attempt to escape, but Kar¨ªsah managed to bowl through his right leg and knock him to the ground ¡ª at which point she thrust herself backwards to sit on his back, holding his legs back with her left arm as she pressed Mark¡¯s head into the ground with her right. The pin lasted for barely a second before Mark overpowered Kar¨ªsah to rip his legs out of her grasp and slam his feet into the ground, sending out a thunderous rumble as a cloud of dust exploded around the two duelists from the force of the impact. Kar¨ªsah then came tumbling out of the cloud, followed quickly by Mark as he reached out to grab her, only for her to kick his fist away and jump back to her feet.


    ¡°¡­Not bad,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked, wiping a bead of sweat off her brow as she took a second to catch her breath. ¡°¡­Not often I get to fight someone as strong as you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Mark replied, his fists out in a defensive stance. He then glanced to the side, at the small crowd of Tres¨¦dians that were watching the duel ¡ª and then to his other side, where he spotted the other Earthians. ¡°¡­Do you want to keep going?¡± he questioned warily.


    ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you. I wanna see which one of us is stronger!¡±


    ¡°¡­Forcetechnics do say that a lot,¡± Mark responded with a sigh, ¡°but I can keep going if you can¡ª¡±


    Kar¨ªsah interrupted the rest of Mark¡¯s statement by stomping the ground forcefully enough to kick up another cloud of dust, obscuring her position. Mark quickly jumped backwards to put some distance between himself and the cloud, and then braced himself against any potential incoming attacks ¡ª only for none to come. It was only a second later that he realized the top of the dust cloud was disturbed, as though someone had leaped out of it; a half-second after that, he snapped his attention skyward, just in time to spot Kar¨ªsah descending through the air toward him. He immediately dodged backwards, successfully evading Kar¨ªsah¡¯s incoming fists ¡ª however, when she struck the ground, the shockwave still sent Mark tumbling through the air. A second passed before he touched back down on the ground on the far side of the practice field, managing to catch himself and slow to a stop in a crouch. As soon as he looked up, Kar¨ªsah was upon him again, winding her fist back for a punch. Mark quickly jumped back to his feet and braced for the blow, but just as Kar¨ªsah threw her fist out, he dropped down to his knee, allowing her fist to pass harmlessly over his head. Then, as her momentum carried her past him and before she could recover, he reached his arms up around her torso, grabbed her tight, and then slammed her into the ground behind him in a suplex. Momentarily stunned, Kar¨ªsah was little able to react as Mark then pinned her to the ground, his foot on her back and his hands grabbing her ankles and wrists to prevent her from moving.


    ¡°¡­Oof¡­¡± She eventually released a deep exhale after struggling to free herself for a few seconds, to no avail. ¡°Alright¡­ I submit.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Mark promptly released her and stepped away, wiping his brow of sweat as he watched Kar¨ªsah jump back to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I would¡¯ve done if you decided to keep going.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know when I¡¯m beat,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked, her attention momentarily drawn to the side as the group of Tres¨¦dians dispersed ¡ª but the Earthian Chaotics approached. ¡°¡­Still.¡± She turned back to face Mark and bowed her head slightly. ¡°Good fight. I haven¡¯t had a straightforward loss in a while.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°But what a loss it was!¡± Sky exclaimed as she burst onto the scene, her excited gaze switching rapidly between Mark and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°That was so cool! The way you guys were hitting each other, and flinging each other around the field, and the dust clouds, and wow, you aren¡¯t hurt from any of that?!¡±


    ¡°Of course they aren¡¯t hurt,¡± Spike remarked as he approached behind her. ¡°They¡¯re Forcetechnics. We¡¯ve been over this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Most Forcetechnics would still be bruised and sore from a bare-knuckle brawl like ours,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, and then passed Mark a glance. ¡°The only reason I was willin¡¯ to go as hard as I did is ¡®cause we both have Duratechnism, in addition to the Forcetechnism.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a useful combination of abilities,¡± Mark declared. ¡°But even so, you did pretty well. Better than any other Forcetechnic I¡¯ve dueled with.¡±


    ¡°You gonna take that lying down?¡± Conrad questioned as he glanced at Spike.


    ¡°Ha¡­¡± Spike laughed sheepishly. ¡°Nah¡­ Mark¡¯s right. He¡¯s way stronger than I am.¡±


    ¡°Stronger than any other Forcetechnic I know, as well,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented. ¡°Even Dean Kolst¨¦n has lost to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Dean Kolst¨¦n?¡± Austin echoed, ¡°you mean, Christean¨¦ Kolst¨¦n?¡±


    ¡°Yep. We¡¯ve dueled a few times. To be fair, he usually wins, but I¡¯ve started pullin¡¯ ahead recently.¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m hearing is that you get cool fights with the Deans, and we get nothing,¡± Pierce responded irately. ¡°The hell¡¯s with that?¡±


    ¡°First day?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°All we got on the first day was a bunch of short duels,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Nothing since! We¡¯ve had no chances to show that we¡¯re better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a week,¡± Phoenix replied incredulously.


    ¡°So? It¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°You really are eager to use your abilities, huh?¡± Kar¨ªsah commented.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t anyone be?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°why the hell else do we have these abilities, if not to use them?¡±


    ¡°I agree with you, in theory, but you need to have some patience,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to be professionals when we only just got our powers two months ago.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Austin spoke up, slowly surveying the damaged practice field before returning his attention to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Does Dav¨ªdrius really let you have duels just¡­ whenever?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah adopted a sheepish smile. ¡°Well¡­ no. He usually looks the other way if I or certain other students get into duels, but it¡¯s technically against the rules¡­¡±


    ¡°So he shows favoritism, too? That¡¯s great,¡± Pierce deadpanned.


    ¡°Sounds like these ¡®duels¡¯ don¡¯t happen often, then?¡± Sky questioned, and then looked to the side of the practice field, where the group of Tres¨¦dians had been standing just a few minutes earlier. ¡°That was a small audience, then. And they split up so quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they just didn¡¯t want to get in trouble,¡± Conrad suggested.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just normal,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°There¡¯s just not much point in stickin¡¯ around once a duel is over, you know? If anythin¡¯¡­ you guys are the weird ones, comin¡¯ over to start conversations like this.¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t we?! That duel was too awesome to not acknowledge!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°I guess people usually keep to themselves around here, then?¡± Twy questioned.


    Kar¨ªsah responded with a weary sigh. ¡°¡­Yeah. That¡¯s just Tres¨¦d, for you¡­¡±


    ¡°But everyone, though?¡± Phoenix pressed, ¡°can it really be true that everyone around here is a virtual shut-in?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say we were shut-ins. But¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah looked down. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just Tres¨¦dian culture to keep to yourself. Most Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t wanna draw attention to themselves, ¡®cause when you do¡­ your life gets worse. And groupin¡¯ up tends to draw attention.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but there¡¯s also safety in numbers,¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°Not to mention that what you just said runs counter to the existence of this town,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Hell, you were the one who showed us Market Street, which was incredibly crowded for a group of people who apparently don¡¯t like crowds.¡±


    ¡°Compound Tresnon is different,¡± Kar¨ªsah explained. ¡°Most of the people who live here have been here for a while, or grew up here, and have accepted how we do things. Tresnon is the biggest and safest Compound in Tres¨¦d, after all, and part of that is ¡®cause we ignore the typical Tres¨¦dian preference to run solo or in small groups. But the vast majority of the students here at WCU ain¡¯t from Tresnon, they¡¯re from elsewhere on the continent ¡ª places that still face very real threats from their environment, and the Bleeders. You can¡¯t expect them to drop their natural wariness just ¡®cause they¡¯re in a new environment¡­ in fact, I usually find the opposite.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess that makes sense¡­¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve heard about how shi¡ª uh, dangerous it is around here,¡± Austin commented warily. ¡°Why the hell are we here if everyone¡¯s afraid of bein¡¯ attacked all the time?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause the risk of attack is much lower than most people realize.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed, drawing the group¡¯s attention to the Dean as he approached. ¡°What are you doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°You know damn well what I¡¯m doin¡¯ here,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he looked over the pockmarked practice field. ¡°What¡¯d I say about havin¡¯ random duels without permission?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, we didn¡¯t mean to cause trouble,¡± Mark added. ¡°We can help clean up¡­¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius simply shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Gettin¡¯ one of the Geotechnics to clean up will be way faster.¡± He then glanced over at the other Earthians. ¡°¡­Even after a full day of trainin¡¯, y¡¯all just have to stop and watch a fuckin¡¯ duel, huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at us,¡± Pierce countered irately, ¡°we weren¡¯t even the ones who broke the rules!¡±


    ¡°No, but you¡¯ve been insistin¡¯ on seein¡¯ ¡®action¡¯ every damn day of the week,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°Rookie Chaotics are always reckless, but y¡¯all are somethin¡¯ else.¡±


    Conrad rose his hand slightly as he commented dryly, ¡°personally, I¡¯m fine with seeing minimal action.¡±


    ¡°Of course the invisible guy would say that,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°C¡¯mon, where¡¯s your sense of adventure?!¡±


    ¡°That ¡®sense of adventure¡¯ is dangerous,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°Keep a lid on it. And watch how you use your powers.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that really isn¡¯t fair,¡± Austin spoke up, ¡°Pierce might be too into this, sure, but he was right when he said that we didn¡¯t do anything wrong, here. Why aren¡¯t you lecturin¡¯ Kar¨ªsah and Mark, instead of us?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, you know shit¡¯s fucked when even a loser agrees with you,¡± Pierce said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lecturin¡¯ y¡¯all ¡®cause you lot still don¡¯t know better,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared, his arms crossed as he stared down Pierce and Austin. ¡°Kar¨ªsah here has had years to hone her abilities. She¡¯s one of the strongest and most responsible folks I know, despite her youth. And this¡­ Mark¡­¡± He passed Mark a brief glance before shaking his head. ¡°¡­We do need to talk, but at least he has military experience. The lot of you, though?¡± The Dean returned his attention to the rest of the Earthians. ¡°Y¡¯all have nothin¡¯. And until you realize how important it is to take things at the proper pace, I will continue to remind you.¡±


    ¡°Harsh¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s not correct, anyways,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I¡¯ve been saying this over and over, we do have experience! We¡¯ve fought robots and mechs that tried to kill us, and Phoenix and I even helped save a city from the fucking sky coming down!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded, ¡°but that shit you pulled on Ainminthalus is exactly why I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to drive home how important it is to keep a check on your powers! A situation like that can easily go south very quickly when you involve rookie Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on¡­¡± Phoenix regarded the Dean with confused suspicion. ¡°How do you know that we were involved with the Ainminthalus skyfall¡­?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Not now.¡±


    ¡°Sure sounds like it matters to me,¡± Pierce challenged.


    ¡°Uh, you know¡­ it¡¯s gettin¡¯ late,¡± Kar¨ªsah interjected, wearing an uneasy smile as she tried to interpose herself between Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce. ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a break from this, have some dinner¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Pierce snorted in derision, cutting off Kar¨ªsah¡¯s statement. He then passed her a disdainful glare as he said, ¡°you would want to gloss over the obvious favoritism here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Alright, you little shit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius immediately countered, shoving past Kar¨ªsah to step in close to Pierce ¡ª who responded with crossing his arms and returning the harsh glare the Dean gave him. ¡°I have had it up to here with your bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius continued, ¡°you come here, from your lush little foreign Homeworld, and then act like you know better than me and everyone else here? A rookie Chaotic, of two damn months, from fucking Earth? The fuck do Earthians know about Chaotics, huh?¡±


    ¡°D-Dav¨ªdrius, this isn¡¯t¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah attempted to interject once more, only to get cut off again.


    ¡°No, this needs sayin¡¯,¡± the Dean insisted, never once removing his glare from Pierce. ¡°There ain¡¯t no favoritism here, only perfect reason. See, Kar¨ªsah¡¯s had the kind of life experiences that help her keep her powers and emotions under control ¡ª just like many of the other students here. They¡¯ve been through shit that I¡¯m sure you can only imagine, and came out the other side with a proper understandin¡¯ of what bein¡¯ a Chaotic means, of what havin¡¯ power means.¡± He then turned his glare on the rest of the group. ¡°None of you Earthians can say the same!¡±


    ¡°Like hell we can¡¯t,¡± Pierce retorted irately. ¡°Life hasn¡¯t been all sunshine and roses for us, either!¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Austin quickly added. ¡°Do you think we want to be here? That joining the military was our choice?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Is that your idea of ¡®hardship¡¯?¡± Dav¨ªdrius smirked, though his brow remained deeply furrowed. ¡°Every damn Chaotic in the galaxy has to face that reality. I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about other shit.¡±


    ¡°As was I,¡± Pierce stated as he threw Austin a brief glare, only to return his irate attention to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t see why the stuff that we went through doesn¡¯t count as ¡®experience¡¯ or giving us ¡®perspective¡¯ or whatever the hell you want to lecture us about. We ¡ª literally all of us! ¡ª have hands-on experience, using our powers in literal life-or-death situations. How many times do I have to say that before it sinks into that skull of yours, old man?!¡±


    ¡°Old¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°I hate to interject, but I¡¯m going to have to put my foot down, here,¡± Mark declared, stepping up to the two men and forcefully separating them. ¡°Pierce¡­ Dean Wrikax, and Compound Tresnon in general, have been extremely generous in allowing us to stay here. I will not stand by while you so blatantly disrespect them.¡±


    ¡°What about the part where he¡¯s disrespecting us, huh?!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°did you not hear what he just said? About us ¡®Earthians¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ I¡¯ve said here is false,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted.


    ¡°I can think of many people who¡¯ve said the same, about similar claims¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­ are you alright?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned, gently approaching the Dean to place a hand on his shoulder. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    He glanced at her out the corner of his eye before snorting and turning away. ¡°¡­Hmph. What isn¡¯t like me is puttin¡¯ up with all this bullshit, as of late. Can¡¯t believe I got talked into teachin¡¯ a bunch of outsiders who¡¯re so ignorant of their own limits¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m saying that you haven¡¯t actually seen our limits!¡± Pierce countered. ¡°You haven¡¯t even given us a real chance to show you what we can do!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the duels on the first day were for, you ignorant¡­! Tch.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but¡­ you gotta admit,¡± Spike spoke up, ¡°duels can only show you so much¡­ you know?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius made to retort, only to be cut off as Kar¨ªsah spoke instead. ¡°He is right,¡± she commented, ¡°you¡¯ve said as much to me many times, Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± The Dean scowled, with his arms crossed as he glared at Kar¨ªsah, and then at Pierce. ¡°¡­You know what? Fine. If you want to think you know better, then we¡¯ll do things your way.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce stared at Dav¨ªdrius in surprise. ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded once. ¡°Yes. Really. I have business to attend to in Compound Goresan this weekend, and when I leave tomorrow, y¡¯all are gonna come with me. Maybe, just maybe, once you¡¯ve seen with your own damn eyes just how the average person lives here in Tres¨¦d ¡ª maybe then, you won¡¯t be so quick to assume that you know better than I, or Kar¨ªsah, or anyone who actually fucking lives here!¡± The Dean then whirled around on his heel and stormed off, pausing only a second later to shout, ¡°Kar¨ªsah, we¡¯re done here! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She watched uneasily as he then turned around and disappeared in a cloud of dust. With an uneasy laugh, she turned back to the Earthians, saying, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about him. I haven¡¯t seen him get this worked up in a while¡­¡±


    ¡°At least he¡¯s finally seeing reason,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s the right word, here¡­¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°If anything, I should be the one apologizing,¡± Mark insisted. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t agreed to the duel, then none of this would have happened.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same about suggestin¡¯ a duel. Really¡­ don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kar¨ªsah then began jogging toward the campus gates. ¡°I really do need to go now, though. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow!¡±


    A lull fell over the group as they watched her leave; only once she had disappeared through the gates was the uneasy silence broken.


    ¡°Well that was¡­ something,¡± Twy remarked, with an uneasy laugh.


    ¡°Hey, sometimes you have to push a few buttons to get what you want,¡± Pierce said. ¡°It all worked out in the end.¡±


    ¡°I think we still need to wait and see about that,¡± Phoenix countered, and then shook her head as she sighed wearily. ¡°You have the most ridiculously confrontational way of doing things¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Ever considered just chillin¡¯ out, sometimes?¡± Conrad suggested as he passed Pierce a glance ¡ª only to suddenly frown and look at the rest of the group. ¡°¡­Aw, man, the Dean said ¡®this weekend¡¯, didn¡¯t he? Are we going to be gone all weekend? Aw¡­¡±


    ¡°A weekend trip¡­ it sounds interesting, but given the circumstances, I should probably clear this with Captain Travis,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Compound Goresan, though, huh?¡± Sky remarked, ¡°I wonder what we¡¯re going to find, there?¡±


    ¡°Given the way he talked about it? Probably nothin¡¯ good¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out, though,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°We leave tomorrow! No use in speculatin¡¯ when we¡¯re gonna find out so soon!¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ given the, uh, ¡®circumstances¡¯, we really need to be on our best behavior,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°I don¡¯t agree with Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s attitude, but he does kind of have a point. If we blow it here, then we¡¯ll lose any chance we had of getting him on our side.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Pierce declared airily as he began walking off toward the dorms, with the rest of the group slowly following suit. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the dude¡¯s beef is, but after this, he¡¯ll have no choice but to accept that we really can handle ourselves. Just you watch!¡±

 V1 - Arc 3: Blood & Metal - Chapter 21: Abandoned Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 3 ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 21: Abandoned Arrival


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Friday, November 4, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ?We¡¯ve almost arrived, Saito. Be sure you¡¯re prepared.?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Krick,¡± Saito airily replied over the comms, ¡°we¡¯re all suited up and aboard the Raenaros already. We won¡¯t hold you back.¡±


    ?You damn well better not,? came the Captain of the E.S.C. Genesis¡¯s annoyed response. ?This¡¯ll be the third fucking time in a month that we¡¯ve played courier for your useless goddamn asses.?


    ¡°You say that, but I know you were just as excited as the rest of us to find that shipyard.¡±


    ?Shut the hell up. Hmph. This next goddamned coordinate better be as important as that shipyard, or I¡¯ll never let you hear the end of it.?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡±


    ?Hmph. Just be ready. Krick, out.?


    Saito released a sigh of relief as the comms connection cut out, relieving him of his conversation with the Chief Captain. The Colonel then glanced to his side, where Major Hackett, MacTavish, and Danielle had all gathered on Raenaros¡¯s bridge. Mote currently sat in the Corvette¡¯s captain¡¯s chair, adorned in the crimson, gold, and black Aldredian armor as he interfaced with the spacecraft¡¯s systems. The rest of the team wore full-body suits of blue and silver powered armor, complete with airtight helmets with darkened visors. These were atmosphereless armors, differing from normal powered armor in that they actually covered every inch of the wearer¡¯s body, so as to properly protect them from vacuum and other hostile environments. Danielle was the sole exception ¡ª her Transtechnism allowed her to take on mechanical forms or other forms that didn¡¯t need to breathe, and her inherent durability as one of the Eximius Vir also protected her from harmful radiation. To a Transtechnic like her, armor was only good for getting in the way of her transformations; as such, she went without it.


    The Colonel smirked inwardly as he observed her idly glancing around while wearing her normal black sweatpants and crop top, coupled with a green and black-trimmed waist cloak that matched the coloration and style of the uniforms of the other members of the Eximius Vir. The Eximius Vir really are something else, he thought to himself, being able to move through a vacuum environment without any kind of external aid is pretty crazy¡­ but here we are.


    ?Alright, we¡¯re here,? spoke Captain Krick once more, breaking Saito out of his thoughts. ?Can you lot see what we¡¯re seeing??


    ¡°Activating sensors and connecting to the Genesis¡¯s own sensor suite¡­¡± Mote announced. A second later, several holographic displays appeared around the bridge, showcasing all kinds of sensor data ¡ª and front and center was a live camera feed from Genesis, showing the space directly in front of her. No planet could be seen, nor even a nearby star; all that met the camera was the pitch blackness of space, spattered with the white specks of distant stars, and the faint milky strip across the sky that was the Milky Way galaxy. However, a moment later, a holographic representation of the surrounding space appeared next to the camera feed, constructed from other sensor data. On this hologram was a distinct structure nearby: a perfect diamond shape, though with the tips flattened.


    ¡°Well there¡¯s something here, alright,¡± Hackett commented.


    ?No shit,? Krick retorted, ?the coordinate said there would be. Though I suppose it¡¯s nice to know that it¡¯s still fucking here.?


    ¡°How big is it?¡± Saito questioned, ¡°just what can we tell about it, from the sensors?¡±


    ?Looks like it¡¯s about half a kilometer wide, in every dimension. The station scanners show that there is actually a goddamn interior¡­ but the thermal signatures are damn-near non-existent. There¡¯s power, but just barely, and there¡¯s no external lights¡­ and there sure as hell isn¡¯t any life support.?


    ¡°We expected that much,¡± the Colonel replied as he knocked on his armor¡¯s breastplate. ¡°We¡¯re ready for no life support. Is there anything else we should know?¡±


    ¡°If your scanners can tell there¡¯s an interior, can we get a full map?¡± Hackett requested.


    ?Well aren¡¯t you lot being god damned demanding,? Krick retorted. ?But unfortunately, a map is a no-go. This station has a fucking beam-jamming field, just like all the goddamn rest of the Aldredian shit, and it¡¯s messing with our sensors. We can¡¯t get a read on its interior.?


    ¡°That would explain where the power is going, then,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°B-but¡­¡± MacTavish spoke up quietly as she stared at the holographic representation of the space station. ¡°¡­W¡­why?¡±


    ¡°Why what?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ?Why the hell are the beam jammers still on, is my question,? Krick interjected. ?What the hell do they have here, that the beam jammers would still be working, after all this time??


    ¡°I can only assume something important,¡± Saito commented, and then glanced down at Mote. ¡°Well, we were prepared for more jammers, as well. Mote, is the Raenaros ready to go?¡±


    The Electrotechnic nodded once. ¡°Yes sirs.¡±


    ?Might as well get this fucking over with, then. Lieutenant, you¡¯re cleared to fly. Now hurry up and figure out what secret this damn station holds so we can get the hell out of here! Krick, out!?


    ¡°¡­Ever the pleasant one,¡± Hackett commented.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saito muttered, his attention focused on the exterior of Raenaros through its bridge windows, and the fighter bay in which it currently sat. The massive bay doors slowly began to open, revealing the white-speckled blackness of space as Mote slowly maneuvered the Corvette forward.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± Danielle spoke up, breaking the silence as Mote flew Raenaros out of the fighter bay, ¡°what does everyone think we¡¯ll find?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to find out,¡± Mote responded. ¡°Speculation is useless.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that doesn¡¯t make it any less fun!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, anyways,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°The station¡¯s shape doesn¡¯t say anything about its purpose. I doubt we¡¯ll be finding any ships, but aside from that, it could be anything.¡±


    ¡°It could even be nothing,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    The Colonel passed her an unamused glance, only to realize that he couldn¡¯t see her expression ¡ª nor her, his ¡ª through the darkened visors of their helmets. He then shook his head in resignation. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope we find something,¡± he said, ¡°or Krick will never let us hear the end of it.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sir,¡± Mote spoke up, ¡°we¡¯re being scanned¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Looks like the station found us, then,¡± Saito commented as he turned his attention to Raenaros¡¯s bridge displays. He began to ask what they said, but stopped himself as he realized that he could read them. That¡¯s right, I remember Mote mentioning that he had found some kind of calibration system that turned all of the interfaces into English. I didn¡¯t realize just how much information had been hidden behind the Aldredian language, though¡­ these displays say a lot.


    A moment later, a text box appeared amongst the countless other displays. Just as Saito was able to focus on it, Danielle read its contents aloud. ¡°¡®Top-level clearance received¡¯,¡± she read, ¡°¡®Clear to proceed¡­ Beware, uncontained Morenal¡¯.¡± She then turned to everyone else on the bridge, a confused look upon her face. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Morenal¡¯?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, weren¡¯t these systems supposed to be translated into English?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°P-proper nouns, um, a-aren¡¯t always translated,¡± MacTavish replied. ¡°E-especially, um, i-if there isn¡¯t any, uh, w-word for it in, um, th-the target language¡­¡±


    ¡°A word that doesn¡¯t translate to English¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, the station is warning us about it,¡± Hackett pointed out, and then brandished her assault rifle. ¡°We should be careful.¡±


    ¡°It mentioned ¡®top-level clearance¡¯, as well,¡± Mote commented. ¡°¡­It¡¯s also giving me a docking vector and instructions. Why is it doing that?¡±


    ¡°Maybe this ship belonged to someone important, and the station thinks we¡¯re them,¡± Saito suggested as the diamond-shaped space station began to loom large in the bridge windows. ¡°Whatever the reason, we have an in. And we also know that the station must have been built by the Aldredas, since this ship could translate its message. We¡¯ll need to be careful, and look out for this ¡®Morenal¡¯¡­ hopefully it¡¯s just some kind of disease or something, that¡¯ll have either died off, or be unable to get through the shields of our armor. Still, if possible, let¡¯s find the beam jammer and shut it down, so we have an easy out.¡±


    Hackett nodded in affirmation. ¡°Understood, sir.¡±


    ¡°The station¡¯s also giving me a map, sir,¡± Mote stated. ¡°I¡¯ll put it on the bridge display, so you can see it.¡±


    A second later, the holographic image of the space station on the bridge was replaced with a version featuring all of the internal rooms and hallways. Saito, Hackett, and MacTavish all stepped up to take a closer look, just as a handful of labels began to appear over areas of the map.


    ¡°Power systems¡­ main control room¡­¡± Saito muttered as he read each of the labels. ¡°¡­Laboratories?¡±


    ¡°Laboratories?¡± Danielle echoed as she jumped over to look at the map herself. ¡°What are they studying?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t say¡­¡± Saito replied. ¡°Mote, can you see anything?¡±


    ¡°No, sir,¡± he responded, ¡°I only see the labels that you do. The station isn¡¯t giving me any more information than that.¡±


    ¡°The labs seem to take up a large amount of space,¡± Hackett pointed out, as she gestured toward the map ¡ª nearly the entire bottom half of the station seemed to fall under the ¡°laboratory¡± label. ¡°I¡¯d guess that whatever they¡¯re studying is the reason this place exists.¡±


    ¡°A-and there¡¯s some, um, v-very large, uh¡­ sh-shield generators,¡± MacTavish commented. ¡°B-but¡­ without power¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that I hope that won¡¯t be a problem, but I think we all know it will be¡­¡± Saito sighed warily. ¡°So the station only has minimal power, then? Hmm. MacTavish, where do you think the best place to start will be?¡±


    ¡°U-uh¡­¡± She passed a panicked glance toward Saito, and then toward the bridge windows as Raenaros entered a small docking bay on the side of the station. ¡°M-maybe¡­¡± she turned back toward the map, rapidly scanning it with her eyes before finishing, ¡°w-without knowing, um, a-anything else¡­ m-main control room?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me,¡± Saito remarked as the Corvette softly touched down on the floor of the docking bay. ¡°MacTavish, see if you can download a copy of that map to your new AR implants, and then share it with us. Everyone else, turn on your armor comms and prepare to move out. We have a derelict space station to investigate!¡±


    <hr>


    15 Minutes Later


    ?Alright¡­ this looks like the place.?


    ?So it does, sir¡­? Hackett replied, slowly sweeping her flashlight across the dark, atmosphereless room ¡ª revealing a moderately sized space, nearly a dozen meters in diameter. Spread all throughout the spherical room were several workstations, each featuring a seat connected to three screens. All of the workstations were connected to the room¡¯s exterior through metal multi-jointed arms, which then connected to the bottom of the seats, as though the workstations were meant to able to move around the room in three dimensions.


    ?N-no power¡­? MacTavish muttered.


    ?I can actually sense a very low level of electric current in the walls,? Mote commented. ?It seems like the machinery here is powered by regular electricity, which means that I should be able to power them.?


    ?After you, then,? Saito remarked, as he glanced back at the Electrotechnic and gestured toward the center of the room. Mote simply nodded in response and slowly stepped forward, taking care to always have one foot on the ground in order to maintain his magnetic connection to the floor.


    Danielle watched as he stopped in the middle of the room¡¯s bottom level, and then turned her attention up to the rest of the room. ?Weird room,? she observed, tracing its contours with her eyes. While spherical in shape, the bottom level of the room was nonetheless flattened, resulting in a sort of partially-deflated ball shape.


    ?It almost seems as though this room was designed around being in zero-g,? Hackett commented, and then pointed upwards. ?Look at those workstations up there. There¡¯s no way to get to them without flying, or something similar.?


    ?And yet, there¡¯s a floor,? Saito pointed out, and then glanced toward Mote as several of the workstation screens began to switch on. ?Finally got the power going, huh??


    ?Sorry for the wait,? Mote replied as he slowly turned toward the rest of the group, though the helmet of his armor obscured his face. ?It took a little time to figure out just how much power these systems need. I¡¯m only confident in powering this one room, though, so if we need to access anything else in the station, then we¡¯ll need to activate the power generators.?


    ?Makes sense. We don¡¯t want to fry anything before we can look at it,? the Colonel remarked as MacTavish pushed off of the ground, taking advantage of the lack of artificial gravity to float up to one of the functioning workstations. ?¡­It¡¯s good that we got this far without issue.?


    ?Yeah, everything seems to be in perfect shape to me!? Danielle exclaimed. Though she appeared the same as usual, wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, and seemed to be exposed to the vacuum, her current form was actually that of an android, eliminating her need to breath while also allowing her to tap into the comms network and communicate with the rest of the team without wearing a helmet or a headset.


    ?Makes you wonder what the hell that ¡®Morenal¡¯ is,? Hackett commented, and then swung her flashlight around to shine the beam on Saito. ?Any thoughts, sir??


    ?Only that I don¡¯t want to have to deal with it,? Saito replied. ?With any luck, we¡¯ll just be in, and out.?


    ?It¡¯s kinda funny how often it doesn¡¯t actually work like that,? Danielle remarked.


    ?Confirmation bias. You only notice the times when it works out that way,? Mote declared. ?Most missions go by without incident. It¡¯s only been the past couple months that things have gotten weird.?


    ?¡®Weird¡¯ is certainly one way to put it,? Saito responded, and then turned his flashlight up to MacTavish. ?Found anything yet??


    ?Mmm¡­ i-it only just, um, booted up¡­ b-but I¡¯m looking,? she replied, her attention focused on the three screens in front of her as she slowly maneuvered through zero-g to sit at the workstation¡¯s seat. ?It was, uh, locked for a moment, um¡­ b-but then it seemed to, uh, rec-recognize Mote¡¯s armor¡­?


    ?Well what do you know!? The Colonel snorted in amusement as he passed a glance toward Mote. ?That truly is a surprise, isn¡¯t it??


    Mote responded to Saito¡¯s obvious sarcasm with only an annoyed grunt.


    ?This is the main control room, though, right?? Danielle questioned as she pushed off of the ground to float through the room toward MacTavish. ?That means we should be able to figure out what this station is here for, right??


    ?Hopefully,? Saito commented. ?Hey, MacTavish. Any leads on that, yet??


    ?Uh, um¡­? MacTavish stuttered out, momentarily distracted by Danielle arriving to peer at the screens over her shoulder. ?W-well¡­ th-the main computer seems to, um, be on¡­ b-but otherwise the station is, uh, o-on low power. I-I think a lot of, uh, d-data is in other, um, c-computer systems.?


    ?Figures.? The Colonel released a weary sigh before glancing toward Mote and Hackett. ?Time to find those power generators, then. Mote, Major, you¡¯re both on me.?


    ?Um, sir¡­ w-wait¡­?


    ?¡­Yes?? Saito prompted after a moment of silence, his attention once again focused on MacTavish.


    ?Th-there¡¯s something¡­ weird¡­?


    ?Uh oh,? Hackett responded, ?that¡¯s never a good sign.?


    ?Uh, w-well¡­? MacTavish glanced at the Major before quickly returning her gaze to the workstation screens. ?It might be, um, n-nothing, but, uh¡­ i-it looks like there¡¯s, uh, one lab that¡¯s, um, that¡¯s using m-most of the, uh, power. ¡­M-more than anything else, uh, c-combined.?


    ?Sounds like more than ¡®nothing¡¯ to me,? Saito replied. ?Can you tell what¡¯s using the power??


    ?¡­N-not from here. B-but¡­ th-this level of, uh, power¡­ i-it¡¯s probably, um, eenergy shielding.?


    ?Energy shielding?? Mote echoed, ?¡­there weren¡¯t any shields around the station¡¯s exterior. Are you saying there are shields inside of the station??


    ?M-maybe¡­??


    ?Why would there be shields inside of the station?? Danielle questioned, ?are they protecting something??


    ?Either that, or containing something,? Saito muttered.


    ?You sure do have a pessimistic outlook on these things, sir,? Hackett remarked.


    ?As if you¡¯re any different. You don¡¯t live long doing what we do if you aren¡¯t constantly wary, anyways,? he countered. ?Whatever¡¯s using the power could use some investigating. We need to make sure that the station is secure before we send more people to start dissecting it ¡ª that is our job, after all.?


    ?No arguments from me, Colonel,? Mote said.


    ?Really? Now that¡¯s a first!? Saito replied cheekily. ?But, to business. Mote, you and I are going to find those power generators, and see what we can do about turning them back on. Hopefully, that should help MacTavish get access to the rest of the computer systems around here and figure out what the hell this station is here for. Hackett and Danielle¡ª? He turned to face the two women, prompting Danielle to push away from MacTavish¡¯s workstation to return to ground level. ?I want the two of you to check out this lab that¡¯s using lots of power. See if you can figure out what it¡¯s doing, especially after drifting in deep space for thousands of years.?


    ?Too scared to go yourself, sir?? Hackett questioned with an amused snort.


    ?Heh. Just think of it as me being confident in your ability to handle whatever situation you come across,? Saito countered. He then glanced up at MacTavish, ordering, ?Send the Major a map to that lab you mentioned, and then sit tight. See what you can find in the computers while we¡¯re gone. Everyone else; let¡¯s head out!?

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 22: Bleeding Arrival

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 22: Bleeding Arrival


    ¡ª Skydia, Skydiath 15, 8054 ¡ª


    (Friday, November 4, 2129 AD)


    ¡°¡­How much longer?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied impatiently as he maintained his grasp on the steering column in front of him. ¡°Damn, y¡¯all have no patience at all.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know how much longer we¡¯d have to sit here¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯ve asked that damn question a thousand times already. We¡¯ll get there when we get there!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡± Austin turned away from Dav¨ªdrius with an annoyed frown as he returned to staring idly at his surroundings. The two men ¡ª along with Kar¨ªsah and the rest of the Earthian Chaotics, barring Mark ¡ª were currently sitting inside of a large truck-like vehicle as it raced over the sandy wastelands of Tres¨¦d. The angular vehicle was clearly built with the intention to carry cargo rather than people, as the back area didn¡¯t have any actual seats, nor anything even resembling a seatbelt. As a result, the Earthians were forced to sit on the uncomfortably bare metal while Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah occupied the only two seats at the front; and then, to add to their discomfort were the full-body beige desert robing that Dav¨ªdrius had forced on everyone. Austin understood that covered skin was far more preferable to uncovered skin when trekking through the desert under an overbearing sun, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that the robes he currently wore were coarse and physically irritating.


    Austin glanced out one of the small windows in the back of the truck, and at the flat lands around them that extended for as far as the eye could see. The truck levitated over the ground instead of running across it with wheels ¡ª as did all other Nimalian vehicles, as far as Austin could tell ¡ª so the ride was at least smooth. But despite setting out north from Compound Tresnon right at daybreak, the sun now sat high in the sky, with the group yet to reach their destination of Compound Goresan. Those six hours were beginning to take their toll on him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone,¡± Kar¨ªsah spoke up, half-turning in her seat to eye everyone in the back. ¡°We really are almost there. I can even see Goresan in the distance!¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve gotten there faster if you¡¯d let me run¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°And I could¡¯ve, too, but that woulda left the lot of you high an¡¯ dry,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Sometimes, you just gotta accept that you can¡¯t use your speed. Suck it up.¡±


    ¡°What are we even going to be doing?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m glad to get the chance to see new places¡­ but is there anything special about where we¡¯re going? About, uh, Goresan?¡±


    ¡°Goresan is one of the few Compounds close enough to Tresnon to fall under our protection,¡± Kar¨ªsah explained. ¡°It¡¯s a much smaller Compound than Tresnon, but we still coordinate supplies and defenses with them. The people there are friendly enough, if a little rugged¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected from a smaller Compound,¡± Dav¨ªdrius claimed. ¡°The smaller the place, the more self-sufficient you have to be, and the lesser your tolerance for bullshit. I kinda like it!¡±


    ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t mean everyone in there is like Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath, just loudly enough for Twy next to him to hear. She passed him a quick glance with furrowed brows, as if to say ¡°shut up¡±, before turning toward Kar¨ªsah.


    ¡°You say that Goresan falls under Tresnon¡¯s protection,¡± Twy started, ¡°and that it¡¯s one of the few that do¡­ but we¡¯ve only been driving for around 6 hours. We can¡¯t possibly be more than a few hundred kilometers out of Tresnon. Isn¡¯t Tres¨¦d much, much larger than that? How does the rest of the continent protect themselves?¡±


    ¡°The same way Tresnon does, just without our help,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Without our direct help, at least. We still coordinate with the other Compounds for supplies and information, though only sorta recently. Took a long-ass time to convince folks to go along with that¡­¡±


    ¡°What, did they just not realize that there¡¯s safety in numbers?¡± Sky asked.


    ¡°There is¡­ and there ain¡¯t. We¡¯ve already mentioned the Bleeders to y¡¯all a bunch, so I won¡¯t bother describin¡¯ all the nasty shit they do¡­ but for a long time, there were a lot of ¡®em. A lot a lot of ¡®em. If a Compound ever got too big, then they just turned into a Bleeder target. Bigger ¡®reward¡¯ for a raid.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been changin¡¯ recently, though,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented. ¡°Bleeder membership is way down from what it used to be, all thanks to Dav¨ªdrius!¡±


    The Dean grunted in response. ¡°Wasn¡¯t all me. Selind helped, among others.¡±


    ¡°Still, sounds like a lotta work,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Must¡¯ve had a hard time fighting these Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. And while we¡¯re on the subject, today¡¯s visit to Goresan is actually Bleeder-related. Some of the folks we¡¯ll be talkin¡¯ to have had personal experience with the Bleeders¡­ and more recently than me or Kar¨ªsah.¡± Dav¨ªdrius momentarily glanced back at the Earthians. ¡°Maybe y¡¯all can learn a thing or two from ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s heavier than I expected,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he brought the truck to a stop just outside of a tall stone wall. ¡°¡­A¡¯ight, we¡¯re here. Now, y¡¯all need to stick close to me an¡¯ Kar¨ªsah, since the folks here at Goresan don¡¯t have these fancy-ass translation implants that we got. Y¡¯all understand?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever,¡± Pierce responded flatly as he kicked open the truck¡¯s back door, revealing the vast sandy wastelands behind them. He quickly disembarked and rounded the truck to stand near the front, with the rest of the Earthians following suit.


    ¡°Urgh, it¡¯s so bright out¡­¡± Austin muttered as he shielded his eyes with his hand. ¡°And these clothes are so¡­ uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Are you about to complain about the sand, too?¡± Twy retorted as she glanced up at him.


    ¡°Funny,¡± he responded, deadpan, as Spike and Sky approached the duo. ¡°I¡¯m just sayin¡¯, these clothes suck, and I hate deserts.¡±


    ¡°These clothes actually breathe pretty well!¡± Sky remarked as she made several motions with her arms, as though stretching. Despite the robing that draped from her arms and the cloak she had on over everything, her movements appeared to be just as fluid as in her typical spaghetti-strap shirt and shorts.


    ¡°Yeah. All things considered, this ain¡¯t too bad,¡± Spike added, and then shrugged. ¡°It ain¡¯t perfect, but then, what is? Anyways, let¡¯s get goin¡¯. Don¡¯t wanna fall behind.¡±


    Austin watched as Spike and Sky turned away to begin following the rest of the group toward a small set of gates in the wall they had parked next to. He released a weary sigh, and then glanced down at Twy, who returned the look ¡ª only to jerk her head in the direction of the group and begin walking off herself. ¡°¡­What a day,¡± Austin said quietly, taking another moment to look up at the tall wall before him. A second later he shook his head to clear his thoughts and jogged over to the rest of the group just as Dav¨ªdrius led them through the gate.


    On the other side was a small village, with a similar sandy stone appearance to Tresnon, but two key differences: none of the buildings seemed to reach over two stories tall, and the walls that encircled the town couldn¡¯t have been any larger than a kilometer across. The streets themselves were narrower, as well, contributing to a far more cramped feeling.


    ¡°¡­Wow,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he and Kestrel stopped at the edge of a nearby street square. ¡°¡­Really different from Tresnon, huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a smartass,¡± Phoenix reprimanded, ¡°this place is still someone¡¯s home, you know. We should be respectful.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got a point,¡± Spike said as he approached the rest. ¡°Let¡¯s try not to bad-mouth people here.¡±


    ¡°I wonder who we¡¯re even here to meet!¡± Sky exclaimed as she bounced onto the scene, her head swiveling all around to inspect her surroundings. ¡°But this is a really quiet place, huh? I know Tres¨¦dians apparently like to keep to themselves, but wow, there really isn¡¯t anyone out and about here, is there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Phoenix glanced around herself, slowly scanning her surroundings. Indeed, despite standing on the side of what appeared to be some kind of small plaza right next to the entrance gates, there wasn¡¯t a single person to be found, aside from everyone who had just arrived. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. That¡¯s¡­ weird¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just weird¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied quietly as he approached the group. ¡°Goresan ain¡¯t a busy place, but it¡¯s never been this quiet¡­ somethin¡¯s wrong.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    A tense silence fell over the group as Dav¨ªdrius continued scanning his surroundings, and the Earthians exchanged uneasy glances.


    It was Kar¨ªsah who broke the silence as she pointed to the east. ¡°Look!¡± she whispered loudly, ¡°there¡¯s¡­ signs of damage!¡±


    ¡°A surprisingly empty town, and signs of damage, huh?¡± Pierce began cracking his knuckles as a smirk spread across his face. ¡°Are the rest of you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ that you need to settle down¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius started, but was interrupted as the sound of shattering rock echoed through the air from the northeast.


    ¡°What- what was that?!¡± Twy exclaimed, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Shit! Fuckin¡¯¡­ damn it!¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡ª!¡±


    Just as he was crouching down in preparation to dash off, a massive boulder came flying over the top of a nearby building, straight for the plaza that everyone was standing in. Kar¨ªsah quickly moved to intercept the boulder before it impacted the ground, bracing herself against the stone plaza underfoot and successfully grabbing the boulder out of the air ¡ª though immediately following it was a stout woman wearing black and silver greaves and gauntlets, who tumbled to the ground to Kar¨ªsah¡¯s side. The woman quickly jumped back to her feet, her attention initially directed toward the building she had just been launched over, only for her to suddenly turn to her left and stare dumbfoundedly at the newcomers.


    ¡°¡­Yo?¡± Conrad responded flatly as he offered a casual wave.


    ¡°¡­Backup?! Where did you¡ª? Damn it!¡± The woman scowled and whipped around, and as she did, the sand and rocks all around her rose into the air and coalesced into a giant boulder in front of her.


    ¡°A Geotechnic? And with powered armor, too! Fuck!¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore as he quickly interposed himself between the woman and the Earthians. He then shouted back at them, ¡°y¡¯all stand back, and wait ¡®til we¡¯ve cleared this place out¡ª!¡±


    No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than the woman launched her boulder at the group. Kar¨ªsah quickly lunged forward and easily pulverized the rock with her fist, revealing the woman standing behind it ¡ª just in time for a second woman to suddenly appear out of thin air. She wore the same kind of desert robing as everyone else, though with subtle black and purple designs interwoven into the fabric. The woman possessed a short and lithe stature, with tanned skin and puffy black hair that extended down just past her shoulders; her face featured the soft contours of an adult in their late teens or early 20s, though still hardened with experience as she shouted out, ¡°Chaos Impact!¡± with her hands held toward the enemy Geotechnic. A second after the words left her mouth, a nigh-invisible force blasted the Geotechnic clear across the plaza and into a nearby building ¡ª though as she flew through the air, the signature golden glow of energy shielding appeared around her body.


    ¡°Relia!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed, jogging over to the new woman as she did so. ¡°What¡ª what¡¯s going on here?!¡±


    The tan-skinned woman ¡ª Relia ¡ª passed Kar¨ªsah a brief glance before turning her attention back toward the building. ¡°¡­It¡¯s the Bleeders,¡± she responded.


    ¡°Go fuckin¡¯ figure,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he approached Relia and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°And they somehow found powered armor, too. Damn. How many are there?¡±


    ¡°No matter how many there are, with us here, taking them on will be a piece of cake!¡± Pierce declared as he rushed up to the group as well. ¡°Just point us in the right direction, and we¡¯ll help out!¡±


    Relia stared blankly at Pierce. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±


    ¡°An idiot, that¡¯s what,¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled as he turned to glare at Pierce. ¡°The hell did I just say¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Chaos Impact!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce both drew back as Relia lunged forward and held her hands upward, firing off an imperceptible plane of force just in time to shatter a massive ice spike that had formed overhead. As soon as the ice shattered, the ground underfoot began to rumble and rise; the four Chaotics in that space quickly dispersed, with Kar¨ªsah breaking the rising ground with her fist, grabbing some of the rocks that flew off, and then chucking them at the building that the Geotechnic had crashed into earlier. Before the rocks could reach the building, however, a wall of ice appeared to block them ¡ª followed quickly by a tall, dark-skinned man clad in black and silver greaves and gauntlets, as well as ice armor over the rest of his arms, legs, and chest. He leaped off of the ice wall and began creating a levitating path of ice through the air that he deftly ran across, all while the Geotechnic burst through the ice wall with dozens of stones whirling around her, forming a makeshift shield.


    ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!¡± Relia called out twice, generating small purple projectiles in her right hand that were launched toward the two enemy Chaotics. One of the projectiles hit the Cryotechnic head-on, shattering his ice armor and flaring up his energy shielding as he was flung backwards, while the whirling shield of rocks around the Geotechnic deflected the other projectile. With a furious shout, the Geotechnic lunged forward, using her control over rock and stone to shatter the entire plaza and drop everyone to their knees under the newly uneven terrain. Kar¨ªsah was able to brace herself against the attack and just barely remain standing, allowing her to quickly reach out and rip up part of the plaza to hurl it at the Geotechnic; the enemy Chaotic dodged out of the way of the rock, but was instantly floored as Dav¨ªdrius appeared next to her and slammed his foot down over her head.


    Despite the incredible force behind Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s kick, however, the Geotechnic remained alive ¡ª her energy shielding was still active. The Dean made to address that fact by throwing another high speed kick, but just as his foot connected, the rocky ground underneath him blasted upwards, flinging him high into the air. Now free from immediate interference, the Geotechnic jumped to her feet, raising the ground around her as she did so to provide cover ¡ª only for Kar¨ªsah to pulverize the barricades with a single punch, sending a cloud of rocky debris blasting backward and peppering the Geotechnic¡¯s energy shielding. As the latter reeled back from the flaring shields that blocked her vision, Kar¨ªsah grabbed the Geotechnic¡¯s arm and slammed her into the ground. Kar¨ªsah then grabbed a large chunk of rock, hefted it onto her shoulder, and then chucked it through the air toward the still-airborne Dav¨ªdrius, who readily used it as a springboard to instantly return to the ground.


    Just before he reached ground level, however, a cluster of ice spikes suddenly manifested on and all around the enemy Geotechnic. Dav¨ªdrius quickly whipped around mid-air to launch a kick into some of the spikes, managing to shatter some of them just before they would have impaled him. Just after he touched down on the ground, he snapped his attention up at the Cryotechnic, only to see Relia instantly appear in the air next to the Cryotechnic and launch him across the plaza with another call of ¡°Chaos Impact!¡± Dav¨ªdrius then intercepted the Cryotechnic mid-air with his heel, spiking the man down to the ground on top of his own ice spikes. The energy shielding protecting him flared up, preventing the spikes from piercing his body ¡ª but Kar¨ªsah then brought both of her fists down on top of him full-force.


    Kra-Kooooom!


    An incredible shockwave emanated from the impact as all of the ice spikes disintegrated and the Cryotechnic was blasted downwards, slamming into the Geotechnic below him and cratering the entire plaza. Kar¨ªsah then dropped down to the bottom of the crater as both Chaotics lay on the ground, stunned, their energy shielding brightly covering their bodies in a golden glow ¡ª only to disappear in a visual static fuzz a second later. As soon as that happened, Dav¨ªdrius dashed down into the crater and dealt a knockout blow to both Chaotics, just as Relia teleported to his and Kar¨ªsah¡¯s side.


    ¡°¡­Oof.¡± Dav¨ªdrius took a deep breath and then glared down at the two Bleeder Chaotics. ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯¡­ hell.¡± He then glanced over at Relia. ¡°Were there any more?¡±


    Relia responded with a nod. ¡°There were two others that I was able to subdue on my own.¡±


    ¡°So there were only four of them¡­?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned doubtfully.


    ¡°When I first arrived, at least. Who knows if there were more earlier.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius returned to glaring at the two Bleeders. ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯ doesn¡¯t add up¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius, Kar¨ªsah, and Relia glanced up at the lip of the crater, where Pierce now stood ¡ª followed shortly by the rest of the Earthian Chaotics.


    ¡°Alright, I have to admit, that was pretty cool!¡± Pierce shouted down from the top of the crater, ¡°but next time, why don¡¯t you let us in on the action?¡±


    ¡°You¡­! Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled and shook his head. He then gestured for Kar¨ªsah and Relia to follow him before leaping up to the edge of the crater, where he turned to face the Earthians with his arms crossed.


    ¡°That actually was pretty cool!¡± Sky exclaimed as Kar¨ªsah leaped up after Dav¨ªdrius, and Relia simply teleported to his side. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually seen¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up, all of you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped.


    ¡°¡­Uh¡­?¡± Sky drew back, startled. ¡°Wha-what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Is this just a show to you? A joke?¡± The Dean¡¯s brow furrowed deeply as he swept his gaze across the Earthians. ¡°A Compound has been attacked by Bleeders, and given that I don¡¯t see any other bystanders right now, the people have been disappeared, too. And you wanna talk about how ¡®cool¡¯ a fucking fight is?!¡±


    Uneasy silence fell upon the group, as Pierce and Sky both fell for a loss of words. Behind them, Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose while Twy and Spike released wary sighs, with Austin laughing uneasily and Conrad simply rubbing the back of his neck. Kestrel, for her part, remained stoically straight-faced and quiet.


    ¡°¡­Let me just apologize for Pierce,¡± Phoenix eventually spoke up. ¡°He can get a little ahead of himself, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I can apologize for myself,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°A-anyways¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah glanced down at the two unconscious Bleeders at the bottom of the crater. ¡°¡­This¡­ really wasn¡¯t what I was expectin¡¯ to find¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what¡­ what happened here?¡± Spike questioned. ¡°Is there any way we can help?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius turned his glare on Spike, but didn¡¯t offer a verbal response. Instead, he glanced away after a moment and held a hand to his brow, as he said, ¡°¡­Relia, do you know what¡¯s goin¡¯ on here?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t.¡± The tan-skinned, short woman ¡ª a flat 5 feet tall, even shorter than Phoenix ¡ª turned to look out over the empty and battered plaza. ¡°I only just arrived here an hour ago. When I did, the place was already empty¡­ the only people I found were these Bleeders, walking the streets.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius released an irate sigh. ¡°¡­How long ago did this happen? I talked to someone here just a few days ago¡­ there has to still be people here.¡±


    ¡°Do we know that there aren¡¯t any more of these, uh¡­ Bleeders, either?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°¡­Relia, did all four of ¡®em have powered armor?¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± Relia answered. ¡°Black and silver greaves and gauntlets¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ powered armor. I bet they got it from the dumpin¡¯ grounds. Damn Nimaliakians and Tekdec¨¦nians, just dumpin¡¯ their trash on our coasts¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, do they seriously do that?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously, ¡°just, dump their literal trash on your land? For real?!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius regarded her with a deadpan stare, before turning his attention to Pierce. ¡°Alright¡­ I almost hate to say it, but your help would be useful here.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha! I knew you¡¯d come around eventually,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that just yet,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°We need to search this Compound for survivors or more Bleeders, and your speed would be helpful. But we might also find bodies ¡ª dead bodies. Are you prepared for that?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Pierce¡¯s smirk faltered for a brief moment, but he managed to maintain his overall confident aura as he responded, ¡°¡­yeah, of course. Wouldn¡¯t be the first time I saw a body.¡±


    ¡°Pierce¡­¡± Phoenix passed him a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sure. I¡¯m fine,¡± he insisted. ¡°Besides, this is exactly what I was asking for! A chance to use our powers for real!¡±


    ¡°And that attitude is why I¡¯m gonna regret this¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Look, just look for any other people, and come back here immediately if you find somethin¡¯. Don¡¯t try to start a fight on your own. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it,¡± Pierce replied with a roll of his eyes. ¡°But let¡¯s get going already, huh?¡±


    ¡°You better not make me regret this,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped back, before turning on his heel. ¡°But yeah. Search the place as fast as you can!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Got it!¡± Pierce remarked as he and Dav¨ªdrius both dashed off in opposite directions, beginning their search of the Compound.

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 23: Derelict Mysteries

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 23: Derelict Mysteries


    ?Big place, isn¡¯t it??


    ?Is it¡­?? Mote passed Colonel Saito a questioning glance, though the expression was lost behind the helmet of his armor. ?The sensors said that the station is half a kilometer long in every dimension. That makes it shorter than the Genesis.?


    ?Sure, but the Genesis is a Battlecruiser that¡¯s meant to travel the galaxy and fight in wars. It has a lot of systems that this presumably research station wouldn¡¯t need.?


    ?True¡­?


    ?I guess we¡¯ll find out soon though, hmm?? Saito replied as the two continued floating down the dark, zero-gravity passageways of the derelict space station. Already, they had had to force their way past a handful of closed bullheads; neither Saito nor Mote knew if the bulkheads were closed for a reason or just by default, but still they forged ahead toward the station¡¯s main generator.


    ?Morenal¡­?


    ?Hmm?? Saito turned his flashlight beam on Mote. ?You thinking about what that could be, too??


    ?Yes, sir¡­? Mote nodded slowly. ?Whatever it is, it must be rare enough that it never shows up in Aldredian records, or it would get translated. But it was also enough of a threat for the station to specifically warn us about it¡­?


    ?Yeah, it¡¯s a real mystery, isn¡¯t it,? Saito replied. ?I¡¯d like to know what it is, as well, just so we can figure out how to deal with it if we come across it. Our armor and shielding will protect us, at least, but¡­ I don¡¯t like being in the dark like this. And I don¡¯t mean literally.?


    Mote released a mildly amused snort as he glanced around at their surroundings, bathed in pitch-black darkness as they were. A moment later, however, he perked up his head ¡ª just as the duo encountered another closed bulkhead.


    ?Sense something?? Saito questioned as he eyed the Electrotechnic.


    ?Yes¡­ there¡¯s a subtle electric field originating from behind this bulkhead. It¡¯s stronger than elsewhere on the station.?


    ?Is it the generators??


    ?Possibly¡­? Mote moved up to the bulkhead and placed his hand on it. ?Only one way to find out, sir.?


    The Electrotechnic applied a gentle current to the metal bulkhead, quickly figuring out the alignment of the door¡¯s circuitry and directing electricity through it to release the lock. Eerie silence accompanied the bulkheads as they slid open, any sounds they might have made being negated by the vacuum environment.


    ?¡­Looks like something, alright,? Saito commented as he used the beam of his flashlight to cut through the darkness beyond the bulkhead. The room appeared to be quite large, and somewhat circular in construction; in the center was a tall, thick column, that extended upwards for a couple dozen meters. ?According to that map MacTavish got us, we¡¯re nearly in the center of the station. I¡¯d bet that this is the main power generator.?


    ?I agree, sir,? Mote remarked as he pushed off of the nearby bulkhead to begin floating into the room. ?This subtle field coming from the column here¡­ it¡¯s definitely a dormant generator. But something about it seems¡­ off.?


    ?Off??


    ?I can tell that there are electrical wires and circuitry coming off of the generator, so it clearly makes electricity. But¡­ the sense I¡¯m getting is that it isn¡¯t like a normal electrical generator. I think it¡¯s Chaos Energy-based.?


    ?Well, we are dealing with Aldredas technology, here. They loved Chaos Energy.?


    ?True¡­? Mote grabbed a handlebar attached to the center column as he floated by, thereby stopping his aimless trajectory through the room. ?Either way, if it generates electricity, then I can replace it. It¡¯ll take a few minutes for me to nail down the proper voltage output, however.?


    ?That¡¯s fine, take your time. The last thing we want is to fry a bunch of fancy tech before we even get a chance to look at it.?


    Mote nodded once in response before turning his attention to the central pillar. Several seconds passed in silence as the Electrotechnic began feeding electricity through the generator and all its connected wires, slowly ramping up the voltage as he did. As Saito watched, nothing seemed to happen at first; then, nearly ten seconds later, lights in the room began to flicker on, and a handful of screens began to populate their displays with information. Curious, the Colonel pushed off of a nearby bulkhead to float toward one of the displays ¡ª though as he read it, he realized that it was only giving readings of the generator¡¯s power flow.


    ?We are in the generator room¡­? he muttered to himself. ?At least this should help the others¡­?


    ?Colonel!?


    Saito turned around to direct his flashlight beam at Mote, only to find that the Electrotechnic was already looking directly at him. ?What is it?? the Colonel asked.


    ?As soon as I began feeding enough voltage to power things outside of this room, I noticed that most of the power is being directed to a room nearby,? Mote replied. ?It¡¯s on the level of what you would expect from energy shielding.?


    ?Sounds promising. How close is the room??


    ?¡­Basically next door. I¡¯d still be able to power the generator from there.?


    ?Let¡¯s check it out, then. Lead the way.?


    ?Yes sir,? Mote replied as he pushed off of the central pillar toward the doorway they had used to enter the room. Saito readily followed as Mote led him down the passageway, past one closed door, and then stopping at the next one. The Electrotechnic placed his hand on the doorway and opened it in the same manner as the last, revealing a dim corridor, with massive glass-like panels on either side. And behind those panels¡­


    ?¡­You¡¯re kidding me¡­? Saito muttered as he floated up to one of the panels and shone his flashlight through it. ?Bodies?!?


    ?Looks like it, sir¡­? Mote responded uneasily as he looked around at the other panels. Behind each one appeared to be a human body ¡ª though impeccably preserved. Their silver and crimson clothing appeared pristine and undisturbed, and their skin bore no signs of rot nor decay. Each body appeared merely to be sleeping, suspended vertically in individual transparent cylinders; cylinders that seemed to number several dozen, as they lined the corridor into the distance.


    ?Are these¡­ stasis pods?? Saito questioned as he inspected another body with his flashlight. ?Are they alive??


    ?Unfortunately not, sir,? Mote replied. ?They don¡¯t give off the faint electric field that a live person does. Furthermore¡­ if these are stasis pods, then they¡¯ve been without power for some time. They only just started up when I began feeding power to the station.?


    ?Figures. Well, even dead Aldredas could be a valuable find¡ª?


    ?Uh, sir!?


    ?Hmm?? The Colonel turned toward Mote. ?What is it??


    ?Several of the pods have broken glass. Like something broke into them¡­? Mote slowly turned toward Saito. ?¡­and there aren¡¯t any bodies inside.?


    <hr>


    ?Empty stasis pods??


    ?Not just empty, broken into. Something is definitely amiss.?


    ?Are you sure you aren¡¯t just letting the dark atmosphere get to you, sir?? Hackett questioned cheekily.


    ?There isn¡¯t even any atmosphere here, Major,? came Saito¡¯s equally cheeky response over the comms. Hackett simply smirked to herself as she continued sweeping the beam of her flashlight over the surrounding bulkheads, with Danielle in tow.


    ?¡­But, to be serious,? the Colonel continued, ?Mote and I have found a few dozen stasis pods. Most of them still have the bodies inside, it¡¯s just a handful that look like they were broken into.?


    ?Th-the bodies could be, um, u-useful,? MacTavish replied, also over the comms. ?I d-don¡¯t think anyone has, uh, e-ever recovered an in-intact Aldredian body before¡­?


    ?Interested in the bodies, eh? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a necrophiliac, MacTavish.?


    ?Wh-what?! Th-that, I-I, th-that¡¯s not¡ª?


    ?Relax, I¡¯m just teasing you. I do agree that the bodies could be useful. However¡­ these broken pods aren¡¯t a good sign.?


    ?Do you think it has something to do with this ¡®Morenal¡¯ thing, sir?? Hackett questioned.


    ?It might. Hell, that might even be good for us; whatever broke those stasis pods likely died in the hundred thousand years that this place has been floating around. But keep a look out, Major, Danielle, MacTavish. And let me know if you find anything interesting.?


    ?Understood, sir.?


    ?Good. Saito, out.?


    ?¡­Well.? Hackett glanced back at Danielle, who was maintaining a close distance as they slowly navigated the dark, empty corridors. ?Let¡¯s hurry up and see what these labs have.?


    ?Yeah¡­? Danielle responded over the comms, even though her un-helmeted and unmasked mouth didn¡¯t move. The Major¡¯s gaze lingered on her for just a moment; seeing Danielle unarmored as she floated through the empty, zero-g hallways was something that Hackett just couldn¡¯t get used to, even though she knew that the Transtechnic¡¯s current form was entirely robotic ¡ª and thus didn¡¯t need air to breath.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ?¡­You really do have some useful abilities,? Hackett eventually commented as she turned forward once more.


    ?Yeah, it really is pretty neat!? Danielle replied cheerfully. ?When I tell people I¡¯m a Transtechnic, they always ask about the biggest, or the smallest, or the craziest thing I ever turned into¡­ but no one seems to realize the more subtle stuff. I haven¡¯t had to eat or sleep in, like, over a decade!?


    ?That sounds useful, but¡­ what do you do when everyone else is sleeping? Or eating??


    ?I mean, I can still eat or sleep if I want to. I just don¡¯t do the thing where I turn into a version of myself that just slept or ate. Sometimes, if I have a lot of time to burn, I¡¯ll even purposefully turn into a version of myself that¡¯s really tired, and just sleep through it all.?


    ?¡­If you say so. Still¡­ the subtleness of your transformations seems very powerful.?


    ?Eh, not as powerful as Mote. Or Kate. Or Mark¡­?


    ?I disagree. You might not have quite the offensive output of Mote or Kate, but the utility of your shapeshifting can¡¯t be understated. Even just the ability to have a Frigate on demand is arguably more useful than what Mote or Kate can do.?


    ?¡­Really??


    ?Of course. Chaotics like Mote or Kate can single-handedly win battles, but proper logistics is what wins wars, and your abilities provide some useful shortcuts in that department.?


    ?Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true, huh¡­ I guess it¡¯s just hard to see since there¡¯s no war to win, huh??


    ?You don¡¯t have to take the quote so literally,? Hackett commented as the two arrived at a door in the wall, and an alert briefly popped up on her AR HUD. ?But that¡¯s enough chat for now. We¡¯re here.?


    ?Oh, right. Let me get that¡­? Danielle floated over to the closed door and transformed her right arm into a plasma torch, which she then used to delicately cut through the bulkhead. The metal door stood no chance under the heat of her torch, and before long, she had carved out an opening large enough for her and Hackett to enter through.


    ?No shields on the door,? the Major observed as she carefully maneuvered through the new opening, cautious to not accidentally touch the red-hot edges of the metal. ?All that power must be going to something else, then.?


    ?Well it certainly isn¡¯t going to the computers,? Danielle remarked as she looked around at the room¡¯s interior. The pitch black space wasn¡¯t much larger than an average living room, with a handful of counter tops in the center. All along the walls were dark, inactive displays and interface devices ¡ª nothing in the room appeared to be active.


    ?¡­This is supposed to be the place,? Hackett muttered as she slowly swept her flashlight beam across the inactive devices. ?Were the map coordinates recorded incorrectly¡­??


    ?Hey, there¡¯s something back here!?


    Hackett quickly looked around the room in search of Danielle, only to find her at the back of the room, near a door that she had just opened ¡ª a door through which dim blue light shone. Danielle briefly glanced back at Hackett before the two women moved to investigate, with Danielle forcing the door completely open and Hackett drifting through. On the other side of the door was a distinctly different setup: lining every wall, and on a couple of shelves in the center, were solid metal cages, not unlike an animal pound. The cages were all completely solid metal on all but one side, which was covered in the familiar metal grating of a cage ¡ª and over several of the metal grates, there would briefly flicker a plane of blue light, as though an energy shield was rapidly turning on and off.


    ?¡­I think we found it,? Danielle commented as Hackett drifted further into the room.


    ?Yeah¡­ and whatever¡¯s here, is apparently worth the station trying to maintain the shielding,? the Major muttered, eventually bringing her flashlight to bear on one of the cages in the back. The metal grating on that one appeared to have been partially dissolved, and it didn¡¯t feature the flickering energy shields of the other cages.


    ?¡­Uh oh,? Danielle said as she approached Hackett and laid eyes on the broken cage. ?That¡­ doesn¡¯t look good.?


    ?Agreed,? Hackett replied grimly. ?Something was here. Something that seems to have broken out¡­? She then glanced over at the other cages with the flickering energy shielding. ?The only question, is what??


    <hr>


    10 Minutes Later


    Oh¡­ oh no¡­ why did the Colonel leave me all alone? It¡¯s so dark here¡­!


    Kirstin nervously glanced down at the ground level of the main control room. Ever since Mote had found and begun powering the station through the main generator, the room¡¯s backup lights and some of the computers had fully booted up, but much of the room remained dimly lit and inactive. At first, Kirstin had been more than happy to begin diving into whatever information she could find on the computers ¡ª but then Major Hackett alerted everyone else about the broken cages and the failing energy shielding. Nearly 10 minutes had passed since then, and Kirstin¡¯s nerves were beginning to get the best of her.


    Oh¡­ c¡¯mon, Kirstin, it¡¯s safe, right? You have energy shields and everything, she thought to herself as she tentatively returned her attention to the screen in front of her. Nothing should be able to hurt me. Should. I mean, energy shields DO have a limit, and atmosphereless armor has worse shielding than normal armor, since it has to use the battery power for other stuff, like the air recycler¡­ and on top of that, this armor is electrical, not Chaos Energy-based, so it¡¯s even worse¡­ so basically, one good attack would completely shut down my shields! Oh, why am I all alone?! I should call the Colonel and ask him to¡ª well, no, he¡¯s busy doing important stuff, I can¡¯t bother him¡­ he and Mote got the generator up, just so I can do my work, so I should be doing that. Right. Work.


    Kirstin paused for a moment to take several deep breaths, all in an attempt to calm herself. She then shook her head vigorously and slapped her face ¡ª or at least, she tried, only to accidentally slam her palms into her helmet. ¡°Ack!¡± she yelped, and froze for a second. ¡­Oh, Kirstin, you idiot! Just¡­ oh¡­ let¡¯s hurry up and get to work, so I can get out of here faster¡­


    With a sigh, she began again to sift through the data on the Aldredian computer systems. Currently, she had open a normal laptop that was connected to one of the Aldredian interfaces through a long cable adapter ¡ª the same sort that she had used to access the Dreadnought¡¯s computer systems in the Aldredian shipyard. On that laptop¡¯s tiny screen were a variety of open command terminals as she searched through hundreds of data entries and directories for anything useful. She had already set up a few programs to automatically search through the station¡¯s databanks for specific keywords so that she wouldn¡¯t have to look through everything manually, but even that required a set of human eyes to make sure that whatever the programs found was truly valuable.


    I hope I can find something on this ¡®Morenal¡¯ thing¡­ but it seems like nothing¡¯s come up in the search yet. That¡¯s weird¡­ She frowned warily. I hope that doesn¡¯t mean that someone wiped the data. That would be bad. Who would even want to wipe that data? Maybe the Morenal itself did it?! That¡¯s¡ª oh, Kirstin, get a grip already! Alright. Let¡¯s see what else has come up, in the meantime¡­


    She switched over to one of the terminals and began looking through the list of files, and then selected the first one to begin skimming. This one¡­ is this some kind of history record? It reads a lot like the ¡®motivations¡¯ section of a research paper¡­ maybe it¡¯s some kind of write-up about what they were researching here. Let¡¯s see¡­ oh! It mentions Raen Technology! Didn¡¯t Mote say that that Drakkar lady claimed his armor was Raen Technology? That sounds important! What does this say about it¡­ hmm, so Raen Technology was introduced by a man named Rynisaren Raen. That¡¯s a little less helpful than I had hoped. ¡®Rynisaren¡¯ sounds familiar, though. Wasn¡¯t that the Dreadnought¡¯s name? Was it named after this man? Is he that important?¡­


    A couple more minutes passed in silence as Kirstin speed read the document, mentally absorbing everything that it had to say. Well, okay, then¡­she thought as she sat back in the elevated chair to begin processing what she had just read. So the Aldredas¡¯s nation used to be known as the Aldredas Federation, but this Rynisaren person led a revolution that replaced the Federation with the Raen Empire. That sounds really not cool. The paper doesn¡¯t say what his reasons were, but I wonder¡­ it also said that he was a Chaos Conduit, which means that he could use every single Chaostechnic ability. I think there¡¯s only two of those in the galaxy, right now? So Rynisaren was definitely unique. If he¡¯s this important, though, then he should appear in tons of other Aldredian records, too, right? I¡¯ll have to check for that when we get back to Earth¡­


    She glanced down at the floor of the room again, involuntarily shivering as she did so. ¡­Oh, I can¡¯t wait to get back home, but until then¡­ the paper only talked about Rynisaren as background for this Raen Technology, which was apparently some super-advanced stuff that Rynisaren introduced. The paper didn¡¯t say much about how the technology worked, though it did at least confirm that Raen Technology doesn¡¯t work for everyone by design, and that it¡¯s activation has a genetic component. It also said something about the researchers trying to use ¡®Priors¡¯ or some ¡®Memory of Chaos¡¯ to allow more people to use Raen Technology, but I have no idea what any of that means. Was this tech really THAT powerful, anyways? And what does it have to do with this station¡­?


    A small alert appeared in the corner of the laptop¡¯s screen, prompting Kirstin to lean forward and take a look. ¡­Oh! A hit for ¡®Morenal¡¯! Perfect! Let¡¯s see what it says¡­ Just a few keystrokes later, Kirstin had opened the document in question, and began reading it in earnest. ¡®Using Raen Technology to Combat the Morenal¡¯. This sounds like exactly what I was looking for! Good! But this reads like a research proposal¡­ that would mean that this Morenal stuff was important enough to be actively researching. And not just any research, they wanted to use their most advanced stuff! And to ¡®combat¡¯ it! What even is it?! Oh, no, I hope it¡¯s not still around¡­


    With renewed haste, Kirstin¡¯s eyes began flicking to and fro as she speedily read through every word the proposal had to offer. Okay, here we go. It starts explaining what Morenal actually is. ¡­According to what¡¯s written here¡­ Morenal is some kind of¡­ malicious entity? And it¡¯s¡­ somehow asserting control over foreign matter, and spreading like an infection. Its key distinguishing feature is¡­ silver rashes. Why does that sound familiar? Infectious, silver rashes that take control of other things¡­ wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­! The Researcher then began skimming the proposal with increased urgency, hoping to find some kind of confirmation or denial of her suspicions, only to find neither ¡ª until another notification popped up on the laptop. Kirstin¡¯s fingers nearly stumbled over each other as she tried to open the new document, and upon doing so, her heart rate jumped, and panic crossed her features.


    ?¡®D-due to recent attacks b-by the leader of the Morenal¡­ Morcii!¡¯? she read aloud. Morcii! He¡¯s the one who attacked the galaxy 20 years ago, during the Nanocreature War! So ¡®Morenal¡¯ is just the Aldredian word for the Nanocreatures, then? Oh no, oh no¡­!


    While too young to remember the Nanocreatures or the Nanocreature War herself, Kirstin still knew well what they were. The Nanocreatures consisted of tiny nanomachines that were capable of replicating themselves to replace the constituent matter of large objects, allowing them to seize control of the object. Anything that was constructed of matter could be taken over by Nanocreatures, ranging from weapons, to food, to people, to even spacecraft. For 20 years prior to the Nanocreature war, the Nanocreatures had spread aimlessly throughout the galaxy under the guise of the ¡®metallic infection¡¯, manifesting as silvery scars and rashes that would drive the host creature mad. It was only when Morcii ¡ª the leader of the Nanocreatures ¡ª appeared that the disparate nanomachines all across the galaxy suddenly began to act under a collective will and strategy, a will that ravaged dozens of worlds and nearly took over the entire galaxy.


    Ultimately, Morcii was defeated in battle, and with his disappearance, the Nanocreatures were severely reduced in threat. But the fact still remained that the Nanocreatures were by far the greatest threat the galaxy had ever seen.


    As Kirstin quickly filed through all her knowledge of the Nanocreatures, however, a question crossed her mind. Wait, why didn¡¯t Morenal translate? Everyone knows about the Nanocreatures nowadays. Why wouldn¡¯t it be part of the common Aldredian cipher, then? Is it just because 20 years wasn¡¯t long enough for anyone to make this connection¡­? Ah, no, I don¡¯t have time to worry about that! I just learned that this station was used to research the Nanocreatures! Does that mean¡ª? Quickly, she switched back to the first document that mentioned ¡°Morenal¡±, and skimmed through it once more. Oh no! They had Nanocreatures ON THE STATION! They were using energy shields to contain them, but, oh, oh no! The Colonel found empty stasis pods, and the Major found empty cages! Oh no! This could¡ª this could be really bad!


    With increasing panic, Kirstin made to activate her comms system, immediately calling out, ?Colonel! C-colonel, are you there?!?


    A second passed. Just as she opened her mouth to make another hail, however, Saito eventually replied. ?I¡¯m here. Is something wrong? Did you find something??


    ?Y-yes! S-something really, um, r-really, really bad! Th-this is, oh¡­ oh no¡­?


    ?What? MacTavish, relax. What did you find??


    ?Did you figure out what ¡®Morenal¡¯ is supposed to mean?? Hackett questioned as she joined the line.


    ?Uh, y-yes!? Kirstin took a quick breath before finishing, ?th-the Morenal are the Nanocreatures! A-and if the Major is right about b-broken cages, th-then they might be loose on the station, r-right now!?

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 24: Grievances of the Wasteland

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 24: Grievances of the Wasteland


    ¡°Chaos Negation.¡±


    ¡°Tch. You think you¡¯ve won, haven¡¯t you?¡± The stout Geotechnic spat at the ground, and then glared up at Relia as she struggled against the rope that currently bound her hands and feet. ¡°Just you wait! When we don¡¯t return, they¡¯ll¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Would you shut the hell up, already?¡± Phoenix interjected irately as she tied a gag around the Geotechnic¡¯s mouth, preventing her from speaking further. ¡°I hate it when people refuse to admit when they lost.¡±


    ¡°There really are too many of those in this world¡­¡± Relia muttered as she glanced around at her surroundings. She and Phoenix both currently stood inside of Goresan¡¯s jail, where the Bleeder Chaotics had been thrown behind bars and tied up. Relia herself remained in the jail due to the fact that she could use Chaos Negation, a Chaostechnic ability that temporarily negated all Chaos Energy in a small surrounding area ¡ª and thus allowed her to prevent the Bleeders from using their Chaotic abilities to escape. Phoenix and Kar¨ªsah also remained inside to help, while the rest of the Earthians stood outside, waiting for the return of Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce.


    After fully tying up the Geotechnic and retreating from the jail cell, Phoenix approached Relia and Kar¨ªsah and released a weary sigh. ¡°¡­This is hella crazy¡­¡± she muttered, passing the jailed Chaotics a brief glance. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see an attack like this so soon¡­ is this common?¡±


    ¡°Not around here¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied quietly, her voice lowered to prevent the Bleeders from eavesdropping. ¡°The Bleeders haven¡¯t attacked a compound this close to Tresnon in years¡­¡±


    ¡°And yet they were still able to kill or kidnap everyone in Goresan without Tresnon knowing,¡± Relia stated. ¡°We¡¯ve been gettin¡¯ too complacent.¡±


    ¡°Relia¡­ that¡¯s not fair. Everyone in Tresnon has been tryin¡¯ their best to reduce the Bleeder threat¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sayin¡¯ that their efforts are pointless. But Dav¨ªdrius and my mother have been too focused on ¡®rehabilitation¡¯, to the point that they¡¯re overlookin¡¯ how the Bleeders ¡ª while a reduced threat ¡ª are still a threat.¡±


    ¡°If you feel that way, then why don¡¯t you stay with us in Tresnon? You can help us make more positive changes!¡±


    Relia frowned and looked away. ¡°Are you tryin¡¯ to tie me down, too?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah released a weary sigh and then adopted a forlorn smile. ¡°You really won¡¯t change your mind, huh.¡±


    ¡°The rest of Tres¨¦d needs help, too. I can¡¯t just stay in one place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right¡­ you should really visit more often, though. We all miss you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Relia muttered, her gaze directed at her feet.


    Phoenix glanced between the two women in mild confusion. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me interjecting myself, here,¡± she eventually spoke up, drawing their attention, ¡°sorry, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve properly met. You know, with everything that¡¯s happened here. I¡¯m Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Relia¡­ as you ought to already know,¡± Relia replied as she gave Phoenix a wary glance. ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t from around here.¡±


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯m from Earth, as well as everyone outside. We¡¯ve only been here for a couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°Explains a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± Phoenix laughed uneasily. ¡°Yeah¡­ we¡­ wait. You can understand me?¡±


    Relia nodded once. ¡°I have the translation implants. They¡¯re a useful tool for a wanderer¡­ for the most part.¡±


    ¡°For the most part?¡±


    ¡°Most Tres¨¦dians can¡¯t afford the implants. Even I only got them due to a family connection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Kar¨ªsah refuted. ¡°You passed the entrance exam to WCU, and all WCU students get RTA implants. You earned yours, even if you didn¡¯t actually attend the school¡­¡±


    Relia shook her head. ¡°The fact that I didn¡¯t go means that I didn¡¯t qualify for the implants. The only reason I ever actually agreed to get them was to get my mother off my ass about leavin¡¯ Tresnon¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is your mother?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°she sounds important.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess you haven¡¯t heard her last name,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked, and then looked down at Relia. ¡°Her full name is Relia Condsa, the daughter of Selind Condsa ¡ª the head of Tresnon¡¯s Defense Force.¡±


    ¡°For all that matters,¡± Relia muttered.


    ¡°¡­Oh, right, I remember now!¡± Phoenix exclaimed, her eyes widening in recognition. ¡°Selind mentioned you back when we first met.¡± She then shifted her gaze toward Kar¨ªsah. ¡°She said something about you and Kar¨ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, that¡¯s Selind for you!¡± Kar¨ªsah interrupted, as a tinge of red crossed her cheeks. ¡°Always, you know, talkin¡¯ about her daughter. Ah ha ha¡­¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s mouth slowly turned up into an amused smirk as she watched Kar¨ªsah fidget and avoid eye contact with Relia. ¡°A lot of things might be different here, compared to Earth,¡± Phoenix commented, ¡°but some things really are the same. Heh.¡±


    Relia eyed Phoenix suspiciously. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    Phoenix shook her head. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s nothing. But, hey, you¡¯re a Chaostechnic, right?¡±


    ¡°Chaos Negation,¡± Relia quickly called out, passing the jailed Bleeders a brief glance as she did so. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± she eventually continued, returning her attention to Phoenix.


    ¡°Cool! I¡¯m one, too, actually, but this is the first time I¡¯ve actually gotten to meet another Chaostechnic, aside from Kievkenalis. If you don¡¯t mind, I have a few questions about how this all works. For one¡­¡±


    As Phoenix began laying out her questions for Relia, Kestrel peered through a window into the jail to quickly take stock of the situation. Upon noting that everything seemed to be under control, she stepped back from the window and approached the rest of the group standing outside.


    ¡°Everything fine?¡± Conrad questioned as she came to a stop next to him.


    She nodded once in response.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s good that we got everythin¡¯ under control, for now,¡± Spike remarked, his hands on his hips as he slowly surveyed the dusty and eerily quiet town around him. ¡°Still¡­ didn¡¯t expect to run into Bleeders so soon.¡±


    ¡°Or at all,¡± Austin added. ¡°Isn¡¯t this place supposed to be safe?¡±


    ¡°Why are you complaining about what¡¯s ¡®safe¡¯ all the time?¡± Sky retorted. ¡°You were the one who said that going along with this ¡®chosen one¡¯ crap might be a good idea!¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, and I still think that¡­ sorta. But that doesn¡¯t mean puttin¡¯ us into deadly fights right off the bat,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°I just wish we went to one of the schools that wasn¡¯t in the middle of a desert,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°Yeah, that too!¡±


    ¡°Austin does have a point, though,¡± Twy stated. ¡°What would Luke think if he knew what was happening here? And more than that¡­ what if more Bleeders show up?¡±


    ¡°Then we fight ¡®em,¡± Spike replied. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°But none of us have fought other Chaotics before, outside of training duels with Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Twy argued. ¡°If we had to go up against other Chaotics who actually had experience with their powers, then we¡¯d be toast! Not to mention that the Bleeders must have enough people to make an entire small town disappear.¡± She glanced around, making momentary eye contact with everyone present. ¡°Do you guys really think that we could handle that?¡±


    ¡°I know what Pierce would say,¡± Conrad replied with an amused snort.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure that he¡¯d be wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re back,¡± Austin commented flatly as Dav¨ªdrius approached the group, having just appeared on the street in front of the jail.


    ¡°You find anythin¡¯?¡± Spike questioned.


    The Dean shook his head. ¡°Nothin¡¯. No people, no corpses, no Bleeders. There¡¯s a crater where the comms station used to be, which could explain why they didn¡¯t get a warnin¡¯ out to Tresnon, but there¡¯s no way to tell if it blew before or after the Bleeders showed up.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ bad,¡± Sky responded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned. ¡°The way my search went, Pierce likely won¡¯t find much, either. Which means it¡¯s time for the next plan.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sky eyed him with confusion as he pushed past the group and toward the jail. ¡°¡­Oh! Are we interrogating them, now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m interrogatin¡¯ them,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared, ¡°y¡¯all stay out here, just in case shit goes bad, somehow. ¡­Actually, Spike, follow me. The rest of you, stay put.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Spike replied, cracking his knuckles as he began approaching the jail behind Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t get carried away,¡± the Dean ordered as the two men stepped into the jail, ¡°you¡¯re only here ¡®cause you¡¯re a Forcetechnic, and a defensive Formtechnic. If these Bleeders here manage to start a fight, you focus on protectin¡¯ the others. Don¡¯t fight back.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about fightin¡¯ back?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned, as she, Relia, and Phoenix all turned to face Dav¨ªdrius and Spike.


    ¡°I take it we¡¯re talkin¡¯ to the Bleeders, now?¡± Relia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, exactly,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated, and then approached the cell containing the Geotechnic who had attacked the group earlier. She simply glared back at him, unable to move her arms or speak past the gag. ¡°Now, I expect y¡¯all to be cooperative,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he opened the cell and approached the Geotechnic to remove her gag. ¡°The more information you give me, the better things¡¯ll be for you.¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that,¡± the Geotechnic spat as soon as her gag was removed. ¡°You probably think you¡¯re Tres¨¦d¡¯s savior or somethin¡¯, huh, Sentry? Bein¡¯ all high and mighty in that compound of yours, thinkin¡¯ you can save the whole continent yourself!¡±


    ¡°If I really thought I could do things on my own, then you can bet your ass I would be,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°But about the matter here ¡ª what¡¯re y¡¯all doin¡¯ in Goresan? What happened here?¡±


    The woman sneered at him. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I¡¯m askin¡¯, dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Well we aren¡¯t tellin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You serious? You know who I am, and what I do.¡± Dav¨ªdrius looked over at the other jail cells, containing the other three Bleeder Chaotics. ¡°Y¡¯all gotta know that I can help y¡¯all find real, stable jobs, where you don¡¯t have to use your powers to hurt people, and you don¡¯t have to risk your lives just for food and water.¡±


    ¡°And earn nothin¡¯ while we¡¯re doin¡¯ it, I¡¯m sure,¡± the Geotechnic countered.


    ¡°That¡¯s far from true,¡± Kar¨ªsah interjected. ¡°Tresnon and our allied compounds are all doin¡¯ pretty well, all things considered. You¡¯d have a decent life if you joined us.¡±


    ¡°Doin¡¯ well, huh?¡± The woman grinned, and moved her head as though she were gesturing at everything around her. ¡°This is what you call ¡®doin well¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame us for shit that you did,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°We¡¯ll find out what happened to Goresan eventually, even if you don¡¯t tell us here.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°How do you know that the people here disappeared ¡®cause of the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try that shit with me. I know how y¡¯all work. Besides, there ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ else around here that could do this.¡± Dav¨ªdrius then released an irritated sigh. ¡°But you clearly ain¡¯t gonna be helpful there. What about that armor that y¡¯all had? Where¡¯d you get it?¡±


    The woman turned her nose up. ¡°We bought it.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. Bleeders ain¡¯t got money for shit, and you want me to believe you bought legit military hardware?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe me if I said it was a gift?¡±


    ¡°No, ¡®cause that¡¯s just as stupid. No one with powered armor cares about Tres¨¦d enough to give anyone here free fuckin¡¯ armor, let alone a criminal gang.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Relia spoke up, ¡°I have a feelin¡¯ we aren¡¯t goin¡¯ to get anything useful out of them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure seems that way¡­¡± The Dean shook his head warily and then stepped up to the woman to replace the gag. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Bleeders, always makin¡¯ shit harder than it needs to be. Well, I guess we can try the next one¡ª¡±


    His words were cut off as the door to the jail blasted open, followed immediately by Pierce appearing in the middle of the room. The rapid arrival and stop kicked up a sizable cloud of dust, which Phoenix and Spike reflexively backed away from, but Pierce remained unbothered as he locked eyes with Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Well that was fast,¡± the Dean commented as he returned the gaze. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡±


    ¡°I found someone,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°In the northeastern part of the town, there¡¯s a survivor!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°This is the place?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Pierce replied with a nod. ¡°He¡¯s hiding behind a counter back there, and he looked pretty hurt.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius mused, and then glanced back at the other Chaotics who had come with him and Pierce: Kar¨ªsah, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel. The group currently stood to the side of a narrow street, just in front of a building that advertised itself as a bar. In the near distance, the compound¡¯s surrounding wall could be seen, extending just over the tops of the low-height buildings that lined the street.


    ¡°How badly hurt did he look?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°There was some blood¡­ it looked like he might¡¯ve been shot,¡± Pierce responded. ¡°He was conscious, though.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s conscious and bleedin¡¯, then he¡¯s probably feelin¡¯ panicked, too,¡± Dav¨ªdrius asserted. ¡°Just in case he tries to shoot us¡­ Kar¨ªsah, you and I go first. Pierce, you keep an eye out, make sure nobody sneaks up on us. The rest of you, only come in when I give an ¡®all clear¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Pierce replied with a mild smirk. ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about an ambush, nobody will get by me!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius eyed the Earthian as he leaped up to the roof of a building across the street. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± The Dean then turned around and approached the entrance to the bar, with Kar¨ªsah following closely behind him. ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted as he knocked loudly on the door, ¡°we¡¯re friends, from Compound Tresnon! We don¡¯t mean you any harm.¡±


    A second passed in silence, as Dav¨ªdrius waited for some kind of response. When he heard none, he passed Kar¨ªsah a quick nod and then slowly opened the front door ¡ª and just as he did, a chunk of the door exploded outwards in a burst of energy.


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± the Dean shouted irately as he took cover behind the rest of the door, ¡°we¡¯re friendly! Don¡¯t shoot!¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s what the others said, too!¡± came a male voice from inside the bar, ¡°how do I know you ain¡¯t Bleeders?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shootin¡¯ at Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, ¡°he¡¯s as anti-Bleeder as they get!¡±


    ¡°My name ain¡¯t that important,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, though as he peeked inside the building again, he noticed the top of a man¡¯s head peeking over the counter in the back.


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­¡± the man responded wearily, ¡°S-Sentry?¡­ I¡­ I thought I recognized that voice. Are you really¡­?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Kar¨ªsah an annoyed glance and released a sigh before pushing the door open to fully reveal his body. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me,¡± he stated. ¡°We only just got here, though.¡±


    ¡°Finally, some help¡­¡± The man slowly pulled himself to his feet, in the process revealing the gun that he held in his left hand ¡ª and the blood running down his right arm.


    ¡°Well, that looks rough,¡± Conrad commented as he peered into the building from outside, his entire body invisible.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah responded quietly, and then rose her voice to address the man. ¡°Your wound¡­ how bad is it?¡±


    ¡°This?¡± The man glanced over at his right arm, which hung limply at his side. ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯ I can¡¯t recover from¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t look that way to me. Here¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah quickly removed her cloak and easily tore off a strip of cloth, at which point she began moving toward the man. ¡°You¡¯re clearly losin¡¯ blood, let¡¯s stop that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, okay, then¡­¡± the man muttered as Kar¨ªsah guided him to a nearby seat and then began wiping blood off his arm with the rest of her cloak in preparation to tie a tourniquet. He then turned his attention up to Dav¨ªdrius, and then to Phoenix and Kestrel, who stood in the doorway. ¡°There¡¯s a buncha you, Sentry¡­ are the Bleeders gone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied as he took a seat facing the man, and gestured for the Earthians to come closer. ¡°Good to find that you¡¯re alive. About what happened here, though ¡ª it was the Bleeders, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who else it could¡¯ve been,¡± the man answered, wincing slightly as Kar¨ªsah tied off the tourniquet and then stepped away. He glanced down at it and then offered Kar¨ªsah a quick nod before turning back to Dav¨ªdrius, a sullen expression upon his face. ¡°They just attacked so suddenly, in the middle of the night¡­ I barely had time to grab my gun. By then, they were already roamin¡¯ the streets uncontested, so I¡­¡± He looked down. ¡°I just¡­ y-you know, I panicked, so, I¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s perfectly fine,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°I get what you¡¯re sayin¡¯. You wanted to go out an¡¯ help, and I get that. But for most folks, hidin¡¯ is the way to go. You ever been in a fight?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ not aside from breakin¡¯ up bar brawls.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s best to keep it that way. Folks who never were in a real fight, with life-or-death stakes, often ain¡¯t much use in one. All you woulda done is gotten yourself killed, and that wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve helped anyone.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what happened here? You said they attacked at night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A¡­ a couple days ago, I think,¡± the man responded wearily. He paused to take a deep breath, his eyes averted from Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°I¡­ heard a bunch of explosions. That¡¯s what woke me up. Don¡¯t know what happened before then. After that, I heard some fightin¡¯, but¡­ not much. The Bleeders were in the streets barely an hour later.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ fast,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Did this place not have any protection, aside from the walls?¡±


    The man stared at her cluelessly, and then looked helplessly at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°¡­What¡¯d she say?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, he can¡¯t understand us¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°She asked about Goresan¡¯s defenses,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said, and then glanced back at Phoenix. ¡°Goresan¡¯s got¡ª well, they had two Guardians. That is, two folks in charge of defendin¡¯ the place. Both were Chaotics, and pretty competent ones, too. They could sure give me a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Guardians, huh? Does that have anything to do with this ¡®Sentry¡¯ title everyone¡¯s using for you?¡±


    ¡°A lot of Tres¨¦dians like titles and nicknames,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°The way I hear it, when Dav¨ªdrius started makin¡¯ a name for himself with WCU and this Bleeder Reformation stuff, people started callin¡¯ him ¡®Sentry¡¯, like an upgraded Guardian.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s certainly watched over Tres¨¦d like one,¡± the bartender declared. ¡°I don¡¯t know what we¡¯d all do without him.¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, y¡¯all are really overestimatin¡¯ my abilities,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. He then turned back to face the barman. ¡°Anyways. About Goresan¡¯s Guardians. Do you know what happened to ¡®em? How¡¯d the Bleeders get past ¡®em?¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t see any of the fightin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Accordin¡¯ to Relia, there were four Bleeders here when she arrived,¡± Kar¨ªsah pointed out. ¡°Maybe the Guardians were just outnumbered and overpowered.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but Relia was already fightin¡¯ all four before we got here, and she did fine on her own,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°Now, she¡¯s one of the best Chaotics I know, so part of that¡¯s down to her skill¡­ but the Bleeders ain¡¯t never been that good at fightin¡¯ in the first place, and Guardians train specifically to fight off groups of Bleeders. So to overpower two Guardians would require a lotta numbers, or a lotta firepower¡­ damn.¡±


    ¡°A-about that, actually,¡± the man spoke up, uneasily glancing between Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°I overheard some of the Bleeders talkin¡¯ yesterday, when they walked by the bar, and it sounded like they had someone new with ¡®em, or somethin¡¯. Someone really powerful. They called her ¡®Feral¡¯¡­ like, as if that were her name.¡±


    ¡°¡­Feral?¡± Phoenix echoed incredulously.


    ¡°A really strong Chaotic who just showed up, is that what you¡¯re sayin¡¯?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, ¡°well that¡¯s just great. You have any idea what kind of Chaotic they were?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± the man replied. ¡°From what I heard, it seemed like the explosions that started everythin¡¯ were because of her, but¡­ that¡¯s all I know.¡±


    ¡°A Chaotic that causes explosions?¡± Kar¨ªsah passed Dav¨ªdrius a glance. ¡°That could be anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we got a name: Feral. Sounds like a hint to her attitude, too. So it¡¯s a start, even if we don¡¯t know much more than that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented, and then directed his next question at the man. ¡°Since you overheard some of the Bleeders, do you now what they were doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The man looked down again, silent for a few moments as he wracked his thoughts. ¡°Not really, but¡­ I did go outside, just once, to try and figure out what was goin¡¯ on. It¡­ it looked like they were roundin¡¯ people up. There was a big group in the plaza, guarded by some of the Bleeders. There were a bunch of¡­ a bunch of corpses, too. In a big pile, right outside the walls. I watched a Geotechnic bury them under the sand in an instant. I¡­¡± His breathing turned heavy, as he finished, ¡°¡­I recognized some of those folks. Regulars, at this bar. Some captured, some killed, and¡­ and I¡­¡±


    A heavy silence fell over the bar as the man continued staring at the ground. Phoenix and Kestrel exchanged uneasy glances, as Dav¨ªdrius pursed his lips and glanced around irately, as though searching for something to direct his anger towards.


    ¡°¡­Ah, damn it.¡± The Dean broke the silence and took a deep breath to calm himself. ¡°A full-on compound raid¡­ and so close to Tresnon, too. That ain¡¯t happened in nearly a decade. What the hell are they plannin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± the man replied quietly. ¡°Though¡­ even after they, uh¡­ got rid of all the people here¡­ I noticed that they were still patrollin¡¯ the streets. Kinda like they were inspectin¡¯ the place. And not for people¡­¡±


    ¡°Inspectin¡¯?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed, ¡°¡­hmm. Did any of the Bleeders you saw have powered armor? Black and silver gauntlets or greaves, anything like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about powered armor, but yeah, some of ¡®em had some black and silver stuff on them. Not all of ¡®em, but some. Was that really powered armor, though? The Bleeders have that?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothin¡¯ for you to worry about.¡± He then stood up and patted the man¡¯s uninjured shoulder reassuringly. ¡°You¡¯ve been a lotta help, here. Really appreciate it. We¡¯ll get you to Tresnon soon, and take care of ya there, but just hang on for now, alright?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, of course. Th-thanks, Sentry.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Dav¨ªdrius glanced at Kar¨ªsah, and then at the Earthians, before gesturing toward the door. ¡°C¡¯mon. We gotta lot to figure out, here¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Man, this is messed up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kiddin¡¯¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°A whole fuckin¡¯ town, disappeared. Just how the hell did that happen?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± Austin responded warily. Nearly half an hour had passed since Dav¨ªdrius and the others left to search for the survivor Pierce had found, leaving Austin, Spike, Twy, and Sky to remain within the jail. The Bleeders were still tied up and gagged within the cells, while Relia stood apart from the Earthians and stoically watched over the new inmates.


    ¡°I thought the Bleeders were just a gang, or something,¡± Twy commented, ¡°but if they have enough organization to take over an entire town, without letting any alerts go out¡­ they¡¯re a lot more dangerous than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but there¡¯s a lot of us!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°The four of us, plus Dav¨ªdrius, Kar¨ªsah, Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, Kestrel, and now Relia¡­ that¡¯s like, what, eleven Chaotics? We could take on anything!¡±


    ¡°I dunno about that,¡± Austin countered. ¡°There might be eleven of us, but of those eleven, only three have any real experience¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you gotta get experience somehow. Everyone has a first fight! Hell, we¡¯ve had two!¡±


    ¡°We may have fought EA twice, but those weren¡¯t Chaotic fights,¡± Twy replied. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a week since we learned about Chaotic basics, not to mention the fact that we haven¡¯t received any training with our special weapons whatsoever. We¡¯re woefully under prepared for a real fight with other Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, what¡¯s so hard to figure out about our weapons?¡± Sky exclaimed as she summoned her green and silver staff into her hands with a flash of light. ¡°You just swing ¡®em around!¡±


    ¡°I have a bow,¡± Twy retorted.


    ¡°Yeah, well, the key thing is still there. These weapons are supposed to be unique, right? That means no one will know you have it! So just whip it out at the moment they¡¯d least expect it, and boom! Victory!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot easier said than done,¡± Austin pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of technique behind actually usin¡¯ martial weaponry,¡± Spike said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bit of trainin¡¯ with a bo staff, so I could help teach you how to use yours, Sky. But Austin and Twy¡­ well, claymores and bows ain¡¯t what I¡¯ve trained with.¡±


    ¡°It always comes back to trainin¡¯, doesn¡¯t it¡­¡± Austin sighed warily. ¡°Man¡­ how¡¯d we even get involved in all this? Why us?¡±


    ¡°That old dude said something about a prophecy,¡± Sky responded.


    ¡°Yeah, but do you really buy that? A fuckin¡¯ prophecy?¡±


    The Pyrotechnic shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Do you have a better explanation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really how this works,¡± Twy countered. ¡°You don¡¯t accept wild explanations just because it¡¯s the only one you have.¡±


    ¡°Well there¡¯s not much use in getting worked up over it, anyways, is there? We¡¯re already here. We can¡¯t change that. Besides¡­¡± Sky passed an incredulous glance toward Austin. ¡°You were the most excited of all of us to learn that you had a special weapon that you could summon out of thin air. Why are you complaining now?¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d get thrown into fucking life-or-death situations, that¡¯s why,¡± Austin countered irately.


    ¡°What the hell did you think would happen when we got drafted into the military?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought the conscription was so fucked up! And¡­ I guess I¡¯d hoped that it would get reversed before anything actually happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ me too,¡± Sky responded, and then dismissed her staff as she sat down on the ground. ¡°The conscription stuff sucks¡­ but it already happened, so there¡¯s not much use worrying about it, you know? And this whole life-or-death thing sucks too, I guess, but, like¡­ we have superpowers now, you know?! I think the best thing to use those for is to help other people, and sometimes, that means putting yourself in danger. It¡¯s just what happens.¡±


    Austin looked down at his hands. ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t change the fact that we aren¡¯t yet prepared for a real fight,¡± Twy asserted. ¡°I agree with you, Sky, for the most part. But I¡¯d like a little more than a single week of training before getting thrown into the deep end.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hey, Relia,¡± Spike spoke up, his attention directed toward the short Chaotic standing near the jail cells. ¡°Have you been listenin¡¯? What do you think about all this?¡±


    She passed a glance toward the group, her expression neutral. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not my place to say,¡± she eventually responded. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius is the one teachin¡¯ you. Right? He probably knows what he¡¯s doin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡­¡± Austin echoed uneasily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s goin¡¯ through his head. Kar¨ªsah would know better.¡± Relia then returned her attention to watching over the Bleeders. ¡°¡­But, I will say this: not all Chaotics get the benefit of trainin¡¯ before bein¡¯ thrown into their first fight. And most don¡¯t get to choose to fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve been told that¡­¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any of this right, either,¡± Austin argued.


    ¡°¡­You all really are outsiders,¡± Relia said. ¡°That naive idealism doesn¡¯t fit Tres¨¦d. If you want to keep it, you¡¯d better leave.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ harsh,¡± Sky responded warily.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth. Though maybe that¡¯s why Dav¨ªdrius took you in ¡ª to show you the truth.¡±


    Austin, Sky, and Twy all passed each other uneasy glances, each of them at a loss for how to respond. Before any of them could think of something to say, however, Spike spoke up.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s here,¡± he declared in a loud whisper, staring out one of the jail windows as he did. He squinted his eyes, and then ducked down beneath the windowsill as he gestured for everyone else to follow suit.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡± Sky questioned in a whisper as she quickly crawled to Spike¡¯s side.


    ¡°There¡¯s folks out there, checkin¡¯ out the plaza,¡± Spike replied, ¡°and they aren¡¯t the others. They¡¯re wearin¡¯ that black and silver stuff, too¡ª¡±


    In the middle of his sentence, the entire front wall of the building exploded outwards, as though yanked by some invisible force. Standing just on the other side was a tan-skinned man, clad in desert robes and metal greaves and gauntlets, while behind him were another four individuals, all dressed similarly.


    ¡°¡­Well, what do we got here?¡± the man remarked as he looked over the Earthians. ¡°¡­I guess we¡¯ve been found out, then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Relia muttered as she backed into a defensive stance. ¡°It¡¯s the Bleeders!¡±

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 25: Return

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 25: Return


    ?Nanocreatures? Are you serious??


    ?Y-yes!? Researcher MacTavish replied over the comms, ?it, it mentions Morcii right¡ª right here! A-and a s-silver rash, and, and everything!?


    ?¡®Silver rash¡¯ on its own is damning, but finding a mention of Morcii does seal the deal,? Saito commented as he passed a wary glance toward Mote. ?This really doesn¡¯t sound good.?


    ?Who¡¯s Morcii?? Danielle questioned over the connection, ?the name sounds familiar¡­?


    ?Morcii was the one who led the Nanocreatures against the rest of the galaxy during the big war 20 years ago,? Hackett explained. ?In just a month, he and the Nanocreatures managed to capture nearly half of the CSA¡¯s Transpace worlds. It took literally destroying a planet to stop him ¡ª if the Nanocreatures had been given just one more month, the CSA would¡¯ve fallen for sure. And it wouldn¡¯t have taken the Nanocreatures even half as long to take over the Nimalians, or Earth.?


    ?And even after all that, the Nanocreatures managed to come back for a day,? Saito stated. ?It was those Nimalians, Hero Machina, that put Morcii down for good ¡ª or so the Nimalian Union claims, at least.?


    ?Hero Machina?? Danielle echoed, ?wait, aren¡¯t those the guys that Twy and Sky and everybody went to study under??


    ?The very same,? Saito replied.


    ?What¡¯s the story with them? Like, I know about the Nanocreature War and stuff, but how¡¯re they involved??


    ?Well, that¡¯s a somewhat longer story¡­ but it does seems relevant right about now,? Saito mused. ?The official story actually begins around 40 years ago, with the Chaos Energy Quake of 2088. Aside from making Chaos Energy all across the galaxy unusable, the Quake also made all of the Chaos Ayas disappear.?


    ?Disappear?? Danielle questioned.


    ?Yeah. All nine Ayas just disappeared into the ether, with no traces at all,? Saito remarked. ?Ten years after that was the first official report of the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ in the galaxy ¡ª the first official time anyone had seen the Nanocreatures. Of course, given how the infection spreads, I¡¯d bet that it was around for some time before then¡­


    ?Ten years after that, in 2109, is where Hero Machina enters the picture. The six of them were, as the story goes, unique ¡ª normally, many Nimalians born in any given year would go on to become Chaotics, but of all the people born on Nimalia during the original Chaos Quake¡­ only the six members of Hero Machina developed Chaotic abilities. Now, Hero Machina aren¡¯t the only Nimalian ¡®quakeborn¡¯ Chaotics, but they are the only ones from Nimalia itself, which is pretty weird when there would usually be orders of magnitude more. I guess someone on Nimalia thought there was some significance to it all, and decided to put together Hero Machina as a team.


    ?According to the official story, Hero Machina¡¯s main mission was to look into the Chaos Quake and the metallic infection. Along the way, they ended up discovering many of the Ayas that had disappeared twenty years prior. They also got involved in the Riaxen-Syraus battle at Tyrnaus, and a little bit in the United Drakkar Offensive; one of the planets the Drakkars attacked was a Siion Fortress World by the name of Maasen, and Hero Machina was sent there to recover one of the Ayas before the Drakkars could get their hands on it.


    ?And that¡¯s when Morcii first showed up. He single-handedly scared off both Exdominor and Surdeus ¡ª the two most powerful Drakkar Faction Leaders ¡ª and then beat Hero Machina in a fight, even crippling one of them. Following that, he declared war on the galaxy, and, well¡­ I think we all know what happened at that point. Many of the CSA¡¯s Transpace Worlds fell to the Nanocreatures over the course of a single month, some of them falling within mere days of being attacked. The Nanocreatures didn¡¯t suffer a single loss until the famous Battle of Neticen, where Christean¨¦ Kolst¨¦n ¡ª one of the members of Hero Machina ¡ª used the allied forces¡¯ collected Ayas to fight Morcii. They destroyed the planet of Neticen during their fight, but Christean¨¦ beat Morcii in the end, and was able to claim all nine of the Ayas for the allied forces of the galaxy.


    ?With Morcii¡­ apparently gone, the rest of the Nanocreatures significantly dwindled in strength, allowing the CSA to push back and recapture their lost Transpace Worlds. It wasn¡¯t pretty, I can tell you that, but a month and a half later, the CSA had all of their territory back and was starting to recover. ¡­Only for Morcii to show up again another month and a half after that. He and the Nanocreatures attacked all of the locations that were safe-guarding the Ayas, and successfully captured them, too ¡ª at which point Morcii fucked off to who knows where. This is where the official story gets a little hazy¡­ but supposedly, Hero Machina found where Morcii was hiding, stole the Ayas from him, and then killed him again. Except this time, when they killed him, the vast majority of the Nanocreatures throughout the galaxy instantly dissolved. That was the true end of the Nanocreature War; Morcii hasn¡¯t been seen or heard from since.?


    ?If killing him the second time worked, then why not the first time?? Mote questioned.


    ?No idea,? replied Saito. ?I guess, since Morcii was using the Ayas himself during the Battle of Neticen, his ¡®death¡¯ there wasn¡¯t as, um¡­ permanent. Though, I really have to wonder if we can be sure if his second death was permanent¡­ either way, that¡¯s the official story of how Hero Machina got involved in the Nanocreature War, and how they beat the Nanocreatures. Considering that it took a bunch of Ayas to stop the Nanocreatures ¡ª both times ¡ª I¡¯m sure you can see that they¡¯re an incredibly dangerous threat.?


    ?Sure sounds like it, if someone had to destroy a planet to stop them!? Danielle exclaimed.


    ?I¡¯m surprised you could rattle off the detailed story off of the top of your head like that, though, sir,? Hackett remarked.


    ?The Nanocreature War had a very significant impact on the galaxy, and we¡¯re still feeling its effects ¡ª even today,? Saito replied. ?I¡¯ve spent a lot of time studying the official reports from the war. It¡¯s the only way to understand everything that happened, and the kind of dangers our galaxy can face.?


    ?The war was 20 years ago, though,? Mote pointed out. ?To go back to the original point ¡ª if Kirstin is right, and there were Nanocreatures on this station until recently, then would they not have all left 20 years ago to join Morcii??


    ?That does sound likely,? Hackett agreed. ?The Nanocreature War was a full-out assault. I don¡¯t think the Nanocreatures were holding anything back.?


    ?On the contrary, Major,? Saito interjected. ?During the battle for Tau¡¯cen Kii, the allied forces detonated a Drive Bomb against the Nanocreature fleet ¡ª only for the Nanocreatures to immediately retaliate with their own. You can see the evidence of that today, since the Nanocreature bomb took out a chunk of the local Fortress World. The fact is, the Nanocreatures undoubtedly had the power to fabricate Subspace Drives at will and obliterate any planet they wanted to, they just¡­ didn¡¯t.?


    ?That sounds¡­ bad,? Danielle said.


    ?Yes¡­? Saito responded, his mouth reflexively turning down into a frown. ?The Nanocreatures can also consume and take control of other matter to create more of themselves. And they can spread stealthily, as well ¡ª not only are they nanites, but they can spread through living creatures like a regular infection. Before we knew what Nanocreatures really were, they were known as the ¡®metallic infection¡¯, due to the metal-like rashes that would form on infected creatures ¡ª and that infection spread through the entire galaxy for over 10 years prior to the Nanocreature War. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Morcii left a small number of them laying around somewhere, so that they could start that whole process over again¡­?


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ?You¡¯re suggesting that he would¡¯ve left the Nanocreatures on this station, then?? Mote questioned. ?Is there a way to verify that??


    ?I¡¯m not sure¡­ MacTavish, do the computers say anything about this? Are there any kind of sensors that could tell us if the Nanocreatures are still here??


    ?Uh¡­ n-not that, um, I can see¡­? MacTavish responded, as though she were partially distracted with reading something. ?Th-those systems, uh, d-don¡¯t seem to be active¡­?


    ?Is it possible to reactivate them??


    ?If the Nanocreatures were loose on this station at some point, then I¡¯d be willing to bet that they disabled those sensors, sir,? Hackett commented. ?They¡¯ve had plenty of time, after all.?


    ?It¡¯s still worth a shot,? Saito declared. ?MacTavish, do you know??


    ?Uh¡­ w-well¡­? The Researcher fell silent for a few moments, during which Saito and Mote exchanged glances. ?D-don¡¯t know about the, uh, sensors,? she eventually spoke up again, ?but, um¡­ th-there¡¯s something else in-interesting, here¡­?


    ?What is it??


    ?The docs m-mention some kind of, uh¡­ a project to, um, m-make a machine that can undo, uh, c-corruption.?


    ?A machine that can undo Nanocreature corruption?? Hackett repeated incredulously, ?if that actually exists, then it could be very useful.?


    ?I agree,? Saito stated, ?but MacTavish only said that the Aldredas had a project for this going. Do the documents say anything about a completed, working machine??


    ?Uh¡­ th-there¡¯s a prototype,? MacTavish replied.


    ?Oh, fantastic. Where is it??


    ?¡­N-not on this, uh, station¡­?


    ?Well that¡¯s just great,? Mote muttered.


    ?It figures that our job wouldn¡¯t be easy¡­ but then again, is it ever?? Saito responded cheekily, and then returned to a serious tone. ?MacTavish, are there at least any directions to where this prototype could be? Anything to help us find it??


    ?Um, w-well¡­ sort of¡­?


    ?¡®Sort of¡¯? What the hell does that mean??


    ?There¡¯s a, um, tip, but¡­ it¡¯s, uh¡­ w-well, I¡¯ll read it: ¡®the key to this, uh, m-machine is found through, um, Ry-Rynisaren.¡¯?


    ?How unhelpfully cryptic,? Hackett deadpanned.


    ?Leave it to the Aldredas to make things convoluted,? Saito replied, and then released an impatient sigh. ?¡­Then again, this might just be precautions against the Nanocreatures getting their hands on the machine. If this station recorded an exact coordinate, and the Nanocreatures took it over, then they¡¯d be able to get their hands on the machine, as well. Obviously, the Aldredas would want to put a stop to that.?


    ?I suppose that makes some level of sense,? Mote commented, ?but hiding the location of an important machine behind a riddle seems like a horrifically naive attempt at OpSec.?


    ?When the Nanocreatures can seize direct control of the hardware you store all your data on, then figurative speech might actually be the way to go,? Saito countered. ?It sure doesn¡¯t make our job any easier, though.?


    ?Yeah, what does ¡®Rynisaren¡¯ even mean?? Danielle questioned, ?without that, we don¡¯t know anything!?


    ?I-it says here, actually¡­? MacTavish stated, ?Rynisaren Raen was, um, a-an old leader of the, uh, Aldredas. He¡¯s the one who, uh, m-made Raen technology ¡ª the, uh, th-the stuff that only Mote can use.?


    ?Is that so¡­? Mote muttered.


    ?N-not only that. The, um, th-the Dreadnought we found¡­ w-was named after him.?


    ?Now that you mention that, I do recall Kate saying that the Dreadnought¡¯s name was Rynisaren,? Saito mused. ?Is the riddle saying that the anti-Nanocreature machine was on the Dreadnought? Or that one of the Dreadnought¡¯s coordinates points to the machine??


    ?I, uh, d-don¡¯t know¡­?


    ?Fair enough. I suppose we shouldn¡¯t expect all of the answers just yet¡­ though it¡¯s nice to have a lead. Let¡¯s just hope that the machine wasn¡¯t actually on the Dreadnought, since we had to scuttle it¡­?


    ?A lead it might be, but didn¡¯t the Dreadnought have hundreds or thousands of coordinates to sort through?? Hackett questioned, ?there has to be a way to figure out which is the right one, surely??


    ?Hopefully there is, but unfortunately, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll find that out here.? Saito took a deep breath before continuing, ?anyways, MacTavish, see if you can find a way to tell if there really are Nanocreatures still on this station or not. Everyone else, be careful, and watch out. The energy shielding of our armor should protect us against them, if we run into them, but only for a short time ¡ª so if you see any signs of the Nanocreatures, then get the hell out immediately. Understood??


    ?Yes sir,? Hackett replied.


    ?Good. In the meantime, I¡¯ll contact Krick and let him know what we¡¯ve discovered. Saito, out.?


    ?¡­Do you really think the Nanocreatures could still be here, sir?? Mote questioned as the two dropped out of the group-wide comms call.


    ?I think the chance of them being here is too great to ignore,? the Colonel replied. ?You were barely alive when the Nanocreature War happened, so you wouldn¡¯t know what it was like. And to be honest, even I don¡¯t know that well ¡ª Earth¡¯s only direct contribution was to send the Genesis, so most people who were in SERRCom at the time were no better than bystanders. But the news reports about the war were horrific¡­ and to make matters worse, the galaxy had over 10 years¡¯ worth of warning, through the spread of the ¡®metallic infection¡¯, as it was called. If that infection had been taken more seriously, then the Nanocreature War might never have happened. So you can bet your ass that I¡¯m going to take it seriously now.?


    ?¡­I see,? Mote responded. ?I apologize if it seems like I wasn¡¯t giving the danger its due respect.?


    ?Yeah¡­ the Nanocreatures sure seem like the kind of threat that people are incapable of taking seriously until they see things go wrong with their own eyes,? Saito commented bitterly.


    ?What is it that makes them so dangerous, though? Surely modern technology should be able to handle a few nanomachines.?


    ?Military hardware, maybe, due to how everyone uses energy shielding. But civvies don¡¯t, and that makes it much easier for Nanocreature nanites to infect them. Hell, even soldiers and military hardware aren¡¯t always protected by energy shielding. Everything becomes vulnerable at some point.?


    ?Sure, but nanites are made out of metal, are they not, sir? A Metallitechnic or an Electrotechnic ought to make short work of them.?


    ?And that¡¯s where you¡¯d be wrong, I¡¯m afraid¡ª though I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t know this. Nanocreatures are immune to direct manipulation from Chaotics.?


    ?¡­I suppose that does make them considerably more dangerous¡­?


    ?Exactly.?


    ?But if that¡¯s the case, then how did a group of Chaotics defeat the Nanocreatures, and Morcii??


    ?You¡¯d have to ask the Nimalians about that one. The official story claims that Hero Machina simply defeated him in combat, with the aid of the Chaos Ayas. Though I¡¯ve always thought that the official story was a little light on the details of Morcii¡¯s defeat¡­?


    ?Is that not suspicious? Maybe the Nimalians have a way to deal with the Nanocreatures, and just wanted to hide it from the rest of the galaxy.?


    ?Maybe, but we¡¯re starting to enter into the realm of conspiracy theories,? Saito countered, and then took a deep breath. ?We¡¯ve wasted enough time talking about this, anyways; I have a call to make. Colonel Saito to Genesis, Colonel Saito to Genesis. Captain Krick, do you read me??


    The Colonel waited patiently for a response, eager to alert Krick and Genesis about everything they¡¯ve learned. Several seconds passed by in silence, however, with no response from Krick at all.


    ?¡­Colonel Saito, to Genesis,? he repeated, this time a little slower and more clear. Out the corner of his eye, Saito noticed Mote snap his attention to him, as if in alarm. ?¡­Krick? Do you read?? Saito tried again, though still he received no response.


    ?I can¡¯t contact them, either, sir¡­? Mote stated a second later. ?I can¡¯t even establish a connection. It¡¯s like my armor can¡¯t see any signals outside of the station¡­?


    The two glanced at each other, and then Saito quickly brought his gun to bear as they both began scanning their surroundings.


    ?Why can¡¯t things ever be easy,? the Colonel muttered. ?Just once, I¡¯d like a mission to go down exactly as planned¡­?


    ?Yes¡­? Mote responded in kind, and then glanced back at Saito. ?Wait¡­ Colonel, you said that the Nanocreatures can seize control of any matter they touch, right??


    ?I did¡­ what of it??


    ?Do they learn from what they absorb, as well??


    ?I¡¯m not sure on that one, but I wouldn¡¯t be willing to bet against it. At a very minimum, they¡¯re capable of using anything they¡¯ve corrupted to the full extent of the original owners.?


    ?I see¡­ then if, if the Nanocreatures really are here, it would be bad if they got a hold of the Raenaros, wouldn¡¯t it??


    There was a brief moment of silence as Saito turned to stare at Mote, followed by the Colonel whipping around and pushing off of the surrounding bulkheads to propel himself down the hallway. ?We¡¯re heading back to the Corvette,? he ordered to Mote. ?This situation has gotten far too dire, especially with the sudden loss of comms. Nanocreatures or no, we¡¯re¡ª?


    ?Uh, sir, I just got an alert from the Raenaros,? Mote interjected. ?It just locked itself down, due to¡­ detecting nearby ¡®Morenal¡¯.?


    ?Damn, I fucking knew it¡ª?


    ?Colonel!? Major Hackett¡¯s voice sliced into their conversation. ?Colonel, do you read me?!?


    ?I hear you, Major,? Saito replied. ?The Raenaros just detected Morenal ¡ª that is, Nanocreatures ¡ª on the station. The risk has gotten too big¡ª?


    ?Sir, the risk is here!? Hackett insisted, ?Danielle and I are under attack by metal bugs. It¡¯s the Nanocreatures!?

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 26: Wasteland Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 26: Wasteland Chaos


    ¡°What the hell is goin¡¯ on here¡­¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned, passing the Dean a wary glance.


    He responded with silence, instead stopping in the middle of the street as he began sweeping his gaze across his dusty surroundings, lit by the late-afternoon sun. Just behind him were Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel, with the bar they had found the survivor in standing just across the street.


    ¡°¡­Something wrong?¡± Conrad questioned, watching Dav¨ªdrius slowly survey the buildings around them.


    ¡°Of course somethin¡¯s wrong,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, and then turned his attention back to the group. ¡°Nothin¡¯ about what happened here adds up. We got a Bleeder attack, that somehow happened fast enough to clear out the town in two days. Ain¡¯t no one got word out about it. And on top of that, the Bleeders had a whole bunch of powered armor with ¡®em, on top of some new supposedly powerful Chaotic. And they attacked a Compound so close to Tresnon, too. It woulda been far easier for ¡®em to attack a Compound farther out in the wastes¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems like they were more of a threat than you expected, huh?¡± Pierce commented.


    ¡°Cut the attitude,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped, ¡°this is serious. Folks have been leavin¡¯ the Bleeders in droves over the past few years ¡ª the gang¡¯s smaller than it¡¯s ever been. They shouldn¡¯t be a threat¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe this attack was just an attempt at revenge, then?¡± Phoenix suggested, ¡°some kind of attempt at sending a message?¡±


    ¡°When the Bleeders send messages, they ain¡¯t this subtle about it. Revenge, though, I could get ¡ª but it doesn¡¯t explain how they pulled this off.¡±


    ¡°You just need to figure out where they got that powered armor stuff, right?¡± Conrad questioned, ¡°if you can do that, then you can find the source of the problem.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. That¡¯s obvious enough,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, ¡°but figurin¡¯ out where it came from is easier said than done. Ain¡¯t no one sellin¡¯ powered armor in Tres¨¦d, that I know of at least. Even Tresnon barely has any armor.¡±


    ¡°Dumping grounds?¡± Kestrel prompted.


    ¡°Yeah, you mentioned something about dumping grounds, earlier,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°What¡¯s that about? Could the armor have come from there?¡±


    ¡°The dumping grounds are areas along the coast where the other nations, well¡­ dump their junk,¡± Kar¨ªsah explained. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ pretty disgustin¡¯, really. And disappointin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to mention it lets all kinds of tech fall into Bleeder hands,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve seen Bleeders with powered armor before, recovered from the dumping grounds. But not in this volume. The design of the armor looks off, too¡­ not many Nimalian armors I know of are black and silver, and most need chest plates or codpieces to work, while none of the Bleeders have had either. I guess it could be some new model or somethin¡¯, but¡­ just don¡¯t seem right.¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s weird, but we can handle it just fine,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve fought shielded enemies before, and won. I¡¯ll just do the same to these Bleeders.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Pierce a doubtful glance. ¡°You may¡¯ve fought shielded enemies, but were they Chaotics?¡±


    ¡°No, but how¡¯s that matter? With superspeed, the approach is the same.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away. The vast majority of Chaotics have ways of dealin¡¯ with Velocitechnics. Shielded Chaotics are more difficult to fight than you might think ¡ª even more so when you don¡¯t got any shields yourself.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to get shielding?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°Seems like it could be useful, right about now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ say,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned, and then released a deep sigh. ¡°¡­But like I said, there ain¡¯t much of a market for powered armor or any kind of personal shielding here in Tres¨¦d. No one can afford it. I¡¯ll have to talk to some folks¡­¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anythin¡¯ I can do to help, let me know,¡± Kar¨ªsah declared. ¡°This problem isn¡¯t just yours to deal with, Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± he muttered as he waved her off. ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll need to¡ª¡±


    The low rumbling, thundering noise of an explosion swept across the street, interrupting Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s speech and drawing the group¡¯s attention to the west.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Conrad exclaimed.


    ¡°¡­Shit.¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°Is there another attack? Damn! Let¡¯s go, we don¡¯t have time to spare!¡±


    ¡°Ha! A real fight!¡± Pierce whooped as the group began running off after Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Finally, a real chance to prove ourselves!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Chaos Boost¡ª Chaos Massive IMPACT!¡±


    A nigh-invisible plane of force swept across the cracked and sandy Goresan plaza, flooring two of the attacking Bleeders as Relia leaped into the fray. The rocks under her feet immediately shifted and created a massive hole, only for her to call out ¡°Chaos Teleport¡± and appear off to the side of the plaza ¡ª where one of the Bleeders, flying in the air, was engaged in combat with Sky, who also launched herself through the air with bursts of flame.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kiddin¡¯ me¡ª ack!!¡± Austin reflexively ducked backwards as a rock sailed through the air toward him, narrowly missing his shoulder by a hair and crashing into the building behind him. He glanced back warily; the moment the new Bleeders appeared, Relia had taken action to knockout the four captured Bleeders, leaving only the five new arrivals to deal with. On paper, the odds seemed even, with five Bleeders against Relia, Austin, Spike, Twy, and Sky ¡ª but on the latter side, only Relia had true combat experience, and that fact was made all the more obvious by the group¡¯s current performance against the Bleeders.


    ¡°Look out!!¡± Spike roared from the side as he chucked a metal shield at Austin, just in time to intercept another rock flying his way. The Forcetechnic then bounded onto the scene, grabbing Austin and bowling him to the side as a high-intensity beam of light swept across their former position. As Spike released Austin and turned back to face the Bleeders, however, the two men began slowly lifting into the air, as though lofted by an invisible force.


    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Austin started, only to notice one of the Bleeders standing to the side with her hand outstretched toward him. Is this telekinesis? Aw man, I wish I could¡ª oh, shit!! He immediately clapped his hands and then took control over his body using his Imperator powers, overpowering the telekinesis and flying through the air just in time to avoid being crushed by a massive pillar overhead. As he flew across the ground, skimming just a couple feet over the broken plaza, it occurred to Austin that his flight didn¡¯t require as much mental effort as it had needed when he first got his powers ¡ª but before he had time to revel in that realization, he felt his entire body grow heavy. He was soon forced to the ground, barely able to even lift his arms against their incredible new weight.


    ¡°Why doncha just lay down for a bit, huh?¡±


    Austin slowly turned his attention upward, moving only his eyes, as his head felt too heavy to move. Standing there was a shorter man, also clad in black and silver greaves and gauntlets as he stared down at Austin ¡ª only for a purple ball of energy to slam into him and launch him across the plaza, followed quickly by Relia. Immediately, the heavy sensation lifted, allowing Austin to jump back to his feet just as Twy alighted on the ground next to him.


    ¡°Are you alright?!¡± she questioned, though she scooped the both of them up in a bubble of water and carried Austin to the side of the plaza before he could respond.


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah,¡± Austin muttered, and then looked out over the plaza, where he noticed Spike holding off a hail of rocks while Relia launched Chaos attack after Chaos attack. ¡°¡­Fuck¡­ we¡¯re not doin¡¯ so well¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Twy frowned. ¡°As far as I can tell¡­ it looks like one of the Bleeders can control rocks, another can control air, one can control gravity, one can control light, and the last is a telekinetic.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You were able to figure that all out?¡±


    ¡°It pays to pay attention.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Yeah, well¡ª aw, shit!!¡± Austin exclaimed as the area immediately around him and Twy fell into pitch darkness. Quickly, he clapped his hands to re-initiate his Imperator control over his own body and then grabbed Twy¡¯s arm, yanking the both of them out of the darkness just in time to escape a massive stone column that crashed down on top of their former position. At least the Bleeders don¡¯t seem to have many tricks, Austin thought to himself as he released Twy, and then glanced to the right, where Sky was engaged in an aerial battle with the Bleeder Aerotechnic. ¡­But if that¡¯s the case, then now might be as good a time as any to try a few of my own!


    With a brief nod to Twy, Austin shot back into the air, dodging around two beams of solid light before curving up to meet Sky and the Bleeder Aerotechnic, just as Sky blasted the Aerotechnic with two plumes of flames. The fires simply rolled over the Bleeder¡¯s flared shielding, doing no damage ¡ª but Austin took advantage of the momentary distraction to launch himself toward the Bleeder. As soon as Sky halted her fire assault, Austin dashed in close and slapped the Bleeder across the back, at which point he attempted to exert control over their movements. ¡­It¡¯s not working? He questioned mentally, only for his face to fall as the flying Bleeder turned to stare at him incredulously. Oh, shit, that¡¯s right, the shields block me from actually touching them. Oops¡ª!


    ¡°Austin, you idiot!¡± Sky shouted as she blasted herself through the air, managing to grab Austin and then launch them both upwards just in time to escape a handful of air blades. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping, damn it¡ª!¡± Austin insisted, only to suddenly feel a lack of air around his head. In a panic, his clapped his hands again and then propelled himself downwards, at which point he regained the ability to breath ¡ª only to feel a sudden sidewards yank. Disoriented, he was barely able to discern what was going on before realizing that he was being dragged through the air toward a massive rocky spike. Before he got too close, the spike was obliterated by a purple projectile, revealing the Geotechnic standing behind it. Thinking quickly, Austin exerted control over his body to stop himself midair barely two meters away from the Geotechnic, and then attempted to use his other set of powers: Simulator Psychotechnism. With but a thought, he was able to copy the Geotechnic¡¯s powers to raise the rocky ground around him, forming a stone shield that he then forced outward, hitting the confused Bleeder Geotechnic and launching them backwards.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Austin pumped his fist and grinned, only to stare at the rocks around him in confusion when he could no longer control them. Ah, that¡¯s right, my simulation range is only a few meters, or something like that. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have shoved them away, huh¡ª?


    ¡°Austin, LOOK OUT!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± He began to turn in response to Spike¡¯s warning, only to be blinded by a bright flash of light. Disoriented, Austin was barely able to discern what was going on around him, except that some kind of force yanked him to the ground ¡ª and his body then rapidly grew far heavier than he could manage.


    ¡°Stop fighting, now! Or he dies!¡±


    What¡­? Austin squinted, his sight slowly returning to him. He tried to move his arms, but their pure leaden weight kept them grounded. Even his head felt too heavy to move, allowing him to survey his environment only by moving his eyes ¡ª which allowed him to spot two of the Bleeders standing a few meters away from him, while Spike and Relia stood farther off. Oh no¡­ did we lose¡­?


    ¡°The hell do you want, huh?!¡± Spike shouted across the plaza, ¡°he hasn¡¯t even done anything to you!¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± The Bleeder, which Austin now recognized as the tan-skinned man that seemed to have been leading the group, scowled and turned his attention toward Relia. ¡°Are you fuckin¡¯ serious? More outsiders?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who brought them,¡± Relia countered, as Twy and Sky slowly alighted on the ground near her ¡ª while two of the other Bleeders surrounded them menacingly. ¡°¡­Still,¡± Relia continued, as she eyed the two with disdain, ¡°just what is it you want with this Compound? What do you gain, here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, is it really that hard to leave people alone?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°You, shut the hell up!¡± the Bleeder snapped, pointing his finger directly at Sky. ¡°I can¡¯t understand a word you¡¯re sayin¡¯. But I bet y¡¯all can understand me, can¡¯t you, you fuckin¡¯ high-life outsiders? Your dirt-speakin¡¯ pisses me off, so if you say another word, then your friend¡¯s dead!¡±


    Shit¡­ Austin scowled as he watched helplessly. ¡­Shit! I can¡¯t believe we ended up like this. If only we hadn¡¯t come here, if only Pierce had shut the hell up about wanting to see action¡­!


    ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± Relia questioned after a moment of tense silence. Her tone no longer carried active disdain, but a hint of tension remained.


    ¡°What we want is a return to the good ol¡¯ days,¡± the Bleeder replied.


    ¡°You mean when you were free to rape and pillage across the land?¡±


    ¡°Ack¡ª!¡± Austin released a pained yelp as he felt an uncomfortable pressure on his chest. Sky and Twy both nearly made to run to his side, only for Spike to extend his hand in front of them and pass Relia a concerned glance.


    ¡°¡­Glad to see the outsiders get it,¡± the Bleeder muttered, and turned his attention back to Relia. ¡°¡­Wait a minute, I think I recognize you. A short young woman with tan skin, dark fluffy hair, and a cloak with those purple designs. Movement and directed Chaos abilities, too. You¡¯re the Wanderer, ain¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°¡­And if I am?¡± Relia responded tensely.


    ¡°Then you should know better than anyone, that the old times were way better than what¡¯s comin¡¯ for Tres¨¦d!¡± the Bleeder declared. ¡°We used to have the ultimate freedom. The freedom to go anywhere, to do anything!¡± His face then contorted into a nasty scowl as he continued, ¡°and then that bastard Sentry started fuckin¡¯ shit up, tryin¡¯ to bring ¡®law¡¯ and ¡®order¡¯ to this wasteland. And aided by outsiders! The hell have outsiders ever done for Tres¨¦d, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Is that all this is, then?¡± Relia questioned, ¡°you attacked Goresan, just to get back at the Sentry ¡ª at Dav¨ªdrius?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it, aye! But that sure ain¡¯t all of it! We Bleeders won¡¯t be done ¡®til we¡¯ve wiped out every last trace of outsider influence. That means gettin¡¯ rid of the Sentry for good¡­ as well as that stupid Compound he calls home.¡±


    ¡°You want to destroy Tresnon?¡±


    ¡°¡®Course we do. It¡¯s the only Compound to benefit from outsider connections, and it hoards all those gains to itself. They even insist that other Compounds send their young Chaotics, under the ruse of trainin¡¯ ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no ruse¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± the Bleeder snapped. ¡°I know you¡¯re in with the Sentry, Wanderer. And more than that, you¡¯ve been a real pain in the Bleeders¡¯ ass yourself, these past couple years. But, we¡¯re a forgivin¡¯ lot; if you apologize for all that and join up with us, then we¡¯ll spare this outsider here.¡±


    Relia snorted. ¡°After talkin¡¯ about getting revenge, you want me to believe that you¡¯re ¡®forgiving¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you¡ª?!¡± Twy began, directing an incredulous glare toward Relia, only for Spike to again stop her.


    ¡°¡­Man, why can¡¯t anythin¡¯ ever be easy?¡± The Bleeder shook his head forlornly, and then shrugged. ¡°Oh well. I gave you the chance¡ª¡±


    An audible crack filled the air as a blur blasted onto the scene, slamming into the Bleeder and launching him across the plaza. In that brief moment, the blur resolved into a concrete appearance ¡ª into the tan-skinned, bearded appearance of Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s the Sentry!¡± one of the Bleeders shouted; as soon as he did, Austin felt his body¡¯s weight return to normal as a Bleeder vaulted over him and lunged for Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡± the Dean shouted as the Bleeders all lunged for him ¡ª only for him to instantly disappear in a cloud of dust. In that same instant, he appeared next to the Bleeder Gravitatechnic and slammed his foot into the Bleeder¡¯s side, launching him across the plaza and into the Bleeder leader, who had yet to recover. The rocks and stone all around Dav¨ªdrius began rising into the air, forming a makeshift prison, only for the Velocitechnic to smash the rocks with a speedy kick and then grab part of the debris to block an incoming hardlight beam. He then disappeared again, dashing across the plaza to grab the Bleeder Solartechnic by her arm, whirl her around, and then slam her into the ground, causing her energy shielding to flare up all over her body.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Pierce exclaimed from off to the side, having just arrived to watch the battle unfold with a grin. He then began to crouch down into a runner¡¯s stance, shouting, ¡°c¡¯mon, guys, let¡¯s back him up¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kar¨ªsah interjected, grabbing Pierce¡¯s arm to prevent him from running off. She glanced back toward the plaza as Dav¨ªdrius overpowered one of the Bleeder¡¯s energy shields through the sheer momentum of his kicks, and then turned her attention back to Pierce. ¡°When he¡¯s like this, we¡¯d just get in his way.¡±


    ¡°I would say that ¡®I see¡¯,¡± Conrad replied, ¡°but things are moving a little too fast for that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Pierce grunted in annoyance as he turned his attention back to the plaza fight as well. ¡°¡­I could do all this, too¡­¡±


    Two of the Bleeders ¡ª the Solartechnic and the Gravitatechnic ¡ª now laid on the ground to the side of the plaza, unconscious, utterly defeated in the face of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s superior speed and experience. With the two of them down, the Dean turned his attention on the remaining three, only to be yanked into the air by an invisible force as the telekinetic held her hand out toward him. The Aerotechnic then began attempting to force the air out of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s body, who quickly reacted by pulling a small rock out of his pocket and chucking it at the telekinetic so fast that the kinetic energy knocked her several meters backward. Distracted by the blow, she dropped her focus just enough to allow Dav¨ªdrius to drop to the ground ¡ª where he immediately rolled over, sprung to his feet, and dashed over to the telekinetic. Before she had the chance to realize what had just happened, he had dove under her and launched a kick into her backside that launched her into the air, where she slammed into the flying Aerotechnic. The latter attempted to catch his friend with a cushion of air, only for Dav¨ªdrius to leap up to the Aerotechnic and slam him down to the ground with an overhead kick.


    ¡°Alright¡­!¡± Austin pumped his fist as he watched the two Bleeders crash into the plaza, with Dav¨ªdrius landing on his feet just nearby. This is actually kinda cool, he thought to himself, more than it should be, given the circumstances, but hey, we¡¯re not in danger anymore, so that¡¯s good¡ª!


    In the middle of his thoughts, Austin felt the rocky ground under him suddenly absorb his feet, followed by the Bleeder Geotechnic grabbing his arms from behind and holding him still. ¡°Keep goin¡¯ and this one dies!¡± the Geotechnic shouted at Dav¨ªdrius, while Austin winced under his painful grasp.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ damn it!¡± Austin muttered with a scowl, as Dav¨ªdrius slowly turned to face him. Not fucking again! I can¡¯t keep being the weak link. What can I do¡­ He glanced back at the Geotechnic. He has shields, so I can¡¯t use my Imperator powers on him, but there¡¯s still one other option¡­


    ¡°Always with the fuckin¡¯ hostages,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted from across the plaza, where he remained in place, but still maintained a battle-ready stance. ¡°You Bleeders never can win the real way.¡±


    ¡°Shut it,¡± the Geotechnic countered, as a spire of rock appeared out of the ground, pointed toward Austin¡¯s stomach. ¡°Or do outsiders not mean as much to you as you think?¡±


    ¡°Man, y¡¯all are fuckin¡¯ full of shit,¡± the Dean muttered, his gaze momentarily dropping ¡ª at which point a slight smirk crossed his face. ¡°¡­Not very perceptive, either.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± the Geotechnic started, confused, only for a pillar of rock to explode out of the ground underneath him and Austin, launching the two skyward. Austin, having already subtly undone the rocky bounds on his feet, was able to extricate himself from the Geotechnic¡¯s grasp and fly away ¡ª just as Dav¨ªdrius appeared in the air and slammed the Bleeder back to the ground with a kick.


    ¡°Whoa, hey!¡± Spike grinned and held up his right hand as Austin flew to his side, with the latter readily accepting the high-five before alighting on the ground. ¡°Some quick thinkin¡¯, there!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Austin muttered as he brushed himself off, and then took a deep breath. ¡°Figured I might as well use those Simulator powers at some point.¡±


    ¡°Now if only you¡¯d done stuff like that earlier!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Hey, leave him alone. This is a serious situation¡­¡± Twy pointed out, as she passed a wary glance toward the two unconscious Bleeders on the side of the plaza. The telekinetic and the Aerotechnic remained in the middle of the plaza, with Relia standing over them, having just negated Chaos Energy around them and thereby blocking their powers. And Dav¨ªdrius stood a bit farther across the plaza, staring down at the leader of the Bleeders with his hands placed on his hips.


    ¡°Y¡¯all are a real piece of work,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared disdainfully as Kar¨ªsah, Pierce, and Phoenix approached.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± the Bleeder retorted, spitting at Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª and releasing a bloody tooth in the process. ¡°The Bleeders still won. We got Goresan. Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ you can do about that!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we have a sore loser, over here,¡± Pierce remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°¡­More fuckin¡¯ outsiders,¡± the Bleeder muttered, and then glared up at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°This ain¡¯t over, Sentry. The Bleeders won¡¯t stand for what you¡¯re doin¡¯ to Tres¨¦d. We¡¯ll drag these wastelands back to the glory days, kickin¡¯ and screamin¡¯ if we have to. And when that happens, you¡¯ll regret thinkin¡¯ that you can trust a bunch of stupid outsiders to rebuild this place, over the people who actually live here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d argue, but you ain¡¯t gonna live long enough for that to matter,¡± the Dean countered as he placed his foot on the Bleeder¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± Phoenix interjected, ¡°is this really necessary? You already won!¡±


    ¡°Wins can turn into losses real quick if you don¡¯t deal with the losers,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with many Bleeders. Some are redeemable, but ones like these folks? Folks who talk shit even when they¡¯re on death¡¯s door? They never learn. Lettin¡¯ ¡®em go does more harm than good in the long run.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª!¡± Phoenix started, and then stepped back with a hand held to her head, as though suddenly confronted with a headache. ¡°Wait, wait¡­ something bad is about to happen¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Typical outsiders, thinkin¡¯ they know best,¡± the Bleeder interjected with a sneer, as he slowly relaxed his arms and moved them to his side. He then turned his gaze up to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Told ya. Outsiders hold ya back.¡±


    ¡°Why do y¡¯all always have to be assholes,¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed, and made to stomp, only to be stopped again by Phoenix.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, we need to get out of here,¡± she insisted as she began backing away, ¡°I can¡¯t explain why, but I can feel it. We need to leave!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Pierce questioned, and then turned his attention back to Dav¨ªdrius and the Bleeder on the ground, just in time to notice a brief red flash ¡ª a flash that the armors of the other Bleeders immediately reciprocated.


    ¡°Aw, fuck¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore, and began to turn, only to be interrupted by a blinding flash of light and a thundering echo as each of the Bleeders on the plaza¡­ exploded.

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 27: Derelict Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 27: Derelict Chaos


    Flashes of gunfire, muted by vacuum, filled a tiny dark corridor as Major Hackett unloaded a magazine of bullets down the hallway. Little could be seen through the darkness, until Danielle swept a hand transformed into a flashlight across the space ¡ª revealing a swarm of metallic bug-looking creatures, each nearly the size of a basketball as they charged along the ground, walls, and ceiling.


    ?Get back, get back!? Hackett shouted to Danielle as both women pushed off of the bulkheads around them to float backwards through the corridor. ?Danielle, wipe them out!?


    ?Easier said than done!? Danielle replied as she manifested a laser cannon on her right arm and began firing at the approaching bugs. Each shot she fired blasted one of the creatures to smithereens, only for the constituent nanites to melt into the bulkheads ¡ª and then form yet another bug. ?Every time you kill one, they just get replaced!?


    ?Damn it,? Hackett swore as the two floated back past a door. Just as they did, the bulkhead slammed shut, blocking the metallic bugs on the other side ¡ª though it wasn¡¯t long before the bulkhead, previously colored crimson and steel gray, began to take on a silver sheen.


    ?Wow. These Nanocreatures really can take over anything, huh?? Danielle remarked.


    ?There¡¯s a reason the galaxy nearly lost to them 20 years ago,? the Major replied. ?As long as they have matter to control, they¡¯ll keep coming back.?


    ?Then what do we do?? Danielle questioned, just as a hole opened up in the door and one of the bugs leaped through it. Hackett immediately brought her gun to bear and shot the bug out of the air, only for several more to begin crawling through the hole ¡ª and then for the bulkhead to burst open completely as a larger, more bestial wolf-like creature charged forward. Danielle quickly transformed her right arm into a massive piston before slamming the piston head into the creature, launching it back down the corridor.


    ?Don¡¯t touch them!? Hackett shouted as she blasted a couple more bugs away with gunfire, retreating further down the hallway in the process. ?You can¡¯t let them corrupt you!?


    ?It¡¯s fine, I still have energy shielding parts!? Danielle exclaimed. ?How are we supposed to deal with these bugs, though? There¡¯s so many!?


    ?Our only hope is to get off the station. As long as we¡¯re on it, we¡¯re toast.?


    ?Ah, right!? Danielle replied, momentarily manifesting a dozen laser turrets out of her chest to blast away the nearest of the Nanocreatures. ?¡­Aw man, if I didn¡¯t have to keep my shields up, I¡¯d have more options¡­?


    ?We just need to run!? Hackett declared, hastily reloading her gun and opening fire into the approaching swarm once more. Two of the bugs managed to slip past her screen of bullets and latch onto her leg, where the energy shielding protecting her began to flare up brightly. Immediately, she slammed her leg into a nearby bulkhead, managing to shake off one of the bugs while Danielle scrapped off the other one. The two women then pushed off of the walls to continue their fighting retreat, though as they did, the energy shielding around Hackett¡¯s leg remained flared ¡ª as though trying to protect against a persistent effect. ?Shit, they¡¯re still on me!? the Major shouted, ?Danielle, get us out of here, now!?


    ?Uh, if you say so!? Danielle responded warily. She then pushed herself toward Hackett, latching on to the Major¡¯s back and transforming into a jetpack. Immediately, the pack¡¯s thrusters activated, propelling Hackett down the hallway even faster than before ¡ª though with the Nanocreatures still hot on their tail, the swarm surging forward, and consuming the surrounding bulkheads to grow ever larger.


    <hr>


    ?What do¡ª what do¡ª what do we do?!?


    ?Calm down, MacTavish,? Saito insisted, momentarily glancing back at the Researcher before turning around to face the direction he was floating in. ?We¡¯ll be just fine. The Nanocreatures can¡¯t corrupt matter through energy shields.?


    ?Our shielding is only so strong, sir,? Mote pointed out. ?I can keep refilling our batteries, but a strong enough strike will still overpower the shields in one go.?


    Saito passed Mote an annoyed glance, and then turned forward once more. As soon as they had heard about the presence of Nanocreatures on the space station, Saito and Mote had returned to the main control room to pick up MacTavish; the trio were now on their way to Major Hackett and Danielle¡¯s last known position, in the hopes of helping them escape the Nanocreatures.


    ?How much of a threat do you think they are??


    Saito released a sigh in response to Mote¡¯s question. ?Hard to say. I¡¯ve never fought the Nanocreatures myself, before. But if they really can seize control of any matter, then we might be screwed. Hell, the entire station could be under their control.?


    ?The entire station?? Mote replied incredulously, ?can they really do that??


    ?They were able to seize control of entire fleets of spacecraft during the Nanocreature War, so I don¡¯t see how controlling a single space station would be a problem for them.?


    ?W-well¡­? MacTavish spoke up, ?th-the Nanocreatures weren¡¯t, um, a-as smart or c-capable before Morcii appeared. With him, uh, gone, th-they might not have, um, th-the, uh, station¡­ I-I hope not¡­?


    ?That¡¯s assuming he¡¯s actually gone,? Saito countered. ?Morcii was ¡®killed¡¯ twice during the Nanocreature War. The second time seemed to stick, but if the Nanocreatures are still around, then we can¡¯t be sure.?


    ?Either way, we might have a problem leaving the station,? Mote commented. ?The Raenaros locked itself down. We¡¯ll have to make sure there aren¡¯t any Nanocreatures around before it unlocks, and that could be a problem, especially if they¡¯re immune to direct manipulation as you said, Colonel.?


    ?True, but there¡¯s ways around that¡ª?


    A burst of light from down the hallway interrupted Saito as one of the bulkheads exploded outwards. Through the bulkhead flew Hackett with a jetpack, firing her gun the whole time into a large metallic bestial creature ¡ª also with a jetpack ¡ª that was chasing her.


    ?Shit! Major, look out!? Saito shouted into the comms as he brought his gun to bear and began firing. Hackett took notice of the group¡¯s presence just in time to dodge around them, though the creature remained on her tail ¡ª until Mote summoned his battlehammer and slammed the creature into a bulkhead, stopping it in its tracks. He then blasted it with a lightning strike so fierce that portions of the creature charred black, and it ceased moving.


    ?Thanks for that,? Hackett commented as the jetpack on her back separated from her and transformed back into Danielle. ?But there¡¯s still more coming.?


    Mote glanced down at the Major¡¯s leg, where her energy shielding remained flared and covering her leg with a golden light. ?What¡¯s going on there??


    ?Not sure¡­? Hackett glanced down at her leg. ?Two of those bugs latched on to me. I got them off, but the shielding¡¯s been flared ever since. I think some of the nanites are still trying to get through.?


    ?It would figure,? Saito muttered, and then glanced toward the broken hole just as two metallic bugs crawled through. Immediately, he shot one to pieces while Mote obliterated the other with a lightning strike, only for the bugs to be replaced by four more charging across the bulkheads. Without wasting any more time shooting, Saito, Hackett, and MacTavish all pushed themselves down the corridor, leaving Mote and Danielle to fire away at the approaching bugs with lightning and lasers.


    ?Which¡ª which way do we go?!? MacTavish questioned in a panic.


    ?Just follow me, MacTavish,? Saito calmly replied as he floated down a corridor and then pushed himself around a corner. ?The Raenaros should be this way¡ª?


    ?Colonel, look out!!?


    ?What¡ª?? Saito began to glance toward Mote, only for something to suddenly slam him in the face and send him reeling. His energy shielding flared up, momentarily blocking his vision with a golden glow. In half a second, it subsided, allowing him to spot a sphere of silverish metal floating away from his head¡­ just in time for a dozen spikes to shoot out of the sphere and into the surrounding bulkheads. Several of the spikes were aimed directly at Saito, Hackett, and MacTavish, only to break against their energy shielding ¡ª but the shields around the impact points remained flared, much like Hackett¡¯s leg.


    ?Damn it,? Mote muttered as he rapidly approached the group, his attention directed at the perpetually flaring shields. ?I¡¯m going to try something!?


    ?Do whatever you can!? Saito replied as he ushered MacTavish farther down the hallway.


    Mote responded with a brief nod, pausing only to blast a couple Nanocreatures with lightning before backing behind Danielle. As she continued firing away at the bugs, Mote took a moment to charge an incredible level of voltage in his body, and then fire it through the surrounding bulkheads. A wave of electricity swept through the corridor, zapping and obliterating each of the approaching bugs ¡ª and also washing over the energy shields of the group.


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    Saito flinched as a golden light again obscured his vision, but when it disappeared, his constantly flaring shields had subsided as well. Hackett and MacTavish¡¯s shields both appeared fixed, too.


    ?¡­Whatever you did, that worked!? Hackett exclaimed.


    ?Good,? Mote replied. ?¡­The Nanocreatures might be immune to direct manipulation, but I don¡¯t need to directly manipulate them to force a massive current through them.?


    ?Great!? Danielle responded cheerfully, ?I¡¯m not sure what that means, but great! Uh, they¡¯re all going away, though. Is that bad??


    ?What¡­?? Saito glanced back down the corridor, where the bugs had been charging from. Indeed, they seemed to be retreating, with several of them disappearing around a corner. ?¡­I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re up to,? he muttered as he began pushing himself through the hallways again, ?but let¡¯s not stick around to find out. The Raenaros should be just ahead.?


    A tense, eerily quiet minute followed as the group rushed through the dark corridors toward the docking bay where they had left Raenaros. The Nanocreatures had seemed to disappear entirely, allowing them to reach the bay entrance without issue ¡ª though just before entering the bay proper, Saito stopped the group.


    ?Mote,? he began, ?is the Raenaros still locked down??


    ?Yes sir,? Mote responded curtly.


    ?Then there¡¯s still Nanocreatures in the bay¡­? the Colonel muttered, and then passed everyone a glance. ?Mote showed that he can get Nanocreatures off of shields, so he¡¯ll go first. Everyone else, hug the Corvette. The moment it unlocks, I want everyone aboard! Understood??


    ?Understood,? replied the rest of the group in unison.


    ?Good. Mote, you¡¯re up.?


    The Electrotechnic acknowledged Saito¡¯s order with a nod and then approached the door to the docking bay. Tentatively, he manipulated the electric currents through the door to unlock it and drive the motors to slam it open, revealing the bay beyond. Expansive darkness met the group, as the large, empty space appeared just as they had left it¡­ with the exception of Raenaros, who was covered entirely in a golden light as her energy shields remained flared. As soon as he spotted this, Mote pushed off of the ground to approach the Corvette, the rest of the group following him as he prepared to blast the ship with a powerful lightning strike ¡ª only for the entire bay to suddenly shudder.


    ?¡­What was that?? Danielle questioned, eying Raenaros warily. The disturbance had been so violent that it caused the Corvette to begin free floating away from the ground.


    Before anyone could respond, however, the entire wall at the back of the docking bay imploded, only to be absorbed into the body of a massive, metallic dragon. It lunged forward, propelled by thrusters lined all along its silvery wings as it grabbed Raenaros in its gigantic hands and slammed the Corvette against the bay wall.


    ?What the fuck!? Saito exclaimed, watching wide-eyed as the dragon began to withdraw into the immense hole that now existed at the back of the bay, Raenaros still held tightly in its grip.


    ?Shit! Colonel, stay back, Danielle and I will handle this!? Mote shouted through the comms, and then turned to his fellow Chaotic as a pair of golden wings, constructed out of rigid, holographic shapes, appeared on his back. ?Danielle, get that Corvette! Don¡¯t worry about damaging the station!?


    ?If you say so!? Danielle remarked, already on the way to increasing her size massively and creating a giant jetpack on her back to help maneuver in the zero-g environment. Before the metallic dragon could withdraw completely, she lashed out with her arms, just barely managing to get her newly huge hands around the Corvette¡¯s hull. The ship¡¯s shields flared even brighter under the stress of two giants pulling on her, but she remained intact as the dragon turned around and bared its silver teeth. If the bay had been filled with air, Saito was certain that he would¡¯ve heard a roar in that moment ¡ª but the silence that replaced it was somehow more menacing than any roar he could imagine.


    The dragon lashed out with its tail, smacking Danielle across the face before manifesting a laser cannon in its chest and firing. Mote managed to use his armor¡¯s own zero-g maneuvering system to zip in between Danielle and the dragon at just the right moment, intercepting the laser blast with his body before firing a lightning strike at the dragon¡¯s chest. A flash of light followed as the cannon exploded and a hole formed in the dragon¡¯s stomach, only for it to draw back and claw at the surrounding bulkheads. In that moment, Danielle was able to overpower it and yank Raenaros out of its grasp, at which point she moved to grip the longsword-shaped ship like an actual sword and bring the Corvette down on the dragon¡¯s head. Due to Danielle¡¯s massive size, as well as the dragon¡¯s, their movements were much slower and more easily predicted than that of a normal-sized human ¡ª as such, the metallic beast was unable to withdraw before Danielle slammed the Corvette into it. The metal bulkheads surrounding the dragon buckled and caved in under the force, ripping a massive gash through the walls of the bay and the space station, but as Danielle began to pull back from the strike, the dragon immediately followed. It pointed its giant maw directly at Danielle, revealing a new laser cannon within its mouth that it then fired at Raenaros, hitting the Corvette with such a fierce blast of energy that she was flung from Danielle¡¯s hands, and toward the front of the docking bay.


    An opening! Saito thought to himself, and then smirked as he spotted Mote rush toward the Corvette as well. ?Let¡¯s go!? the Colonel ordered to Hackett and MacTavish, pushing off of the ground as he did. Hackett quickly grabbed the Researcher¡¯s hand and followed suit as Saito shouted over the commms, ?Danielle, good job! Now keep it distracted!?


    ?Got it!? came Danielle¡¯s cheerful reply, in exactly the same pitch and tone as her normal voice.


    Saito simply shook his head as he thought about the absurdity of his current moment. What a life I lead, he thought, watching as Danielle grabbed the metallic dragon by its chest and attempted to pin it to the wall. He then directed his attention back to Raenaros, watching as Mote rushed over to her, golden wings trailing behind him. Shit, its shields are still flared, the Colonel observed, as the Corvette continued to be covered in the golden light of her energy shielding. The ship¡¯s shields must be taxed to the limit. It can¡¯t possibly last for much longer¡­ ?Mote! Can you tell how much longer its shields will last??


    ?Not from out here,? Mote replied.


    ?Won¡¯t we risk overloading its shields if you do that lightning sweep thing?? Hackett questioned, as she, MacTavish, and Saito all reached Raenaros, just behind Mote.


    ?If I don¡¯t clear the nanites, then it¡¯ll never let us in,? Mote commented, and then turned to face the Corvette. ?It¡¯s a risk we¡¯ll have to take. Now shield your eyes!?


    Half a second later, just before Saito could act on Mote¡¯s advice, the Electrotechnic blasted the Corvette and her shields with an incredible strike of lightning. Sparks swept across the ship¡¯s shields, causing them to flare even brighter than before, and then subside a moment later ¡ª but only in parts. Sections of the shield remained flared. Mote promptly blasted the ship again, specifically targeting the flared areas with his strikes; this time, the golden glow subsided entirely, revealing the crimson, black, and golden contours of Raenaros herself.


    ?Good work,? Saito said, ?now can you get it open??


    ?It¡¯s still locked¡­ wait¡­!? Mote held a hand out toward Saito. A tense second followed, and then the Electrotechnic began waving toward the Corvette¡¯s underbelly, as the ship¡¯s loading door slowly opened. ?It¡¯s open!?


    ?Let¡¯s go!? Saito shouted as Mote grabbed his and Hackett¡¯s hands to tow the group through zero-g and into the Corvette.


    ?We should probably do another sweep of the ship once we get out of here,? the Major commented as they entered Raenaros¡¯s underside, ?just to be sure there aren¡¯t any nanites inside¡­?


    ?I agree, but we don¡¯t have time for that right now,? Saito replied, watching the Corvette¡¯s loading door close behind them. He then began following Mote onto the small bridge.


    ?W-wait¡­? MacTavish glanced back at the door uneasily. ?Wh-what about Danielle??


    ?She¡¯ll be more than fine on her own out there. Zero grav and empty space mean nothing to a Transtechnic like her.?


    ?Even so, we still shouldn¡¯t force her to hold that¡­ dragon off for much longer than necessary,? Mote commented as he rushed into the bridge and practically leaped into the captain¡¯s chair.


    ?Yeah, and now that you mention it,? Hackett remarked as she and Saito quickly entered the bridge themselves, ?what¡¯s up with the dragon?!?


    ?I have a couple ideas, but let¡¯s save that for the debriefing,? Saito replied. ?Mote! Get us the hell out of here!?


    ?Understood!? Mote responded, as the sword insignia on the floor of the bridge began to glow, and holographic displays appeared all across the main window. Outside, Saito could see Danielle still struggling against the metallic beast. By now, the already large room that was the docking bay had been expanded massively, as the blows that Danielle and the dragon exchanged would crash into and tear through the surrounding bulkheads. Debris from the interior of the space station filled the room, the station itself being gutted by the battle between the two giants.


    ?¡­Alright. All systems seem to be working,? Mote commented a second later. ?Spooling up the engines¡ª oh, shit!?


    Just as the Corvette began to move, the metallic dragon grabbed Danielle by her neck and blasted her with a massive laser cannon, flinging her back through the bay ¡ª and straight into Raenaros. Saito was thrown to his feet as the view through the Corvette¡¯s bridge window spiraled out of control, the sheer momentum of the attack sending Danielle and the Corvette both smashing through the docking bay¡¯s exterior doors and into open space beyond.


    ?Damn it!? Mote swore as he struggled to get Raenaros back under control. Out the bridge window, Saito could spot the metallic dragon using its thruster wings to fly out of the bay and directly at the Corvette, only for Danielle to intercept with a giant kick.


    ?Contact the Genesis! Now!? Saito demanded.


    ?Right! Contacting the Genesis¡­ alright, it¡¯s going through!?


    ?Colonel?!? came Captain Krick¡¯s immediate response, ?why the hell haven¡¯t you been in contact? And what in the god damn hell am I looking at?!?


    ?Nanocreatures, Captain!? Saito replied. ?There might be more on the station. Obliterate it, now!?


    ?Nanocreatures?!? Krick echoed incredulously, ?what the¡­? God damn it, it would figure! All stations, open fire on that space station. Leave nothing behind!?


    In the distance, Saito could see the Battlecruiser Genesis, highlighted by Raenaros¡¯s own displays. There was a brief flash of light as the Battlecruiser fired her guns ¡ª followed by further flashes and streaks of light as railgun shells and Chaos Cannons tore into the ill-defended space station. At one moment, the station appeared as a diamond, but the next, massive chunks were torn out of it and obliterated. The hail of fire continued for another several moments, during which Danielle managed to extricate herself from the dragon¡¯s grasp and fly away ¡ª at which point the dragon rapidly fell under fire, as well. Within seconds, the space station and dragon both were torn asunder and rendered little more than sparking, malformed debris fields.


    As suddenly as it started, the hail of weapons fire ceased. When the remains of the station failed to show any signs of activity, Saito released a pent up sigh. ?Phew¡­?


    ?I don¡¯t know what the hell happened here,? Krick commented over the comms, ?but if there were fucking Nanocreatures on that station, then that damned Corvette and your team need a very, very thorough sweep before I let you back on my ship, Colonel!?


    ?Understood, Captain¡­? Saito responded wearily, and then turned to the rest of the group. ?To his point¡­ keep your armors on, for the time being. We need to be certain there are no nanites inside the Corvette before we expose ourselves to it.?


    ?Makes sense, sir,? Mote replied as he began maneuvering Raenaros toward Genesis, with Danielle ¡ª still in giant form ¡ª in tow.


    ?Oof¡­? Hackett took a deep breath, and then glanced over at Saito. ?¡­We really can¡¯t ever catch a break, huh, sir??


    ?Yeah¡­? the Colonel muttered, simply staring out at the passing debris field as he did. ?¡­We really can¡¯t¡­?

 V1 - A3 - Chapter 28: Realizations

    NEW WORLD ¡ª BLOOD & METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 28: Realizations


    BOOM!


    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Austin exclaimed in surprise, reflexively shielding his face with his arms as his sight filled with a bright white light. An intense ringing dominated his hearing; his eyes and ears only began to recover a few seconds later, slowly allowing him to survey his environment. The first thing he noticed was Spike standing nearby, a massive tower shield in hand as he stood in between Austin, Twy, and Sky ¡ª and a newly smoking crater just in front of them. In the center of the plaza were another three craters where the Bleeders had once laid; nothing remained of them, as far as Austin could see.


    ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡± Spike questioned loudly as he began to lower his shield.


    ¡°¡­Ow¡­¡± Conrad muttered, slowly sitting up from his position on the floor. Based on where he currently laid several meters back from the plaza, as well as Kestrel¡¯s presence at his side, Austin guessed that Kestrel had managed to yank both of them away from the plaza with her aerial abilities. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Conrad eventually continued, and then glanced up at Kestrel. ¡°Give me a little warning next time, huh?¡±


    Kestrel responded by shaking her head and turning toward Pierce, who just arrived on the edge of the plaza with Phoenix in his arms.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± She stared up at him incredulously. ¡°What are you¡ª? Put me down!¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Pierce insisted, though he nonetheless obliged. ¡°If not for me, that explosion would¡¯ve fried you.¡±


    ¡°Explosions, though¡­¡± Twy muttered, just as Dav¨ªdrius arrived at the edge of the plaza with Relia in tow. ¡°They¡­ did they seriously just¡­ blow themselves up?¡±


    A brief moment of wary silence fell over the plaza as everyone stared at the newly formed craters, only now grasping what had just transpired.


    ¡°¡­At least everyone looks fine,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, as she looked over the group.


    ¡°Do the Bleeders usually, uh¡­ do this?¡± Sky questioned, turning toward Dav¨ªdrius as she did.


    ¡°No,¡± the Dean replied with a scowl. ¡°This is new.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the ultimate sore loser move,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°They realized they couldn¡¯t win, so they tried to take us down with them. And they couldn¡¯t even do that right! Ha!¡±


    ¡°This is no laughing matter,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°This level of desperation is always dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it ain¡¯t desperation,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented, while glaring at one of the craters. ¡°¡­There ain¡¯t a single trace of those Bleeders left. That includes the armor they were wearin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Twy nodded in understanding. ¡°They wanted to prevent us from getting a hold of their armor.¡±


    ¡°Powered armor exists all over the galaxy, though, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Austin questioned, ¡°why¡¯s it so important that we don¡¯t get theirs?¡±


    ¡°If we were able to recover the armor, we could¡¯ve figured out the manufacturer,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained. ¡°Hell, with a serial number, we probably could¡¯ve traced the sales and figured out just how the Bleeders got their shitty little hands on ¡®em. But now¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, we have nothing¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Aye¡­¡± The Dean passed Phoenix a glance. ¡°You seemed to see this comin¡¯. How?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied warily. ¡°I just sensed¡­ danger. I can¡¯t really explain it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done that a couple times, now,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Once just before EA kidnapped us, then just before he attacked us with that big robot of his¡­ is that a Chaostechnic thing?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Relia stated. ¡°No Chaostechnic I know of has any kind of, uh¡­ danger sense.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t ever heard of it, either,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°But we¡¯ll have to figure out just what¡¯s goin¡¯ on later. We got more pressin¡¯ concerns to worry about. These Bleeders¡­ not only were they able to get powered armor, they also had the foresight to install self-destruct devices to scuttle the armor. That¡¯s a level of plannin¡¯ and organization that I ain¡¯t seen from ¡®em in a long while¡­¡±


    ¡°What do we do, then?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned.


    ¡°For now¡­ hmm¡­¡± The Dean glanced over at Relia. ¡°¡­When you first got here, was there a woman Chaotic who made explosions? Maybe the others called her ¡®Feral¡¯?¡±


    ¡°A feral Chaotic?¡± Relia echoed in confusion. ¡°Like a berserker?¡±


    ¡°No, like it¡¯s a name, or a title. Feral. I¡¯ll take that as a no¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed in frustration. ¡°¡­Accordin¡¯ to the one survivor we found, the Bleeders have some new, powerful Chaotic with ¡®em. They call her Feral, supposedly. Can do something with explosions.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±


    ¡°Can you watch here, too? Just stay the night, see if any other Bleeders show up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have done so even if you didn¡¯t ask,¡± Relia replied.


    ¡°What about us?¡± Pierce asked. ¡°We can help!¡±


    ¡°No, y¡¯all are goin¡¯ back to Tresnon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°We don¡¯t know what the Bleeders are up to, or if any more are comin¡¯. That makes this place dangerous, all the moreso for novices.¡±


    ¡°Again, we aren¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look. Y¡¯all will get your time, eventually, but now ain¡¯t it.¡± Dav¨ªdrius then glanced over at Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Make sure they actually make it back, will you? As for me, I¡¯m gonna head back to Tresnon ahead of y¡¯all and get the news out about what happened here. Selind will definitely want to know this¡­ suppose I¡¯ll take that one bartender with me, while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re running back, then let me come with you!¡± Pierce insisted.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, we¡¯ve been over this,¡± the Dean responded irately. ¡°I¡¯m faster than you. You can¡¯t keep up. Just stay with the fuckin¡¯ group!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Now, we¡¯ve had a long day, so let¡¯s all get goin¡¯ already,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented as he turned to the rest of the group. ¡°Kar¨ªsah, I¡¯ll see you back in Tresnon.¡± After that, he disappeared in a cloud of dust, no where to be seen.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± Spike began, drawing the group¡¯s attention to himself. ¡°Guess we should get goin¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll go look out for more arrivals,¡± Relia commented. Just as she turned to walk off, however, Kar¨ªsah rushed to her side.


    ¡°Relia, wait!¡± the Forcetechnic exclaimed, ¡°¡­you¡¯re really just gonna leave without a good-bye?¡±


    ¡°You should know already that I don¡¯t do good-byes,¡± Relia replied flatly.


    ¡°Ah ha, I guess that¡¯s true¡­ still. After tonight¡­ how about you come back to Tresnon? It¡¯s been a while since you were home.¡±


    ¡°Talkin¡¯ about home again¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­ have a falling out with someone? Is that why you won¡¯t come back more than once or twice a year¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ nothing like that. But you know how my mother is. The moment I return, she¡¯ll try her damnedest to make sure I stay. And, especially after what happened here¡­ I just can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah glanced down forlornly. ¡°¡­So it¡¯ll be a while before I see you again, huh?¡±


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    ¡°Sorry,¡± Relia replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°That¡¯s just how I am. Can¡¯t stay in one place for long.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ I guess so. Still¡­ you¡¯re always welcome in Tresnon, alright?¡±


    ¡°I know. And I¡¯ll be back¡­ eventually. But for now, I need to look out for the Bleeders.¡± Relia glanced to the west, where the sun was now low to the horizon, before looking back to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah responded quietly as Relia turned around and began walking off. ¡°¡­It was nice seein¡¯ you again!¡± Kar¨ªsah shouted a couple moments later, to which Relia responded with a wave ¡ª but kept walking.


    ¡°¡­She always like this?¡± Sky questioned as Kar¨ªsah turned back to the group.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the Forcetechnic replied with a forlorn smile. ¡°She wanders Tres¨¦d, doin¡¯ odd jobs here and there, helpin¡¯ out people and fightin¡¯ the Bleeders as she goes. Never stoppin¡¯ in one place for long¡­¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders did call her ¡®Wanderer¡¯,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°I guess she¡¯s well known for that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Phoenix sidled up next to Kar¨ªsah with a cheeky grin and elbowed her playfully. ¡°Are you really going to let her go like that?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure what you mean,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded.


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that, huh?¡± Pierce smirked in amusement as he threw his arm around Kar¨ªsah¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just stick around here for the night, and we¡¯ll take that truck back to Tresnon. We¡¯ll just tell Dav¨ªdrius that you, uh, found some Bleeders to fight.¡±


    ¡°I somehow doubt he¡¯d accept that excuse from you,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Hey, shut up, I¡¯m trying to wingman here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not sure what the two of you are tryin¡¯ to get at,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, though her cheeks had turned a rosy pink. ¡°I, uh, I couldn¡¯t just lie to Dav¨ªdrius like that, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you said yourself that you don¡¯t know when you¡¯ll next see Relia. You should really make the most of this moment,¡± Phoenix insisted.


    ¡°If you have to have a practical reason, then just say that having two people around to watch for the Bleeders is better than one,¡± Pierce suggested. ¡°Boom! Easy solution.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend time with Relia that badly¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah responded uneasily.


    ¡°Ah, but you do want to spend time with her?¡± Phoenix questioned cheekily. ¡°¡­Though, honestly, what Pierce said actually sounds like a legitimate reason for you to stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, leave the poor woman alone,¡± Spike interjected. ¡°She said she¡¯s fine, that means she¡¯s fine.¡±


    Phoenix shot Spike an annoyed glance. ¡°Can¡¯t you read the room?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d make a pretty shitty wingman with an attitude like that,¡± Pierce remarked, and then sneered at Austin. ¡°Probably why you¡¯re still single, huh?¡±


    ¡°What¡ª!¡± Austin exclaimed incredulously, and then glared back at Pierce. ¡°Are you even in a relationship yourself?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not talking about me, here.¡±


    ¡°Earthians have some, um, interesting priorities, huh¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah commented as she began walking across the plaza, toward the distant gate they had used to first enter the compound. ¡°What does ¡®wingman¡¯ mean here, anyways¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, forget about it¡­¡± Phoenix shook her head and sighed warily, following Kar¨ªsah across the plaza with the rest of the group. ¡°The moment¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how that happened,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he shot Pierce a glance.


    ¡°¡­Shut up, you,¡± Pierce snapped back. ¡°We¡¯re all single, here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not!¡± Sky exclaimed as she slapped Spike on the back. ¡°Spike and I have been together for years!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in relationships, too,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I¡¯m just not¡­ currently in one. But I could find a girl easily.¡±


    ¡°You always say that,¡± Phoenix remarked as she rolled her eyes. ¡°Why don¡¯t you actually prove it one day?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll have you know¡ª¡±


    ¡°So most of you are still single, huh?¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, glancing around at the group. ¡°¡­Is that common, for Earthians?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that depends,¡± Phoenix started, a pained expression on her face ¡ª only to be interrupted as Conrad released an amused chuckle.


    ¡°She really got you guys, huh?¡± he questioned with a grin as he glanced between Pierce and Phoenix.


    ¡°What are you bringing me into this, for?¡± Phoenix shot back irately. ¡°I can find guys just fine.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like what Pierce just said.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but the difference is that I can actually back up my claim.¡±


    ¡°Oh can you, now,¡± Pierce deadpanned, and then turned back to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°What¡¯s dating like for Nimalians?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ well, I¡¯ve never actually dated anyone, myself¡­¡± she responded uneasily. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that most Nimalians are actually in long-term relationships by my age, but, uh¡­ well, Tres¨¦d¡¯s a little different.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°We don¡¯t, uh, form relationships as easily, or something¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°So what I¡¯m hearing is that most of the students at WCU are single,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk.


    ¡°It would figure that that¡¯s what you get out of this,¡± Phoenix said incredulously.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, like you weren¡¯t thinking that either,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be here for at least a year or so, right? That¡¯s a lot of time to¡­ get to know the people, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°¡®Get to know them¡¯ my ass, like any of them would be willing to sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. Think about it: foreigners always have that sort of mysterious appeal, and right now, we¡¯re the foreigners.¡±


    ¡°Did you not just hear the Bleeders talk about ¡®outsiders¡¯ like we¡¯re some kind of cancer?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re violent gang members. I¡¯m not talking about them. Or are you just afraid that I¡¯d do better than you?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, here we go¡­¡± Conrad muttered, exchanging a tired glance with Kestrel as Phoenix turned to pass a haughty look toward Pierce.


    ¡°Only in your dreams, Pierce,¡± she countered, and then looked him over head to toe. ¡°I mean, look at you. ¡®Foreigner¡¯ appeal is about all you can rely on.¡±


    ¡°Well now you¡¯re just talking out of your ass. Plenty of women love the runner¡¯s physique,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Lean and athletic, but not too muscular or bulky. It¡¯s the perfect sweet spot. Not to mention that I¡¯m tall, handsome, and my hair and hygiene are all well-kept. You, though¡­ well, your ass is about all you have going for you.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight I have a fine ass, but it would figure that¡¯s all you focus on, you lecherous prick.¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is, uh¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily as she glanced between Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Is this, uh, normal? For you two?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Pierce just can¡¯t accept that he doesn¡¯t have modern appeal, sometimes,¡± Phoenix asserted.


    ¡°And you just can¡¯t accept that some women actually like me,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°I bet I could score a date here just fine. Faster than you could, for sure.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, I know that¡¯s bait, but I can¡¯t just let it stand, either! I¡¯ll show you. I¡¯m infinitely more dateable than you could ever be.¡±


    ¡°Bull-fucking-shit. I remember this one time back in high school when¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was four years ago, it doesn¡¯t count! Besides, weren¡¯t you the one who¡­!¡±


    Behind Pierce and Phoenix walked Spike and Sky, who eavesdropped on the ongoing argument with amusement. And farther behind them, in the back of the group, walked Austin and Twy, both of them observing the ongoing conversations with incredulity.


    ¡°¡­What an asshole,¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Twy sighed warily. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really help that Phoenix keeps indulging him¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that, though.¡± Austin glanced behind himself, at the damaged and dusty plaza they were leaving behind. ¡°After everything we just saw, here¡­ how can they be like this? Arguin¡¯ and jokin¡¯ like we¡¯re in some lounge somewhere!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just how some people relieve stress, I think.¡±


    ¡°But so soon? We haven¡¯t even left the town!¡±


    Twy remained silent for a second as she swept her gaze over the surrounding town and the approaching wall, everything now bathed in the soft orange light of sunset. ¡°¡­Well,¡± she eventually said, ¡°do you remember a few days ago, when we first learned about going Berserk? Pierce and Phoenix reacted like they had seen it before, and that it wasn¡¯t pretty. They might¡¯ve seen something like what happened here¡­ in which case, we shouldn¡¯t be judging them. Not judging the timing of their conversation, at least. The content and everything else, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Austin muttered in reply. ¡°Damn¡­ everything sucks.¡±


    ¡°There are some things going for us,¡± Twy refuted. ¡°We¡¯re learning from one of the people who saved the galaxy, once ¡ª you brought that up yourself, you know. You even seemed a little excited about being, uh, ¡®chosen ones¡¯ and learning from Hero Machina, until just recently.¡±


    ¡°That was before I¡¯d heard about a fuckin¡¯ violent gang that threatened the safety of where we¡¯re stayin¡¯. We were told that the threat was minimal, but after what happened here? I dunno, man.¡±


    ¡°I agree that the Bleeders are more of a threat than I expected, or hoped¡­ but we are in a position to do something about it, aren¡¯t we? As much as I dislike agreeing with Pierce, he does kinda have a point. We can help. We just need to learn how.¡±


    ¡°And then put myself in lethal danger? No thanks. I like living.¡±


    Twy passed Austin a confused glance. ¡°¡­You know, if this attack hadn¡¯t happened, but we still trained and went on to fulfill our roles as ¡®Keys¡¯, as Pallan said ¡ª the risk of lethal danger would¡¯ve still been there. Using our Chaotic abilities in combat would have always been dangerous. Why were you willing to accept that then, but not now?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Austin trailed off and looked down at the ground. ¡°¡­I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Hey,¡± Twy commented softly when she noticed his furrowed brow. She reached up to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention as she said, ¡°that wasn¡¯t meant to be an accusation, or anything like that. I¡¯m trying to come to terms with all of this, too. It¡¯s¡­ confusing, trying to figure out if I like it here or not, if I like having these powers we have or not, if I can even accept the responsibility that¡¯s been forced on us¡­ or if it¡¯s even fair. Uh, well, it¡¯s not fair, but¡­ my point is that, you aren¡¯t the only one troubled by all this. We¡¯re all in this together.¡±


    Austin stared at her for a couple moments, at a loss for words. He then took a deep breath as a resigned smile crossed his face. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so, huh?¡±


    ¡°Besides¡­ you might make a better Chaotic than you think. Copying that one Geotechnic¡¯s powers to get away from him was a smart move.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it wasn¡¯t that impressive. If I was better, he never would¡¯ve gotten a hold of me in the first place. In that regard, you¡¯re a lot better than me. None of the Bleeders even touched you.¡±


    ¡°Only because it¡¯s easier for me to stay in the back with my powers.¡±


    ¡°True. Maybe I should just learn to stick with you and copy your water moves all the time.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I guess that would be easier than trying to read an enemy and then copy what they do, huh?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what I was thinkin¡¯¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, you slowpokes!¡± Sky shouted from farther ahead, her sudden interruption causing both Austin and Twy to jump in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s takin¡¯ so long? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡­Oops.¡± Twy laughed uneasily as she noticed how far behind the group she and Austin had lagged. ¡°Talking can be really distracting, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess it can be,¡± Austin replied, and then glanced behind himself once more at the quiet, empty, battle-scarred plaza. After a second, he shook his head and turned his attention forward again. ¡°But Sky¡¯s right. We¡¯ve spent more than enough time in this town¡­ let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

 V1 - Arc 4: The First Lull - Chapter 29: Renewed Research

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 4 ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 29: Renewed Research


    3 Days Later


    ¡ª Monday, November 7, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Fucking hell, what is it now¡­¡±


    Kate scowled as she stomped through the hallways of the space station Opportunity, SERRCom¡¯s secondary headquarters in space. In each hallway, one of the walls displayed a holographic feed of Earth below, projecting the vastness of space alongside the stretches of green and blue of the planet¡¯s surface onto whoever had business in the station. Most considered the sight serene, and it featured the most advanced hologram technology that SERRCom had access to¡­ but on this early Monday morning, Kate was having none of it.


    ¡°Fucking Director¡­¡± she muttered to herself, glaring forward as she walked and pointedly ignored everyone she passed. ¡°Pulls me off most research projects, so I can¡¯t do shit. Doesn¡¯t let me go on a fucking mission. And now she wants to talk to me at fucking 8 in the morning, what the fuck?! Damn it¡­¡±


    After turning a corner, Kate took a few more steps and then stopped at the end of the short hallway. In front of her was an unassuming metal door, not unlike the rest of the doors in the station ¡ª but on the name plaque next to this door read out ¡°Director Akane Hamasaki, EIIC¡±. With a petulant scowl, Kate kicked the door once to signal her presence; a moment later, it slid open, revealing the modest office behind it. A circular blue rug with gold trimming occupied most of the floor, with a large desk standing near the back, and a couple of wooden chairs between the desk and the door. On the front of the desk was the signature shield insignia of SERRCom, featuring Earth, the moon above and slightly behind, and then three four-pointed stars above and beyond the moon.


    As Kate stepped inside and the door closed behind her, she glanced between the other two individuals in the room. Sitting in one of the wooden chairs was Scott MacTavish, the Director of the Earthian Technological Advancement Agency, dressed in his typical black shirt, pants, and white lab coat. And sitting behind the desk, with her elbows on top of it and her fingers steepled in front of her mouth, was Director Hamasaki, of the Earthian Interstellar Intelligence Command. Her appearance was impeccable, with silky, cleanly cut shoulder-length hair and a slick navy blue pantsuit. Compared to that, Kate seemed downright dirty; her loose ponytail and red bandana did little to hide the disheveled mess that was her blond hair, and she wore her typical green with black trimming uniform, with the sleeves rolled up. Combined with the red and golden greaves that she always wore, Kate¡¯s appearance was in an odd in-between of casual and military attire, serving as a stark contrast to the professional business dress of Hamasaki.


    ¡°Welcome, Lieutenant,¡± Hamasaki said, slowly moving her hands down to rest them on her desk, revealing her ever-present, perpetually polite smile. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±


    Kate eyed the Director warily as she moved over to the empty chair and slowly lowered herself into it. She then passed a glance toward Scott, who offered a brief smile in response.


    ¡°Director MacTavish and I were just discussing certain matters,¡± Hamasaki commented, drawing Kate¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°¡­You being one of them.¡±


    ¡°Are you about to start lecturing me about my fucking behavior, again?¡± Kate questioned irately.


    ¡°That depends entirely on how this meeting goes,¡± Hamasaki countered. ¡°It¡¯s been three weeks since I put you on probation. At MacTavish¡¯s urging¡­¡± She passed him a glance before continuing, ¡°¡­I thought that now would be a good time to review your behavior.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Kate drawled, and then crossed her arms.


    Hamasaki nodded slowly, her steely gaze never once leaving Kate. The latter simply returned the gaze with a glare, though Kate couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy as Hamasaki¡¯s smile had yet to diminish. ¡°¡­Now,¡± the Director eventually spoke again, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure you understand why you¡¯re in this position, yes?¡±


    Kate opened her mouth to speak, and then stopped herself, as she fought the impulse to respond with snark. Fucking¡­ hold it in, Kate, she mentally told herself. Damn it. I hate these games, but if this is what it takes to get me back on real research, then¡­ fuck it. Here we go. ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± she responded tensely after a couple seconds.


    ¡°And why might that be, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ broke the rules¡­ apparently,¡± Kate answered, her teeth nearly clenched. ¡°Because, you know¡­ helping CSF-1 live is a bad thing, I guess.¡±


    Hamasaki shook her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t about you intervening on CSF-1¡¯s behalf. If you¡¯ll remember, I did give approval to that mission. I ultimately agreed with you. It is your methods, Lieutenant Faulkner, that I object to.¡±


    Oh that¡¯s rich, coming from the head of the fucking space CIA, Kate thought bitterly.


    ¡°You admitted yourself to hacking into the EIIC¡¯s communications and records, after all,¡± the Director continued. ¡°Surely you can¡¯t have expected that to go unpunished.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Kate replied. ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°It is not, and I know you know that. Don¡¯t play coy with me.¡± Hamasaki¡¯s smile finally collapsed into a disapproving frown as she said, ¡°it is your attitude toward your superiors that I object to. Treating the chain of command with such irreverence is what leads to disasters in emergencies, and other situations where it is needed most.¡±


    ¡°I say what needs to be said. So what?¡± Kate shot back, ¡°if you look at the records, which I¡¯m sure you have, then you¡¯d see that I haven¡¯t ever actually disobeyed an order. I¡¯ve done everything right.¡±


    ¡°With the exception of your little hacking endeavor, that is technically correct, yes. Which is why I am willing to have this meeting as soon as I am. However, if your hacking turns out to be more than just a one-time misstep, then your next punishment will be far more severe than a three week probation.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re lifting my research and mission restrictions?¡±


    ¡°Only if you agree to the following condition: watch your behavior when speaking with superior officers and Director-level staff. I have been willing to overlook your brash attitude up to this point, due to the things you have been able to accomplish to date ¡ª but I am not willing to tolerate it any further.¡±


    Kate scowled. Why does everyone around here have such a big fucking stick up their asses? Come the fuck on¡­


    ¡°Well, Lieutenant Faulkner? Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine,¡± Kate eventually replied.


    ¡°Good.¡± Hamasaki¡¯s frown was wiped clean by a polite smile as she steepled her fingers. ¡°I will hold you to that, Lieutenant. You are a valuable member of SERRCom and the ETAA, and I would hate to have to remove you ¡ª but I will if you force my hand. Don¡¯t think that you are above reproach.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Kate grumbled. ¡°¡­Is that it?¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I will also say that I expect to never again hear about you hacking SERRCom systems. Otherwise, yes, that is it.¡± The Director turned toward Scott and offered him a curt nod. ¡°You are free to reinstate the Lieutenant¡¯s research and engineering privileges.¡±


    ¡°Thank ye, Director,¡± Scott replied, offering a nod back.


    ¡°And that is everything I need from you, Director, Lieutenant.¡± Hamasaki gestured toward the door to her office as it automatically slid open. ¡°Now, I have work to do, and I¡¯m sure you both have projects to get to, as well.¡±


    ¡°That we dae!¡± Scott remarked as he readily stood up and turned toward the door. ¡°C¡¯mon, Kate!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Kate grunted in response as she followed his lead, more than ready to leave Hamasaki and her office behind. Before long, she and Scott were outside of the office and walking down the hallways toward the research labs. Scott strode steadily along, his chin up and shoulders squared, while Kate slouched sullenly with her hands in her pockets.


    ¡°Meetin¡¯ with the Director never is fun, is it?¡±


    Kate glanced over at Scott, finding that he was already looking at her. ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± she snorted in response.


    ¡°I realize ye mean well, Kate, but Hamasaki daes have a point. For the maest part.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to lecture me, too?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Ah nae nae nae, I¡¯ve never been fond of lectures ¡ª well, nae that kind of lecture, at least. But I dae have one more thing to say before I drop the topic.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    Scott smiled. ¡°I have tae thank ye for holdin¡¯ back, in there. Ye showed a lot of restraint.¡±


    Kate scowled in response. ¡°I fucking what?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha! Dinnae think I dinnae notice, Kate. Normally ye swear like a sailor! I think Captain Krick is the only person I knae with a mouth like yours ¡ª and he is a sailor, of sorts. But during that meetin¡¯, ye managed to pack it in. Hamasaki might nae have mentioned it, but I¡¯m sure she noticed, as well.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Kate snorted and diverted her annoyed gaze. ¡°Whatever you say¡­¡±


    ¡°And with that out of the way, it¡¯s time tae start talking research! There¡¯s a lot tae discuss on that front.¡±


    ¡°Fucking finally, a conversation I can get behind. I can work on the Aldredian shipyard stuff, now, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d ask ye tae even if ye dinnae want it!¡± Scott remarked as he directed Kate down an adjacent corridor. ¡°Your team and CSF-1 recovered sae many interesting items and data last month, I just cannae wait tae see what we can learn from it all!¡±


    ¡°So impatient you even talked the fuckin¡¯ Director into letting me work on it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, I suppose ye could say that. The ETAA has a lot of researchers and technicians, but only a handful of people with the skill ¡ª and security clearance ¡ª tae handle Aldredas technology.¡±


    ¡°The fuck do we need security clearance for?¡±


    ¡°Hamasaki and Lead both want tae keep as much of the Aldredian tech within SERRCom as they can. Hamasaki particularly wasnae pleased tae learn that the Black Suns were privvy to the shipyard discovery, but, ah well.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is gonna let the tech leak to the other nations?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nae about willingness, it¡¯s about data security. You already know that our Earthian technology is incredibly primitive compared tae the Nimalians or the CSA; it isnae quite trivial for them to hack our systems, but they can certainly dae it far more easily than I¡¯d like. Security through obscurity, while unideal, is one of our best bets at keeping all of this new tech tae ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Or we can just track down any would-be hackers and blow them to hell.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, I knae ye like blowing things up, lass, but that isnae always a viable solution tae a problem. In fact, it maest often isnae.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that if you were in the field as much as me,¡± Kate countered, and then stopped to look up at the massive double doors that she and Scott now stood in front of. ¡°¡­The hell are we doing at the fucking research bays? All of the Dreadnought data is on the computers already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s trae,¡± Scott replied as he approached the double doors and flashed his wrist at a sensor. ¡°But if ye¡¯ll recall, the data from the Dreadnought wasn¡¯t the only thing ye recovered from the ship yard.¡±


    Kate stared at him incredulously for a moment, and then snapped her attention ¡ª eyes wide with excitement ¡ª to the double doors as they began to slide open. ¡°Oh! The mechs! Yes! Fucking finally, I get to check out those sweet-ass mechs!¡±


    ¡°I knew ye¡¯d be¡ª¡± Scott started, only to stop speaking as Kate squeezed through the still-opening doors and sprinted into the bay. A fairly expansive space laid beyond the doors, a few dozen meters wide and nearly a hundred meters long, with all kinds of berths and large machinery strewn about for the sake of maintaining mech- and fightercraft-sized vehicles. The room looked much like a typical fighter bay, in fact; the only difference was that this bay contained only prototypes, experimental vehicles, and large devices that were under study rather than active use. Bright white lights illuminated the entirety of the space and all of the items contained within: on the right were a couple of space-worthy fightercraft, while on the left stood two massive humanoid machines.


    The taller of the two machines stood at around 10 meters tall despite having no head unit, with bulky black armor around its legs and arms. Gold, geometric trimming adorned the mech¡¯s torso, while long gun barrels extended down both of its forearms. Standing to that mech¡¯s side was another, this one slightly shorter, even with its head unit. The second mech featured a similar palette and paint scheme to Raenaros: predominantly crimson, with elaborate gold and black geometric trimming, as well as an insignia of a blue longsword on top of a circle on its chest and face. While obviously armored, the second mech possessed a significantly more lithe appearance than the first, and no obvious weapons.


    ¡°Alright!!¡± Kate exclaimed as she ran up to the pair and stared up at them in wonder. She looked them up and down, head to toe, and whistled in admiration. ¡°Now this is some Aldredas tech I can get behind! But, damn, the Aldredas really liked their fucking straight lines and triangles and other polygons¡­¡±


    ¡°That certainly seems tae be the case,¡± Scott remarked as he walked up alongside Kate and looked up at the mechs. ¡°Though the fact that even the paint jobs survived a hundred thousand years intact is quite the marvel!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll put checking out the magic fucking paint on my list of things to do,¡± Kate snarked as she moved over to the scaffolding placed over the mechs and began climbing up to get a closer look.


    ¡°Before ye get started,¡± Scott quickly called out as she began inspecting the torso of the bulkier mech, ¡°ye should probably knae what we¡¯ve been able tae figure out sae far. Particularly, the smaller one seems tae have the same kind of ¡®locking¡¯ systems as the Aldredas Powered Armor, or Raenaros.¡±


    ¡°You mean only Mote will be able to turn it on? Go fucking figure,¡± Kate muttered, and then knocked loudly on the bulky chestplate of the larger mech. ¡°What about this one?¡±


    ¡°That one seems fine, and actually nae locked at all, though somewhat more rundown than the other. Interestingly, though, despite the cannons on its arms, it seems tae be designed with a focus on its CCS ¡ª that is, the Chaotic Channeling System.¡±


    ¡°Just like the Raenaros, then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Aye, that seems tae be the case. It alsae has a truly incredible neural-dive control system ¡ª more advanced and intuitive than any other I¡¯ve ever seen! Furthermore, according tae Sarah, the smaller one has a lot of similar internals as the larger one, so it might have a CCS or neural-dive system as well.¡±


    ¡°Figures that Sarah would figure out all the interesting stuff first¡­¡±


    ¡°She was only able tae tell that the systems existed. We still dinnae knae how they work; that¡¯s where ye come in.¡±


    ¡°You want to retro-engineer this shit, huh?¡± Kate glanced down at Scott, and then up at the mech as she grinned and rubbed her hands together. ¡°You said this one has a CCS, but none of that locking bullshit, right? Ah ha ha ha! Finally, a chance to try out that fucking Chaotic stuff all on my own! Ooooh, this is gonna be fun!¡±


    ¡°Try not tae damage or blow anything up, please¡­¡± Scott replied with a nervous smile. ¡°Especially dinnae damage the CCS. It¡¯s a Chaos Energy-based system, after all, sae Sarah will still want tae look at it in depth herself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah¡­¡± Kate responded dismissively as she began searching the mech for a way into the cockpit. ¡°Doesn¡¯t she have tons of other shit to work on, though?¡±


    ¡°True. Aside from her other projects, she¡¯ll be helping with the study of the Aldredas Powered Armor. Studying the CCS of Raenaros and these mechs will be her job, tae. Though I¡¯ll be taking over the general study of Raenaros personally.¡±


    ¡°That eager to get a look at a new spaceship, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, ye could say that! It¡¯s been quite some time since I was last able tae work on a spacecraft of foreign construction, after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, good luck with that. So long as Mote doesn¡¯t get it fucking blown up on whatever fucking mission they¡¯re on, anyways.¡±


    ¡°That would be a problem¡­¡± Scott replied, and then glanced to the side, as a notification appeared on his AR display. ¡°¡­Oh, speak of the devil! Genesis and CSF-1 have just returned!¡±


    ¡°Well good for them,¡± Kate deadpanned, and then grinned as she finally managed to open the mech¡¯s cockpit and jump inside. ¡°You go talk to them, I¡¯ve got some sweet-ass tech to check out!¡±


    ¡°I suspected ye would say that,¡± Scott responded, and then turned around to begin leaving the research bay. ¡°Let me knae if ye find anythin¡¯. In the meantime, I¡¯m going tae see if CSF-1 recovered any new data or technologies! This truly is an exciting time for SERRCom¡­!¡±

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 30: Renewed Threats

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 30: Renewed Threats


    ¡°Finally, back at Earth¡­¡±


    ¡°We still aren¡¯t standing on it, sir,¡± Major Hackett commented as she followed Colonel Saito through the hallways of the space station Opportunity.


    Saito passed her an annoyed glance, and then swept his gaze over Researcher MacTavish, Mote, and Danielle, who were all following him as well. They had only just arrived back at Earth; Captain Krick had beamed the five of them aboard Opportunity so they could debrief as soon as possible, while Genesis went through her typical post-mission rundown. Three days had passed since they left the derelict Aldredas space station ¡ª three days that had passed with tense unease, as everyone aboard the Battlecruiser pondered what their recent findings could mean. But now that they had returned to Earth, things were moving much more quickly.


    ¡°Colonel!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Saito faced forward again, stopping in the middle of the hallway as Scott jogged up to him. ¡°Director MacTavish? This is new. You don¡¯t usually greet us when we return from a mission¡­¡±


    ¡°Only because I usually dinnae have a reason tae, Colonel,¡± Scott remarked with a smile. ¡°But ye just went tae investigate one of the coordinates from the Aldredian Dreadnought¡¯s computers! Given how your missions last month went, how could I nae be interested?¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡ª¡±


    ¡°So what technological marvels did ye discover this time, hmm?¡± He glanced over at Mote. ¡°Any new ye-locked technology? Anything Chaos Energy based?¡± He then turned his attention toward Kirstin. ¡°What about the computers? Anything?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ w-well¡­¡± Kirstin started uneasily, ¡°th-there was¡ª¡±


    ¡°So there was something! Wonderful!¡± Scott threw his arm around his daughter¡¯s shoulders and began leading her off down the hallway. ¡°Ye¡¯ll have tae tell me everything ye saw, lass, everything ye found!¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s what I¡¯m t-trying to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ye don¡¯t find new Aldredas tech every day, after all. Though ye certainly returned quickly. Wasn¡¯t the coordinate three days away? Ye¡¯ve barely been gone for a week! What happened?¡±


    ¡°I-I, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, of course, you¡¯re probably exhausted after a long mission! Ye should rest. We¡¯ll talk later¡ª¡±


    ¡°Director,¡± Saito interjected, grabbing Scott by his shoulder and turning the Director toward him. ¡°We found Nanocreatures.¡±


    Scott stared at Saito, his eyes wide, as he stood ¡ª frozen ¡ª for a couple seconds. ¡°¡­Ah.¡± He then looked down at Kirstin, at which point he released her and stepped back to hold a hand to his chin in thought. ¡°¡­Nanocreatures, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Saito nodded in affirmation. ¡°An abundance of them, in fact. We need to talk to the General, as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, of course,¡± Scott replied, quickly sweeping his gaze over the rest of the group and then marching off down the hallway. ¡°If ye found Nanocreatures, then I would like tae be party tae this discussion, as well. Now, follow me. Tae the General¡¯s office!¡±


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°Well¡­ that was fast, sir.¡±


    ¡°You say that you ran into Nanocreatures, Saito,¡± General Lead replied. ¡°A resurgence of such a significant threat must be dealt with with haste.¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Saito commented as he took a seat at the long meeting room table adjacent to Lead¡¯s office. Sitting with Saito and Lead all around the table were Hackett, Mote, Danielle, Kirstin, and Scott, with Scott sitting across from Saito at the end of the table, nearest Lead¡¯s seat at the head. Despite Genesis returning to Earth earlier than expected and unannounced, General Lead and Director Scott MacTavish had both managed to quickly clear their busy schedules in order to meet with CSF-1. The urgency of their actions wasn¡¯t lost on Saito and his team; they already knew that the Nanocreatures were a dangerous threat, but Lead and Scott both taking the matter so seriously served to underscore the matter.


    ¡°Alright, now tell us everything,¡± Scott insisted once everyone was seated, ¡°how did ye encounter the Nanocreatures? And in what capacity?¡±


    ¡°Starting from the top,¡± Saito commented, passing Kirstin a brief glance before looking back to the Director. ¡°When the Genesis arrived at the coordinates, we found a space station. The five of us boarded with the Raenaros and began looking around. That¡¯s when MacTavish¡ª uh¡­¡± The Colonel glanced between Kirstin and Scott for a moment before amending, ¡°that¡¯s when Researcher MacTavish discovered that the station¡¯s primary purpose was, in fact, to study the Nanocreatures.¡±


    ¡°Th-the Aldredas called them, uh, M-Morenal,¡± Kirstin quickly interjected.


    ¡°An entire space station, tae study the Nanocreatures?¡± Scott remarked as he placed a hand on his chin in thought. ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Danielle and I found one of the labs where the Nanocreatures were presumably being kept,¡± Hackett stated. ¡°The cages had energy shielding, I assume to keep the Nanocreatures in¡­ but several of the cages were broken, despite that.¡±


    ¡°The Colonel and I also found stasis pods, with bodies in them,¡± Mote said. ¡°Several of the pods were broken into, and the bodies gone¡­¡±


    ¡°Stasis pods? With bodies in them?!¡± Scott exclaimed, ¡°did ye recover any of them?!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have the time,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Shortly after these discoveries, the Major and Danielle were attacked by Nanocreature bugs.¡±


    ¡°A full swarm of them,¡± Hackett affirmed.


    ¡°Yes¡­ at that point, I called for a retreat,¡± the Colonel continued. ¡°We had no way of knowing just how much of the station was under Nanocreature control, so we couldn¡¯t risk staying any longer.¡±


    ¡°A perfectly understandable call, Saito,¡± Lead responded. ¡°I would even go so far as to say that it was the only correct call. Did you destroy the station, as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, the Genesis blew it to smithereens,¡± Saito replied. ¡°¡­But not before we were attacked by a, uh¡­ dragon.¡±


    ¡°¡­A dragon?¡±


    ¡°A big, silver one!¡± Danielle declared. ¡°I managed to hold it back, but it was still really weird, you know? Like, why a dragon?¡±


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    ¡°There is actually precedent for this¡­¡± Scott commented, and then passed Lead a glance. ¡°¡­Ye remember Sunova?¡±


    ¡°How could I not,¡± the General replied with a frown. ¡°An entire outpost, lost to the Nanocreatures¡­ and if I recall correctly, the Nimalians that were there at the time reported fighting a silver dragon, down in the caves.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± Danielle raised her hand, and then continued speaking after drawing Lead and Scott¡¯s attention. ¡°What¡¯s Sunova? Was it a Nimalian outpost?¡±


    ¡°No, Sunova was a Tier 5 World that belonged to SERRCom,¡± Lead explained. ¡°20 years ago, myself, as well as Director MacTavish here, and even Commander Shepherd ¡ª we were all stationed at Sunova.¡±


    ¡°That planet was the first place where the Ayas showed up after disappearing for almost 20 years!¡± Scott remarked. ¡°Shepherd was the one who found it, I believe. And that was alsae the same moment that Genesis came tae exist. Quite a serendipitous series of events.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ and we called in the Nimalians to help make sense of it all,¡± Lead continued. ¡°While they were with us, they discovered a hostile silver dragon, hiding in a cavern under some nearby mountains. After killing that dragon, it purportedly exploded into a large swarm of silver bugs, that then overran the entire outpost. We only managed to escape due to Genesis being in orbit.¡±


    ¡°Quite lucky, indeed¡­¡± Scott said. ¡°We knae now that they were Nanocreatures, of course, but at the time, we dinnae knae what those dastardly bugs were. However¡­ I¡¯ve read many reports regarding the Nanocreatures and the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ that preceded them, and this silver dragon shows up in many of them. At least twice in Nimalian space, in fact. According tae the Nimalians, the presence of a dragon seems to signal a sort of ¡®critical infection¡¯, wherein the Nanocreatures have reached a critical mass, and are about tae start spreading far more aggressively.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the space station was host to a, uh, ¡®critical infection¡¯?¡± Mote questioned.


    Scott nodded. ¡°That¡¯s certainly what it sounds like.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, in a way, it¡¯s good that we found it when we did, then,¡± Saito commented. ¡°If that infection had gotten any farther¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, things might¡¯ve been fine,¡± Scott mused. ¡°There are nae any signs that the Nanocreatures are capable of forming spacecraft unless Morcii is around tae direct them¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, are we certain that Morcii is actually gone?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°That is the question, is it nae¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to know for sure?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t knae,¡± Scott muttered, ¡°¡­but I knae someone who might.¡±


    ¡°Would you be referring to Hero Machina, Director?¡± Lead questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s it exactly, General! As luck would have it, Hero Machina were the ones who were with us on Sunova, as well as the ones who fought and defeated Morcii ¡ª both times. And now, they¡¯re the ones in charge of teaching our new Chaotic recruits!¡±


    ¡°How lucky, indeed,¡± Mote deadpanned.


    ¡°It truly is!¡± Scott replied with a grin. ¡°Even better, one of them is the preeminent Nimalian researcher when it comes to the Nanocreatures ¡ª though I believe maest of the galaxy is euphemistically referring tae them as the ¡®metallic infection¡¯. Anyways, the researcher in question is named Rebehka¡­ Tchir¨¦on, I believe?¡±


    ¡°How easy would it be to get an audience with them?¡± Lead asked.


    ¡°Good question. She ¡ª well, the Nimalian Union in general has been trying tae keep all metallic infection research on the down-low, so tae speak. Very secretive. However, I dae knae that she¡¯s been daeing a lot of work in that area, recently, which I always thought was suspicious if the threat was supposed tae have ended 20 years agae¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t necessarily suspicious. The vast, vast majority of Nanocreature nanites shut down immediately after Morcii¡¯s second defeat, but a small amount remained active, mostly on some of the CSA worlds,¡± Lead pointed out. ¡°The CSA is still undertaking clean-up efforts on those worlds, even today, 20 years later. Of course, they, too, are trying to be secretive about it ¡ª as much as they can be, at least. Orciid¡¯kas and Tau¡¯cen Kii were both rife with Nanocreature nanites when they were recaptured, after all, and the recovery efforts on those two planets are still very obvious and ongoing. Everyone thought that the nanites were largely dormant, however, including myself¡­ until now. If CSF-1 ran into a critical infection, then the Nanocreatures may not be as dormant as everyone suspected¡­¡±


    ¡°I remember Archon¨¦ Culana saying that infection incidents are on the rise, too,¡± Saito stated. ¡°I suppose that wasn¡¯t just a bluff, huh? Ha¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So what are you saying, sirs?¡± Hackett questioned as she glanced between Lead, Scott, and Saito. ¡°Are the Nanocreatures an active threat, or not?¡±


    Scott exhaled warily before replying, ¡°there isnae really a way tae knae that, at present.¡±


    ¡°Best to assume that they are a threat for the time being, then,¡± Saito asserted.


    ¡°I agree, Colonel,¡± Lead declared. ¡°The Nanocreatures are far too dangerous to underestimate. I¡¯ll look into setting up a meeting or correspondence with Mrs. Tchir¨¦on. Hopefully, she¡¯ll be able to inform us about any new discoveries regarding the Nanocreatures. Captain Travis and Lieutenant Cox are already on Nimalia, so we may have an opening there¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, and on top of that¡­¡± Scott glanced down the table, at his daughter. ¡°Ye said that the primary purpose of the space station was tae study the Nanocreatures. Did ye find anything useful, in that regard?¡±


    ¡°Uh, y-yes¡­¡± Kirstin responded meekly, ¡°uh, t-two things, really¡­ one, uh, Raen Technology.¡±


    ¡°Raen Technology¡­?¡± Mote echoed. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t make this connection until just now, but that¡¯s what Telregina called my armor, back when we fought in the shipyard.¡±


    Kirstin nodded. ¡°Mm hmm. Apparently, uh, Raen Technology refers to, um, a b-bunch of advanced, uh¡­ stuff. D-didn¡¯t really specify, but, uh, it apparently has a, um, g-genetic component.¡±


    ¡°That would explain why Mote is the only one who can use all the stuff we¡¯ve found, if it¡¯s locked to a gene that only he has,¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°Locking advanced technology to certain genes is still incredibly foolish,¡± Mote declared. ¡°What if someone else needs to use it? I fail to see the purpose.¡±


    ¡°Uh, w-well, the c-creator sounded, uh, k-kinda¡­ arrogant,¡± Kirstin commented. ¡°¡­P-probably why?¡±


    ¡°The station mentioned the creator of Raen Technology, tae? That¡¯s interesting,¡± Scott remarked.


    ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s save the history lessons for later,¡± Lead asserted, and then turned toward Kirstin. ¡°How does this relate to the Nanocreatures?¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh, w-well¡­¡± The Researcher shrunk under the General¡¯s gaze and averted her eyes. ¡°Th-the, um, the c-computers m-mentioned, uh, some k-kind of, uh, um¡­¡±


    ¡°She said that the Aldredas were working on some kind of technology that could undo Nanocreature corruption,¡± Mote stated. ¡°However, it wasn¡¯t present on the station.¡±


    ¡°That certainly sounds useful!¡± Scott exclaimed. ¡°Dae we knae where it is, or if it was actually finished?¡±


    ¡°No. Apparently, the computers contained only a cryptic hint.¡±


    ¡°¡®The key to this machine is found through Rynisaren¡¯,¡± Danielle recalled, and then shrugged. ¡°Dunno what it means, though.¡±


    ¡°Ry-Rynisaren is, um, the one who in-invented Raen Technology,¡± Kirstin stammered out. ¡°A-and also, uh, th-the name of the¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Dreadnought that ye found in the shipyard, right, right¡­¡± Scott nodded knowingly. ¡°Hmm. Perhaps it¡¯s saying that one of the coordinates stored in the Dreadnought¡¯s computers points tae the location of this anti-corruption technology?¡±


    ¡°It would certainly be nice if it was that easy,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°There are still hundreds of coordinates, sir,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°Searching all of those will take quite some time.¡±


    ¡°And if the Nanocreatures truly are returning, then time is not something that we have,¡± Lead declared. ¡°This anti-corruption technology does sound useful, but if that hint is all we have to go on, then we shouldn¡¯t focus on it. Not until we know more.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°As for the rest of what we¡¯ve discussed here¡­ as I mentioned, I¡¯ll see about getting into contact with the Nimalian researcher. Otherwise¡­¡± The General slowly swept his gaze across the room, meeting eyes with everyone else sitting at the table. ¡°For the time being¡­ CSF-1, Lieutenants, none of you are to mention what we discussed here to anyone else, with the exception of Genesis¡¯s crew or SERRCom leadership staff. Until we can determine if the Nanocreatures truly are a resurgent threat, I would very much like to minimize panic.¡±


    ¡°The Dreadnought coordinates are all classified, anyways, so that shouldn¡¯t be too hard,¡± Saito commented.


    ¡°Is that¡­ really a good idea, though, sir?¡± Hackett questioned uneasily. ¡°If the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ truly behaves like an infection, then wouldn¡¯t increased awareness help stop its spread?¡±


    ¡°If we knew exactly how it spread, then yes,¡± Lead answered. ¡°Furthermore, normal infections don¡¯t have a malicious, intelligent entity driving them. If Morcii is still around, and we clue him into the fact that we¡¯re on to him too early, then he may decide to launch an open attack instead of resorting to subterfuge ¡ª and the galaxy saw just how that went 20 years ago. We must not give him the same chance today.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The General nodded. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s everything, then let¡¯s be done. CSF-1, Lieutenants, take a few days to yourselves; I know that running into the Nanocreatures can be¡­ harrowing. But in the moment, you are all dismissed.¡±

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 31: An Unknown Future

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 31: An Unknown Future


    ¡ª Ligdia, Skydiath 18, 8054 ¡ª


    (Monday, November 7, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Alright¡­ I think that¡¯s enough for now. Let¡¯s take a break.¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Spike wiped his brow with the back of his hand as he stepped back from Kar¨ªsah and grinned. ¡°Man, that was the first real workout I¡¯ve had in a while. This was a great idea!¡±


    ¡°Ha, well, I know what it¡¯s like to be the only Forcetechnic around,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied while she performed a handful of cooldown stretches. She, Spike, and Mark were currently training together on the dusty training fields of WCU under the afternoon sun; due to all three of them possessing Forcetechnism, normal exercises were of minimal benefit to them. There didn¡¯t exist a weight in Tresnon that any of them had difficulty lifting, and body weight training was just as useless. However, Kar¨ªsah claimed to have learned how to use another Forcetechnic¡¯s strength to help train her own, and Spike and Mark both were more than happy to learn from her. Not long after that, they had moved to the training fields to train ¡ª though in practice, only Spike and Kar¨ªsah were able to participate in the training, as Mark¡¯s strength so severely outclassed them both that they determined that he could actually severely injure someone if he participated.


    ¡°It certainly is somewhat¡­ isolating,¡± Mark responded to Kar¨ªsah¡¯s comment as he stepped up to the two from the sidelines.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Kar¨ªsah¡¯s smile was immediately replaced by an apologetic frown. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it,¡± Mark reassured her with a sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯m just glad that the two of you were able to practice together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a shame you couldn¡¯t join us,¡± Spike remarked, ¡°though I guess with your strength, you really don¡¯t need to!¡±


    Mark shrugged. ¡°I suppose. Though, it does make me wonder¡­¡± He turned to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°You seem to be an authority on Forcetechnism. Does strength training actually help? It¡¯s obvious that our strength doesn¡¯t actually come from our muscles, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m an authority,¡± Kar¨ªsah quickly refuted. ¡°All I know, I¡¯ve learned from Christean¨¦. Uh¡ª Dean Kolst¨¦n, sorry. Accordin¡¯ to him, you actually can increase your Forcetechnic strength through trainin¡¯, it¡¯s just really hard.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t just about increasin¡¯ strength, anyways,¡± Spike declared. ¡°It¡¯s about the discipline, too!¡±


    ¡°You could more easily do that by just liftin¡¯ weights in a CENT field¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but it¡¯s more fun to use your superstrength!¡±


    ¡°I guess I can¡¯t argue with that.¡±


    ¡°The training that you¡¯ve introduced us to is rather interesting, I must say,¡± Mark commented. ¡°In practice, it seems simple enough. You¡¯re basically weightlifting, or doing push-ups, but instead of weights, you¡¯re fighting the strength of another Forcetechnic. I don¡¯t really know why I hadn¡¯t thought of that earlier.¡±


    ¡°It works best if you can find another Forcetechnic who¡¯s about as strong as you are,¡± Kar¨ªsah stated. ¡°With your strength, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the trainin¡¯ never worked for you. Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be. There¡¯s nothing to be done about it.¡±


    ¡°How are you so strong, though? I mean, you beat me in a fight before, so I knew that you were stronger than me ¡ª but I didn¡¯t realize until today by how much! You were able to pin both me and Spike without breakin¡¯ a sweat!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty nuts, dude,¡± Spike said. ¡°You¡¯ve got more strength in one arm than I do in my whole body, how the fuck does that work?!¡±


    ¡°If I knew, I¡¯d tell you,¡± Mark replied, and then shrugged. ¡°We Eximius Vir have always been more powerful than other Chaotics of our type¡­ that¡¯s about all I can say.¡±


    ¡°Well at least Kar¨ªsah¡¯s close to an even match for my strength,¡± Spike commented, and then shot her a grin. ¡°We should do this more often!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Sure thing,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied in kind. ¡°Maybe one day, you¡¯ll actually get stronger than me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m close already!¡±


    ¡°But not quite there yet. And I¡¯m still young, too. You¡¯ll have to train hard if you want to beat me, one day.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, don¡¯t start lecturin¡¯ me¡­¡± Spike grumbled.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Kar¨ªsah,¡± Mark spoke up, ¡°how old are you?¡±


    ¡°I just turned 22,¡± she replied. ¡°Not too long ago, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Really? You should¡¯ve told us! I could¡¯ve cooked up something nice.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, you don¡¯t need to bother. Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t usually celebrate birthdays anyways, or even bring ¡®em up without bein¡¯ asked.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I remember Selind sayin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like that a couple weeks ago¡­¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. My apologies, then,¡± Mark said. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to assume anything about how you do things around here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it. Though I¡¯m glad you offered,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. She then looked both ways before lowering her voice and continuing sheepishly, ¡°though¡­ if you¡¯re still here, next year¡ª and it isn¡¯t too much of a bother, of course, then, well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah ha! So you do want me to cook for your birthday?¡±


    ¡°Well, my next one. And it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯d love to!¡± Mark responded with a warm smile. ¡°There¡¯s little I like more than an excuse to cook up a good meal. Especially so for a new friend!¡±


    ¡°A friend¡­?¡± Kar¨ªsah echoed. ¡°¡­But we¡¯ve only known each other for a little over a week.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s plenty of time to make friends,¡± Spike declared. ¡°After all, you¡¯ve been a lotta help to us. Helped us move in, showed us around town, even tagged along when we went to that Goresan place and, uh¡­¡±


    He trailed off as a dark expression crossed Kar¨ªsah¡¯s face, and she averted her gaze.


    ¡°S¡­sorry,¡± Spike finished stiffly.


    ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t to blame for what happened to Goresan,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°But let¡¯s¡­ not talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. Definitely.¡±


    ¡°As for the original topic,¡± Mark quickly diverted, ¡°I take it Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t make friends easily?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably easy to see, heh,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded. ¡°It comes with the whole¡­ bein¡¯ all on our own thing, I guess. Tres¨¦dians just aren¡¯t very open¡­¡±


    ¡°You sure are, though,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°You¡¯re the only student at this whole damn school who¡¯s approached us on your own. And multiple times, at that!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, is that so?¡± Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily. ¡°You all just seem like interestin¡¯ people, really. I¡¯m sorry, am I botherin¡¯ you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. In fact, Sky¡¯s been complainin¡¯ a lot, sayin¡¯ that she wishes more folks here were like you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to get to know the people here better, as well,¡± Mark declared, ¡°but they don¡¯t seem very open to conversation, and I¡¯d rather not force the matter¡­ do you have any friends you could introduce us to, Kar¨ªsah? Maybe you could break the ice.¡±


    ¡°¡­Break the ice?¡± Kar¨ªsah echoed in confusion.


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s an Earthian saying. It basically means to help get conversation going between two people who just met, to get past that initial barrier of unease or awkwardness that you can have against strangers.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, uh¡­ Spike, you¡¯ve met Relia¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s pretty¡­ blunt,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Ha ha, yeah, that¡¯s certainly true,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a smile, and then glanced away, as though staring into the distance. ¡°As I¡¯ve told you, though, she wanders all around Tres¨¦d. Doesn¡¯t spend much time here in Tresnon¡­¡±


    ¡°Wish she did, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ ¡­b-but just ¡®cause she¡¯s my friend, you know!¡±


    ¡°¡®Just¡¯ friends, huh?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna start doin¡¯ whatever it was that Pierce and Phoenix were doin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah. I don¡¯t like intervenin¡¯ so directly,¡± Spike declared. ¡°Buuut, lemme just say somethin¡¯. I¡¯ve got two friends who claim that they¡¯re ¡®just friends¡¯, too, even though it¡¯s clear as hell that they¡¯d both like a little more, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°¡­So?¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯ve been like this for years. Years! And every time the topic comes up, you can see how frustrated and awkward they get, just ¡®cause they can¡¯t get over how damn self conscious they are, or because they¡¯re just that afraid of rejection. Now look at me an¡¯ Sky ¡ª I don¡¯t wanna brag or anythin¡¯, but I¡¯m really enjoyin¡¯ what we¡¯ve got. But my friends don¡¯t have that ¡ª instead, they got years of¡­ nothin¡¯, basically. So if you don¡¯t wanna be like them, then maybe next time you see Relia, you should say somethin¡¯.¡±


    Kar¨ªsah averted her gaze. ¡°¡­Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Just think about it a bit. And if I¡¯m readin¡¯ the situation wrong, then, hey, just forget everything I said,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°These two friends of yours, Spike¡­¡± Mark spoke up, ¡°¡­would I happen to know them?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Spike grinned. ¡°I think you know the answer to that question.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if it¡¯s so obvious that they like each other, then why not just tell them that? Why just watch them be frustrated all the time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that¡­ but Sky an¡¯ I have decided against it. The way we see it, if these friends of ours don¡¯t even have the guts to start their own relationship, then how will they handle any kind of difficulty or conflict in the relationship?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess that makes sense. Sort of. Though I¡¯ve never been in a relationship myself, so I can¡¯t really say¡­¡±


    ¡°This is news to me, too,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked. ¡°Are relationships really that difficult?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh, that depends¡­ I think.¡± Spike grinned sheepishly. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve only been in one relationship, so I guess I¡¯m not really the best guy to ask! Ah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°I mean, wouldn¡¯t being in a long-term relationship make you more qualified to talk about this subject?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Sure, but there are also folks who say you don¡¯t even know what you want out of a relationship until you¡¯ve been through multiple,¡± Spike countered, and then shrugged. ¡°But hey, I¡¯m only 21, so what do I know?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ fair enough.¡± Mark then turned back to Kar¨ªsah. ¡°But back to the original topic. Is there anyone else you could introduce us to, aside from Relia?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She paused to think for a moment. ¡°¡­Li¨¦hdan, I suppose. He¡¯s a pretty laid-back guy. He goes to the Academy, though ¡ª uh, that is, the Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics, over in Rel¨¦diaka. So I¡¯m not sure when you all would get a chance to meet him. Aside from him, uh¡­ well, uh¡­¡±


    Spike and Mark exchanged an uneasy glance. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine if there isn¡¯t anyone who¡¯d want to meet us,¡± Mark eventually commented, turning back to face Kar¨ªsah. ¡°You said yourself that Tres¨¦dians like to keep to themselves, so don¡¯t feel like you have to force a meeting.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Right. ¡­Sorry¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah apologized with a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯m just not, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s fine,¡± Mark reiterated, and then glanced between Spike and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s enough of a break¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kar¨ªsah! There you are!¡±


    The three Forcetechnics turned toward the new voice. Approaching from the direction of WCU¡¯s main gates was a short woman, with olive-toned skin and dark wavy hair. She wore a dark blue uniform with a shawl wrapped just around her shoulders, as well as a sort of blue half-cloak that attached to her belt and extended down to her boots around her black slacks.


    ¡°Oh, Kaon¨¦¡ª! I mean, Dean Densalin!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed as the woman approached. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you! I didn¡¯t know you were in town.¡±


    ¡°I just arrived a little bit ago,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, stopping next to the three and looking up at Kar¨ªsah. In so doing, the height difference between her and the Forcetechnics was made all the more apparent ¡ª the shortest of the three, Kar¨ªsah, stood at six feet tall, while Kaon¨¦ came just an inch short of five.


    Upon realizing this, Spike couldn¡¯t help but snort in amusement ¡ª the last time he had seen Kaon¨¦, she never approached so closely. She passed him an odd, lingering look, at which point she turned toward Kar¨ªsah ¡ª and then glanced up at Spike and Mark again, as though in recognition.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re the Earthians,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually commented. ¡°Spike and Mark, right?


    ¡°Uh, yeah, that¡¯s us,¡± Spike replied, ignoring the annoyed glance that Mark passed him. ¡°We met a couple weeks ago, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We did. I heard that a lot has happened, since then. Speaking of¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ turned to give Kar¨ªsah a concerned look. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius told me what happened a couple days ago, but nothing since. How¡¯s he handling it?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah sharply inhaled as a grimace appeared on her face. ¡°¡­He¡¯s a little angrier than usual. Nothin¡¯ really new there, though. He¡¯s also been talkin¡¯ with Selind a lot, I think tryin¡¯ to set up more frequent patrols through the region. But I haven¡¯t seen much of him myself since Skydia¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it¡­ that bad?¡± Mark questioned warily as he glanced between Kar¨ªsah and Spike.


    ¡°Looked like a whole town had just up an¡¯ disappeared,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°We didn¡¯t actually see it happen, but, uh¡­ wasn¡¯t a good look.¡± He then sighed and scratched his head. ¡°I get what Dav¨ªdrius is doin¡¯, and it needs doin¡¯, but what about us? I don¡¯t really think he can focus on teachin¡¯ us and dealin¡¯ with the security issues around here¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking over your education from Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Mark commented in surprise. ¡°But¡­ you don¡¯t even live here, do you?¡±


    ¡°No. My permanent home is in Nimaliaka, but it¡¯s fine. It was always the plan for me to eventually come here and help teach you all, anyways. The schedule just got bumped up a bit, due to recent events.¡±


    ¡°Why come here, though?¡± Spike questioned, ¡°why not send us over to¡­ uh¡­ wherever your school is?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ looked down as she released an exasperated sigh. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ¡­well, keeping secrets won¡¯t help gain your trust. The answer is optics. Public relations.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think I see,¡± Mark responded. ¡°The Schools of Chaos are supposed to be prestigious institutions of higher learning for Nimalian Chaotics, so if a bunch of Earthians got free admission, then it would look bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ ain¡¯t that exactly what happened?¡± Spike asked in confusion.


    ¡°Yes¡­ but Wrikax Chaos University is in Tres¨¦d, and for better or for worse, most Nimalians don¡¯t think that anything in Tres¨¦d could be as good as in the other nations,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained, and then frowned. ¡°Most Nimalians simply don¡¯t care about Tres¨¦d at all, in fact. Personally, I don¡¯t like it¡­ and Dav¨ªdrius really doesn¡¯t like it. But it¡¯s the situation we have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he made that plenty clear when we first met.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ sighed. ¡°I figured he would¡­ anyways. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll be the one teaching your lessons. You¡¯ll still see Dav¨ªdrius, but he has plenty on his plate at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Kaon¨¦,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded softly. ¡°Even if Dav¨ªdrius doesn¡¯t say so, I¡¯m sure he appreciates your help.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad to help, in any way I can.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you, like, the most powerful Nimalian Chaotic, or somethin¡¯?¡± Spike questioned. ¡°A Materiatechnic, right? With some kinda seriously OP Overdrive?¡±


    ¡°¡­Some people say that, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied apprehensively. ¡°Personally, I think that¡¯s missing the point. Even then, the issue of the Bleeders here in Tres¨¦d is not one that can be handled with force alone ¡ª nor would I be willing to handle it that way.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius has said that you¡¯d say that. Multiple times,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked with a slight smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he did,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded with a roll of her eyes. ¡°But if he truly wanted my help in dealing with the Bleeders, I¡¯m certain that he¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Spike questioned, ¡°he seems kinda¡­ uh, well¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s slow to trust, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he doesn¡¯t know his own limits,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve known him for¡­ just about half my life, in fact. If he ever warms up to you, you¡¯ll see what I mean.¡±


    ¡°¡®If¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get ahead of myself, ha ha. Anyways¡­¡± She began looking around. ¡°¡­I still need to talk to Dav¨ªdrius, so if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented as the Dean turned to leave. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too!¡± Kaon¨¦ replied back, at which point she lifted into the air and flew off over the city.


    ¡°¡­Whoa,¡± Spike muttered as he watched her leave. ¡°¡­She can fly, too?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a skilled Materiatechnic, so yeah,¡± Kar¨ªsah said. ¡°A lot of Chaotic abilities can be used to fly, actually. It¡¯s just us Introtechnics who are land-bound¡­¡±


    ¡°Introtechnic?¡± Spike echoed in confusion. ¡°But I thought we were Forcetechnics?¡±


    ¡°Forcetechnism is a subset of Introtechnism. ¡­Don¡¯t worry if it sounds confusing,¡± Kar¨ªsah added as Spike simply stared at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure Kaon¨¦ can explain it better than I can.¡±


    ¡°All three of us have multiple abilities, anyways,¡± Mark commented. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll fit into nice little boxes so easily.¡±


    ¡°The two of you, maybe, but both my Forcetechnism and Duratechnism count as Introtechnism.¡±


    ¡°My head hurts¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave that lesson for another time, then,¡± Mark said, and then glanced over at Kar¨ªsah. ¡°I have a question for you, though, if you don¡¯t mind me asking. What¡¯s your relationship with Dav¨ªdrius, exactly? You seem to know a lot about him, and his friends.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess I do,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, and then raised her head to stare at the empty sky, as though in contemplation. ¡°I think I already told you that he¡¯s¡ª well, a guardian figure, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You said somethin¡¯ about him not likin¡¯ it when you called him ¡®Dad¡¯, too,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°Sounds kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it really is. I understand where he¡¯s coming from. I¡¯m¡­ maybe even one of the only people who can.¡±


    ¡°Is this a story you¡¯d be okay with telling us?¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. Even if only to make sure that you don¡¯t get the wrong impression of either of us,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded. ¡°¡­To make a long story short, we¡¯ve both lost our entire home Compounds to the Bleeders. It¡¯s far from uncommon for a Tres¨¦dian to lose one or both of their parents, but it actually is pretty rare for someone to lose their entire home ¡ª full Compound raids, like what we saw at Goresan, are super rare. It just so happens that Dav¨ªdrius and I were both victims of one¡­ so neither of us know very many people who can really understand what happened to us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ rough,¡± Spike commented uneasily.


    Kar¨ªsah shrugged. ¡°It is what it is. The important part is, when I didn¡¯t have anyone else to help me¡­ he knew what I was goin¡¯ through, and took me in. I¡¯m sure it was tough for him, too. This was a little over ten years ago, so I was only¡­ maybe 9 years old, at the time.¡± She looked down, her mouth turning into an uneasy frown. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t remember the attack itself, or how my home was lost. I just remember wanderin¡¯ the wasteland for days, and days. Maybe even weeks. My Duratechnism is the only reason I¡¯m still alive, since I can go much longer than others without eatin¡¯ or drinkin¡¯ ¡ª and even then, I was dehydrated and starvin¡¯ by the time Dav¨ªdrius found me. Ever since, I¡¯ve been his daugh¡ª¡° She stopped herself, a troubled look on her face. A second later, she amended, ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been living with him. I¡¯m not sure I can ever repay him for that.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Mark nodded in understanding. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry to hear about what you¡¯ve been through. And I think I understand, even if only a little bit. I don¡¯t have parents, either, though I never lost them to such a¡­ tragic event as you. I simply never knew my parents in the first place. Even so, my friends and I were eventually able to find parental figures of our own, and I really value that connection, that time with them. So I understand how important Dav¨ªdrius must be to you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mark,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a forlorn smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about your parents, too. But I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±


    As Kar¨ªsah and Mark exchanged words, Spike simply glanced between them with an uneasy frown upon his face, uncertain of how to contribute to the conversation. He eventually settled on awkward silence, until Mark noticed him.


    ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Spike,¡± Mark commented with a sheepish smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to bring down the mood, so much.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, that¡¯s, uh¡­ ah ha ha¡­¡± Spike laughed uneasily. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t let me mess this up for y¡¯all just ¡®cause I don¡¯t have anythin¡¯ to add¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Mark¡¯s right. Sorry,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, and then bowed her head slightly toward Spike. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps instead of talking, we should get back to training,¡± Mark suggested, and then glanced up at the sun ¡ª which had moved a considerable distance since they began their break.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s somethin¡¯ I can contribute to,¡± Spike declared as he began cracking his knuckles. ¡°You up for that, Kar¨ªsah?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How couldn¡¯t I be?¡± she replied with a smirk. ¡°Alright, Spike, let¡¯s start from the top! Link hands, and¡­!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­What am I even doing¡­¡±


    Austin looked down, his brow furrowed, as he stared at the blue and golden claymore that he held in his hands. Slowly, he turned it over, his gaze tracing the black hilt, the blue and gold double-crossguard, the silver blade, and the softly glowing pale blue orb set within the crossguard, right where it intersected the blade.


    ¡°This sword¡­¡± he muttered, only to trail off in frustration. After a moment, he dismissed the weapon in a flash of light and moved over to his dorm room¡¯s window overlooking the dusty grounds of WCU. Three days had passed since he had returned from Compound Goresan, and in that time, Austin had never managed to pull his thoughts away from the Compound for long. Even now, as he turned from the window and looked over at the laptop he had brought with him to Nimalia, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to play his games.


    Barely seems appropriate, after what I saw¡­ he mused. I didn¡¯t really realize it in the moment, not fully, but¡­ a whole town was fucking WIPED OUT! Everyone captured, or killed! How many people even lived there? A few hundred? A thousand¡­?


    He backed away from his window to take a seat in his room¡¯s lone chair, only to hold a hand to his brow in frustration. After he first met Pallan and found out that he could summon a claymore out of thin air, as well as the fact that he was supposedly special, Austin had looked forward to the future. With superpowers, a magic blade, and a newfound role as a chosen one ¡ª what could possibly have gone wrong? But the trip to Goresan forced Austin to face the reality of the world: that Chaotic combat was dangerous and held higher stakes than he had realized, even when fighting EA. The more he thought about it, the more and more he realized just how close to death he had skirted on multiple occassions ¡ª and the more he thought about that, the more he realized that he wanted nothing to do with it.


    A knock on his room¡¯s door snapped Austin out of his thoughts. ¡°Hey, Austin,¡± came a male voice from the other side, ¡°you in there?¡±


    ¡°Luke¡­¡± Austin muttered, and then sighed. After another second, he eventually responded, ¡°¡­come in.¡±


    The door promptly opened, revealing Luke and his casual outfit of a green t-shirt and jeans ¡ª a striking similarity to Austin¡¯s blue t-shirt and jean shorts. With a small smile, Luke stepped into the room and glanced over at Austin. ¡°You¡¯ve been cooped up in here all day long, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the weekend,¡± Austin deadpanned. ¡°What should I be doing?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not accusin¡¯ you of being lazy or anything,¡± Luke countered as he closed the door behind him. He then stepped over to the room¡¯s window and began staring out of it, while Austin eyed him from his chair across the room. ¡°¡­Nice weekend, though,¡± Luke eventually commented, ¡°three whole days¡­ every week. I think I like it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it comes with a six-day work week,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll get used to it. Though I guess it might¡¯ve been better to split those six days into two sets of three, with one day off in the middle, and a regular two-day weekend, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mmm¡­¡±


    Austin looked down, his brow furrowed, just as Luke glanced his way. The Captain pursed his lips for a moment and then sighed silently before returning his gaze to the scenery outside the window. ¡°¡­How¡¯re your friends doing?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you ask them yourself?¡± Austin replied flatly.


    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯re here now,¡± Luke responded. ¡°I can see Spike training from here¡­ but where¡¯s the twins?¡±


    ¡°¡­Urban exploring or somethin¡¯, I dunno. Isn¡¯t it your job to keep track of us?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m sorry for askin¡¯. ¡­Not a bad view out your window, though, huh¡ª?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Luke glanced back at Austin, only to find the latter glaring at him. With a sigh, Luke backed away from the window and then leaned on the nearby wall as he slotted his hands into his pockets. ¡°¡­Saw right through me, huh?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer the question,¡± Austin insisted.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Luke glanced down, took a deep breath, and then looked back at Austin. ¡°How¡¯re you holdin¡¯ up?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t give me that. You¡¯ve been out of it all weekend. I know you like to hole up in your room, sometimes, but this is a whole new level. I haven¡¯t seen you with Spike or Twy at all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been three days.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come to dinner any of those days,¡± Luke countered. ¡°You ain¡¯t this much of a shut-in.¡±


    ¡°How would you know?¡± Austin shot back, ¡°before all this shit went down, the last time I saw you was over a year ago!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Austin, we practically grew up together. Ten years apart in age, sure, but I know you well enough.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Look¡­¡± Luke paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, before continuing, ¡°¡­I know what happened in Goresan.¡±


    ¡°¡­And?¡± Austin questioned flatly.


    ¡°And I know that your first real combat is always rough,¡± Luke continued. ¡°I mean¡­ I know that you fought EA and his robots a couple times, but you and the others never seemed too shaken up about that. Ever since y¡¯all got back from that Compound, though¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Mark and I really should¡¯ve gone with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you tryin¡¯ to say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sayin¡¯ that I understand what you¡¯re feelin¡¯ right now. Goresan must¡¯ve been the first time you saw death, especially in combat. That¡¯s never easy.¡±


    Austin scowled and diverted his gaze. ¡°So you¡¯re here to lecture me about it?¡±


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not it. I¡¯m not tryin¡¯ to lecture you. I just¡­ I want you to know that I¡¯m here, you know? We can talk about it.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re fine talking about death, huh? What about everything before that? I remember pretty distinctly how you danced around the topic of conscription.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe before we talk about acceptin¡¯ death, we should talk about bein¡¯ forced into that position in the first place, huh?¡±


    Luke¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You know I¡¯m not in charge of that.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that we wouldn¡¯t be havin¡¯ this conversation right now if I¡¯d never been conscripted in the first place!¡±


    ¡°What happened to the attitude you had back on Earth, right before we left for Nimalia? You seemed pretty content with comin¡¯ here back then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, before we got dumped in the middle of a fucking desert, and almost died to a violent gang attack! I didn¡¯t sign up for this! Or anything!¡±


    ¡°Look¡­ I can¡¯t change that. Well, I¡¯d like to see the risk assessment on more Bleeder attacks, see if y¡¯all need movin¡¯¡­ but that¡¯s not fully in my control. What I can do is help you deal with it.¡±


    Austin crossed his arms as he glared at his uncle. ¡°Your idea of ¡®helping¡¯ is to try talkin¡¯ about death?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Luke responded earnestly. ¡°It¡¯s a topic that needs discussing. Everyone in a military, whether a volunteer or not, has to deal with death in combat at some point. Either the death of your comrades, or the fact that your own actions, either directly or indirectly, will result in the deaths of others.¡±


    ¡°How many people have you killed, then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Luke looked down and began massaging his brow, his mouth turned down into a frown. ¡°No sane person keeps a kill count. That isn¡¯t relevant, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Too many to count, then?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is your point, Austin? Do you want me to rifle through every damn mission I¡¯ve ever been on and describe every person I¡¯ve ever shot?¡±


    ¡°My point is I don¡¯t want that. I don¡¯t want to be that! I mean, you¡ª you signed up for SERRCom, you went on all those missions willingly. You killed willingly! Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s gonna change how you feel about it? And now you¡¯re here, tryin¡¯ to tell me that you understand how I feel!¡±


    ¡°Austin¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ want to hear it.¡± Austin spun his chair around to glare at the wall. ¡°Not until we get a choice as to whether we want to be here.¡±


    Luke remained where he stood, his lips pursed, as he stared as his nephew. Eventually he took a deep breath and pushed off of the wall, turning toward the door as he did. A deafening silence overtook the room as Luke approached the door and opened it, though just before he stepped out, he turned back toward Austin. ¡°If you¡­¡±


    When Luke failed to continue, Austin turned his head slightly, just enough to spot his uncle through the corner of his eye. ¡°What?¡± he questioned, his tone deadpan.


    Luke responded with a weary sigh before turning back to the hallway outside. ¡°Nevermind. And¡­ sorry.¡±


    A moment of silence passed, followed by Austin turning back toward the wall. ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±


    The only noise that followed was the thud of the door closing, leaving Austin once again alone in his room.

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 32: Living Memories

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 32: Living Memories


    ¡°Ah, urban liveliness! Oh, how I¡¯ve missed this!¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you really like being around people that much?¡± Twy questioned as she passed Phoenix an incredulous glance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you couldn¡¯t. Humans are social creatures, after all!¡± Phoenix remarked with a grin, and then strode forward. ¡°Now let¡¯s go! I¡¯m hella hungry!¡±


    ¡°Phoenix is right. You should really get out more, sis!¡± Sky declared, keeping pace alongside Phoenix as she glanced behind herself to address her sister. ¡°It¡¯s healthy for you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Twy deadpanned. But just as she made to begin moving forward herself, she felt a hand on her shoulder; looking up, she met eyes with Kestrel. Kestrel¡¯s gaze lingered for a moment before she patted Twy on the shoulder, at which point she adjusted the wide-brimmed straw hat that adorned her head and strode out into the crowd. ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s Kestrel, for you,¡± Twy muttered to herself. ¡°¡­How did I get dragged into this? Oh, whatever¡­¡±


    With a resigned sigh, Twy began the descent down the gentle slope onto Tresnon¡¯s Market Street. The sun hung low to the western horizon, casting long shadows and orange-tinted light upon the crowded street as the busy citizens of Tresnon went about their business. A cool breeze rolled over the street from the adjacent lake, prompting an involuntary shiver from Twy; Tres¨¦d may have been largely a desert, but the continent was currently experiencing a waning winter, so the cool air was common. Too bad there hasn¡¯t been any rain¡­ Twy mused, and then glanced skyward, where there wasn¡¯t a single cloud in sight. Such a weird place, being right on a lakefront, but still being a desert¡­


    ¡°Oi, c¡¯mon, sis! Are you really that afraid of crowds?!¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Twy responded with a roll of her eyes as she finally caught up to Sky, Phoenix, and Kestrel.


    ¡°Well, different strokes for different folks, I guess,¡± Phoenix commented with a shrug. ¡°Personally, I¡¯ve never been able to stand just staying cooped up in a room all by myself. Talking to people, meeting people ¡ª that¡¯s what life is all about!¡±


    ¡°Meeting people, eh? Is that really it?¡± Sky elbowed Phoenix playfully as she looked her over head-to-toe. All four women were wearing a set of beige desert robes that they had been granted when first settling in ¡ª Compound Tresnon was located in a desert, after all, and the robes of the locals offered better protection against the elements with fewer movement restrictions than any clothing the Earthians had brought with them. Phoenix stood out, however, as she had tied off the loose shirt to expose her midriff ¡ª and with it, her toned abs. She also folded her cloak in half and tied it around her waist, replacing it on her torso with a thick white jacket that she left unzipped. When paired with her fluffed-up ponytail and the long, thin strand of hair that draped down the right side of her face, adorned with purple beads, Phoenix¡¯s outfit looked to have much more consideration for style than that of the others.


    ¡°Just because I put more thought into what I wear than the normal person doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m looking for anything,¡± Phoenix asserted, and then passed Sky a wink. ¡°Though I certainly wouldn¡¯t complain if I did find something.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only been here for two weeks¡­¡± Twy responded.


    ¡°I think a better way of saying that is we¡¯ve already been here for two weeks!¡± Phoenix exclaimed. ¡°And we¡¯re going to be here for a whole year, at least! Don¡¯t you think we should make the most of that?¡±


    ¡°By going out to dinner¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, by going out to dinner! Eating is, like, the quintessential method of enjoying yourself in a foreign land!¡±


    ¡°Man, sis, you¡¯re really bad at this, huh?¡± Sky remarked.


    Twy simply shook her head in response. ¡°Whatever. Why dinner, though? Mark already cooks for us.¡±


    ¡°Sure, and his cooking tastes great, but it¡¯s all Earth recipes,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°Or at least, approximations of Earth recipes, made with local ingredients. Which is certainly interesting on its own, but it¡¯s no eating out.¡± She threw her hands up, as though beholding the bustling streets around the group as they continued walking along. ¡°By coming out here, we get to see how Tres¨¦dians do things ¡ª how they act, how they eat! We get to eat their food on their terms, and maybe even make a few new friends along the way!¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, Kestrel! Everyone knows that these sorts of things are more fun with friends!¡±


    Twy and Kestrel exchanged a blank glance, at which point Twy sighed again and shrugged. ¡°If you say so. How¡¯re you going to make new friends, though? The locals can¡¯t understand us.¡±


    ¡°Some of them can¡¯t,¡± Phoenix corrected. ¡°If we run into any WCU students, they¡¯ll be able to talk to us just fine. I¡¯m sure there are some merchants here who have the translation implants, too.¡±


    ¡°Besides, even if they can¡¯t understand us, we can understand them. We¡¯ll just have to communicate non-verbally!¡± Sky remarked, only to freeze as a loud growling noise emanated from her stomach.


    Phoenix grinned in response. ¡°Non-verbal communication, huh?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the cue you¡¯re going off of, you¡¯ll be feeding Sky a lot,¡± Twy commented with a smirk.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Sky retorted, and then pointed to the right, toward the lakefront. ¡°That Akos¡¯ Lakefood place is over there, right? Let¡¯s go get some damn food, already!¡±


    ¡°Way ahead of you,¡± Phoenix remarked as she led the group off of Market Street and down a ramp to the piers that made up the Mirage Lakefront. The smell of fresh fish filled the air, though with a slight earthy undertone, compared to the fish Twy was familiar with on Earth. Shouts of fishers negotiating prices with would-be buyers or making general conversation accompanied the smell of fish, as well as the sight of several small fishing boats coming in to dock amongst the dozens that were already parked.


    ¡°It really is something, huh?¡± Sky remarked as she looked around at her surroundings in wonder. ¡°I¡¯ve never lived on a waterfront before. This is so cool!¡± She then shivered as the breeze over the pier momentarily intensified, prompting her to add, ¡°literally!¡±


    ¡°Kestrel and I grew up near the coast, so this is familiar to me ¡ª though the fishing markets are new,¡± Phoenix declared, and then sniffed at the air. ¡°¡­The smell of raw fish is a bit much, but I can bare it for some good, fresh seafood! Or I guess, lakefood, huh?¡±


    ¡°It might as well be seafood,¡± Twy commented as she looked out over the lake, where the waters extended out to the horizon. ¡°The Mirage Lake is freshwater, but if you look at a map, it¡¯s huge! I think it¡¯s bigger than the Great Lakes, back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Makes you wonder how the land surrounding it is desert, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably just weird alien planet climate stuff,¡± Sky responded dismissively, and then bounded forward as the group approached a building on the side of the pier. ¡°Akos¡¯ Lakefood!¡± Sky read from a sign near the door, and then whipped around toward the other three. ¡°C¡¯mon, already! I¡¯m starving!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a scene,¡± Twy countered, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment as many of the patrons on the pier glanced Sky¡¯s way. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so loud, you know.¡±


    ¡°Not the volume,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Yeah, Kestrel¡¯s right,¡± Phoenix replied as the group gathered just outside of the restaurant. ¡°There are plenty of people around here louder than Sky. I think it¡¯s our language that¡¯s drawing attention.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna just stop talking because people think I¡¯m weird,¡± Sky asserted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should. I sure as hell won¡¯t ¡ª but a little bit of discretion might be advisable. Like Kar¨ªsah¡¯s told us, many times; Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t seem overly fond of outsiders. Let¡¯s not give them a reason to kick us out.¡±


    ¡°They can try to kick us out, but what¡¯re they gonna do? We¡¯re Chaotics!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Earth. We aren¡¯t the only Chaotics around here,¡± Twy countered. ¡°Besides, it would be incredibly irresponsible to use your powers like that.¡±


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    ¡°Leave it to you to talk about responsibly using our powers, ha!¡± Sky then turned around on her heel and barged into the restaurant, shouting, ¡°now come on! How many times do I need to tell y¡¯all that I¡¯m hungry?!¡±


    Twy hung her head in response, though Phoenix couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°She¡¯s right, we¡¯re really dragging our feet,¡± the Chaostechnic declared as she entered the restaurant herself.


    Kestrel and Twy quickly followed, soon stepping foot into a dimly lit restaurant. Nearly a dozen stone tables filled the open space, a couple of them empty, while a chest-high counter top ran along the far wall, lined with stools. Rowdy shouts and conversation filled the air as the patrons loudly socialized; a couple of them glanced toward the entrance as the Earthians stepped forward, but most of them paid the group no heed.


    ¡°It¡¯s so¡­ loud¡­¡± Twy muttered with a frown.


    ¡°I know! Isn¡¯t it great?¡± Phoenix remarked, and then looked out over the tables. ¡°If I remember correctly, we can just claim one of the empty tables, and then someone will come around to take our orders.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a good one, by the wall!¡± Sky pointed at the table in question, and then began making her way toward it without waiting for further input. The other three women quickly followed her, and the four were soon seated.


    ¡°¡­More stone furniture,¡± Twy observed, as she looked over her stone chair.


    ¡°At least it¡¯s cushioned,¡± Phoenix remarked, ¡°but you¡¯re right. Stone buildings and furniture are very common around here, which seems odd, considering there aren¡¯t any mountains or hills in sight!¡±


    ¡°Chaotics?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s it,¡± Twy replied. ¡°One Geotechnic could probably make a building like this in an afternoon. If that¡­¡±


    ¡°Now if only our powers were so useful¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Ah, our powers are plenty useful! Just in different ways,¡± Sky commented, and then nodded toward a table across the restaurant. ¡°Hey, do those guys look familiar to y¡¯all?¡±


    Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel all glanced in the direction Sky was looking, where they spotted two young men sitting at a table with drink and food.


    ¡°They do look the same age, as us¡­¡± Twy stated. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re students at WCU?¡±


    ¡°¡­Looking at us,¡± Kestrel muttered as she turned her attention away and grabbed a menu off of the table.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Twy quickly averted her gaze as well, uneasily snapping up one of the menus as she did. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here for this¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sis! If they try anything, then I¡¯ll kick their asses for you!¡± Sky declared.


    ¡°I somehow doubt they will, anyways,¡± Phoenix commented with a roll of her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve been here for two weeks, and I¡¯ve never been approached by anyone.¡± She glanced back at the table with the two men, only to smirk when she noticed them both quickly look away. ¡°¡­Though not for a lack of interest, it would seem.¡±


    Twy regarded Phoenix with an irritated frown. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you brought us out here just so you can pick up guys¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you that, because that isn¡¯t why I brought you here,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°¡­But it would be a nice bonus.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is this about that argument you had with Pierce a couple days ago?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sour the mood by bringing him into this,¡± Phoenix countered with a scowl, only to quickly replace it with a smile. ¡°But, the way I see it, there¡¯s more than one way to get to know the locals.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh¡­¡± Twy moaned in embarassment as she used her menu to hide her flushed face. ¡°Why are we talking about this?!¡±


    ¡°Girl, you need to lighten up. I don¡¯t even remember the last time someone tried to lecture me about this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix¡­¡± Kestrel muttered.


    ¡°¡­Alright, alright. Sheesh.¡± Phoenix sighed and shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s get some food, then. But after this, I¡¯m going to try making some new friends, and nothing you say can stop me!¡±


    ¡°As long as you bring me along!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°For the friends part, at least. Any more than that is off limits for me.¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s fine by me!¡± Phoenix replied with a grin, and then held her fist out toward Sky ¡ª to which the latter readily replied by completing the fist bump. She then grabbed a menu and began scanning it. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s have a fun night!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Sky exclaimed in response.


    Twy simply shook her head in disbelief as the four began going over the menus for dinner. ¡°Why did I agree to come along¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Alright¡­ not a bad day, Pierce. Not a bad day, at all¡­¡±


    Pierce smirked to himself as he sauntered down the streets of Compound Tresnon, toward the front gates of WCU. Dusk blanketed the town in dim light and the temperatures had already begun to drop rapidly, but under his robing and cloak, Pierce felt perfectly warm ¡ª not that he was focused on the weather, anyways.


    This place might be a dusty dump, but there actually are some cute chicks, here, he mused while thinking back over his day. At first light, he had woken up with the intention of exploring town on his own, partially to get a better feel for Tresnon¡¯s layout, but mostly to see if he could land a date. The initial going was difficult due to the language barrier, but it hadn¡¯t been long before he ran into a female student from WCU. After striking up a conversation and managing to charm his way past her initial standoffish attitude, he successfully ingratiated himself to her and arranged for dinner in a couple days.


    Kar¨ªsah was right that the people here aren¡¯t too open¡­ but she didn¡¯t account for good old foreigner charm. Phoenix, too. I told her it would work! He stopped for a moment to look up at the rapidly darkening sky, and the lone moon that hung above. ¡­Shame Conrad didn¡¯t come along. A wingman always helps ¡ª not that I need one, of course ¡ª and I could¡¯ve gotten him a date, too, I¡¯m sure. A guy like him could sure use one. What did he even do, today? Don¡¯t tell me he just slept all day long¡­ who am I kidding, of course he did. Lazy bastard.


    ¡°¡­Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He glanced down, toward the source of the call. Approaching from behind was a young woman with tan skin, shoulder-length black hair, and a prominent scar stretching from just above the left corner of her mouth, down her neck, and disappearing below the collar of her shirt. Upon spotting her, Pierce felt a brief throb pass through his torso, nearly causing him to wince ¡ª but he managed to suppress the expression and replace it with a casual smile. ¡°¡­Hey,¡± he commented, turning to face the woman head-on. ¡°Liask, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you remember me¡­¡± Liask commented as she stopped next to Pierce, with a large bag in hand. It looked to be full of groceries.


    ¡°¡­Uh, yeah, of course,¡± Pierce responded tepidly, distracted by fighting back the flashes of Trenon that surfaced in his mind. Damn¡­ what¡¯s up with me? Is just looking at her enough to make me think of Trenon? I need to work on this¡­


    ¡°¡­Is this a bad time?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ I¡¯m just a little, uh, distracted. Ha ha.¡± Pierce forced a chuckle as he smirked sheepishly. He then nodded toward the bag in her hand. ¡°Taking care of some errands, huh?¡±


    Liask glanced down at her bag and hefted it a bit. ¡°Yeah. Just the, you know, the standard. Food and stuff. Though Minilas keeps sayin¡¯ she can just make food, so I don¡¯t need to buy any, but still¡­ uh, sorry, Minilas is one of my friends, you probably haven¡¯t met her, ha ha¡­¡±


    Pierce eyed her as she glanced down and laughed uneasily. ¡­She¡¯s probably thinking about Trenon, too, isn¡¯t she? I mean, how couldn¡¯t she, all things considered. At least it¡¯s not just me.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ wanted to talk to you, actually.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Pierce raised an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°What can I help you with?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nothin¡¯ like that. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Liask briefly met eyes with Pierce, averted her gaze again, took a deep breath, and then returned to making eye contact. ¡°I wanted to apologize. For¡­ well, how I acted when we first met.¡±


    Pierce momentarily thought back to their first meeting, when he had delivered the news that Trenon ¡ª Liask¡¯s older brother ¡ª had died, and she stormed off after breaking a stone door in frustration. The door and the other damage Liask had caused had since been repaired, but her initial outburst was still fresh in Pierce¡¯s mind. ¡°Oh, that¡­ don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine,¡± he replied, his smirk shifting into an uneasy smile. ¡°If I were in your shoes, then I probably would¡¯ve done the same, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ I accused you of lyin¡¯, even if only for a moment, and that was really rude.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but like I said, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it. Hell, given the circumstances, I¡¯m a little surprised you aren¡¯t even angrier, ah ha¡­¡±


    Liask stared at Pierce in surprise for a second, only to smile a moment later, accompanied by a short laugh. ¡°¡­I guess, even in the end, Trenon was right. He always was¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Pierce questioned uneasily, ¡°uh, what do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I told you that he talked about you and Phoenix a lot, right? From his messages, I kinda just assumed that you were, uh¡­ well, full of yourself.¡±


    ¡°I do get that a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but Trenon also said that you were a serious, reasonable guy when it mattered. And that seems to be true.¡±


    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon¡­¡± Pierce smiled sheepishly. ¡°I think that¡¯s a bit much¡­¡±


    ¡°Trenon sacrificed himself to save you, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Uh, w-well¡­ sort of¡­ ¡­Wait. How¡¯d you know that?¡±


    ¡°When you told me about what happened to him, that helped me figure out what to look for on the Relaynet for more information. It took some effort, but I found the full story there, about Berserkers in Alus, and how Trenon died while stoppin¡¯ one, after savin¡¯ ¡®an Earthian¡¯ from the Berserker¡¯s attack. Some soldiers in the NSD seem to blame you for my brother¡¯s death, but¡­¡± Liask lowered her head, her gaze directed downward as her tone softened. ¡°¡­Part of me wants to blame you, but I know it wasn¡¯t your fault. You didn¡¯t do anythin¡¯ wrong, as far as I know. And Trenon ¡ª he was a nice guy, but he wasn¡¯t the kind of person to sacrifice himself for just anyone, you know? But the fact that he did that for you¡­ it says somethin¡¯. About him, and about you, and¡­ I think I should listen to that.¡±


    Pierce¡¯s only response was stunned silence as he frantically searched for the words to form a reply. Shit, I was NOT expecting the conversation to go like this. This is way more serious shit than I usually talk about. What do I even say, here¡­?


    ¡°¡­Ah, sorry,¡± Liask commented with a sheepish smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to just dump all of that on you outta no where.¡±


    ¡°¡­Nah, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s fine,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re doing better now, though. That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She averted her gaze again and sighed loftily. ¡°¡­A-anyway, I have some food to put up. And some homework I should probably get to, so I gotta go. But, uh¡­¡± She looked up at Pierce again and flashed a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ talk again, maybe? About less serious stuff?¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh, yeah. Sure.¡± Pierce nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Good!¡± Liask then turned toward WCU¡¯s front gates and began walking off.


    As she left, Pierce found himself staring at her retreating form, his brow furrowed with unease. After having the NSD soldiers blame him for Trenon¡¯s death, he had been fully prepared for Liask to do the same ¡ª but to forgive him instead, and in such a heartfelt manner? Of all the feelings that were swirling through Pierce¡¯s heart, the only one he could concretely nail down was confusion. What¡¯s going through her head? What was her relationship with Trenon even like? I had assumed it was a one-sided admiration, but after that¡­ just how the hell do siblings get that close, anyways? Riley would never say any of that about me. And, more than that¡­


    For a brief moment, Pierce¡¯s thoughts returned to the vision he had received just after Trenon¡¯s death. Now that he had been face-to-face with Liask twice, there was no doubting it ¡ª she was the woman he had seen in his vision. The prominent scar on her face, that crossed her mouth and ran down her neck, was too distinctive to ignore. But why did he have a vision of her, and why then? And if that part of his vision had revealed to him information that he couldn¡¯t possibly have known on his own¡­ then what other parts of his vision could be real?


    ¡°¡­Ah, fuck¡­¡± he muttered to himself as he began trudging toward the campus¡¯s front gates himself. ¡°¡­What a fucking day this has become. Just what the hell is going on around here¡­?¡±

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 33: Uncoordinated Discovery

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 33: Uncoordinated Discovery


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Tuesday, November 8, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡­Alright, a 1% increase in shield runtime. That¡¯s good, especially just from firmware tweaks, but it¡¯s still so small¡­ let¡¯s see if I can get any more out of it¡­


    Kirstin hunched over her laptop, her brow furrowed as she stared at the code on her screen. Hooked up to her laptop via a long cable was the chestplate unit of a set of Chaos Armor ¡ª powered armor that ran primarily off of Chaos Energy. SERRCom as an organization was incapable of producing powered armor that could stand up to models that already existed in the galaxy, so they settled for procuring sets from foreign vendors ¡ª and even then, SERRCom could only afford so many, especially when the organization preferred to prioritize its space fleet over its ground forces. Chaos Armor was particularly expensive, and only a handful of SERRCom teams had any; CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir were among this number.


    The particular armor that Kirstin was working on now was one of CSF-1¡¯s armors: a C-98 model, a cheap set of commercial Chaos Armor produced and sold by a Nimalian manufacturer. While Nimalian armors weren¡¯t considered to be the best in the galaxy, they were still sturdy and reliable ¡ª yet even then, it was also commonly known that their commercial variants were tuned down compared to what the NSD was offered. As such, with a little tinkering, the armors could be made to perform better and last longer on a single battery charge than their official specs would suggest. Kirstin¡¯s previous tinkerings had already improved the power efficiency of CSF-1¡¯s armors by nearly 10 percent ¡ª more than what most people could manage, based on Relaynet searches ¡ª but she was now starting to run up against the ceiling of what she could get out of the armors.


    I guess it¡¯s better than nothing¡­ she mused. But even now, Colonel Saito still managed to run his armor¡¯s shielding down to near zero a couple times¡­ he keeps cutting it so close. If I can get a little bit more improvement, it¡¯ll help keep him and the others safe¡­


    Thinking of the Colonel brought Kirstin¡¯s thoughts back to their previous mission, and then to her work that had led to the mission in the first place. Encountering the Nanocreatures had been a frightening experience, but the information on the space station¡¯s computers had also been highly interesting. Would the rest of the Dreadnought¡¯s coordinates present the same mixture of risk and reward?


    ¡­I hope not, she mentally answered. It¡¯s impossible to tell how risky the other coordinates are until we actually go there, though¡­ at least the Homeworld coordinates shouldn¡¯t be dangerous to investigate, whatever they are. Though, now that I¡¯ve thought about that¡­


    Taking a break from her armor tinkering, Kirstin switched tasks to begin looking over the Dreadnought coordinates ¡ª the ones corresponding to each of the galactic Homeworlds, in particular. Nimalia, Homeworld of the Nimalian Union; Siionleh, Homeworld of the United Siion Nations; Y¡¯kisdral, Homeworld of the Dra¡¯kis World Coalition; Citici, Homeworld of the Citan Republic; Tyrnaus, Capital World of the Syraus Protectorate; Turiax, Capital World of the Riaxen Federation; and Earth all appeared in the catalog of coordinates found on the Aldredian Dreadnought. Even Oriciid¡¯kas, the Capital World of the Core Space Alliance, and Tzinck, the original Homeworld of the Syraus and Riaxen before their millenia-long civil war, featured on the list of coordinates. Kirstin was still uncertain as to whether or not these coordinates were significant; they were recorded on the Dreadnought¡¯s computers long before the modern day, after all, so the fact that the coordinates lined up with Homeworlds could just be a coincidence. The potential intrigue was too great to ignore, however, so the Researcher found herself poring over these 9 coordinates.


    Each coordinate came coupled with an additional, 2-dimensional coordinate, which Kirstin assumed were pointing to locations on the surface of the planets in question. Thanks to previous discoveries of Aldredas ruins in the galaxy, Kirstin knew what units the planetside coordinates were mostly likely in, as well as the fact that they were most likely polar. The only issue then was that she had no idea if the polar coordinates used the north or the south pole as their anchor point, or what direction corresponded to 0 degrees. To visualize this unknown factor, she had overlaid two circles over the global maps of each of the planets, one for if the polar coordinates used the north pole as an anchor point, and one for the south pole. In so doing, she hoped to see if one of the circles lined up with a significant location on one of the planets ¡ª if that happened, then she would be able to deduce whether all of the coordinates were north pole-anchored, or south.


    Assuming the Aldredas were even consistent¡­ she mused, and then frowned. ¡­Let¡¯s hope that they were, for now. Though I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ll find anything¡­ oh well. Let¡¯s start with Earth first¡­


    With a quick motion of her hands, Kirstin brought up a display of Earth on her laptop screen, with two longitudinal circles overlaid. They both laid at around 39 degrees lattitude ¡ª one north, one south. The northern circle passes over more land, Kirstin observed, there¡¯s more land in the northern hemisphere than the southern, after all, so that¡¯s no surprise. Even then, though¡­ there¡¯s very little land at 39 degrees South, compared to 39 degrees North. Does this mean the north pole is the anchor point I¡¯m looking for¡­?


    She quickly inspected the list of countries that the 39th parallel passed over in the northern hemisphere, ranging from Spain and Italy in Europe, to China and Japan in Asia, to the USA in North America ¡ª hey, wait a minute! She spun the image of the globe around to focus on the USA, and then zoomed into the part of Colorado that the line passed over. This¡­ this is really close to where the Interstellar Gate was first found¡­


    Kirstin quickly began digging through SERRCom¡¯s research databases to confirm her suspicions. While Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate was currently located in New York City, it had originally been found in an underground cave in Colorado, somewhat close to the Rocky Mountains. As Kirstin understood it, the story went that the cave was exposed during the Chaos Energy Quake of 2088. The year long event coincided with a painfully long string of incredibly devastating natural disasters all across the globe, and among it all, a sinkhole had opened up the way to discovering Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate.


    Ah¡­ here we go. Kirstin pulled up the original location of the Gate, and overlaid it on the globe showing the Dreadnought coordinate circle. Wow¡­ it¡¯s a match! Not exactly, but it IS within the error margins¡­ huh. Is that what these coordinates are pointing to, then? The location of each planet¡¯s Interstellar Gate? That¡¯s¡­ actually disappointing. We already know where the Gates are. She frowned as she stared at the map on the screen in front of her. Can that really be it¡­? I should check the other Homeworlds¡ª


    The sound of approaching laughter ripped Kirstin out of her thoughts, prompting her to snap her attention to the entrance of the lab. Just as she did, the door opened, revealing Sarah and Scott as they stepped in with wide smiles upon their faces.


    ¡°And that was when I realized that I¡¯d put the wires in the wrong way!¡± Scott remarked. ¡°Just about fried myself! It was like I was in grad school all over again!¡±


    Sarah laughed as she approached a tool cabinet near the entrance. ¡°You¡¯d better not be letting your age get to you already, Scott,¡± she replied with a grin as she rooted around inside, ¡°keep making mistakes like those, and you¡¯ll lose the Directorship in no time!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should keep it up, then. I¡¯d have more time for real work without all the baggage of being Director, ah ha ha ha!¡±


    Kirstin eyed the two warily from her seat near the back of the lab. For a moment, her gaze lingered on Scott, watching as he dropped some kind of machine on a table to the side of the room and continued joking with Sarah. After a couple seconds of that, however, she glanced down, returning her attention to her laptop.


    ¡°Oh, Kirstin! I didn¡¯t see ye there!¡±


    She jumped at the sudden acknowledgment, and her attention snapped back to Scott, who was looking at her from across the room. ¡°O-oh¡­ uh¡­ hi¡­¡±


    ¡°Dinnae expect tae find ye, here, lass,¡± Scott remarked as he rolled up the sleeves of his lab coat and picked up a screwdriver. ¡°CSF-1 just got back from a mission yesterday, against the Nanocreatures, nae less! Lead even told ye tae take some time off!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, well, uh¡­¡± Kirstin looked down again. ¡°I was, uh¡­ b-bored¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. I know well what that feels like!¡± Scott replied with a grin. ¡°I suppose ye take a little after me, in that regard. Sorry for that, ah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, dinnae forget about rest,¡± Scott continued as he began tinkering with the device in front of him. He paused for a moment to glance over at Sarah, who was busy rearranging items on a shelf. ¡°¡­I have tae tell Sarah here tae get some damn rest all the time, tae. Kirstin, dinnae be like her.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the best way to speak of your lovely assistant?¡± Sarah countered with a smirk.


    ¡°Lovely? Ah ha ha! You¡¯re more of a workaholic than me, and I¡¯m the one who worked sae much that I lost a marriage! ¡ªAh¡­¡± He glanced toward Kirstin, his face frozen in unease. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡±


    Kirstin continued to work on her laptop, not once meeting eyes with Scott as she pretended to not have heard him.


    Sarah glanced between the two as an awkward silence filled the room, only to shake her head and sigh. ¡°Scott, you can really be a bloody dunce sometimes.¡±


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    ¡°Cannae argue with that¡­¡± Scott responded with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°As for work, though¡­¡± Sarah looked over at Kirstin. ¡°Kirstin, what are you working on? Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin glanced over at Sarah. ¡°J-just the, um, c-coordinates from the, uh, the Dreadnought¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretty important work,¡± Scott remarked. ¡°Though I hope not all of the coordinates are as dangerous as that last one!¡±


    ¡°Some of the coordinates coincided with the current Homeworlds, right?¡± Sarah questioned. ¡°Those ought to be less dangerous. Kirstin, do you know anything more about that?¡±


    ¡°W-well, actually¡­¡± Kirstin glanced down at her laptop again. ¡°¡­Y-yes. Um, th-the Earth one¡­ i-it might be pointing to, uh, where the, um, the I-Interstellar Gate used to be.¡±


    ¡°Really? Let me see.¡± Scott set down his screwdriver and crossed the room, to where Kirstin was sitting. She quickly moved her chair to the side to let Scott look at the laptop, waiting silently as he pored over the information and clicked through some of the computational analysis. ¡°¡­That¡¯s true,¡± he eventually commented, ¡°it does look like that¡¯s a good possibility.¡± He then stood up and crossed his arms, frowning as he continued to stare at the information on the laptop screen. ¡°¡­That¡¯s rather disappointin¡¯. Does this just mean that the secondary coordinates for each of the Homeworlds point tae their Interstellar Gate¡­? If sae, that¡¯s a shame. I was hopin¡¯ tae find new technology tae study¡­¡±


    ¡°We at least know that not all of the coordinates from the Dreadnought point to Interstellar Gates,¡± Sarah pointed out from across the room. ¡°The space station CSF-1 last visited didn¡¯t have a Gate, after all.¡±


    ¡°True, true¡­¡± Scott nodded, and then glanced at Kirstin. ¡°Ye should focus on the other coordinates for now, then, lass. There are plenty tae look through, after all, and ones that tell us things we already know arenae that useful. Findin¡¯ the coordinate that leads tae that Nanocreature cure would be maest useful right nae.¡±


    ¡°Huh? B-but¡­¡± Kirstin frowned and looked down. ¡°W-what about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dae nae worry about the Homeworld coordinates, Kirstin. I¡¯ll take a look at ¡®em,¡± Scott remarked as he left Kirstin¡¯s side to return to his device. ¡°At least we learned something from them. For some reason, the Homeworld Gates were important tae the Aldredas. That sounds like an interestin¡¯ history discovery, but I doubt we¡¯ll find any undiscovered tech on the Homeworlds ¡ª if we could even get access tae them, ah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Sarah acknowledged. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a shame, but oh well. Let¡¯s get to work now, then, shall we?¡±


    Kirstin eyed the two as they both began inspecting the odd device on the table in front of Scott. Eventually she returned her attention to her laptop, and to the armored chestplate that remained connected to it; with a sigh, she switched back to tinkering with the armor¡¯s firmware, hoping to distract herself from the other work in the lab.


    <hr>


    3 Hours Later


    Finally¡­ quiet¡­


    Kirstin released a deep sigh of relief as she swept her gaze over the research lab. Neither Scott, Sarah, nor the device they had been working on were anywhere to be seen; the two had recently split up to work on their own separate projects. Kirstin didn¡¯t know exactly what, but she did know that she was now once again alone in the lab, free to work on her own.


    ¡­Maybe I could look at the coordinates some more, she thought to herself, returning her attention to her laptop. Dad wrote off the Homeworld coordinates really fast, even though I only showed him Earth¡¯s¡­ why did he do that? I didn¡¯t even check if the others line up with their own Interstellar Gates¡­


    A few seconds of silence passed as Kirstin contemplated Scott¡¯s motivations, as well as the true purpose of the coordinates. She then sighed again and moved to continue working on the chestplate she had with her.


    ¡°Director MacTavish? You in there?¡±


    With a startled jump, Kirstin snapped her attention to the lab entrance, just as Colonel Saito opened the door and peeked his head in. He quickly surveyed the lab before laying eyes on Kirstin, at which point he sighed and stepped fully into the lab.


    ¡°Hey there, MacTavish,¡± he commented, offering Kirstin a casual wave as he did. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where the Director is, would you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin looked down. ¡°¡­N-no¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn. I was told he¡¯d be here¡­¡± Saito muttered in frustration, and then shrugged. ¡°Oh well. What are you doing here, though? We¡¯re supposed to have the day off!¡±


    ¡°I-I was, um¡­ I was bored¡­¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known. Mote said the same thing, too, when I ran into him earlier. What am I going to do with you all?¡± He shook his head wearily. ¡°Well, what¡¯s so important that it¡¯s worth working on on your day off, eh?¡±


    ¡°J-just the, uh, c-coordinates¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh. Okay, then. Find anything interesting?¡±


    Kirstin passed Saito a brief glance before looking down at her laptop again. More interruptions¡­ I wish I could work on these things outside of the lab, where no one could bother me. ¡­Wait¡­ She glanced at Saito again, who returned the look with a confused expression. ¡­He¡¯s been with SERRCom for a long time, right? Maybe he might know something¡­


    ¡°Uh, MacTavish?¡± Saito spoke up after several moments of silence, ¡°¡­if I¡¯m bothering you, I can leave.¡±


    ¡°N-no,¡± she quickly replied. ¡°I-it¡¯s¡­ w-well, there is, uh, s-something interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°The Earth coordinate, it, uh¡­ i-it might point to, um, where the I-Interstellar Gate was, uh, originally found.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Hmm¡­ I think I remember you or Kate mentioning something about several of the Dreadnought coordinates pointing to the Homeworlds, huh. Do the others point to their own Gates, as well, then?¡±


    Kirstin looked down. ¡°W-well, uh, that¡¯s the thing¡­ I-I don¡¯t know. Da¡ª Director, um, the Director said n-not to bother¡­ that he¡¯d, um, look into them himself¡­¡±


    ¡°Director MacTavish?¡± Saito questioned, and then frowned when Kirstin nodded in response. ¡°The busy Director wants to spend his own time going over these coordinates? Why?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ I, um, I showed him the, uh, th-the Earth coordinate, a-and then¡­ he just said to, uh, n-not bother with the rest¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The Colonel rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Well, the history of the Interstellar Gate here on Earth isn¡¯t very clean ¡ª I guess I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the same applies to the other Homeworlds. Maybe Director MacTavish just doesn¡¯t want to dig up unnecessary history¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Really? The¡­ Director¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you have a point. From what I hear, he¡¯s never been the cautious type. Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Wh-what do you know about, um, Earth¡¯s Gate?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that history I mentioned?¡± Saito questioned with a smirk. ¡°I suppose that was before your time. By quite a bit, in fact. You¡¯re 20, right? That would make you¡­ what, one year old in 2110?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­¡±


    The Colonel shook his head in disbelief. ¡°So young¡­ anyways. As I¡¯m sure you know, the United States first found the Interstellar Gate in a cave under the Rocky Mountains, back during the Chaos Energy Quake of 2088. They kept that discovery to themselves for ten years; in that time, they figured out that it was an Interstellar transportation device, and began running secret scouting expeditions until they stumbled upon a planet that was already colonized by the Nimalians. That was true first contact, though not the one that the public is familiar with. After that, the Nimalians alerted the CSA, and the CSA sent an envoy ship to Earth ¡ª that is the more widely known first contact, since that envoy is what revealed the existence of aliens to everyone on Earth. That was 30 years ago, in 2099¡­ oof. Let me tell you, that was not a fun year.¡±


    ¡°I-it wasn¡¯t¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. The CSA envoy demanded that Earth form a singular government entity to interact with the rest of the galaxy with, but to most of Earth, this was the very first time we¡¯d even heard of aliens. An advanced alien race making demands of us on first contact? Didn¡¯t really set the tone very well ¡ª not to mention the revelation that America was rooting around in the galaxy for ten years without the rest of Earth knowing. Let me tell you, the world really didn¡¯t like that. SERRCom was formed shortly afterward, and the rest of the world decided that SERRCom should control the Interstellar Gate, not America¡­ but the Gate was too large and heavy to remove from the caves, so it stayed there for a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sounds, um¡­ bothersome¡­¡±


    ¡°It was. Leaving the Gate on American soil turned out to be a problem later on. I guess they found a way to keep using it under SERRCom¡¯s nose, and they eventually recovered one of the Chaos Ayas on their own. That led directly into the US Government¡¯s conflict with SERRCom in 2110 ¡ª I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of that?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah. Th-they tried to, um, t-to hijack the Genesis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep. And they failed, thanks in part to the Nimalians. Hell, I think it was actually Hero Machina who helped¡­¡± Saito sighed and shook his head. ¡°Anyways. It was a really stupid move on America¡¯s part, but SERRCom managing to outmanuever the Americans gave them the political capital to start enacting wide-reaching effects across Earth. For the first ten years that SERRCom existed, it had tried to stay out of planetside politics, but ever since 2110, we¡¯ve been a little bit more, ah, interventionist. For better or for worse.¡±


    ¡°W-when did you join?¡±


    ¡°In 2110, actually. Right after SERRCom kicked America¡¯s ass. The Nanocreature War was just starting to get into full swing right around then, and I signed up to help¡­ though in the end, SERRCom didn¡¯t really fight the Nanocreatures all that much.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ what about the, uh, the Gate?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡ª the thing I was talking about originally. Heh.¡± Saito then frowned. ¡°¡­Actually, this is where things get a little muddy. It was in 2110 that SERRCom seized the Interstellar Gate and used the Genesis¡¯s beaming tech to remove the Gate from the caves. However¡­ I remember there being a lot of, hmm¡­ I¡¯m not really sure what to call it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m being vague¡­ well, I had just joined SERRCom at the time, but I do remember some odd rumors spreading about the Gate relocation ¡ª rumors that the move was taking far longer than expected, even though beaming tech should¡¯ve made it easy. Those rumors were suppressed pretty quickly, which I always thought was a little suspicious. And on top of that¡­ Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate coordinate didn¡¯t become public knowledge until after it was placed in New York. As far as I know, we didn¡¯t even share the coordinate with the rest of the galaxy until then. It was like America and SERRCom both had agreed to not say anything about the coordinate until they pulled the Gate out of the caves. I¡¯d always thought it was odd, but now that I¡¯m here, saying it to you¡­ something sounds really fishy.¡±


    ¡°SERRCom and th-the US a-agreed on something¡­?¡±


    ¡°Heh. It really was weird. Our relationship with America nowadays is fine, for the most part ¡ª but 20 years ago, it was as rough as it gets. And now that I think about it, the rumors about the Gate¡¯s relocation taking a long time were right. SERRCom declared full ownership of the Gate and an intention to move it in March of 2110, but the Gate wasn¡¯t actually moved until several months later ¡ª several months after the end of the Nanocreature War, even. I could almost believe that it was the US that caused the delay, somehow, but if it was them, I¡¯m certain SERRCom would¡¯ve put them on blast. Our General at the time did not take any shit. So now I¡¯m wondering what was going on, there¡­¡±


    Kirstin glanced to the side, staring into space as she contemplated everything Saito had just told her. ¡°¡­Is¡­ i-is there, um, a secret there? Th-that, um¡­ the Director wouldn¡¯t want us, uh, t-to know?¡±


    ¡°SERRCom has always had secrets. But here¡­ maybe.¡± Saito frowned. ¡°Even if there is a dirty secret here, I¡¯m not sure why it would make Director MacTavish tell you to ignore the Dreadnought coordinate. Hmm¡­ ¡­well, you are his daughter. If anyone can figure out what the secret might be, or if there even is one, it¡¯s you.¡±


    Kirstin looked down, a frown forming on her face. ¡­So what if I¡¯m his daughter? Why should that matter¡­


    ¡°Anyways, this has really piqued my interest,¡± Saito declared, drawing Kirstin¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°If you can find anything to explain those rumors 20 years ago, I¡¯d love to hear it. And¡­ maybe keep this out of the Director¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Good work finding out what you have, MacTavish,¡± the Colonel commented, and then turned around to leave. ¡°I do still need to find the Director, though, so I¡¯ll leave you to your work. Have fun.¡±


    Kirstin watched him leave before dropping her attention back to her laptop. Something fishy about Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate, huh? she mused as she returned to working, something that Dad doesn¡¯t want me to know about¡­ hmm. Just what could that possibly be¡­?

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 34: The Realities of Power

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 34: The Realities of Power


    ¡ª Sundia, Skydiath 19, 8054 ¡ª


    (Tuesday, November 8, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Okay! It looks like everyone¡¯s here. Let¡¯s get started!¡±


    Kaon¨¦ stepped up to an instructors¡¯ podium at the front of a classroom, setting down a data tablet on the podium as she turned to face the rest of the room. Sitting in the classroom seats facing her were the eight new Earthian Chaotics; Twy and Phoenix sat near the front, while Austin, Spike, and Sky sat around the middle, near the one wall with windows. Kestrel sat across the room from them, while Conrad casually sat in the back, with his feet propped up on an adjacent chair. Next to Conrad was Pierce, whose posture was surprisingly impeccable as he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor. Of the eight students, only Twy, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Pierce had folded out the small desk attached to the auditorium-style seats, each of them holding some manner of note-taking tool in preparation for class.


    Kaon¨¦ briefly swept her gaze across all of the Earthians before glancing over at the closed windows. With but a thought, she used her Materiatechnism to open the blinds from afar, allowing morning sunlight to pour into the room.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Austin groaned as he shielded his eyes from the light. ¡°So fuckin¡¯ early¡­¡±


    ¡°I find that an early start to the day can be highly beneficial to your health,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. ¡°¡­Though admittedly, I¡¯m not an Earthian.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for us,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Everyone here is just being lazy.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, her voice carrying the rumbling undertone of someone who had just awoken.


    ¡°I can see about pushing this class a little later in the morning,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, ¡°but for now, try to keep up.¡±


    ¡°Question!¡± Sky exclaimed, shooting her hand up into the air at the same time. Once she made eye contact with the Dean, she lowered her hand and continued, ¡°¡­what¡¯s going on? Why are you teaching us, and why are we inside?¡±


    ¡°I told you last night, you dolt,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly interjected. ¡°We may have met once, but only briefly; I think re-introductions are in order.¡± She swept her gaze across each of the Earthians as she said, ¡°I am Kaon¨¦ Densalin, a Materiatechnic. I¡¯m old friends with Dav¨ªdrius, and in light of recent events, I¡¯ll be taking over your education here at WCU.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Mrs. Densalin,¡± Twy greeted.


    ¡°Please, just call Kaon¨¦,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°Students and teachers here at WCU operate on a given-name basis, so if there are no objections, I¡¯d like to do the same.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Teach,¡± Conrad responded casually.


    ¡°Do all schools go by first-names?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°That seems kinda weird.¡±


    ¡°Not all of them, no,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°It changes based on where you are. Here in Tres¨¦d, and in East Nimaliaka, basically everyone refers to others with their given name. In Nimaliaka, Rel¨¦diaka, and Riverana, people will use surnames to refer to those with authority over them, and given names to refer to those below them. And in Tekdec¨¦, it¡¯s the strictest ¡ª everyone, except for friends, refers to each other by surname.¡±


    ¡°So if we were at your school, instead of here¡­ then we¡¯d be calling you Dean Densalin, instead?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. But like I said, we¡¯re in Tres¨¦d right now, so let¡¯s go by their rules,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared, and then glanced down at the tablet she had set on the instructors¡¯ podium. ¡°Now, I do have a lesson to teach, so let¡¯s settle down and get started, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Question!¡± Sky shot her hand into the air again. ¡°Why are we inside? All of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s lessons were outside!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t learn everything about Chaotics just by training,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius tends to focus a little too much on the physical aspect of being a Chaotic, so I aim to help you learn everything else. And today¡­¡± She moved her tablet to the side and tapped on it once, causing it to project the words ¡°Chaotic Types¡± into the air. The Dean then turned back to the Earthians as she finished, ¡°¡­we¡¯ll be learning about the five umbrella categories of Chaotic abilities, as well as the difference between direct and indirect manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Direct and indirect¡­ what?¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that in a moment,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented, and then waved her hand, causing the holographic text to change to a bullet point list containing the words ¡°Materiatechnism¡±, ¡°Navitastechnism¡±, ¡°Introtechnism¡±, ¡°Extratechnism¡±, and ¡°Chaostechnism¡±. ¡°¡­Now,¡± the Dean continued, ¡°there are many different types of Chaotic abilities, and two of those types include nine or ten subtypes. That¡¯s a lot to keep in mind, especially when you¡¯re first starting out. So instead, today we¡¯ll be learning about the five umbrella types that every Chaotic ability is categorized under. This should help you understand how Chaotics interface with their environment, as well.¡±


    ¡°You introduced yourself as a Materiatechnic, but it¡¯s listed here as an ¡®umbrella¡¯ category,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°What¡¯s the significance of that?¡±


    ¡°You picked up on that quickly,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ something of a terminology issue. The terms ¡®Materiatechnic¡¯ and ¡®Navitastechnic¡¯, in the context of umbrella categories, refer to any Chaotic abilities that allow you to directly control matter or energy, respectively. So Geotechnism, where you control rocks, would be an example of Materiatechnism ¡ª while Electro- or Pyrotechnism would be examples of Navitastechnism, since fire and electricity are energy.¡±


    ¡°Aside from the part where electrons are matter, you mean?¡± Pierce snarked.


    Kaon¨¦ rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. But the effects that an Electrotechnic can cause are typically energetic in nature, and thus they fall under Navitastechnism. You must understand: the umbrella categories were first defined a long, long, long time ago, before our collective understanding of physics realized that the line between matter and energy isn¡¯t very clear. Their purpose now is more convention than anything, though still a useful one.¡± She then turned back to Phoenix. ¡°Anyways, back to your question. Materiatechnism and Navitastechnism can both refer to specific Chaotic abilities, as well. A Materiatechnic can control all types of matter, while a Navitastechnic can control all types of energy.¡±


    ¡°So you can do everything that a rock user and a water user could do, and more?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s a little more nuance to it, but basically, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯ve explained Materiatechnism and Navitastechnism, which cover matter and energy. The next three categories describe Chaotic abilities that don¡¯t simply manipulate matter or energy; not so blatantly as Materia- or Navitastechnism, at least. Introtechnism refers to any Chaotic abilities that affect the user, and the user only. This would be things like super speed, super strength, super intelligence, shapeshifting¡­ those are all Introtechnic abilities. Meanwhile, Extratechnism refers to any Chaotic abilities that affect the user¡¯s environment, but in somewhat more¡­ esoteric ways than simple matter or energy manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Sounds ominous,¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°That depends on how you look at it,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Extratechnic abilities range from teleportation, to controlling plants, to even being able to bend the fabric of reality itself. ¡­Though, thankfully, there exists only one Realitechnic, and he¡¯s currently indisposed¡­¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hold up, what?¡± Spike interjected, ¡°you mean there exists someone out there who can just fuckin¡¯ wish things into being? Is that what you¡¯re sayin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but like I said, he¡¯s currently not a threat,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°Realitechnism is easily the most powerful Chaotic type¡­ I can¡¯t really think of a counter to it. Let¡¯s only hope that we never have to fight him again¡­¡±


    ¡°You talk like you¡¯ve fought him yourself,¡± Pierce remarked.


    Kaon¨¦ passed Pierce an uneasy glance. ¡°¡­That¡¯s a story for another time,¡± she eventually commented, and returned her attention to the holgram. ¡°Now, as for the final umbrella category: Chaostechnism. This refers to Chaotic abilities that interface directly with Chaos Energy, instead of merely using it to facilitate other powers¡­ though there are really only two types of Chaotics within the Chaostechnism category: Chaostechnism itself, and Negatechnism, which is the ability to wordlessly negate Chaos Energy in a small area, for a limited time. With the obvious exception of Realitechnics, Chaostechnics are commonly considered to be the most powerful Chaotics, since their ability to control Chaos Energy directly allows them to generate much more devastating ¡ª or helpful ¡ª effects. On top of that, Chaostechnics are unique among Chaotics in that they¡¯re immune to direct manipulation from all sources, while also being able to pierce any Chaos Energy-based durability that other Chaotics have.¡±


    ¡°Chaostechnics are pretty different from other Chaotics, huh?¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Why is that¡­?¡± Twy mused.


    ¡°You also said that there¡¯s only two types of Chaostechnics, but neither of them are the types that I¡¯ve heard of!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Like how Phoenix is a Directed-type or something, right? What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha¡­ well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell you why Chaostechnics are so unique. They just¡­ are,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied to Twy, and then shifted her gaze to Sky. ¡°As for the ¡®type¡¯ thing, well, I was talking about Chaostechnism as an umbrella category. As a specific Chaotic ability, Chaostechnism is one of two abilities that are split into further sub-types. Psychotechnism is the other one.¡±


    ¡°Would explain why everyone keeps specifyin¡¯ that I¡¯m a Simulator and Imperator¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°Right. Psychotechnism has ten different subtypes: Manipulators, Imperators, Readers, Dictators, Erasers, Projectors, Simulators, Disablers, Protectors, and Breakers. Chaostechnism, on the the other hand, has one basic ¡®type¡¯ that every Chaostechnic has access to, as well as eight unique subtypes: Defensive, Directed, Explosive, Movement, Sabotage, Support, Void, and Weapon.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a lotta words you just threw at us¡­¡± Spike responded, confusion writ across his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with those names, anyways?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°What the hell do the different Psychotechnic types do? The names aren¡¯t clear at all!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I hadn¡¯t really planned to get this deep into it today,¡± Kaon¨¦ apologized with a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯ll explain the subtypes better another day, when I have more time to prepare a lesson plan¡­ the most important take-away from this should be that there are many types of Chaostechnics, and all of them are very powerful in their own right.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius also said we¡¯re at higher risk for dying of, what was it¡­ some kind of Chaotic cancer?¡± Phoenix commented.


    ¡°Yes¡­ CSD. Chaotic Self-Destruction.¡± Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunately true, but it isn¡¯t something you should have to worry about for quite some time. You only just developed your powers recently, after all. And you aren¡¯t even an Explosive type.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know if that helps¡­¡±


    ¡°I can understand your concern¡­ Kievkenalis has more experience with CSD than I do, though. I¡¯ll see about getting him to talk about it, and more properly explain the risks.¡±


    ¡°The fact that it¡¯s a risk at all is pretty bullshit,¡± Austin declared. ¡°We didn¡¯t even choose to get powers, and now if we use them, we could fuckin¡¯ die? That¡¯s bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that really sucks,¡± Conrad affirmed. ¡°Why would anyone use their powers if they¡¯re just going to die from it?¡±


    ¡°The risk of developing CSD isn¡¯t that high, for most Chaotics,¡± Kaon¨¦ asserted. ¡°I¡¯ve looked over all of your Chaotic abilities, and Phoenix ¡ª as a Chaostechnic ¡ª is the only one who really needs to worry about it, and even then, only in the medium term.¡±


    ¡°You sure seem to know a lot about us,¡± Pierce challenged, ¡°exactly what do you know? Do you even know all our names?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ regarded Pierce with an annoyed expression. ¡°¡­You¡¯re Pierce Bradley, a Velocitechnic. Then there¡¯s Conrad Ashworth, a dual Visitechnic and Audiotechnic.¡± She turned her attention to Kestrel and slowly swept her gaze over the group as she continued, ¡°Kestrel Nielson, an Aerotechnic. Sky Chao, a Pyrotechnic. Spike Sutna, a dual Forcetechnic and Defensive Formtechnic. Austin Travis, a Simulator and Imperator Psychotechnic. Phoenix Myles, a Directed and Defensive-type Chaostechnic; and Twy Chao, a Hydrotechnic.¡±


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    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Pierce responded simply, his previous daring smirk replaced with an expression of mild surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been at this for a while. I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared.


    ¡°What about our weapons?¡± Sky questioned, momentarily summoning her green and silver staff into her hands. ¡°What kind of Chaotic ability is this?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know about that one,¡± the Dean responded as she eyed the staff uneasily. ¡°¡­Normally, I¡¯d just say it¡¯s a form of Weapons Formtechnism, but¡­ that staff is Tanivas. An Ayas Weapon. All of your weapons are Ayas Weapons, in fact, and the fact that you can summon them without access to an Ayas is¡­ unique. As is your blanket immunity to direct manipulation.¡±


    ¡°¡­Our what?¡± Twy questioned in confusion.


    ¡°Direct manipulation,¡± Kaon¨¦ repeated. ¡°It¡¯s essentially what it sounds like: when you use your Chaotic ability to directly manipulate your target. Such as heating your target up with Pyrotechnism, or seizing control of your target with Imperator Psychotechnism. You¡¯re directly controlling or effecting the matter that makes up your target.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­


    ¡°And indirect manipulation is the opposite ¡ª when you do something around your target, that then affects them. Things like throwing fireballs, or rocks. Chaotics are automatically immune to direct manipulation from other Chaotics of the same type ¡ª for example, it is impossible for someone else to directly manipulate the matter in my body, since I am myself a Materiatechnic. However, for all of you¡­¡± The Dean frowned. ¡°Somehow, you¡¯re all completely immune to direct manipulation, even when you shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem right,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Conrad can make me invisible, does that not count?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps being ¡®Keys¡¯ means you can also bypass immunity to direct manipulation¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused. ¡°You certainly seem unique in many other ways. I know I can¡¯t affect any of you, at least.¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you know that? Did you try fuckin¡¯ with us?¡± Austin pressed.


    ¡°I can easily do so in a way that you wouldn¡¯t notice, and that wouldn¡¯t harm you,¡± Kaon¨¦ countered. ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t have thought to try it, if not for hearing about your immunity from SERRCom. Apparently, you fought another SERRCom Chaotic, and he was able to determine that his powers weren¡¯t working on you the way they should.¡±


    Austin scowled. ¡°Mote¡­¡±


    ¡°Regardless, it¡¯s certainly odd.¡±


    ¡°At this point, you have to wonder just what about us isn¡¯t odd,¡± Phoenix deadpanned.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°Just how did we end up in this position, anyways¡­?¡±


    Kaon¨¦¡¯s gaze lingered on Spike for a moment ¡ª then she shifted her attention to Phoenix, and then Conrad, then Austin. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry,¡± she eventually commented with a sigh, ¡°I should have started with an even more basic topic today.¡±


    ¡°Basic, how?¡­¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Accepting the responsibilities that your powers grant you.¡±


    ¡°Not this again¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Why do we have to accept anything?¡± Austin challenged, ¡°we didn¡¯t choose to get these powers. And now, everyone thinks that they have the right to decide our own lives for us!¡±


    Kaon¨¦ stared at Austin for a moment, an uneasy frown on her face. Eventually, she looked down. ¡°¡­Believe it or not, I understand how you feel. I¡¯ve been in your position, before. Most Chaotics have.¡±


    ¡°Is this the part where you justify conscription, just because everyone else does it?¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not,¡± Kaon¨¦ countered, raising her head to look Phoenix firmly in the eye. She then looked at everyone else in the room as she continued, ¡°to be clear¡­ I agree with you. Conscription isn¡¯t right. In fact, I ¡ª as well as my friends, the other Deans ¡ª have been campaigning against conscription for a while now.¡±


    Austin¡¯s accusatory glare collapsed into a confused frown. ¡°¡­Oh.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, then?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°by teaching us, you¡¯re still participating in and propping up the system!¡±


    ¡°Yes, to help those that are stuck within it,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°Conscription isn¡¯t right, but it is reality. Until that can be changed, I consider it my responsibility to help young Chaotics wherever and whenever I can ¡ª and that includes you. For now, part of helping you includes teaching you how to accept the future that awaits you, and the best way to handle that. And, for better or for worse, simply having a Chaotic ability means that you face certain risks and carry baggage that normal people don¡¯t have to worry about. That isn¡¯t by choice, I realize that, but it¡¯s far from the only thing in life that isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel responded with a grunt and a slow nod.


    ¡°What¡¯s your answer to all of this, then?¡± Austin asked. ¡°What would you do, if you were in our shoes? What would you do, if you were suddenly told that it was your job to risk your life?¡±


    ¡°I was in your shoes. 30 years ago, 20 years ago¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ looked down again. ¡°¡­For over ten years after I first got my powers, I ran from them, trying to do everything that I could to not use them. Due to that, I very nearly lost my friends. In fact, I did lose one of my friends. If I¡¯d been more confident in my abilities¡­ then I might have been able to save her.¡±


    An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, as Kaon¨¦¡¯s head remained lowered. Eventually, she took a deep breath and returned her attention to the group. ¡°¡­I apologize for bringing the mood down, but this is the reality of things. If you have the power to help, to change things, and you choose not to¡­ well, I think that¡¯s an irresponsible choice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if was actually a choice,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Fair¡­ and I agree.¡± The Dean took another deep breath, as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s approach this from another angle. In my experience, many Chaotics get too caught up in their identity as a Chaotic, and lose focus of the other things in their life. This can cause a great deal of frustration, if the one thing you know about yourself isn¡¯t even something that you can control. Which leads to my favorite saying: you don¡¯t have to live to fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. Duh,¡± Pierce replied dismissively. ¡°Is that not obvious?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded. ¡°Don¡¯t deride people for not coming to that conclusion on their own. I certainly didn¡¯t. The importance of having hobbies, and other things to do in your free time, is often understated in our modern world. ¡­Well, at least in Nimalian culture. I don¡¯t know about Earth.¡±


    ¡°I think you could say the same about us,¡± Phoenix asserted with a bitter smirk.


    ¡°Are you really sayin¡¯ that we should just deal with bein¡¯ conscripted by¡­ having a hobby?¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°It¡¯s important to have something to look forward to in life,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°Something that you¡¯re eager to do, something that you want to live for, that you want to protect. It becomes easier to deal with fighting if you know that doing so will protect something, or someone, that you love.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s actually really wise advice!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t anyone said that to us sooner?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprisingly difficult concept for many people to grasp, I find,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°And even if you embrace the idea, it may take some time before you become comfortable with it. And that¡¯s okay. Nothing has to happen immediately.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Austin muttered. ¡°¡­We¡¯re still stuck in a foreign land, though.¡±


    ¡°I actually know how that feels, too,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied with a forlorn smile. ¡°¡­You know what? We¡¯ve covered the topics that I¡¯ve wanted to cover, even if not in the depth I wanted to ¡ª so let¡¯s shift.¡± She clapped her hands together, her smile growing broader. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss hobbies. Let¡¯s figure out what you all can do with your free time, even here in Tres¨¦d!¡±


    ¡°Really? Are you a therapist, now?¡± Pierce snarked.


    ¡°You can view it however you¡¯d like, but this is an important part of education, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable with sharing, then I¡¯ll start. When I was younger, I was into music. Listening to it, and creating, a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you,¡± Spike remarked as he glanced over at Sky.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess,¡± Sky responded warily, fidgeting uncomfortably as everyone else turned their attention to her. ¡°I mean, I sang a little, but¡­ I haven¡¯t recently. I was never that good, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± Twy said. ¡°You can sing really well. And your ability to project your voice is fantastic!¡±


    ¡°Why does that sound like a veiled insult?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t alone with music, anyways,¡± Phoenix added, and looked over at Kestrel. ¡°Kestrel¡¯s pretty good at writing music.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sky turned toward Kestrel as well.


    ¡°¡­Just arrangements¡­¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Your stuff still sounds pretty good, to me,¡± Conrad declared. ¡°Even Pierce agrees!¡±


    ¡°Why do people always say things like that?¡± Pierce questioned irately. ¡°I am capable of recognizing talent, you know. And unlike you, Conrad, Kestrel¡¯s got it in spades.¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, man. I¡¯ve got plenty of talent.¡±


    ¡°In napping, sure.¡±


    ¡°Well it sounds like you have something in common, Sky, Kestrel,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked as she glanced between the two. ¡°What¡¯s more, is you don¡¯t really need special equipment. I know of a few pieces of composing software you can get for free off of the Relaynet, Kestrel, so feel free to ask if you¡¯re curious.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thanks,¡± Kestrel responded curtly.


    ¡°And Sky, plenty of Nimalians love singing, even Tres¨¦dians! I think you should give it another try.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡­¡± Sky replied sheepishly.


    ¡°And what about the rest of you?¡± Kaon¨¦ turned her gaze to everyone else. ¡°Any other creative interests? Writing, drawing, something else¡­?¡±


    ¡°I do like drawing, and painting,¡± Twy commented. ¡°I brought my own supplies for drawing, but¡­ I had to leave the paints behind.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ rubbed her chin as she thought. ¡°¡­What kind of paints?¡±


    ¡°Mostly watercolor. Sometimes I¡¯ll use acrylic, though. ¡­Does that exist, here?¡±


    ¡°Of course it does. Watercolor, acrylic, or even oil ¡ª they all describe the material composition of the paint, and those compositions are generic enough to have developed independently in just about every society in the galaxy. Sure, Nimalian acrylic might have a slightly different chemical composition from Earthian acrylic, but you¡¯d still use it the same way. On that note, both watercolors and acrylic are pretty popular here on Nimalia. They¡¯re a little difficult to get in Tres¨¦d¡­ but if you give me until tomorrow, I can make you some.¡±


    ¡°Make?¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Kaon¨¦ grinned. ¡°I am a Materiatechnic!¡±


    ¡°Man, I wish I could just conjure anything I wanted out of thin air¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little more difficult than that,¡± the Dean commented, and then shifted her attention back to Twy. ¡°But it¡¯s still no problem. If you¡¯re interested, of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I won¡¯t complain,¡± Twy replied. ¡°I am a little interested in seeing if I can paint with my Hydrotechnism¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a fantastic idea! I love it! If you pursue that, I¡¯d love to see what you come up with!¡±


    Twy smiled sheepishly. ¡°Uh¡­ right. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°And what about you, Austin?¡± Kaon¨¦ turned her gaze to the lanky Psychotechnic. ¡°Any creative pursuits?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Austin scratched his goatee uneasily. ¡°Well¡­ I mostly just spend my free time playing video games. I guess I write, a little. And I like playing tabletop RPGs, though I have a hard time finding people to play with¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! You play tabletop RPGs?¡± Pierce snorted in amusement. ¡°Fuck, you really are a dweeb, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Austin turned to glare at Pierce. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that!¡±


    ¡°No, but it still makes you a dweeb, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°Pierce, cut it out,¡± Phoenix reprimanded.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always been kinda interested in those kinds of games,¡± Conrad commented, and then nodded toward Austin. ¡°If you wanna give one a shot, let me know, I might be willing to play.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Kestrel added.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t forget me!¡± Twy quickly interjected. ¡°Also, Austin, half the reason your tabletop sessions fall through is because you can¡¯t keep up with them!¡±


    ¡°¡­Ha ha, I guess I can¡¯t deny that,¡± he replied sheepishly, and then glanced over at Conrad and Kestrel. ¡°¡­Are y¡¯all really interested, though?¡±


    ¡°Why would we say that we were if we weren¡¯t?¡± Conrad questioned, as Kestrel nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°Fair enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, what¡¯s a tabletop RPG?¡± Kaon¨¦ asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s group make believe, but with rules,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°It¡¯s pretty stupid.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Pierce. Don¡¯t knock it ¡®til you try it,¡± Conrad insisted.


    ¡°Please. You don¡¯t have to try something to know you won¡¯t like it. Or that it¡¯s stupid.¡±


    ¡°While somewhat true, it¡¯s still no excuse to deride others for enjoying something that you don¡¯t,¡± Kaon¨¦ reprimanded, and then looked over at Austin. ¡°Sorry. What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°RPG stands for role-playing game,¡± Austin commented, and then rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. ¡°Uh¡­ Pierce actually, um¡­ isn¡¯t completely wrong about what they are¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Hmm. Well I¡¯m not too familiar with, uh, RPGs, but I think I¡¯ve heard of a similar concept, here on Nimalia¡­ well, if you need help setting something up, just let me know. I¡¯ll try my best to help.¡±


    ¡°Uh, got it,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°What a dweeb,¡± Pierce remarked as he shook his head. ¡°You should try a real hobby. Like sports.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that he doesn¡¯t, when we have people like you to represent us,¡± Phoenix interjected with a roll of her eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be either or.¡±


    ¡°I take it you both do sports, then,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected. ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Track and field,¡± Pierce replied proudly, only to frown a moment later. ¡°¡­Though having super speed would take a lot of the challenge out of it, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think Christean¨¦ or Dav¨ªdrius might have solutions for that,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°East Nimaliaka in particular has a lot of Introtechnic-related infrastructure, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they had a way of allowing Velocitechnics to compete fairly in running sports. Even if the solution is as simple as a bunch of CENT fields.¡±


    ¡°Damn. I¡¯ll have to check that out, then.¡±


    ¡°And bring me with you when you do,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like WCU has much in the way of track and field.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused. ¡°Even if it did, the Nimalian versions of ¡®track¡¯ are no doubt different from Earth¡¯s. The campus does have those two practice fields, though. Would those be enough for you?¡±


    ¡°For running, sure. But shot put and javelin throwing need special equipment.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, I don¡¯t know either of those.¡± The Dean laughed sheepishly before continuing, ¡°I guess they¡¯re throwing sports, though? Interesting. I suppose one Nimalian equivalent would be the arc toss, which is basically just trying to throw a ball through a specific arc, marked by hoops. The closer you are to the center of every hoop, the better your score. A contest in dexterity, essentially.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like your kind of thing,¡± Pierce remarked as he passed Phoenix a glance.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d be willing to give this ¡®arc toss¡¯ thing a shot,¡± Phoenix declared.


    ¡°Good to hear. I¡¯ll talk with Dav¨ªdrius about setting something up. I know sports equipment has been on his list of things to get for a while, so hopefully it won¡¯t take too long.¡± Kaon¨¦ glanced over at Spike, and then at Conrad. ¡°And what about the two of you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Conrad commented dismissively. ¡°I already have everything I need.¡±


    Pierce snorted. ¡°Like a bed?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Surprisingly comfy, too.¡±


    ¡°I see. So long as you¡¯re happy,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked, and then turned to Spike.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, too,¡± Spike quickly stated. ¡°I¡¯m in to martial arts, and I can do some of that training on my own. And I can do basic training with Kar¨ªsah.¡±


    ¡°Martial arts¡­ I know that can be a little difficult to keep up with as a Forcetechnic. ¡­Hmm, you know, I think Christean¨¦ might know some Forcetechnic-focused arts that you could look into. I can put you in contact with him, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ he¡¯s a Forcetechnic, too, yeah?¡± Spike nodded in approval. ¡°I think I¡¯ll take you up on that. I¡¯m totally down for learning a new martial art. Especially an alien one!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about calling us ¡®aliens¡¯, but, uh, I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that a lot,¡± Pierce remarked while eying Kaon¨¦ suspiciously. ¡°Why are you so willing to help us, huh? What do you get out of this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an educator¡¯s responsibility to make sure that their students are doing well,¡± the Dean declared. ¡°And maintaining healthy hobbies is an important part of doing well not just in school, but in life in general. To that end, I¡¯m more than happy to help you all.¡±


    ¡°Well I, for one, appreciate it,¡± Phoenix commented as she shot Pierce an annoyed glance.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re taking us seriously is pretty cool. You should teach Dav¨ªdrius to do that!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ we just have different styles, that¡¯s all,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied with an uneasy laugh, and then glanced down at the tablet sitting on the podium. ¡°¡­Hmm, we still have some time left. In that case, let¡¯s get back to the original topics, shall we? Let¡¯s start with Materiatechnism¡­¡±

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 35: An Evenings Encounter

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 35: An Evening''s Encounter


    The Next Day


    Soft rays of orange light spilled over the dusty roads of Compound Tresnon as Mark casually strode across the grounds of Wrikax Chaos University. Sunset signaled the end of another day of schooling, and many of the campus¡¯s students were now milling about in the courtyard, engaging in training on the practice fields, or simply returning to their dorm rooms. Mark eyed the practice fields as he passed them by; among the groups training there, he could spot Spike, Sky, and Phoenix, all three independently getting in some exercise before the end of the day.


    It¡¯s nice to see that they¡¯re keeping themselves healthy, Mark observed, now if only the others would do similar. Not really my place to push for that, though. ¡­Hmm, is that¡­? As he approached the campus gates, he spotted the retreating form of Pierce, exiting the campus alongside a woman Mark didn¡¯t recognize. ¡­Making friends? Ah, I do recall Pierce and Phoenix taunting each other over dinner about finding dates. Well, good for them. Maybe Pierce will mellow out a bit. Hopefully¡­ Though, speaking of dinner, I really need to hurry up¡­


    With a deep exhale, Mark glanced up at the skies above, and then continued approaching the gates. Ever since arriving in Compound Tresnon, Mark had been cooking dinner every night for himself and the other Earthians. It was a win/win proposition to him ¡ª he enjoyed cooking, and the others were able to get a taste of home, even if that taste had to be approximated using Nimalian goods. However, while Mark enjoyed cooking, he sometimes forgot to replenish empty ingredient stores until too late ¡ª so here he now was, on an emergency trip to the grocery store before preparing the night¡¯s dinner.


    ¡°Hey, Mark!¡±


    The Forcetechnic looked behind himself, toward the source of the call. Approaching with a casual wave was Captain Luke Travis, who quickly stepped up next to Mark. ¡°Goin¡¯ on some errands?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°You got me,¡± Mark replied with a sheepish grin. ¡°I need to replace a few things before I can make dinner.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you make a grocery run a couple days ago?¡±


    ¡°I was going to, but I got caught up training with Spike and Kar¨ªsah.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Travis nodded, and then glanced around the immediate vicinity. ¡°¡­You usually go shoppin¡¯ alone?¡± he questioned, turning his attention back to Mark.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to bother anyone just for some grocery shopping,¡± Mark replied. ¡°You don¡¯t really need to talk to anyone to get groceries, anyways, so the language barrier isn¡¯t an issue.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true, huh. Even so, I find shoppin¡¯ can be pretty boring when you¡¯re alone. Mind if I tag along?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get goin¡¯, then,¡± the Captain remarked as he began walking toward the gates, with Mark keeping pace beside him.


    ¡°Thanks for coming along, sir,¡± Mark commented as the two finally set foot outside of the campus.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mention it,¡± Travis replied. ¡°And don¡¯t call me ¡®sir¡¯ around here, it¡¯s way too stiff. All things considered, I¡¯d rather not remind the recruits too much about the military, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡±


    ¡°For the time being, just call me Luke.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Sure I¡¯m sure. You¡¯re not the type to forget the chain of command just because you don¡¯t call me ¡®Captain¡¯ or ¡®sir¡¯ all the time ¡ª not like that chain of command matters much around here, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you insist¡­ Luke¡­¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Luke grinned at Mark. ¡°Not so hard, is it?¡±


    Mark frowned in mild unease. ¡°I don¡¯t know, sir¡ª uh, well¡­ it just feels weird.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine.¡± Luke slapped Mark on the back. ¡°If it upsets you that much, just consider it your birthday present.¡±


    ¡°Huh? My what?¡±


    ¡°Your birthday, Mark. Don¡¯t tell me you forgot your own birthday? It¡¯s today!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Mark chuckled sheepishly. ¡°Is that so? I suppose I lost track of time¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve kept my mouth shut,¡± Luke remarked with an amused grin. ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t have to apologize for not gettin¡¯ you a real present.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Mark looked up wistfully at the darkening sky as he added, ¡°though, it would¡¯ve been nice if the others were here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Luke glanced upwards himself as he released a weary sigh. ¡°¡­It really is different, without the Colonel or the Major around.¡±


    ¡°Or Mote, or Kate, or Danielle¡­¡± Mark shook his head. ¡°But I shouldn¡¯t complain, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re all very busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more true than you¡¯d think¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mark glanced down at Luke. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Luke carefully looked around at their surroundings, as though searching for any spies or eavesdroppers. Eventually he turned back to Mark and said with a lowered voice, ¡°on their last mission, they apparently ran into Nanocreatures.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Mark¡¯s eyes grew wide with concern. ¡°Are they okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they all made it out fine. But still¡­ Nanocreatures¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought they were wiped out 20 years ago?¡±


    ¡°I did, too, until a couple days ago. But I did some digging on the Relaynet, and it looks like there actually are some still around. The CSA in particular are still cleaning up after that whole mess 20 years ago.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ concerning.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say. As luck would have it, though, these Hero Machina folks ¡ª the Deans, as we better know them ¡ª seem to have plenty of experience with the Nanocreatures. Or I guess, the ¡®metallic infection¡¯, as the Nimalians have gone back to calling it.¡±


    ¡°Did Saito tell you to see what they know about the situation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it exactly,¡± Luke remarked, and then frowned as he began rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°Dunno how to go about that, though. Apparently the one I should ask for is named Rebehka¡­ Tchir¨¦on? Over in Rel¨¦diaka. I thought about asking Dav¨ªdrius to put me in touch, but he doesn¡¯t really seem to be in the mood for that, recently¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark mused as the duo rounded a street corner on their way to Market Street. ¡°¡­I could ask Kar¨ªsah. She seems fairly close to all of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s friends.¡±


    ¡°Any help would be appreciated. But, uh, try not to mention the Nanocreatures directly if you don¡¯t have to. General Lead apparently wants all of this on the down low.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Good! Now, let¡¯s talk about somethin¡¯ less serious!¡±


    ¡°As expected, from you,¡± Mark commented with a smile. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, if you don¡¯t mind, what¡¯s your relationship with Austin and his friends like? I haven¡¯t had the chance to ask, before.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Luke¡¯s face fell as he looked away.


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t mean to pry!¡± Mark quickly backpedaled. ¡°If you¡¯d rather not talk about it¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of not wanting to talk about it, per se¡­¡± Luke sighed wistfully. ¡°¡­I used to be pretty close to Austin. Like his big brother. We¡¯re only separated by 10 years, after all. We grew apart a bit after I joined SERRCom, but I still always got along well with him, and Spike, and the twins. And then this conscription thing happened¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, the argument doesn¡¯t bear repeatin¡¯, I¡¯m sure you know where the recruits stand on this.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s straining your relationship with your nephew?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ honestly, I think the Colonel made a mistake sendin¡¯ me here, instead of someone else, but¡­ can¡¯t really change that now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I agree. You said it yourself, you used to be close to them. I think that makes you more qualified than anyone to help them through everything that¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I¡¯m no therapist.¡± Luke sighed again, and then looked up as the duo approached the edges of Market Street. The crowds were somewhat thinner than on the weekend, but the street still bore many merchants and shoppers, all going about their evening business. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s talk about this another time, though,¡± Luke eventually finished.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Mark commented as he surveyed the street. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­ I wanted to get some fish, so let¡¯s head down to the lakefront¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey! Mark!¡±


    Mark and Luke both did a half-turn to look behind themselves, where they noticed Kar¨ªsah jogging up to them.


    ¡°Oh, Kar¨ªsah!¡± Mark turned to face her fully. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to run into you, here.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not alone, huh?¡± Luke questioned as he looked beyond Kar¨ªsah. Approaching from behind her were Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ ¡ª and the former had a decidedly sour expression upon his face.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s y¡¯all,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned as he stopped next to Kar¨ªsah, his arms crossed. ¡°What¡¯re y¡¯all doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius, don¡¯t give them a hard time,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected, and then turned to give Mark and Luke a warm smile. ¡°Hi! I recognize the two of you from when you first arrived on Nimalia, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve formally met. I¡¯m Kaon¨¦ Densalin ¡ª you can call me Kaon¨¦.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Luke Travis. It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Mark Cox,¡± Mark added.


    ¡°Travis, hmm?¡± Kaon¨¦ passed Luke a questioning look. ¡°Are you related to Austin?¡±


    A pained expression crossed Luke¡¯s face for a moment, though he quickly suppressed it with a smile. ¡°Yep. He¡¯s my nephew.¡±


    ¡°Family, huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented flatly. ¡°Must be nice.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ pursed her lips as she gave Dav¨ªdrius an annoyed look. ¡°¡­And you wonder why you have so few friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª! I have plenty of friends,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°More than I could need!¡±


    ¡°And still no significant other.¡±


    ¡°Tch. Not everyone needs a relationship.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I think having a wife or a girlfriend would really help you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, look here¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah passed Luke and Mark a sheepish smile as Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ continued bantering behind her back. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to get in your way.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Luke responded casually as he eyed the two Deans with a smirk. ¡°This is fun to watch!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that Dav¨ªdrius gets along with someone, at least,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Hey, I fuckin¡¯ heard that!¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°You ungrateful lot¡­¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯re y¡¯all doing around here?¡± Luke questioned, glancing between each of Kar¨ªsah, Dav¨ªdrius, and Kaon¨¦. ¡°Runnin¡¯ some errands, like us?¡±


    ¡°We were actually going out for dinner,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Dav¨ªdrius, and what better way to catch up than over food?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if that food wasn¡¯t in public¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, so we were headin¡¯ over to the lakefront,¡± Kar¨ªsah declared. ¡°They have some good fish, there, after all!¡±


    ¡°Oh, then don¡¯t let us get in your way,¡± Mark commented as he stepped to the side.


    ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s been nice meeting you!¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. Just before the trio left, though, she turned to Luke. ¡°Uh, sorry. You¡¯re the overseer for the Earthian students, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that, yeah,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°Okay. I wanted to talk to you about what they know, and their general attitudes. Just so I can better teach them. Is there a good time for us to meet?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Well, I¡¯m free pretty much every evening.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, how about tomorrow evening?¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Luke replied. ¡°¡­Oh! While we¡¯re talkin¡¯ about meetings, there was something I wanted to speak with y¡¯all about, actually. And it¡¯s kinda urgent.¡±


    ¡°Urgent?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed incredulously, ¡°the hell is this about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Luke looked around a little before gesturing for Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius to step closer. He then lowered his voice as he continued, ¡°y¡¯all are friends with Rebehka Tchir¨¦on, right?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius exchanged uneasy glances. ¡°¡­We are,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied slowly. ¡°Why do you ask¡­?¡±


    ¡°This better not be goin¡¯ where I think it¡¯s goin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it might be,¡± Luke responded with a grim expression. ¡°¡­Without sayin¡¯ too much, SERRCom needs to know about the, uh, metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°I fuckin¡¯ knew it.¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°And just why the hell do y¡¯all want to know about that, huh?¡±


    ¡°I can explain later, but now isn¡¯t the time for it.¡±


    ¡°Now ain¡¯t the time to talk about the fuckin¡¯ infection, either.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Dav¨ªdrius, settle down,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°The Union and SERRCom are allies, remember?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but Tres¨¦d ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ shit outta the Union,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°¡®Sides, you¡¯ve read the reports. You know we can¡¯t talk about this to just fuckin¡¯ anyone!¡±


    ¡°No, but the Earthians deserve to know what we know. It¡¯ll be easier to beat the infection if they do.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­ still¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, Pallan said that he wants the Earthian students to learn about the infection as part of their education.¡± Kaon¨¦ glanced over at Luke. ¡°I was already looking to set up a lesson with Rebehka for that purpose, but if something happened with SERRCom to make this ¡®urgent¡¯, then we can move that up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate it,¡± Luke replied with a curt nod of his head. ¡°Anything you know, we¡¯d like to learn. And I¡¯d like to be present for that lesson, too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Unfortunately, neither I nor Dav¨ªdrius know as much as Rebehka does, so you¡¯ll have to wait to meet with her to learn more. I think I¡¯ll be able to set something up for this weekend, though.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded. ¡°I¡¯d also like to know why SERRCom suddenly wants to learn about the infection¡­ but that can wait for another time.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course.¡± Luke nodded again, and then stepped to the side. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let us keep y¡¯all any longer.¡±


    ¡°Finally¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he began walking off. ¡°Kaon¨¦, Kar¨ªsah, let¡¯s go. I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ hungry.¡±


    ¡°He really never changes¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked as she shook her head in disbelief. She then bowed her head toward Luke and Mark and began walking off herself. ¡°It was nice to meet you. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Luke.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ and sorry about Dav¨ªdrius, ha ha¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily. ¡°Well, see y¡¯all later!¡±


    Luke and Mark continued standing to the side of the street as they watched the Nimalian trio walk off. Eventually Luke took a deep breath, and looked up at Mark. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s one thing taken care of, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Mark commented, his gaze lingering on the Nimalians for a moment. Eventually, he snapped his attention away and looked down at Luke. ¡°¡­We should probably hurry up with the fish, now. I was already going to be late with dinner, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I getcha. Let¡¯s go, then!¡± Luke remarked. He and Mark soon set out toward Market Street themselves, prepared to finally run the errands that they had originally set out to complete.

 V1 - A4 - Chapter 36: Elites Break

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE FIRST LULL


    <hr>


    Chapter 36: Elites'' Break


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Thursday, November 10, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Ah, fucking finally! We¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Are you really that excited to have returned to the Opportunity?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Duh. This station is basically home,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Of course I¡¯d be glad to be back!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Mote shook his head as the two walked down the corridors of the ISDS Opportunity. They had just returned from a public works mission on Earth ¡ª specifically, to help contain and repair a catastrophically malfunctioning power plant in France. The mission was far from the first time Mote and the other Eximius Vir had been sent to help out the nations and peoples of Earth, and it had passed just as routinely as the rest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re still being sent on these fucking ¡®public works¡¯ missions¡­¡±


    Mote passed Kate a reproachful glance. ¡°These missions are for the good of the people of Earth, who are the same people that SERRCom is sworn to protect,¡± he declared. ¡°It¡¯s our duty to help wherever and whenever we can.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you and your fuckin¡¯ duty,¡± Kate deadpanned. ¡°You aren¡¯t the one stuck doing boring shit all the time, though.¡±


    ¡°What was boring about what we just did? We contained a borderline-meltdown reactor. None of our other power planet repair missions have been so intense.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still a basic-ass reactor built with basic-ass last-century tech! I need a design from at least this century to get me going.¡±


    ¡°Ever the picky one¡­¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like to be me,¡± Kate replied as she puffed out her chest. ¡°Fixing that reactor was as easy for me as walking! You wouldn¡¯t call fucking walking exciting, would you?¡±


    ¡°Depends. A walk through a park can be very relaxing, and worth looking forward to.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you smartass. You know that¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Mote chuckled briefly. ¡°If you insist.¡±


    ¡°Of course I insist. I always fucking insist,¡± Kate replied with a smirk. ¡°In fact, I insist so much it gets me in trouble. Fucking Director¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me get the Director to reinstate your research and mission block.¡±


    Kate shot Mote a glare. ¡°If you do that, I¡¯ll fucking kill you, you narc.¡±


    ¡°I see your punishment hasn¡¯t changed you a bit,¡± Mote deadpanned.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ always about the fucking rules and regulations with you. Just once, you should pull that fucking stick out of your ass and live it up a little.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll shove it up yours, you could certainly use more stiffness in your life.¡±


    Kate smirked and winked at Mote. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so kinky, Mote!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª! Shut the hell up,¡± Mote insisted with a scowl. ¡°What¡¯s with you and the unwanted sexual metaphors?¡±


    ¡°Damn, Mote, that was the lightest of light ribbing. You really need to lighten up. Maybe even get laid.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever gotten laid?¡± Mote challenged.


    ¡°L-look,¡± Kate spluttered, ¡°that¡¯s not the fucking point¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Oh, guys! You¡¯re back!!¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah, Danielle,¡± Mote greeted as Danielle ran up the corridor and jumped to a stop right in front of him and Kate.


    ¡°You sure seem excited to see us,¡± Kate remarked.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s great!¡± Danielle exclaimed as she excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet. ¡°Hurry up and change into your civilian clothes!¡±


    Mote and Kate exchanged a confused glance. ¡°¡­What for?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Saito¡¯s taking us out for dinner!¡±


    ¡°¡­Fucking¡­ dinner? What?¡± Kate responded incredulously. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, what for?¡± Danielle replied, ¡°do you really need a reason to go out and eat some nice food with your friends?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one telling me to ¡®lighten up¡¯, anyways?¡± Mote commented, looking at Kate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use my own words against me, asshole,¡± Kate retorted, and then released an impatient sigh. ¡°Man, I wanted to get back to looking at those sweet-ass mechs¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, that can wait, can¡¯t it?¡± Danielle moved in closer to Kate, clasping her hands over her chest, pouting out her lips, and tearing up her eyes. ¡°C¡¯mon, pleeeeaaase?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, what did I tell you about the fucking puppy-dog eyes in my face?¡± Kate retorted as she shoved Danielle back, only to shrug a moment later. ¡°But, fine, whatever. Wherever Saito wants to go has to have better food than the mess hall¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Danielle exclaimed, only to immediately turn toward Mote and pull the same expression that she had used on Kate.


    ¡°You¡¯re relentless,¡± Mote deadpanned, only to break into a resigned smile a moment later. ¡°¡­Very well. I suppose I am a little hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Danielle drew back in surprise. ¡°You agreed really fast! I thought I was going to have to turn into an actual puppy to convince you to come!¡±


    Kate snorted in amusement. ¡°Not that a puppy would¡¯ve helped against Mote¡¯s cold, stiff heart.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mote frowned. ¡°Just because I never change my opinions based solely on the presence of a supposedly cute animal doesn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Supposedly?!¡± Danielle exclaimed in disbelief.


    ¡°Fucking hell, Mote, it was a joke!¡± Kate declared incredulously.


    ¡°¡­Right. I¡¯m sure,¡± Mote deadpanned.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m glad you both agreed to come!¡± Danielle commented cheerfully, only to frown a moment later. ¡°Now if only Mark and Luke were here, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ can¡¯t win ¡®em all,¡± Kate replied with a shrug.


    ¡°It is a shame that we missed Mark¡¯s birthday, though¡­¡± Mote lamented.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Danielle exclaimed, ¡°his birthday? When?!¡±


    Mote responded with a blank stare. ¡°¡­Yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no! I totally forgot! I have to message him!¡± Danielle spun on her heel and bounded off, pausing only for a moment to shout over her shoulder, ¡°Saito said to meet him at disembarkation bay C3 in 20 minutes! See you then!!¡±


    Mote and Kate watched Danielle rush down the hallway and then disappear around a corner. At that point they released simultaneous sighs of exhaustion, and then glanced at each other.


    ¡°Danielle really is full of energy all the time, huh?¡± Kate remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where she gets it¡­¡± Mote shook his head. ¡°¡­Anyways, we should get ready. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­I have to say, sir, when you said you wanted to go out for dinner, I wasn¡¯t expecting to come here.¡±


    ¡°Just what the hell are you surprised about, Major?¡± Saito questioned as he deftly snapped apart a pair of chopsticks and began scooping up noodles out of the bowl before him. ¡°I told you we were getting ramen. Did you really not expect me to bring you all to Tokyo? My hometown?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Hackett replied as she readily followed Saito¡¯s suit.


    Mote eyed the two for a moment as he grabbed his own chopsticks, and then glanced around himself. The Earth-bound members of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir ¡ª that is, Colonel Saito, Major Hackett, Kirstin, Mote, Kate, and Danielle ¡ª were currently all seated around a small table located in an equally small ramen shop on the streets of Tokyo. Despite the group gathering for dinner, the local time read just past 11 in the morning; Opportunity¡¯s beaming systems allowed them to travel instantly to wherever on the globe they wanted, after all. The timing meant that the lunch rush was slowly ramping up, and Mote could tell that it wouldn¡¯t be long before the shop was crowded.


    I wonder if anyone will recognize us¡­ He looked down at himself, and the blue turtleneck shirt and jeans that he was wearing. The others were dressed similarly casually: Kate maintained her red bandana, but was otherwise wearing a red shirt, a denim jacket, and jeans; Danielle had donned a simple t-shirt and shorts, despite the cold winter weather; Kirstin wore a black long coat, buttoned up and hiding whatever else she was wearing underneath; Hackett had a thick, synthetic-fur-lined black jacket along with her jeans and boots; and Saito dressed similarly to Hackett, but without the synthetic fur. None of them bore any emblems or signs of being a part of SERRCom, or any military for that matter ¡ª but the fact nonetheless remained that in a lunchtime crowd in Tokyo, Japan, Saito (and to a lesser extent, Kirstin, due to her brown hair and pale skin) was the only member of the group that didn¡¯t stick out like a sore thumb.


    ¡°What are you thinking about, Mote?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mote snapped his attention to Saito, who was watching him while scooping some noodles into his mouth. ¡°¡­Ah, sorry,¡± Mote eventually replied. ¡°I was just thinking that we stick out a little¡­ that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°No fucking shit,¡± Kate retorted through a mouthful of noodles. ¡°Did you expect us to blend into the crowd?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat with your mouth full,¡± Hackett insisted, and then glanced at Mote. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be too concerned about.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get some odd stares here and there, but that would be true in most countries,¡± Saito claimed. ¡°Anyways, eat up! Your ramen will get cold if you just let it sit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really good, Mote!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Give it a try!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Mote muttered as he began eating as well. Noodle-heavy East Asian cuisine didn¡¯t sit high on Mote¡¯s list of favorite foods, but complaining wouldn¡¯t do any good. He was at least able to compromise with a spicy tonkatsu; spice and meat were the two things he looked for in a meal, and any dish that provided both was good enough in his eyes.


    ¡°It does feel a little odd to be eating dinner during local lunchtime, though,¡± Hackett said a few moments later.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Saito replied. ¡°We¡¯ve been operating on UTC minus 5 for a while now, so there aren¡¯t many overlaps between our mealtimes and Japan¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°We could¡¯ve just eaten in New York,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°Ramen? In New York?¡± Saito countered incredulously. ¡°There¡¯s a couple decent places, sure, but nothing beats going to the source.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really good!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Thanks a lot for bringing us here!¡±


    ¡°Uh, y-yeah!¡± Kirstin quickly added. ¡°Th-thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, as well,¡± Mote commented, ¡°though, sir, I have to ask¡­ why?¡±


    Saito simply shook his head as he slurped up a handful of noodles. After swallowing, he replied, ¡°you really need a reason for everything, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We are busy, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why we¡¯re here. We¡¯ve all been quite busy lately, and as far as I can tell, the odds are high that we¡¯re going to keep being busy for a while yet. It¡¯s best to take breaks whenever we can ¡ª burnout does no one any good, after all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna keep being busy?¡± Kate echoed as she eyed Saito suspiciously. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, as it turns out, we¡¯re leaving Earth again very soon,¡± the Colonel commented. ¡°I can¡¯t say more in public, obviously. But just know that we¡¯ll be leaving in a couple days, and the trip itself will take another few.¡±


    ¡°Will we at least get to see something cool?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible to know ahead of time. Though, given our track record¡­¡±


    ¡°We certainly do have a way of finding ourselves in¡­ interesting situations,¡± Hackett stated.


    ¡°If it gives me a chance to blow something the hell up, then I won¡¯t complain,¡± Kate declared. ¡°I haven¡¯t been in a good fight in fucking weeks!¡±


    ¡°Most people would say that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not most people, now, am I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more right than you¡¯d think,¡± Mote responded, and then pretended to not notice when Kate threw him a glare.


    ¡°This all just¡­ kind of sucks,¡± Danielle said, her gaze directed downwards. ¡°We¡¯ve seen some cool things, but¡­ I want to see more than just military hardware, you know? Like Nimalia! Mark¡¯s so lucky¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get the chance to see Nimalia eventually, I¡¯m sure,¡± Saito assured her. ¡°SERRCom has a reason to be directly concerned about Nimalia, now, so I have little doubt that we¡¯ll end up visiting at some point.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°I really miss Mark¡­ and his cooking! It¡¯s been so long ¡ª oh, no, Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and Mark won¡¯t be around to cook for it! Aw, man¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how Mark would feel about you treating him like a personal chef,¡± Mote said.


    ¡°Oh please, we both know he¡¯d fucking love it,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that we¡¯re going to have a Thanksgiving that he could cook for, anyways,¡± Saito declared. ¡°We¡¯ll likely be working through that entire week.¡±


    ¡°Aw, what?!¡± Danielle complained, ¡°we don¡¯t even get that off?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the military, for you,¡± Hackett said with a sigh. ¡°I bet we¡¯ll be working through Christmas, too.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, everyone,¡± Saito apologized, ¡°but our missions are pretty important. Even so, I more than anyone understand the importance of taking breaks. I¡¯ll talk to the General, see if I can get him to give us some leave¡­ but I¡¯ll be honest, don¡¯t expect too much. Not for another few months, at least.¡±


    ¡°What a fucking travesty¡­¡± Kate muttered.


    Mote passed her an incredulous glance. ¡°What are you complaining about? You always spend your off time doing work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but at least I get to fucking choose to do that, dumbass.¡±


    Mote opened his mouth to respond, but stopped as he felt a tug on his shirt. With his brow furrowed in annoyance, he looked over to see what was tugging him ¡ª where he found a young boy standing next to his chair, staring up at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Hey! Hey, mister!¡± the boy said, as he tugged at Mote¡¯s shirt again, ¡°are you the man from TV?¡±


    ¡°¡­Uuuhhh¡­¡± Mote simply stared at the boy, bewildered. What do I say¡­?


    ¡°Awwww, you¡¯re so cute!¡± Danielle cooed, quickly jumping out of her chair to crouch next to the little boy. ¡°Hey there! What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The boy responded with a blank stare, and then looked up at Mote again ¡ª at which point he released Mote¡¯s shirt and took a step back.


    ¡°¡­Remember where you are, Danielle,¡± Saito commented, and then looked down at the boy himself. ¡°Hey, there. Where¡¯s your parents?¡±


    Mote snapped his attention to the Colonel; while he could understand everything Saito said, the cadence of the Colonel¡¯s words felt somehow off. ¡­Oh, of course. He switched to speaking Japanese, Mote realized, I should¡¯ve known. Our implants let us understand everyone around us, but they still can¡¯t understand us. Well¡­ I guess the Colonel will have to do all of the talking, then.


    ¡°Ah, there you are!¡±


    Rushing through the lunchtime crowd was a young woman ¡ª likely in her late twenties, by Mote¡¯s estimation. She swooped in and scooped up the young boy into her arms, at which point she turned to Saito and bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bother. Sorry!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Saito replied, sitting back in his chair to look up at the woman and her child. ¡°Your kid has a good eye.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The woman glanced between Saito and the boy in her arms with confusion. ¡°What did he say to you? Did he say something bad?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. In fact¡­¡± Saito glanced toward Mote, and then turned to address the boy directly. ¡°Hey there, little guy. If you want to grow up like Mote, then don¡¯t run away from your mother, got it?¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡± The boy¡¯s eyes lit up as he whipped around to stare at Mote again.


    The woman followed the boy¡¯s gaze, her own expression blank for a moment ¡ª until Mote saw her eyes suddenly light up with recognition. Immediately, she bowed her head toward him, and then again toward Saito. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, we didn¡¯t mean to intrude! We¡¯ll get out of your way, now. Sorry!¡±


    Mote and Saito watched the woman rush out of the restaurant, and soon disappear into the Tokyo crowds. The Colonel then turned back toward the table and took a deep breath. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s that,¡± he eventually said; Mote could tell, though only just barely, that the Colonel had switched back to speaking English.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were good with kids,¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°I helped raise you,¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°Oh¡­ true¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, that was annoying,¡± Kate muttered. ¡°This is why I don¡¯t like kids. Always getting in your fucking way, never understanding what they¡¯re doing¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harsh,¡± Saito countered. ¡°The boy just recognized you all, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mote responded warily, subtly surveying the restaurant around him with his eyes alone. When the group had first arrived, Mote had noticed that they were on the receiving end of several odd looks¡­ but now, people seemed to be stealing glances much more frequently.


    ¡°If the boy recognized them, then who else does¡­?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°How did he recognize us, anyways¡­?¡± Danielle asked, confused.


    ¡°The answer is obvious,¡± Mote said. ¡°We¡¯re some of the most recognizable faces in SERRCom¡­ you should know that.¡± He then passed Kate a level glance. ¡°It¡¯s why keeping our behavior under control is so important.¡±


    ¡°Fucking whatever, dad,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°Are we really that well known¡­?¡± Danielle questioned, as she began looking around the restaurant.


    ¡°The four of you were Earth¡¯s first Chaotics, after all. And you know all of those ¡®public works¡¯ projects you keep getting sent on? Half the purpose of those is to ingratiate both yourselves and SERRCom to the public at large,¡± Saito pointed out, and then shook his head warily. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t blame you for not realizing, though, since SERRCom doesn¡¯t put you in charge of their messaging. You¡¯re just a face they can use.¡±


    ¡°Awfully cynical of you to say, sir,¡± Hackett commented.


    ¡°Maybe, but he¡¯s right,¡± Kate insisted.


    ¡°Even so, it doesn¡¯t change the responsibility that we hold,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°You can go shove that fucking responsibility up your ass, for all I care.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you telling me earlier to remove the stick from my ass?¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, smartass.¡±


    ¡°People sure seem to be looking at us now, though,¡± Danielle remarked.


    After her statement, the group momentarily paused talking to subtly look around. Sure enough, it seemed to Mote that most of the patrons were looking at or otherwise talking about them ¡ª furthermore, their table now had a wider berth around it than before, even with the increasing density of the lunchtime crowd.


    Upon realizing this, Kirstin shrunk into her chair, and spoke up for the first time in a while. ¡°¡­Wh-when are we, um, going back¡­?¡±


    Saito released a hefty sigh. ¡°¡­I¡¯d hoped that we¡¯d be able to go incognito for longer¡­¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wanted, sir, I think New York would¡¯ve been the better choice, after all,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°Or even better, LA.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± The Colonel waved her off and then glanced around the table, at each of the ramen bowls in front of everyone. ¡°¡­Well, it looks like we¡¯re all done, at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to get the hell out of here, too,¡± Kate remarked as she rolled her shoulders and then cracked her knuckles. ¡°I wanted to take a look at the mechs before bed.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is a little late, going by our time¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Indeed. Well then, let¡¯s get going,¡± Saito declared as he stood up from the table, prompting the rest of the group to do the same. ¡°Back to work we go¡­¡±

 V1 - Arc 5: To Learn of Metal - Chapter 37: Forested Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 5 ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 37: Forested Arrival


    4 Days Later


    ¡ª Isdia, Skydiath 25, 8054 ¡ª


    (Monday, November 14, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Aw man¡­ isn¡¯t it the weekend? Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°What, Conrad?¡± Pierce taunted, ¡°mad that you can¡¯t get your ¡®beauty sleep¡¯?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the alien equivalent of a Saturday, I think I¡¯m justified,¡± Conrad shot back, only to sigh and slouch. ¡°Ah, whatever¡­¡±


    The mid morning sun shone down on Pierce and Conrad as Pierce continued poking fun at his friend, the both of them standing off to the side of WCU¡¯s main gates. With them were the rest of the Earthians ¡ª Phoenix, Kestrel, Austin, Twy, Sky, Spike, Mark, and Luke, all gathered together at Kaon¨¦¡¯s request. Morning chill blanketed the campus and the rest of Compound Tresnon, forcing everyone to robe up tightly as they passed the time conversing.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m with Conrad on this,¡± Austin muttered as he turned toward Twy, Sky, and Spike. ¡°What did we have to wake up so damn early for¡­¡±


    ¡°And on a weekend, too¡­¡± Spike grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s not ideal, but don¡¯t act like this was a surprise for you two,¡± Twy countered. ¡°We knew that we¡¯d have to meet here at this time since lunch, yesterday.¡±


    ¡°But we still don¡¯t know why!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°I mean, something about a weekend trip I guess, which is nice. But a trip where?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully not another Compound,¡± Austin responded bitterly.


    ¡°I somehow doubt that,¡± Phoenix remarked, stepping up to the group with Kestrel in tow. ¡°Ever since Kaon¨¦ took over teaching us, we¡¯ve barely seen Dav¨ªdrius. Wherever we¡¯re going, I doubt he¡¯s coming with, and that likely means our destination isn¡¯t in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    Austin looked down at her doubtfully. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°Just call it intuition,¡± she replied, only to quickly cover her mouth with her hand as she was overtaken by a long yawn. ¡°Oof¡­ it¡¯s so early¡­¡±


    ¡°You too, huh?¡± Spike responded with a weary smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m no morning person¡­¡± Phoenix commented.


    Sky¡¯s hand shot into the air as she threw the other arm around Twy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯d be us!¡±


    ¡°More like just you,¡± Twy replied as she removed Sky¡¯s arm from her shoulder. ¡°And in your case, it¡¯s more that you never get enough sleep.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that, but I feel perfectly fine! Not everyone needs 8 hours, you know!¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I can¡¯t even count the number of times you¡¯ve gone to bed later than me, and been up earlier. Consistently getting only 4 to 6 hours of sleep can¡¯t be healthy¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a real pain in the ass for me, too,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Hey, I let you keep sleeping every time I wake up before you!¡± Sky shot back.


    ¡°Oi, oi¡­¡± Austin muttered, ¡°can we stop talkin¡¯ about sleep, now? It¡¯s just reminding me of how much I¡¯m missin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Classic Austin,¡± Twy replied with a smirk.


    ¡°And I couldn¡¯t agree with him more,¡± Phoenix declared ¡ª and then yawned once again. ¡°Ugh¡­ why is there so little caffeine around here¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re changin¡¯ topics¡­¡± Spike looked over the group. ¡°What¡¯d y¡¯all do these past few days? Anything fun?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± Austin said. ¡°Just played a few games¡­ good thing there¡¯s power for my laptop, but not having Internet really cuts down on what I can play¡­¡±


    ¡°What? We can access the Relaynet here, right?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, but the Relaynet and Internet are two different things. They¡¯re similar, but the Relaynet has massive lag times, like hours to days. It¡¯s only good for text posts, searches, and archives. You can¡¯t game through it.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Relaynet does span the entire colonized galaxy,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°On that scale, the lag times make sense.¡±


    ¡°Nimalia has Internet,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, I guess, yeah,¡± Austin replied, ¡°but it¡¯s not Earth¡¯s Internet, and there¡¯s no way to directly connect to Earth¡¯s Internet, and that¡¯s what matters. Not to mention the fact that the Nimalians call their Internet ¡®Relaynet¡¯, just because it can seemlessly connect to the actual Relaynet. You know, just to make things confusing¡­¡±


    ¡°You know, you remind me a lot of Conrad,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Neutral,¡± Kestrel asserted.


    Austin passed her a doubtful glance. ¡°Why does that feel even worse¡­?¡±


    ¡°You only think it¡¯s worse because you think about this shit too much,¡± Sky retorted. She then glanced toward Twy, saying, ¡°hey, sis, you¡¯ve been working on something this week, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Twy stared at her sister, startled at being addressed so directly. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose, yeah.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned painting earlier this week, right?¡± Phoenix asked, ¡°did you get your hands on some paints?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Kaon¨¦ actually made me a bunch. I was a little surprised, to be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°So she really can just make stuff out of thin air, huh?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I guess?¡± Twy shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her do it, I just know that she can.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Austin looked down at his hands. ¡°¡­Maybe I should practice using Materiatechnism while she¡¯s around. This seems like a really good opportunity to get a lot of free stuff!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Figures you¡¯d say that,¡± Sky responded with an amused snort.


    ¡°How goes the painting, though?¡± Phoenix asked, directing the conversation back to Twy. ¡°How long have you been doing this?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ you know, just a few years¡­¡± Twy replied sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m really not that great at it. I haven¡¯t actually painted in a while¡­¡±


    ¡°¡¯Not that great¡¯ my ass!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ve always been good at painting and drawing! Like, legitimately, you should¡¯ve pursued a career as an illustrator or something! You would¡¯ve been really good at it!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve said the same to you about your singing, only to have you ignore me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah ha ha¡­!¡± Sky responded with an uneasy laugh.


    ¡°Good to hear you¡¯re gettin¡¯ back into it, though, Twy,¡± Spike remarked, drawing the twins¡¯ attention to him. ¡°I agree with Sky, honestly. Always thought it was a shame that you seemed to stop paintin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I mean, sometimes you just stop enjoying something, right?¡± Austin commented, and then glanced over at Twy. ¡°But hey, if you¡¯re into it again, that¡¯s cool.¡±


    ¡°Just ¡®cool¡¯, huh¡­?¡± Twy muttered to herself, just quietly enough for no one else to notice. She then made to speak again, but was beat to the punch.


    ¡°Alright, so what are you nerds talking about now, hmm?¡±


    ¡°How gracious of you to ask,¡± Phoenix deadpanned as Pierce sauntered up to the group, with Conrad slouching to his side.


    ¡°Well, of course. You can¡¯t make fun of people if you don¡¯t know anything about them,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk.


    ¡°If that¡¯s supposed to be a joke, it ain¡¯t funny,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°Maybe not to you, dweeb,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Maybe you just take life too seriously.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t take it seriously enough,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°That¡¯s hella rich, coming from you.¡±


    ¡°So how have you been spending your week, hmm?¡± Phoenix questioned as she eyed Pierce. ¡°Just condescending down to people, like normal?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Piece snorted in derision. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I got a date ¡ª and we went the whole way.¡± He looked down at Phoenix with a triumphant smirk. ¡°I believe that¡¯s a win for me.¡±


    ¡°A ¡®win¡¯ my fucking ass,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°When¡¯s your second date?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s still in the air.¡±


    ¡°She ghosted him,¡± Conrad loudly whispered.


    ¡°Which, I¡¯ll have you know, isn¡¯t my fault,¡± Pierce interjected, and then crossed his arms as he looked back to Phoenix. ¡°I still win our little challenge, though.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Our argument was over which of us is more dateable, not whoever can get a date first,¡± Phoenix shot back.


    ¡°What?! That¡¯s not what I said at all!¡±


    ¡°And what you¡¯re saying isn¡¯t what I agreed to! You have to stick the landing, Pierce, or it doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Ms. Goalpost Mover, what is the win condition, then? Number of dates?¡±


    ¡°Not with different people, you playboy. The first person to hold down a relationship for a month wins.¡±


    ¡°A month?! But that¡¯s¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it isn¡¯t doable, there¡¯s an example right here!¡± Phoenix gestured toward Spike and Sky.


    ¡°Uh, what¡ª?¡± Spike started, only to be cut off by Pierce.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, that doesn¡¯t count,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°They¡¯re both from Earth. We¡¯re dealing with foreign people, here! The culture is different!¡±


    ¡°Not that different,¡± Phoenix argued. ¡°Listen, all I¡¯m saying is that¡­¡±


    Standing off to the side of the group, Mark and Luke listened to Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s ongoing argument for a few moments before glancing at each other and sighing in tandem.


    ¡°They sure are a lively bunch, aren¡¯t they,¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s one way to put it¡­¡± Mark replied. ¡°Still¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel like I should intervene¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, let them be. This is the kind of thing that bein¡¯ in your twenties is all about. They¡¯ll learn better eventually.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°You could probably stand to take a page out of their book, actually,¡± Luke said as he passed Mark another glance. ¡°What about Kar¨ªsah? You seem pretty friendly with her.¡±


    Mark shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she has her eyes elsewhere. Besides, I doubt I¡¯m her type.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a man.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah.¡± Luke shrugged. ¡°Well, it do be like that sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as though any of us are any good at relationships, anyways¡­¡± Mark looked up, at the bright blue cloudless sky above. ¡°¡­Mote, Kate, Danielle¡­ I wonder what they¡¯re up to.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re off on a mission now, actually,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°They left Earth a couple days ago.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mark glanced down at Luke. ¡°Where are they going?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. We¡¯re in public.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine, though. They survived their last mission intact, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Mark looked doubtfully at Luke. ¡°¡­Wasn¡¯t that the one where they ran into the¡­ uh, metallic infection?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and they made it out just fine.¡± Luke flashed a smile at Mark. ¡°Look, your buddies can handle basically anything that¡¯s thrown at them. Mote¡¯s even gone toe-to-toe with a Drakkar Faction Leader! I don¡¯t think you should be worrying about them.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, did I hear that right?¡±


    Luke and Mark both glanced over, just as Kaon¨¦ alighted on the ground next to them. ¡°Uh, ha ha¡­¡± Luke laughed uneasily. ¡°Which¡­ which part?¡±


    ¡°Something about someone you know going toe-to-toe with a Drakkar Faction Leader?¡± Kaon¨¦ replied.


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ I don¡¯t know if you were supposed to hear that, actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I won¡¯t speak of it to anyone else,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°Though¡­ if you know someone who can actually fight a Faction Leader head-on¡­ I think that would be very useful information to the CSA. They¡¯ve been fighting the Drakkars for a long time, after all.¡±


    ¡°It was an impressive feat, yes, but my friend was still only able to hold her off,¡± Mark responded. ¡°He didn¡¯t actually defeat her.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ well, still, that¡¯s an impressive level of power.¡± Kaon¨¦ glanced between Mark and Luke. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard about SERRCom¡¯s Eximius Vir, actually, and from what I¡¯ve heard¡­¡± She then looked over at the other Earthians. ¡°¡­Well, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to ask some questions, later. In exchange for setting up a meeting for you to learn about the metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t realize there¡¯d be strings attached,¡± Luke commented uneasily.


    ¡°Sorry ¡ª I didn¡¯t mean to imply that there were. If you really can¡¯t say, then that¡¯s unfortunate, but let¡¯s have this conversation another time.¡± Kaon¨¦ then turned toward the students and clapped her hands loudly, drawing their attention. ¡°Alright! It looks like everyone is here.¡±


    ¡°So what are we doing?¡± Sky questioned eagerly, ¡°we¡¯re going on a trip or something, right? Where to?¡±


    ¡°And why couldn¡¯t you tell us earlier?¡± Austin added.


    ¡°I had to make sure that everything was actually lined up,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Thankfully, it is. So I can tell you now that we¡¯ll be visiting one of Nimalia¡¯s most fantastical locations: L¨¦dia, the City in the Trees ¡ª and the capital of Rel¨¦diaka!¡±


    <hr>


    6 Hours Later


    ¡°Whooooaaa! Look at this!!¡±


    With an expression of amazement plastered across her face, Sky dashed forward and jumped at the guardrails in front of her. Standing behind them, she began swiveling her head around, looking at the vast city that laid below her ¡ª and the massive trees that extended high into the sky, with trunks dozens of meters thick and standing several hundreds of meters tall. The size and branch density of the trees, coupled with their massive leaves, generated a canopy so thick that the city below it permanently laid in the dim light of an overcast day ¡ª despite each individual tree being no closer than a few hundred meters to any other tree.


    ¡°This is¡­ really somethin¡¯,¡± Spike remarked as he approached the guardrail next to Sky. He turned his attention downward, at the city built around the trees, at which point he noticed what appeared to be vast holes in the streets. ¡°¡­The hell are those?¡± he questioned, pointing into the distance.


    ¡°Looks like big holes in the ground,¡± Conrad stated plainly as he stepped up to the guardrail himself.


    ¡°Oh, those aren¡¯t holes,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared, approaching from behind the group with a grin on her face. ¡°Has nobody told you? We¡¯re in L¨¦dia, the City in the Trees ¡ª so called because the entire city is built hundreds of meters above the ground, using the massive Rel¨¦diakian trees as supports!¡±


    The Earthians regarded her with surprise before going back to surveying their surroundings in awe. Just over 6 hours had passed since they had all gathered at the gates of WCU; half of that time had been spent aboard a Nimalian airliner, which had been a far more comfortable and significantly faster experience than any air travel on Earth. The other half of that time had been lost to layovers and customs ¡ª Rel¨¦diaka was its own sovereign nation after all, and entry wasn¡¯t free. However, Kaon¨¦¡¯s presence helped to expedite the entire process, and the group soon found themselves descending into L¨¦dia, the capital city of Rel¨¦diaka. L¨¦dia was so far west of Compound Tresnon that its clocks ran six hours behind, so the local time of their arrival happened to match the local time of their departure from Compound Tresnon ¡ª but this time difference was masked by the sheer awe-inspiring construction of L¨¦dia, an entire city built far above ground.


    ¡°This is¡­ incredible,¡± Twy commented, her eyes wide with wonder. ¡°If you look closely, you can tell that the city is built in layers! Look, there¡¯s foundation platforms higher up, over there!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Austin followed her finger to look at a nearby tree. A few dozen meters above what appeared to be the city¡¯s base level was a wide-brimmed ring, built all around the tree¡¯s trunk and clearly fastened to it. On top of that ring were several buildings, as well as a handful of elevators down to the main city level. ¡°¡­Damn,¡± he remarked, ¡°it¡¯s like one massive fucking tree house, huh?¡±


    ¡°How does¡­ how does any of this even work?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed, ¡°how are the trees so large? How are they sturdy enough to support a city like this? Why is the city built like this? How was it built like this?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why not just put it on the fucking ground?¡± Pierce questioned as he directed his attention to Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°All of your questions have answers, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the best person to provide them,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. She looked around at their immediate surroundings: the passenger arrival area of L¨¦dia¡¯s airport, built as an open-air balcony that overlooked the city. All around the group were other passengers arriving in L¨¦dia, some of them showing the same awe-filled reaction of the Earthians, but many of them simply moving on with their day as though the massive tree city was an ordinary sight. ¡°Where is she¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered, only for her eyes to light up a moment later. ¡°Oh! There you are!¡±


    As the Dean began waving, the Earthians turned their attention in the direction she was looking. Approaching across the balcony were a woman and a man, both light skinned, but otherwise sharing little physical similarities. The woman stood at a few inches over five feet tall, with silky, shoulder-length black hair. Her outfit appeared to be similar to a pantsuit, primarily a dark, earthy green in color with black trimming. The right side of her jacket slightly overlapped the left, and extended a little farther down her sides than it did in the front, revealing a hint of her brown belt and white blouse. Her pants were similarly white, though each leg from the upper thigh down to her ankles featured the same green and black coloration as her jacket. She walked confidently, with quick strides, each footfall marked by the loud tapping of the heels on her shoes.


    The man accompanying her stood a little taller, though with significantly more casual attire. Brown bangs framed his youthful face, while the rest of his hair appeared mildly unkempt, tamed only by a short tied-low ponytail. A navy blue vest atop a black short-sleeved shirt adorned his chest, while earth-brown shorts extended just past his knees, and a pair of black shoes rounded out his outfit. As opposed to the woman¡¯s confident gait, the man¡¯s seemed slower and more uneven, as though he wasn¡¯t accustomed to walking long distances.


    The two stopped just short of the group as Kaon¨¦ stepped forward, a smile upon her face. ¡°Rebehka! It¡¯s good to see you!¡±


    ¡°It really is! It¡¯s been a while,¡± the woman remarked as she returned the smile, and then swept her gaze over the Earthians. ¡°So, this is them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, allow me to do the introductions.¡± Kaon¨¦ stepped next to the woman and the man as she turned to face the Earthians. ¡°Everyone, allow me to introduce my friend: Rebehka Tchir¨¦on, Dean of the Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics here in L¨¦dia.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all,¡± Rebehka said with a smile.


    ¡°And I¡¯m Li¨¦hdan,¡± the man declared with a quick nod. ¡°The Academy¡¯s representative in the so-called ¡®Elite Six¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny that you¡¯re only dismissive of the title when it means you have to work,¡± Rebehka deadpanned.


    ¡°Ah ha! Sorry, Dean,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a grin. ¡°But it is the weekend, you know.¡±


    ¡°Just bear with me today, please¡­¡± Rebehka then turned back to face the Earthians and clasped her hands in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all. I¡¯ve heard plenty from the other Deans.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± Austin muttered.


    Rebehka responded with a brief laugh. ¡°Ha! There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I know better than to blindly trust Kev¨¦rin¡¯s or Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s complaints.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve known them for a while,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°A little over 20 years at this point, in fact. But let¡¯s not get caught up in the past,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°My lesson for you all will be tomorrow; until then, please feel free to explore L¨¦dia. You won¡¯t find many other places like it in the galaxy.¡± She then glanced over at Li¨¦hdan. ¡°Can you be their guide? Show them around a little. Be sure to show them where they¡¯ll be staying, too.¡±


    Li¨¦hdan responded with a wink. ¡°Sure thing, Dean¡ª!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t prank them, please.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now whyever would you say that? The thought hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Rebehka replied, deadpan. ¡°¡­Anyways. Kaon¨¦ and I have some matters to discuss, so we¡¯ll have to leave you for now. We¡¯ll meet up again for dinner, how¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Luke said.


    ¡°Alright! Be sure to behave yourselves,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented as she and Rebehka began to walk off. ¡°And if you need to contact me, I left my info with Luke. Have fun!¡±


    ¡°¡­Did they seriously just leave us alone, in a foreign city?¡± Austin questioned in disbelief.


    ¡°Oof, you already forgot about me? That hurts, man,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked as he placed a hand over his heart and feigned a pained expression.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse our friend¡­¡± Twy said as she shot Austin an annoyed glance. ¡°He can be a bit of a pessimist sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this the part where I say that a pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist?¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°What a truly profound insight that no one has ever stated before,¡± Phoenix responded flatly.


    ¡°Hey, look, I was just¡ª¡°


    ¡°So you¡¯re Li¨¦hdan, huh?¡± Spike questioned as he faced the Nimalian. ¡°Kar¨ªsah¡¯s mentioned you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no shit? You know Kar¨ªsah? Good to know,¡± Li¨¦hdan said, and then gestured at the group. ¡°But before we get into all that, do you guys want to drop off your bags at your rooms?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s only a weekend trip,¡± Pierce remarked as he patted his satchel. ¡°We packed light.¡±


    ¡°It would still be nice not to carry everything around all day,¡± Luke interjected. ¡°If you could lead the way, Li¨¦hdan, that¡¯d be great.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can do you one better,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a wink. He then snapped his fingers ¡ª at which point everyone¡¯s luggage immediately disappeared.


    ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°Where¡¯d our stuff go?!¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°¡­You guys didn¡¯t know? I thought you did, since Kar¨ªsah mentioned me,¡± Li¨¦hdan commented as he wiped his hands together. ¡°I¡¯m a Spacetechnic. I teleport stuff.¡±


    ¡°A little warning would¡¯ve been nice,¡± Pierce snapped.


    ¡°Now where¡¯s the fun in that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Ha! Come on, my friend, everything will be just fine,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied cheerfully as he threw an arm around Austin¡¯s shoulder. He then looked around at the rest of the group, as he declared, ¡°now how about we get going? We have a whole day to burn, and a whole city to see! Let¡¯s go!¡±

 V1 - A5 - Chapter 38: Tours in the Leaves

    NEW WORLD ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 38: Tours in the Leaves


    ¡°Alright, I gotta admit¡­ this is pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Twy exclaimed, ¡°I never thought we¡¯d get to see a sight like this¡­ the trees are just so huge!¡±


    Austin nodded along as he slowly took in his surroundings. He and Twy were currently walking down a winding path through a massive park, built as a large ring around one of the tree trunks supporting the city of L¨¦dia. The park consisted of flat, wide-open green areas and dozens of benches on which to sit and observe the dense treetop canopy that extended over the park like a massive roof rustling in the wind. Few other buildings could be seen from the park, as it was located at one of the highest city altitudes, near enough to the canopy that the sound of the distant rustling leaves served as a permanent ¡ª if faint ¡ª audio backdrop.


    Guardrails surrounded the park at the edges, and Austin stopped at one to peer over it. Nearly a hundred meters below was the sprawling city of L¨¦dia; most of the city¡¯s buildings reached no higher than four or five floors, allowing a view over the entire city, reaching several kilometers out in every direction. The massive trees that served as the city¡¯s physical supports seemed to be spaced apart by a couple hundred meters, ultimately giving off the impression as though the city were located in a massive cavern, with leaves and branches as a roof and bark-covered tree trunks as support pillars. Austin couldn¡¯t spot many openings to the forest floor below the city, but one such hole existed nearby the park ¡ª and through it, he could see only darkness.


    ¡°¡­We really are high up,¡± he commented as he eyed the hole uneasily.


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± Twy replied as she glanced at the hole herself, only to turn back to the rest of the city. ¡°But just looking at the city, you wouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s just as sprawling as Dallas¡­¡±


    ¡°But with none of the skyscrapers,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°¡­Except for the trees, I guess.¡±


    ¡°They are pretty tall, and literally block out the sky,¡± Twy said as she looked upward, at the expansive forest canopy. ¡°I¡¯ve seen skyscrapers that are taller, but still¡­ I wonder just how the trees grew to be so big¡­?¡±


    ¡°No one actually knows.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?!¡± Austin and Twy both jumped in surprise and whipped around, where they found Li¨¦hdan standing just behind them.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± The Nimalian glanced between them. ¡°You guys sure are jumpy.¡±


    ¡°Wh-where did you come from?¡± Twy questioned uneasily.


    Li¨¦hdan grinned. ¡°Spacetechnism, man.¡± He then stepped up to the guardrail next to Austin and turned around to lean on it, as he looked upward at the massive tree the park was built around. ¡°Like I said, though ¡ª no one actually knows why the trees in Rel¨¦diaka are so big. As far as I know, with very few exceptions, you can¡¯t find trees this big anywhere else in the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big claim to make,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°Hey, I did qualify it with ¡®as far as I know¡¯.¡± The Nimalian slowly swept his gaze over the park, his eyes momentarily lingering on each of the other Earthians: Spike and Sky, staring up at the tree that supported the park as they tried to figure out a way to climb it; Phoenix and Kestrel, looking over the city of L¨¦dia from farther down the walkway; Pierce and Conrad, lounging on one of the benches in the middle of the park; and Mark and Luke, also leaning on the park guardrails some distance away as they held a quiet discussion. After noting all of this, Li¨¦hdan returned his attention to Austin and Twy. ¡°Everyone else seems to be having a good time, here. What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Twy replied, ¡°I¡¯m really glad you brought us here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Austin nodded in agreement. ¡°This park must¡¯ve been hard to build, what with having to get dirt and grass all the way up here¡­ and it looks like there are other parks like it around some of the other trees. This is nuts.¡±


    Li¨¦hdan glanced between the two curiously. ¡°¡­You two are really serious, huh?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re probably used to the sights, as a local,¡± Twy commented, ¡°but to us, this is a sight like nothing else we¡¯ve ever seen! Right, Austin?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Austin nodded again. ¡°Seeing this almost makes everything worth it.¡±


    Li¨¦hdan simply looked at them again, and then back to the park. As he slowly swept his gaze over the park, he muttered, ¡°¡­uh oh, there¡¯s some guards over there¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin glanced at Li¨¦hdan, and then in the direction where he was looking. Patrolling through the park were two individuals in green military uniforms, their gait casual, though clearly synchronized as they looked around the park. ¡°¡­Do we need to worry about the guards?¡± Austin questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied. ¡°Oh¡­ I guess I forgot to tell you, huh? We don¡¯t actually have permission to be here.¡±


    Twy¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This is a private park. All the high-tier ones are. Usually you have to pay out the ass to get in¡­¡± Li¨¦hdan glanced over at Austin and Twy. ¡°You two can fly, right? You might want to hide.¡±


    ¡°H-hide?¡± Austin echoed in disbelief, ¡°w-why?! What about you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can talk my way out of this,¡± Li¨¦hdan said airily. ¡°The two of you, though? You aren¡¯t even citizens, here! The guards will probably be really harsh on you ¡ª uh oh, they¡¯re headed this way.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Austin looked over at the guards again, only to find that they had indeed turned down the pathway that would bring them by the trio. ¡°¡­Aw, what? Are you fucking serious?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just teleport us out of here?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°They¡¯d know it was me, then,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied. ¡°But you guys need to hide before the guards look this way.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ figures things would go wrong, somehow,¡± Austin muttered, at which point he clapped his hands and used him Imperator powers on himself to leap the guardrail and hover just below the platform. Twy quickly followed, using a levitating bubble of water to keep herself afloat nearby.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe him,¡± she said with an irate frown. ¡°How could he be so careless?¡±


    ¡°A lot more of the Nimalians are assholes than I expected¡­¡± Austin responded impatiently. ¡°The least he could¡¯ve done was help¡ª?!¡±


    His statement was cut off as Li¨¦hdan suddenly appeared in front of him, hanging from the edge of the platform above with his arm. With an amused smirk, he said, ¡°damn, the two of you are way too serious. Get back up here, everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Austin stared at Li¨¦hdan incredulously, only for the Nimalian to disappear just as instantly as he had appeared. ¡°¡­What?¡±


    Twy slowly moved through the air up to the platform, peeking over the top to the rest of the park. As she did, she noticed Li¨¦hdan standing near the guardrail, as well as the two guards they had spotted earlier. One of the guards wore an exasperated expression as he motioned for Twy to approach.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in trouble,¡± the guard stated, ¡°but please return to the platform.¡±


    ¡°¡­We¡¯re not?¡± Austin questioned as he exchanged an uneasy glance with Twy. The two of them then returned to the top of the platform, Austin softly alighting while Twy carefully dispersed her bubble of water over the park grass.


    ¡°Li¨¦hdan, what are we going to do with you¡­¡± muttered the other guard as she passed the Spacetechnic an unamused glance.


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha! Come on, no one got hurt,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a laugh.


    ¡°One of these days, someone will,¡± the first guard stated, and then turned to Austin and Twy. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for Li¨¦hdan. He can be a little¡­ unscrupulous.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m lost,¡± Austin replied. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°¡­I get it.¡± Twy released an annoyed sigh and glared at Li¨¦hdan. ¡°You lied to us, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I think ¡®lie¡¯ is a little harsh,¡± Li¨¦hdan responded. ¡°I like to think of it as a harmless prank.¡± He then turned to the guards. ¡°But, if it really bothers you that much, then I promise not to do it again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time,¡± the second guard replied.


    ¡°And the time before that,¡± said the first. ¡°If this happens again, we really will have to report you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied airily. ¡°I only pull this on Chaotics that can fly! There¡¯s no harm.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± responded the first guard. ¡°But this is a warning, Li¨¦hdan. We better not catch you pulling this again.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha¡­!¡± Li¨¦hdan grinned sheepishly as the two guards began walking off, leaving him alone with Austin and Twy.


    Austin then turned toward Li¨¦hdan in annoyed disbelief. ¡°You pranked us?¡±


    ¡°Ha! It¡¯s all too easy on serious people like you,¡± he replied. ¡°No one was hurt, so it¡¯s all fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re reminding me of my sister¡­ and not in a good way,¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°No shit¡­? Well, either way, I¡¯ve had my fun for now. And to make it up to you, I¡¯ll answer any questions about this place that you have.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve done that without making us think we were going to end up in international trouble,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°Sure, I could have, but where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a shrug and a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to make a mental note to never take you seriously again,¡± Twy declared as she turned around to look out over the city once more. ¡°¡­I bet you won¡¯t even answer our questions seriously.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a bit much. Here, let me start by telling you the reality of these parks: they¡¯re all public, with free admission. You don¡¯t have to pay or show any kind of ID to get in. It¡¯s pretty great.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of the guards, then?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re just groundskeepers. Or ¡®park rangers¡¯ as they like to call themselves,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied casually. ¡°Some of them are off-duty NSD soldiers, sure, but they really can¡¯t do anything more than lecture you.¡±


    ¡°How could they understand us? I thought translation implants were expensive¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe for Earth, or Tres¨¦d. But they¡¯re pretty easy to get anywhere else on Nimalia. Pretty much anyone you run into in any of the big cities will have RTA implants. Everyone who joins the NSD gets the implants, too, if they didn¡¯t have them already.¡±


    ¡°Huh, wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Why should we believe you this time?¡± Twy asked with an accusatory tone.


    ¡°Hey, take it or leave it.¡± Li¨¦hdan shrugged. ¡°You can verify on the Relaynet, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­This city must¡¯ve taken a lot of effort to build, though,¡± Austin commented, ignoring Twy as she continued to glare at Li¨¦hdan. ¡°Built in the trees, like this¡­ how old is it?¡±


    ¡°L¨¦dia¡¯s history goes back a few thousand years,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked.


    ¡°A few thousand?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, man. It¡¯s an old city. The oldest and largest of the tree cities, in fact.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s multiple cities like this one? What?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, dude. The Giant¡¯s Forest doesn¡¯t just have Giant Trees, it¡¯s also a literal giant forest. Millions of square kilometers, filled with trees just as big as these, and several other cities built way above the ground, like L¨¦dia.¡±


    ¡°Why, though? Why build the city in the air, instead of on the ground?¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks cool. Rel¨¦diaka gets a lot of tourist money from the tree cities, ha ha ha.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be why they were first built this way,¡± Twy countered.


    ¡°Ha! Imagine if it was, though,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with an amused smile. ¡°¡­But you¡¯re right. The tree cities were built above the forest floor because it¡¯s actually really dangerous down there. So dangerous that it was easier for ancient Chaotics to build a city in the trees for everyone to live in, instead of constantly putting up and fixing walls.¡±


    ¡°¡­How dangerous are we talking, here?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that the trees aren¡¯t the only giant things around here.¡±


    ¡°That seems hard to believe,¡± Twy replied flatly.


    ¡°Hey, like I said, take it or leave it.¡± Li¨¦hdan shrugged again. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to go check on the others.¡±


    ¡°And prank them, too?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what happens, happens.¡± Li¨¦hdan winked at Twy. ¡°Let¡¯s meet up at the elevator in half an hour for lunch. See you guys then!¡±


    Austin and Twy stared blankly at Li¨¦hdan as he instantly disappeared from sight. ¡°¡­What a guy,¡± Austin eventually commented.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Twy responded slowly, and then turned her attention back to the city beyond the park. ¡°¡­Well, I suppose he did show us to this park, so he can¡¯t be all bad.¡±


    ¡°It is a pretty nice view,¡± Austin replied. ¡°But we still have a whole afternoon ahead of us. I wonder what else there is to see¡­¡±


    <hr>


    3 Hours Later


    ¡°Spike, c¡¯mon already, you slowpoke!¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­¡± Spike muttered as he carefully maneuvered through the crowd around him, eventually coming to a stop at Sky¡¯s side in front of a guardrail. ¡°Slow down a little, will ya?¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°we only have, like, two or three days, here? And tomorrow is all gonna be lessons and shit, so if we want to shop, we have to do it now! Besides!¡± She threw her arms out, as though beholding the world in front of her. ¡°Just look at this!¡±


    Spike turned his attention forward. The couple stood on a third-floor pedestrian walkway that overlooked a wide park, with more pedestrian walkways on the other side ¡ª though each walkway was wide enough that they could have supported three lanes of cars. Trees and shrubbery of normal proportions filled the park, offering a natural green contrast to the massive brown and blue buildings that lined the park walkways on both sides. Stretching from the ground to fifty meters up were thirteen floors of walkways and shops of all kinds, ranging from clothing, to sporting goods, to electronics, to gaming, to even food and laundry. The area was a veritable shopping mall, though taller than most Spike had seen, and it stretched far into the distance ¡ª where he could see the massive trunk of one of the trees that supported the city of L¨¦dia. Between the trees of the park below, and a hyper-realistic animated hologram of cloud-filled blue skies above, the mall appeared to be open air, despite actually being located underneath the top building layer of L¨¦dia.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we got some spending money!¡± Sky remarked, drawing Spike¡¯s attention back to her. ¡°It would be a crime to visit another planet and not come back with anything, after all!¡±


    ¡°That money ain¡¯t even ours to spend,¡± Spike refuted. ¡°Li¨¦hdan said Dean Tchir¨¦on only gave him that money for food and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ignoring the stipend we get from SERRCom. And besides that, we just had lunch. The Deans said they¡¯ll cover dinner, so there¡¯s no other food for Li¨¦hdan to pay for. Besides, if he didn¡¯t want to spend the rest, then why would he have brought us here?!¡±


    Spike sighed in resignation. ¡°Fine, fine. And where did you wanna go, exactly?¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d come around!¡± Sky replied with a grin, only to whip around and point at a sporting gear shop across the way. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what they have there! I wanna know what camping and hiking looks like in a city built in the trees!¡±


    ¡°They probably just don¡¯t camp or hike,¡± Spike muttered, though Sky had zipped off before she even had the chance to hear him. A resigned smile crossed his face as he began to follow in her footsteps, though more slowly and carefully as he tried his best to make sure he didn¡¯t accidentally injure anyone in the crowds with his superstrength.


    ¡°Oh, Spike!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He stopped and turned around, where he spotted the approaching figure of Kestrel, the top of her silver-haired head poking a few inches above the crowd around her. As she stopped next to Spike, he then noticed that Phoenix was accompanying her; the short Chaostechnic had been obscured by the crowds until that point. ¡°¡­Bought stuff already, huh?¡± Spike questioned as he eyed the two bags hanging from Phoenix¡¯s arms.


    ¡°And how could I not?¡± she replied incredulously, ¡°have you seen some of the things they have around here? I mean, look at this!¡± She reached into one of the bags and pulled out a box, on which appeared an image of a city built around trees. ¡°They even have models of the city! And I caught a good sale, too! I¡¯m sure my dad will love this. And for my mom, I found a couple of Rel¨¦diakan jerseys on clearance. I have no idea what they¡¯re made out of, but they breath so well, it almost feels like you¡¯re wearing nothing! And the colors work together well, a nice earthy mix of greens and browns¡­ I can¡¯t believe you can get this kind of quality for so cheap!¡±


    Spike looked down at Phoenix in mild confusion. ¡°Your mom likes jerseys?¡±


    ¡°Well, sports in general, really,¡± Phoenix responded. ¡°But these jerseys give a glimpse into what Rel¨¦diakian sports look like. For example, look at this.¡± She quickly put the box back in the bag and dug through the other bag, eventually pulling out a dark green long-sleeved shirt. As she held it up against her chest, she continued, ¡°look at the waistline, the back, and the shoulders. There¡¯s extra padding there, see? That¡¯s to help protect the wearer from the chaffing and pressure of swinging gear.¡±


    ¡°¡­Swinging gear?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a whole thing on its own.¡± Phoenix stuffed the shirt back into the bag before looking up at Spike again. ¡°Swinging gear is what the Rel¨¦diakians apparently used to use as their primary mode of travel through the forests. It¡¯s like a system of air-powered grappling hooks and stuff, attached to your body so you can fire the hooks at tree branches and swing around like Tarzan. The military around here still uses them, in fact, but otherwise you¡¯ll only see the gear on Leafball players ¡ª oh, that¡¯s basically like 3D soccer. It looks pretty fun, actually.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right¡­¡± Spike replied slowly. ¡°¡­How do you know all this?¡±


    ¡°Relaynet,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Yeah, there are some public terminals back there.¡± Phoenix gestured behind herself. ¡°Conrad and Austin were practically glued to them when I left.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Yeah, that¡¯s Austin for ya,¡± Spike responded with an amused smile.


    ¡°Seems like a waste of time, to me. You can access the Relaynet anywhere at anytime, but this mall is now!¡±


    ¡°Sky said basically the same thing¡­¡±


    ¡°See, she understands.¡± Phoenix then glanced around. ¡°¡­Where is she? Is she not with you?¡±


    ¡°She ran ahead to some sports gear store,¡± Spike replied, and pointed in the direction that Sky had left. ¡°You just missed her, actually.¡±


    ¡°Sports gear? Perfect! I wanted to see if it was possible to get some swinging gear.¡± Phoenix took a moment to shift the weight of her bags before marching off into the crowd. ¡°Come on, Kestrel! Let¡¯s see what else this mall has to offer!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response as Phoenix disappeared into the crowds.


    Spike passed her a glance. ¡°You bein¡¯ dragged around, too?¡±


    Kestrel returned the glance blankly. Spike could see her shoulders heave slightly, as though from a sigh, only for her to turn away and walk off after Phoenix.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll take that as a ¡®yes¡¯¡­¡± Spike muttered to himself. He then followed suit, beginning again to maneuver through the midday weekend crowds.


    From one floor up and across the park, Luke watched Spike for a moment. The Captain then released a long, tired sigh before turning around to look up at the store that he stood in front of. Books lined every wall and shelf, and the store itself featured warmer lighting than the bright white sunlight emulation of the rest of the mall. Fewer people were present in the bookstore than in the other stores Luke had seen. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m surprised this store exists at all¡­¡± he muttered to himself as he glanced around at the people in the crowds, and how several of them seemed to be interacting and gesturing at invisible objects. ¡°¡­Seems like everyone has some kind of AR tech. I mean, I do, too¡­ with this stuff, I¡¯d think physical books would be near obsolete.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I hope you weren¡¯t waiting long¡­¡±


    Luke turned his attention forward again as Mark approached with a bag in hand, and Li¨¦hdan in tow. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± the Captain insisted, watching Mark and Li¨¦hdan join him against the walkway guardrail. ¡°This is a time to relax. You should enjoy it while you can.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked as he casually stretched his arms. ¡°Though personally, I prefer to spend my time in less crowded spaces.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Luke replied, and then grinned. ¡°But you probably should¡¯ve expected this when you dropped the fact that you had money to spare after lunch.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect this.¡±


    ¡°Still, I have to thank you for accompanying us here,¡± Mark commented as he turned toward Li¨¦hdan. ¡°And especially for helping me find a bookstore. It was more difficult than I expected¡­¡±


    ¡°Would¡¯ve been easier if you were looking in Nimaliaka, or Riverana,¡± the Nimalian replied. ¡°Everyone else uses AR too much.¡±


    ¡°I can see that¡­¡± Luke said as he eyed a few individuals down in the park, with their hands moving through the air as if interacting with something invisible. He then turned his attention upward, at the false sky above. ¡°¡­This place really is somethin¡¯, though. It sure doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯re underground.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± Mark stated.


    ¡°Well, no¡­ but we might as well be. There¡¯s an entire level of city above us.¡±


    ¡°And below, too,¡± Li¨¦hdan pointed out.


    ¡°¡­How¡¯s that work?¡± Luke passed Li¨¦hdan a questioning glance. ¡°You¡¯re tellin¡¯ me that this city isn¡¯t just built entirely in the trees, it also has multiple levels?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. All tree cities do,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied. ¡°L¨¦dia in particular has three main levels ¡ª we call them tiers, and each one is about 50 meters tall. All three of the main tiers span the entire city, so they pretty much completely block sight from above to the areas below.¡±


    ¡°Must be dark on the forest floor, then,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Oh yeah, definitely. Basically perma-darkness down there, if not for the artificial sun lights.¡±


    ¡°Huh. That must mean that the city prevents rainwater from reaching the forest floor, too. How do the trees and other life down there get water, then?¡±


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a smart one ¡ª most foreigners I talk to don¡¯t think of that,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked with a smirk. ¡°L¨¦dia, as well as the other tree cities, all have extensive drainage systems to get water from the top tiers down to Tier 1. There, the water gets cleaned and processed, and any water the city doesn¡¯t need is sent out to a whole bunch of sprinklers and drainage nets attached to the bottom of Tier 1. End result is that the forest floor still gets rain, just delayed by an hour or so.¡±


    ¡°That must be a lot of sprinklers,¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°L¨¦dia¡¯s an old city,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ve had plenty of time to build out the systems that keep us and the forest alive. It helps that there¡¯s a river flowing underneath the city, too, so there¡¯s a second source of water for all the life down there.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. But what about these¡­ tiers? How do those work? You said there¡¯s three main ones, what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°There are subtiers below Tier 1, and supertiers above Tier 3. Subtiers and supertiers don¡¯t cover nearly as much of the sky as the main tiers. Like that park I took you to earlier ¡ª that was a top tier park. Literally, it was on the top tier. The city you could see below from that park was Tier 3.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Most people live in the upper two main tiers, Tier 2 and 3. Some people live in Tier 1, but they¡¯re typically¡­ less well off. Tier 1 is mostly power generation, water processing, and other industrial stuff, anyways. Some forest floor supervision, too.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess ¡ª the richest people live on top?¡±


    ¡°No shit, that should be obvious. The real rich people live in the supertiers, though. Normal people can still afford to live on Tier 3.¡±


    ¡°I suppose wealth stratification exists wherever you go¡­¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys staying in Tres¨¦d long-term?¡± Li¨¦hdan questioned. ¡°That alone should¡¯ve made it super obvious that some people are doing better than others.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°What about your school?¡± Luke asked. ¡°You go to¡­ what was it? WTAC? Where¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The Academy is¡­ a little special,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the campus tour to Dean Tchir¨¦on. But I can show you a nice view from above later today.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Luke and Mark exchanged confused glances.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry! Everything will be fine,¡± Li¨¦hdan insisted, and then backed away from the guardrail. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going to go check on the others. See you guys in a bit.¡±


    Luke and Mark both watched as Li¨¦hdan disappeared into thin air, an act that drew surprisingly little attention from the surrounding crowd.


    ¡°¡­This really is a whole different world, huh?¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°It is a different planet, sir,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°What did I say about calling me ¡®sir¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Heh. It¡¯s fine.¡± Luke then pushed away from the guardrail himself as he looked around at his surroundings. ¡°¡­Well, we do still have a few hours to burn. Let¡¯s go see what else there is to find, here¡­¡±


    <hr>


    3 Hours Later


    ¡°We¡¯re kinda high up, huh?¡±


    ¡°This is nothing,¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve stood atop buildings that were far taller.¡±


    Conrad passed Pierce an unamused glance before returning his attention to the sight before him. After spending a couple hours in the shopping centers on L¨¦dia¡¯s Tier 2, Li¨¦hdan had decided to show the Earthians to Tier 1 ¡ª and below. The group now stood on a small platform adjacent to one of the many elevators running from the city down to the forest floor, attached to the trunk of one of the supporting trees ¡ª and from the platform, the underbelly of the forest could be seen. Despite the sun not yet descending past the horizon, the forest floor was bathed in a night-time level of darkness. The bottom of L¨¦dia spanned as far as the eye could see in every direction like a cavern ceiling, supported by massive pillars that were barely identifiable as tree trunks without the leafy tops. A handful of small platforms and buildings hung down from the bottom of L¨¦dia¡¯s Tier 1, providing visual contours to the otherwise flat surface. Furthermore, bright lights were installed all along the city¡¯s underside as well as down the trunks of several of the trees, providing a small amount of illumination in the dreary space ¡ª though still no where near enough to dispel the darkness.


    The forest floor itself appeared devoid of light and activity, though a wide river ran from the south to the north, weaving between the massive tree trunks. A handful of buildings could be seen on the banks of the river, illuminated by their own lights, though the waterway itself remained as dark as the forest around it. The only other buildings that could be seen on the forest floor were directly below the Earthians, surrounded by tall, thick walls and sentry towers. If not for the fortifications, the arrangement of buildings appeared from above to strongly resemble a university campus.


    ¡°Damn¡­ this is even worse than up top¡­¡±


    Conrad glanced at Pierce again, noting that his friend was scowling as he surveyed his dark surroundings. ¡°Don¡¯t like the view?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°There barely even is a view,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°But no, I don¡¯t. These kinds of big, wide-open spaces where you can¡¯t even see the sky¡­ they¡¯re the worst. It¡¯s unsettling. What¡¯s the point of being outside if you can¡¯t even see the sun and the clouds?¡±


    ¡°For once, I agree with you¡­¡± Phoenix commented as she approached from behind. She stepped next to Pierce to lean on the guardrail beside him, as she continued, ¡°from a technical and engineering standpoint, this city is hella amazing. But from a visual one¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow, the two of you actually agree on something,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty obvious ¡®something¡¯,¡± Pierce replied, and then gestured at the vast darkness below them. ¡°Nobody likes being in darkness like this. Literally, humans need sunlight. ¡­Well, not sure about the Nimalians, but on Earth, we do. And what the hell is that campus below us, huh? What losers work there?¡±


    ¡°That would be the Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics.¡±


    Conrad, Pierce, and Phoenix all glanced to their left as Li¨¦hdan stepped forward, coming to stand next to Conrad.


    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s WTAC?¡± Phoenix questioned as she turned her attention downward.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied, ¡°that¡¯s what I just said. Though, most people just call it ¡®the Academy¡¯. Pretty cool place, if not for all the darkness.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Pierce elbowed Conrad. ¡°Even the locals agree.¡± He then turned to face Li¨¦hdan as he asked, ¡°why the hell is the campus down there, anyways? Why not build it in the city?¡±


    ¡°Was there just not enough space for it?¡± Phoenix added.


    ¡°I think that was part of it,¡± Li¨¦hdan answered. ¡°The bigger answer is that the Academy has a big research focus, and the subject of that research is on the forest floor.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is there to study down there?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    Li¨¦hdan looked down for a moment. ¡°¡­Well, there¡¯s big, dangerous animals and plants down there. Dangerous enough that even Chaotics can get caught by surprise and overwhelmed. See those sentry towers? Those are to protect against the animals.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a good reason to not build a campus down there,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°First WCU in Tres¨¦d, now this campus here¡­¡± Conrad glanced at Li¨¦hdan. ¡°Do Nimalians like putting themselves in danger, or something?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Hardly,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a smirk and a chuckle. ¡°WCU isn¡¯t even unsafe, from what I hear. And the Academy has been just fine. There¡¯s a more important reason that the campus is down there, but¡­ ¡­well, the Dean should explain that tomorrow.¡±


    Pierce and Phoenix exchanged a suspicious glance before both turned back to Li¨¦hdan. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°It means you¡¯ll learn tomorrow,¡± Li¨¦hdan insisted, and then shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, Dean Tchir¨¦on was the one who told me not to say too much on the subject. I probably wasn¡¯t even supposed to tell you that, honestly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s suspicious¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more suspicious of you saying that Tres¨¦d is safe,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Hey, I never said Tres¨¦d was safe,¡± Li¨¦hdan responded. ¡°I said that WCU was safe. Or at least, that¡¯s what Kar¨ªsah tells me. And it seems true enough, Compound Tresnon hasn¡¯t been attacked at all in recent history.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly a high bar,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°But you really do know Kar¨ªsah, then?¡± Phoenix said, ¡°how¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the coolest member of the Elite Six, that¡¯s how,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little about the title from Kar¨ªsah, but I¡¯m still not sure what it really means. It felt like she played it down a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Li¨¦hdan said with a smirk. ¡°Kar¨ªsah isn¡¯t the type to boast, and the Deans aren¡¯t super fond of the Elite Six title, either, since most of the people who get it are over-competitive assholes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds familiar,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he shot a glance toward Pierce and Phoenix.


    ¡°You only think we¡¯re over-competitive because you have no ambition,¡± Pierce countered, and then turned to Li¨¦hdan. ¡°This title sounds impressive, though. How do I get it?¡±


    Li¨¦hdan¡¯s smirk broadened into an amused grin as he laughed aloud. ¡°Ha ha ha! Shooting for prestige already, huh? Heh. I guess this could be fun to watch.¡±


    ¡°Just tell us, already.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not simple. ¡®Elite Six¡¯ refers to the top student at each of the six Schools of Chaos. How is ¡®top¡¯ determined, you ask? That would be a combination of exam scores and performance in the ACT ¡ª the Annual Chaotic Tournament.¡±


    Pierce broke into a grin. ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere!¡±


    ¡°An annual tournament, huh?¡± Phoenix remarked, ¡°Kar¨ªsah mentioned the ACT before, but she didn¡¯t explain much about it. How does it work? How do we join?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s pretty straight-forward,¡± Li¨¦hdan explained. ¡°Each year, each of the Schools of Chaos send four teams of Chaotics to fight in the tournament, which lasts just over a month ¡ª or two months, if you count the two weeks of qualifiers and the two weeks of bracket placements. Each school determines what teams it sends in a different way, but let me tell you, it¡¯s always competitive. It won¡¯t be easy. Especially since the qualifiers are in less than a month.¡±


    ¡°Less than a month?!¡± Pierce and Phoenix exclaimed in unison.


    ¡°Shit, we need to get training¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°What date, exactly?!¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Aldredath 19th,¡± Li¨¦hdan responded, his eyes wide with surprise at the pair¡¯s excitement. ¡°Though sign-ups typically open a week before that, on the 10th. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourselves, though. You guys are newbies, right? I don¡¯t think you stand a chance against any of the current Elite Six, let alone all the other students who¡¯re gunning for the title.¡±


    ¡°If you say that, you¡¯ll just encourage them,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°Ha, you know it!¡± Pierce declared with a smirk.


    ¡°Who are the Elite Six, anyways?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°from what you said, it sounds like they¡¯d change every year.¡±


    ¡°Typically, yeah,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied, ¡°but looking at the current group¡­ I don¡¯t really expect any of them to be replaced before they graduate. They¡¯re just too powerful.¡±


    ¡°How powerful?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see.¡± Li¨¦hdan held out his hand and began counting on his fingers. ¡°At the top of the list is Cart¨¦rius Kines, over at the Tyrion Institute of Chaotics in Tekdec¨¦. He¡¯s a Materiatechnic. Rumor has it that he could even give Dean Densalin a hard time¡­ though I don¡¯t really believe that, myself. He¡¯s way too far up his own ass to manage that, ha! ¡­But he certainly is pretty powerful. Last year, he won all of his team¡¯s matches singlehandedly.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like he¡¯s the one to beat, then,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°You guys really are ambitious, huh? But he¡¯s not the only one. Number two is Derynii Nimal, up at the Densalin School for Chaotics, in Nimaliaka. She¡¯s a Navitastechnic, and almost as powerful as Cart¨¦rius. She takes herself and her training really seriously, too, so beating her won¡¯t be easy ¡ª certainly not as easy as making her lose her cool, heh.


    ¡°Number three is Sm¨¦than Leta, from the Kolst¨¦n College of Chaotics in East Nimaliaka. He¡¯s a dual-type Chaotic ¡ª a Pyrotechnic and a Geotechnic. He really likes to smash the two together and fight with lava, which is just as effective at defeating his opponents as his short temper and hot-headed attitude.


    ¡°Number four is Kar¨ªsah. Her Force- and Duratechnism are just too hard to get past, not to mention her Overdrive. Most students, including most of the Elite Six, don¡¯t have Overdrives, so she has an advantage, there. She does have a bit of a hard time actually taking down her opponents, since she doesn¡¯t have as much mobility or any real way to attack from range without ripping up the ring, but it¡¯s almost impossible for anyone to beat her, either. She usually only loses to time-outs, which is pretty impressive when most people lose to ring-outs or KOs¡­ though you¡¯ll never hear her admit that, heh.


    ¡°Number five is Maeshi Anar, from the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana. She¡¯s pretty quiet, but also kinda, uh¡­ scary. See, she¡¯s an Animatechnic, which means she can control animals. And as it turns out, humans are animals. All of her wins come from taking control of her opponent and forcing them to just walk out of the ring. Let me tell you, it¡¯s a pretty unpleasant feeling. She¡¯s not a very pleasant person, either. Everyone over at YCUR seems to think she¡¯s a sociopath¡­


    ¡°And then, there¡¯s number six¡­¡± Li¨¦hdan flashed a grin. ¡°That would be yours truly, Li¨¦hdan Kialda. Personally, I kinda wish I was off the list¡­ I get way too much attention and responsibility as is.¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you teleport things?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°You mentioned ring-outs, why can¡¯t you just teleport all of your opponents out of the ring? Wouldn¡¯t that put you at the top of the list?¡±


    ¡°And where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Li¨¦hdan countered. ¡°It¡¯s loads more fun to poke fun at my opponent and run down the clock than it is to just walk up and snap them away.¡± He then looked up and broke into a grin, as though reminiscing over fond memories. ¡°Man¡­ you should¡¯ve seen my match with Derynii last year, and Cart¨¦rius the year before that. The two of them just cannot take a joke.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°What¡¯s the point in participating in a tournament if you don¡¯t take it seriously?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a stupid interschool tournament,¡± Li¨¦hdan countered. ¡°Life¡¯s too short to worry too much about it. Besides¡­ since the tournament is non-lethal, obviously, that already means the fights aren¡¯t real. Chaotic abilities that should win, don¡¯t, and ones that shouldn¡¯t, do. Whoever wins the ACT wouldn¡¯t necessarily win in a real life-or-death fight, so why care?¡±


    ¡°What a shining example you set,¡± Phoenix deadpanned.


    ¡°I dunno, I think I agree with him,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Of course you do, you don¡¯t have a single competitive bone in your body,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about your input anyways, Li¨¦hdan. Tournaments are there to win, and win one, I will!¡±


    Li¨¦hdan stared at Pierce for a moment before releasing a sigh and shaking his head. ¡°Man¡­ you Earthians are a really intense bunch.¡±


    ¡°Do you really mean that, though?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°You clearly care enough to actually participate in the tournament. Why not go all the way for the victory, then?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it just isn¡¯t fun.¡± Li¨¦hdan shrugged. ¡°Really not worth my time, either. If I were to ring-out Cart¨¦rius or Sm¨¦than, then they¡¯d be on my ass asking for rematches every damn month until the next tournament. I just don¡¯t have the patience for that.¡±


    ¡°They really do sound like over-competitive assholes, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Kar¨ªsah is the only one who doesn¡¯t take the whole thing super-seriously, and that¡¯s why I like her. She could use a little more self-confidence, though.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Li¨¦hdan countered, and then turned toward the nearby elevator as a light near it popped on. ¡°¡­Ah. That should be the Deans, coming back from whatever they¡¯re doing at the Academy. Come on, let¡¯s meet up and get some dinner!¡±


    Conrad, Pierce, and Phoenix all watched as Li¨¦hdan sauntered over to the elevator. ¡°¡­I think I like him,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Figures you would,¡± Pierce snorted in amusement. ¡°That ACT, though¡­ so we have less than a month to prepare, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be tough¡­¡± Phoenix mused, ¡°but we can definitely try. And if we fail, there¡¯s always next year.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Failure is for losers,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°Losing, by definition, is failure.¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant, you smartass.¡± Pierce passed Conrad an annoyed glance and then turned to begin approaching the elevator himself. ¡°Now let¡¯s get some dinner and wrap up this long-ass day already! And starting tomorrow, we train for the ACT! We¡¯ll win it all, I guarantee it!¡±

 V1 - A5 - Chapter 39: Metallic Purpose

    NEW WORLD ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 39: Metallic Purpose


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Back here already, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Except in the morning, this time¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Oh shut the hell up,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°You can¡¯t even tell that it¡¯s morning down here. Not to mention, it¡¯s afternoon in Tresnon right now ¡ª don¡¯t tell me you adjusted to the local time in a single day.¡±


    ¡°¡­Still tired.¡±


    ¡°You always are,¡± Pierce replied flatly as he looked out over the guardrail. Once again, he and the other Earthians stood on a platform underneath L¨¦dia¡¯s Tier 1, overlooking the dark forest floor and the campus of WTAC below. The only difference this time was that Kaon¨¦ accompanied them instead of Li¨¦hdan, as they awaited the arrival of Rebehka to show them around the campus and give her lecture.


    While leaning on the guardrail, Pierce looked down, his eyes tracing the contours of the buildings below him. ¡­Something feels¡­ off¡­ but why?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Pierce glanced over at Conrad, who was already looking back at him. ¡°¡­No,¡± Pierce eventually replied as he returned to staring downward. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s encouraging,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Alright, you¡ª¡± Pierce began to retort, only to be interrupted as a light on the elevator behind them flashed on. A couple seconds later, the doors opened, revealing Dean Rebehka Tchir¨¦on in her green and black suit, as well as a second woman that Pierce didn¡¯t recognize. The woman possessed light skin and light blond hair, that was shaved on the sides of her head ¡ª but her hair on top and back was long and straight enough to be tied into a thick braid that fell down to her waist. Her chin and cheekbones were well-defined, and her eyebrows thin and angled slightly inward, giving her an intense resting expression. She appeared rather youthful ¡ª late 20s or early 30s, by Pierce¡¯s guess ¡ª and her outfit was just as well-kept as Rebehka¡¯s, though more rugged in appearance. Rather than a suit, she seemed to be wearing some kind of combat or guard uniform, dominated by crimson and deep purple and accompanied by a holstered pistol on the left side of her waist. A bulky chest plate with two guantlets, a pair of greaves, and a pair of massive purple and crimson pauldrons signaled that she was wearing some manner of powered armor, though that was far from the most stand-out aspect of her appearance. She easily stood just over six feet tall¡­ aided by the extra segment she had in her legs. With three leg segments, each as long as Pierce¡¯s thigh, it was no wonder that she stood so tall ¡ª even though her lower knees bent in the opposite direction as her upper knees, giving her legs a resting position similar to a lightning bolt or a tilted ¡®N¡¯.


    Pierce¡¯s eyes lingered on the woman¡¯s legs. He knew that there were races in the galaxy with such a leg configuration ¡ª the Siions and the Dra¡¯kis, to be specific, and given that the woman standing before him had only a thumb and three thick fingers on each hand, he knew that she was a Dra¡¯kis. Nevertheless, this was the first time he had seen one in the flesh, despite the fact that he had already spent a summer on an alien planet.


    The woman glanced around at each of the Earthians, only to smirk and remark, ¡°what¡¯s the matter, never seen a Dra¡¯kis before?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, we didn¡¯t mean to stare,¡± Twy quickly apologized, snapping her attention up to the woman¡¯s eyes as she did.


    What weird fucking legs, Pierce mused as he looked over at the rest of the group. Clearly I¡¯m not the only one thinking that, either. Everyone was staring, heh¡­


    ¡°Um, Rebehka¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ commented in a questioning tone as she sidled up to her friend. ¡°Wasn¡¯t this¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Rebehka insisted, though a level of irritation was clearly evident in her voice. She then glanced up at the Dra¡¯kis woman as she added, ¡°Major Dralis just¡­ happened to be around today, so she¡¯s tagging along.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure,¡± the Major replied with a smile. ¡°After all, I understand that Dean Tchir¨¦on¡¯s ¡®seminar¡¯ today involves the matter that I¡¯m here to study, as well.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that in a bit,¡± Rebehka answered, and then gestured at the Dra¡¯kis woman. ¡°For now¡­ let me introduce Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis, an Electrotechnic from the Chaos Knights. She and her detachment are in charge of¡­ well, we¡¯ll get to that later, too.¡±


    ¡°You students can just call me Nil¡¯kin,¡± the woman remarked.


    ¡°The Chaos Knights¡­?¡± Sky echoed, ¡°the hell are those?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a PMC,¡± Luke commented from off to the side. ¡°Like the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t ¡®like¡¯ the Black Suns, we¡¯re superior,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°We engage in none of the duplicity of that unethical black ops organization.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°I find it hard to believe that any PMC can be ethical,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Many people in the galaxy would agree with you, but only because they¡¯re short-sighted,¡± Nil¡¯kin asserted. ¡°Groups like the Chaos Knights and the Light Keepers provide invaluable services that the government militaries are unable to. We Chaos Knights, in particular, operate under a single-minded focus to rid the galaxy of the Drakkars¡­¡± She then passed a knowing glance toward Rebehka as she finished, ¡°¡­and the Nanocreatures. And we can do so without any of the red tape that holds the CSA back.¡±


    ¡°Red tape usually exists for a reason,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°What are you doing here, anyways?¡± Austin questioned uneasily, ¡°there aren¡¯t any Drakkars or Nanocreatures around here¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that in a moment,¡± Rebehka interjected, passing an annoyed glance back to Nil¡¯kin before turning around and stepping into the elevator once more. ¡°Everyone, follow me.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Mark asked as the group followed the Dean into the elevator, which was more than spacious enough to accommodate the 13 people present.


    Rebehka turned to give Mark an odd look, though shook her head a moment later as the elevator began to descend. ¡°We¡¯re going down to the WTAC campus,¡± she answered. ¡°There, I¡¯ll give you all the lecture that SERRCom and Archon¨¦ Culana both requested I give you.¡±


    ¡°About the Nanocreatures, right?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°I prefer not to say that name in public,¡± Rebehka responded. ¡°The Nanocreature War was a significant and traumatic event that affected the entire galaxy. I don¡¯t want people to think that it will happen again¡­ not yet, anyways.¡±


    ¡°So, basically, you want to keep people from panicking?¡± Twy said.


    Rebehka nodded. ¡°Yes. Even in academic circles, we¡¯ll typically use the term ¡®metallic infection¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Academic circles¡­?¡± Pierce echoed as he looked out the elevator window. The campus below rapidly approached, and with it grew an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. What the hell is going on around here¡­?


    ¡°You talk like there¡¯s research being done into this stuff,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Because there is,¡± Rebehka replied as the elevator reached the bottom and its doors opened up, revealing a long pedestrian pathway lit by bright lamps. The details of L¨¦dia above could barely be seen from their new location far below it, with the lights that adorned the city¡¯s underside appearing similar to bright stars in a night sky.


    ¡°Would this research have anything to do with why your school was built where it is?¡± Luke asked, drawing Pierce¡¯s attention back to the conversation at hand.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes,¡± Rebehka replied as she looked at Luke in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to figure that out so quickly.¡±


    ¡°I know enough to put two and two together.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of us?¡± Conrad interjected, ¡°mind explaining for the rest of the class?¡±


    ¡°Allow me. I am the Dean,¡± Rebehka commented. She then turned around and began walking down the pathway, gesturing for the group to follow as she continued, ¡°this campus, in case Li¨¦hdan didn¡¯t tell you, is the Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics. Like the other Schools of Chaos, WTAC¡¯s primary purpose is to train young Chaotics to better use their abilities¡­ but we also have a secondary research purpose, here.¡±


    ¡°Question!¡± Sky exclaimed as her hand shot into the air. The moment Rebehka glanced her way, she continued, ¡°all the other schools seem to be named for their Dean, I can tell that much. But what about yours? Where¡¯s the ¡®Wanl¨¦on¡¯ part come from?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s a good question,¡± Rebehka replied slowly, exchanging a brief glance with Kaon¨¦ before stopping in her tracks and looking to her left. The rest of the group followed suit, taking note of a life-size steel statue of a young woman, seemingly in her early 20s, installed on the side of the pathway. In one of the woman¡¯s hands was what appeared to be a grappling hook, while in the other was a distinctive claymore, with a long blade and a double crossguard.


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute!¡± Austin exclaimed, and then held out his hand. With a flash of light, his claymore materialized, at which point he held it up to the sword wielded by the statue. ¡°¡­It¡¯s my sword!¡±


    ¡°An exact match, huh?¡± Luke observed.


    ¡°That would be because they¡¯re the same sword,¡± Rebehka stated, stepping forward to take a closer look at Austin¡¯s blade. ¡°¡­I had heard that you could summon Arc¨¢n, but¡­ I can still barely believe it.¡±


    ¡°So why is there a statue here holding the dweeb¡¯s sword, huh?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°And you still haven¡¯t answered my question, you know!¡± Sky interjected.


    ¡°The answers are one and the same,¡± Rebehka explained as she turned her attention back to the statue. ¡°The ¡®Wanl¨¦on¡¯ name comes from Siyuak¨¦n Wanl¨¦on, an old friend of mine. She was the one who ended the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°Tch,¡± Nil¡¯kin snorted in response. ¡°She¡¯s responsible for continuing it, more like.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t her fault,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°She was under Morcii¡¯s control during that time. But she was able to break free, and then, using the Arc¨¢n Claymore, she put an end to Morcii¡­ and sacrificed her own life in the process.¡±


    ¡°¡­I take it this statue is her, then?¡± Mark asked quietly.


    Rebehka nodded.


    ¡°Though I have to say¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin spoke up again as she stepped up to the statue, coming to stand next to Rebehka. ¡°It really is a very convenient story. Your ¡®friend¡¯, who previously wreaked havoc on a dozen worlds, suddenly turned on her master at the very end and struck him down? Veeerry convenient¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Major,¡± Rebehka shot back. ¡°And I will not accept your slanderous implications on my campus, let alone in front of Siyuak¨¦n¡¯s memorial!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t implying anything,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied innocently. ¡°I¡¯m just saying what a large chunk of the galaxy believes.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, it isn¡¯t relevant right now,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected as she moved to position herself between the other two women. ¡°We¡¯re not here to discuss the war. Not like this, anyways.¡±


    Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin both looked down at Kaon¨¦, and then back to each other. Eventually they both turned away, bearing apologetic smiles.


    ¡°Apologies,¡± Nil¡¯kin commented, ¡°don¡¯t mind me. I am just a guest here.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Rebehka muttered. She then turned on her heel to continue walking down the pathway, though at an increased pace this time. ¡°Now let¡¯s get going. We¡¯ve wasted enough time already.¡±


    ¡°¡­What a place, huh?¡± Conrad said quietly to Pierce as the two began following the rest of the group.


    ¡°Yeah, tell me about it,¡± Pierce responded in kind, his gaze lingering on the backs of Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin. He then held a hand to his stomach and frowned. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on around here, but I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You really dislike big ¡®indoor¡¯ spaces that much, huh?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Pierce shot back as Rebehka led the group into a nearby building. Just before stepping inside, however, he paused to sweep his gaze across the surrounding campus ¡ª finding nothing but other buildings, as well as the two-story wall that surrounded the campus. Something really doesn¡¯t feel right¡­


    ¡°Pierce?¡±


    He looked inside the building, spotting Conrad standing in an interior doorway as he held the door open. ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted, and then zipped over to Conrad¡¯s side and entered the room.


    Inside was a small lecture hall with only around thirty seats, all facing a podium at the front of the room. Pierce and Conrad grabbed seats at the back as Rebehka walked up to the front and stood behind the podium, with Nil¡¯kin standing just off to the side. ¡­I guess she can¡¯t really sit in any of these chairs with those legs, huh? Pierce mused, only to turn his attention to the front as Rebehka began speaking.


    ¡°Now, to the reason you all are here¡­¡± she began while interacting with a small tablet on top of the podium. ¡°¡­Today, I¡¯ll be sharing with you everything I know about the metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°With us?¡± Sky questioned incredulously. ¡°Why? What are we supposed to do about this?¡±


    ¡°This was a SERRCom request,¡± Luke replied. ¡°The General wants to know everything there is to know about the Nanocreatures. Or, I guess¡­ the metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just giving this lecture due to SERRCom¡¯s request,¡± Rebehka refuted. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m mostly doing this because Archon¨¦ Culana claims that you all need to know.¡±


    ¡°You mean that Pallan guy?¡± Austin frowned. ¡°What does he want with us?¡±


    ¡°¡­For various reasons that I¡¯ll get into soon, it¡¯s evident that whatever Siyuak¨¦n did to stop Morcii wasn¡¯t enough to stop the infection for good,¡± Rebehka explained as she swept her gaze over the eight Earthian students. ¡°Culana seems to think that the eight of you will be able to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°According to Pallan, your role as ¡®Keys¡¯ is to eventually fight the Nanocreatures,¡± Kaon¨¦ added, and then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much of that is true, but it certainly couldn¡¯t hurt to teach you about the infection.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here because of that damn ¡®prophecy¡¯ bullshit?¡± Pierce muttered to Conrad, ¡°really?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you seemed to like it when we first heard about it,¡± Conrad muttered back.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not gonna argue with someone if they tell me I¡¯m important.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Conrad drawled, and turned his attention back to the front of the room as Rebehka began to speak.


    ¡°The term ¡®metallic infection¡¯,¡± she began, ¡°refers to a disease caused by specific nanomachines. In the disease¡¯s later stages, infected hosts begin showing silvery, metal-like rashes on their skin ¡ª this is where the name ¡®metallic infection¡¯ comes from, and is the easiest way to identify a creature that has been infected. Unfortunately, once the infection gets to that stage¡­ it¡¯s next to impossible to save the host.


    ¡°The infection begins when Nanocreature nanomachines enter the host¡¯s bloodstream. It¡¯s possible for the body¡¯s defenses to stop the nanomachines before then, but only if there are a small number. If the nanomachines manage to make it to the bloodstream, then complete infection is practically guaranteed. Fortunately, our tests suggest that the nanomachines can only be spread through direct physical contact; they aren¡¯t airborne. Still, being machines, they can survive on their own almost indefinitely by placing themselves into a sort of hibernation.


    ¡°The infection seems to spread primarily by hijacking the host¡¯s control of their own body. Hosts will turn violent and seek to injure other creatures, with the aim of drawing blood ¡ª which then allows for nanomachines to enter the new target¡¯s bloodstream directly. This process continues indefinitely, until you reach the ¡®critical infection¡¯ stage of an outbreak.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Twy spoke up, tentatively raising her hand.


    Rebehka glanced her way. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ if I remember what I¡¯ve read about the Nanocreature War right¡­ why do the Nanocreatures need hosts? I thought they were able to create more of themselves out of any matter¡­¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Rebehka remarked. ¡°¡­To be honest, we still don¡¯t know why for certain. We have a hypothesis ¡ª one that I think is pretty solid, but there¡¯s no way to safely test it. The hypothesis goes that, the more nanomachines there are in the same place, the smarter and more capable they become.¡±


    ¡°Until Morcii appears?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s an entirely different stage of the infection, that I¡¯ll get to in a bit. For now, we¡¯re talking about how the metallic infection works without Morcii.¡±


    ¡°Without Morcii?¡± Conrad echoed incredulously.


    ¡°His presence made a significant difference,¡± Rebehka declared, ¡°but, again, I¡¯ll cover that in a bit. To go back ¡ª in the beginning stages of an infection outbreak, the nanites piggyback on biological cell division to create more of themselves. Eventually, once enough creatures in the same physical region have been infected, the outbreak reaches a ¡®critical infection¡¯ stage. At this point, infected creatures will converge on a central location, and be merged together into a single, massive creature dominated in form by nanomachines. This creature typically takes on the form of a silver winged beast with two arms and two legs.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ a dragon?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°The Earthian image of a ¡®dragon¡¯ does match the beast I¡¯m describing,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°There are similar mythological creatures in the history of Nimalia, as well as each of the member nations of the CSA¡­ which is interesting, but outside of my field.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to suggest that this ¡®metallic infection¡¯ is the source of dragon myths,¡± Phoenix responded incredulously.


    ¡°I am, in fact, not suggesting that,¡± Rebehka retorted. ¡°If a critical infection ever occurred on a pre-space flight world, especially one like Earth with no Chaotics, then the entire population would be doomed. No one would be left to create myths about it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What is this ¡®critical infection¡¯?¡± Luke asked. ¡°What¡¯s the point of making a dragon monster?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®point¡¯, as it were, is that a critical infection is the point where the metallic infection no longer needs biological creatures to reproduce,¡± Rebehka answered. ¡°Once the infection reaches that stage, the nanomachines become capable of making more of themselves out of any nearby matter. This is when they¡¯ll begin forming autonomous creatures entirely out of nanomachines, most often taking the form of silvery bug-like creatures around the size of a human head.¡±


    ¡°And then they spread until the whole planet is consumed?¡± Austin suggested.


    ¡°Well¡­ not quite. Based on critical infection incidents from before the Nanocreature War, the infection actually prioritizes removing threats to itself instead of attempting to consume everything nearby. Furthermore¡­ there seems to be a limit to how many Nanocreature nanites can be active in the galaxy at any given time. This limit appears to be related to how many Chaos Ayas the Nanocreatures possess.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Luke questioned, ¡°the Ayas have all been under lock and key ever since the war. None of them have fallen into Nanocreature hands¡­¡±


    ¡°Not since the war, no,¡± Rebehka replied, ¡°but before the war, the Ayas fell into the Nanocreatures¡¯ possession one by one. As they did, the rate of the infection¡¯s spread throughout the galaxy increased ¡ª significantly more so than you would expect from plague theory. Additionally, when Morcii and his Nanocreatures attacked the galaxy at the end of the war, they had no Ayas ¡ª and their attacking force was significantly smaller than earlier in the war, when they did have some of the Ayas.¡±


    ¡°So the Nanocreatures and the metallic infection are connected to these ¡®Ayas¡¯, then?¡± Spike pondered.


    ¡°Question!¡± Sky exclaimed, and then continued before anyone acknowledged her. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of these ¡®Ayas¡¯ things before, but what are they, exactly¡­?¡±


    Rebehka stared at Sky for a moment before releasing a weary sigh. ¡°¡­Right. I suppose you all are new to this. Put simply, the Chaos Ayas are nine gemstone-like objects that are capable of creating Chaos Energy. They¡¯re the only things in the entire galaxy that can create Chaos Energy, in fact. This makes them incredibly powerful, and highly valuable.¡±


    ¡°And dangerous,¡± Kaon¨¦ added.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Rebehka nodded. ¡°Especially in the hands of the metallic infection. If the Nanocreatures can claim three of the Ayas¡­ then that¡¯s when Morcii comes in.¡±


    ¡°I thought y¡¯all defeated Morcii,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Right? That¡¯s how the story goes: that Hero Machina stopped Morcii, not once, but twice!¡±


    Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ exchanged an uneasy glance. ¡°¡­Unfortunately, it¡¯s not that simple,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated as she stepped up to the front of the room, next to Rebehka. ¡°Based on what we know about Morcii¡­ it¡¯s possible that he might come back.¡±


    ¡°¡­What? How?¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you even know that?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°What you need to know is that, if the metallic infection ¡ª if the Nanocreatures get three Ayas again, then we might see Morcii again. And if he appears, then the Nanocreatures will immediately grow immensely more dangerous. Based on analysis of their spread during the Nanocreature War ¡ª when Morcii is around, the Nanocreatures can replicate themselves with minimal source material or energy, and they can do so extremely rapidly. They can even replace matter in an object or a creature within seconds, giving Morcii complete control over it. And even more dangerous, it seems that the nanites gain the ability to spread through the air at that point.¡±


    ¡°Sounds scary,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°And we¡ª are we supposed to fight this?!¡± Austin exclaimed incredulously. ¡°How?! This is a big fucking ask!¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, dweeb,¡± Pierce retorted, ¡°we¡¯re Chaotics! Taking care of some stupid nanites should be easy.¡±


    ¡°If only it was¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded. ¡°Unfortunately, Nanocreature nanites are immune to direct manipulation.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°We have some ideas¡­¡± Rebehka replied with a sigh, ¡°but none of them give us actionable information.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s information we don¡¯t need, anyways,¡± Nil¡¯kin interjected. ¡°The nanites might be immune to direct manipulation, but there are still plenty of other ways to annihilate them.¡±


    ¡°Right¡ª¡°


    ¡°This threat of Morcii coming back is overstated, too. The galaxy learned from the Nanocreature War. None of the Ayas are in the same place, and they¡¯re all heavily guarded.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to hear this from you,¡± Rebehka replied icily. ¡°I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be one of the people advocating for extreme caution.¡±


    ¡°We are practicing extreme caution,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted. ¡°With the exception of that damned Master Ayas, we know exactly where and who possesses each Ayas. The Siions have one, the Dra¡¯kis have one, the Citans have two, you Nimalians have three, and SERRCom has one.¡±


    ¡°We do?¡± Austin questioned as he turned toward Luke.


    ¡°Yeah, there isn¡¯t really a way to hide it,¡± Luke replied with a shrug. ¡°The way I hear it, you can detect those things from across the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re so easy to detect, then why are we so sure the Nanocreatures won¡¯t ever get them?¡± Phoenix asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t,¡± Rebehka stated as she threw Nil¡¯kin an annoyed glance. ¡°Which is why precautions are necessary. And why we must stay one step ahead of the infection as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Now I¡¯m surprised to hear that from you,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied. ¡°You gather up infected specimens like a hoarder. If you practiced the ¡®precautions¡¯ that you preached, then you would have taken my advice and annihilated them all already.¡±


    ¡°Keeping infected creatures alive is the only way to study the infection,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°And if we don¡¯t study it, then we¡¯ll be just as unprepared to face future outbreaks and critical infection incidents as we were 20 years ago!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the possibility of developing a cure, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out.


    ¡°A cure? Ha!¡± Nil¡¯kin scoffed. ¡°What cure? As far as we know, there¡¯s only one way to cure the infection, and it simply isn¡¯t practical on a large scale.¡±


    ¡°It might not be practical now,¡± Mark commented, ¡°but at least if there is one, then it eventually will be.¡± He then glanced at Rebehka. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The Dean glanced away for a moment. ¡°¡­Not necessarily. Right now, the only confirmed way to cure someone of the metallic infection is to have them engage the Chaos State. However, that won¡¯t work if you let the infection get too far¡­ not to mention how difficult it would be to even get your hands on one of the Ayas. None of the governments or militaries would be willing to relinquish one, just to save one person¡­ and even then, only Chaotics can use the Chaos State. In the end, it just isn¡¯t a useful solution. That said, we have been working on finding other solutions. Archon¨¦ Culana has been surprisingly helpful in that regard¡­ thanks to him, we actually have technology that allows us to detect the presence of Nanocreature nanites in an area.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little convenient, isn¡¯t it?¡± Nil¡¯kin remarked.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t argue with that¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡± Luke questioned.


    Rebehka shook her head warily. ¡°I have no idea how the Archon¨¦ or his people figured out this technology. He won¡¯t tell us. Even Kevken ¡ª sorry, Kievkenalis ¡ª doesn¡¯t know, and his school is so privileged, that they have one of the Union¡¯s Ayas in their possession for study!¡±


    ¡°That does sound suspicious¡­¡±


    ¡°Even so, the fact that we¡¯re able to detect nanites is incredibly helpful, so I try not to complain too much.¡±


    ¡°Is it really safe, though?¡± Austin asked, ¡°you know¡­ to keep Nanocreatures around? That sounds like you¡¯re just asking for trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As I said earlier, before an infection outbreak reaches the critical infection stage, the nanites require biological creatures to replicate,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°They can¡¯t just eat through a containment cage, not yet. And as an added precaution, all of our specimens are contained within energy shields. That stops the nanites for good.¡±


    ¡°So Nanocreatures can¡¯t get through energy shielding, then?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. They can try to burrow through the shielding, but they can¡¯t actually get through, not until the shield runs out of charge and dies.¡±


    ¡°It still sounds like trouble to me¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Oh please, dweeb, it sounds perfectly fine to me,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Just because you¡¯re afraid of something doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a valid thing to be afraid of.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Pierce¡­¡± Phoenix commented warily, ¡°everything about the Nanocreatures and the metallic infection sounds dangerous. I¡¯d only bother capturing an infected creature if I had failsafes upon failsafes to make sure the nanites never got out¡­¡±


    ¡°And we do,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°I understand your wariness, but we know what we¡¯re doing, here. Hmm¡­ perhaps, if I showed you the containment labs, you¡¯d understand.¡±


    ¡°That means we¡¯d get to see what this stuff actually looks like, right?¡± Sky questioned, and then jumped to her feet. ¡°If so, then I¡¯m in! It¡¯s hard to fight something if you don¡¯t know what it looks like, after all!¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can take a look¡­¡± Luke stated, ¡°if it¡¯s really as safe as you say¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, trust me,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°In fact, even if the power, the backup power, and the backup backup power somehow were to go out, the Major here is an Electrotechnic. The shields will stay up.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin snorted, but offered no further response.


    ¡°Anyways, if you all will follow me¡­¡± The Dean left her position behind the podium and began leaving the room, as everyone slowly stood up from their seats to follow. ¡°It¡¯s time for a look at the containment labs.¡±


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°Here we are. Containment Lab 1.¡±


    ¡°1?¡± Austin echoed incredulously. ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°3,¡± Rebehka replied, ¡°all evenly spaced apart, and just outside of the main campus. For security¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Is ¡®security¡¯ the same reason that you had us all put on this armor?¡± Pierce questioned as he looked himself over. A small chestplate, a set of gauntlets, and a pair of greaves now accompanied his casual outfit ¡ª in fact, everyone in the group was now wearing such armor pieces, with the sole exception of Nil¡¯kin, who was already wearing armor.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°The energy shielding provided by powered armor is an extra precautionary step that we take when accessing infected specimens. There¡¯s no such thing as too much caution when dealing with the metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°Though there certainly is such a thing as too little,¡± Nil¡¯kin interjected.


    ¡°Major Dralis, if you have an issue with how I¡¯m doing things today, then you can take it up with Archon¨¦ Ledkia,¡± Rebehka countered impatiently. ¡°He¡¯s the one who commissioned the Chaos Knights to act as WTAC¡¯s security ¡ª without consulting me, might I add. But if I recall your contract correctly, while we¡¯re on my campus, we do things my way.¡±


    The Dra¡¯kis remained silent for a moment as she simply stared back at Rebehka. Eventually a bitter smile crossed her face as she replied, ¡°¡­understood, Dean.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Rebehka nodded curtly before turning around. Standing in front of her was a locked door that appeared to lead into a building in the far corner of the WTAC campus; adjacent to the door was a keypad, which the Dean quickly entered a code into. She then placed her hand on a black pad next to the keypad, at which point a thin light quickly swept across her body. A moment later, a green light appeared above the door, and it opened up.


    ¡°Lotta security¡­¡± Conrad observed as the group began to filter through the open door.


    ¡°As I said, there¡¯s no such thing as too much caution,¡± Rebehka answered, stopping in a small lobby-like area beyond the door. She then turned to face the group as she continued, ¡°to go back to one of your questions from earlier, WTAC was built here on the forest floor to place it closer to its subjects of study: creatures that have succumbed to the metallic infection. Here on the forest floor in the Giant¡¯s Forest, the flora and fauna can be excessively large and dangerous. People, for the most part, stay away ¡ª which creates a vast area where the infection has the potential to spread without supervision. As such, most of our specimens are from the surrounding environment ¡ª and in an absolute worst case scenario of a containment breach, the animals would just be returning to the same environment that they were captured in.¡±


    ¡°I mean, that still sounds pretty bad,¡± Twy said.


    ¡°It would be, but it wouldn¡¯t be as bad as introducing the infection to an entirely new environment where it didn¡¯t exist previously,¡± the Dean countered. She then looked over the group, and glanced at the entrance door; upon confirming that it was closed, she turned on her heel and approached another door in the back of the lobby. ¡°Now, Kaon¨¦, since we have guests, I¡¯ll need your access code as well.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, following Rebehka to the door.


    The rest of the group began to follow as well, though Pierce hung back, eying the door in front of them with unease.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Pierce glanced over at Conrad, who had also hung back with him. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know,¡± Pierce muttered in reply. ¡°Something¡­ doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are about to go stare at some hella dangerous diseased animals,¡± Conrad responded.


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­ I guess.¡± Pierce took a deep breath. He watched Conrad begin sauntering off after the group, at which point he himself jogged to catch up.


    On the other side of the door was a long hallway, with more doors lining the right side. Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ simply passed them by as they strode down the hallway, eventually stopping at the far end. Once there, they performed the same series of security checks that Rebehka had engaged in to initially enter the lab, though the scan this time seemed to take thrice as long. As soon as it completed, a loud ka-chunk echoed through the hall, and the door in front of them slowly opened.


    ¡°Here we are¡­ the specimen storage,¡± Rebehka stated as she stepped into the room and gestured for everyone to follow. Inside was another hallway, though wider ¡ª nearly wide enough for four people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. And all along the left wall were series and series of cells, not unlike a jail. Each one featured dirt and grass on its floor, coupled with a handful of small artificial tree branches extending from the walls¡­ and laying on those floors, or hanging from the branches, were a variety of animals, one per cell. In one, there appeared to be a creature similar to a monkey, though with two tails that both latched onto the branch above it; in another, a small bird with a viciously sharp beak and a long tail; in a third, a wolf-like beast lying curled up in the corner. And on each and every one of them were streaks of silver, running down their flanks and up their necks like a fierce rash.


    ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Pierce muttered to himself as he tentatively approached the cell containing the wolf beast. As he stepped up to it, the beast turned to stare at him, at which point he realized that the wolf¡¯s left eye was silvered. Just as he noticed this, the beast bared its fangs, and then leaped to its feet and lunged at the cell bars. Reflexively, Pierce drew back, though the wolf¡¯s lunge was stopped by a sheet of golden energy covering the cage that separated them. He then glared down at the beast as it growled back at him ¡ª and in that moment, for just a brief second, the image of Liask¡¯s scarred face flashed across his vision, followed immediately by Trenon¡¯s fallen body, and then a second image of a wolf beast with silvery, metallic rashes covering its body.


    Pierce quickly stepped back from the cell, his brow furrowed in confusion. What the hell was that? That¡­ that was that damn vision I had back when Trenon died, wasn¡¯t it? Yeah, I remember seeing a wolf like this¡­ but how the hell did I see that? Wait a minute¡­ The unsettling feeling in the bottom of his stomach that had plagued him since initially descending to the forest floor suddenly crystallized into an epiphany, momentarily overriding the dull throb that passed through his torso. That weird feeling I¡¯ve been having ¡ª was it this? Was I sensing these infected animals?


    ¡°Careful. Like I said, they can be hostile.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± Pierce whipped around to face Rebehka, who had just approached him. Confusion crossed her face in response, though before she could say anything, Phoenix spoke up.


    ¡°The cages aren¡¯t exactly spacious,¡± Phoenix pointed out, ¡°that hostility might just be shitty housing.¡±


    Rebehka glanced back at Phoenix, and then turned to give the wolf a forlorn look. ¡°Believe me, if I could give them more space, I would¡­ But more space requires more resources. More energy shielding, more surveillance, more land¡­ it¡¯s hard to get the funding and permission for all of that when the animals will inevitably die in months, if not weeks. In my over 20 years of studying the metallic infection¡­ barring exceptional circumstances, not a single host has ever survived.¡± She then shook her head. ¡°Anyways, these animals are sedated. When they were captured in the wild, they were actually far more violent than this.¡±


    ¡°Must¡¯ve been hard to capture,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°It certainly does take skill. A little luck, as well. And as luck would have it, my Cryotechnism makes it simple for me to capture things.¡±


    ¡°Still, the fact that there¡¯s no cure for this, is¡­¡± Twy stepped up to the cell containing the infected bird. ¡°¡­Just one wound, and it¡¯s all over, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, actually¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ spoke up from off to the side, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She then passed Rebehka a tentative glance as she said, ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t want to say this earlier, and get people¡¯s hopes too far up¡­ but I think now would be a good time.¡±


    Rebehka gave her a doubtful look. ¡°Are you sure? I still wanted to do another test¡­¡±


    ¡°We know it¡¯s possible now, though. I think that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°That what¡¯s possible?¡± Nil¡¯kin questioned impatiently.


    Kaon¨¦ glanced at Rebehka again before taking a deep breath and addressing the group directly. ¡°Rebehka mentioned earlier that we¡¯re looking into a cure for the infection¡­ and, just last month, with the help of the facilities at the Infection Research Center on Karania¡­ I actually managed to use my Materiatechnism to completely remove all Nanocreature nanites from a small rodent, and keep them alive in the process.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± came an exclamation in unison from nearly everyone present.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Sky immediately followed, ¡°man, you guys are really powerful!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait¡­ hold on,¡± Phoenix interjected, ¡°I thought you said that the Nanocreatures are immune to direct manipulation!¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained, ¡°which is why removing the nanites is so difficult. But the matter they¡¯re attached to can still be manipulated ¡ª I¡¯ve done it once to myself 20 years ago, so I knew that from the start. It just requires intense concentration, a lot of effort, a lot of care, and a lot of time¡­ but it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°On a small rodent,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°Last I checked, rodents aren¡¯t humans.¡±


    ¡°No, but this clearly shows that a cure is at least possible,¡± Mark countered. ¡°This is pretty incredible, honestly!¡±


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°I agree. And I received confirmation from Karania last weekend that the animal is doing just fine now, with no side effects.¡± She looked down at her hands, and then over at the infected creatures in the nearby cells. ¡°¡­I know I can do it. I just need more practice to be able to cure bigger animals, and people¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin snorted. ¡°More practice is more time. And the more time we waste keeping creatures like these alive in hopes of a cure, the more time the infection has to spread.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but a cure¡¯s possible,¡± Conrad pointed out with a shrug. ¡°That makes things different. Right?¡±


    ¡°It might be possible, but it still won¡¯t be scalable,¡± the Dra¡¯kis countered, and then turned to look at Kaon¨¦. ¡°Dean Densalin here may be a powerful Materiatechnic, but she¡¯s still only one woman. There are woefully few Materiatechnics in the galaxy, and even fewer ¡ª perhaps, even none ¡ª who could match her level of skill or ability. Even if she gets to a point where she can cure someone with a snap of her fingers, it simply wouldn¡¯t matter, if the infection was allowed to overcome a planet in the time she took to master that skill!¡±


    ¡°The infection doesn¡¯t spread that fast,¡± Rebehka shot back. ¡°What could possibly be wrong about wanting to save people?¡±


    ¡°I am saving people ¡ª by not getting sentimental over those who are already doomed.¡±


    ¡°Surely it can¡¯t hurt to pursue a cure, though,¡± Kaon¨¦ argued.


    Nil¡¯kin¡¯s brow furrowed as she stared at Kaon¨¦, only to look away a moment later. ¡°¡­If you insist, Dean,¡± she replied, with a dry emphasis placed on the final word.


    Rebehka pursed her lips in response to Nil¡¯kin¡¯s statement, but chose not to respond further. She turned away to look at the infected wolf again, opening her mouth to speak ¡ª only to be interrupted.


    ¡°Something¡¯s¡­ wrong,¡± Phoenix stated, a hand held to her temple as she glanced to and fro. ¡°¡­Something bad is about to happen.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± Sky questioned.


    Phoenix frowned with unease. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to explain. I just have this weird feeling, the same feeling I had back when EA kidnapped us, and again when he ambushed us with his mech on his ship, and then again just before the Bleeders blew themselves up at Goresan¡­¡±


    Pierce snorted. ¡°What, are you saying that you have some kind of danger sense?¡±


    ¡°No, asshole¡ª well, uh, yes, actually. Maybe. I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Her brow furrowed. ¡°Look, just, we need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­? Hmm¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ looked at Phoenix with wonder, and then glanced at Rebehka. ¡°¡­Is this what Pallan was talking about?¡±


    ¡°Who knows with him,¡± Rebehka replied, and then began moving toward the exit. ¡°¡­But, as I said before, there¡¯s no such thing as too much caution when dealing with the infection¡ª¡°


    ¡°No. Wrong way.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Rebehka stopped and looked back at Kestrel, who had quickly moved forward to block the Dean¡¯s path. ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°Kestrel, do you feel it too?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Kestrel passed Phoenix only a brief glance before turning back to face the exit. ¡°¡­Something¡¯s¡ª¡°


    Then, before she could finish her statement, the wall directly perpendicular to the exit door blasted open, filling the room with the bright white light and thundering roar of an explosion.


    Kra-KOOM!

 V1 - A5 - Chapter 40: Breached

    NEW WORLD ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 40: Breached


    Kra-KOOM!


    ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± Austin yelped, reflexively shielding his face with his arms as a piece of debris bowled him over. The bright golden light of his energy shields blocked his vision as they saved him from harm, but what followed was a confusing flurry of sounds: rushing flames, snarling beasts, cackling electricity, and then a series of thuds and thunks. Hostile snarling and screeching remained in the backdrop, but as Austin regained his bearings, he was startled to find that where the wall once stood, there was now a massive block of ice. Within the ice and partially protruding from it were two individuals, both wearing black and silver armor ¡ª though unable to extricate their lower halves from the ice. And all around the ice chunk were jail cell bars that hadn¡¯t been present before, along with an odd device on the floor next to the bars.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Luke questioned, quickly putting to words Austin¡¯s own confusion.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Rebehka replied with a scowl. She then glanced over at Nil¡¯kin. ¡°Major, weren¡¯t your forces in charge of security?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and whoever allowed this ridiculous breach will be punished,¡± the Dra¡¯kis replied, though her attention was directed elsewhere and her hand was held up to her ear, as she focused on incoming communications. ¡°¡­Damn. I¡¯m getting reports that the other two labs were attacked, as well.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kaon¨¦ exclaimed, ¡°by who?!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet,¡± Nil¡¯kin responded. She passed a brief look toward the two attackers trapped in ice before turning toward the exit of the room. ¡°¡­All we know is that they¡¯re wearing Black Suns armor. But we can¡¯t afford to just stand around. I¡¯m going to help.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Sky eyed the retreating Dra¡¯kis with confusion, and then looked to Rebehka and Kaon¨¦. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Who are the Black Suns, and why are they attacking?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the galaxy¡¯s largest PMC, but I don¡¯t believe for a second that these attackers are actually part of the Black Suns,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°The Suns would never take such overt and hostile action on a Homeworld, of all places. Besides, they have commercial variants of their armors that anyone can buy, so these attackers could be anyone. But, as the Major said, we can¡¯t afford to just stand around. Kaon¨¦, I¡¯m going ahead. You stay here and make sure that none of the attackers or the animals escape.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Pierce exclaimed, stopping the Dean just before she stepped through the exit. ¡°If this place is under attack, then let us help!¡±


    ¡°No. Major Dralis and I have this under control,¡± Rebehka declared, and then quickly swept her gaze over the Earthians. ¡°Thank the fucking leaves this didn¡¯t happen during the week¡­ but I need all of you to retreat to the elevator. It isn¡¯t safe in the labs anymore.¡±


    ¡°Retreat¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°You can prove yourself another day. For now, you¡¯d only get in our way. Now, I need to go.¡±


    ¡°¡­What a shit show,¡± Conrad muttered as Rebehka dashed out the exit herself.


    ¡°I knew keeping infected animals around would be a bad idea,¡± Phoenix said, as she eyed the damaged cell. The monkey-like creature that used to occupy it was now halfway through a hole in the wall, stopped only by a wall of ice literally freezing it in place.


    ¡°¡­Did the Deans do this?¡± Twy questioned as she eyed the ice, and then the half-trapped attackers, who appeared quite irate about their current position ¡ª but were otherwise remaining silent. She then turned to Kaon¨¦, asking, ¡°what happened here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what it looks like,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied as she looked at the two captives. ¡°These two burst through the wall. Nil¡¯kin shorted out their armor with her electricity, and Rebehka froze them in place with her ice. I just added the CENT field jail to make sure they don¡¯t use their powers anymore.¡±


    ¡°You can create CENT fields?¡± Austin questioned incredulously, ¡°just, out of thin air?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s made out of matter, then I can make it. ¡­Theoretically,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°And CENT field generators are clearly material. But for now, you need to do as Rebehka said ¡ª escape to the elevator. You¡¯ll be safer there. I¡¯ll stay here and make sure that nothing else gets away.¡± She glanced at Luke and Mark. ¡°Can you keep them safe?¡±


    Luke nodded back. ¡°It¡¯s what we¡¯re here for.¡± He then quickly approached the exit, gesturing for everyone to follow. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±


    <hr>


    Distant rumbling and bestial screeching filled the air as the Earthians set foot outside of the containment lab. In the darkness of the forest¡¯s underbelly, not much could be seen in the distance ¡ª though smoke could just barely be spotted above one of the corners of the WTAC campus, barely illuminated by the surrounding lights. The damage to Containment Lab 1 could be seen now, as well: a hole had been melted through the campus¡¯s exterior wall, and then into the lab itself. Ice now filled the holes, but the damage was obvious.


    ¡°¡­What the hell is going on?¡± Twy questioned with a confused frown. ¡°Why would someone attack the containment labs? What do they gain from it?¡±


    ¡°Who knows. And for now, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Luke declared as he began leading the group toward the elevator to the city. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we have these armors, but we still need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Pierce commented, his attention drifting to the left as a flash of light emanated from somewhere in the distance. ¡°¡­Everyone¡¯s saying that¡­ but I have a better idea!¡±


    ¡°No! Pierce, you dumb asshole¡ª!¡± Phoenix started, but before she could finish, Pierce had already disappeared from sight. ¡°Damn it! That moron!¡±


    ¡°Did he just¡­? Fucking¡­¡± Luke scowled as he looked around at the surrounding campus, as though trying to determine where Pierce had gone.


    ¡°Did no one really see this coming?¡± Conrad questioned flatly.


    ¡°I had hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be a self-absorbed idiot, for once,¡± Phoenix retorted, and then whirled around to address Conrad and Kestrel. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We need to make sure he doesn¡¯t get himself or anyone else fucking killed!¡±


    ¡°¡®We¡¯?!¡± Conrad echoed incredulously, only to yelp as Kestrel began lifting him, Phoenix, and herself into the air. ¡°Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! This is a terrible idea!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Luke exclaimed as he eyed the three in the air. ¡°Get down here! We need to go!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Phoenix shouted down, ¡°we¡¯ll be right back ¡ª with Pierce in tow! Now let¡¯s go, Kestrel!¡±


    ¡°Are you¡ª?! Hey! Hey!!¡± Luke shouted as the three flew off into the distance, in the direction of the flash of light that had drawn Pierce¡¯s attention. ¡°¡­For fuck¡¯s sake¡­!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to talk to them later, Luke,¡± Mark declared, and then summoned his massive green and silver halberd as he took up a defensive position behind the group. ¡°Incoming from above!¡±


    Just after Mark¡¯s exclamation, a huge bird ¡ª with wings individually as wide as Mark was tall ¡ª swooped down and attempted to rake him with its talons. The force of the blow caused his armor¡¯s energy shields to flare up, but Mark ignored them as he swept his halberd up and cleanly cleaved through the creature. Only as the severed corpse fell to the ground did it become obvious that long, silver rashes covered the length of the creature¡¯s wings ¡ª and when more screeching filled the air, this time nearby, it also became obvious that this creature wasn¡¯t the only one around.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll draw their attention,¡± Mark shouted, brandishing his halberd as two more of the massive birds appeared in the air above him. ¡°Luke! Get them back to the elevator!¡±


    ¡°Right! We¡¯re counting on you!¡± Luke shouted back, and then looked each of Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy in the eyes. ¡°Y¡¯all aren¡¯t going to run off on me now, are you?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Twy responded warily.


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s get going!¡±


    The five, led by Luke, promptly began running down the walkways of WTAC. Austin glanced over his shoulder as they left, watching Mark as he deftly fended off the two attacking creatures. ¡°Fucking¡­ fuck,¡± he muttered between breaths, and returned his attention forward. ¡°It¡­ would fucking figure¡­!¡±


    ¡°Things really do have a way of going bad right when you don¡¯t want ¡®em to,¡± Luke replied. ¡°¡­Damn. I wish I had my rifle¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re going to have to be the ones to protect you, then, huh?¡± Sky remarked with a grin.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t anything to be amused by,¡± Twy shot back. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with the metallic infection, here!¡±


    ¡°At least we have these shields,¡± Austin muttered. ¡°Even so¡­!¡±


    ¡°Even so, we¡¯re still under attack!¡± Spike exclaimed, jumping forward to place himself in the middle of the group as he fabricated a massive shield to raise overhead. Just as he did, a loud metallic twang echoed through the air as a large bird crashed into it from above. Immediately, he thrust the shield upward, striking and stunning the creature before it could fly off. He then threw the shield aside, allowing Sky to quickly douse the bird in a gout of searing flame.


    ¡°There¡¯s more!¡± Twy shouted, forming two orbs of water around her hands. Just as she made to launch them at the approaching birds, however, she noticed a handful of beasts charging toward the group on the ground. ¡°Oh, no¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Austin grit his teeth as he eyed the creatures, and the silvery rashes that covered their snouts and faces. ¡°Where did these all come from? Spike, we need¡ª!¡± He cut himself off and glanced toward Spike, who was at that moment preoccupied with fending off attacks from above. Wait, I don¡¯t need to get Spike to make defenses! Austin then whipped around; Twy had managed to capture one of the charging beasts in a sphere of water, but the remaining two were already nearly on top of the group. With a furrowed brow, Austin braced himself, and held out his arm ¡ª into which he fabricated a large tower shield. Ha! Finally getting the hang of these Simulator powers!


    With a shield now in hand, Austin managed to intercept a lunge from one of the beasts, and then thrust it back. The other beast dodged past the shield and lunged for Austin¡¯s leg, but he took further advantage of Spike¡¯s close proximity to simulate his superstrength and blast the beast back with an incredibly forceful punch. Austin wasn¡¯t used to that level of force, however, and realized that he had followed through with the punch too far as he fell over on his face. A bubble of water prevented his shield from falling on him, and then expanded into a large water shield in an effort to block the beasts from attacking again. While the water shield didn¡¯t stop the beasts completely, it did slow them down just long enough for Austin to jump to his feet, grab the fallen tower shield, and then swing it around like an oversized club to knock the infected creatures away. He then gripped the shield and braced his feet again, preparing to use his Imperator powers to launch the shield through the air ¡ª but as soon as it left his hands, it fell harmlessly down to the ground.


    What?! He stared at the fallen shield in disbelief. Why isn¡¯t it moving¡ª? Oh, fuck! He then looked down at his hands, his brow furrowed in realization. These energy shields mean I can¡¯t actually touch things with my hands ¡ª the shielding gets in the way. Shit, are my Imperator powers really useless when I¡¯m wearing armor?!


    ¡°Austin!!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± He snapped his attention upwards. Spike and Sky had been dealing with the infected creatures attacking from above, and as part of that, Sky was propelling herself through the air with her flames in pursuit of said attackers. Two of them had slipped past her, and while Spike was able to knock one off course by chucking a shield at it, one more remained ¡ª and it crashed into Austin, slamming him down to the ground as it raked him with its talons. Flaring energy shields protected him from harm, but the chaos of the golden lights and the bird¡¯s rabid movements disoriented Austin. In an effort to clear his immediate space, he summoned his blue and golden claymore and began swinging wildly. Almost immediately he was able to force the bird off of him, slicing into its wings and driving it away ¡ª but as a torrent of water finished the job, Austin felt his claymore slip out of his hands. Shit, I swung too hard¡ª! He scowled as he eyed the sword flying through the air, only for his eyes to widen when he realized that Twy was directly in the blade¡¯s path. Ah, fuck! ¡°Twy, look out!!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?!¡± she exclaimed, snapping her attention away from a new attacking beast ¡ª only to freeze as Austin¡¯s sword stopped just short of her face. Reflexively, she jumped back, and then gave the sword an odd look as it continued to hang in the air.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Austin stared at the sword in confusion as well. ¡°How¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ watch where you¡¯re swinging that thing, Austin!¡± Twy shouted, only to whip around a second later to shield herself with water just as Sky performed a drive-by flamethrowing over two more creatures that had approached.


    ¡°Uh¡­ right!¡± Austin replied, only to keep staring at his sword, which still hung in the air. Did I do that? But how? I didn¡¯t touch it¡­ well, whatever. He turned around and fabricated a shield into his left hand, and summoned his sword back into his right ¡ª but just as he did, something caught his eye. Holding up his right hand, he dismissed his claymore, and then summoned it again, noting that for a brief moment after he summoned the blade, the energy shielding protecting his palm flared up. What? What are the shields doing? ¡­Wait, when I summon my sword, it would be touching my hands, wouldn¡¯t it? But that would cause it to clip through the energy shields ¡ª which cause them to flare up, as they force the sword out! ¡­At least, I think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening. But if it is¡ª!


    A sudden blow knocked Austin to the ground as yet another beast with silver rashes attacked him. With a scowl, he forced the beast away with the shield in his left hand and then, his brow furrowed in concentration, he seized control of his summoned sword through his Imperator powers and began swinging it through the air, while he himself remained on the ground. Alright¡­! A slim smile crossed his face as he continued to focus on maneuvering the blade through the air, successfully managing to swing it around from several meters away without touching it. A frown quickly replaced his smile, however, as he noticed that it was difficult to swing the sword from a distance without moving his own arms in a similar motion, even though there were no attackers near him. Shit, this is hard. Using my Imperator powers to just fling things through the air was hard enough, but actually controlling facing and direction¡­ trying to do it without moving my own body the same way is fucking hard! It¡¯s like trying to control a marionette without moving your hand! Are there people out there that can actually do this¡ª?!


    ¡°Hey, look out!!¡±


    ¡°Wagh¡ª!¡± Austin yelped as Spike stomped the ground nearby, sending out shockwaves that momentarily stunned another approaching beast. Austin quickly jumped to his feet and snapped his attention back to his surroundings as Spike finished the beast off with a shield throw, and then turned to stare incredulously at his friend.


    ¡°The hell are you doin¡¯ on the ground?!¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°Ah ha¡­!¡± Austin laughed nervously as he fabricated another shield into his left hand and summoned his sword back to his right. ¡°Just, uh, picking a really bad time to try new things!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ say,¡± Spike growled. ¡°All these fuckin¡¯ infected animals¡­ just where the hell did they come from?!¡±


    ¡°Maybe the other labs were breached, just like the one we were in!¡± Sky shouted down from above.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± Luke replied, his eyes zipping back and forth as he read alerts on his AR display while he hunched down behind one of Spike¡¯s shields. ¡°The warning bulletins say that someone drew in a bunch of infected creatures from the surrounding forest.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Twy exclaimed incredulously, creating a dome of water around the group to give them a moment¡¯s respite. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°No idea, the bulletins don¡¯t say. But they do say that the elevator¡¯s been locked down until this situation can be resolved.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t want the infection gettin¡¯ up to the city¡­¡±


    ¡°What about us, though?!¡± Sky remarked, ¡°what do we do?!¡±


    ¡°If the only infected creatures were these wolf things, then I could just suspend us all in the air¡­¡± Twy commented, ¡°but with the birds, that¡¯s not much of an option¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s only one choice, then,¡± Spike declared, turning around to punch a bird that had managed to dive through the water dome. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll just have to see how long we can last!¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like the sound of that,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°And neither do I, but I don¡¯t see many other options.¡±


    ¡°We could just fly out of here,¡± Sky suggested. ¡°I mean, now that Twy brought it up, we do have a way to get back to the city without the elevator!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll just draw all these fucking birds up with us,¡± Spike countered. ¡°For the sake of the city, we gotta stay here until this blows over ¡ª and that means fightin¡¯!¡± He then whirled around, fabricating a massive shield into his hands and then gripping it like a club to bludgeon yet another creature that dared to approach.


    ¡°I hate to admit it, but Spike¡¯s right¡­¡± Luke commented, and then gestured at a building to the left. ¡°Still, trying to defend out in the open is a fool¡¯s errand. Let¡¯s get to that building over there!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right! I¡¯ll get us there!¡± Twy declared. As she did, the water dome collapsed, instead forming bubbles of water around herself, Austin, Spike, and Luke¡¯s lower halves. She then used the bubbles to drag the group through the air over to the building, with Sky following with her flame blasts, and everyone preparing to hold out for as long as they could.

 V1 - A5 - Chapter 41: Infected Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 41: Infected Chaos


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡±


    With a renewed burst of energy, Pierce blasted across the WTAC campus, easily zipping past buildings and retreating onlookers alike as he dashed toward the smoking lab. Off to his right, he could see Rebehka trapping infected creatures in ice, and some distance to his left, he could see sparks of lightning over the tops of the buildings. Looks like everyone¡¯s distracted with those stupid animals, he mused, just as he landed in front of the smoking lab. Even better that I decided to help out, then! I¡¯ll have this situation under wrap ASAP ¡ª especially with this Overdrive of mine! I feel like it¡¯s increased my top speed by an entire one Mach¡­ not bad! He then jumped up to the roof of the lab and sped over to the portion of the roof that the smoke was billowing from. Now, time to see who¡¯s inside¡­


    On a closer look, he could tell that the roof had been blasted inward from the outside, and the smoke raising out of it was coming from something inside the building. So thick was the smoke that Pierce couldn¡¯t actually see inside, but just as he thought to try dropping in, two figures emerged from the smoke and landed on the roof nearby ¡ª both of them wearing the same kind of black and silver armor as the other two attackers Pierce had seen.


    ¡°This must be them,¡± Pierce muttered to himself, and then raised his voice to address the two. ¡°Hey! Stop right there!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?¡± The two spun around to face Pierce. Helmets obscured their faces, but their exposed upper arms allowed Pierce to see their tanned skin tones, and their body shapes made it clear that one was a man, and the other a woman.


    ¡°Oh great, a student,¡± retorted the man, ¡°you think you can stop us, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course I can,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk. ¡°Chumps like you will be a piece of cake to deal with.¡±


    The man remained silent for a second as he seemed to stare at Pierce, and then exchanged a glance with the woman. ¡°¡­A¡¯ight, I dunno what the hell you just said,¡± he responded, ¡°but you fuckin¡¯ outsiders don¡¯t have anythin¡¯ to do with this. Stay out!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t understand me?¡± Pierce stared at the man in confusion. The hell? Everyone around here should have translation implants, why not these guys? ¡­Wait, they couldn¡¯t be¡­?


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± The man turned toward the woman and nodded his head toward the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so!¡± Pierce shouted, lunging toward the armored man. In a split second, his knee impacted the man¡¯s face, launching him off of the lab¡¯s roof and into the darkness beyond the bounds of the Academy campus. Ah, shit, it¡¯s so dark out there! Pierce scowled as he peered into the darkness. I¡¯ll need to grab a light¡ª


    His thoughts were interrupted as moving tree branches grabbed him from behind and hoisted him into the air, holding him aloft by his wrists and ankles. ¡°What the hell?!¡± he exclaimed, and then looked down, where he found that the woman was holding an arm outstretched toward him. ¡­So she can control plants, huh? What was that, again¡ª Chlorotechnism? Hmph. Well plants can¡¯t beat superspeed¡ª!


    Just as Pierce moved to force his way out of his leafy bounds, the armored man suddenly appeared in the air next to him and bicycle kicked him so fiercely that he was ripped out of his bounds and launched skyward. That speed¡ª! Ha! So the dude must be a Velocitechnic! A second later, Pierce impacted the underside of L¨¦dia above, and immediately used it as a springboard to launch himself back to the ground, all while ignoring the flaring energy shields that surrounded his body. My first fight with other Chaotics, and it gets to be against another speedster! This¡¯ll be hella fun!


    The moment Pierce slammed into the ground, he leaped back to his feet and jumped toward a nearby streetlight, easily breaking it off of its post with a kick. The light flickered, but remained on, enough to prove that it had battery backup power. Now with a means of piercing the darkness, Pierce leaped back to the roof of the containment lab ¡ª just in time to see the enemy Velocitechnic scoop the Chlorotechnic into his arms and jump away from the WTAC campus. Pierce immediately leaped after him, kicking off of the roof with such force that it dented inward as he launched himself through the air at Mach 4. His Overdrive-granted speed boost proved to be just enough to catch up to the enemy Velocitechnic mid-air, at which point Pierce whipped his foot overhead to spike his two opponents down to the ground.


    A second later, Pierce landed on the ground himself, quickly spinning on his heel to dash toward where he expected his opponents to land. His light held forward, he rapidly scanned the dark forest floor for the two Chaotics, only to be ambushed by vines as they grabbed at his limbs and attempted to pull him down to the ground. As they did, the armored man appeared in front of him and slammed his foot down over Pierce¡¯s head, forcing him onto his back. The Velocitechnic then began rapidly stomping Piece¡¯s stomach, causing his energy shields to flare up brightly under the sustained blows. This asshole¡ª that¡¯s my thing! With a scowl, Pierce managed to yank his feet out of the vines that bound them and then slam his foot into the man¡¯s back, catapulting him forward and giving Pierce the time to yank himself out of his other bonds using his sheer accelerative power. He rolled over and jumped back to his feet, only to suddenly receive a knee to his face that launched him dozens of meters through the air.


    Hitting the ground in an unceremonious roll, Pierce was barely able to right himself before the armored Velocitechnic appeared in front of him again. Quickly, Pierce lashed out with his foot to slam his opponent in their chest, just as the man went for another bicycle kick. As a result, Pierce¡¯s kick missed, and he soon found himself mid-air again ¡ª only to be grabbed by a tree branch extending out of the darkness. Before Pierce was able to free himself, the branch chucked him groundward, where the armored man kicked him again, sending him rolling across the dirty ground¡­ and then sailing over the banks of the river that ran under L¨¦dia.


    ¡°Aw, shit!¡± Pierce exclaimed with a scowl as the noise of rushing waters reached his ears. He immediately shined his light downward to see the water¡¯s surface, just in time to raise his legs and then kick against the rushing water. His kick was timed just perfectly enough to launch himself into the air again, skipping over the river¡¯s surface like a rock before landing with a roll on the other bank. But there was no time for relief ¡ª as soon as Pierce landed, the armored Velocitechnic was on him again, throwing out a series of kicks that Pierce only barely managed to dodge, one after the other. Is this guy just as fast as I am? Pierce thought with a scowl as he desperately searched for a hole in his opponent¡¯s offense. Argh, this asshole¡ª! Oh, wait, I have something else I can try, don¡¯t I? Ha!


    Ducking around another kick and diving to the side to evade more vines out of the ground, Pierce then whipped around to face his attacker, transferring his held light to his left hand and then holding out his right. Just as the enemy Velocitechnic threw another kick, Pierce summoned his special weapon into his hand ¡ª in his palm appeared a dark blue and silver rapier-like hilt, attached to a long tether of glowing blue energy that terminated at the end of a silver, curved blade with a handle, that for a brief moment hung in the air. As soon as the weapon appeared, Pierce snapped the whip-like weapon forward to wrap it around the Velocitechnic¡¯s incoming foot; a split second later, Pierce tightly gripped the hilt and swung his arm through the air as hard as he could, yanking on the man¡¯s ankle and sending him stumbling. Pierce immediately dashed over to the man and threw his knee into his back, launching the Velocitechnic over the river ¡ª only for Pierce to leap after him, catch up to him mid-air, and spike him down into the flowing waters.


    A second later, Pierce landed on the other bank of the river and spun around to sweep his light across the water¡¯s surface, in search of the opposing Velocitechnic. As he did so, he summoned his tethered blade back into his hand, just in time to grab the blade itself and whip around to slice up a dozen vines that again attempted to bind him. In that moment of distraction, however, he failed to notice the armored man leap out of the river waters, land on the bank near Pierce, and dash toward him ¡ª


    ¡ª only for a massive four-legged beast, with jagged antlers, a long barbed tail, and a wolf-like snout to land in the middle of the two combatants, driving them both to the ground under its paws.


    ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± Pierce exclaimed in surprise as the beast snarled at him. In the darkness of the forest, it was difficult to see anything other than the beast¡¯s silhouette, but between Pierce¡¯s light and his eyes adjusting to the darkness, he could see that a massive rash of metal covered the beast¡¯s left flank, stretching from its eye all the way back to its tail. Aw, fuck, that¡¯s right! The infected animals¡­ damn it, why are they getting in the way now?!


    With an irate scowl, Pierce managed to leverage his arm around the beast¡¯s paw, summon his tethered blade into his hand, and then stab the blade into the paw holding him down. The creature immediately withdrew its paw as it released a pained roar, but Pierce didn¡¯t waste any time feeling sorry for it. He jumped to his feet and backed away several meters before turning his attention to the armored Velocitechnic, who had managed the same.


    ¡°Fucking animals¡­¡± the man muttered, and then glanced back at Pierce. ¡°¡­Well, outsider, have fun!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? No! Get back here!¡± Pierce shouted as the man disappeared, having dashed off into the darkness. Before Pierce could pursue, however, the massive infected beast lunged forward again, grabbing him between its jaws. The energy shielding that protected him flared up brightly under the pressure of the creature¡¯s bite, momentarily distracting Pierce from attempting a counterattack, particularly as he heard a rapid beeping noise in his ear. What the hell is that noise? Are the shields about to run out? Fucking¡­ damn it¡ª


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Chaos Arrow! Chaos Arrow!¡±


    Two lances of purple energy shot out of the darkness, piercing through the beast¡¯s lower jaw. The beast relaxed its jaw and reeled back in pain, giving Pierce the opportunity to launch himself out of its mouth. As he landed on the ground and jumped back several meters, he noticed that a light was shining upon him; upon turning to look at the light¡¯s source, he found none other than Kestrel and Phoenix, hovering in the air a dozen meters over the ground.


    ¡°What the¡­ what the hell are you guys doing here?!¡± Pierce shouted up at them.


    ¡°Saving your ass, apparently!¡± Phoenix shot back.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Pierce!¡± came Conrad¡¯s voice from somewhere near the two; Pierce could only assume that he had made himself invisible. ¡°Let¡¯s go back! These animals are out of our league!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. They¡¯re just fucking animals,¡± Pierce countered as he turned back to face the massive infected beast, that was now beginning to recover from the sudden blows to its jaw. ¡°Besides, with one this big around, we can¡¯t just let it go! You guys heard about how dangerous it is to let the infection spread!¡±


    ¡°The lab attackers?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°¡­Hmph!¡± Pierce snorted in response. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll talk about those assholes later. For now, we have a new target!¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Pierce launched himself forward, just as the beast did the same. Its paws came down on top of him, but with his far superior speed he was able to deflect the beast¡¯s paws by throwing his held light at them ¡ª after all, now that Kestrel had arrived with a light of her own, Pierce was free to discard his and use both of his hands to handle his tethered blade. Now no longer burdened by the light, Pierce was quickly able to follow up with slicing at the creature¡¯s heels with his tethered blade. With a roar, it collapsed onto its front legs ¡ª but as Pierce dashed back to slice at the creature¡¯s hind heels, he noticed the silver rash that covered its flank expand down the creature¡¯s legs. The blood leaking out of the beast¡¯s heels ceased, the wounds stitching shut with a metallic sheen as the creature snarled at Pierce and slammed its barbed tail into him. Surprised by its quick healing, Pierce failed to dodge out of the way of the tail and was launched across the dark forest floor.


    ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± Pierce muttered as he jumped back to his feet. He eyed the beast warily as Phoenix rained Chaos Energy projectiles upon it from above, managing to pierce its skin multiple times. Yet each time, the wound was quickly filled in with a silvery metallic substance, causing more and more of the beast¡¯s hide to be overcome by the rash. ¡­By making it bleed, are we somehow speeding up the infection? Pierce mused. If that¡¯s the case, then I need to lay off with the blade¡­ and focus entirely on one, decisive blow!


    With that, he dashed back onto the scene, slamming his foot into the beast¡¯s flank just as it made a lunge toward Phoenix in the air. It crumpled to the side, and slowly began to recover, during which Phoenix turned to look at Pierce. ¡°It¡¯s just healing, over and over again!¡± she shouted, ¡°I think we¡¯re just making things worse!¡±


    ¡°I figured that out, too,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°But there¡¯s still a solution, here. The metallic infection needs a living creature to spread, so we just have to kill this thing in a single blow!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Phoenix responded incredulously, ¡°how? Do you see the size of that thing?!¡±


    Pierce eyed the beast as it finally jumped back to its feet and turned to bare its fangs at him. Even on four legs, the creature¡¯s shoulders easily stood five meters above the ground, and its tail extended out behind it nearly twice as far. ¡°¡­We can do this,¡± Pierce insisted as he brandished his tethered blade. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have any ranged attacks, so you and Kestrel just stay up there and knock it around. When I see an opening, I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­! Fine! If you want to pointlessly risk your life, then I won¡¯t stop you!¡±


    ¡°I knew I could count on you,¡± Pierce retorted, only to then dodge to the left as the beast lunged forward and snapped at his prior location with its maw. A shout of ¡°Chaos Impact!¡± from above preceded a nigh-invisible force striking the creature¡¯s back, staggering it as it attempted to remain standing. Pierce took advantage of that brief opening to dash in close to the beast, but before he could get under it, its tail whipped around and slapped him away. Immediately, the beast dashed forward, moving fast enough to escape Kestrel¡¯s tracking of it with the light she was holding. Snarling emanated from the darkness, indicating that the beast was still present ¡ª though Pierce had no time to react as it suddenly lunged out of the darkness and pounced on him, slamming him to the ground under its paw. Just as soon as it had pounced on him, it moved its paw to began battering him with its barbed tail, striking thrice in as many seconds. The force of the blows kept Pierce prone, unable to pick himself up as the golden light of his energy shields encased him.


    However, as the beast went for another strike, Kestrel¡¯s light fell upon it again, followed almost immediately by an immensely powerful blast of air. The creature staggered to its left as a cushion of air lifted Pierce back to his feet; with barely a glance of acknowledgment toward Kestrel, Pierce quickly jumped backward to evade one more tail swing and then dashed around to the beast¡¯s backside.


    ¡°That fucking tail,¡± he muttered, taking a moment to tighten his grip on his summoned blade. He attempted to dash forward, straight at the creature, only to stop himself and jump back as its tail moved to intercept him. ¡°¡­It¡¯s so fucking fast! I have to take it out¡­¡±


    With a snarl, the beast began to turn toward Pierce again, only for him to lunge to the side and then dash forward. A sharp crack echoed through the air as the beast¡¯s tail whipped around to slap Pierce again, but this time, he was prepared. Deftly, he ducked to the side, and then threw himself to the ground to evade the tail¡¯s quick follow up. Rolling to the side, he leaped to his feet and jumped back to evade a third swing, and then dashed in closer. The beast moved to attack with its tail again, but staggered as Phoenix slammed it with Chaos Impact; in that moment, Pierce reached the beast¡¯s hind legs. Holding his summoned blade just in front of him, he leaped skyward with all the force he could muster in his legs ¡ª an instant later, his blade sliced through the base of the beast¡¯s tail, completely severing the limb and allowing Pierce to continue on his skyward trajectory.


    Well that was easier than I expected, he mused, keeping an eye on the beast below as he sailed through the air. I expected the extra force from my speed to make it easy to cut off the tail¡­ but still, that was literally like taking a knife to hot butter. He then glanced at the silver blade in his hand. Just how fucking sharp is this thing?!


    A deafening roar returned Pierce¡¯s attention to the forest floor below. The beast¡¯s tail stump had already been covered in metal, even as the tail thudded to the ground ¡ª but before Pierce even had the time to fall back to the ground after his momentous leap, the beast snatched up its tail in its mouth and shot off into the darkness.


    ¡°That thing better not reattach its fucking tail,¡± Pierce muttered to himself as he finally landed on the ground, but as soon as he did, a new sound reached his ears: the sound of cracking tree bark. Kestrel quickly directed her light toward the sound, allowing everyone to see that the beast had begun clawing at the trunk of one of the massive trees, ripping and tearing into the protective bark.


    ¡°The hell is it doing?¡± Conrad questioned aloud.


    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s not good,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°But I cut off its tail, and it¡¯s distracted¡­ now¡¯s the time to finish it off!¡±


    Without waiting for a response, he blasted forward to reach the beast. With its tail gone, he was able to dash up to and between its hind legs unimpeded. The creature began to look down at him, with its front paws still clawing at the bark, but before it could act Pierce had sprung up toward the base of the tree. During the split-second he was in midair, he spun himself around to plant his feet against the bark, allowing him to immediately rebound toward the beast¡¯s exposed undercarriage with his tethered blade held out in front of him. In the blink of an eye, his incredible speed ¡ª coupled with the excessive sharpness of the blade in his hands ¡ª allowed him to shoot straight through the beast¡¯s torso, ripping and tearing through its internal organs.


    Pierce landed on the ground a second later among a torrent of blood; the sight of the red liquid on his arms caused him to stagger, as his vision blurred. A dull throb passed through his torso, but he clenched his teeth and furrowed his brow in an effort to suppress the nausea welling up inside of him. He then launched himself across the forest floor, toward the river running through the darkness, where he then chucked himself into the running waters to cleanse the filth off of his armor. Only a couple seconds passed before he climbed back up onto the river bank and took a deep breath to calm himself. It was necessary to stop that thing¡­ he thought bitterly, and then looked down at his right hand. But¡­ ugh. I should¡¯ve expected a mess. ¡­That DID kill the beast, right?


    Tentatively, Pierce rushed back to the beast¡¯s location. Kestrel¡¯s light shone near it, but not upon the body itself ¡ª which indeed seemed to lay still and unmoving. Pierce released a deep breath of relief, only for his brow to furrow again a second later. ¡°Shit, I forgot! Those damn attackers are still out there¡ª¡°


    ¡°Pierce!¡±


    He glanced up, finding Kestrel and Phoenix still hovering in the air. Kestrel was staring at something near the beast, while Phoenix¡¯s attention was directed down at Pierce.


    ¡°We need to get back! Now!¡± she demanded.


    ¡°The hell are you talking about?!¡± Pierce countered, ¡°those assholes that attacked the campus are still out here! We need to stop them!¡±


    ¡°They could be anywhere at this point,¡± Phoenix argued. ¡°We should leave them to people who actually know what they¡¯re doing. For now, we need to warn the Deans!¡±


    ¡°Huh? About what?¡±


    ¡°That!¡± Phoenix exclaimed as she gestured forward.


    Pierce turned to follow her finger, seeing that she was pointing at part of the nearby massive tree. Kestrel¡¯s light was shining on the portion of the bark that the beast had been clawing at, creating a large gash on the side of the tree ¡ª and attached to the gash was the creature¡¯s severed tail, hanging limply from the bark as hints of metallic silver slowly spread across the bark¡¯s surface.


    ¡°¡­What the fuck?¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°When did that happen?!¡±


    ¡°Right after you blew through its chest,¡± Conrad replied. He remained invisible, as he had this entire time, though the direction his voice was coming from indicated that Kestrel was holding him aloft nearby. ¡°It managed to stick its tail to the tree before collapsing.¡±


    ¡°And it looks like the infection is getting into the tree,¡± Phoenix stated, ¡°which is why we need to warn the Deans! We don¡¯t have the time for your fucking grandstanding, Pierce!¡±


    Pierce passed her a wary glance before returning his attention to the tail attached to the tree.


    ¡°Pierce?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± he muttered, and then spun on his heel. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°It would figure that you¡ª wait. What?¡± Phoenix stared at him incredulously. ¡°You agreed? That was fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go or not?¡± Pierce snapped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t snap at me,¡± Phoenix shot back, and then looked up at Kestrel. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    With a curt nod, Kestrel began flying herself, Phoenix, and Conrad in the direction of the WTAC campus. Upon seeing them fly off, Pierce glanced back at the tree again, noting that the metallic rash seemed to have spread a small distance since he last looked. With a scowl, he then turned toward the direction of his friends and dashed off, leaving the remains of the infected beast behind.

 V1 - A5 - Chapter 42: Resolution of Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª TO LEARN OF METAL


    <hr>


    Chapter 42: Resolution of Blood


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be long now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± Austin questioned as he passed Kaon¨¦ a wary glance. ¡°The situation seemed pretty bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Worse than it should¡¯ve been, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted, ¡°but Rebehka and the Chaos Knights are very skilled at their jobs. They¡¯ve already re-secured all three containment labs, all that¡¯s left is to clean up.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Austin muttered, turning his attention to carefully watch his surroundings. He, along with Spike, Sky, Twy, Luke, Mark, and Kaon¨¦, were currently standing just outside of the elevator to L¨¦dia. The doors were still locked down, but the sounds of fighting and animalistic screeching had all but disappeared from the air. In fact, activity on the campus itself had died down some time ago, thanks to Kaon¨¦¡¯s quick work. She was the one who came to the Earthians¡¯ rescue as they defended against many infected creatures, using her Materiatechnism to instantly fabricate cages and move creatures around to contain them. Shortly after, the group had retreated to the elevator area, where some Chaos Knights and NSD Soldiers were standing guard against any threats that might approach.


    ¡°I wonder what happened to the others¡­¡± Sky commented after a few moments of silence.


    ¡°You mean Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel?¡± Mark questioned, ¡°I do hope they¡¯re doing fine¡­¡±


    ¡°As careless as their actions are¡­ Conrad was right.¡± Luke sighed in frustration. ¡°I should¡¯ve expected Pierce to run off, and stopped him, somehow¡­¡±


    ¡°Not much you could¡¯ve done against Pierce¡¯s superspeed,¡± Spike pointed out.


    Luke frowned. ¡°Yeah, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°I know well what it¡¯s like to deal with a careless Velocitechnic,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. ¡°They¡¯ll learn, eventually. I agree that them splitting up was irresponsible, but we were all wearing powered armor for just a situation as this. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You talking about us?¡±


    The group turned to their left as Pierce landed with a roll, and Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel all alighted on the ground next to him. The four all approached the rest of the Earthians, though Pierce hung back a little, his furrowed brow directed elsewhere.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re all fine,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡±


    ¡°We might be, but there¡¯s a bigger problem,¡± Phoenix quickly replied. ¡°We fought and took down some weird animal that was infected, but it stuck its tail to one of the trees. It looked like the infection was spreading to the tree!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kaon¨¦¡¯s expression collapsed into a worried frown. ¡°Which direction?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Phoenix turned around and pointed back in the direction from which they had come. ¡°Somewhere that way¡ª¡°


    ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with it,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared as she slowly lifted off of the ground. ¡°If Rebehka returns before me, tell her what you told me. And all of you, stay here!¡±


    The Earthians watched as she shot off through the air, using her control over matter to move her body through the skies and eventually disappear into the darkness of the forest floor.


    Luke then turned toward the four newcomers, his arms crossed. ¡°I agree that it¡¯s good to see that you¡¯re all fine¡­ but you all also directly put yourselves in harm¡¯s way, even after being told not to.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I didn¡¯t volunteer, I was dragged along,¡± Conrad quickly replied.


    ¡°And some help you were,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Did you even do anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope ¡ª which is what we were supposed to do.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Luke scowled as he eyed the two. ¡°What happened out there, exactly?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, we went after Pierce, as we said,¡± Phoenix began. ¡°When we found him, there was this massive, like, deer-wolf hybrid, with a long, barbed tail. It had that¡­ metallic rash, so we knew it was infected. We figured that letting it go would endanger the forest, so¡­ we fought it.¡±


    ¡°And killed it,¡± Pierce interjected.


    ¡°And it stuck its tail to a tree?¡± Sky questioned incredulously. ¡°What¡¯s that part about?!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°I guess it¡¯s just something to do with the metallic infection. It¡¯s why we rushed back here, to tell the Deans about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re about to get lectured for doing what you¡¯re supposed to do to this infection crap,¡± Pierce commented as he glared at Luke.


    ¡°The point is that you ignored explicit instructions to not do what you did,¡± Luke countered. ¡°There are trained people here who can take care of these issues, faster and with fewer risks than you can.¡±


    ¡°Then what about those attackers who got away, huh? I didn¡¯t see any ¡®trained people¡¯ going after them!¡±


    ¡°If they got away, then it sounds like you didn¡¯t do much better, huh?¡± Austin interjected with an amused smirk.


    ¡°That¡ª!¡± Pierce turned his glare on Austin. ¡°Them getting away had nothing to do with me. That damn animal attacked us, so naturally we had to switch our focus.¡±


    ¡°And it sounds like you got one of the trees here infected in the process.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault that the animals here are fucking weird. At least we did something to help out here, dweeb, instead of hanging back and doing¡­ whatever the fuck it is you guys did.¡±


    ¡°At least we didn¡¯t put a whole city at risk, you¡ª¡°


    ¡°Austin, really¡­?¡± Twy interjected, stepping up to put her hand in front of Austin. He glanced at her in surprise, only to then purse his lips and look away in irritation.


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    ¡°Pierce, too¡­¡± Phoenix commented with sigh. ¡°Arguing won¡¯t do any good. Not here.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted, crossing his arms and turning away from the group.


    ¡°¡­What a day, huh? Ah ha¡­¡± Mark said with an uneasy laugh. ¡°I guess we learned a lot more about the infection than we expected.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m very sorry about that.¡±


    The Earthians looked toward the main walkway, where Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin now approached. Between them were the two men who had attacked Containment Lab 1, their wrists and hands bound.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Dean, Major,¡± Luke nodded toward them. ¡°Is everything under control?¡±


    ¡°My Knights are doing a final sweep,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied, ¡°but everything should now be fine. All that¡¯s left is to scan the survivors and the buildings to make sure there aren¡¯t any stray nanites.¡±


    ¡°Aw man, more waiting around¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s bothersome, yes, but it¡¯s necessary,¡± Rebehka declared. ¡°We can¡¯t risk spreading the infection.¡± She then glanced around, as if looking for something, before asking, ¡°where¡¯s Kaon¨¦?¡±


    ¡°She left to deal with a potential infection spread incident,¡± Luke replied, passing Pierce and Phoenix an annoyed glance.


    Nil¡¯kin bristled in response to Luke¡¯s statement. ¡°So it did spread?¡±


    ¡°Relax, Major,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°If anyone can take care of it, it¡¯s Kaon¨¦.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you insist, Commissioner.¡±


    ¡°Tch. Again, it wasn¡¯t me who commissioned the Chaos Knights.¡±


    ¡°What about the attackers?¡± Mark cut in, and then gestured at the two men in cuffs. ¡°I see you¡¯ve caught these two. What about the others?¡±


    ¡°The two attacking Containment Lab 2 were killed in combat,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°We¡¯ve yet to apprehend the remaining two, but I have a couple Knights searching for them. They won¡¯t get far.¡±


    ¡°In other words, trained professionals?¡± Luke replied as he glanced at Pierce again. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°I get it already,¡± Pierce snapped.


    ¡°Did something happen¡­?¡± Rebehka questioned.


    ¡°I can fill you in later,¡± Luke answered. ¡°What about these two hostages? Have they been questioned, yet?¡±


    ¡°We were going to bring them into custody and let the proper authorities do the questioning,¡± Rebehka replied as she looked the two men over. ¡°But, we¡¯re going to be here for a while, so I suppose we might as well ask a few questions of our own.¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t tellin¡¯ you shit,¡± one of the men spat, and then glared at Luke. ¡°Not with them damn outsiders ¡®round here.¡±


    ¡°Watch what you say, you fools,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered. ¡°This ¡®damn outsider¡¯ will have a significant say in how you¡¯re treated in custody.¡±


    The man glared at Nil¡¯kin, but said nothing.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Nil¡¯kin remarked, ¡°finally lost the will to speak?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t understand you,¡± Pierce said. ¡°Or us. They don¡¯t have those translation implants.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Rebehka looked at him in mild confusion. ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± The Earthian Velocitechnic diverted his gaze. ¡°¡­I ran into two of the others. They didn¡¯t understand me.¡±


    ¡°You ran into them?¡± Nil¡¯kin questioned, ¡°where? Did you kill them?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no. They were at Lab 3 when I found them, but they, uh¡­ ran off into the forest.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Rebehka turned to look the two captives over head-to-toe. Both men had been relieved of the armor that they had first appeared with, leaving them only with black skin suits and some camouflage robing. ¡°¡­You had Black Suns armor¡­ but no RTA implants?¡± she asked the two. ¡°Just who are you? And where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± the man who had previously spoke sneered. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t guess, huh? You tree hoppers always looked down on us, I bet you wouldn¡¯t even believe us if we told you!¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know about these guys,¡± Twy spoke up, ¡°but we recently ran into other people who also had armor, but no implants. In fact, the armor we saw then looks just like the armor that these guys had¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about. At Compound Goresan, in Tres¨¦d, right?¡± Rebehka nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I heard about that¡­ but those were Bleeders.¡± She then looked at the captives. ¡°¡­Are you really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh heh heh,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°Told ya you wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here? I thought the Bleeders only cared about Tres¨¦d¡­¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, you¡¯d like to think that, wouldn¡¯t ya, tree hopper? Well¡­ it¡¯s true. We don¡¯t give two shits about the rest of the world. Y¡¯all don¡¯t give two shits about us, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gettin¡¯ some revenge. Teach the world a lesson for leavin¡¯ Tres¨¦d the way it is, and show y¡¯all that we ain¡¯t as helpless and harmless as ya think!¡±


    ¡°Those are some lofty aspirations for common criminals,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted. ¡°Not to mention contradictory and thus, utterly pointless.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t quite right, anyways,¡± Rebehka quickly commented, passing Nil¡¯kin a glance as if to tell her to be quiet. She then looked back to the captives as she continued, ¡°you should know that things are beginning to turn around for Tres¨¦d. Surely you know about Compound Tresnon, WCU, and the Bleeder Reformation Program?¡±


    ¡°Tresnon can go die in the wastes, for all I care,¡± the captive spat. ¡°You think they¡¯re actually helpin¡¯? Ha! Even that dumb bastard Sentry can¡¯t make Tres¨¦d any better than it was. That¡¯s why he needs so much help from outsiders!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted? For the rest of the world to help you out?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ as if that¡¯s what y¡¯all are actually doin¡¯. If anythin¡¯, it¡¯s the opposite.¡± The captive turned his gaze on the Earthians. ¡°After all, these outsider assholes got free spots in Tres¨¦d¡¯s famed WCU. If you outsiders actually meant any good, you wouldn¡¯t be takin¡¯ up our space, our air, our resources!¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like we chose to be here!¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what excuses you got. Get the fuck out of our¡ª!¡±


    ¡°That is enough,¡± Rebehka interjected, cutting off the captive and drawing his attention back to her. ¡°You can save your irrational tirades for another time. What I want to know is how you got here, why you targeted this campus, and who sent you.¡±


    ¡°You think I fuckin¡¯ know any of that?¡± the captive retorted. ¡°We were told to come here and blow up some cages, so come here and blow up cages we did!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you don¡¯t know anything about the metallic infection?¡±


    ¡°The what? You mean that silver rash stuff? I don¡¯t know what the fuck that is, we were just told that freein¡¯ those animals would fuck you guys up!¡±


    ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Fer¡ª¡°


    ¡°Shut up, you idiot,¡± the second captive spoke, for the first time since arriving at the elevator. The first captive glanced at him in surprise, and then looked back to Rebehka with pursed lips.


    ¡°¡­Great,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I suppose we won¡¯t get much more out of them¡­¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Still, we¡¯ve learned a lot from this,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°We know they¡¯re Bleeders, we know they¡¯re from Tres¨¦d, and we know that somewhere in the Bleeders¡¯ chain of command is someone who knows enough about the metallic infection to know that attacking this campus is an effective terrorism tactic.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Rebehka responded wearily. ¡°Still¡­ Bleeders? In L¨¦dia? Something about this isn¡¯t right¡­¡±


    ¡°I say we execute them,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared, glaring at the two captives.


    ¡°Execute? Here?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed incredulously. ¡°But they¡¯re captured! They aren¡¯t a threat!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d still be well within my rights, by CSA law,¡± the Dra¡¯kis countered. ¡°Intentionally or not, these two saboteurs put an entire city at risk of falling to the metallic infection. Given where the infection got us 20 years ago, that act is tantamount to aiding in the destruction of the galaxy. In other words, high treason.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a stretch,¡± Conrad muttered. ¡°Not even a trial, either¡­?¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t in the CSA, anyways,¡± Rebehka declared. ¡°This is Nimalia, Major. Homeworld of the Nimalian Union ¡ª which means that we play by Union rules. These captives are more valuable to us alive than dead, anyways.¡±


    ¡°You say that now,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied, ¡°but if they turn out to be vectors for spreading the infection in the future, then you¡¯ll have only yourself to blame.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re infected, then we¡¯ll find out when we scan them,¡± Rebehka responded, and then glanced at the elevator as the red light over its doors turned orange. ¡°¡­And here comes the scanning crew.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± Sky exclaimed, watching as the elevator doors opened to reveal a team of heavily armored soldiers, and a large device on wheels. ¡°This means we can leave soon, right?!¡±


    ¡°After everyone has been scanned, yes.¡± Rebehka nodded and then stepped forward, raising her voice to address the soldiers and other people present around the elevator. ¡°Alright, everyone! The Scan Team has arrived. Remember the Outbreak drills ¡ª I need three lines: here, at that post, and next to that light!¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well¡­¡± Mark commented quietly, tagging along with Luke as they began following Rebehka¡¯s directions to line up. ¡°¡­Even on this mission, we can¡¯t escape action, huh?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it. If this keeps up, I¡¯ll have to see about requisitioning my rifle,¡± Luke muttered, and then sighed warily. ¡°Hopefully, the Colonel and the rest are doing better than we are¡­¡±

 V1 - Arc 6: Ancient Conflict - Chapter 43: Conflicts Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 6 ¡ª ANCIENT CONFLICT


    <hr>


    Chapter 43: Conflict''s Arrival


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Wednesday, November 16, 2129 AD ¡ª


    ¡°Ah, Colonel Saito. You¡¯re right on time.¡±


    ¡°Commander,¡± Saito greeted curtly as he stepped up to the railing at the back of the bridge. ¡°How long until we¡¯re there?¡±


    ¡°Just a few minutes now, sir. It won¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what we¡¯ll find this time¡­¡± Danielle mused, placing a finger on her chin in thought.


    Saito glanced toward her, and then at the others who accompanied her: Major Hackett, Mote, and Kate. The five of them had left Earth four days ago to investigate a new coordinate from the Aldredian Dreadnought archive, though this time, they weren¡¯t riding aboard Genesis. SERRCom¡¯s most renowned battlecruiser had recently been sent off on a mission to investigate a different coordinate, so CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir had instead boarded the Frigate FG-34 Once In a Blue Moon, a modern Now You See Me-class Frigate outfitted primarily for reconnaissance. As such, she featured one of SERRCom¡¯s fastest Subspace Drives, as well as a third-generation Partial Cloaking System ¡ª the most advanced recreation of Genesis¡¯s Absolute Cloaking System to date. Once In a Blue Moon wasn¡¯t able to enter into complete stealth the same way Genesis could, but the Frigate was still able to hide herself from all but optical, gravimetric, and Chaos Energy sensors.


    Once In a Blue Moon¡¯s Captain was a woman by the name and rank of Commander Sarita Mishra, a young officer in SERRCom¡¯s Space Navy. During their four day journey aboard the 80-meter long Frigate, Saito had come to determine that Commander Mishra was a little too stiff for his liking ¡ª though he couldn¡¯t tell if that was her natural attitude, or some kind of unease about the O-6 Colonel technically outranking her O-3 Commander title, even though she maintained full authority over her own ship.


    Thinking about the Commander led Saito to briefly review his team for the mission. Researcher MacTavish had stayed behind on Earth to help with the ongoing research into the Aldredas technology ¡ª including the Corvette Raenaros, which had also been left behind. SERRCom Frigates simply weren¡¯t large enough to carry the Corvette, and for the time being, the ships that were large enough were busy with other tasks and missions. Still, even without Raenaros, Mote carried with him his Aldredian Armor, just in case it was needed to access more technology. Everyone else on the team wore their normal sets of Chaos Armor, and Saito and Hackett both carried their standard issue Gauss-P02 and Gauss-AR02, a pistol and assault rifle pairing that both fired bullets with electromagnets instead of chemical propellants.


    Saito¡¯s thoughts were soon interrupted as Commander Mishra spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± she announced to the small Frigate bridge, ¡°exiting Subspace now.¡±


    Immediately after her announcement, the fuzzy gray atmosphere outside of the bridge window rapidly dissipated, revealing the deep black of true space, speckled with the white dots of distant stars. Below and a little to the right was a Terra planet, featuring large blue oceans, green-covered landmasses, and streaks of white clouds all around.


    ¡°It¡¯s a planet this time,¡± Hackett remarked. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Not a fan of atmosphereless armor, eh, Major?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m with her,¡± Kate declared. ¡°Atmosphereless armor is too fucking bulky, and the helmet is a pain in the ass to deal with. Not to mention the shields are weak as shit, compared to normal armor.¡±


    ¡°Those are trivial trade-offs for being able to operate in a vacuum environment,¡± Mote pointed out.


    ¡°Still¡ª¡°


    ¡°Uh, sir,¡± Commander Mishra interjected, turning to pass Saito a glance while she sat in her Captain¡¯s chair. ¡°We aren¡¯t alone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Saito responded in disbelief, only to look up at the bridge holograms as a new display appeared, showing off two large spacecraft hovering in low orbit. Both craft were around 500 meters long, categorizing them as Cruisers ¡ª and they carried the armaments to match. Visually, they were painted a deep black with some splotches of red, while their silhouettes were distinctly spiked and pointed. Furthermore, they appeared to be slowly circling and firing at each other, their energy shields constantly flaring and covering portions of the ships in reddish-yellow blankets of light.


    ¡°¡­Drakkars,¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°So it seems,¡± Mishra commented as she watched the ongoing fight. ¡°¡­At this distance, Once In a Blue Moon¡¯s PCS should be strong enough to prevent them from spotting us, so we¡¯re safe for now.¡±


    ¡°What are the Drakkars doing here, though?¡± Danielle questioned. ¡°We¡¯re all the way across the galaxy from their territory!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably here for the same reason that we ran into them a couple months ago,¡± Saito replied. ¡°They¡¯re after Aldredas technology ¡ª just like we are.¡±


    Kate snorted. ¡°And fighting over it, too, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ why would they be doing that?¡± Mishra asked. ¡°Was one of their ships hijacked¡­?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably just opposing factions,¡± Saito answered. ¡°There are six Drakkar factions, after all, each led by a different Faction Leader. As I understand it, they fight amongst themselves all the time, so much so that the CSA can take advantage of those factional divides to help defend their own space.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Drakkars team up recently, though?¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°The Exemplar and Sursum Factions teamed up briefly to attack the CSA 20 years ago, but that all fell apart when the Nanocreatures showed up. According to the CSA, the Drakkar alliance quickly fractured, and they¡¯ve been back at each other¡¯s throats ever since.¡±


    ¡°Sounds pretty damn convenient for us,¡± Kate remarked as she cracked her knuckles. ¡°So when are we going down there?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Mishra turned to stare at Kate incredulously. ¡°There¡¯s an ongoing space battle right now, and you want to go planetside?!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. Obviously,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Those dumbasses are fighting over something. The way I see it, sneaking in and stealing it while they¡¯re fucking distracted is our best move!¡±


    ¡°We should probably check to see if there even is anything down there, first,¡± Hackett suggested. ¡°Commander, do you have a scan?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes. Let¡¯s pull that up¡­¡± Mishra leaned over to input a quick command into a keypad attached to her right armrest. A second later, a new hologram appeared on the bridge display, showcasing a portion of the planet¡¯s surface. ¡°¡­It does look like there is some kind of outpost,¡± the Commander commented, ¡°and it matches the signatures of your previous Aldredian findings, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think that settles it, then,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°But¡­ sir¡­¡± Mishra spun her chair around to face Saito and the rest. ¡°Surely you know the risks of planetside action during an ongoing space battle, especially one in low orbit! Missed shots can destroy neighborhoods, or even entire cities ¡ª and if one of those ships goes down, then that¡¯s even worse!¡±


    ¡°I understand and appreciate your concern, Commander,¡± Saito replied, ¡°but it looks like the Drakkars have already anticipated this. Look ¡ª the surface scan shows that they¡¯ve set up anti-bombardment shields and beam jammers. It would seem that both sides have troops planetside, and they¡¯ve both taken precautions to prevent the other side from bombarding their guys from orbit, or just beaming them away.¡±


    ¡°And we can take advantage of that!¡± Kate declared.


    ¡°I must admit, sir,¡± Mote said, ¡°it does seem unwise to enter such an active combat zone.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Mishra quickly added. ¡°Once In a Blue Moon isn¡¯t a combat ship, and even if it was, there¡¯s no way we could take on a Drakkar Cruiser ¡ª let alone two! We have to keep a safe distance, or they¡¯ll spot us.¡±


    ¡°We have a way around that,¡± Saito declared as he turned toward Danielle. ¡°Danielle here can be our transport craft, to and from the planet. If we¡¯re fast, we can be in, check the outpost, and then leave before the Drakkars can do anything to us. And with Mote¡¯s armor, if there is anything of value, we should be able to retrieve it quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see,¡± Mishra responded slowly. ¡°¡­Alright, sir. I suppose it¡¯s as good a plan as any. I¡¯ll give the¡ª¡°


    ¡°Commander! Another ship just arrived!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Mishra exclaimed, spinning her chair back around to address the declaration from her crew. ¡°Scan it and put up the details immediately! And make sure that we¡¯re out of their sensor range!¡±


    ¡°¡­That might be hard to do, ma¡¯am,¡± the crew member replied, and then turned to give her an uneasy look. ¡°The ship doesn¡¯t match any known profiles, so we don¡¯t know their sensing capabilities¡­¡±


    ¡°A completely unidentified ship? Fucking, really?¡± Kate responded incredulously, ¡°you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°You can judge for yourself. Putting the scan results on the main display¡­¡±


    Everyone soon directed their attention up at the bridge holograms, where another set of sensor readouts soon appeared. Accompanying the readouts was a zoomed-in camera feed of the new ship.  According to the scan, her size and armaments placed her in the Cruiser class, but little else was identifiable about her. The craft featured a rugged aesthetic, with slate blue armor paneling arranged at mostly 45- and 90-degree angles. Displayed on a large panel on the side of the ship was an emblem of a blue ring, with four crossbars ¡ª two vertical, two horizontal ¡ª interwoven through the ring and each other, though aside from that, there were few distinguishing marks.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t match any known construction profiles¡­¡± Mishra muttered as she looked over the scan results. ¡°¡­It looks somewhat similar to SERRCom ships, but we don¡¯t use blue paint. Not that blue, at least.¡±


    ¡°That emblem looks familiar,¡± Hackett commented, and then frowned. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait,¡± Mote spoke up, only to scowl a second later. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve seen that emblem before. It was on EA¡¯s robots.¡±


    ¡°EA?!¡± Kate exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°¡­Aw, fuck, that Cruiser does look a lot like the one that asshole parked over New York, doesn¡¯t it? But what the hell is he doing here?¡±


    ¡°More importantly, if that really is EA, how does he have a second ship?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°How much time and resources does he have access to? How did he find crew for the damn thing?¡±


    ¡°And why would he put an identifying mark on his ship like that?¡± Hackett added. ¡°I would think that he¡¯d try to keep a low profile¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we all have a lot of questions!¡± Danielle remarked, ¡°well, there¡¯s only one way to find out, right?¡±


    ¡°Capturing a Cruiser is a little out of our league, don¡¯t you think?¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°Mote¡¯s right. We¡¯re a ground team,¡± Saito added. ¡°And more than that, we don¡¯t know what kinds of technology EA uses on his ships. Without that knowledge, trying to storm one would be a bad idea. That isn¡¯t what we came here for, anyways.¡±


    ¡°It does complicate things, though,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°As if that wasn¡¯t enough,¡± Mishra interjected, ¡°the new ship has begun to approach the Drakkar Cruisers ¡ª she¡¯s opened fire! And not just on the Cruisers, she¡¯s firing on the planetside bombardment shield, as well!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is this idiot doing?¡± Kate questioned incredulously.


    Saito stared at the bridge displays for a few moments, his brow furrowed in confusion as he watched the EA Cruiser engage the Drakkar Cruisers in battle. A second later, he pounded his hand on the railing in front of him, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to him. ¡°Alright,¡± he declared, ¡°we¡¯re moving out, immediately!¡±


    ¡°What? Wait, sir!¡± Mishra spun her chair around once again to face Saito. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this change things? Is it really safe to go down there, now?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right that EA¡¯s arrival changes things, Commander,¡± Saito replied. ¡°What it changes is how much time we have to check out that outpost. The Drakkars weren¡¯t purposefully firing on the bombardment shield, but EA clearly is, so we don¡¯t have long until it fails.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that even more reason to not go down there, sir?!¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Saito responded with a dangerous smirk. ¡°Whatever that Aldredian outpost contains is important enough for two Drakkar factions to openly fight over, and also for EA to show up and engage two Drakkar Cruisers at once. There are three different groups here, all trying to get their hands on whatever is in that outpost ¡ª and all three sides are enemies to SERRCom. We need to figure out what¡¯s down there!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Colonel¡¯s right!¡± Kate exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s probably some kind of crazy Aldredas tech down there! We can¡¯t let the fucking Drakkars or that loser asshole get their hands on it!¡±


    Mishra glanced at Kate, and then returned her gaze to Saito, with a broad frown upon her face. ¡°¡­Are you sure, sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that every second we waste here is a second we don¡¯t have planetside. Look, don¡¯t worry about us, Commander,¡± Saito replied, and then stepped back to throw his arms around the shoulders of Mote and Danielle ¡ª both reacted with surprise, though Danielle quickly returned the gesture with a grin, while Mote simply stood there with an annoyed expression. ¡°With the Eximius Vir on our side, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a strong claim, sir¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s not wrong!¡± Danielle exclaimed cheerfully. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best!¡±


    ¡°¡­Very well, sir,¡± Mishra eventually capitulated. ¡°I¡¯ll trust your judgment.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Saito remarked, and then whipped around to charge out of the bridge. ¡°Major, Eximius Vir, on me! Let¡¯s get to that planet!¡±

 V1 - A6 - Chapter 44: Under the Cover of Light

    NEW WORLD ¡ª ANCIENT CONFLICT


    <hr>


    Chapter 44: Under the Cover of Light


    1 Hour Later


    The sound of leaves softly rustling in the wind filled the chilly afternoon air, providing a soothing aural cover for CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir as they cautiously moved through the underbrush. Nearly half an hour had passed since they landed on the planet¡¯s surface, thanks to Danielle¡¯s ability to transform into a fast landing craft; in the time since, they had been stealthily working toward the outpost in the hopes of not drawing attention to themselves. Every so often, an explosion would sound in the distance as Drakkar fightercraft shot each other down, and tanks fired across the shallow valley that contained the Aldredian outpost ¡ª but thus far, none of the Drakkars seemed to have noticed the Earthians.


    Colonel Saito looked upward for a moment, at the blue skies above. Past the fluffy clouds, massive golden lights would sometimes manifest high in the sky ¡ª a sure sign of the bombardment shields flaring up under weapons fire. Most bombardment shields in the galaxy, Drakkar ones especially, focused the entirety of their energy into shielding the skies above the shield generator, which gave the Earthians an opening to approach along the ground. Just because they were now under the shield¡¯s protection didn¡¯t mean they were close to the generator, however; individual bombardment shields were capable of protecting areas up to 10 kilometers in radius, so the Earthians still had some distance to cover before reaching the shield generator and the outpost it was shielding.


    Spotting movement in the corner of his eye, Saito immediately stopped moving forward and held up his hand to signal for everyone else to do the same. He then made a lowering gesture, prompting everyone to slowly lower themselves to the ground, using the forest underbrush as cover ¡ª just as two Drakkar foot soldiers came into sight. They were walking a couple hundred meters away, barely visible through the trees and other forest flora as they swept their gazes and guns to and fro.


    Prolatio Drakkars, huh? Saito mused as he watched the two, and their prehensile tails ¡ª a limb that Drakkars from only the Prolatio Faction possessed. Clearly a search party of some kind, but for what? Have they detected us¡­? He then glanced back at the group, just in time to frantically raise his hand up to stop Kate from rushing forward. She opened her mouth to respond, but Saito quickly put a finger over his mouth to indicate silence, and then gestured back to the ground. Kate¡¯s brow furrowed in clear frustration, but she nonetheless obliged, allowing the Colonel to turn back to the rest of the group. Silently, he pointed at Mote, and then at the Drakkars, at which point he waved his hand vertically in front of him ¡ª to indicate energy shielding ¡ª and then made a quick motion with his hand across his throat. Mote nodded once in acknowledgment and began crawling forward, while Saito turned toward Hackett, pointed at her and then himself, and gestured at the Drakkars again. She nodded in response, and then brought her assault rifle to bear, just as Saito did.


    The two officers cautiously eyed the Drakkar soldiers, their weapons trained on the soldiers¡¯ heads the whole time. Seemingly still unaware of the Earthians¡¯ presence, the Drakkars continued to slowly work through the forest¡­ until blue sparks briefly wreathed their bodies, followed by their energy shields shutting down in a cascade of visual golden static. Immediately, Saito and Hackett both fired one bullet each, nailing both Drakkar soldiers in their heads and dropping them to the ground.


    A stiff silence filled the air. Soon, Mote appeared back with the group, unharmed. When he did, Kate again opened her mouth to speak, only for Saito to once again stop her. She turned her irate attention to him as she clearly mouthed out ¡°why not?¡±, to which Saito responded with a roll of his eyes. He then glanced toward Mote and made a horizontal circle motion with his index finger, before throwing up his hands as if in a question. Mote remained silent for a few moments, his gaze directed upward¡­ and then he looked back to the Colonel and shook his head.


    ¡°¡­If there¡¯s no one nearby, then I permit discussion. Quietly,¡± Saito declared, his voice low as he shot an annoyed glance at Kate. ¡°What did you want to say?¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are we doing this all fucking stealth-like?¡± Kate questioned irately, though still in hushed tones. ¡°Stealth isn¡¯t our thing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still sometimes prudent,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Due to our missions last month, it is entirely likely that the Drakkars have realized that we have a way of accessing Aldredas tech. Now, these Drakkars are a different faction than most of the ones we ran into, so they might not know, but if they do ¡ª then if they saw us coming, they might decided to drop the bombardment shields and destroy the outpost from on high, just to deny us the tech.¡±


    ¡°Would they really do that¡­?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°We did it to them at the shipyard,¡± Mote pointed out. ¡°It stands to reason that they would do the same to us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ remind me¡­¡± Kate muttered.


    ¡°The air space around here is pretty full, though, sir,¡± Hackett remarked, her attention directed at the skies some distance away, where a dozen Drakkar fightercraft could be seen dogfighting. ¡°We¡¯re likely to be detected soon, no matter what we do.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡ª¡° Saito started, only to stop as the sound of roaring thrusters filled the air. A second later, a humanoid figure shot through the air just above the trees the Earthians were hiding under, moving toward the outpost at high speed.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ¡°That was a robot!¡± Mote remarked with a scowl. ¡°I barely saw it, but I¡¯m certain. It looked like one of EA¡¯s!¡± He then looked over at the Colonel. ¡°Sir! Should I go after it?¡±


    Saito returned the look for a moment. Through his tests with Kate a few weeks ago, Mote had discovered that his armor¡¯s flight system even worked under normal surface gravity ¡ª so he was more than capable of pursuing the flying robot. Yet, even so¡­


    ¡°No,¡± the Colonel replied with a shake of his head. ¡°There are too many unknowns. Between the two Drakkar Factions, and now EA, it¡¯s best if we stick together. That said¡­¡± He leaped to his feet. ¡°EA has forced our hand; we can¡¯t let him bring everything down on top of us. We¡¯re going loud! Danielle! Get us to that outpost!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uh, right!¡± she replied, and then stepped away from the group as her body rapidly increased in size and took on a more angular silhouette. Within a second, she had taken on the form of a massive 40-meter tall armored mech, at which point she stooped down to scoop Saito and Hackett into her left hand, and Mote and Kate into her right.


    ¡°Brace for combat!¡± Saito shouted as Danielle began barreling across the forest, her massive form enabling her to dash at well over 100 kilometers an hour as her newly mechanized giant feet ripped up and smashed the trees underfoot. Now well above the trees, Saito could see the entirety of the shallow valley, as well as the black-metal outpost sitting in its center. The building appeared to stand only around four stories tall, and was much smaller in length than it was in height; the outpost in which Raenaros had been found was much larger. However, Drakkar forces filled the valley all around the outpost, with a dozen fightercraft inhabiting the skies and many tanks appearing throughout the forest, while Drakkar foot soldiers exchanged laser fire in the clearing that directly surrounded the outpost.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The robot that had flown overhead had already disappeared somewhere, but it wasn¡¯t long before the Drakkar forces began to notice the Earthians. A burst of energy exploded across Danielle¡¯s chest plating, causing her to stagger back as Mote quickly sought out the source: a Drakkar tank, parked across the valley and partially obscured by trees ¡ª and accompanied by two more like it.


    As Danielle transformed her mechanical chest back into an undamaged form and manifested energy shielding for herself, Kate whooped and grinned with glee. ¡°Al-RIGHT!¡± she shouted as she eagerly punched her palm, ¡°this is what I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ talking about!! Overdrive: CRITICAL OVERLOAD!¡± She then fabricated a massive rocket launcher onto her shoulder before firing at the three tanks in the distance, just as two more blasts of energy exploded across Danielle¡¯s newly created shields. Two autocannons appeared on Danielle¡¯s armored head and opened fire on the tanks, but almost immediately after, Kate¡¯s rocket finally impacted ¡ª and exploded in a brilliant flash of light that nearly blinded Saito and Hackett, even from several kilometers away.


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Saito scowled as he shielded his eyes with one hand and tightly gripped Danielle¡¯s mech hands with his other, to keep himself from falling. A second later, he looked back at where the tanks had been, only to find a small mushroom cloud obscuring the charred remains of the center tank and the blackened, cratered terrain all around it. The two adjacent tanks appeared to have survived, though the one on the right clearly had lost its shields in the explosion, as laser blasts from other sources were beginning to scar its armor.


    ¡°Oi!¡± the Colonel shouted, turning his attention toward Kate. ¡°Watch it! Don¡¯t blow up the outpost!¡±


    ¡°I know how to fucking aim! It¡¯ll be fine!¡± Kate shot back, just as she fired another rocket at a tank further up the valley. ¡°WooHOOO! This is great!¡±


    Saito simply shook his head and focused on using Danielle¡¯s mech fingers as shields against incoming weapons fire. The electrical whirring of gauss cannons filled the air as Danielle fired her autocannons into the Drakkars, and Mote struck down approaching fightercraft with his lightning. All of the Eximius Vir¡¯s attacks outranged the assault rifles Saito and Hackett wielded, leaving the two officers to simply wait until they had approached closer to the outpost to contribute. The Colonel cast a wary glance skyward; golden sheets of light continued to mask the sky behind the clouds, indicating that the bombardment shields were still active, but then he noticed that he could actually see the two Drakkar Cruisers high in the air. They were still far enough away to be mere specks, but the fact that he could see them at all indicated that they were descending into the atmosphere. What the hell are they doing¡­?


    An incredible burst of energy blasted Danielle¡¯s right leg, drawing Saito¡¯s attention back to the fight as Danielle was knocked off-balance. A couple explosions echoed through the valley from the distance ¡ª a sign of Kate¡¯s continued explosive attacks ¡ª but Saito was focused solely on holding on to Danielle¡¯s fingers as she fought to stabilize herself. Another blast of energy knocked her left leg out from under her, but before she actually fell over, she manifested another two sets of legs out of her torso and slammed them all into the ground, managing to continue her forward momentum as she transitioned from a normal human-like gait to a more insect-like run, all without actually collapsing.


    At that point, the Aldredian Outpost stood less than half a kilometer away, allowing Saito to clearly spot the scarred clearing that surrounded the building. Broken and charred barricades littered the land, coupled with hover tanks strafing around the outpost to take shots at other tanks and squads of Drakkars ¡ª which themselves covered the field as they rushed around, attempting to flank or otherwise get the drop on their other-faction opponents. The Colonel could see EA¡¯s robot as well, zipping through the skies above the outpost as it engaged the Drakkar fightercraft in battle.


    ¡°Hang on!¡± Danielle shouted, prompting the other Earthians to brace themselves as she leaped forward through the air to cover the final distance. As she came crashing down to the ground in the middle of the outpost clearing, she created massive physical shields on her left and right shoulders to absorb incoming laser fire while she set the others down on the ground. A handful of Drakkars stood within eyesight just behind a barricade, and their lasers soon lit up the shields of Saito and Mote ¡ª but the latter immediately responded by blasting the barricade with an incredibly intense lightning strike, utterly obliterating the obstacle and sending the Drakkars flying.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Inside!¡± Saito ordered, his feet pounding the ground as he sped toward the building. Hackett and Danielle, now returned to her normal form, followed closely on his heels while Kate whipped her rocket launcher to and fro, firing rocket after rocket at the Drakkar forces while grinning maniacally. Her work quickly yielded a series of blinding flashes and deafening roars as a half-dozen fireballs cleared out massive chunks of the surrounding forest and overpowered the energy shields of several Drakkar tanks, leaving multiple charred wrecks.


    If the Drakkars didn¡¯t think we were a threat before, they definitely do now¡­ Saito thought bitterly as he ran around the outpost perimeter and found the main entrance. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll pull back and bombard this place to oblivion soon enough ¡ª so we need to be in and out, fast.


    Putting that thought aside, he kicked open the entrance door, only to find a couple of Drakkar soldiers standing inside. Immediately, he and Hackett both opened fire on the two, pelting them with bullets and flaring up their shields around their faces, momentarily blinding them. Danielle took quick advantage of the opening to lunge forward and massively enlarge her arms, allowing her to grab the Drakkars, slam them together, and then hurl them outside of the outpost.


    ¡°Fighting Drakkars is always a fucking blast!¡± Kate remarked as she ran into the outpost alongside Mote. ¡°The bastards don¡¯t even have Chaotic abilities; it¡¯s like shooting fish in a fucking barrel! We should do this more often!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your request under review,¡± Saito replied dryly as he jogged ahead through the outpost corridors. Few Drakkars seemed to be inside of the building, and the ones that were present were easily dispatched by Mote¡¯s electrical powers. What¡¯s going on? the Colonel wondered as he kept pressing forward in search of anything valuable. Why are the interior defenses so light? It¡¯s like the Drakkars weren¡¯t even trying to stop each other from accessing it¡­


    ¡°Sir!¡± Hackett shouted, her attention directed down a hallway to the left. ¡°Check this out!¡±


    Quickly, the Colonel backtracked to follow Hackett¡¯s gaze. On a wall at the end of the hallway was an insignia in blue of a sword, pointed upward, in front of a circle.


    Hackett glanced over at Saito, and then at the chest plate of Mote¡¯s armor ¡ª which bore the same insignia. ¡°Look familiar?¡± she remarked.


    ¡°¡­Is this another locked doorway?¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Saito stated as he gestured for everyone to head toward the wall. ¡°Though it would make sense. If the passage only opens to your armor, then that explains why the Drakkars can¡¯t get in ¡ª and why they weren¡¯t actively protecting this place. They knew that neither side had the means to immediately access it!¡±


    ¡°All the better for us!¡± Kate exclaimed, rubbing her hands together eagerly while Mote stepped up to the insignia on the wall. ¡°Especially if it¡¯s something that inspires this much fighting! Oooooh, I can¡¯t fucking wait to see what it is!¡± She then turned toward Mote with an impatient expression upon her face, and her hands on her hips. ¡°Hurry the up and open the fucking door, already!¡±


    ¡°Have patience,¡± Mote retorted, passing her an annoyed glance before returning his attention to the insignia as it began to glow. A second later, the entire wall briefly glowed a bright blue before the light suddenly disappeared, as though an energy shield had shut down. The wall with the insignia soon silently withdrew into the ceiling while lights flickered on behind it, exposing a small, cylindrical room.


    Danielle peeked over Kate¡¯s shoulder and stared into the empty room. ¡°¡­That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ this is an elevator,¡± Mote commented. ¡°¡­I just received a map of the outpost. There¡¯s a large cavity a hundred meters below us¡­ about as large as the space that contained the Raenaros.¡±


    ¡°Is it holding another Corvette?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know if we just stand around here,¡± Saito declared as he ushered the group into the room, constantly glancing behind himself while he did. ¡°The Drakkars have to know that we¡¯re in here, so we don¡¯t have much time to investigate.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Mote muttered, coming to stand on the far side of the small cylindrical space as everyone else filed in. As soon as everyone was in the room, a metallic shriek echoed through the walls, followed by the platform jolting and beginning to descend. However, a mere second after that, a loud clunk emanated through the air ¡ª followed by the platform suddenly falling out from under them, leaving everyone to careen toward the darkness below.

 V1 - A6 - Chapter 45: Against the Clock

    NEW WORLD ¡ª ANCIENT CONFLICT


    <hr>


    Chapter 45: Against the Clock


    ¡°Ungh¡­¡±


    Colonel Saito groaned in discomfort as he slowly regained his bearings. A loud clunk, the screeching of metal-on-metal, and then a deafening crash; these were the last sounds he recalled hearing, and he wasn¡¯t certain what had happened afterward. Dim light emanated from above, but it wasn¡¯t bright nor close enough to illuminate the darkness Saito now found himself in ¡ª though as he tried to move his body, he realized that a sheet of metal was pinning his legs down. He immediately set to moving the piece of metal, muttering to himself, ¡°must have fallen¡­ good thing I have this armor¡­¡±


    A few seconds later, he was successfully able to free himself from the debris. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet and then turned on his gun¡¯s flashlight attachment, using it to look around the small space he now found himself in. He could hear the sounds of movement, indicating that the others were probably fine ¡ª but he thought to check anyways. ¡°Major? Lieutenants?¡± he called out, slowly sweeping his flashlight beam across the dark space. ¡°Is everyone alright¡ª?¡±


    A furious shout, followed immediately by a small explosion, interrupted the Colonel¡¯s question. Chunks of metal from the far side of the room blasted across and peppered Saito¡¯s armor, knocking him backwards and briefly flaring up his energy shields. By the time he was able to look back at the origin of the explosion, he found Kate standing there, with a furious expression upon her face.


    ¡°What the fuck just happened?!¡± she exclaimed irately.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Mote retorted as he gently pushed aside some debris that was covering him. ¡°The elevator collapsed.¡±


    ¡°It might be obvious, but it¡¯s still surprising,¡± Hackett remarked, slowly coming to stand next to Saito as she engaged her gun¡¯s flashlight attachment, just in time to see Danielle easily extricate herself from a nearby pile of debris. ¡°Every other Aldredian outpost we found was in near-perfect working condition. The fact that this one isn¡¯t doesn¡¯t bode well.¡±


    ¡°Those fucking Drakkars ruined it, didn¡¯t they?¡± Kate scowled. ¡°If the treasure that¡¯s down here is all fucked up, then I¡¯m taking out my righteous anger on all of those faceless fuckwits upstairs!¡±


    ¡°Something is intact, at least,¡± Mote declared as he moved toward what appeared to be an open doorway. Beyond, dim lights were flickering on, revealing a short hallway. ¡°¡­The systems are responding to my armor.¡±


    ¡°So you finally admit it¡¯s your armor, eh?¡± Saito questioned cheekily.


    Mote passed the Colonel an annoyed glance before turning his attention back to his surroundings. ¡°¡­Regardless. The systems are trying to boot up, but there¡¯s not enough power. I might be able to fix that. Give me a moment¡­¡±


    He then began slowly moving through the hallway, sparks briefly jumping off of his body as he attempted to calibrate his electrical output to match the needs of the surrounding systems. Saito followed behind, with Kate immediately behind him as she stared around at the flickering lights. Danielle and Hackett held the rear, with the Major keeping an eye on the now-defunct elevator just in case any intruders appeared.


    ¡°Ah¡­ here we go.¡±


    Saito glanced over at Mote just as the hallway lights snapped to full brightness, blinding everyone present for a brief second. Once the Colonel¡¯s eyes adjusted, he looked around and found another door, which opened into the ceiling as soon as Mote approached. The group quickly proceeded through the doorway, finding on the other side a small space with a handful of computer consoles that all began booting up. On the other side of the room from the door was a massive window, as though looking out of an observation room. Initially only darkness could be seen through the window, but before long, lights began to dispel the darkness, revealing a massive interior space the size of an aircraft hangar. The space was mostly empty, save for one object laying on the ground in the center, shaped like a cylinder on its side with tapered ends. It was vaguely similar to a jet engine in appearance, though it was easily the size of an entire passenger aircraft.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s what we¡¯re supposed to find here, huh?¡± Hackett remarked from the back of the room.


    ¡°I suppose it is,¡± Saito commented as he walked up to the observation window to look down on the large device. ¡°But¡­ what is it? It doesn¡¯t look like a ship¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks a lot like an FTL Drive,¡± Kate declared as she beheld the object, only to then move over to one of the computer consoles and begin fiddling with it. ¡°Might be a Subspace Drive, but that would be fucking disappointing¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Danielle questioned, ¡°aren¡¯t Subspace Drives really valuable?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± Kate replied, ¡°but the Genesis¡¯s special-ass Drive seems to be the fastest they come. Even the specs on those ships we found in the damned Aldredian shipyard didn¡¯t hold up to the fucking 500 light years an hour that the Genesis can manage.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but we still haven¡¯t figured out how to make Drives that can move as fast as the Genesis¡¯s,¡± Saito pointed out, and then looked down at the device before them. ¡°If this is a Subspace Drive, and it¡¯s faster than anything we¡¯ve built ¡ª then, even if it isn¡¯t as fast as the Genesis¡¯s Drive, it would still be useful.¡±


    ¡°Useful, yes,¡± Mote stated, ¡°but would it be so useful that the Drakkars would fight over it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good question. Maybe the Drakkars just don¡¯t know what¡¯s down here? We didn¡¯t. Hell, we still don¡¯t,¡± the Colonel remarked, and then looked over at Kate as she continued to interact with the consoles. ¡°Have you found out anything about what this device actually is?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± Kate replied slowly, her brow furrowed. ¡°But it¡¯s fucking ridiculous! I don¡¯t think I trust this¡­¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°It claims that the device is a prototype Superspace Drive.¡±


    ¡°Superspace?¡± Hackett echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know,¡± Kate retorted with a scowl. ¡°That¡¯s just what it says.¡±


    ¡°Does it have something to do with Subspace?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know! I¡¯ve never even heard of this stupid ¡®Superspace¡¯ before¡ª wait!¡± Kate¡¯s eyes lit up with recognition. ¡°Yes I have! That fucking Dreadnought in the shipyard had something about Superspace in its registry!¡±


    ¡°That at least confirms that the Aldredas were looking into the technology,¡± Saito commented, ¡°but I don¡¯t see how any of this is, quote, ¡®fucking ridiculous¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t get to that part yet,¡± Kate countered. ¡°¡­According to this, that Drive is supposed to be able to instantly travel to literally anywhere in the fucking universe. The whole fucking universe! Doesn¡¯t that sound ridiculous to you?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Why would it?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°The universe is a big fucking place! Literally infinite in size!¡± Kate exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe for a second that this thing could do that! That would require immense amounts of energy, or the ability to warp spacetime itself! Which, I mean, Subspace and Chaos Drives already kind of do that¡­ but still! This is an entirely different scale!¡±


    ¡°What if it is possible, though?¡± Mote said, ¡°we do already have means of instantaneous travel from one point to another, after all. Just look at the Interstellar Gates, or the Transpaces.¡±


    ¡°How do those work?¡± Danielle questioned. ¡°¡­Also, what¡¯s a Transpace?¡±


    ¡°Transpaces are massive constructs out in the galaxy, kind of like giant space stations,¡± Saito answered. ¡°There¡¯s only a few dozen of them, anchored in space throughout the galactic arms. Spacecraft can use Transpaces to instantly move to another nearby Transpace, kind of like Interstellar Gates.¡±


    ¡°With more limitations, though,¡± Kate interjected. ¡°Even if two Transpaces are in range, if there¡¯s Dead Space between them, then they can¡¯t connect. Still, for any losers who don¡¯t have access to Subspace Drives ¡ª which is still most of the galaxy, outside of SERRCom ¡ª the Transpaces are pretty useful. Normal ships with Chaos Drives can only move around 21 light years an hour, so a single Transpace jump can shave off an entire fucking month of travel.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯m not too familiar with them? ¡®Cause SERRCom doesn¡¯t use them¡­?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°That¡¯d be correct,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Not to mention that the nearest Transpace to Earth is in the Nimalia solar system. It¡¯s faster for us to just ignore the Transpaces entirely than it is to detour to that one¡­ not to mention the politics of negotiating with the Nimalian Union to let us pass our military ships through their Homeworld solar system. We might be allies, but even that can be a bit much.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Danielle nodded absentmindedly, and then looked back to Kate. ¡°Well, if instantaneous-transportation technology already exists, then maybe this Drive works the same way!¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but even now, no one knows exactly how the fucking Interstellar Gates or Transpaces work,¡± Kate pointed out. ¡°Though I guess if they also use this stupid ¡®Superspace¡¯ concept, then studying this Drive could maybe lead to us making our own fucking Gates and Transpaces!¡± She clapped her hands together as a gleeful grin spread across her face. ¡°Oh, hot damn! Now that¡¯s an idea!¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Gates Aldredian tech?¡± Mote questioned. ¡°If the galaxy, with well over a thousand years, still hasn¡¯t been able to crack the secret of how Gates work, then what makes you think that you can figure out how this mysterious Drive works?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt my intelligence, asshole. Besides, this Drive could give us alternate insights into this kind of tech, that could let us better understand the Gates! The only way to know is to actually take a fucking look!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. And if this Drive really is capable of what you say, then it would also explain why the Drakkars were fighting over it, and even why EA showed up,¡± Saito stated. ¡°However¡­ this Drive is almost as big as the Once In a Blue Moon. Getting it out of here would be difficult, even if there wasn¡¯t a battle raging overhead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also a prototype, right?¡± Mote commented. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that it even does what it claims to do. Given the circumstances, and the fact that we aren¡¯t even sure that it works, I vote we scuttle it.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kate exclaimed in fury. ¡°You fucking what?! Do you have any idea what a find like this could mean for us?!¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt that it¡¯s valuable, but if it¡¯s that valuable, then it¡¯s even more important to keep it out of the hands of our enemies,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°I hate to say it, but Mote¡¯s right,¡± Saito commented.


    ¡°Are you fucking serious? Did we just come all the fucking way here just to blow something up?!¡± Kate replied incredulously.


    ¡°I was hoping that what we found would be more¡­ portable,¡± Saito responded. ¡°But if this Drive really does have the potential to let people teleport around to anywhere in the galaxy, instantly, then we can¡¯t let the Drakkars get it.¡±


    ¡°Fucking¡­ fuck!¡± Kate pounded her fist on the console in front of her and glared through the window at the large device. ¡°¡­Fuck. I hate it when I have to blow up an object of study¡­ why can¡¯t I just blow up all of the fucking Drakkars, instead¡ª?!¡±


    A loud crashing noise interrupted Kate, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the room¡¯s single entrance. Just as Saito and Hackett exchanged wary glances and began to raise their weapons, a large object barreled through the doorway, knocking Hackett to the ground and crashing through the observation window.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Saito exclaimed, snapping his attention back to the large Drive. Hovering just above it was now a lithe, humanoid silhouette, nearly two meters tall and possessing slate blue armor plating, no head, and a silver-tinted glass orb planted on its upper chest. Around the orb was EA¡¯s ring-and-crossbars insignia, and below that was the lowercase greek letter zeta: ¦Æ. From the robot¡¯s back protruded four mechanical wings that slowly flapped in the air as the robot lowered down to the device.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Mote scowled as he jumped forward to stand where the room¡¯s massive window had once been. ¡°EA¡¯s robot!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, take it out!¡± Saito shouted as he opened fire on the robot. Its shields flared up a bright blue under the incoming gunfire, but the robot ignored the hail of bullets as it raised its hands, revealing a massive scythe wreathed in magnificent silver, gold, black, and white designs. Brandishing the weapon, it then swung it down at the Superspace Drive ¡ª the moment the scythe¡¯s blade touched the device, it began to rapidly dissolve into millions of blue particles that all converged on and disappeared into the weapon¡¯s blade.


    ¡°What the hell is it doing?!¡± Hackett questioned in disbelief. ¡°Where¡¯d the Drive go?¡±


    ¡°Fucking robot!¡± Kate swore as she leaped forward, smashing through what remained of the observation window and dropping to the ground of the hangar that had once contained the Drive. Mote and Danielle quickly followed as Kate fabricated a rocket launcher into her hands, but just as she took aim, the robot swung its scythe through the air once again. Along the blade¡¯s path appeared six masses of blue particles that, an instant later, coalesced into another six flying robots ¡ª though these robots had only one set of wings each, and seemed to only be two thirds the size of the robot with the scythe.


    ¡°Whether there¡¯s one or seven doesn¡¯t matter. Destroy them!¡± Mote ordered, just as he let loose a powerful lightning blast at the nearest robot. Its shields flared as it staggered under the blow ¡ª and then shut down entirely when Kate blasted the group with a rocket, creating a thundering roar as the explosion cratered the floor and launched the robots all around the room. One of the robots flew toward Mote; as it drew close, he electrically manipulated the robot¡¯s energy shielding capacitors to zero out their voltage, thereby shutting down the shields in an instant. He then moved to follow up by smashing the robot with his battlehammer, but just before he could, the robot disappeared into a mist of blue particles.


    Not even half a second later, the quadruple-winged robot with the zeta insignia on its chestplate flew through the blue mist, its scythe raised overhead. Mote quickly lunged to the side to evade the blade as the robot swung down on him and missed, instead driving the weapon into the metal flooring. As Mote spun around to face the robot once more, he noticed that the ground around the scythe had dissolved into a blue mist, much like the Drive and other robot before it. ¡°What the hell is that scythe¡­?¡± Mote muttered to himself, only to throw out his hand toward the robot and attempt to shut down its shielding, just like how he had done to the other robot. However, the zeta robot¡¯s shields failed to react to Mote¡¯s meddling as it turned toward him and brandished its scythe once more.


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Mote scowled and quickly brought his battlehammer to bear as the zeta robot began to lunge at him. Just as it did, Mote spotted a rocket fly in from the side ¡ª but the robot simply swung its scythe through the air, intercepting the incoming rocket and turning it into a blue mist. It then continued its swing around in a full circle, bringing the scythe¡¯s blade toward Mote¡¯s side. In reaction, Mote blasted the robot¡¯s weapon arm with a powerful lightning strike, knocking the weapon out of its grip and staggering it backwards. As soon as he saw an opening, Mote engaged his armor¡¯s flight system and blasted off across the room to make some distance between himself and his aggressor.


    ¡°Mote!¡± Danielle called out as he landed nearby. ¡°Are you done yet?¡±


    He glanced over at her, and then at the five wrecks laying across the hanger; it was clear that Danielle and Kate had made short work of the lesser robots, and yet, the zeta robot remained standing. ¡°¡­The bigger one is tough,¡± Mote eventually stated as he returned his attention to the zeta robot, just as it jumped over to its scythe and snatched it off of the ground. ¡°I couldn¡¯t zero the voltage on its shields ¡ª they must be some kind of advanced Chaos Shielding. And that scythe looks like it can annihilate anything it touches, so keep away from it at all costs!¡±


    ¡°That damn robot better not have fucking annihilated that Drive!!¡± Kate exclaimed irately as she focused her aim on the zeta robot and fired another rocket. In the second that the rocket took to travel, the robot swiped its scythe in front of itself, creating a mass of blue particles that rapidly coalesced into a white barrier ¡ª which the rocket then slammed into, exploding the wall into a massive white dust cloud that obscured nearly a third of the hangar. Mote fired several lightning strikes into the debris cloud, electrifying it in an attempt to damage the robot hiding inside; however as he focused on sensing the electric fields generated by the electrification, Mote realized that the robot was no longer in the cloud ¡ª just as it slammed into Danielle from above, knocking her to the ground. It grabbed her face with its left hand and chucked her across the room, in the same motion whirling around to swing its scythe at Kate. She reflexively held up her right arm to block, only to furrow her brow as she realized her mistake ¡ª but it was too late.


    ¡°Shit¡ª!¡± Mote spun around and lunged for Kate to push her out of the way, but the scythe¡¯s blade made contact with her arm before he could. Immediately, the gauntlet covering Kate¡¯s right forearm dispersed into blue particles, but her arm itself was knocked away as the scythe¡¯s blade deflected away from her. ¡°¡­What?¡± Mote muttered in confusion, eying Kate as she staggered backwards, and the zeta robot withdrew into the air.


    ¡°Argh¡­ damn it! That fucking hurt!¡± Kate swore, and then looked down at her now bare forearm. ¡°And it¡ª what the hell? How did that scythe penetrate my shields?!¡±


    ¡°And why didn¡¯t it do to you what it did to your armor¡­?¡± Mote questioned, and then looked up at the robot. It hovered in the air across the hangar as it stared down at Kate, as though considering its next move. ¡°So that robot didn¡¯t expect this, either¡­?¡± Mote muttered to himself, ¡°still¡­ what the hell is going on, here?¡±


    ¡°Lieutenants!¡±


    Mote snapped his gaze up to the observation room, where Saito was peeking around the broken window to wave at them.


    ¡°We need to leave!¡± the Colonel shouted, ¡°I just heard from Commander Mishra. One of the Drakkar Cruisers was just destroyed, and it¡¯s about to come down on top of us!¡±


    ¡°Understood¡ª!¡± Mote started to respond, only to snap his attention back to the zeta robot as it launched itself through the air toward Saito. As the robot raised its scythe overhead, Mote realized its intentions, and quickly engaged his armor¡¯s flight system to intercept. Golden holograms of triangles arranged into the shape of two wings spread out behind him as he blasted through the air, reaching the robot in a split second ¡ª just as it had begun to bring its weapon down on Saito. A blast of lightning deflected the robot¡¯s weapon swing and fiercely flared up its shields, but it recovered immediately and swung the other direction, this time toward Mote. With his armor¡¯s wings, Mote deftly dodged out of the way of the scythe, and then threw himself back even further as another of Kate¡¯s rockets exploded across the robot¡¯s back. It swung around to face her, just in time to see Danielle ¡ª now standing nearly as tall as the hangar itself ¡ª reach out toward it and grab it by one of its wings. She then yanked it out of the air and slammed it into the floor, and then the wall, and then the floor again, each impact flaring up the robot¡¯s shields that protected it from direct harm.


    ¡°Danielle! Over here!!¡± Kate shouted, beckoning toward a stack of explosives on the floor at the far side of the hangar. Danielle glanced her way, and then gave her a brief nod as she moved to swing the robot down on top of the stack. Before she could cross the entire hangar, the robot managed twist itself around in her grip and bring its scythe down on her enlarged forearm. As with Kate, Danielle¡¯s forearm remained intact ¡ª but she immediately released the robot and recoiled, grabbing her forearm with her other hand as she grimaced.


    ¡°Ow!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°that¡­ that hurt!!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Mote quickly zipped through the air toward the robot, managing to smash his battlehammer into it before it could begin to move. The blow knocked the robot backwards, closer to Kate¡¯s explosives, but still a handful of meters away ¡ª so Mote lunged in for another attack. This time, the robot was prepared and began to swing its scythe down on Mote¡¯s path, but Mote ducked around it and knocked the scythe away by slamming his hammer into the weapon¡¯s shaft. He then brought his hammer down on top of the robot, knocking it down to the ground, at which point he blasted it thrice with lightning strikes to send the robot staggering backwards¡­ and right into Kate¡¯s stack of explosives.


    ¡°Ha HA!¡± she shouted with a grin as she began dashing across the hangar, across from the stack. ¡°Fire in the ho¡ª!¡±


    Before she could even finish her sentence, a bright flash of light emanated from the explosives¡¯ location. Mote reflexively shielded his eyes and flinched away, only to become immediately overwhelmed by the thundering roar of an explosion, and then violently thrown against the wall by shockwaves. Smoke, dust, and debris filled the air, accompanied by the echoes of screeching metal and collapsing rock as the hangar began to cave in.


    ¡°Fucking¡­¡± Mote muttered, squinting his eyes as he attempted to see through the dust clouds. As a piece of debris nearly collapsed on top of him, however, he realized that he hadn¡¯t time to waste ¡ª instead of searching visually, he began parsing the electric fields all around him in search of Kate, Danielle, Colonel Saito, and Major Hackett. Thanks to the intensity of their energy shielding, he soon located them, and used his armor¡¯s flight system to quickly grab Kate and Danielle from the hangar floor and bring them up to the observation room.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Danielle remarked as the three alighted on the ground, ¡°way to go, Kate!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to blow up a room that we¡¯re currently in¡ª¡° Mote began, pausing only as the thundering echo of the hangar fully caving in resounded through the air and masked all other sounds, ¡°¡­maybe give us a little more warning, next time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck you, you unappreciative bastard,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°I stopped that fucking robot, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Still¡ª!¡±


    ¡°This is no time for arguments,¡± Colonel Saito cut in, as the floor and walls of the observation room began to rumble. ¡°After that kind of explosion, this whole outpost might just come down on top of us. Not to mention that Drakkar Cruiser!¡± He then began running out of the room, gesturing for everyone to follow. ¡°Now let¡¯s get the hell out of here!¡±

 V1 - A6 - Chapter 46: Robotic Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª ANCIENT CONFLICT


    <hr>


    Chapter 46: Robotic Chaos


    Thunderous explosions from tank and laser fire echoed through the valley containing the ancient Aldredian outpost as the two Drakkar factions continued engaging each other in battle. Intense rumbling and shaking penetrated even the outpost itself, allowing Colonel Saito and his team to easily determine the situation outside before leaving the confines of the building.


    ¡°Are they really still fighting¡­?¡± Danielle questioned warily, her inquiry punctuated by echoing laser fire.


    ¡°Who knows what goes through Drakkar minds,¡± Saito muttered, ¡°but we need to get out of here. Priority one: crossing the clearing that surrounds the base. Mote, Kate, Danielle, you¡¯re up! Regroup once we reach the treeline!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mote responded, and then dashed toward the door leading to the outpost¡¯s exterior. After pausing for just long enough to confirm that Danielle and Kate were with him, he blasted the door open with a fierce electrical pulse, revealing the sunlit grounds outside ¡ª and a team of Drakkars using the doorway as cover. Danielle immediately enlarged her fist and used it to knock the Drakkars away before they could react, at which point Kate blasted them with a rocket, disorienting them further.


    As soon as the doorway was clear, Mote lunged out into the open. Debris and broken barricades littered the clearing surrounding the outpost, with Drakkars using them all for cover as they alternated between ducking down and firing their laser weapons. Some distance to the right appeared to be a massive crater ¡ª based on its position, Mote guessed that it was where the underground hangar had caved in. More pertinent than that, however, were the myriad Drakkar fightercraft filling the skies above, the handful of tanks still positioned in the upper valley and firing down into the fray¡­ and the looming silhouette of a wrecked Drakkar Cruiser, growing red from the heat of re-entry as it drew ever closer to the outpost grounds.


    It still has a way to fall¡­ Mote observed, but we really are on the clock! With that in mind, he whirled around to launch a lightning storm across half of the battlefield, wiping out the shields of a handful of Drakkar soldiers and forcing the rest into cover. Kate quickly followed by blowing them up with a newly fabricated rocket launcher, which she then turned on the distant tanks ¡ª though not before one of their laser blasts exploded the ground at her and Mote¡¯s feet, flinging the two of them back. Danielle rushed to their rescue, once again taking on the form of a large mech as she caught her friends mid-air and then turned her head-mounted miniguns on the tanks, ripping into their energy shields from afar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with us! Get the Colonel and the Major!¡± Mote shouted up at Danielle as he engaged his armor¡¯s flight system. With it, he zoomed through the air and back to the ground, where he resumed wiping out the Drakkar soldiers that filled the nearby clearing. His powerful control over electricity soon proved too much for the Drakkars to handle, leaving the immediate battlefield clear of hostiles; Mote immediately flew for the treeline, ducking back and forth randomly to evade incoming fire from the Drakkar tanks. A bright flash of light signaled the destruction of one tank as Kate engaged her Overdrive again to power up her explosives, but Mote focused on the mission at hand, soon joining back up with Colonel Saito and Major Hackett just as Danielle deposited them on the ground in the nearby forest.


    ¡°What a warzone¡­¡± Hackett muttered.


    ¡°And the Drakkars¡¯ beam jammers are still active,¡± Saito stated with a scowl. ¡°Is the side that won the space battle just trying to prevent the other side¡¯s forces from fleeing¡­? Either way, it means the Once In a Blue Moon won¡¯t be able to beam us up until we can escape the jammers.¡±


    ¡°Those fucking Drakkars just don¡¯t know how to take the fucking L,¡± Kate remarked.


    ¡°Maybe not, but it¡¯s up to us to deal¡ª¡°


    The sound of wrenching metal and crumbling stone suddenly echoed through the valley, drawing the team¡¯s attention back to the outpost. Cracks rapidly formed across the ground between the outpost building and the crater next to it, followed a second later by the ground completely collapsing ¡ª and bringing the outpost with it. The metal walls crumpled into each other, the debris sliding into the newly formed sinkhole that itself began to grow in size as the force of the collapsing building caused more underground cave-ins.


    ¡°¡­And this is why you should be careful with your explosives,¡± Mote declared as he turned to give Kate a reprimanding glare. ¡°Imagine if we were caught in that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well we weren¡¯t, so fucking what?¡± Kate retorted. ¡°More importantly¡ª wait a fucking minute. Is that¡­?¡±


    Mote turned his attention back to the sinkhole, where Kate was pointing. As the metal and rock debris fell into the sinkhole, several pieces of them had begun to glow a bright blue before suddenly dispersing into clouds of blue particles ¡ª and then a second later, a humanoid form with two pairs of mechanical wings exploded out of the debris and stopped in the air over the collapsing outpost.


    ¡°The robot¡¯s still alive?!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ¡°What the fucking hell? My explosives should¡¯ve fucking obliterated it!¡± Kate remarked indignantly.


    ¡°Damn¡­ we can¡¯t just let it get away!¡± Mote snapped his attention to Saito. ¡°Sir! Permission to pursue?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have long,¡± Saito commented as he glanced up at the Cruiser wreck falling through the skies. ¡°But permission granted!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir! Now, Danielle, get the rest of them out of here!¡± Without waiting for a response, Mote once more engaged his armor¡¯s flight system, zipping through the air toward the robot. He quickly ducked to the side to make way for a parting gift from Kate: one final rocket, that exploded against the zeta robot¡¯s shields and sent it reeling. In the brief opening afterward, Mote summoned his battlehammer and slammed it over the robot¡¯s head, launching it groundward. The robot managed to recover before it actually hit the ground, however, allowing it to rapidly return to the air and fly a large arc around Mote. With an irritated scowl, Mote launched several lightning strikes at the robot, only for it to swing its scythe through the air and materialize rock and metal debris to block the strikes.


    So it can re-materialize debris that it annihilated with its scythe¡­ Mote mused as he began flying evasive maneuvers in the skies to evade Drakkar laser fire. That¡¯s odd¡ª wait a second. That scythe, I¡¯ve seen it before! Back on Earth, when the recruits first confronted EA, he used that scythe on Austin. I don¡¯t remember the details from the report, but Austin showed up later unharmed, so that weapon clearly has the ability to re-constitute things that it¡¯s destroyed. Which is all the more reason to destroy that robot now ¡ª we can¡¯t let EA get his hands on that Drive!


    With renewed determination, Mote focused his attention on the opposing robot. It appeared to be momentarily distracted by evading the weapons fire of a Drakkar fightercraft, so Mote quickly seized the opportunity to fly up to it at high speeds and again slam his hammer into it. Energy shields flared as the robot recoiled from the blow, only to immediately swing its scythe toward Mote ¡ª who for a moment moved to block it with the shaft of his hammer, only to think better and throw himself backwards to avoid the blade entirely. An explosion of energy soon filled Mote¡¯s vision, launching him off to the side and blocking his sight for a second as his armor¡¯s energy shielding flared up to protect him. ¡°Damn Drakkars¡­!¡± he muttered, turning his attention to a passing fightercraft for just a second to zero out the voltage on its energy shielding and then blast the unprotected vehicle with lightning. The sparking husk of the fightercraft began to fall out of the sky¡­ only for the zeta robot to rush to its side and cleanly slice through it with its scythe, causing it to disperse into a cloud of blue particles that rapidly coalesced onto and disappeared into the scythe¡¯s blade.


    Mote immediately responded by throwing out several more lightning strikes. All of his attacks landed, but the robot continued to shrug them off as it zigged and zagged through the air, evading Drakkar laser fire while it closed in on Mote. It made a swing with its scythe, but Mote easily predicted the move and ducked away, using the opening to land his own hammer attack instead. The robot staggered under the blow, losing air for just a couple moments before flapping its giant mechanical wings and zipping upward. Mote quickly gave chase, noting for a moment that the wrecked Drakkar Cruiser now appeared to be nearly the size of the moon in the sky ¡ª though he then threw himself to the side as two Drakkar fightercraft appeared in the immediate airspace, firing their lasers at everything around: each other, Mote, and the robot alike. An energy blast sent Mote reeling, but he responded quickly, zeroing out the fightercraft¡¯s shielding and then blasting it as he had done before. Just as he did, however, he noticed the robot flying up to the other frightercraft and sinking its scythe into his hull ¡ª even through its shields. Half a second later, the fightercraft dispersed into a blue cloud and disappeared into the scythe¡¯s blade.


    Even through energy shielding¡ª?! Mote¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as the robot turned toward him and swung its scythe through the open air. A bright flash of light accompanied the appearance of a large cloud of blue particles, that rapidly transformed back into the Drakkar fightercraft ¡ª which was now on a direct collision course with Mote. Caught completely off-guard by the move, Mote soon found himself pinned against the fightercraft¡¯s frontside as it began again to maneuver through the air. With a scowl, he did the same to that craft that he had done to the other two, using the final lightning blast to also launch himself away. But just as he did, the robot appeared from behind the newly-wrecked fightercraft, scythe outstretched as it dodged around the husk and bared down on Mote. He had little time to react, but was still able to narrowly evade the incoming scythe swing, and then take advantage of the opening to bring up his own battlehammer and swing it down on the robot. Before the hammer connected, however, the robot whipped back around, swinging its scythe with it to cleanly deflect Mote¡¯s hammer.


    ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± he exclaimed, again caught off-guard by the robot¡¯s actions ¡ª but this time, it was in melee range. Immediately, the robot rolled the shaft in its hands, snapping the scythe blade directly toward Mote and slamming the pointed tip into his chestplate. The blade impacted with a sharp metallic ding, the force from the blow knocking Mote backward through the air. He tumbled for a second before righting himself, reflexively bringing his hammer up into a defensive position as he glared at the robot, only for it to back off and hover in the air, as if staring at him.


    ¡°What is it doing¡­?¡± Mote began to mutter, and then glanced down at himself, and the crimson, gold, and black armor that still adorned his body ¡ª chestplate included. ¡°¡­What the hell?¡± He frowned in confusion. ¡­What just happened? Is my armor immune to that scythe? Damn it, even more surprises¡­ but I suppose I can¡¯t complain. He brandished his hammer again, noting that the robot seemed to have taken a defensive stance as well. So even that robot doesn¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s going on, huh? Finally, I have the upper hand! Not even half a second later, he leaned forward and blasted off through the air, his hammer raised in preparation to swing toward the robot. It¡¯s time to end this!


    <hr>


    ?Kate! Behind us!?


    ¡°On it!¡± Kate remarked, fabricating a shoulder-mounted anti-air missile launcher and taking aim. Before her were the open skies over the valley, exposed through an open cargo bay door on the underside of a small spacecraft that Danielle had transformed into to transport herself, Kate, Colonel Saito, and Major Hackett off the planet ¡ª and pursuing behind Danielle¡¯s spacecraft form were two Drakkar fightercraft, their lasers peppering Danielle¡¯s energy shielding. Sheets of golden light temporarily blocked Kate¡¯s view outside of the craft, so she fired blindly into the skies just as Danielle rolled left and banked hard. The evasive maneuver threw off the trailing fighters, allowing Danielle¡¯s shields to go invisible once more and give Kate a more accurate view of her targets. Immediately, she fabricated a new missile into her launcher and fired at the distant fightercraft, and then fabricated another missile and fired again ¡ª six more times she repeated this, crafting missiles no larger than a typical shoulder-launched anti-aircraft weapon, and yet they still all exploded against their targets in blinding flashes of white light that rocked the air and ground for hundreds of meters around.


    ¡°Alright!!¡± Kate whooped as she watched one of the Drakkar fighters fall out of the sky. She then pounded on the bulkhead to her right as she shouted, ¡°keep it up, Danielle!¡±


    ?Got it!? came the shapeshifter¡¯s reply through a speaker in the ceiling of the cargo space. ?Any weapon I make will be weaker than your explosives, so I¡¯ll leave the Drakkars to you!?


    ¡°My fucking pleasure!¡± Kate replied with a grin as she fabricated two mounted missile launchers on the ceiling of the small cargo bay. Saito and Hackett had retreated to the ¡°bridge¡± of the small craft, leaving the open cargo area entirely to Kate, the air rushing through the open bay doors whipping her hair around while she focused on shooting down any pursuers.


    She glanced off to the side for a moment. The forest and valley below grew gradually smaller with distance as Danielle ascended into the air; the orbital bombardment shield that had earlier covered the region had finally failed when the wreck of the Drakkar Cruiser crashed into it, allowing Danielle to go straight up instead of having to navigate around its edge. However, the wreck itself had yet to crash into the ground; by Kate¡¯s estimate, it was descending much slower than free fall, indicating that some of its anti-gravity generators were still active. Still, its eventual collision with the ground was inevitable, as it finally fell under an altitude of 10 kilometers and showed no signs of stopping.


    Kate then looked skyward; one Drakkar Cruiser may be destroyed, but there still remained another, as well as EA¡¯s Cruiser. Thoughts of the space conflict soon fled her mind, however, as three more Drakkar fighters appeared in the distance, all on a chase course. Immedaitely, Kate slammed her fist into the missile launchers she had fabricated earlier, prompting both to fire a volley of five missiles each. Two of the missiles exploded mid-air almost as soon as they left the bay, and a further six where shot down by the Drakkars¡¯ lasers before the fighters dodged around the remaining two missiles ¡ª but in that time, Kate had fabricated and launched another two volleys.


    ¡°Can¡¯t fucking chase us if the sky¡¯s full of missiles, now can you, you faceless fuckwits?!¡± Kate shouted into the wind, watching as the fighters engaged in evasive maneuvers. They deftly dodged around the volleys of incoming missiles, turning and banking and rolling away on unpredictable courses. As the missiles sailed off into the distance, Kate turned her attention back to her launchers and quickly switched up the kinds of missiles she fabricated. Before she could launch another volley, however, Danielle suddenly pitched down, throwing Kate violently into the ceiling.


    ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± she yelped, only to quickly grab one of the mounted missile launchers to secure herself against several more pitches and rolls.


    ?There¡¯s a lot of them!? Danielle exclaimed, ?we¡¯re getting surrounded!?


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    ¡°Well there¡¯s only one answer for that!¡± Kate remarked as she blindly fired her prepared missiles and then banged on the nearby bulkhead again. ¡°Bring me topside! I need to fucking see if I want to shoot them!¡±


    ?Got it!? Danielle replied, at which point a hole appeared in the ceiling of the small cargo bay. With the help of a ladder that newly appeared on the bulkheads, Kate quickly climbed up to the topside of Danielle¡¯s spacecraft form, her torso exposed to the rushing exterior winds as she planted her feet on the ladder rungs. Danielle had evened out at that point, so her mechanical body blocked Kate¡¯s view of the forested valley below ¡ª all she could see now were wispy clouds and a half dozen Drakkar fighters running circles around Danielle, alternating between turning toward her to fire their lasers and turning away to make some distance.


    As soon as she took stock of the situation, Kate fabricated another missile launcher on Danielle¡¯s topside. ¡°Overdrive: Critical Overload!¡± she shouted for the third time that day; while Kate¡¯s fabricated explosives were already more powerful than many conventional explosives, her Overdrive made them even more powerful still. Immediately after activating it, she filled the missile launcher in front of her with fabricated missiles and fired them off, volley after volley after volley. As she began firing, Danielle also began performing evasive maneuvers again, throwing Kate¡¯s viewpoint into disarray as the sky turned sideways and the ground seemed to rotate all around her ¡ª and then, mere seconds later, bright flashes of light and thundering booms filled the sky as Kate¡¯s missiles detonated in the air. The violent shockwaves knocked even Danielle off-course and flared up her shields, momentarily blocking Kate¡¯s vision. But when she was able to see once again, only two Drakkar fightercraft remained as the other four careened toward the ground below.


    ¡°Must be a few dozen kilometers up now¡­¡± Kate observed, the forested valley now appearing to be little more than an expansive mass of green. Danielle must not be beelining for space because of me, she mused as she reloaded her missile launcher with newly fabricated missiles. Can¡¯t fucking breath in space, after all. So let¡¯s hurry the fuck up and wrap this up so we can get the hell out of here!


    A series of energy blasts exploded across Danielle¡¯s shields, flaring them up again and blocking Kate¡¯s sight of the fighters. Danielle quickly pitched down and rolled to the side, but the Drakkars¡¯ lasers followed her, maintaining the flared shield state. In irritation, Kate blindly fired her missiles, and then fabricated a new volley to launch as well. These fucking shields are blocking me from seeing my targets! If I want to do anything, then we need to stop the Drakkars from hitting Danielle¡¯s shields, so I can actually fucking SEE the assholes. Looks like I¡¯ll have to settle for distracting them, for now! she thought while gripping the ladder rungs tightly to brace herself against Danielle¡¯s movements. A turn to the left, another roll, pitching up and down and swerving through the air ¡ª little helped to evade the Drakkars¡¯ aim¡­ until a second later, when the sky filled with a dozen blinding lights.


    The instant the explosions all went off, Kate fabricated a second missile launcher and quickly calibrated her two launchers to fire in a dome; she then loaded them both with missiles, firing them as soon as they were loaded and then loading them as soon as they fired. As the lights from the previous explosions began to fade and Danielle continued her evasive maneuvers, Kate¡¯s new missiles soon took their place, creating a trail of light flashes through the sky, and furthered thunderous rumbling that shook the bulkheads Kate was securing herself against.


    ¡°Come on, come on¡­!¡± she muttered; Danielle¡¯s flared shields had recessed just enough to see the sky filling with light, but not enough for Kate to actually lay eyes on the Drakkar fightercraft that were continuously landing laser blasts on Danielle. That is, until a moment later ¡ª the shield flaring died down just enough for Kate to spot one Drakkar fighter, as well as a shower of metal debris nearby. Alright, I got one! Just one fucking more! Kate grinned devilishly as she spun both of her missile launchers toward the remaining fightercraft and filled both with full-powered missiles. ¡°You better speed the fuck up, Danielle!¡± Kate shouted; she then slapped the missile launchers, causing them both to fire a full dozen missiles directly at the remaining Drakkar fighter.


    As soon as the missiles were fired, they fanned out, covering an entire cone of airspace. The Drakkar attempted to evade, but the prior explosions had distracted it for just long enough ¡ª three of the new missiles soon found purchase against the fighter¡¯s shields. In that instant, three more explosions sounded, the light released lighting up the afternoon sky like a second sun. Before the light had a chance to dissipate, the remaining missiles detonated as well, blinding and deafening Kate even as she attempted to shield her eyes and ears. All she could feel was Danielle attempting to maintain a level flight path while under assault from a dozen shockwaves, and then¡­ silence.


    Kate slowly lowered her arms from in front of her face, her vision and hearing slowly returning as she did. The sound of rushing winds filled her ears, and as she searched the skies, she saw no sign of the remaining fightercraft.


    ?You did it, Kate!? Danielle shouted through a speaker that appeared near the ladder Kate was standing on. ?There¡¯s no one else following us!?


    ¡°Damn fuckin¡¯ straight,¡± Kate remarked with a grin as she jumped down the ladder, allowing Danielle to close off the hole to outside. ¡°Good flying on your part, too. I know laser fire is a real pain in the ass to deal with.¡±


    ?At least we¡¯re fine, now. All that¡¯s left is to see if Mote makes it out¡­?


    ¡°Oh please, that bastard¡¯ll be perfectly fine. When that falling Cruiser finally hits the fucking planet, it should destroy whatever fucking beam jammers the Drakkars still have. We¡¯ll just beam him up then.¡±


    ?I hope so¡­?


    ¡°You worry too damn much. Just get us back to the fucking Frigate already!¡±


    ?Ah, right! On my way¡­!?


    <hr>


    The sound of clashing metal rang out through the skies above the forested valley as Mote and the zeta robot repeatedly swung their weapons at each other, only to deflect or evade each time. A swing from the robot¡¯s scythe, a swing from Mote¡¯s hammer, both evaded while the two combatants attempted to find an opening in their opponent¡¯s stance.


    Since beginning the fight, Mote and the robot had steadily ascended through the skies, their clash now taking place several kilometers above the outpost ruins. The Drakkar forces had thinned out, with the groundside tanks finally fleeing the valley while all of the fightercraft peeled off to retreat or attack a distant target. Only the cruiser wreck above remained to possibly intercede in the fight, looming closer and closer with each passing second.


    I need to wrap this up, Mote thought to himself with a scowl as he dodged away from the robot and blasted it with a powerful electromagnetic pulse. Luckily, its special scythe ability doesn¡¯t seem to work on my armor OR my battlehammer. I don¡¯t know why, but it does mean I can focus more on offense than defense!


    With that thought, Mote ducked downward as the robot swung its scythe at him once more. As it did, a massive cloud of blue particles appeared in the air ¡ª a half-second later, they coalesced into the form of a massive boulder that began to fall on top of Mote. He blasted down and to the side to get around the rock, though the moment he was clear the robot was on him, swinging its scythe up at him from below; Mote quickly responded by trying to block with the shaft of his battlehammer, only to misjudge the path of the scythe¡¯s blade. The weapon came up like a hook and caught against the hammer¡¯s shaft, yanking Mote upwards ¡ª just as it did, however, Mote forced an incredible current through his hammer and the scythe that was connected to it, and thereby the robot itself. Its shields flared under the assault, forming a golden sheet of energy that followed the contours of its chest, arms, and four wings¡­ and then, a second later, the golden energy snapped outward into an orb that encapsulated the robot¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± Mote grunted as the shield snap launched his hammer through the skies and knocked him away. He tumbled for a moment before righting himself and summoning his hammer back into his hands, creating a brief opening that the robot immediately seized on to dash in close and attack with its scythe once more. With barely a second to spare, Mote managed to twist his torso to evade the incoming blade and then slam his palm into the robot¡¯s shields, imparting an incredible electric charge as he did. The robot reeled back, descending slightly below Mote as its now orb-shaped shields protected it from direct harm.


    They really are an orb, now¡­ Mote observed as he beheld the new form of the robot¡¯s shields. Most energy shields were contour shields, meaning that they closely followed the contours of whatever object they were protecting. This gave the shields a smaller cross-sectional area than if they were a sphere or an orb, meaning that the shields would only have to expend energy to deflect or absorb attacks that come close to the object wearing them. However, contour shields required multiple shield emitters to function; in the event that one or several of the emitters failed, the remaining emitters would switch to an orb form factor, enabling them to still offer full protection. The orb form factor had a much larger cross-sectional area than the contours, meaning that it was easier to hit orb shields and thus deplete their charge ¡ª which meant that the orb transition only occurred as a last resort. The fact that the robot¡¯s shields had transitioned to the orb form, then, was an indicator to Mote that the battle was nearly over.


    With renewed confidence, Mote began gathering an incredible electrical charge in his body in preparation for one final attack. Sparks began running across his armor and shields as he raised his hammer into the air, his gaze directed down at the robot below him. It brandished its scythe and stared back at him, but made no attempt to dash in and attack. ¡­Why is it not attacking? Mote narrowed his eyes as he glared at the robot. Before this, it always tried to interrupt my attacks, so why¡­?


    In the middle of this thoughts, Mote noticed that the robot below him had suddenly been overcome by shadow ¡ª as had his own body. His eyes widened as he realized what was going on ¡ª but not before a massive object slammed into him from above. ¡°Argh¡ª!¡± he grunted, his shields flaring as the downward momentum of the Drakkar Cruiser wreck pinned him against its front. After a brief moment of disorientation, he forced extra power into his armor¡¯s flight system, the golden geometric wings glowing brightly as he managed to propel himself away from the wreck and to the side. Damn it, caught off guard! Mote scowled, backing away from the wreck as it passed through the airspace. He then glanced down at the robot, watching as it held out its scythe toward him¡­ and then flew directly upward, disappearing under the falling wreck.


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Mote exclaimed incredulously, only for his scowl to deepen as he quickly scanned the electrical fields in the area. It went inside the wreck?! Is it using the wreck as cover? Argh¡­ damn it!


    Forcing power into his armor¡¯s flight system again, he dived down faster than the wreck was falling and looped up to its underside. There, he found a hole in the bulkhead that he hadn¡¯t seen a moment prior ¡ª as well as a distant flash of the robot cutting its way up the spine of the ship. Without sparing a second, Mote launched himself upward through the hole, entering the charred and burning corridors of the Drakkar Cruiser. Sharp, blaring alarms pierced his ears as he deftly followed the path the robot had cut through, a task made more difficult by the fact that the wreck was descending ¡ª and that it was doing so at an angle.


    Just as Mote caught sight of the robot through destroyed bulkheads, it whipped around and used its weapon to drop a boulder onto the hole, blocking Mote¡¯s path upward. Instead of contending with the massive rock, he swung his hammer to the side, easily wrenching through some of the side bulkheads and forming an alternate path. He dashed through the hole, finding a large, dark room filled with clutter; it appeared to be some kind of storage space.


    In the moment he took to survey the room, the robot lunged out of the darkness to hook Mote with its scythe and launch him to the side. The Electrotechnic struck the robot with lightning twice in retaliation, only for the robot to zip over to him, dragging its scythe blade through the surrounding bulkheads to create a stream of blue particles before swinging up at Mote. This time, Mote managed to deflect the incoming attack with his hammer, and then spun around to bring his hammer up into the robot¡¯s side, launching it upward and through the bulkheads above.


    Mote¡¯s golden wings flared as he gave chase, blasting through the new hole just as the robot lunged to the side through the corridor they now found themselves in. Another lightning strike found its mark on the robot¡¯s shields before it rounded a corner, prompting Mote to pursue ¡ª only to be caught off guard as the entire bulkhead disappeared into a mass of blue particles, replaced a second later by a Drakkar fightercraft. The craft was too large for the corridors, and thus trapped both itself and Mote against the bottom wall; irritated, Mote released an incredible blast of electricity, obliterating the bulkhead behind him and half of the fightercraft in the process. He then flew up through the slanted corridors, dodging left and right as the robot ahead of him attempted to knock him back by materializing all kinds of boulders and metal debris while it fled. Mote was able to evade the obstacles, but in the tight confines of the Cruiser corridors, it was difficult for him to keep pace while dodging, allowing the robot to gradually make distance.


    Just as the robot reached the end of the corridor, however, all of the surrounding bulkheads shuddered, and an ear-piercing metallic shriek ¡ª followed by the sound of thunder, and continued reverberations ¡ª echoed through the ship from below. Realizing that the wreck must have just made initial impact with the ground, Mote blasted upward, using his hammer to haphazardly deflect the remaining pieces of debris in his way and then slam into the robot above him. As his hammer connected with the robot, Mote forced an incredible electric charge into the head, causing the robot¡¯s shields to flare brightly as he launched it through the bulkheads above. Mote then launched himself sideways, blasting through metal wall after metal wall in an effort to reach the ship¡¯s exterior before he could be crushed by the wreck¡¯s inner bulkheads. Terrible metallic groans and shudders reached his ears as he plowed through the bulkheads, the corridors below him gradually crunching up as the wreck¡¯s own weight crushed itself into the ground.


    With one final hammer blow, he finally created a hole out into the open air¡­ just as the metal below him lurched upward. The blow momentarily stunned him; in that moment, the bulkheads around him collapsed, trapping him under their weight as his armor¡¯s shields began flaring under the pressure. Argh¡­ the exit¡¯s right there¡­! He scowled, attempting to move his arms, or his legs, only to be unable to under the immense weight of the material around him. A flashing warning promptly appeared on his HUD as well, telling him that his shield charge had dipped dangerously low, and was in danger of failing altogether. ¡­Ah! That¡¯s it!


    His brow furrowed in concentration, Mote channeled electricity into all but two of his armor¡¯s shield emitters. From prior experience, he knew that his armor ran on Chaos Energy rather than electricity ¡ª but it still slightly responded to electrical charges, allowing him to boost the shield charge of the emitters that he targeted, even if only by a little bit.


    And then, a second later, the un-boosted emitters failed.


    Instantly, his armor¡¯s shields snapped into the orb configuration, shoving aside the metal that was crushing him. His remaining shields still had only a scant charge left, however, so he immediately acted to impart an incredible electric blast to the metal cavity he had created, thereby launching him through the exterior bulkheads and into the skies beyond.


    Once outside, he quickly commanded his armor to direct its remaining energy away from the shields and into his flight system ¡ª as he had still yet to complete his objective. Now with no shields and gradually dimming wings, Mote flew away from the settling Cruiser wreck and up to its topside. In the skies above, he spotted only clouds ¡ª no wrecks, no fightercraft, and no robot for as far as he could see. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it got away¡­¡± Mote muttered, turning his attention down to the wreck in search of any holes that the robot might have been able to use to escape. But just as he did, some of the metal blasted outward, revealing the robot itself¡­ albeit with a wing missing, and its scythe slowing slipping in its hands.


    As the robot slowly ascended above the wreck, it looked up. Though it had no head, Mote felt for a brief moment that he made eye contact with the robot through its lone orb sensor. It began to raise its arm, but Mote interrupted with an incredible blast of lightning ¡ª this time striking the robot¡¯s body directly, its energy shields no longer able to protect it. Sparks ran down its remaining limbs, the slate blue armor where the lightning had struck turning a charred black as the robot¡¯s body seized up. Still, for a moment, it attempted again to move¡­ only for Mote to furrow his brow in irritation and strike it once more, this time delivering a charge so incredible that the robot¡¯s armor blasted off, and its joints heated enough to weld themselves in place. This time, it collapsed, its scythe disappearing in a flash of light as it fell through the air and disappeared into the wreck of the Drakkar Cruiser.


    Mote stared at the wreck for a few moments, his body tense as he watched it continue to settle, still crushing itself in some areas but slowly coming to a stop. Before long, it became apparent that the robot was no longer a threat ¡ª and a quick scan of the nearby electrical fields confirmed it.


    The robot was no longer active.


    Mote finally allowed himself a deep breath. He slowly surveyed the environment around him; for the first time since he had arrived, the forested valley wasn¡¯t filled with the sights and sounds of battle. No laser blasts, no tanks, no fightercraft, no Drakkar soldiers ¡ª everything was now crushed, or gone.


    ¡°¡­Time for me to leave, as well,¡± Mote muttered to himself as he turned toward the distance and began to fly off. While he did, a handful of questions began to rush through his mind: just what was EA¡¯s robot trying to accomplish? What did it do to the FTL Drive they had found underground ¡ª and what was even the significance of the Drive? And more importantly than that¡­ what had happened to the robot¡¯s scythe?


    Mote glanced back at the wreck as it shrank with distance. Between the outpost it had crushed, and the dead robot now inside it, the wreck almost seemed to be a symbol of what SERRCom had gained from this mission: few answers, and many questions. ¡°¡­These Aldredian coordinate missions never go well¡­¡± Mote scowled and turned his attention forward, focusing on leaving the valley so that he could be beamed up to Once In a Blue Moon. ¡°I can only hope that our next mission is more productive¡­¡±

 V1 - Arc 7: New Faces - Chapter 47: A Bleeding Threat

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 7 ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 47: A Bleeding Threat


    ¡ª Ligdia, Skydiath 27, 8054 ¡ª


    (Wednesday, November 16, AD 2129)


    Gold and orange light blanketed the still sands, stalwart walls, and beige buildings of Compound Tresnon as the sun slowly set on another day. Clear skies and calm waters in the adjacent Mirage Lake made for a stagnant atmosphere, disturbed only by a lone aerial transport craft coming to rest in Tresnon¡¯s small airport after traveling from thousands of kilometers away.


    An uncomfortable silence filled the interior of the craft while it came to a stop. Captain Luke Travis looked around idly at his surroundings: Austin and Spike sat across the craft, both of them quietly watching the low skyline of Tresnon through the craft¡¯s windows; Twy and Sky sat just behind them, Sky beginning to stand up and gather her bags; Conrad sat in the back, his head against his seat with his eyes closed in slumber, while Kestrel sat stoically beside him, her own eyes also closed; and Phoenix and Pierce sat across from each other, Pierce¡¯s lips pursed in a frustrated sulk while Phoenix crossed her arms and distracted herself by looking out the windows.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s quiet,¡± Mark commented from his seat next to Luke, his voice low.


    ¡°Well¡­ that trip was probably a bit much for them¡­¡± Luke replied in kind. ¡°A run-in with the both the metallic infection, and the Bleeders¡­ we¡¯re lucky no one was hurt, or infected.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true¡­¡± Mark nodded slowly, and then turned his attention forward as Dean Kaon¨¦ Densalin stood up at the front of the transport craft.


    ¡°¡­Alright,¡± she began, turning to face the Earthians as the exit door to her right opened outwards. ¡°¡­We¡¯ve returned to Compound Tresnon. It¡¯s sunset already, so let¡¯s all call it a day ¡ª and remember, you have class tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Austin questioned wearily, ¡°even after all this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we just got back!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°¡­I know,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, ¡°but this, too, is part of being a Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Pierce muttered dismissively as he shoved past Austin on his way to the exit. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ bullshit¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Wow,¡± Sky remarked, staring at the exit that Pierce had just disappeared through. ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to ask?¡± Twy questioned incredulously. ¡°You remember what happened yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but why¡¯s he so sour about it?¡±


    ¡°Because he lost,¡± Austin snidely replied. ¡°I bet he deserved it, too.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, this is no time for schadenfreude,¡± Luke interjected, glancing to the side as Phoenix approached before turning his attention back to Austin. ¡°Pierce did get ahead of himself¡­ but at the same time, from what I hear, his actions ¡ª as well as those of Phoenix and Kestrel ¡ª did minimize the spread of the infection.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ are we in the clear, then?¡± Phoenix questioned, looking up at Luke with a blank expression.


    Luke looked back at her, and then at Conrad and Kestrel, who had finally moved up themselves. With a sigh, the Captain replied, ¡°¡­for now, yes. But let¡¯s see that this situation never happens again.¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± Conrad responded, and then yawned broadly, making no attempt to cover his mouth or quiet his voice as he did. He then nodded toward Luke before gesturing back at Kestrel. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment and followed Conrad out of the craft, pausing for only a moment to place a reassuring hand on Phoenix¡¯s shoulder. Phoenix shook her head in response, and then, with a sigh, she followed her friends.


    ¡°Time for us to make like them,¡± Spike declared, grabbing his one bag and relieving Sky of hers before leading the group out of the transport craft, leaving only Luke, Mark, and Kaon¨¦ behind.


    As the three began heading for the exit themselves, Luke passed Kaon¨¦ a glance. ¡°Hell of a weekend, huh?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to be¡­¡± she muttered in response.


    ¡°Sure, but that isn¡¯t really your fault.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ looked back at Luke, and then off to the side, as if in thought. Eventually she took a deep breath and began down the steps outside of the craft without responding further.


    Luke and Mark exchanged a glance before grabbing their own bags and making for the exit as well. Once outside, the light of the setting sun fell upon them, prompting Luke to hold up his right hand to shield his eyes. As he did so, he looked down at the dusty grounds of Tresnon¡¯s small airport; the recruits were already some distance away, on their way back to the WCU campus, but Luke also noticed that Dav¨ªdrius and Selind both were standing at the bottom of the transport craft¡¯s disembarkation stairs. Dav¨ªdrius had his arms crossed, his foot tapping the ground impatiently as he eyed Kaon¨¦ on the stairs.


    ¡°Oi!¡± he called up to her, ¡°Rebehka told me what happened. Is it all true?!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, finally descending to the ground with Luke and Mark just behind her. ¡°It isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ say,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°Bleeders, in Rel¨¦diaka? And tryin¡¯ to do shit with the metallic infection? Ain¡¯t none of that sounds good.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯d like to hear all of the details,¡± Selind declared. ¡°If the Bleeders are up to somethin¡¯, we need to get ahead of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Kaon¨¦ nodded once as Dav¨ªdrius began leading the trio away.


    ¡°Hey, hold up!¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius stopped in his tracks and half turned around to stare at Luke, who had just called out to him. ¡°¡­The hell do you want?¡±


    ¡°I think that should be obvious,¡± Luke replied, stepping up to join the Nimalian trio. ¡°Did you seriously expect to just keep us in the dark about everything that¡¯s goin¡¯ on here?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled and crossed his arms. ¡°So what if I did? This is our problem, not yours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Luke countered. ¡°We were the ones put into danger at the WTAC campus, and it was my nephew and his friends who were with you during that Bleeder skirmish last week.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got ya there,¡± Selind remarked as she elbowed Dav¨ªdrius in his side.


    ¡°Look, I get that we¡­ haven¡¯t been as careful as we should¡¯ve been,¡± Dav¨ªdrius admitted. ¡°But this is still our problem. Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ you can help with.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d be surprised what a trained military officer can do,¡± Luke said, and then jerked his head toward Mark. ¡°As well as Mark here, he¡¯s no slouch in a fight. But, more importantly¡­¡± Luke glanced over at Kaon¨¦. ¡°If what you said yesterday is true, then the reason we¡¯re here is to learn how to fight the Nanocreatures ¡ª the metallic infection. If that¡¯s the case, then we deserve to know everything about what¡¯s happening on that front.¡± He then returned his attention to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°And if you want to keep us here, at Compound Tresnon, while you teach the ¡®Keys¡¯¡­ then, as their official guardian, I also demand to be made privy to any security concerns. That certainly includes the Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°You wanna know everythin¡¯ we know? Just like that?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius exclaimed incredulously. ¡°What the hell would you even¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius, he has a point¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected. ¡°We¡¯re asking a lot of the Earthians. It¡¯s only fair that we let them know about the dangers that face them.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me that ¡®cause you, Kev¨¦rin, and the rest forced these Earthians down my throat, that I¡¯m then forced to let them in on all of Tresnon¡¯s security issues?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon,¡± Selind replied as she shook her head. ¡°Think about it differently. If Luke here is as well trained as he says he is, then he could be a lotta help.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Luke nodded. ¡°Just hand me a sniper rifle, and I¡¯ll show you how useful I can be.¡±


    ¡°And Mark over there is strong, too,¡± Selind commented. ¡°I know you¡¯ve heard as much from Kar¨ªsah, Dav¨ªdrius. Just face it ¡ª these are two outsiders who actually stand to help us.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted, passing an irate glance toward Selind before glaring at Luke and Mark. After a couple moments of silence, he averted his gaze and exhaled wearily. ¡°¡­Alright. I suppose we could use some help¡­¡±


    ¡°So long as you¡¯re up front with all of Tresnon¡¯s security risks,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed again before turning on his heel and marching off. ¡°Aight then, follow me. We¡¯ve got a lot to talk about¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°A¡¯ight¡­ looks like we got everyone.¡±


    ¡°Of course we do,¡± retorted an older, tan-skinned woman, in reply to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s statement. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started, already.¡±


    ¡°We can always count on you to be even more impatient than Dav¨ªdrius!¡± Selind remarked with a grin.


    Luke passed Selind a brief glance before looking around the small room he now found himself in. A small meeting table occupied the center of the dimly lit room, featuring just enough chairs to seat everyone present: Luke, Mark, Dav¨ªdrius, Kaon¨¦, Selind, and another woman that Dav¨ªdrius had called in when the group arrived at the WCU campus. Her long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, while she wore the same kind of white, beige, and brown desert robing as Dav¨ªdrius and Selind. Aside from her height ¡ª a modest 5 feet and 4 inches, putting her nearly halfway between Kaon¨¦¡¯s almost 5 feet and Dav¨ªdrius and Selind¡¯s 6 ¡ª the one key difference were the black gloves that fully covered her hands and wrists, whereas the gloves that both Dav¨ªdrius and Selind wore were fingerless.


    Based on the woman¡¯s brief interaction with Dav¨ªdrius, Luke gathered that her name was Ralak ¡ª and he knew that he had met her once before, when Kar¨ªsah had given the Earthians a tour of Compound Tresnon. So he knew that Ralak was WCU¡¯s Head of Combat, but he knew little else about her, particularly what reason Dav¨ªdrius would have for including her in their meeting.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius began, drawing Luke out of his thoughts and to the matter at hand. ¡°I¡¯ll lay everythin¡¯ out up front. We¡¯re here to talk about the Bleeders, and what the hell they¡¯re up to. And on that front, we got three questions to answer: one, how the hell did they get powered armor? Two, how and why the hell did they go to Rel¨¦diaka? Three, what do they know about the metallic infection, and why do they know it?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like five questions to me,¡± Selind commented cheekily.


    ¡°Now ain¡¯t the time, Selind,¡± Dav¨ªdrius admonished.


    ¡°Ah ha¡­ right, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Uh, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Luke slowly interjected, ¡°could you give me and Mark a quick overview of what the Bleeders are? And what they do?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius stared at Luke for a moment. ¡°¡­Right. Well. As you¡¯ve probably figured out by now, they¡¯re a violent gang that plagues Tres¨¦d. All over the continent, they rape, pillage, murder, and steal, all in some misguided attempt at ¡®survival¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Tres¨¦d is a harsh wasteland, after all,¡± Selind added. ¡°For many people, turnin¡¯ to raiding seems easier than tryin¡¯ to live an honest life. Especially if you¡¯re a Chaotic.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°Right. And since there ain¡¯t no government here to squash ¡®em, the Bleeders have basically free reign over the whole fuckin¡¯ continent.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all they do¡­?¡± Mark questioned uneasily. ¡°They¡¯re just¡­ bandits?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t underestimate ¡®em,¡± Ralak declared, her arms crossed as she side-eyed Mark. ¡°They¡¯re filth, trash, and bandits, but they¡¯re headstrong bandits who don¡¯t know how to back down, even when they¡¯re losin¡¯. And they have a lot of Chaotics with ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Fewer now than in previous decades, thankfully,¡± Selind pointed out, ¡°thanks largely to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s efforts to reform any Bleeders who swear out of that life.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t just me,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°You¡¯ve helped a lot, too, Selind. But¡­ damn. Seemed like it was workin¡¯. I hope we weren¡¯t gettin¡¯ too soft¡­¡±


    ¡°Extending a peaceful hand to your enemy isn¡¯t soft,¡± Kaon¨¦ asserted. ¡°It¡¯s true that it doesn¡¯t work as often as I would like¡­ but it¡¯s certainly better to try than to not.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to be an asshole, or anything¡­¡± Luke spoke up again, ¡°but that attitude sounds counter to what you did in Goresan. According to what I heard from Twy and Spike, at least.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, because it was,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°If a Bleeder comes up to me with their hands up, askin¡¯ to leave the gang and join Tresnon, then I¡¯d be happy to help ¡®em do so. Hell, if I ran into some random-ass Bleeders in the middle of nowhere and defeated them in a fight, and they surrendered then, then I¡¯d at least give ¡®em a chance.¡± His expression then darkened and a scowl developed on his face as he continued, ¡°but after makin¡¯ off with all the people of a Compound? And then attackin¡¯ us so aggressively when we arrived to check the place out? That¡¯s too far. ¡®Specially after what I heard from the victim we rescued. And at the end of the day, those Bleeders we fought weren¡¯t willin¡¯ to surrender, anyway. They were bastards to the very end, and didn¡¯t deserve my help.¡±


    ¡°Fair. How effective has rehabilitation been, though? Do you have stats?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. ¡°Math ain¡¯t really my thing¡­¡±


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    ¡°I think at this point, there have to be a couple hundred former Bleeders here in Tresnon, alone,¡± Selind remarked, and then nodded toward Ralak. ¡°Hell, she¡¯s one.¡±


    Ralak shifted uncomfortably, her brow furrowed. ¡°Emphasis on ¡®former¡¯.¡±


    Luke glanced her way, fighting to maintain a neutral expression as he looked her up and down. So she¡¯s a former Bleeder, then¡­ and she¡¯s WCU¡¯s Head of Combat? I¡¯m not sure what to make of that. Should definitely go in my next report to the Colonel. It does explain what she¡¯s doing here, though ¡ª an insider¡¯s insight is always welcome at these sorts of meetings.


    ¡°With that outta the way¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius spoke up again, ¡°let¡¯s get to the actual topic at hand. Startin¡¯ with the armor. Of all the Bleeders that we found in Goresan, and that attacked the Academy ¡ª they all had armor. That¡¯s a fuckin¡¯ lot.¡±


    ¡°They were Black Suns armor, too,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Rebehka was able to recover the armors from the two Bleeders that we captured. The serial numbers were wiped, both physically and from the armor¡¯s internal memory, so we can¡¯t trace their ownership history¡­ but we do at least know that they¡¯re CPA-1430 models.¡±


    ¡°CPA-1430¡­¡± Luke nodded. ¡°The lowest grade model of the Black Sun¡¯s current gen Chaos Armor line-up, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The 1430 and 1450 both are mass-produced by the Black Suns and sold all over the galaxy. They¡¯ve been on the market for around five years now, so the sets the Bleeders had could have come from anywhere. That leaves us with no leads¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Is it possible that the Black Suns have a direct hand in this?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, yeah,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, ¡°but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s likely. What the hell would the Suns gain from bullyin¡¯ a backwater wasteland like Tres¨¦d?¡±


    ¡°Who knows what goes through their minds,¡± Luke commented, and then released a deep breath. ¡°In my experience, the Black Suns¡­ aren¡¯t exactly benevolent folks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had experience with them?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t think they dealt with SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°It was a chance encounter. I¡¯m not at liberty to give any details, but let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m not a fan.¡±


    ¡°Oof,¡± Selind remarked with a grimace, and then glanced over at Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦. ¡°That¡¯s awkward¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grunted. ¡°Wasn¡¯t my idea.¡±


    ¡°¡­What wasn¡¯t your idea?¡± Luke questioned warily.


    ¡°Well, ha ha¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ laughed uneasily. ¡°Uh, well¡­ we Deans figured that it could be useful to expose our students to different viewpoints of Chaotic employment. To that end, we decided to start a test run of a new ¡®guest instructor¡¯ program, starting here, in WCU.¡±


    ¡°Always usin¡¯ my damn campus as a test ground¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°I can see where this is going, and I don¡¯t think I like it,¡± Luke said with a frown. ¡°This guest instructor is from the Black Suns, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Sector 1, specifically,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Sector 1¡¯s reputation is stellar, especially when compared to Sectors 2 or 3. Personally, I¡¯ve had nothing but good experiences with them.¡±


    ¡°Still Black Suns, though. Why weren¡¯t we made aware of this?¡±


    ¡°The decision to bring him to WCU was independent of our decisions regarding you. I, uh¡­ also didn¡¯t expect there to be a problem¡­¡±


    Mark leaned toward Luke to whisper in his ear. ¡°Commander Rabine was Sector 3, not 1. Does that matter¡­?¡±


    ¡°Realistically¡­ yes,¡± Luke whispered back. ¡°The Black Suns have a sort of weird command structure. The four Sectors might as well be separate organizations. And it¡¯s certainly true that Sector 1¡¯s rep is better than the others. Still¡­¡± He turned back toward Kaon¨¦ and raised his voice for her to hear. ¡°I¡¯ll have to inform my superiors about this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Kaon¨¦ nodded once. ¡°I should perhaps also say that he¡¯s due in tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?!¡±


    ¡°¡­But hey, look on the bright side!¡± Selind interjected. ¡°With an actual Black Suns person here, we could ask ¡®im directly about these armors we got! Maybe he¡¯ll know how to trace ¡®em back to the original owners, so we can figure out how the hell the Bleeders got their hands on ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I know those PMC types. They ain¡¯t gonna blab about company secrets,¡± Dav¨ªdrius refuted, and then glanced over at Ralak. ¡°Do you have an insight on this? Any idea how the Bleeders got their hands on this armor?¡±


    Ralak grunted, her eyes closed in thought. ¡°¡­Bleeders usually scavenge around the dumpin¡¯ grounds on the north and east coasts,¡± she eventually stated. ¡°Usually it¡¯s just trash. But sometimes, some idiots from Tekdec¨¦ or Nimaliaka dump somethin¡¯ useful. That¡¯s how Bleeders usually get advanced tech.¡± She then frowned and passed Dav¨ªdrius a doubtful glance. ¡°A dozen sets of workin¡¯ current gen armor, though¡­ that¡¯s a stretch. Never seen a find like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ dumping grounds?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Some folks on Nimalia take the word ¡®wasteland¡¯ a little too seriously,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°People from Tekdec¨¦, the Nimaliakas, and Rel¨¦diaka will dump trash on our coasts. It¡¯s fuckin¡¯ nasty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that the bright side is it sometimes gives us access to advanced tech we wouldn¡¯t be able to get ourselves¡­¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Like my rifle, I picked that up from the dumpin¡¯ grounds. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But it would be ideal if the dumping grounds didn¡¯t exist in the first place¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ finished with a sigh.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a Materiatechnic?¡± Luke asked, ¡°can¡¯t you just clean it up?¡±


    ¡°Technically, yes. But covering thousands of kilometers of coastline is too much for one person. Besides, simply getting rid of the trash won¡¯t solve the root cause, which is the people who put it there in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Fair point.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re gettin¡¯ off topic. Back to the Bleeders. So¡­ we don¡¯t have any idea how they got those armors, huh? Fuckin¡¯ great. Well, what about the Rel¨¦diaka attack?¡± He looked over at Kaon¨¦. ¡°What do we know about that?¡±


    ¡°The two attackers that we captured are still under investigation,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°They haven¡¯t spoken since the initial questioning, and I wasn¡¯t there for that¡­¡±


    ¡°We were, though,¡± Luke declared, gesturing at himself and Mark before continuing, ¡°they claimed to be Bleeders, and that someone had sent them to ¡®blow up cages¡¯. Based on the way they were talking, I don¡¯t think they knew much about the metallic infection ¡ª but whoever sent them definitely did.¡±


    ¡°That the Academy studies the infection isn¡¯t exactly secret information,¡± Kaon¨¦ mused, ¡°but it isn¡¯t common knowledge, either. How could the Bleeders have heard about it?¡±


    ¡°Seems clear to me that they¡¯ve got their hands on more advanced tech and info than we¡¯ve ever seen ¡®em with,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Don¡¯t know how, don¡¯t know why. Given Ralak¡¯s comments, they probably got a supplier ¡ª that would explain how they knew about the Academy, at least. But who would supply the Bleeders¡­?¡±


    Selind glanced over at Ralak. ¡°Any ideas?¡±


    ¡°I left the Bleeders years ago,¡± Ralak replied crossly. ¡°I got no idea what the hell they¡¯re plannin¡¯. Though¡­¡± She passed Dav¨ªdrius an uneasy glance. ¡°This level of organization from the Bleeders¡­ it ain¡¯t common. The last time I saw it was twenty years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Twenty years?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed, only for his expression to then collapse into a scowl. ¡°You mean that fucker Str¨¦n?¡±


    ¡°Crass as he was, the Bleeders were never more organized than when he was in control.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but that asshole¡¯s dead.¡± Dav¨ªdrius looked over at Kaon¨¦. ¡°Y¡¯all made sure of that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t there for it,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly refuted. ¡°It was Kev¨¦rin and Siyuak¨¦n who fought him, and Siyuak¨¦n knocked herself out in the process. Kev¨¦rin was the one who verified that Str¨¦n was dead.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Doubt you can come back from a flame bath, ha!¡± He then frowned. ¡°Still¡­ Ralak, are you tryin¡¯ to say that the one leadin¡¯ the Bleeders now was one of Str¨¦n¡¯s followers, or somethin¡¯?¡±


    Ralak shook her head. ¡°No idea. It was just a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Str¨¦n?¡± Luke questioned, ¡°I know you said that he¡¯s dead, but he sounds important.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Important¡¯ ¡®cause of how much of a fucking psychopathic asshole he was,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, his expression growing foul. ¡°Li¡¯l over twenty years ago, that bastard took over the Bleeders. They got a lot nastier under him, and more effective, too. Plenty of folks died to the Bleeders while he was in charge¡­ or worse. And he definitely got a kick outta tormentin¡¯ the people of Tres¨¦d. I tried to stop him, over an¡¯ over, but¡­ ¡­well, I never personally beat him, but at least he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Before Str¨¦n, the Bleeders were just a bunch of different groups that used the same name,¡± Ralak explained. ¡°They¡¯ve basically reverted back to that ¡ª present situation excluded ¡ª but under him, they acted like one big group. His presence really was on another level, despite bein¡¯ a torture-lovin¡¯ psychopath. Or maybe because he was a torture-lovin¡¯ psychopath¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that like you were there,¡± Luke commented warily.


    Ralak¡¯s expression clouded. ¡°¡­¡¯Cause I was. Took me a few years even after Str¨¦n¡¯s death to realize just how fucked up the Bleeder lifestyle was, and leave it behind¡­ but because I was there, I know how Bleeders think, and why they¡¯re drawn to people like Str¨¦n. Every few generations, someone comes along and ¡®proves¡¯ that you can do whatever you want if you¡¯re stronger than everyone else, and the average Bleeder eats that up. They¡¯re more than willin¡¯ to listen to someone like Str¨¦n if it means they get all the food, drink, and pleasure that they want.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s so¡­ basic,¡± Mark said with a frown. ¡°Is that really all that drives them¡­?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the average Bleeder like I do,¡± Ralak countered bitterly. ¡°Bleeders have simple wants. Hell, that¡¯s what makes ¡®em dangerous ¡ª they know what they want, they know how they wanna get it, and they don¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.¡± She then glanced over at Dav¨ªdrius and Selind. ¡°Anyways. If the Bleeders got someone like Str¨¦n leadin¡¯ ¡®em now, then it¡¯d explain why they¡¯re so organized.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re dealin¡¯ with this, again¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented with a scowl. ¡°At least we caught on to the Bleeders early, this time. Relatively early, anyways¡­ actually, hold on. Back when I was at Goresan, the lone survivor said somethin¡¯ about the Bleeders havin¡¯ a powerful new Chaotic with ¡®em. Someone named ¡®Feral¡¯, who can cause explosions, and apparently led the attack on Goresan¡­ Ralak, you ever heard of someone named Feral?¡±


    ¡°No. Definitely sounds like a title that the Bleeders would give to one of their own, though.¡±


    ¡°Damn. Well, this Feral person might be the new leader we¡¯re lookin¡¯ for. The question then, is why are they doin¡¯ this? Why are they tryin¡¯ to ramp up Bleeder activity? Are they really just a Str¨¦n copy-cat?¡±


    ¡°Well, knowing the motivations of the Bleeders we captured might help figure that out,¡± Luke suggested. ¡°The ones in Rel¨¦diaka seemed to be angry about ¡®outsiders¡¯. Their ranting wasn¡¯t totally coherent, they kinda seemed to contradict themselves here and there¡­¡±


    ¡°To be expected from the low-level grunts,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted.


    ¡°Maybe, but they seemed to have an issue with WCU, and with someone they called ¡®Sentry¡¯ ¡ª which I can only assume means you,¡± Luke replied. ¡°They seemed mad at you for ¡®accepting outsider help¡¯.¡± ¡­And also for accepting Austin and his friends into your school, the Captain mentally added, though telling him that couldn¡¯t possibly help, here¡­


    ¡°It would figure¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head in disbelief. ¡°The Bleeders were always xenophobic assholes.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Selind remarked, ¡°you talk down to outsiders a lot to be sayin¡¯ that about others.¡±


    ¡°Bah¡­ I only talk down to the ignorant ones. Bleeders don¡¯t even give outsiders a chance.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius is right,¡± Ralak asserted. ¡°Back when he first founded this school, the fact that he had help from his outsider friend was enough for the Bleeders to call him a sell out.¡±


    ¡°They sure wouldn¡¯t say that if they actually met Christean¨¦,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°If anythin¡¯, he held me back more than he actually helped.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you don¡¯t mean that,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, ¡°Christean¨¦ can be a bit laissez-faire at times, but he does help.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s a pretty good guy,¡± Selind said. ¡°We could use more folks like him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ back on topic,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted, and then looked over at Luke. ¡°The Bleeders we ran into at Goresan said the same stuff as what you¡¯re sayin¡¯ the two in Rel¨¦diaka did. So whoever is leadin¡¯ the Bleeders now, ¡®fuck the outsiders¡¯ seems to be their rallyin¡¯ cry.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ so, to lay out what we know¡­¡± Selind leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table as she held out her left hand and began counting on her fingers. ¡°One, someone new seems to be leadin¡¯ the Bleeders, possibly this Feral person Dav¨ªdrius talked about. Two, they all hate outsiders. Go figure. Three, they somehow got fancy Black Suns armor. Four, they somehow know about that infection stuff over in Rel¨¦diaka.¡± She glanced around the room. ¡°Am I missin¡¯ somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That does sound like all we know, for now¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused.


    ¡°Seems a little hypocritical of them,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°They hate outsiders, but they¡¯re clearly getting supplies and information from one, right?¡±


    ¡°Just ¡®cause the grunts hate outsiders doesn¡¯t mean the leaders ain¡¯t dealin¡¯ with ¡®em,¡± Ralak refuted. ¡°In the Bleeders, might makes right. If the guy on top is strong enough, ain¡¯t no one gonna question how he managed to pull advanced tech or info out of his ass.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, with it all laid out like that, we do at least got some kinda lead,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°The Bleeders have, or at one time did have contact with someone outside Tres¨¦d. The armors and their knowledge about the Academy is evidence of that. So now we just gotta find a way to watch Tres¨¦d¡¯s borders, see if anyone suspicious comes through or leaves¡­¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Selind pointed out. ¡°Watching who comes and leaves from Tresnon alone is hard enough, and we have walls! And you want to watch the whole damn continent?!¡±


    ¡°Obviously we can¡¯t keep permanent watch for that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered, ¡°but we gotta keep an eye out, anyways. If we let the other Compounds know about the increased Bleeder threat, then they¡¯ll know to look out for suspicious activity, too.¡±


    ¡°So you do admit that the threat is greater than you expected, then?¡± Luke questioned.


    Dav¨ªdrius adopted a pained expression. ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± he eventually admitted, ¡°but Tresnon itself still ain¡¯t at risk, I promise you that. The defenses are too tough.¡±


    ¡°I can give you a more thorough walk-through, if it¡¯ll put your mind at ease,¡± Selind remarked, and then smirked at Luke. ¡°Maybe you can show me if your skill with a rifle matches what you know about ¡®em while we¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that tour¡­ but I gotta say, I¡¯m not thrilled about what¡¯s goin¡¯ on here,¡± Luke stated. ¡°Not to sound insensitive, but I have to look out for the recruits.¡±


    ¡°And I have to look out for my whole damn school,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered, crossing his arms as he stared back at Luke. ¡°If I thought Tresnon was in danger, I wouldn¡¯t be keepin¡¯ all the students around!¡±


    Several counterarguments flew through Luke¡¯s mind in that moment ¡ª particularly, he didn¡¯t think that Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s argument was sound, as the Tres¨¦dian students didn¡¯t have as many evacuation options as the Earthian Chaotics. The Bleeders seemed to be a threat to all of Tres¨¦d, after all, and the rest of Nimalia seemed unwilling to take in Tres¨¦dian refugees ¡ª why else would the situation on the continent be so dire? Nonetheless, Luke quickly determined that using such harsh truths against Dav¨ªdrius would only further sour his already unfavorable opinion of the Earthians, and thus he decided to keep his mouth shut. Things should be fine, for now¡­ he thought to himself, but if they get worse, then I really will have to talk to the Colonel about this arrangement. As for what I can do about it now¡­ ¡°¡­That may be,¡± Luke eventually replied, ¡°but given the situation, I¡¯d like to requisition my gear from SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Selind looked at him cluelessly. ¡°You say that like it¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°When I was first preparing for this trip, I was told to leave my military gear behind, so as to not leave a bad impression on the Nimalians¡­ well, on you.¡± Luke then eyed Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha ha¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ laughed nervously. ¡°Well, typically, even NSD officers need permission to carry their gear around in public, and even then, it¡¯s only allowed in specific scenarios. That¡¯s why you were advised to leave your gear behind. But, uh, given where we are, I suppose that restriction can be waived¡­¡±


    ¡°Always thought that concern was silly, anyways,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Ain¡¯t no one ¡®round here gonna be afraid of a gun, or a man in armor.¡±


    ¡°Access to modern military tech can only be a good thing, I say!¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°Well, hold on now,¡± Luke quickly interjected, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can swing a whole arms shipment, I just wanted my own rifle and armor¡ª¡°


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Still, even just getting to look at the one rifle would be a dream come true!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Selind?¡± Ralak commented with a scowl. ¡°Stop actin¡¯ like a star-struck maiden. You¡¯re the Head of Defense here, clean up your act.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ralak, Ralak, Ralak¡­¡± Selind shook her head and sighed. ¡°Always so stiff¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch. And how do you think I feel, havin¡¯ to leave the Compound¡¯s safety to you?¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked.


    ¡°You say that, but you know I¡¯m good at what I do,¡± Selind replied, and then winked at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep Tresnon safe while you¡¯re gone next week!¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± the Dean groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. What fuckin¡¯ timing¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s this about?¡± Mark questioned, ¡°what¡¯s happening next week?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, I really meant to tell you earlier,¡± Kaon¨¦ spoke up with a sheepish smile. ¡°Things have been a little busy¡­ anyways, in about a week, the upperclassmen of WCU will be leaving on a field trip. We¡¯ll be gone for the first six days of Aldredath.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ to Sikalia this year,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained, ¡°a Tier 2 world, here in the Nimalian Union. Haven¡¯t been able to arrange an off-world trip like this for a couple years, now¡­ still, I don¡¯t like the thought of bein¡¯ away from Tresnon for almost a week, in these circumstances¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to be gone?¡± Luke questioned, ¡°what about us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be coming with,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°Archon¨¦ Culana has already filed the paperwork, so you and the Keys should be free to come along without issue.¡±


    ¡°Keys¡­?¡± Mark echoed in confusion.


    ¡°Ah ha¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ laughed sheepishly. ¡°Well, I was just thinking that it would be kind of awkward to refer to you as, uh, ¡®you Earthians¡¯ or something like that, and we can¡¯t really call your Chaotics ¡®recruits¡¯ since that¡¯s basically everyone here. Archon¨¦ Culana called them ¡®Keys¡¯, so¡­ I thought I¡¯d just do the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re givin¡¯ that idiot too much credit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°Ha¡­ maybe. But do you have a better idea?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to do, for now,¡± Luke commented, and then smirked. ¡°I somehow doubt either of Austin or Pierce would have much issue with it, at least.¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯re even more off topic than we were before¡­¡± Ralak grumbled. ¡°Are we done here?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ right, of course.¡± Dav¨ªdrius glanced over at Ralak, and then at everyone else in the room. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think we got much else to talk about, here. We covered the Bleeders¡­ Selind, like I said earlier, make sure all the other Compounds know to look out for Bleeder contact with the rest of the world.¡±


    ¡°Aye aye, sir!¡± Selind replied with a playful salute.


    Ralak shook her head disapprovingly. ¡°And you¡¯re supposed to be the oldest one here¡­¡± she commented.


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± Selind smirked. ¡°You could stand to learn more from your elders, Ralak.¡±


    ¡°Save the spats for when I ain¡¯t around,¡± Dav¨ªdrius cut in, and then stood up. ¡°Anyways, we covered everythin¡¯.¡± He passed Luke a glance. ¡°You happy?¡±


    ¡°As much as I can be, given the circumstances,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Thanks for trusting us with this info.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you against the Bleeders however we can,¡± Mark added.


    ¡°Good.¡± Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°Whatever the hell they¡¯re plannin¡¯, we¡¯ll be there to stop it. But that¡¯s a problem for future us, so for right now, let¡¯s call it day.¡± He then turned to leave as everyone else followed suit. ¡°I¡¯ll see y¡¯all tomorrow.¡±

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 48: A Suns Introduction

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 48: A Sun''s Introduction


    The Next Day


    ¡°¡­and finally, don¡¯t forget that we have a school trip coming next week! I¡¯ll go over some of the details tomorrow, after your practical lessons. But for now, class is dismissed!¡±


    ¡°Finally¡­¡± Austin muttered to himself, his chin resting on his hands and his elbows on the desk in front of him as he watched Kaon¨¦ grab her presenter hologram and leave the room. He then leaned back and stretched his arms, momentarily wincing when the light of the late afternoon sun pierced his eyes. I know it¡¯s supposed to be winter here, or something, so I get that the days are shorter¡­ but still, do we really need to spend all day learning about Chaotics and Chaos Energy and all that crap¡­?


    ¡°Spacin¡¯ out already, huh?¡±


    Austin glanced to his left, where he found Spike slowly standing from his seat. ¡°¡­Long day,¡± Austin muttered in response as he began to do the same. ¡°Especially after such a long weekend.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong about that¡­¡± Twy said, approaching from the right alongside Sky. ¡°It¡¯s all¡­ a bit much.¡±


    ¡°A little, yeah¡­¡± Sky said, ¡°but c¡¯mon¡­ last weekend is over. It¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°If only more people could share your attitude,¡± Conrad remarked from his seat halfway across the room. ¡°No use worryin¡¯ about the past, I always say.¡±


    ¡°You also just never worry about anything,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°I agree that most people worry too much, but I think you worry too little.¡±


    Conrad responded with a simple shrug of his shoulders. ¡°Meh. If you say so.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m not the only one feelin¡¯ down about the last couple days, then¡­?¡± Austin questioned, while looking each of the others in the eye.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°The only thing you have to be ¡®down¡¯ about is that you didn¡¯t do anything to help.¡±


    ¡°This is not the time for this, asshole,¡± Phoenix interjected.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Pierce insisted, ¡°if you¡¯re going to feel down about this, then remember that for next time, and then actually get off your ass and do something.¡±


    ¡°You mean like lettin¡¯ the enemy get away?¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t let them¡ª¡°


    ¡°Well this is goin¡¯ no where fast,¡± Spike cut in, while also moving to physically interpose himself between Austin and Pierce. He then turned toward his friend, asking, ¡°you got a bunch of free time now, right? You brought stuff with you for just somethin¡¯ like this, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess,¡± Austin responded slowly, momentarily peeking around Spike to see Pierce turn away in a huff. He then returned his attention to Spike as he continued, ¡°there¡¯s a couple things I wanted to do¡­ and a couple games I wanted to play, too. Hey, that¡¯s right!¡± Austin¡¯s eyes brightened as he looked up at Spike, and then over at Twy and Sky. ¡°I started workin¡¯ on that old campaign setting I had, recently. I think I should be good to go for a couple gaming sessions, now ¡ª are y¡¯all in?¡±


    ¡°Campaign setting? Gaming sessions?¡± Pierce echoed incredulously, only to chuckle derisively as he shook his head. ¡°Damn, you really are a fuckin¡¯ nerd, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be that than an asshole,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Whatever, dweeb.¡± Pierce snorted and made for the classroom¡¯s exit. ¡°I have actual things to do ¡ª like hitting the town, grabbing a few drinks, and finding a new girl. See you losers later.¡±


    Twy gave him a deadpan stare as he left, her gaze lingering on the empty doorframe for a brief moment before turning around to give Phoenix an incredulous look. ¡°Is he serious?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Phoenix replied with a spiteful smirk. ¡°He¡¯s just as much of a nerd as the rest of us ¡ª the fact that he even knew what Austin meant by ¡®campaign setting¡¯ should be proof of that. He just doesn¡¯t want to admit it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sayin¡¯ he actively chooses to be an asshole?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Toxic masculinity at it¡¯s finest.¡± Phoenix sighed and shrugged. ¡°He wasn¡¯t always this bad, but¡­ well, his idea of hitting the town isn¡¯t a bad one, at least. I think I¡¯ll do the same.¡± She then looked around the room at everyone else present. ¡°Anyone else interested?¡±


    ¡°In going to a bar? No thanks,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Too loud.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re literally the one person here who can do something about that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh. Too crowded.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Phoenix deadpanned, and then shifted her gaze to Kestrel. ¡°I suppose you aren¡¯t interested, either?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head in response.


    ¡°Alright¡­ well, you¡¯re all missing out,¡± Phoenix declared as she turned to leave the room herself. ¡°If you change your mind, just ping me, and I can show you around!¡±


    ¡°¡­Show us around?¡± Twy questioned after Phoenix had stepped out of the room. ¡°How familiar with Tresnon is she? We haven¡¯t been here for long¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Phoenix, for you,¡± Conrad remarked, finally standing from his seat and sauntering over to the remaining group, with Kestrel just behind him. ¡°Give her two days, and she¡¯ll have a new place all scoped out. All the best clubs, bars, restaurants, stores, hang-out spots¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but she and Pierce have been going to bars a lot more frequently over the past week or so,¡± Sky said. ¡°Is this because of that bet they made? The one about the dates?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ maybe.¡±


    ¡°Do they often make bets like that against each other?¡± Twy asked.


    Kestrel nodded once, to which Conrad responded with a smirk and a brief chuckle.


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± he commented, ¡°they¡¯ve always been trying to one-up each other, always trying to prove that they¡¯re better than the other. This is the first time they brought relationships into it, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Who do you think will win?¡± Sky began, only for her eyes to widen and her mouth to spread into a grin. ¡°Oh! What if we bet on which one of them would win their bet?!¡±


    ¡°I think everyone here would end up pickin¡¯ the same person¡­¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Conrad let out an amused laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet. No matter how good Pierce or Phoenix usually are at something, the moment they get into a challenge about it, more often than not, they end up dragging each other down¡­ rarely do they actually benefit from it. And rarely is there an actual winner.¡±


    Kestrel nodded again, as if to affirm Conrad¡¯s statement.


    ¡°¡­Why are we even talkin¡¯ about them this much?¡± Austin questioned irately after a moment of silence. ¡°We have a whole evening to spend, and we¡¯re burnin¡¯ it on gossip?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, good point,¡± Spike remarked, hastily grabbing a notebook from the table and beginning toward the classroom exit. ¡°I told Kar¨ªsah and Mark I¡¯d train with ¡®em after class today. See y¡¯all later!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right! And I wanted to watch!¡± Sky exclaimed as she bounded after her boyfriend. ¡°Hey, Spike! Give me a piggy-back ride!¡±


    ¡°Just like the last time you asked, the answer is no!¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon! You¡¯re super strong now, it should be easy!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, that¡¯s the whole problem¡­!¡±


    The echoes of Spike and Sky¡¯s banter faded as the two disappeared out of the room and down the adjacent hallway.


    ¡°¡­But¡­¡± Austin stared after them dejectedly. ¡°¡­But what about my game¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you mean tonight?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess it is short notice¡­ I have a couple other games we could play, though. Are you up?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry,¡± Twy responded with a sheepish smile as she averted her gaze. ¡°I was hit by some inspiration for a new painting in class today, and I wanted to sketch up a draft before I forgot¡­¡±


    Austin frowned. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Just as Austin began to look down himself, Twy¡¯s eyes briefly widened, as if realizing something, at which point she looked Austin in the eye again and quickly added, ¡°b-but I should be free in an hour or two! If you still are, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you know me, I¡¯m not exactly the busiest guy on the planet,¡± Austin responded with an uneasy chuckle.


    ¡°So you paint, huh?¡± Conrad questioned, drawing Twy¡¯s attention to himself. ¡°What kind of painting were you going to make?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She averted her gaze again and fidgeted uneasily as she replied, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t usually like to say what I¡¯m painting until I¡¯m done. It¡¯s inspired by what we saw in Rel¨¦diaka, at least.¡±


    ¡°We did see a lot of¡­ unique views,¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°Especially the trees,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°¡­Right, yeah, the trees¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m¡­ going to go do that,¡± Twy declared, backing away from the group for a moment before spinning on her heel and rushing out of the room. Austin eyed her retreating form warily; it seemed that her gaze had lingered on him for a brief moment, but he had no idea if that was the reality or if his mind was playing tricks on him.


    ¡°Everyone left in the end, huh¡­¡± he eventually muttered to himself.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re still here,¡± Conrad stated, nodding toward Kestrel as he did. ¡°You mentioned a game or something earlier, right? We¡¯d be down for that.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Austin glanced over at them, his attention slowly switching between Conrad¡¯s laid-back posture and Kestrel¡¯s blank expression. Conrad and Kestrel¡­ I still don¡¯t know too much about them. And from what I do know, they seem to be friends with that asshole, Pierce, for some reason¡­ I don¡¯t know about them. Not to mention getting rejected outright by Spike, and Twy, and Sky¡­ oof. Maybe I should just do some solo training¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ sorry,¡± Austin eventually spoke up again, adopting an apologetic smile as he did. ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯m just going to go train a bit, instead.¡±


    Conrad simply shrugged in response. ¡°Alright, dude, if you say so. But if you change your mind, let us know. Kestrel and I are always down for a good game, no matter the game.¡±


    Kestrel nodded again. ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Welp. Let¡¯s get outta here,¡± Conrad remarked, his hands in his pockets as he sauntered out of the room alongside Kestrel, leaving Austin alone.


    ¡°¡­Way to go, me,¡± Austin muttered to himself. He glanced around the empty room, his gaze lingering for a second on the windows and the skies beyond them. A moment later, he dropped his attention to his right hand, into which he summoned his blue and gold claymore. Well¡­ might as well get to that training, then. Back in Rel¨¦diaka, I figured out the basics of using my Imperator powers to control my sword from afar, but I couldn¡¯t quite get the hang of it. Let¡¯s see if I can fix that.


    And with that, Austin stepped out of the room as well, finally leaving it completely empty.


    <hr>


    ¡°Wait, so¡­ these? Are these what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about?¡±


    ¡°No no, that¡¯s sugar. I need the flour. It¡¯s in a tan bag, in the back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. ¡­The tan bag? Which tan bag? There¡¯s a dozen of ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°Just pick one, they¡¯re all flour.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have this much flour?!¡±


    ¡°You can go through flour very quickly when making daily meals for ten people. Besides, there¡¯s only a few kilos there. It was on sale, after all.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Luke shook his head in disbelief as he retrieved one of the bags of flour and dropped it on the kitchen countertop. Mark stood nearby, his sleeves rolled up as he held a large mixing bowl with half-beaten eggs in one hand and a whisk in the other.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Mark acknowledged, continuing to beat the eggs as he nodded toward the refrigerator. ¡°Now, can you get the sand mots and put them out? Ah, we¡¯ll need another cutting board¡­¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°The¡­ the what?¡± Luke questioned in confusion as he opened the refrigerator and peered inside. The device was filled to near brimming with all manner of ingredients, ranging from raw fish meat, to leafy greens, to a handful of containers filled with a white liquid that he assumed to be milk. Aren¡¯t we in the middle of a desert, or something? How the hell did Mark get his hands on all this¡­?


    ¡°Ah, sorry. Sand mots look kind of like sandy tomatoes.¡±


    ¡°Sandy tomatoes?¡± Luke echoed incredulously, but Mark¡¯s description was good enough for Luke to quickly identify the correct bag of produce. Sure enough, its contents bore a similar shape and green top to a tomato, though their skin was sand-colored with subtle streaks of green, and slightly rough to the touch. What do these even taste like¡­? Luke wondered to himself, the corners of his mouth turned down in doubt as he closed the refrigerator and turned to place the sand mots on the counter. ¡°¡­Are these actually good?¡± he questioned a moment later, ¡°they look like¡­ well, sand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they don¡¯t taste like it. ¡­Too much, at least,¡± Mark replied. ¡°They do have a bit of a sandy texture, but for the most part, they actually have a similar taste and texture to an actual tomato, though a little bit more bitter.¡±


    ¡°More bitter, huh,¡± Luke mused.


    Mark shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s the closest analogue to a tomato that I could find around here. Most of the produce grown in Tres¨¦d seems to have bitter undertones¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s Tres¨¦d for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Luke and Mark both turned toward one of the kitchen entrances, where there now stood a man with light skin and an average height ¡ª about the same as Luke¡¯s, in fact. Silver hair adorned his head and face, forming a rough goatee accompanied by short bangs and a short ponytail that gave him a gruff appearance. Despite the gruffness of his hair, his sharp eyes and the thin, well-defined contours of his face gave him a youthful, yet mature look, such that Luke estimated the man to be in his 30s. Drab desert robing covered the rest of the man¡¯s body, making it difficult to see what kind of build he had, but under the robing peeked through a few clothing garments colored primarily black and navy blue, with hints of silver.


    Upon Luke and Mark greeting the man with confused silence, he adopted a disarming smile. ¡°Sorry, I suppose it¡¯s a little weird for me to just appear like this, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°We are in the student dorms of WCU,¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a student, true,¡± the man replied, ¡°but neither are you, now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°Ha! It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m new here, and was just taking a look around.¡± The man extended a hand toward Luke. ¡°This is how Earthians greet each other, right?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Luke replied, moving to grasp the man¡¯s hand as Mark watched on warily. The man returned the grasp firmly, shaking Luke¡¯s hand once before releasing it. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Luke stared at his hand in confusion, and then looked up at the man. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡±


    The man chuckled briefly before bowing his head. ¡°The name¡¯s Gavon Sav¨¦nos. I¡¯m a guest instructor. Just arrived today, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Luke nodded along, glancing out the corner of his eye as Mark returned to his food preparation. A second later, however, realization crossed Luke¡¯s mind, and his body reflexively stiffened. ¡°Wait¡­ are you with the Black Suns?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve done your research!¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°But yes, you¡¯re right. Master Captain Gavon Sav¨¦nos of Sector 1, at your service.¡±


    ¡°Master Captain¡­?¡± Mark echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just a useless formality around here,¡± Gavon replied dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no one for me to pull rank on around here, ha! So just call me Gavon.¡±


    ¡°I take it you know who we are?¡± Luke questioned, his arms crossed. ¡°You knew we were Earthians, after all.¡±


    ¡°That much is obvious based on what language my RTA implants are translating,¡± Gavon countered, and then smirked. ¡°But yes, I¡¯ve done research of my own. The two of you are from SERRCom, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to meet someone from Earth, especially a SERRCom officer,¡± Gavon commented. ¡°I¡¯m a Nimalian, myself. Born and raised right here on Nimalia, in fact ¡ª in Riverana, specifically.¡± He then leaned to the side, as if trying to peer beyond Luke and into the kitchen proper, where Mark had just set down his bowl of beaten eggs and was now flouring some fish meat. ¡°¡­What are you making, there?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Mark paused for a moment to glance back at Gavon, and then stepped aside to let him get a better look at the raw meat. ¡°This is just some breaded fish. That¡¯s the goal, anyways; I wanted to see how well the local ingredients would work with this cooking technique.¡±


    ¡°Really? So none of these ingredients are from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Some of the flour is, but the rest I bought from the markets here.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hmm.¡± Gavon began stroking his goatee in thought as he eyed the fish, as well as the sand mots off to the side. ¡°Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never had Tres¨¦dian fish, or produce. And you¡¯re using them to try and make a dish from Earth? Now this is interesting. Would you mind if I helped?¡±


    The corners of Mark¡¯s mouth turned up into a pleasant smile, and he began to respond ¡ª only to stop himself halfway and pass Luke an uneasy glance.


    With a sigh, Luke shrugged and answered the unspoken question. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it!¡± Gavon replied with a grin. He promptly removed his desert robing, revealing the gray short-sleeved shirt, black elbow-length heavy-duty fingerless gloves, and black cargo pants tucked into the thick black and navy-blue boots he wore underneath ¡ª the typical casualwear of a Black Suns soldier. Just as quickly as he removed the robes, he also pulled off his gloves; with his arms exposed, it was now obvious to Luke that Gavon possessed an athletically toned build, emphasized by his form-fitting shirt.


    After a brief moment, Gavon noticed Luke¡¯s attention and passed him a wink. ¡°Like what you see?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Luke drew back in surprise, his face flushed. He then quickly averted his gaze. ¡°Uh, s-sorry, didn¡¯t mean to stare¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha ha!¡± Gavon released a hearty guffaw as he placed his hands on his hips. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so uptight! ¡­Though it occurs to me that I didn¡¯t get either of your names.¡±


    Mark replied first. ¡°I¡¯m Mark Cox, a 1st Lieutenant with SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Luke Travis, a Captain,¡± Luke added.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s nice to meet you, Luke and Mark,¡± Gavon replied warmly. ¡°¡­Is it alright if I call you Luke and Mark?¡±


    Mark smiled back. ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Gavon responded with a grin, and then stepped up to the counter next to Mark. ¡°Alright. This isn¡¯t my first time in the kitchen, but I¡¯ve never cooked with these ingredients before. Or this technique.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no problem, I¡¯m used to managing extra inexperienced hands in the kitchen,¡± Mark replied. ¡°If you¡¯ve cooked before, then can you slice vegetables?¡±


    ¡°I can indeed.¡±


    ¡°Great. How about you take care of those sand mots, then. Cut them up into nice slices, and then, when you¡¯re done with that¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Alright¡­ with that, we just need to wait for it to bake.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Gavon remarked as he wiped his hands with a towel, having just washed them with the nearby faucet. ¡°I must thank you for allowing me to assist. It isn¡¯t often that I get to try my hand at foreign dishes.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure,¡± Mark responded with a smile. ¡°Do you like cooking, then?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ not more or less than anything else, really. What I enjoyed more was seeing how you do things.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Mark nodded along as he stepped up to the kitchen table, where Luke was already sitting. Gently, Mark pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat next to Luke, while Gavon approached the other side of the table.


    ¡°Would you mind if we continued chatting?¡± he questioned, with one hand on one of the unoccupied chairs.


    Luke and Mark exchanged a wary glance, and then Luke looked up at Gavon doubtfully. ¡°¡­Why do you want to talk to us?¡± he replied bluntly.


    ¡°So cold¡­¡± Gavon withdrew his hand, but remained where he stood as he released a sigh. ¡°If I may answer your question with another question, why are you so suspicious of me? Is it because I¡¯m with the Black Suns?¡±


    ¡°Is that not obvious?¡±


    ¡°Luke¡­¡± Mark sidled up closer to Luke to whisper to him, ¡°wasn¡¯t it you who said that the Black Suns Sectors are independent? This man is from a different Sector than Commander Rabine was¡­ do we need to be so on our guard?¡±


    ¡°You never know,¡± Luke whispered back, and then turned back to Gavon. ¡°You have to know that we¡¯d be suspicious of you. You¡¯re in a PMC.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting that you¡¯d say that,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°The Black Suns, as well as our biggest rival PMCs, all have mostly favorable ratings from the galactic public. Sector 1 in particular. Now, I¡¯m not trying to brag, or flaunt anything here. But if I may ask, what has caused you to become so suspicious of us? I can¡¯t think of any incidents between SERRCom and the Suns, recently¡­¡±


    ¡°The op was likely classified. I¡¯d bet that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Gavon crossed his arms as the corners of his mouth turned downward. ¡°¡­If it¡¯s classified, I understand if you can¡¯t speak to the details. However, I am confident that you weren¡¯t working with Sector 1 at the time; I would¡¯ve been made aware of any SERRCom-Sector 1 interactions before I arrived. And for the operation to be classified to the point of me not knowing about it, I doubt you were working with Sector 4 ¡ª they don¡¯t handle small operations. That would lead me to believe that you worked with either Sector 2, or 3¡­ am I right?¡±


    Luke stared at Gavon for a moment before responding, ¡°¡­and if you are?¡±


    Gavon released a brief chuckle and shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re answering each other¡¯s questions with more questions rather frequently, aren¡¯t we? Anyways¡­¡± He grabbed one of the table chairs and pulled it out, finally taking a seat himself as he replied, ¡°Sectors 2 and 3 have always been too guarded and self-serving for their own good. Sector 2 in particular is a little too liberal with the ¡®classified¡¯ label, and the officers of 3 will often do whatever it takes to get their hands on a new piece of technology to research or manufacture. I can assure you, Luke, that Sector 1 is different. In fact, you don¡¯t even have to take me at my word ¡ª a foray onto the Relaynet should show you that the galaxy views Sector 1 in a far more favorable light than the others.¡±


    ¡°Why? What makes 1 different?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much you know about us, so forgive me if I explain something you¡¯re already familiar with,¡± Gavon said, ¡°but the 4 Sectors all have different focuses. Sector 1 are the elite of the elite; we have high expectations of our members, and take up the most difficult contracts the galaxy could possibly throw at us, with an emphasis on protection and retrieval. Sector 2, on the other hand, is much more well known for espionage and other underhanded activities.¡±


    ¡°Well known¡­?¡± Mark echoed uneasily, ¡°isn¡¯t that a bad thing¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Black Suns are a PMC,¡± Gavon replied with a bitter smile. ¡°We can¡¯t sell services that the galaxy doesn¡¯t know we can do.¡±


    ¡°Should you really be telling us this?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°¡­Heh,¡± Gavon chuckled briefly. ¡°Officially, technically¡­ probably, no. But the fact that Sector 2 engages in espionage is an open secret amongst the galactic governments, because they¡¯re the ones that hire Sector 2 to do it. Either way, I¡¯m not one of them; my loyalty is to Master General Greant, not Icowe.¡±


    ¡°I guess the different Sectors really are like totally different organizations¡­¡± Mark observed.


    ¡°That¡¯s more true than you would think, though less true than it should be¡­¡± Gavon sighed, and then shook his head. ¡°Anyways. As for the other two sectors, 3 is focused on research, development, production, and logistics, while 4 is a conventional army, as opposed to the special ops teams that fill the ranks of Sectors 1 and 2.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re special ops, then?¡± Luke asked.


    Gavon nodded. ¡°I am. I¡¯m a member of the White Suns, in fact.¡±


    ¡°¡­What? I thought you were Black Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gavon chuckled again. ¡°Yes, I find that the naming scheme sometimes confuses people. ¡®Black Suns¡¯ refers to the PMC as a whole, but within it are a number of specialized Suns units, each named for a different color. Sector 1 has the White Suns, which perform the most dangerous tasks, as well as the Green Suns, which specialize in rescue, escort, and medical ops.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡± Mark passed Luke a doubtful glance. ¡°Are you saying your mission here is dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. The Bleeders are a fifth-rate threat compared to what the Black Suns sometimes face. It¡¯s my understanding that my presence here is a favor from Master General Greant to the Deans of the Schools of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°Politics, huh?¡± Luke remarked with a bitter smirk.


    ¡°That, too, is part of our job, sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you sharing all of this with us, though?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always believed that transparency is important for building any kind of solid relationship,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°Sector 1 believes this, as well, which is a large part of why I joined them. That said¡­¡± He glanced to the side and began scratching his beard sheepishly. ¡°¡­Apologies, I should¡¯ve opened with this. But¡­¡± He then looked over at Mark. ¡°¡­I knew you were one of SERRCom¡¯s Eximius Vir before I arrived.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mark¡¯s eyes grew wide with surprise. ¡°Really? How?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a secret,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°Remember, Rabine said the same about you Eximius Vir, and she¡¯s right. For years, the four of you were Earth¡¯s only Chaotics ¡ª and the rest of the galaxy knew it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Gavon nodded. ¡°So, I¡¯ll admit, I was a little curious to see what you could do.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Mark nodded back absentmindedly. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant. Uh, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t feel like you have to show off for me. I know some Chaotics believe that a good spar is the best way to greet a new Chaotic, but I think that¡¯s a little crass, personally.¡±


    ¡°So you are a Chaotic, then?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°Indeed. A Gravitatechnic, to be exact,¡± Gavon replied, and then gestured to the empty chair beside him. A second later, it slowly began to lift into the air, as though it were unbound from the gravitational shackles of Nimalia.


    ¡°Controlling gravity¡­ that¡¯s neat,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never met a Gravitatechnic before.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t very common, as Chaotics go ¡ª competent ones, even less so. Despite being a phenomenon that everyone interacts with on a daily basis, gravity seems to be a difficult subject for many to truly grasp, not to mention the ability to control it.¡±


    Luke nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s just something that everyone takes for granted. I bet anti-gravity tech makes it seem easier to manipulate than it really is, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly!¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°Once the ability to control gravity became mundane, so too did people¡¯s imaginations of what they could do with it. Few Gravitatechnics think to apply their powers in non-obvious ways, I find. For example, a simple application of my power is to remove gravity-based bullet drop. It can make sharpshooting much easier.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Luke leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table in front of him. ¡°So you have experience with rifles, too?¡±


    ¡°Everyone in the Black Suns does. We may be a Chaotic-focused PMC, but it¡¯s important for Chaotics to not rely wholly on their abilities. CENT fields and Dead Space exist, after all. Though I will admit to an appreciation for taking my rifle to a shooting range every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you and Luke would be great friends, then,¡± Mark commented with a grin.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Luke rolled his eyes before returning his attention to Gavon. ¡°Did you bring your rifle with you?¡±


    ¡°Not my typical rifle, no,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°An SR-24 would be overkill against the Bleeders. Or at least¡­ that¡¯s what I thought until I spoke with Deans Wrikax and Densalin earlier today¡­¡±


    ¡°I assume they told you about how the Bleeders had Black Suns powered armor?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Gavon frowned warily. ¡°I don¡¯t know where those armors came from, but I do know their limits. If the Bleeders have more of them, then the power of an SR-24 might be necessary.¡±


    ¡°A handheld railgun with an effective range of 7 kilometers? Yeah, I¡¯d say so too. That¡¯s twice as far as SERRCom¡¯s Gauss-SR02!¡±


    ¡°True, but at that range you¡¯re relying more on the instrumentation and computer aiming than your own skill. And the 7 kilometer figure is only really achievable by Black Suns operators, what with our prosthetic arms. An un-augmented person wouldn¡¯t be able to steady the rifle well enough, or brace themselves against the recoil well enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± Luke¡¯s gaze momentarily dropped to Gavon¡¯s arms. ¡­Neither of them look fake, he mused, but I know that at least one of them must be a cybernetic prosthetic¡­ just goes to show how advanced Black Suns technology is, I suppose.


    ¡°Anyways, I put in a requisition order for an SR-24 to help deal with the Bleeders,¡± Gavon remarked, drawing Luke out of his thoughts. ¡°Once it arrives, I can let you give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Really?!¡±


    ¡°Of course. This is the first time I¡¯ve met an Earthian rifle enthusiast, after all. I¡¯m interested to see what your take on it would be.¡± Gavon then glanced away, as though distracted my something; a moment later, he pushed back from the table and stood up. ¡°Anyways, I have some more business to attend to. It¡¯s my first day here, after all; there¡¯s a lot to do. But it was nice talking to the two of you; let¡¯s do this again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Mark responded warmly. ¡°¡­Oh, but wait! You won¡¯t stay to try some of the fish you helped make?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Gavon laughed uneasily. ¡°Sorry, but another time. Besides, you were making dinner for those Earthian recruits, right? I don¡¯t want to intrude on that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the offer, though. Anyways, I¡¯ll be off!¡±


    Luke and Mark both watched the Black Suns officer confidently stride out of the kitchen and down the hallways of the WCU dormitory. Eventually, Mark turned to pass Luke an amused glance. ¡°You really warmed up to him, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Luke waved him off and began to stand up, preparing to return to the kitchen counters. ¡°At least he isn¡¯t an asshole¡­ for now. But let¡¯s focus on finishing up the dinner prep for the moment¡­¡±

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 49: Lessons From Old Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 49: Lessons From Old Blood


    The Next Day


    ¡°Alright, finally! Back to some outside lessons!¡±


    ¡°You seem excited,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he passed Pierce a blank glance.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Pierce replied, ¡°we spent the entirety of last week inside, aside from some basic core and strength training. Sure, some of what we learned was useful, but there¡¯s only so much you can learn about being a Chaotic while just sitting around!¡±


    From a short distance away, Austin eyed Pierce uneasily, and then turned to quickly survey the group¡¯s surroundings. Once again, the Earthian Chaotics stood upon the practice fields of WCU, waiting in the morning sunlight for another day of classes. Overall, the atmosphere was similar to when they had been learning from Dav¨ªdrius two weeks ago, but Austin knew there was one key difference today.


    ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t we learnin¡¯ from Ralak, today, though?¡± he questioned out loud, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Ralak¡­ she¡¯s the Head of Combat or something, right?¡± Sky said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve met her before,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°I heard that she¡¯s a former Bleeder¡­¡±


    Pierce audibly scoffed in response. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°So what?!¡± Austin echoed incredulously, ¡°have you not been payin¡¯ attention to what the Bleeders have been doin¡¯ lately?!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but Ralak isn¡¯t one of them. She¡¯s a former Bleeder. You said so yourself.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that concern you, though? If she used to be with the Bleeders¡ª¡°


    ¡°So fucking what? She isn¡¯t now. People can change, you know.¡±


    Austin stared at Pierce, at a loss for a response. If people can change, then maybe you should, too, he thought irately. Before he could think of anything to actually say, however, the sound of approaching footsteps drew everyone¡¯s attention away. In front of the group soon appeared Kaon¨¦, along with a second woman with a stern expression, sporting long black hair tied back in a ponytail, black gloves, and the same white, beige, and brown desert robing that was commonly seen around Compound Tresnon.


    ¡°I see everyone is here. Good,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked, stopping in front of the Keys as the woman stepped up next to her. ¡°Now¡­ as I told you all yesterday, today¡¯s lesson will be a practical one, focused on training your abilities for potential combat usage. And to that end, I managed to convince WCU¡¯s Head of Combat to teach you all!¡±


    ¡°Ralak, right?¡± Phoenix questioned, turning toward the second woman.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ralak nodded. She then swept her gaze over the group, as if giving them a brief visual assessment. Austin couldn¡¯t help but shift uneasily and avert his attention when her eyes fell on him; he had no idea if she noticed his unease, but if she did, she said nothing about it.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll be learning from you, rather than Kaon¨¦, huh?¡± Conrad asked, breaking the brief silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°While I do have combat experience, myself, Ralak is much more skilled in teaching this subject matter.¡±


    ¡°No need to oversell my skills¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re still the Head of Combat, though,¡± Pierce pointed out with an eager grin. ¡°If you¡¯re here, then I bet we¡¯re finally going to learn some advanced techniques today, huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°Y¡¯all¡¯s Chaotic abilities are all too different for me to teach the eight of y¡¯all any kind of ¡®advanced technique¡¯ as a group.¡±


    ¡°¡­So more basic training, then?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°If you¡¯d let me talk, I¡¯ll tell you what you¡¯ll be learnin¡¯.¡± Ralak glanced impatiently between Pierce and Spike, filling the air with a brief moment of silence. She then looked back at Kaon¨¦, who offered only a sheepish smile ¡ª to which Ralak¡¯s already stoic expression responded by growing sullen. Eventually, she turned back to the Earthians and continued, ¡°¡­alright. From what I hear¡­ the eight of y¡¯all are surprisin¡¯ly good at handlin¡¯ yourselves in a fight. For novice Chaotics, that is,¡± she quickly appended as Pierce began to open his mouth. After staring him down for a second, Ralak began again. ¡°However¡­ it¡¯s time for y¡¯all to learn some control. So today, I¡¯ll be teachin¡¯ you how to effectively attack.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°There¡¯s two parts to that,¡± Ralak replied. ¡°First one applies to you especially, as a Pyrotechnic. You fire types tend to attack with big sweepin¡¯ flames and flashy shows of power, but that¡¯s a waste ¡ª worse, it can even give your opponents cover.¡±


    ¡°A waste?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, a waste. And this goes for all of the rest of y¡¯all, as well,¡± Ralak insisted as she swept her gaze across the group again. ¡°Big sweepin¡¯ attacks are easy, and they can have their uses. But usually, they¡¯re just a waste of energy, and can leave you open to attack. Anythin¡¯ that causes you to lose sight of your opponent can leave you open to attack, after all, and sweepin¡¯ flames or waves of water tend to do exactly that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the whole point of the waves of flames stuff is to take out the other guy before they can get me!¡± Sky argued.


    Ralak shook her head in response. ¡°That can be useful against groups, or even against a single target, if you know what you¡¯re doin¡¯. But many Chaotics have ways to block or evade attacks; you should never count on bein¡¯ able to end a fight in a single blow. Not as a novice. You always need to think about how your opponent will respond to you, and it¡¯s hard to do that if you can¡¯t see ¡®em because your own flames are in the way.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡± Sky muttered dejectedly.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t really apply to me, though,¡± Pierce remarked dismissively. ¡°I only have my body. It¡¯s not possible to do ¡®big sweeping attacks¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°It¡¯s easy for Introtechnics like you to over-commit to an attack. A sweepin¡¯ kick or an overly forceful punch can leave you just as open as a Pyrotechnic throwin¡¯ out waves of flames.¡±


    ¡°So? With my superspeed, any openings I leave won¡¯t be open long enough for an enemy to take advantage of them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised ¡ª Velocitechnics often think they¡¯re movin¡¯ faster than they really are. And if you ever fight another Velocitechnic, then they¡¯d definitely be able to take advantage of any openin¡¯ you give ¡®em, so it¡¯s best to practice never leavin¡¯ openin¡¯s at all so it becomes habit.¡± She slowly swept her gaze across the group once more, pausing for just a second to let her words sink in before continuing, ¡°the answer to all of this is smaller, targeted attacks. Don¡¯t use waves of flames; use a fireball. Don¡¯t use waves of water; use a jet. And in your case,¡± Ralak glanced toward Pierce, ¡°don¡¯t use roundhouse kicks or anythin¡¯ of the like.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius uses those kinds of kicks all the time,¡± Pierce shot back.


    Ralak sighed in frustration. ¡°And I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to change that for years¡­¡±


    ¡°He is self-taught,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s hard to break a habit you¡¯ve had for 20 or 30 years.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t change that it¡¯s a bad habit,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°He¡¯s at least learned not to do that against other Velocitechnics, for the most part¡­¡±


    ¡°Even the teacher needs teaching, huh?¡± Twy observed.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m the Head of Combat, and not him,¡± Ralak declared. ¡°But we¡¯re gettin¡¯ off-topic. Before we get to actually practicin¡¯ focused attacks, there¡¯s one more thing I wanted to teach today. After all¡­¡± Her gaze drifted toward Pierce, Phoenix, and Kestrel as she continued, ¡°I heard some of y¡¯all actually fought other Chaotics last weekend.¡±


    Pierce scowled. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s important that you keep one other thing in mind, for if you ever fight other Chaotics again,¡± Ralak insisted. ¡°When you fight a Chaotic, it¡¯s very important to keep their ability in mind when makin¡¯ your own attacks. Not all Chaotic match-ups are equal. For example¡­ I¡¯m an Imperator Psychotechnic, which means that I can directly control anythin¡¯ that touches my skin.¡±


    Wait, really? Austin mused, she¡¯s an Imperator, too? I wonder if I could learn anything from her¡­


    ¡°And¡­ Spike, over there,¡± Ralak continued, gesturing briefly at Spike before placing her hands on her hips. ¡°With superstrength, typically, if you can get your hands on your opponent, then it¡¯s over. You win. But against someone like me, it ain¡¯t so clear cut.¡± She then held up her right arm, showing the exposed skin on her upper forearm. ¡°All I have to do is block one of your punches with my bare skin, and I can immediately seize control of your body before the force of your punch even goes through. If that happens, I win, because you¡¯re at the mercy of my control.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Spike replied. ¡°In that case, I¡¯d just have to target the clothed parts of your body, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, while bein¡¯ careful that you never once touch my skin, or hair.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Imperator Psychotechnics should just be naked all the time,¡± Conrad quipped.


    An annoyed expression crossed Ralak¡¯s face. ¡°¡­There are some Imperators that do that,¡± she eventually responded, ¡°¡­and it is very effective against material attacks. No Materiatechnic or Introtechnic could touch you, not directly. But you wouldn¡¯t have any defense against a Pyrotechnic¡¯s flames, or an Electrotechnic¡¯s lightning. For some Chaotic types, fightin¡¯ nude can work pretty well¡­ but only in certain match-ups. You can¡¯t count on it.¡±


    ¡°Basically, the only real defense is to remain adaptable?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it exactly,¡± Ralak declared. ¡°Pay attention to what your opponent can do, and adapt to it, while keepin¡¯ in mind that they¡¯re certainly adaptin¡¯ to whatever you can do, too.¡±


    ¡°This is starting to sound a lot like one of Sensei Roshu¡¯s lessons,¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s because this is basic fightin¡¯ stuff,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°If you¡¯re predictable, you lose.¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate the lesson,¡± Phoenix commented, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure how we¡¯re supposed to practice that. Are we supposed to fight each other?¡±


    ¡°No. Not yet,¡± Ralak refuted. ¡°Your adaptability trainin¡¯ won¡¯t start today; I just talked about the topic now to introduce y¡¯all to it early, and get you thinkin¡¯ about it.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we doing today?¡± Pierce questioned impatiently.


    ¡°Focused attack trainin¡¯, the first thing I said,¡± Ralak replied, and then made a gesture toward Kaon¨¦, who promptly created a dozen practice dummies out of thin air, spread out across the practice field. ¡°Using these target dummies,¡± Ralak explained, ¡°we¡¯ll practice doin¡¯ targeted attacks. Now everyone spread out, and find your own target. We¡¯ll get started on my mark.¡±


    <hr>


    Alright¡­ steady does it¡­


    Brow furrowed and body tense, Austin focused intently on his claymore, and on moving it through the air ¡ª without touching it ¡ª toward the training dummy in front of him. The weapon moved slowly, yet steadily under Austin¡¯s influence, though it remained eerily upright as it floated through the air. A second later, Austin judged that the blade was close enough to take a swing at the dummy; he proceeded to psychically rotate the blade to slash through the dummy, and scowled when he reflexively leaned forward in nearly the same motion. Damn it¡­ why is this so hard?


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    He then looked up at the dummy, and the thin gash he had managed to sweep across it with his sword. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips as his mouth began to turn up into a smile, only for him to stop and scowl as he spotted Pierce practicing not far over. The Velocitechnic was easily and rapidly slashing through training dummy after training dummy with his energy chain weapon, destroying a dozen dummies on his own and slicing each of them to tiny pieces in the mere blink of an eye. Compared to Austin¡¯s dismal display, Pierce¡¯s level of ability seemed to be leagues ahead.


    ¡­Meh, he¡¯s missing the point of today¡¯s practice, anyways, Austin told himself, we¡¯re supposed to be practicing focused attacks, but he¡¯s just doing the same old sweeping blows as ever. If I¡¯m patient, and practice properly, then I¡¯ll pull ahead of him eventually¡­ aw, shit¡­!


    Austin quickly diverted his gaze, having just locked eyes with Pierce. He quickly summoned his sword back to himself and attempted to focus on training again, hoping that Pierce hadn¡¯t noticed that he had been watching.


    ¡°Heh. Jealous, dweeb?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ngh¡­¡± Austin groaned as Pierce smirked at him, having just approached. Of course he¡¯d notice me watching¡­ Austin thought bitterly, his claymore freezing in the air a meter away as he turned toward Pierce to respond to his taunt. ¡°You¡¯d like to think that, wouldn¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Well how else am I supposed to interpret someone like you watching my training?¡± Pierce replied as he dismissed his weapon and crossed his arms. He then glanced toward the dummy standing in front of Austin, and the lone, shallow gash across it. ¡°¡­Figures you¡¯d only be able to do this much.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­¡± Austin growled in irritation. ¡°Don¡¯t you have your own trainin¡¯ to do?¡±


    ¡°I just finished,¡± Pierce replied haughtily. ¡°I destroyed so many dummies that Kaon¨¦ had to make another 30, just for me. This ¡®focus training¡¯ is a cinch. Looks like you¡¯re having a hard time, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that my powers are less intuitive than yours!¡±


    ¡°Oh please. It¡¯s still been almost three months since we all got our powers. I¡¯d think you¡¯d be better than this by now,¡± Pierce countered as he gestured toward Austin¡¯s claymore, which in that moment clattered to the ground. ¡°¡­But, hey,¡± Pierce continued, ¡°if you really need help, then I can offer tips. I am done with my own training, after all.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Austin scowled, refusing to pass his blade so much as a glance as he dismissed it from afar, causing it to disappear into thin air. ¡°You really are king of talkin¡¯ out of your ass, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve heard this kind of criticism, and I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be the last,¡± Pierce replied with a roll of his eyes. ¡°Maybe if you focused on your own training, instead of on being mad at me, then you¡¯d be better by now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon! I have to split my training between two different abilities, you know! I¡¯ve got a pretty good hang on my Simulator powers, too, now that I think about it. Hell, with that alone, I could do literally everything you can do!¡±


    Pierce¡¯s smirk deepened into a dangerous grin. ¡°Ha! I¡¯d like to see you try, dweeb!¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Austin¡¯s lip curled, and he began to crouch down, as if to lunge ¡ª but before he could, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped away, spinning around as he did to find Ralak standing nearby.


    ¡°¡­We¡¯re trainin¡¯ against target dummies today,¡± she declared as she fixed Austin and Pierce both with a level stare. ¡°Y¡¯all ain¡¯t ready for sparrin¡¯. Not against each other.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce snorted. ¡°What, because I¡¯d just wipe the floor with him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you keep up that grin when you¡¯re face-first on the ground,¡± Austin snapped back.


    ¡°This attitude is exactly why you two ain¡¯t ready for sparrin¡¯,¡± Ralak interjected, stepping forward as she did to physically separate Austin and Pierce. ¡°Today, we¡¯re doin¡¯ focus trainin¡¯, and that does not involve fightin¡¯ each other. Do y¡¯all understand me?¡±


    Austin and Pierce exchanged an irate glance before turning away from each other in a huff. Pierce then waved Ralak off as he began walking away. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°What an asshole¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath, at which point he glanced back at Ralak with a sheepish smile. ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Rivalries are common among Chaotics,¡± Ralak replied, ¡°but watch yourself. Don¡¯t let yourself lose control. That can lead to nasty things.¡±


    ¡°Like goin¡¯ berserk?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of ¡®em.¡± Ralak then looked at the training dummy that Austin had been using. While the gash across it was shallow, it was nonetheless an incredibly clean cut. ¡°¡­Those weapons y¡¯all have are sharp.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Austin summoned his claymore again and closely inspected the blade, noting that the metal surface was completely devoid of imperfections, and certainly appeared to be razor sharp. He tentatively held one of his fingers up to the blade, paused for a moment, and then thought better about testing its sharpness on his own body. ¡°¡­Well, thanks for breakin¡¯ that up, I guess,¡± he eventually commented as he turned back to Ralak. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll get back to training, then¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an Imperator, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? Uh, yeah. And a Simulator.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too familiar with Simulators¡­¡± Ralak said, ¡°but as an Imperator myself, I got some advice. You¡¯re on the right track, tryin¡¯ to use your sword to attack at range, but it looks like you¡¯re runnin¡¯ up against the biggest hurdle an Imperator will hit. Do you know what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ are you talkin¡¯ about how it¡¯s hard to control other stuff without accidentally moving my body in the same way?¡±


    Ralak nodded. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the main difference between Imperator and Manipulator Psychotechnics. Manipulators control things from afar as though they were movin¡¯ the object around with their own hands, but for us Imperators¡­ when we take control of an object, it¡¯s like we become that object.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°When you take control of somethin¡¯, and move it around, it¡¯s like you¡¯re movin¡¯ your own body. Just, the movement happens to the object instead.¡± She frowned and scratched her head. ¡°¡­Little hard to explain, I guess. But that¡¯s why it¡¯s hard to move the object and not yourself, ¡®cause to your mind, it¡¯s the same thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s somthin¡¯ you have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but how? It sounds like you¡¯re saying that I have to figure out how to move my body, without actually movin¡¯ my body.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because I am. It¡¯s hard, but it¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?! I find that hard to believe¡­¡±


    Ralak shook her head in response. ¡°Bring that sword of yours back, and I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Austin held out his right hand, into which his blue and golden claymore again appeared. Ralak then extended her own hand toward him, prompting him to pass her the sword. Once in her possession, she grasped the hilt with her gloved left hand and gingerly tapped the flat of the blade against her exposed right forearm, at which point she released the weapon, allowing it to float suspended in the air. She took one step backward, placed her hands on her hips, and then began to spin the sword around and move it in circles around the training dummy ¡ª all while her body remained still, her hands on her hips the whole time.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s tricky, at first,¡± she stated while she continued to psychically move the sword through the air, ¡°but you have to learn how to separate your mind and body, but not so much that you stop movin¡¯ your real body at all.¡± She then turned to face Austin and crossed her arms, all while still flying Austin¡¯s sword through the air. ¡°I ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ that it¡¯s easy, it took me a while to figure it out. But that¡¯s where you should start.¡±


    ¡°Well that isn¡¯t a tall order at all,¡± Austin muttered. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to separate my mind and body, without actually separating my mind and body?!¡±


    ¡°You ever have an out of body experience?¡±


    ¡°What? No. Always thought that stuff was silly¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Ralak grunted as Austin¡¯s sword flew into her hands, hilt-first. She grasped the sword and glanced back at Austin. ¡°Maybe if you have one, you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    Austin regarded Ralak with a doubtful expression, but couldn¡¯t come up with any kind of verbal response. She was a skilled Imperator Psychotechnic, after all, so she was certainly an authority on the matter ¡ª and yet Austin couldn¡¯t help but find her advice confusing.


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Ralak tapped the claymore against her forearm again and then continued idly spinning it in the air as she continued, ¡°even figurin¡¯ out the mind-body separation is only a first step. Once you figure out how to flip a rock without doin¡¯ a somersault yourself, then you have to move on to figurin¡¯ out how to control other people. I can tell you now that usin¡¯ your Imperator abilities on somethin¡¯ with an actual body, with the same number of limbs and general shape as you, is much much harder than controllin¡¯ a rock or a sword.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Austin sighed wearily. ¡°¡­Man, why is this so hard? And you said that this Imperator stuff is similar to some ¡®Manipulator¡¯ type, too, right? Why are those even different? And why do I have the hard one¡­¡±


    ¡°Imperators and Manipulators can both control other objects and people with psychic force, but there¡¯s a difference,¡± Ralak insisted. ¡°Manipulators have it easier, but Imperators have much better control. An Imperator controllin¡¯ another person can make that person say or do literally anythin¡¯ that the Imperator¡¯s own body can do. A Manipulator, meanwhile, can only manhandle them from a distance. Not to mention the fact that a Manipulator¡¯s force can be overcome through sheer strength, but an Imperator¡¯s control can¡¯t be stopped at all.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    Ralak responded with silence, instead focusing again on Austin¡¯s sword as it zipped over to her hands. Once again in her gloved grasp, she extended her left hand toward Austin, holding the hilt of his sword toward him. ¡°Here.¡±


    Austin accepted his sword back, though as he did, his gaze lingered on Ralak¡¯s gloves. ¡°¡­Why the gloves?¡± he eventually questioned, ¡°for an Imperator to control something, it has to touch our bare skin, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be easier for you to do that if your hands were, you know, exposed?¡±


    Ralak¡¯s previously neutral expression rapidly collapsed into a scowl, though she turned away before Austin could see much of it. ¡°You¡¯re right that it¡¯d be easier,¡± she replied, her voice strained. ¡°¡­That¡¯s exactly why I wear gloves.¡±


    Confusion crossed Austin¡¯s features as he looked away from Ralak. Looks like I hit a button, but¡­ why? I don¡¯t get it¡­


    ¡°¡­It figures you wouldn¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Austin snapped his attention back to Ralak, finding that she had half-turned back to look at him through the corner of her eyes. Could she tell I was confused just by looking at me? I¡¯m not THAT transparent, am I? ¡°¡­U-uh,¡± he eventually stammered out, switching gears back to the conversation at hand. ¡°I just, uh¡­¡±


    Ralak shook her head. ¡°¡­Once you¡¯ve spent more time here, you¡¯ll get it. Though, the fact that you don¡¯t already¡­¡± She looked upward, at the empty blue skies above. ¡°¡­Guess you¡¯re a better person than I was, at your age¡­¡±


    An uneasy silence filled the air, with Austin unable to come up with anything to dispel it. He simply stood idly by, fidgeting uncomfortably until Ralak cleared her throat and turned away.


    ¡°¡­Sorry about that,¡± she muttered. ¡°Ignore what I just said. But remember my advice. Consider that your ¡®focus¡¯ for today¡¯s focus trainin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Uh, right!¡± Austin replied uneasily, but Ralk was already leaving as he did. He stared after her in uneasy confusion before turning his attention back to the training dummy in front of him, and his sword in his hands. ¡­So I have to figure out how to dissociate my mind from my body, somehow, he mused, and then frowned. How the hell do I even do that? Ugh¡­ guess all I can do is keep doing what I WAS doing, before I was so rudely interrupted¡­


    As Austin once again began to focus on his sword and moving it through the air, Twy eyed him from across the practice field. Her gaze lingered for a moment before switching over to Ralak and Kaon¨¦ ¡ª who both wandered the practice field to offer advice every now and then ¡ª and then down to a bubble of water that she held in her hands. With a small sigh, she returned her attention to the training dummy standing in front of her, and the small holes poked through its patchwork face. During the morning¡¯s focus training, she had been practicing a technique she had thought up some time ago, wherein she would shoot out a small jet of water at high speed and puncture her target, not unlike a bullet. When she first attempted it a couple days ago, her aim had been off, and she had had a difficult time controlling the water jet¡¯s speed ¡ª but today, she was having an easier time of it than ever. Every single jet she had fired off had punctured the dummy¡¯s head, exactly as she had intended.


    ¡°Why is it so easy, today¡­?¡± Twy muttered under her breath, ¡°this level of control would¡¯ve been useful last weekend¡­¡±


    At the thought of the events that had transpired in Rel¨¦diaka, Twy snuck another glance toward Austin ¡ª only to jump in surprise when she spotted Sky standing just behind her.


    ¡°S-Sky!¡± Twy stuttered out, accompanied by the splattering sound of her water bubble hitting the ground. ¡°D-don¡¯t sneak up on me like that!¡±


    ¡°Surprised to see me, huh?¡± Sky replied with a knowing smirk. ¡°Expected to see someone else?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Twy huffed as she pulled the water out of the ground and back to her hands. She then turned her back on Sky to face the training dummy once more. ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re training right now. Don¡¯t distract me.¡±


    ¡°Distract you from what, though, eh?¡± Sky stepped forward and threw her arm around Twy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°For someone so hard at work, you sure are lookin¡¯ away a lot.¡±


    ¡°¡­So¡­?¡± Twy muttered, her gaze pointedly averted from Sky¡¯s. ¡°Everyone needs breaks every now and then¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, sis! Just admit it!¡± Sky poked her sister in the cheek while wearing a cheeky grin herself. ¡°You¡¯re lookin¡¯ at Austin, aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª!¡± Twy¡¯s face flushed red; she then brushed Sky off as she retorted, ¡°I, I was just concerned, that¡¯s all. Ralak was talking to him, for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, sure. It¡¯s because of Ralak. Right.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point? Did you just come over here to get on my nerves?¡±


    ¡°I think the fact that I am getting on your nerves is pretty telling!¡±


    Twy responded only by staring at Sky with a furrowed brow. Eventually she shook her head and sighed in resignation. ¡°You are¡­ insufferable.¡±


    ¡°And you love me for it!¡± Sky replied with a grin and and finger guns pointed at her sister.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess we should get back to training, then, huh?¡± Sky remarked, and began to turn away.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Sky stopped a couple steps away from Twy and turned back to face her. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ might be a weird question,¡± Twy began, an uneasy look upon her face. ¡°But¡­ are you having an easier time using your powers, today? Compared to last weekend?¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Sky replied with a scowl as she crossed her arms petulantly. ¡°This focus training stuff is really hard! Why do I have to focus on small stuff, anyways? It isn¡¯t nearly as cool as the big sweeping flames I can do! Big stuff has to be harder than small stuff, anyways, right?!¡±


    ¡°You just contradicted yourself.¡±


    ¡°I did? ¡­Well, whatever, you get the point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Twy turned back to her training dummy, and the handful of holes in its face. ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s just me, then¡­¡±


    Sky cocked her head in confusion, following her sister¡¯s gaze to the dummy¡¯s head and then adopting an impressed expression when she did. ¡°Wow! I don¡¯t really know what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about, but it looks like you already have a good handle on this stuff!¡± With a grin, she then threw her arm around Twy¡¯s shoulders again. ¡°Just what I expected from my sis!¡±


    ¡°You should expect it from yourself, too,¡± Twy shot back.


    ¡°Aw, now you just sound like mom¡­¡± Sky responded with a pout.


    ¡°What you should sound like is students in trainin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?¡± Twy and Sky both jumped in surprise as they each felt a hand descend on their shoulders. Sky quickly backed away from Twy and they both spun around, finding Ralak standing just behind them with her brow furrowed in irritation.


    ¡°This is time for trainin¡¯,¡± Ralak declared as she fixed the twins with a level stare. ¡°Not talkin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha¡­!¡± Sky laughed sheepishly as Twy shot her an annoyed glance.


    ¡°Sorry, Ralak,¡± Twy apologized.


    ¡°No need to say ¡®sorry¡¯, just get to trainin¡¯,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°You only hurt yourselves by not doin¡¯ this.¡±


    ¡°Spike says that a lot¡­¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°He says it because it¡¯s true,¡± Twy replied, and then turned to face her training dummy once again as she focused on her floating bubble of water. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get back to training¡­¡±

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 50: Casual Observations

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 50: Casual Observations


    2 Days Later


    A serene quiet blanketed the dawnlit market street of Compound Tresnon, interspersed with the sounds of soft waves in the adjacent Mirage Lakefront and merchants beginning to set up their stalls for a new day. The typical crowds were no where to be seen, giving Pierce free reign to jog down the street and take in the early morning sights. While he could easily run the full length of market street in just under a second, he had nonetheless gotten into the habit of morning jogs at a normal human pace ¡ª partly to practice his ability to control his speed, and partly to enjoy the simple quiet of a town yet to wake.


    There¡¯s nothing like a brisk morning jog through the cool breeze rushing out over the water, Pierce mused, momentarily glancing to his right toward Mirage Lake. ¡­A freshwater lake the size of a sea, huh? And still, this place is a desert. Weird. Makes for a nice view, though.


    With that thought, Pierce detoured around a couple of empty market stalls to descend the ramp down to the Lakefront boardwalk. He stopped for a second to stand against the boardwalk railing and look out over the lake, taking in the spray of the water against the boardwalk below him, and the sights of a handful of fishing boats already casting their nets upon the lake. The boardwalk and its piers were just as devoid of activity as the market street, though as Pierce slowly surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that someone seemed to be engaged in some kind of workout on a nearby pier. I guess I¡¯m not the only one who likes to stretch my legs in the morning, he thought to himself with a smirk. Hmm¡­ looks like a woman. She has pretty nice form¡­ in more ways than one, heh. I wonder if she has translation implants¡­?


    He continued watching the woman stretch her arms for a couple seconds before beginning to turn away to resume his jog. Just before his eyes left her, however, he saw her square off her shoulders. Her back was to him, so he couldn¡¯t see what kind of expression she was wearing, but he could see her shoulders slowly heave, as though she were taking a deep breath ¡ª and then she threw her fist out into the air, an act soon followed by a loud, sharp crack!


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Pierce exclaimed, reflexively wincing away. The hell? Did she just make a sonic boom with her punch?! ¡­So she¡¯s a Chaotic then, huh? A superspeed or superstrength, one, I¡¯d bet. She might be a WCU student, then. Maybe I should ask about joining her morning workout. It¡¯s always easier with a buddy. Except¡­ He frowned as he eyed the woman from afar, and her tan skin and shoulder-length black hair. Combined with her short, athletic build, Pierce couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he had met her before. Wait a minute. Is that¡­?


    A second later, the woman turned to sweep her gaze across the boardwalk, an act that allowed Pierce to see her face. She stood a couple dozen meters away, so he couldn¡¯t make out any fine details, but the one key thing he could spot was a prominent dark mark running from just above her mouth, down across it, and then down her neck to below her shirt collar. So that IS Liask¡­ he mused, recalling his last encounter with her over a week ago. She seemed pretty nice. But¡­ A flash of Trenon¡¯s face appeared in his mind, followed immediately by a brief throb in his lower torso. With a scowl, he looked down and gingerly grasped the scar he had gained from that fateful night on Ainminthalus, only to take a deep breath and shake his head to clear it. Alright, Pierce. That¡¯s a long enough break. Let¡¯s get back to the jog¡ª


    ¡°Ooooii! Pierce! Is that you?¡±


    He froze and snapped his attention back to Liask, who was now facing him directly. She spotted me, huh? Well, no sense in running now. With that, Pierce put on a friendly smile and waved as he began to approach. ¡°Hey,¡± he replied once he was close enough to not have to shout. ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected to see you, here.¡±


    ¡°I feel like that¡¯s my line,¡± Liask responded, and then turned to look out over the lake. ¡°I come here a few times a week to get in some mornin¡¯ trainin¡¯ before the crowds show up.¡± She then glanced back at Pierce. ¡°Never seen you before, though¡­¡±


    ¡°We might¡¯ve just missed each other,¡± Pierce replied, stepping up next to Liask to join her in watching the quiet lake. ¡°Still, I¡¯m a little surprised to see someone else doing workouts in the morning. Most people around here tend to be night owls, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Night owls¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s a saying from Earth. Basically, anyone who likes to stay up late at night instead of getting up early in the morning is a night owl.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Yeah, true, most people here are like that¡­¡± Liask sighed. ¡°Still, it makes for some quiet mornin¡¯s. I like it that way.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Me too,¡± Pierce said with a smirk, though inwardly, he felt like he was fighting off a confused frown. ¡­What do we talk about? Normally I can figure out what to say just fine, but Liask¡­ part of the reason her brother is dead is me. Why does she even want to talk to me? I don¡¯t get it¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s nice, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce glanced down at Liask, and then back to the lake, where she was looking. The waters stretched out to the horizon, which itself was gradually lighting up under the brightening light of dawn. ¡°¡­Yeah,¡± he eventually replied, ¡°waterfronts are always nice. I grew up near one, myself, actually.¡±


    ¡°On Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It was hella nice¡­ though pretty different from this. The lake here has an¡­ odd kind of beauty to it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Just the fact that there¡¯s a huge body of freshwater here, but the surrounding area is still desert. I think I¡¯ve heard of Earth having some deserts with lakes in them, but none as large as this¡­ and I haven¡¯t seen any of them, personally.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Liask responded quietly. ¡°¡­So, even on Earth, you don¡¯t get to see your whole planet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say the people who have seen the whole planet are few and far between,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°I¡¯ve only visited a handful of places outside of my hometown, myself.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    A moment of contemplative silence followed before Pierce glanced around himself. He couldn¡¯t spot any bags or other materials around the nearby pier; it seemed as though Liask had brought only herself to her morning workout. ¡°¡­What was that training you were doing?¡± he questioned. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard a sonic boom like that outside of my own running.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, ha ha¡­¡± Liask smiled sheepishly. ¡°That¡¯s another reason I come out here so early, to practice without botherin¡¯ too many people.¡± She then looked down at her bare hands, opening and clenching them multiple times. ¡°As for the trainin¡¯, it¡¯s just for a class. Practicin¡¯ form and control¡­ you know, the basics.¡±


    ¡°Breaking the sound barrier with a punch when you aren¡¯t even a Velocitechnic doesn¡¯t sound very basic to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I used to think. But accordin¡¯ to Dean Christean¨¦, a Forcetechnic¡¯s strength still allows them to move parts of their body faster than sound¡­ I think¡­?¡±


    ¡°Huh, well, yeah, that does make sense, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Really?! You understand what he meant? Can you teach me sometime, then? I didn¡¯t really get anythin¡¯ he said about that stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk. ¡°This kind of thing is relatively basic physics, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to teach. ¡­Who¡¯s Dean Christean¨¦, though?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend of Dean Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Liask answered. ¡°He comes around every now and then to teach a lesson or two for us Introtechnics. He¡¯s definitely¡­ nicer than Dean Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    Pierce scoffed. ¡°As if that¡¯s a high bar to beat.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?! Like, I know that Dean Dav¨ªdrius made this school, and helped out a lotta people¡­ but he¡¯s so¡­¡±


    ¡°Abrasive? Mean? An asshole?¡±


    ¡°¡­I was gonna say ¡®strict¡¯, but I guess those work, too.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Strict¡¯ isn¡¯t even the least of it,¡± Pierce replied, crossing his arms and shaking his head in disapproval. ¡°You¡¯d think that the best way for a Chaotic to learn their abilities would be to get hands-on practice, but trying to get that out of him is like pulling teeth!¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Liask glanced down, her right hand drifting up to the scar running down her neck. ¡°¡­I think he¡¯s right to worry about that¡­¡±


    Pierce looked down at her incredulously, only to spot her caressing her scar and immediately replace his incredulity with regret and embarrassment. ¡°Oh. Uh, right¡­ sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to downplay anything¡­¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    Way to fucking go, you idiot, Pierce mentally berated himself. Dragging up someone¡¯s trauma during small talk? Come on, man, this was even an obvious trap. Now that I think about it, though¡­ does her scar have anything to do with that weird beast I saw in my vision? Hmm, probably not, since I¡¯m pretty sure the beast in my vision had that metallic infection thing ¡ª and Liask sure doesn¡¯t seem infected to me. I wonder what caused the scar, then¡­ there probably isn¡¯t any way to ask without seeming like an asshole, though, is there¡­


    ¡°Hey, Pierce, it¡¯s fine. Really.¡±


    He glanced over at Liask, noticing that she was looking up at him in concern. After realizing that she had likely interpreted his silence as unease or awkwardness, he said, ¡°well, if you insist. That said¡­¡± His gaze drifted off to the left, where the sun was beginning to peek over where the shoreline disappeared into the eastern horizon. ¡°¡­Time stops for no one, so they say.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess we should get back to our workouts, huh¡­¡± Liask commented.


    ¡°This was a nice chat, though,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°And, hey, seems like we¡¯re both morning people, so maybe we¡¯ll run into each other again.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah!¡± Liask¡¯s face lit up for a moment before she glanced away and cleared her throat. ¡°So¡­ see you later, then?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Pierce flashed a grin before turning to leave, breaking into his workout jogging pace as he did. Once he had jogged down the length of the pier and returned to the boardwalk proper, he passed a quick glance toward Liask again, eying her as she returned to her stretches. ¡­I don¡¯t know what to make of her. She seems fine with me. Normally, I¡¯d be more than happy about that, but¡­ A dull throb once again passed through his lower torso. Damn it. Come on, Pierce, get a damn grip already¡­ let¡¯s at least focus on the jog for now.


    With that, he continued jogging into the sunrise as he mentally prepared himself for a brand new day.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Oof. Finally, lunchtime¡­ I¡¯ve been waiting for this all morning.¡±


    Kestrel responded with a brief grunt of acknowledgment as she and Conrad took up seats on the roof of WCU¡¯s dormitory. The roof was largely flat, and even featured the occasional bench under a pavilion ¡ª benches that students like Conrad and Kestrel would sometimes use to sit and eat lunch at while overlooking the campus courtyard. Small groups of students could be seen coming and going from each of the campus buildings, with many of them heading toward the campus gates to eat lunch somewhere within Compound Tresnon. Conrad and Kestrel both had just returned from grabbing a couple sandwiches ¡ª sandwiches that Conrad now readily bit into. Kestrel watched him for a moment before adjusting the straw hat she wore to keep herself shielded from the overbearing desert sun.


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Conrad eventually said between bites of his sandwich, ¡°the Nimalians might have a stupid long workweek¡­ but at least their lunch breaks are two hours. Just enough time for food and a nap.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tired?¡± Kestrel questioned as she began to unwrap her own sandwich.


    ¡°You know me,¡± Conrad replied with a smirk, only to frown a moment later. ¡°But, I mean, how isn¡¯t everyone tired? We do so much physical training, nowadays¡­¡± He paused for a second to massage his biceps. ¡°¡­Man¡­ so much training¡­¡±


    Kestrel stared at him blankly. ¡°¡­Invisibility is hard?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Conrad insisted, ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon. There¡¯s no way I could use my powers in a fight, but I keep getting lumped in with the rest of you guys! That¡¯s a lot of work!¡±


    ¡°Weapon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure, we all have those weird weapons we can summon, but so what? The hell am I supposed to do with mine?¡± Conrad held out his hand and summoned his black and silver glaive into it to look the weapon over. ¡°¡­Like, seriously. How does this help?¡±


    ¡°Sneaking.¡±


    ¡°How does a glaive help with sneaking?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Invisible sneak attacks.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, duh. I¡¯ve thought of that, too,¡± Conrad retorted as he dismissed his weapon. ¡°But you¡¯ve seen the kind of stuff we¡¯re up against. Most people seem to have energy shields, and there¡¯s no way in hell that I¡¯m shutting down any shields with one swing of a glaive.¡±


    ¡°Not you. Someone else. Teamwork.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ sure, I guess. But still. I¡¯m not a primary combatant, I¡¯m a finisher! I don¡¯t need to have the same kind of endurance as everyone else!¡±


    Kestrel responded with a blank stare, lasting for several seconds before she turned her attention to her food, her shoulders heaving slightly in the process.


    ¡°Hey, I saw that sigh,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Mm,¡± grunted Kestrel in response.


    Conrad sighed himself before focusing on finishing his sandwich. It wasn¡¯t long before he had wolfed it down, leaving him to lay back on the bench and stare at the cloudless sky. After a few moments, he idly commented, ¡°so, sounds like we have another trip coming up soon, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Sikalia, right?¡± Conrad glanced over at Kestrel. ¡°Do you know anything about it?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Yeah, me neither. Apparently it¡¯s a Tier 2 world¡­ whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°Population size.¡±


    ¡°Really? Huh. So, what¡¯s bigger ¡ª a Tier 1 world, or, like, a Tier 4?¡±


    ¡°1.¡±


    ¡°A Tier 2 would be pretty big then, huh? Since it¡¯s just one step down from 1?¡±


    ¡°Mm. Less than Earth.¡±


    ¡°So Earth would be Tier 1, then?¡±


    ¡°Mm hmm.¡±


    ¡°Earth has over 10 billion people, right? What¡¯s the cutoff for Tier 2, then?¡±


    ¡°Tier 2¡­ half a billion, to 5 billion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big range.¡±


    ¡°One order of magnitude¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s a big range.¡± Conrad turned to look up at the sky again as he mused aloud, ¡°I guess that gives us an idea of how crowded this Sikalia place is, though. That is, not very. Compared to Earth, at least. I can get behind that.¡±


    Kestrel responded with silence as she finished off her own sandwich. As she did, she glanced off to the side, toward the WCU courtyard below. Small groups of students could be spotted milling about, spending the lunch break chatting or play-fighting ¡ª and then, toward the front of the large courtyard, Kestrel spotted someone she recognized. ¡°¡­Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Conrad sat up to look in the same direction as Kestrel. ¡°¡­Huh, so that¡¯s where she went.¡±


    ¡°¡­A guy¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, look at that, so there is,¡± Conrad remarked, watching as an unknown figure joined Phoenix and the two of them turned toward the campus gates. ¡°So she got another date, then, huh? Good for her, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two¡­¡±


    ¡°And Pierce is on his third girl, already,¡± Conrad pointed out, and then sighed wistfully. ¡°Man¡­ I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be possible for Pierce or Phoenix to be any worse at holding down relationships than they already were, but here we are. I guess that contest of theirs isn¡¯t doing them any favors, ha!¡±


    ¡°Alien culture, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the Nimalians don¡¯t have that alien of a culture. A lot of things are conveniently similar, in fact. The biggest issue around here is that the people who live here really don¡¯t like outsiders for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Which, I mean, given what I know about what¡¯s happened to Tres¨¦d, I¡¯m not sure I blame them. If I was in a real shit situation and was ignored by everyone who could help, then I¡¯d start distrusting them, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Conrad trailed off as he watched Phoenix disappear through the campus gates alongside her date. He then elbowed Kestrel cheekily as he commented, ¡°wanna bet on whether or not this contest of theirs will go down like every other?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°No winners.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you agree! Ha. The only question now, then, is if their contest will just fizzle out into nothing, or if they¡¯ll get into a fight over it. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen them actually fight about something. Other than the whole ¡®keeping our powers secret¡¯ thing, but I think it¡¯s pretty obvious which one of them was right about that one¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Pierce had a point¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you might say that. And, yeah, I guess he kinda did¡­ it would be pretty pointless to get superpowers and then just never use them.¡± Conrad sighed. ¡°Still, don¡¯t let either of them know you said that. We¡¯d never hear the end of it.¡±


    Kestrel responded with a silent glance toward Conrad before returning her gaze to the courtyard below. Conrad responded in kind, joining Kestrel in people watching for a brief while before going to lay back down on the bench ¡ª only to be startled by the sound of a distant thud.


    ¡°What was that?¡­¡± Conrad questioned, sitting up straight again to survey the courtyard.


    Kestrel pointed toward the entrance to the administrative building, prompting Conrad to look that way. Emerging from the building were a couple of individuals dressed in white and green uniforms, followed by Dav¨ªdrius, who appeared to be gesticulating angrily.


    ¡°¡­Something pissed him off, huh?¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel stared at the two unknown individuals, and their formal uniforms in a livery she had never seen before. ¡°¡­Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Let¡¯s find out,¡± Conrad replied, and then furrowed his brow as he focused on the small group in the distance. While being able to turn invisible was the power of his he was most familiar with and most known for, he also possessed the ability to control sounds ¡ª including dampening or amplifying them at will. With just a little bit of focus, Conrad was able to isolate the attenuated sound waves emanating from Dav¨ªdrius and the two uniformed individuals, and then amplify them for Kestrel and himself to hear, even across the campus and on the roof.


    ¡°¡ªamn outsiders,¡± came Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s voice, ¡°I fuckin¡¯ told y¡¯all, the answer is no! It¡¯s always fuckin¡¯ no!¡±


    ¡°Respectfully, we ask that you reconsider,¡± came a second male voice, this one unrecognizable to either Conrad or Kestrel. ¡°The SFC would like¡ª¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits what y¡¯all want,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped back. ¡°I heard about you fucks from Kievkenalis, after all, and now y¡¯all wanna try and muscle your way into Tres¨¦d? Get the fuck outta here! I¡¯m dealin¡¯ with enough outsider bullshit already as is!¡±


    ¡°¡­Very well, if you insist. But we do urge you to reconsider. If you¡¯d merely listen, you¡¯d see that working with us to eliminate the Bleeders would benefit everyone involved. Ignoring that so readily would be unwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can threaten me, you worthless idiots. Anyone in Tres¨¦d would see your anti-Bleeder ¡®deal¡¯ as absolute self-servin¡¯ bullshit. Now get the hell out ¡®fore I have to throw you out!¡±


    At that point, the two uniformed individuals turned to leave, and Conrad ceased manipulating the soundwaves in the air.


    As he did, Kestrel passed him a glance. ¡°¡­Eavesdropping?¡±


    ¡°Hey, they were talking in the courtyard, that¡¯s basically public,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°If that was a secret conversation, they shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve had it there.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel turned away to watch the two uniformed individuals leave the campus, while Dav¨ªdrius remained standing in the courtyard, watching them. ¡°¡­Seemed like¡­ a lot of effort.¡±


    ¡°¡­What, to make it so we could hear them?¡± Conrad shrugged. ¡°I guess there are a lot of steps to it. It wasn¡¯t too hard, though.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t¡­ but training is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. Something something ¡®if you just applied yourself, you could do anything¡¯!¡± Conrad rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it all before.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on with those two dudes, though. They said something about ¡®SFC¡¯, like it¡¯s a group. I wonder what that is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­A PMC?¡±


    ¡°Really? Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Initials. Uniforms. Attitude. Lot of PMCs.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s true. The galaxy does seem to like their private militaries for some reason, huh? The Black Suns, the Chaos Knights¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard of a couple others, too. Even if this SFC group is a PMC, though, what would they want with Tres¨¦d? They said something about helping with the Bleeders, but what would they get out of it? This place is just a wasteland, right?¡±


    Kestrel responded with a shrug.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess we really don¡¯t know much, huh?¡± Conrad sighed wistfully and looked up at the sky. ¡°Not much use in speculating.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Well¡­¡± Conrad then laid back on the bench, clasping his hands under his head and closing his eyes. ¡°That was a good chat, but I could use a quick nap before our afternoon classes.¡±


    Kestrel glanced toward Conrad, watching him yawn broadly, and then lie still ¡ª he had already managed to fall asleep. With a silent shake of her head, she turned her attention back to the courtyard below, content to spend the remainder of her lunch break in quiet solitude.

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 51: Discussions on Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 51: Discussions on Chaos


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­ ah, there. Do you see that metal wreckage to the east?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think so. The one that looks like a mech¡¯s arm?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Looks like it¡¯s 4 kilometers out, or so¡­¡±


    ¡°Agreed. You think you can hit it?¡±


    ¡°Do I think I can hit it?¡± Selind scoffed and then passed Luke a wink before ducking down to peer through the sights of her sniper again. ¡°A target that big, this close? This¡¯ll be easy. Just watch!¡±


    Luke passed her a quick glance before raising his binoculars to his eyes again. The two currently stood atop Compound Tresnon¡¯s eastern wall, with Selind resting her gun on the ramparts atop the wall as she aimed at wreckage in the wastelands outside of Tresnon. Mid-afternoon sunlight shone on their backs, but neither of them gave the bright desert sun any attention as they focused on the piece of wreckage.


    After a brief second of steadying her gun and taking aim, Selind pulled the trigger. Her gun barely recoiled, and Luke couldn¡¯t even see any kind of flash ¡ª but the instant she fired, the wreckage in the distance exploded in a burst of energy.


    ¡°¡­Impressive,¡± Luke commented as he lowered his binoculars. ¡°Laser snipers really do have some impressive range.¡±


    ¡°4 kilometers ain¡¯t even half of what I can do,¡± Selind boasted, caressing the green and brown gun as she did. ¡°I can hit a target 10 kilometers away with my trusty Lisarin! Given a good vantage point, of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d have to be one tall as hell vantage point,¡± Luke replied. ¡°The horizon here is only around 5 kilometers away, at ground level. What are you doin¡¯ to see a target from 10 kilos away?!¡±


    ¡°There are hills and mountains in Tres¨¦d,¡± Selind countered.


    Luke nodded. ¡°Fair enough. Still, though, 10 kilometers? I can barely believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d have to say the same.¡±


    Luke and Selind both glanced to the side, toward the origin of the new voice. Approaching along the wall was a man with light skin, silver hair tied back into a ponytail, and a rough goatee of similar coloring. He stood around average height for a Nimalian man ¡ª that being around five feet and ten inches ¡ª but even that left him an inch shorter than Luke, and two shorter than Selind.


    ¡°Well if it ain¡¯t the Guest Instructor!¡± Selind remarked, turning to greet the man head-on.


    ¡°¡­Gavon,¡± Luke greeted cautiously.


    ¡°Selind, Luke.¡± Gavon nodded toward each of them in acknowledgment. ¡°I was told the two of you would be up here.¡±


    ¡°You need somethin¡¯ from us?¡± Selind questioned.


    ¡°Not really. That you¡¯re here right now is a coincidence ¡ª an amusing one, though, I must say,¡± Gavon explained, turning to look out over the wastes as he did. He then reached under his drooping desert robes and pulled out a black and silver rifle, with a much shorter barrel than Selind¡¯s sniper. ¡°I was looking for somewhere to practice my shooting. That¡¯s when I was told you two were here, doing the same.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, you¡¯re more than welcome to join us!¡± Selind remarked with a grin, only to then pass Luke a wary glance. ¡°Uh, is that fine¡­?¡±


    ¡°It should be,¡± Luke replied, his attention focused largely on the gun in Gavon¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­Is that an ARC-87 assault rifle?¡±


    Gavon smirked in amusement. ¡°It is. To be able to tell at a glance like that ¡ª more impressive than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± Luke laughed sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯ve always been interested in the weapons you can find around the galaxy. SERRCom¡¯s aren¡¯t bad, but there¡¯s no denying that there¡¯s better out there.¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s just a regular assault rifle, ain¡¯t it?¡± Selind questioned as she gestured towards Gavon¡¯s weapon. ¡°Not enough range on that thing for my tastes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I agree,¡± Gavon replied, ¡°but I wasn¡¯t given permission to bring my SR-24 with me. With the Bleeder situation around here, that should change soon, but for now I¡¯m stuck with this. Though, I must say ¡ª even my sniper rifle can¡¯t beat 10 kilometers.¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho ho,¡± Selind chuckled. ¡°You jealous?¡±


    ¡°It is impressive,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°Those kinds of ranges are the biggest advantage laser guns have over mag rifles.¡±


    ¡°You say that like just anyone with a Lisarin could hit 10 kilometers,¡± Selind retorted.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Gavon passed her a challenging glance. ¡°The NSD¡¯s current gen sniper is the Imarin. The Lisarin is a couple generations old.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? So?¡±


    ¡°When an Imarin is set to full power, it has a theoretical maximum range of 25 kilometers before its laser stops being lethal ¡ª but sighting and aiming tech caps its effective range at 10 kilometers. The Lisarin, an older gun, has an even shorter effective range.¡±


    ¡°I was wonderin¡¯ about that, too,¡± Luke commented.


    Selind scowled. ¡°Are y¡¯all doubtin¡¯ my 10 kilometers? I¡¯ve done it multiple times, you know! Besides, it ain¡¯t like usin¡¯ this thing is easy!¡±


    ¡°Laser snipers are easy,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s half the draw of using ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Luke¡¯s correct,¡± Gavon stated. ¡°Laser weapons are far easier to aim than mag or plasma weapons. Lasers aren¡¯t affected by gravity or atmospheric conditions to nearly the same extent as physical bullets, so you don¡¯t have to factor as many variables into your aiming. That¡¯s a big reason why their effective ranges are so long.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Selind snorted derisively. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s so easy, let¡¯s see y¡¯all give it a shot!¡±


    Luke¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°If both of y¡¯all can hit that wreckage I hit in one shot each, then we can have a round at the bar tonight, on me,¡± Selind declared.


    ¡°I accept that challenge,¡± Gavon replied.


    ¡°Deal!¡± Luke remarked.


    Selind drew back in mild surprise, her attention snapping between each of the two men. ¡°Well that was fast!¡±


    ¡°Even if I miss, this is a chance to finally use a laser sniper,¡± Luke insisted.


    ¡°¡­You really are a gun nut,¡± Selind remarked with a sigh, and then retreated from her sniper, leaning against the ramparts as it was. As Luke approached the gun, she continued, ¡°just¡­ be careful with it, alright? Lisarins might be old gen, but they still ain¡¯t cheap around here!¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Luke replied, stopping for a moment to search the wastes with his binoculars for the metal wreckage that Selind had found earlier. Once he had spotted it, he handed the binoculars off to Selind and then crouched down to grab the laser sniper. As he hefted it, he couldn¡¯t help but think about how light it felt in his hands, compared to the SERRCom sniper rifle he was used to using. Nevertheless, he wasted little time in propping the gun up on the ramparts and then peering through its sights, quickly spotting the target wreckage.


    Bullet drop isn¡¯t an issue with lasers¡­ he mused as he took aim, so I can aim much more directly. Atmospheric conditions DO affect lasers, but as Gavon said, the effect isn¡¯t as strong as on bullets. I believe lasers care mostly about moisture in the air, and temperature gradients¡­ well, we¡¯re in a desert, so there shouldn¡¯t be much moisture ¡ª and the wastelands look flat and featureless enough that the temperatures ought to be uniform. That¡¯ll make this easy!


    Another couple seconds of silence passed, with Selind staring at the wreckage through the binoculars, and Gavon standing quietly to the side. Eventually, Luke finalized his aim, took a deep breath¡­ and fired. As soon as he did, he found himself lurching forward, a reflex from dealing with the recoil of his regular rifle ¡ª whereas this gun had little.


    ¡°Damn¡­ you fuckin¡¯ did it!¡±


    Luke glanced up at Selind, who was still staring through the binoculars as a scowl crossed her face. He then took a quick peek through the laser sniper¡¯s sights to verify. Sure enough, the metal wreckage he had been aiming at 4 kilometers away was in further smithereens than it was before.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Gavon congratulated Luke, and then gestured for him to back away from the gun. ¡°Now it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Selind swore, ¡°me and my damn mouth. I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve made a bet with two trained soldiers¡­ and both self-proclaimed marksmen, at that¡­!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sorry?¡± Luke apologized uneasily.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize, this is entirely on me¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re also speaking too soon,¡± Gavon pointed out as he took up aim with the laser sniper. ¡°I¡¯m not used to using laser weaponry.¡±


    ¡°Neither was Luke,¡± Selind refuted, ¡°and he did just fine!¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see¡­¡±


    Luke stepped back to give Gavon some room, and as he did, he passed Selind an uneasy glance. She had already taken to peering through the binoculars again, so she couldn¡¯t recognize Luke¡¯s attention, or the frown he wore on his face. That¡¯s right¡­ Luke mused, it does seem like she prided herself on being a crack shot, and now here me and Gavon are, showing that using her gun isn¡¯t actually all that hard¡­ maybe I should¡¯ve turned down the bet¡­


    Selind suddenly whooped, drawing Luke out of his thoughts. ¡°Ah HA! You missed!!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Luke looked down at Gavon in confusion.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s right,¡± Gavon said with a sigh as he pulled away from the gun.


    ¡°I mean¡­ you were damn close. Overshot it by only a meter or so, it looks like,¡± Selind declared as she continued to stare through the binoculars, only to put them down a second later and adopt a smirk. ¡°But it still looks like I win this bet! Oh boy, now I get to say I did better than a Black Suns marksman!¡±


    Gavon chuckled to himself, and then glanced toward Luke. When he noticed that the SERRCom officer was giving him a doubtful look, Gavon remarked, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Luke, and no. I wasn¡¯t holding back.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Selind turned to glare at Luke. ¡°What¡¯re you tryin¡¯ to say, here?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Luke quickly refuted, and then returned his attention to Gavon. ¡°Still¡­ the fact that I was able to beat a Black Suns marksman seems kind of¡­ weird.¡±


    Gavon simply shrugged in response. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t usually use laser weapons. I¡¯m used to mag rifles, and using my Gravitatechnism to manipulate bullet trajectories. You can¡¯t do that with lasers. Now, I will admit that I purposefully turned off the aim enhancers on my prosthetic arm, but I feel that using them would¡¯ve been cheating in a contest like this, anyways. I wouldn¡¯t count turning them off as ¡®holding back¡¯.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°With all that said¡­¡± Gavon offered Luke and Selind a resigned smile. ¡°The fact is that the two of you were able to hit the target, and I wasn¡¯t. You¡¯re better sharpshooters than I expected, to be perfectly honest.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mention it,¡± Selind replied with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s all in good fun.¡±


    ¡°¡­Weren¡¯t you just complaining when you thought you were about to lose?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. What fun is it to make bets if you don¡¯t get invested?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I disagree,¡± Gavon remarked with an amused smirk. ¡°And in the spirit of the bet, it looks like tonight¡¯s drinks are on me.¡±


    Selind¡¯s grin broadened even further as she playfully punched Gavon in the arm. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about! I like your attitude!¡±


    ¡°Well, I sure won¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯ to free drinks,¡± Luke commented with a smile, and then looked over at Gavon. ¡°Though, now that I think about it ¡ª you¡¯re a Chaotic. And while you might¡¯ve missed that shot, according to Selind, you were still close; that means you¡¯ve received a lot of weapons training, right?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°And I think I see where you¡¯re going with this. You want to know why a Chaotic would bother with guns, when our powers are often more devastating than gunfire, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that Chaotic abilities can be very devastating, especially in a world where energy shielding is the predominant source of defense ¡ª given that many Chaotics can bypass energy shielding entirely. Nevertheless, the fact remains that guns can outrange most Chaotics. And more importantly than that, we can¡¯t rely on our powers all of the time. Sometimes we have missions in Dead Space, or encounter a CENT field. When that happens, we have no choice but to fall back on good old guns.¡±


    ¡°This is actually what he¡¯s here to teach about,¡± Selind remarked, looking over at Luke. ¡°The Schools of Chaos have lots and lots of classes to teach young Chaotics how to use their abilities, and how to handle themselves when there¡¯s Chaos Energy around ¡ª but they don¡¯t teach much about how to handle yourself in a CENT field.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Luke nodded along. ¡°Now that I think about it, it does make sense to cover this matter¡­¡±


    ¡°This kind of trainin¡¯ could be good from a defensive view, too,¡± Selind pointed out as she handed the binoculars back to Luke and reclaimed her laser sniper. ¡°Once Chaotics realize that they¡¯re more powerful than guns, they often forget that they can still be killed by one. Against an unprepared Chaotic, nothin¡¯ is better than a well-placed shot to the head. I¡¯ve taken out plenty of Bleeder Chaotics that way, myself!¡±


    Gavon nodded. ¡°Agreed. Even if a Chaotic never uses a gun themselves, it can be very useful for them to realize that guns are still a very real threat on today¡¯s battlefield, especially if you don¡¯t have energy shielding. And certain types of Chaotics may find that a gun would complement their abilities rather well.¡±


    ¡°Like your sniping and gravity control?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Gavon grinned. ¡°Hell, on some missions I use gravity on my own bullets more than anything else!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s somethin¡¯ I¡¯d like to see,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°You¡¯ll have to show us how you do that sometime!¡±


    ¡°Sometime?¡± Gavon chuckled briefly before taking hold of his rifle again. ¡°Why not now? This is a mag rifle, after all.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun to me,¡± Luke commented, passing the sun in the sky a brief glance. ¡°We still have a couple hours of the afternoon left to burn.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Gavon remarked, and then stepped forward to show off his rifle to Luke and Selind. ¡°Now, first, before I do a shooting demonstration, you two might be interested in some of the specs¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    Late afternoon sunlight shone down upon Compound Tresnon, casting long shadows on the streets and buildings of the small town. A cool southerly breeze accompanied the orange-tinted light, causing Twy to reflexively shiver while she stood atop the roof of WCU¡¯s dormitory. Around her were a handful of watercolor paints, as well as an easel laid flat and a sheet of paper that she had clipped to the easel to prevent the winds from blowing it away.


    I suppose this would be easier if I just painted inside, she mused, glancing toward the setting sun while she did. ¡­But the days are getting longer. If I want to appreciate winter for what it is, here, then I have to do it now. Besides, I can¡¯t see the sunset from my room.


    With that, Twy turned her attention back to the paper upon the easel. On the paper was a light sketch of a handful of giant trees surrounding a mountain, with a river flowing down the mountain and into the foreground. Twy took a moment to look over the sketch; she had quickly drawn it up a couple days ago, inspired by the giant trees she had seen in Rel¨¦diaka, and the mountains back in Nimaliaka. The fantastical beauty of the planet of Nimalia had inspired her to make a painting of something similarly fantastical, yet natural on its face ¡ª an idea that she had been eager to put down on paper the moment she had it.


    It¡¯s been a while since I painted, though¡­ She glanced over at the watercolor paints that she had laid out, though hadn¡¯t yet put to the paper. ¡­And on top of that, I¡¯m trying something new today. Still¡­ it¡¯d be a waste to just ignore all of this after Kaon¨¦ went through the trouble of getting it for me. And you know what they say ¡ª the only way to get better is to practice. Come on, Twy, stop stalling¡­


    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to clear her thoughts. A moment later, she reopened her eyes, and then held out her right hand, into which she coalesced a small bubble of water about the size of a baseball. The bubble levitated just above her palm, calmly rotating in place as Twy focused on maintaining its shape; then, she carefully drew out a few droplets, maneuvering them through the air to dip into the currently dry watercolor paints. Starting with brown, she gathered up some of the pigment into the water droplets, and then moved them over to the paper holding her sketch, where she deposited the paint upon the sketched tree bark with her water in lieu of a brush.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She stopped to look at the initial results, frowning when they appeared splotchy. Well, I suppose that¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t use a paintbrush. Different types of brushes exist for a reason, after all. Still¡­ I think it should be possible to emulate a brush with my control over water alone. I just need to practice more¡­


    Thoughts of practice briefly turned her mind back to Ralak¡¯s focus training a couple days ago. During that training, Twy had been able to zip small pellets of water through the air at such high speeds and accurate trajectories that she could pierce a training dummy¡¯s head ¡ª and then thread the resulting hole with more water over and over again. But today, it took her the same amount of effort just to finely manipulate a similar amount of water in the paints.


    ¡°I probably just need to practice more¡­¡± she muttered to herself as she pulled another handful of water droplets out of the bubble in her hand, and repeated the process of gathering pigment and filling the paper with color. Slowly but surely, the trunks of the trees began to fill with the color of bark, at first uniformly ¡ª but then Twy adjusted how she deposited the paint, managing to create long streaks of lighter and darker browns based on how she moved the pigment-containing water droplets across the paper. I think I¡¯m starting to get the hang of this. Still, I feel like it¡¯s harder than it should be¡­ what¡¯s different between now, and two days ago?


    As Twy thought the issue over, and mused about all of the times she had used her ability to control water ¡ª ranging from the impressive display she had managed to show Austin back before they were picked up by SERRCom, to fighting EA¡¯s mechs, to simple training in Tres¨¦d ¡ª she realized that her ability to control water had always been vaguely inconsistent. The words of Mote from over a month ago briefly echoed in her head:


    ¡°A Chaotic¡¯s abilities will always be moderately heightened in a true combat scenario, thanks to adrenaline. But combat showings, especially for novices, can be inconsistent¡­¡±


    If that¡¯s true, then some inconsistency would be expected, but I feel like I¡¯m seeing a lot more than ¡®some¡¯, Twy thought with a frown. There must be more to my powers¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a stretch to assume, if we really are, uh, ¡®Keys¡¯. It seems like Phoenix has some kind of special ability, too¡­ She thought back to the trip to Rel¨¦diaka, and how Phoenix had managed to foresee the Bleeder attack on the WTAC campus ¡ª even if only by a few seconds. And on top of that¡­ I haven¡¯t told anybody, but¡­


    For a moment, she stopped painting and turned to look out over Compound Tresnon. If she focused, then she could sense seven hazy presences. Right now, there were four out in the town, two at WCU¡¯s training grounds, and one within the dormitory. A quick glance over the roof¡¯s edge confirmed Twy¡¯s suspicion: at the training grounds at that moment were none other than Spike and Sky.


    I guess I can sense where everyone else is¡­ she mused. Austin is definitely in the dorms, and if there¡¯s four in town, then I¡¯d bet those are Phoenix, Kestrel, Conrad, and Pierce. A weary sigh escaped her lips. I don¡¯t know when I picked this ability up, but I feel like I didn¡¯t really notice it until¡­ I don¡¯t know, the Rel¨¦diaka trip? Did I only get the ability then, or did I only notice it then? And does it have anything to do with how well I can control water at a given moment?


    Twy shook her head and resumed painting with water. While she had many questions, there was no way for her to answer them on her own ¡ª so for the moment, she decided to focus on her paints instead. Once more, she dipped some water into the pigments, and then splashed the colors across the paper, finally moving on from brown to begin working on the leafy greens, and the rocky gray of the center mountain. Serene silence filled the air, broken only by the occasional sloshing of water as Twy contentedly painted in isolation, illuminated only by a setting sun and darkening skies.


    It was the creaking of an opening metal door that finally ripped Twy out of her focus, drawing her attention to the nearest roof entrance. Striding through the door was a certain light-skinned, wavy-haired woman, her hands planted on her hips as she swept her gaze across the roof, seemingly in search of something.


    Upon noticing this, Twy quickly brushed the last of her pigmented water upon her painting before waving toward the woman. ¡°Looking for someone, Sky?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh!¡± Sky¡¯s attention snapped to her sister, at which point she began walking over. ¡°There you are! What are you doing up here? It¡¯s so dark and chilly!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come up here¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but I was bored.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just training with Spike?¡±


    ¡°Only sort of¡­¡± Sky muttered as she stopped next to her sister and crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to train together when he refuses to touch me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Twy frowned. ¡°¡­Well, he is a Forcetechnic. He must be afraid of accidentally hurting you.¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, he¡¯s said that, but, like¡­ it should be fine, right?! He hasn¡¯t accidentally crushed or damaged anything else while we¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Just give him some time to get used to his strength. I¡¯m sure he has your best interests at heart¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha,¡± Sky scoffed. ¡°If he really had my best interests at heart, he would¡¯ve fucked me at least once this past month.¡±


    A reflexive grimace crossed Twy¡¯s face. ¡°What did I tell you about talking about your sex life with me?¡±


    ¡°Prude as ever, huh?¡± Sky retorted. ¡°Maybe if you just put up and asked Austin out already, you wouldn¡¯t be so red in the face every time someone says the word ¡®sex¡¯ around you.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Twy¡¯s cheeks flushed a bright red. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡ª that¡¯s not¡ª! I don¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Relax! It¡¯s a joke.¡± Sky smirked, only to frown a second later and avert her gaze. ¡°¡­Sort of¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®sort of¡¯?!¡±


    Sky¡¯s attention remained directed off to the side, her lips pursed as she pointedly avoided eye contact with Twy. Eventually, she released a frustrated sigh. ¡°Nevermind. It¡¯s whatever.¡±


    Twy regarded her sister with a wary look. ¡°¡­Sky¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you got back into painting! Cool!¡± Sky bounced over to the easel Twy had left out, and the still-drying watercolors on the attached paper. ¡°¡­Wow, you haven¡¯t lost it, huh? This is pretty neat! Are these those trees from Rel¨¦diaka?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Twy responded uneasily, her mind reeling from how quickly Sky had changed the subject. She doesn¡¯t get abrasive with me like that very often. I guess she¡¯s worrying about something? Pushing her when she¡¯s frustrated rarely works out, though, so I guess I¡¯ll play along for now¡­ ¡°¡­As far as I know, this view doesn¡¯t actually exist anywhere,¡± Twy commented as she stepped up next to her sister. ¡°I was just inspired by those giant trees we saw, and thought, if they can grow tall and thick enough to build an entire city above ground, then what if they grew taller than mountains?¡±


    ¡°That would be a small mountain, for those giant trees to tower over it! The ones we saw were, like, maximum 1 kilometer tall, right?¡±


    ¡°The painting is a fantasy, it¡¯s not supposed to reflect reality¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, right. Ha ha.¡± Sky grinned sheepishly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to see you getting back to painting, at least! I feel like it¡¯s been forever since I¡¯ve seen you paint!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Twy sighed. ¡°College takes up a lot of your time.¡±


    ¡°Really? Spike and I always had tons of free time!¡±


    ¡°You say that, but then you always wondered why your GPA was so low.¡±


    ¡°¡­Meh, it¡¯s fine, who even cares about GPA anyways? What matters is the piece of paper you get at the end!¡±


    ¡°The one that none of us will be getting, at this point?¡±


    ¡°¡­Oof, yeah¡­¡±


    Silence briefly befell the two sisters as they awkwardly stared at Twy¡¯s half-finished painting. Twy eventually passed Sky a surreptitious glance, only to be surprised that Sky was wearing a frown ¡ª bordering on a scowl, in fact. In an effort to distract her from whatever was on her mind, Twy asked, ¡°what about you? Have you thought about getting back into singing?¡±


    Sky¡¯s frown was quickly replaced with a sheepish smile as she replied, ¡°ah, well¡­ I dunno. Maybe. It¡¯s still, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you should give it a shot. You always had a good singing voice. And now that we¡¯re here, stuck on an alien planet¡­ it could be a good way to remind you of home.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­ maybe¡­¡± Sky released a wary sigh, and then smiled again. ¡°But hey, I was never as good at singing as you were with art and stuff. This painting looks really cool, after all! I can¡¯t wait to see what it looks like when¡ª¡°


    ¡°Sky¡­¡± Twy cut her sister off, a concerned look on her face. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Sky remained silent for a couple seconds, still smiling, before turning away from Twy to hide her face. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m feeling just as good as ever!¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you really?¡±


    Another several moments of silence passed, with Sky still standing with her back to Twy, and Twy warily watching Sky. The sun had now descended fully below the horizon, leaving Compound Tresnon bathed in the darkening twilight of dusk; even in the dimming light, however, Twy was able to see her sister¡¯s shoulders heave.


    ¡°Really can¡¯t hide anything from you, huh, sis?¡± Sky eventually commented, turning back to face Twy ¡ª and revealing the forlorn smile upon her face.


    ¡°Few people know you better than I do,¡± Twy remarked, ¡°and I¡¯d bet that no one knows me better than you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the fate of twins, huh?¡±


    ¡°Some would say that.¡± Twy then stepped forward to place a reassuring hand on Sky¡¯s shoulder. ¡°¡­Do you want to talk?¡±


    Sky sighed again, momentarily averting her gaze. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just¡­ I dunno, sis. This whole situation with us being here¡­ our powers, the Bleeders, whatever that old guy wants out of us¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean Pallan?¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s the one with that weird prophecy stuff, then yeah.¡±


    Twy nodded once, withdrawing her hand as she did to place it on her hip. ¡°¡¯Weird¡¯ is certainly one way to put it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Sky emphatically agreed, ¡°and that¡¯s all I thought it was, at first. Some weird old guy¡¯s expectations that no one was really paying attention to. But now that we¡¯re here, and we¡¯ve seen some other Chaotics in action, it¡¯s like¡­ it seems like we really are special, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about our weapons?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sky reached out her hand, into which she summoned a long staff, with green and silver colorings on the ends. As she looked it up and down, she continued, ¡°none of the Chaotics we¡¯ve seen have done anything like this. None of the Bleeders, either last weekend, or a few weeks ago, and not any of the students here. And the Deans seem to recognize the weapons, too!¡± She then dismissed her staff in a quick flash of light. ¡°Does this mean we really are destined to do whatever it is that that Pallan guy wants us to do?¡±


    Twy exhaled warily. ¡°Destiny? I think that¡¯s a bit much¡­¡±


    ¡°Three months ago, I would¡¯ve thought that suddenly getting superpowers was a ¡®bit much¡¯!¡± Sky countered. ¡°But now, I don¡¯t know what to think!¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Twy muttered in response. For a brief second, her conversation with Austin while they were leaving Compound Goresan sprung to mind; in that moment, Austin had expressed a wariness of the groups¡¯ supposed roles as ¡®Keys¡¯, and now, Sky seemed to be doing the same. I hadn¡¯t thought too badly of it, myself, until just now¡­ but for Sky and Austin to worry about the same thing? That doesn¡¯t happen often. ¡°¡­So, you¡¯re saying that you don¡¯t like being a ¡®Key¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, yeah, I remember Pallan using that word¡­¡± Sky nodded idly, and then frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know. I feel like we don¡¯t even know what it means to be a Key yet. Like, do we get special abilities, or something? Is that the reason we can summon these weapons?¡±


    ¡°Special abilities¡­¡± Twy echoed quietly, momentarily thinking about her apparent ability to sense the locations of her friends, and Phoenix¡¯s claimed danger sense. ¡°¡­I suppose the only way to know for sure would be to talk to Pallan.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    Twy passed her sister a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­Is that what you were worried about, though? I don¡¯t want to be, um, presumptuous¡­ but usually this kind of unknown isn¡¯t enough to get you down.¡±


    Sky chuckled uneasily. ¡°You¡¯re right. ¡­It¡¯s what happened last weekend.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ in Rel¨¦diaka?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Twy briefly thought back to the events that had transpired within the giant trees, and the metallic infection that they both learned about and seen in action first-hand. Thanks to their protective energy shielding, no one had been in direct danger, but Twy couldn¡¯t deny that the outbreak had been a harrowing experience anyways. In fact, until this moment, she had been trying to simply not think about it ¡ª her new painting represented her best attempt to do just that.


    ¡°It¡­ got me thinking¡­¡± Sky eventually continued, her gaze directed downward as she fiddled with her fingers. ¡°It didn¡¯t really occur to me until yesterday or so, but¡­ this metallic infection stuff, and the Nanocreatures¡­ according to Pallan, we¡¯re supposed to fight this stuff. But, like¡­ how? It¡¯s an infection, right? And, and, you¡¯ve seen what it can do!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but according to Rebehka, energy shields can stop it. It¡¯s only dangerous if it gets in your bloodstream directly. So, if we¡¯re careful, we should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but last night, I decided to look deeper into the Nanocreature War.¡±


    Twy felt a reflex to cheekily point out how infrequently Sky took an interest in history, but quickly suppressed it before she even opened her mouth. Instead, she replied, ¡°and what did you find?¡±


    ¡°That the war was really scary. During the war, the Nanocreatures didn¡¯t need to get into your bloodstream to take you over. They could just eat and replace matter like it¡¯s nothing, and use that to take over people, and animals, and spaceships! I mean, hell, they could just make ships out of their own fucking nanites! It¡¯s literally one of those ¡®gray goo¡¯ sci-fi stories, but, like, actively malicious! That¡¯s, like¡­ what the hell can you even do against that?!¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong¡­ but Hero Machina managed to win, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause they got lucky! What if we aren¡¯t as lucky as them?¡±


    Twy sighed warily. ¡°I guess¡­ we¡¯ll just have to focus on not letting the infection get that far in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like that¡¯s easy,¡± Sky scoffed. ¡°We don¡¯t even know what ¡®stage¡¯ the infection is at, or if Morcii is still around! The Nimalians say that Hero Machina killed him, but the Nanocreatures are clearly still around, so, like, is he actually dead? Or do the Nanocreatures not need him? Or are we just repeating 20 years ago all over again? And if we don¡¯t know the answers to any of those questions, then how can we possibly prepare against the infection, when it could just suddenly one day go from needing to get in our blood to just eating us straight-up?!¡±


    ¡°¡­You really have been thinking about this a lot, huh?¡±


    ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t I?! This is super dangerous, sis! Super serious!¡±


    ¡°No, no, I agree, just¡­¡± Twy looked away uneasily, toward the eastern horizon, and the skies that were now nearly as dark as full night. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know the answer to any of your questions. I don¡¯t know the right way forward. I don¡¯t think anyone does¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sky muttered. ¡°That¡¯s the part that scares me. Especially since, you know, when no one knows what to do, things always get worse. And in this case, I feel like that probably means seeing Morcii again, and¡­ I really don¡¯t want to see that.¡±


    ¡°Hero Machina beat him, though. Surely they could do it again.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but¡­ I dunno, sis. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    A moment of silence followed as Twy looked back to her sister. As dark as it now was, it was difficult for Twy to make out what kind of expression Sky was wearing ¡ª but judging by Sky¡¯s slumped shoulders and diverted gaze, Twy could guess well enough. With a deep sigh, she stepped over to her sister, wrapping her arms around her in an embrace.


    ¡°Oh, wow, a hug?! Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?!¡± Sky remarked incredulously, though nonetheless quickly reciprocated Twy¡¯s hug ¡ª pulling the two together even closer than before.


    ¡°Oh, shush,¡± Twy shot back, ¡°responses like those are why I never hug anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! ¡­Thanks, sis.¡±


    ¡°No problem. It¡¯s not an answer, but¡­¡± Twy sighed and closed her eyes, her arms still around her sister. ¡°¡­I hope it helps.¡±


    ¡°More than you know, ha ha.¡±


    ¡°Good. ¡­Now¡­¡± Twy released Sky and attempted to pull away, only for Sky to cling tighter.


    ¡°No no, not yet,¡± Sky insisted, ¡°just gimme a few more seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I really forgot how clingy you can be.¡±


    ¡°Oh, be quiet.¡±


    Twy rolled her eyes in response, but nonetheless remained standing where she was, embracing Sky. Several more moments passed in silence, with Twy simply looking up at the sky above as she gently stroked her sister¡¯s back. Darkening dusk had now made way for the stars of the nighttime sky, and the town of Compound Tresnon beyond was dimly lit by street and window lights. In the darkness, the vast wastelands to the north and the lake to the south couldn¡¯t be seen; all that remained were the lights of the town, the only signs of civilization in an endless nighttime abyss.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Sky eventually spoke up, slowly releasing Twy and stepping away as she did. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before adopting a smile and looking back to her sister. ¡°Thanks, sis. I really needed that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Sky,¡± Twy replied, returning the smile.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re no Spike, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t compare me to him. I¡¯m not even close to six feet tall.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t have his brimming muscles, and those thick arms¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Twy looked down and held a hand to her head in frustration. ¡°Leave it to you to ruin a perfectly nice moment.¡±


    ¡°Hee hee!¡± Sky grinned. ¡°It¡¯s what I do best!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Well, if you¡¯re back to your normal, cheeky self, then how about you help me carry my paints back to my room.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Sky exclaimed, ducking down to grab some of the watercolors and then whirling around on her foot to race toward the roof entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll put everything up in no time flat! Consider it thanks for hearing me out!!¡±


    ¡°Hey, be careful with that¡ª!¡± Twy began, only to stop herself as Sky disappeared through the door. She sighed in resignation and turned to pack up the rest of her paints and the easel, muttering to herself, ¡°never change, Sky. Never change¡­¡±

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 52: Mission Musings

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 52: Mission Musings


    ¡ª Sunday, November 20, AD 2129 ¡ª


    ¡°¡­Ah, Kirstin! You¡¯re still here?¡±


    ¡°U-uh¡­¡± Kirstin glanced uneasily toward the office entrance, where Sarah currently stood, dressed in a pale green t-shirt, jeans, and a lab coat while holding a mug of coffee. Kirstin¡¯s own attire was little different ¡ª a black t-shirt instead of pale green, and no coffee ¡ª though her posture was significantly weaker as she practically wilted under Sarah¡¯s gaze. ¡°¡­Sh-should I not be¡­?¡±


    Sarah let out a laugh as she fully stepped into the room, allowing the door to close behind her. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she declared with a smile, ¡°besides, it would be a little hypocritical of me to tell others to go home, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    A small, amused smile crossed Kirstin¡¯s face for a brief moment before she averted her gaze. ¡°I-I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Sarah crossed the office to look through the virtual window on the other side, at a view of Earth slowly rotating below. ¡°¡­That we¡¯re both working this late on a Sunday¡­¡± She then glanced at Kirstin again. ¡°Just goes to show that time really does fly, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°L-late?!¡± Kirstin exclaimed, and then looked down at the clock on her computer. Her eyes went wide as she realized that it read out a time of 9 o¡¯clock in the evening.


    ¡°Your work is just that interesting, eh?¡± Sarah questioned.


    ¡°W-well, uh¡­ s-sort of¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you working on¡­?¡± Sarah crossed the room with a confident stride before stopping behind Kirstin¡¯s chair, peering over her shoulder to inspect the contents of her computer screen. ¡°Ah, the Dreadnought coordinates. There really are a lot of them, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Kirstin reflexively flinched away from Sarah as the latter placed her hand on the back of Kirstin¡¯s chair. Sarah drew back in response; the moment Kirstin realized this, her eyes went wide again as she snapped her attention between Sarah and the computer screen. ¡°Uh¡ª! Th-that¡¯s, um, s-sorry! I-I¡¯m just, uh, t-tired¡­¡±


    Sarah offered a warm smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Maybe you really could use some rest, though. I was just about to head out myself; care to join me?¡±


    Kirstin stared blankly at Sarah for a couple moments before averting her gaze and fidgeting uncomfortably. ¡°Um¡­ I-I guess¡ª¡°


    ¡°SARAAAAH!! Are you in here?!¡±


    Neither Sarah nor Kirstin had any time to react between hearing the shout and the office door slamming open. Through the now gaping entrance strode Kate, wearing her signature red bandana, red and golden greaves, and green uniform with black trimming and rolled-up sleeves as her eyes swept across the office. The moment she spotted Sarah, she barged over and slammed her hands down on Kirstin¡¯s desk, across from Kirstin and Sarah.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never fucking believe what just happened!!¡± Kate exclaimed.


    Sarah and Kirstin exchanged a glance ¡ª Sarah¡¯s of amusement, and Kirstin¡¯s of abject confusion ¡ª before Sarah commented, ¡°back from your mission, are you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, fucking duh, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°And let me tell you, being stuck on a fucking Frigate for an 8 day round trip is a real fucking pain in my ass! Those things are fucking tiny!¡±


    ¡°Size isn¡¯t everything, so they say.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! Bigger is always better! And speaking of ¡®bigger¡¯!¡± Kate slammed her hands down on the desk again, causing Kirstin to jump in surprise ¡ª an action which Kate ignored as she continued, ¡°we found another piece of Aldredian tech. It was locked behind one of those stupid-ass doors that only respond to the Aldredian armor, but it was fucking there! With Drakkars and EA fighting over it, too, so you know it was fucking important!¡±


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s the fucking thing, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Kate crossed her arms and scowled. ¡°EA¡¯s stupid-ass robot did something to it, and it just fucking dissolved! Into a million tiny pieces! What the fuck is that about, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Dissolved? Into a million pieces? Hmm¡­¡± Sarah paused to take a sip of her coffee while she pondered Kate¡¯s claim.


    ¡°Th-that sounds, um, f-familiar¡­¡± Kirstin eventually commented.


    ¡°Yes, I was just about to say the same,¡± Sarah replied, passing Kirstin a quick glance before returning her attention to Kate. ¡°These ¡®tiny pieces¡¯ ¡ª they wouldn¡¯t happen to have been blue particles, would they?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kate stared at Sarah incredulously. ¡°How¡¯d you know?!¡±


    ¡°And what was the robot holding at the time? It wouldn¡¯t happen to have been a scythe, would it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a fucking big one! How the hell did you know?!¡±


    ¡°EA used it b-before¡­¡± Kirstin pointed out. ¡°O-on, um, Austin¡­¡±


    Sarah nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. According to Austin, EA claimed that it was ¡®Subspatial storage¡¯. Fun fact, it¡¯s something all of the Ayas weapons can do, as well.¡±


    ¡°Subspatial storage¡­?¡± Kate echoed cluelessly, only to scowl a second later. ¡°Oh, shit, that¡¯s that thing where you can shove something into Subspace and then pull it out later, right? Like a fucking bottomless bag? I heard about that¡­ but if that¡¯s what EA fucking did, then he has that god damn Drive! Fucking bullshit!¡±


    ¡°That does sound unfortunate¡­¡± Sarah commented. ¡°But how did EA manage to put up a fight in the first place? And what was he even doing over 25 thousand light years from Earth?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know,¡± Kate snapped as she kicked at Kirstin¡¯s desk in frustration. ¡°That fucking asshole¡­¡±


    ¡°W-what about this, um, D-Drive¡­?¡± Kirstin questioned.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, right! The Drive!¡± Kate slammed her right fist down on her left palm, her face lighting up as though she had just recalled something important. She then turned toward Sarah, saying, ¡°I wanted to ask you about that! I didn¡¯t get too long to look at it, but I was at least able to tell that the Aldredas called it a ¡®Superspace Drive¡¯. Have you heard of that?¡±


    ¡°Superspace¡­?¡± Sarah echoed questioningly.


    ¡°¡­W-wasn¡¯t that, um, o-on the Dreadnought¡­?¡± Kirstin asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I fucking remember that, too,¡± Kate declared, ¡°but this time, I actually found out what it¡¯s supposed to do ¡ª supposedly, the fucking thing can teleport you to anywhere in the god damn universe, just like that!¡± she finished as she snapped her fingers.


    ¡°Anywhere in the universe?¡± Sarah echoed incredulously. ¡°Are you sure that wasn¡¯t hyperbole?¡±


    ¡°It was in the fucking technical specs, who uses hyperbole in technical specs?¡± Kate retorted. ¡°But I guess you don¡¯t know anything about that either, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not really; spacecraft technology is Scott¡¯s area of expertise. I¡¯m much more familiar with Chaos Energy and all else derived.¡±


    ¡°Go fucking figure¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s an interesting idea, this Superspace. We do already have Subspace. That doesn¡¯t necessarily imply the existence of a Superspace, since it¡¯s just a name that the galaxy gave to an alternate plane of spacetime ¡ª but it would be an interesting complement.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what would Superspace be like¡­?¡± Kirstin questioned.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, if what Kate says is correct, then whatever it is would have to allow for instantaneous travel to anywhere in the universe,¡± Sarah mused. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to think about how that would work. Even if it was some kind of wormhole generator, it would surely require astronomical amounts of energy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± Kate exclaimed. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t sound possible!¡±


    ¡°Not with conventional power sources, no. But there is an alternative¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Th-the Ayas¡­?¡± Kirstin suggested.


    Sarah nodded in response. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Chaos Ayas are the only objects in the galaxy capable of actually creating Chaos Energy, and that makes them incredibly potent power sources ¡ª even for conventional technology. It¡¯s possible that the Ayas could be used to power something like a Superspace Drive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d still need several of the Ayas together, though, surely,¡± Kate stated. ¡°The Ayas put out a lot of power, but it isn¡¯t fucking infinite!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, of course¡­¡± Sarah thought for a few more seconds, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, until we can learn more about this Superspace, everything we say is just speculation.¡±


    ¡°All science starts as speculation!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but at the moment, we don¡¯t even have a reasonable starting point to investigate. We have no way to look for signs of Superspace, or detect its existence, or access it. We don¡¯t even know what to look for.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch. What a pain in the fucking ass¡­ if only we¡¯d gotten that fucking Drive¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no use crying over spilt milk. Instead, let¡¯s focus on technology we do have access to ¡ª like those Aldredian mechs.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Kate immediately perked up at the mention. ¡°Did you find anything out while I was gone?!¡±


    ¡°Well, yes and no,¡± Sarah admitted, and then glanced down at Kirstin. ¡°I was looking through some of the mechs¡¯ databanks with Kirstin¡¯s help, here, and we found something potentially interesting about the joint drive systems. See¡­¡±


    The three then continued discussing the mechs and other pieces of Aldredian technology that SERRCom had discovered, none of them paying the clocks any heed as they continued on their unstopping march toward midnight.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­Oh, sir. Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Colonel Saito looked up as he came to a stop at the end of the hallway, just next to Major Hackett ¡ª who had just called out to him. ¡°Oh, Major. Just out of the shower?¡±


    ¡°These are the locker rooms,¡± Hackett replied, jerking her thumb toward the nearby doorway as she did. She then adjusted the towel draped over her shoulders as she looked down at Saito. ¡°Heading in yourself?¡±


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    The Colonel yawned before replying, ¡°yeah¡­ could use a shower before bed. Good time to think.¡±


    ¡°This about your earlier meeting with the General, sir?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Saito sighed and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Wasn¡¯t a long meeting. Just a quick debriefing, really. He seemed concerned, though.¡±


    ¡°About EA showing up?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, that, but other things, too.¡±


    Hackett regarded Saito with a confused expression. ¡°Other things?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about all of our missions over the past couple months,¡± Saito stated. ¡°If you think about it, even just across our two previous missions, CSF-1 has encountered all of SERRCom¡¯s enemies: the Drakkars, EA, the¡­¡± He glanced to and fro, noting that he and Hackett were alone in the hallway before continuing, ¡°¡­metallic infection¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°And on top of that, we¡¯ve come across a lot of Aldredian technology, and worked briefly with the Black Suns. And then there¡¯s also the matter of the new Chaotic recruits. Things have been moving at a breakneck pace ever since the recent Chaos Energy Quake, and General Lead seems concerned about it. So am I, to an extent.¡±


    ¡°When you put it that way, I can see why. Did Lead say something to you about SERRCom¡¯s plans to address all this?¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡± Saito sighed again. ¡°He said he¡¯s going to call for a Command Meeting, and he wants me to be present on behalf of CSF-1.¡±


    ¡°A Command Meeting?¡± Hackett echoed incredulously. ¡°As in¡­ High Command?¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°And he wants you to be present? All due respect, Colonel, but High Command is a little above your paygrade, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well, Director MacTavish will be there, too, and he¡¯s O-6 ¡ª so we get paid about the same,¡± Saito replied cheekily, and then frowned. ¡°You¡¯re definitely right about actual High Command, though, Major.¡±


    Hackett smirked. ¡°Are you scared, sir?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to be crazy to not be at least a little bit wary about attending a meeting with High Command,¡± Saito shot back.


    ¡°You seem to be on good terms with General Lead, though.¡±


    ¡°Sure. And I¡¯ve worked under Director Hamasaki, so I have a decent working relationship with her, as well. But Commander Shepherd is another story entirely. Everyone knows that he and Lead don¡¯t see eye-to-eye, so me being on good terms with Lead can make things¡­ weird whenever I deal with Shepherd.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°And then there¡¯s Markovic, the Commander of the Space Navy. She might as well be the second most powerful person in SERRCom, after General Lead, given how big and important our space navy is. I¡¯ve never actually met her, but I hear she and Shepherd get along even worse than Shepherd and Lead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that, too¡­ though I¡¯ve also heard that Director Riese helps a lot to keep the peace.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably the most sensible member of High Command, sure. But he¡¯s the Director of the Earthian Colonization Command; CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir don¡¯t interact with the ECC all that much, so I¡¯ve never spent much time in Riese¡¯s presence. This upcoming meeting will be the most I¡¯ve ever seen of him.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, even so, sir, it sounds like you already personally know most of High Command.¡± Hackett held out her right hand and began counting on her fingers. ¡°General Lead, Commander Shepherd, Director Hamasaki¡­ that¡¯s three of the five.¡±


    ¡°Six,¡± Saito corrected. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting Surgeon General Penningston.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Still, sir, three out of six is half of High Command. Most people don¡¯t have those kinds of connections.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say something, Hackett?¡±


    ¡°¡­This is probably just speculation, sir, but has it ever occurred to you that General Lead might be, uh, ¡®grooming¡¯ you to replace him?¡±


    The Colonel audibly scoffed in response to Hackett¡¯s claim. ¡°Me? General of the Space Forces? I can¡¯t think of a faster way to drive SERRCom into the dust.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think you could do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Field missions are where I excel, not organization-level long-term strategy. I just don¡¯t have the head for it.¡±


    Hackett smirked in amusement. ¡°Says the Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Says the Major,¡± Saito retorted with a similar expression. ¡°Look, Hackett, we¡¯re commissioned officers doing field work in a small team. That isn¡¯t necessarily rare for spec ops groups like us, but it¡¯s still very different from what most Colonels or Majors are doing. And on top of that, we work with the Eximius Vir ¡ª SERRCom¡¯s only trained Chaotics. As a result, our responsibilities look a lot different than most other people of our ranks, which also means that we¡¯re never put in command of large groups of soldiers ¡ª which means we never learn how to handle large groups of soldiers. That puts a cap on how high up the ladder we can go.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m surprised I ever made Colonel in the first place; I think it was mostly just to give the Eximius Vir greater latitude in how they operate, without promoting them directly. I highly doubt I¡¯ll ever make Brigadier General.¡±


    ¡°I somehow doubt you¡¯d accept that promotion anyways, sir.¡±


    Saito grinned. ¡°You know me well! Although¡­¡± The corners of his mouth turned down as he continued, ¡°this is something you should think about for the future of your own career, Major. If you don¡¯t want to put a cap on your own promotion path, then you should consider transitioning into a more conventional position. I can always put in a good word for you.¡±


    Hackett glanced away and took a deep breath as she pondered Saito¡¯s words. ¡°¡­I appreciate you saying that, Colonel,¡± she eventually responded, making steady eye contact once more, ¡°but I think I would go nuts in a ¡®conventional¡¯ Major posting. Besides, I get to see a lot of things as a member of CSF-1 that I¡¯d never be able to see in a conventional posting.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re cut from the same cloth, then, Hackett.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have worked with you all these years if we weren¡¯t, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s a good point.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Hackett replied, and then looked off to the side. ¡°¡­With all that said, it is rather late, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Saito sheepishly bowed his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to keep you. I¡¯ll see you later, Hackett.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, sir,¡± the Major replied as she began walking down the hallway toward her quarters, leaving Saito behind to shower and wrap up his own night.


    <hr>


    ¡°Wow, this is great! There really is no place like home, huh, Mote?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Mote grunted in response as he stepped next to Danielle and gazed through the virtual window alongside her, taking in the sights of Earth as viewed from the SERRCom space station Opportunity in middle Earth orbit. The view before them was entirely holographic, but its black background dotted with white specs coupled with the gently rotating orb of green and blue that was the planet below still evoked the same sense of wonder as a true view of Earth.


    ¡°It really is good to be back,¡± Danielle remarked as she rested her elbows on the guardrails in front of the vast virtual windows. ¡°Getting to go out on missions is fun, too, but coming back and seeing everyone else¡­ it¡¯s kinda like a reunion every time!¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± muttered Mote.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little sad Kate isn¡¯t here right now, but it¡¯s also funny how often she gets wrapped up with her research stuff. Mark, though¡­ this is the longest we¡¯ve ever been apart, isn¡¯t it? I hope we get to see him again soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°I bet he¡¯s having a really fun time on Nimalia! It is an alien planet, after all. Just think of all the cool people he¡¯s getting to meet, and all the cool sights he¡¯s getting to see! Oh! Oh! I heard that, on Nimalia, there¡¯s this one forest where the trees grow all the way up to the sky! Do you think Mark¡¯s seen that?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Mote?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ ¡­hmm? What?¡± Mote glanced over at Danielle, only to find her giving him a concerned look. ¡°¡­What is it?¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Danielle frowned. ¡°¡­Is something wrong?¡±


    Mote stared blankly at her for a couple moments before looking away and taking a deep breath. ¡°¡­I suppose you could say that.¡±


    ¡°Is it Mark? You miss him, don¡¯t you? I know I do¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s not quite it,¡± Mote refuted, his attention directed downward at the virtual image of Earth. ¡°The fact that we were split up does still annoy me, but that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m concerned about.¡±


    Danielle stared at him questioningly. ¡°What are you concerned about, then? Did you miss dinner¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, Danielle¡­ I didn¡¯t miss dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Are you tired, then?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore than would be expected at 11 o¡¯clock at night.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Danielle looked down. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not helping, am I?¡±


    Mote passed her a quick glance before returning his gaze to the virtual Earth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Danielle. None of it is your fault.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe, but¡­ whatever it is is worrying you, right? And¡­ we¡¯re friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Practically siblings, really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! So if there¡¯s something worrying you, you can tell me! I can¡¯t help if I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong, after all!¡±


    A deep sigh escaped Mote¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­You sound a little like Mark when you say that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, cool!¡± Danielle replied with a grin, only to quickly replace it with a confused frown. ¡°Wait, is that cool?¡­¡±


    ¡°I meant it in a good way.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well, then, cool! But, uh¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Mote remained silent for several moments, turning his thoughts over in his head in search of the best way to word his concerns. Eventually, he said, ¡°it¡¯s¡­ about our recent missions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. And all the Aldredas stuff we¡¯ve been running into, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sort of. But I¡¯m not talking about the armor. Not really¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong, then?¡±


    ¡°On our last two missions, we discovered valuable information¡­ but both times, we were either forced to leave it behind, or it was stolen from us. In other words, those missions were failures.¡±


    ¡°That sounds kinda harsh¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the truth. And that isn¡¯t even the worst of it ¡ª both missions have revealed that threats we previously thought were small, are in fact anything but. The metallic infection, and EA¡­ and even the Drakkars, if you think about it. The fact that they were able to track down that Aldredian outpost, with that Superspace Drive¡­ even if they didn¡¯t get it in the end, it should be concerning that they¡¯re beating us to these Aldredian discoveries without access to the coordinate stash that we have.¡±


    ¡°Is EA really that much of a threat, though? He hasn¡¯t really done all that much¡­¡±


    ¡°That, too, is concerning, in a way. While he himself didn¡¯t show up during our last mission, the fact is that a Cruiser bearing his insignia did. Either EA himself made that Cruiser, or he¡¯s aligned with an unknown organization that made the Cruiser ¡ª either way, the fact is that there is some entity out there capable of making new, Subspace-capable spacecraft that isn¡¯t one of the galactic navies. And they¡¯re associated with a known enemy of SERRCom ¡ª an enemy that hasn¡¯t made himself seen in a month. He could be up to anything right now¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess I hadn¡¯t thought about it that much¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s just one issue of many,¡± Mote muttered. ¡°Ever since that new Chaos Energy Quake three months ago, it feels like the galaxy has changed. And from where I stand, it¡¯s for the worse¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, Mote!¡± Danielle inched closer to Mote to elbow him in the side. ¡°Not everything is bad, you know! I mean, sure, our last couple missions were duds¡­ but before that, we found a lot of cool stuff! Your armor, that Corvette, those special mechs¡­ those are all good things, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s true that access to new and advanced technology is typically a good thing. But it all seems so¡­ flawed.¡±


    ¡°You mean the part where they only activate for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ if Kirstin¡¯s findings on that space station are correct, then the Aldredas actually intended to create gene-locked technology. But why? For what purpose? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    ¡°I guess not, but it¡¯s still lucky that you can turn it all on, you know? Without you, all of that stuff would be as good as junk!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just another issue. We can¡¯t afford to rely on just one person to use all of this technology. It just isn¡¯t strategically sound¡­¡±


    Danielle passed Mote a wary glance. ¡°¡­You really think about all of this stuff a lot, huh?¡±


    Mote scowled. ¡°Someone has to.¡±


    ¡°I guess. But you can think about other stuff, too, sometimes, you know? It¡¯s not good to just think about work all the time.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just work. This is potentially the safety of Earth we¡¯re talking about, here.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, okay. But it¡¯s still better to be rested and stuff, right? It¡¯s a lot harder to fight when you¡¯re all stressed and tired than it is if you¡¯re relaxed.¡±


    Mote gave Danielle an annoyed look. ¡°You sound just like the Colonel right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that a bad thing¡­?¡± Danielle questioned with a frown.


    Several moments of silence followed as Mote simply stared at Danielle, finding it difficult to come up with a response. He then released a deep sigh and looked down upon the virtual Earth once more. ¡°¡­I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°I bet you could just use some sleep,¡± Danielle declared. ¡°We spent most of today traveling on that Frigate, after all! It was really hard to sleep on that thing¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t need to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Well, no, I don¡¯t need to, but it¡¯s still a good way to pass the time, you know?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°And then, tomorrow, we can have an actual breakfast, and then get some training in! You like training, right? Maybe it¡¯ll help you relax!¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh. Maybe it will¡­¡± Mote replied with a small smile. He often thought that Danielle was too laissez-faire in her approach to life, but in that moment, she seemed to have a good point. Perhaps he really was thinking about things too much.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree!¡± Danielle remarked with a grin. She then spun around and skipped down the hallway toward her quarters. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning!¡± she shouted over her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll try to get Kate to come, too!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡¯Night, Danielle,¡± Mote replied, watching her bounce off down the hallway. He then turned his attention back to the virtual Earth one final time. ¡­I guess she¡¯s right. Things might be weird in the galaxy right now, but just sitting and thinking about it won¡¯t help. Not until we have something to actually do¡­


    His gaze lingered on the hologram for just a few more moments before he pushed off of the guardrail and turned down the hallway himself, prepared to finally call it a night.

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 53: Breaks and Holidays

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 53: Breaks and Holidays


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Skydia, Skydiath 33, 8054 ¡ª


    (Tuesday, November 22, 2129 AD)


    ¡°Hey, there you are! I¡¯ve been looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? Oh, Pierce. Did you want somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. Just wanted to let you know that I had a great time last night! That bar you showed me was hella cool. Great atmosphere, good drinks¡­¡±


    ¡°It is my favorite bar.¡±


    ¡°I can see why. I¡¯d be interested in doing that again, sometime!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But, at the moment, it¡¯s almost lunch. Want to go grab a bite to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, how about tonight? I¡¯ve been thinking¡ª¡°


    ¡°Not interested in datin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Well¡­ okay. I¡¯ll get out of your way, then¡­¡±


    ¡°The sex was good, though. We should do that again, sometime.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right. Maybe. I mean, that¡¯s not really¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry, gotta go. Got lunch with my friend.¡±


    ¡°O¡­kay. See you later¡­?¡±


    Pierce offered a casual wave as he watched the girl walk off across the WCU campus. As soon as her back was turned, a sour scowl formed on his face, and he crossed his arms. ¡°Fucking¡­ not again,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°Why¡¯s it so hard to get a second date, around here¡­?¡±


    ¡°Still having relationship problems, huh?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Pierce jumped and quickly looked around, searching his surroundings. No one was present in his immediate vicinity ¡ª that is, until Conrad suddenly faded into view barely a meter away, his hands slotted into his pockets as he casually leaned against the nearby building. ¡°¡­Oh, Conrad,¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°Are you eavesdropping now? Don¡¯t be a creep.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was here first,¡± Conrad refuted, and then smiled in amusement. ¡°But who was that girl, huh? Another date?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t need to hear this from you, of all people.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just asking a question. Still, though, that¡¯s¡­ what, the fifth girl you¡¯ve gone out with, here?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re being really touchy about this. Aren¡¯t you usually proud about being good at sex, or something? Does this have something to do with your bet with Phoenix¡ª?¡°


    Pierce¡¯s scowl deepened considerably as he snapped, ¡°she has nothing to do with this!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right, I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°Just like I¡¯m sure that the fact that she¡¯s had the same guy for almost a week doesn¡¯t have anything to do with this, either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even a week, it¡¯s been, like, five days. That¡¯s nothing. Why would I care?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than you¡¯ve managed.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, dude, shut the hell up. You¡¯re supposed to be sympathetic, here, not bashing me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least you¡¯re finding a bunch of new sex friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Contrary to what many people seem to think of me, I¡¯m not actually interested in having sex friends. I want an actual relationship, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure¡­¡± Conrad released a tired sigh and then pushed off of the wall. ¡°Well, anyways, it¡¯s almost lunch. Wanna get something?¡±


    Pierce responded with a bitter glare.


    ¡°¡­Oh come on, dude, I wasn¡¯t even trying to poke fun that time,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°You really need to relax. I bet a nap would do you good.¡±


    ¡°You think a nap would do everyone good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause most people don¡¯t get enough sleep. Sleep is important, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Pierce drawled, rolling his eyes as he did. Nevertheless, he then turned toward the campus gates and beckoned for Conrad to follow. ¡°C¡¯mon, you bastard. Let¡¯s go eat something.¡±


    ¡°As nice as ever,¡± Conrad retorted, though began following anyways. Just as he stepped up next to Pierce, however, the two heard a shout.


    ¡°Hey, Pierce! That you?¡±


    Pierce and Conrad both turned around to face the source of the shout. Approaching from behind was Liask, her facial scar obvious from a distance in the bright midday sun. As Liask approached, Pierce noticed that there were another two students with her. One of them was a young man with dark skin, standing about as tall as Conrad. He had no facial hair ¡ª Pierce guessed that he was around 18 or 19, so he might have just been too young for it ¡ª and his buzz cut almost made him look bald, given that his dark skin nearly matched the blackness of his hair. Thin eyebrows and a strong jawline rounded out his notable facial features.


    The other individual was a fair-skinned young woman with long, dark, and oily unkempt hair that partially obscured the right side of her face. She stood barely five feet tall, a stark contrast to Liask¡¯s five and a half feet, and Pierce¡¯s own six; Pierce wasn¡¯t able to discern much else about her build, however, due to the baggy desert robing that swathed her body ¡ª far baggier than the robing that Liask and the young man were wearing, in fact. From the visible part of her face, she appeared to have soft, rounded cheeks and dark bags under her eyes. Like the man, Pierce figured that she couldn¡¯t have been any older than 18 or 19, which would also put her in the same age bracket as Liask.


    ¡°¡­Hey, Liask,¡± Pierce eventually greeted as the trio stopped just in front of him and Conrad.


    ¡°Oh, you know her, huh?¡± Conrad questioned cheekily.


    ¡°Shut up, asshole,¡± Pierce retorted, and then adopted a pleasant smile as he turned back to Liask. ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into you, here. Though, in hindsight¡­ I guess I should¡¯ve expected this at some point, huh?¡±


    ¡°We are both students, here,¡± Liask replied as she returned the smile. ¡°Me and my friends were just goin¡¯ for lunch, and then I saw you. Just thought I¡¯d say hi.¡± She then glanced over at Conrad. ¡°¡­Am I interuptin¡¯ somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Conrad responded airily, his hands still in his pockets. He then glanced between her and Pierce, and then the other two students standing behind Liask. ¡°¡­So, uh¡­ who are you guys?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sorry. I¡¯m Liask. And these two are my friends, Obra and Minilas.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± the young man, Obra, replied with a grunt.


    ¡°Nice to meetcha,¡± the young woman, Minilas, responded flatly.


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Pierce said, and then jerked a thumb towards Conrad. ¡°And this loser here is Conrad. He¡¯s a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°You really have a way with introductions, don¡¯t you,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Sounds like what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Obra commented, his arms crossed and mouth turned down into a scowl.


    Pierce passed Obra a confused glance. ¡°What¡¯re you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Minilas interjected, a small smirk playing across her face, while her tone remained flat. ¡°He¡¯s just¡­ hungry.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound suspicious at all,¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s something I can empathize with,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°It is lunchtime.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Pierce passed Conrad a glance before turning back to Liask and her friends. ¡°Well, we were just about to hit up the nearby cafe. You guys want to join us?¡±


    Liask grinned. ¡°Sounds like fun!¡±


    ¡°Mm, I dunno¡­¡± Minilas spoke up, ¡°today is waterloaf¡­ I can do better.¡±


    ¡°¡­Waterloaf?¡± Conrad questioned in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of bread made from grains that only grow when waterlogged. The texture is kind of¡­ soggy. It¡¯s not great,¡± Pierce replied, and then elbowed Conrad in the side. ¡°Come on, dude, we¡¯ve been here for almost a month now. Pay attention.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Conrad muttered, and looked over at Minilas. ¡°You say you can do better though, huh? Do you cook, then?¡±


    Minilas cocked her head, as if thinking. A moment later, she replied, ¡°¡­sort of.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Food Formtechnic,¡± Liask explained. ¡°Oh, and I guess while I¡¯m at it ¡ª Obra is a Barriertechnic.¡±


    ¡°¡­Barriertechnic?¡± Conrad echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°I can make barriers. Not unlike energy shields,¡± Obra replied, and then passed Pierce an annoyed glance. ¡°I can cut someone in half just by makin¡¯ a barrier in the middle of ¡®em, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Cool¡­?¡± Pierce responded warily. Why does this dude seem to hate me, already? I¡¯ve never even met him! He then quickly switched his attention over to Minilas, saying, ¡°Food Formtechnic, huh? Formtechnism is where you can just make stuff out of thin air, right? So you¡¯re saying that your Chaotic ability is to¡­ make food?¡±


    Minilas nodded. ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ hilariously mundane.¡±


    ¡°Not all Chaotics are suited for combat,¡± Liask pointed out.


    ¡°Should be obvious,¡± Conrad added.


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ still.¡± Pierce continued looking at Minilas, a doubtful expression upon his face. ¡°What kind of food can you even make?¡±


    Wordlessly, Minilas held out her hand. A second later, a fish sandwich materialized out of thin air, topped with a slice of something white and some kind of bluish-green lettuce. She then took a bite out of the sandwich, chewing for a few seconds before tossing it toward Pierce.


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Reflexively, Pierce snatched the sandwich out of the air, only to stare at it incredulously. ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°Try it,¡± Liask urged.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t, I will,¡± Conrad volunteered.


    Pierce passed Conrad an unamused glance before returning his attention to the sandwich. Tentatively, he held it up to his nose and sniffed once; the distinctive smell of fish, mixed with a hint of something like cheese, filled his nostrils. I guess it¡¯s fine? The colors look a little off, but¡­ I guess that¡¯s just because these ingredients are from another planet. I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt to try¡­ A second later, he took a bite out the sandwich and began chewing, contemplating the fishy flavor and texture that entered his mouth. At first he wasn¡¯t sure what to think ¡ª this was a sandwich that had been conjured out of thin air, after all ¡ª but eventually, his opinion became clear.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s actually pretty good,¡± he remarked after swallowing. ¡°Fish, cheese, and some kind of lettuce, huh?¡±


    ¡°Let me try,¡± Conrad insisted, snatching the sandwich out of Pierce¡¯s hands and readily biting into it. ¡°¡­Huh, yeah, it¡¯s pretty good,¡± he commented with his mouth still full.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a sandwich,¡± Obra replied incredulously.


    ¡°Sure, yeah. It¡¯s not the best sandwich I¡¯ve ever had, but it¡¯s still pretty good,¡± Pierce declared as he turned back to Minilas and Conrad continued eating the sandwich. ¡°Mundane as it is, being able to summon food on a whim must be pretty damn useful, huh?¡±


    Minilas nodded as a hollow smile crossed her face. ¡°Yep. The Bleeders thought that, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­Anyways!¡± Liask interjected, ¡°so, uh, what¡¯ve you been up to lately, Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Gettin¡¯ dumf¡ª¡° Conrad started with a mouthful of sandwich, only to be cut off by Pierce.


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± he declared as he passed an annoyed glare to Conrad, who pretended to not notice by stuffing what little remained of the sandwich into his mouth. After returning his attention to Liask, Pierce continued, ¡°just, you know, student stuff. Classes, training¡­ hitting the town.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± Minilas replied, her tone deadpan.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess the life of a student isn¡¯t that excitin¡¯, huh?¡± Liask remarked with a sheepish laugh. ¡°Well, what about next week? Are y¡¯all goin¡¯ on the Sikalia trip?¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ve been told,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Sounds like fun,¡± Minilas repeated.


    ¡°¡­What, are you guys not going?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Obra replied with a scowl. ¡°And the fact that y¡¯all are is bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we didn¡¯t make this decision,¡± Pierce snapped back.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably just an age thing,¡± Liask suggested, holding out a hand in front of Obra as she did. ¡°Only the three upper classes are goin¡¯ on the trip. The underclasses are left behind¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, how many classes are there?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°6. Me, Obra, and Minilas are all 3rd-years.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re equivalent to 4th- or 5th-years, then¡­?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°But we just started,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s my point,¡± Obra insisted. ¡°The hell did y¡¯all do to get all this favoritism, huh? Taught directly by a Dean, from a different school, and now a free trip when the rest of us get left behind?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do shit,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°We¡¯re just in the dark as you are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah fuckin¡¯ right¡­¡±


    ¡°Dude, what the hell are you trying to say here¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Guys, please,¡± Liask interjected as she deposited herself directly in between Pierce and Obra. ¡°This ain¡¯t worth fightin¡¯ about.¡±


    ¡°You should eat,¡± Minilas said to Obra as she fabricated a sandwich in her hands and held it out to him. He responded with an irritated scowl, but accepted the sandwich nonetheless.


    ¡°¡­We catch you guys at a bad time?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s always a bad time with Obra,¡± Minilas stated with a wry smile.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± responded Obra, who had pointedly directed his attention away from Pierce and Conrad as he ate his sandwich.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think we should probably go, now. Sorry,¡± Liask apologized with a contrite smile. She then turned toward Pierce, saying, ¡°when you get back from Sikalia, you should tell us about it! I heard you¡¯ll get to see their Brightest Day celebrations, so that should be a lot of fun!¡±


    ¡°Brightest Day¡­?¡± Pierce echoed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Nimalian holiday. You¡¯ll see. Anyways¡­¡± Liask turned toward the dormitory, ushering Minilas and Obra along with her as she shouted over her shoulder, ¡°see you later, Pierce!¡±


    Pierce and Conrad remained standing where they were, watching the three Nimalians disappear into the dorms. They then exchanged a glance.


    ¡°What the hell was that about?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Sounds like that Obra dude has a chip on his shoulder,¡± Conrad replied, and then shrugged. ¡°Though he¡¯s got a point. We are getting a lot of favoritism, here¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not our fault, though. He can¡¯t blame us for that.¡±


    ¡°As if that ever stopped people from disliking the person who benefits from favoritism.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted in derision before turning around and walking off toward the WCU campus gates, with Conrad quickly falling into step beside him. ¡°¡­Fucking bullshit. Well, whatever. Let¡¯s just get lunch.¡±


    ¡°I can get behind that. Maybe we can ask around about this ¡®Brightest Day¡¯ thing Liask mentioned.¡±


    ¡°I think I heard about that while I was on Ainminthalus, actually¡­ I think it¡¯s some kind of summer solstice celebration.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡­ aw man, that means there¡¯s gonna be a big party, or a festival, or something, doesn¡¯t it? Aww¡­¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, dude, parties and festivals are the best part of holidays! If you try to shut yourself in some hotel room while we have the chance to celebrate a foreign holiday on an alien planet, then I¡¯m going to drag your ass out into the sun!¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, man¡­¡±


    The two then continued their banter as they stepped through the campus gates, finally on their way to lunch.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s see here¡­ let¡¯s get the breads and produce, first¡­¡±


    After quickly checking the list in his hands, Mark adjusted the empty satchel slung over his shoulder and then strode onto Market Street. The afternoon sun shone through clear skies upon the crowds that filled the street as citizens went about their business shopping for food and other goods, and merchants shouted across the din in an effort to hawk their wares. Due to Mark¡¯s size and stature, the crowds presented little issue for him; not only could he easily push his way through, but he could also clearly see over the heads of pretty much everyone. Still, he attempted to maneuver through the street with as little shoving as possible, an act that he had grown accustomed to over his many trips to the market.


    We¡¯ve only been here for barely a month, yet it somehow feels so much longer¡­ Mark mused. I suppose that¡¯s what happens when you¡¯re busy. And we¡¯ve all certainly been busy, recently¡­ all the more reason to make that dinner all the better!


    Mark briefly glanced down at his grocery list again, scanning its lengthy contents. He had wanted some kind of large bird meat, but Tresnon specialized almost entirely in fish, so he had listed a large fish instead. He had wanted some kind of gravy or similar sauce, but Tresnon didn¡¯t have even an approximate type of sauce ¡ª this was an alien society, after all ¡ª so Mark had to find a way to make it from scratch, instead. He had wanted potatoes, or something similar, but Tresnon had no such analogue, so he had to look for something else instead. Mark frowned as these thoughts crossed his mind; due to the food sources available to Compound Tresnon, he had to make a lot of compromises to make anything even remotely resembling his ultimate goal of a Thanksgiving dinner.


    Still, I want to do SOMETHING to help everyone feel better, Mark thought as he stepped into a small produce store and began looking around. It¡¯s gotten a little better, recently, but ever since last weekend, the recruits have all been feeling down, or agitated. Pierce and Phoenix, particularly. I suppose that ¡°contest¡± of theirs is just stressing them out. I can¡¯t do much to help directly, but I can at least prepare a good meal. Good food always gets your spirits up, I find¡­


    ¡°Mark? Oh, hey!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mark glanced off to the side, and then smiled as he noticed Kar¨ªsah approaching. Turning to face her directly, he commented, ¡°Kar¨ªsah! It¡¯s nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°Same to you!¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked, returning the smile. ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t see you around all that much, outside of trainin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not really a student, so I suppose it stands to reason that our schedules wouldn¡¯t line up all that well.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ but everyone needs food, huh?¡± Kar¨ªsah said, nodding towards Mark¡¯s satchel as she did.


    Mark glanced down at it. ¡°Heh¡­ I suppose so.¡± He then gestured toward Kar¨ªsah, and the bag half-filled with green and blue produce in her left hand. ¡°I see you¡¯re shopping, too. That seems like plenty for one person, though. Do you cook?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ only a little,¡± she replied. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius and I ain¡¯t that good at cookin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, you live with Dav¨ªdrius, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I have for years.¡± She huffed. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to alternate gettin¡¯ groceries, but when he goes out, he never gets produce. It¡¯s always meat, with him.¡±


    Mark smirked. ¡°So you take care of it yourself, then?¡±


    ¡°More often than I¡¯d like¡­ but he¡¯s gotten a lot busier lately, so I can¡¯t really ask him to help with this¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ because of the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°Not just that. Apparently, he got approached by some SFC officers a couple days ago. He was real mad about that one¡­¡±


    ¡°SFC¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Stealth and Force Corps. They¡¯re a PMC from Riverana, I think. They¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to get land around here for a while now, and Dav¨ªdrius and Selind won¡¯t let ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Another PMC¡­ this galaxy really likes PMCs, doesn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess that does seem weird, when you think about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a reason. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m still somewhat lacking in knowledge when it comes to how things work in non-Earthian cultures, ha ha.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t the only one who¡¯s only familiar with home,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked, and then gestured toward the list in his hand. ¡°Is it an Earthian thing to make such long grocery lists? Can you even carry all that stuff yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Mark looked down at his grocery list for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right that it¡¯s a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We might be super strong, but we still only have two hands.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯m well aware. This list length isn¡¯t normal, though. There¡¯s a special occasion coming in a couple days that I want to prepare for.¡±


    ¡°A special occasion? Like what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just an Earthian holiday. Not even all of Earth, really, just one nation on Earth, though it¡¯s the one that all of the recruits are from¡­ anyways, it¡¯s called Thanksgiving. The basic concept is that you make a big, tasty dinner, and then eat a lot, while thinking about what people and events in your life that you¡¯re thankful for.¡±


    ¡°A holiday where you have a feast? Huh. That sounds a lot like Hunger¡¯s Bane.¡±


    Mark regarded Kar¨ªsah with a surprised look. ¡°You have a similar holiday, here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s one of my favorites!¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked with a grin. ¡°Tres¨¦dians might not have much, but it¡¯s always nice to see everyone come together, make a ton of food, and then eat it with friends and family!¡±


    ¡°When you put it like that, it really does sound like our Thanksgiving. When is it?¡±


    ¡°A little over three weeks from now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mark paused for a moment to mull over the new information he had just learned. ¡°¡­That¡¯s pretty soon. Maybe I should save my bigger ideas for that¡­¡±


    ¡°I was about to suggest that, actually, though for a different reason,¡± Kar¨ªsah said. ¡°You said this Thanksgiving is in a couple days, right?¡±


    ¡°The 24th of November ¡ª which comes out to the 35th of Skydiath, yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, we¡¯re supposed to leave for Nimaliaka on the 36th, so we can be ready to head out for Sikalia on Sundia. Havin¡¯ a big feast the night before that might not be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we do have that school trip¡­ hmm. I suppose you have a point.¡± Mark then looked down at his grocery list, a thoughtful look on his face. ¡°¡­I still want to do something for Thanksgiving, but I suppose I¡¯ll tone it down.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be a lot of celebration next week, anyways,¡± Kar¨ªsah pointed out. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius said that Sikalia will be hostin¡¯ its Brightest Day celebrations while we¡¯re there, so you can still get your holiday fun that way!¡±


    ¡°Brightest Day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Brightest Day is always on the summer solstice. That means it happens at different times on different planets ¡ª Tres¨¦d¡¯s Brightest Day is in three months, not next week like Sikalia¡¯s. But Brightest Day is always a big holiday for Nimalians ¡ª that¡¯s what Dav¨ªdrius says, anyways. He said to expect a lot of partyin¡¯ on Sikalia.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that sounds interesting. I hadn¡¯t thought about the fact that your holidays would be different from Earth¡¯s, until now, but it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, I bet Earth has different holidays than us. What¡¯s your favorite one?¡±


    Mark grinned. ¡°Thanksgiving, obviously. Any excuse to make a huge feast for my friends!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll take any excuse to eat a huge feast ¡ª so Hunger¡¯s Bane is my favorite,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied in kind. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re similar, there!¡±


    ¡°True. Aside from Hunger¡¯s Bane and Brightest Day, what other holidays do Nimalians celebrate?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s Darkest Day, which is the opposite of Brightest Day. A winter celebration where you stay inside and spend time with close friends and family.¡±


    ¡°That one sounds kind of like Christmas¡­ though solstice holidays in general aren¡¯t uncommon in Earth history. I¡¯m not too surprised to hear that the Nimalians have something for it, too.¡±


    ¡°I guess. There ain¡¯t many other holidays that I know personally, though. Tres¨¦d doesn¡¯t have a lot in the way of holidays¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°You might like Creators¡¯ Day, though. One of the few foreign holidays that got popular in Tres¨¦d, like Brightest Day and Hunger¡¯s Bane.¡±


    ¡°Creators¡¯ Day? Is that a religious holiday¡­?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would it be?¡±


    Mark shook his head. ¡°Nevermind. What¡¯s it about?¡±


    ¡°Creators¡¯ Day is a celebration of cultural creators,¡± Kar¨ªsah explained. ¡°Authors, artists, composers, directors¡­ even cooks, and stuff like woodworkin¡¯, or sewin¡¯, or smithin¡¯. If you can create or make somethin¡¯, Creators¡¯ Day is for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more literal than I was expecting, but I can appreciate the spirit. As far as I know, Earth doesn¡¯t have anything like that¡­ not on a national or global scale, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d like it. It¡¯s still a couple months away, but it¡¯s always fun!¡± Kar¨ªsah smiled, only to frown a second later. ¡°¡­But it¡¯s in the middle of the ACT, so I haven¡¯t been able to see Tresnon¡¯s Creators¡¯ Day celebrations these past couple years¡­ this year isn¡¯t lookin¡¯ any different, either¡­¡±


    ¡°The ACT? I think I¡¯ve heard about that one. The Annual Chaotic Tournament, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Each year, it¡¯s held at a different one of the Schools of Chaos. It¡¯s never been at WCU while I was a student here¡­ though it¡¯s supposed to be here next year!¡±


    ¡°Here? In Compound Tresnon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! The last time the ACT was in Tresnon, it was really busy around here. I can remember it well¡­ lots of people showed up from all around the planet, just to watch. It was kinda crazy.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? I got the impression that the rest of Nimalia, uh¡­ didn¡¯t like Tres¨¦d very much.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ but the ACT seems to draw a lot of attention despite that. It¡¯s a tournament between the best Chaotics of the Schools of Chaos, which ¡ª accordin¡¯ to Dav¨ªdrius, at least ¡ª are already the best of the best. So people like to watch.¡±


    ¡°Now that, I can definitely understand. Earth doesn¡¯t have Chaotics, but sports are a huge industry. Does the ACT have anything to do with Creators¡¯ Day, though?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ no, not really. They just happen to overlap. The ACT is bound to overlap some holiday, anyways, since it lasts over a month¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s a long-term thing, not a single-day affair?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! The ACT has five rounds, and even more fights than that if you include the qualifiers and bracket placements. It¡¯d be insane to fight five matches in a single day!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ ha, I suppose it would be. I take it you¡¯ve participated in a few, then? Since you mentioned being away from Tresnon due to the ACT.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah glanced away with a resigned look on her face. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius and Selind always push me to sign up. And it¡¯s, you know, it is fun to go see the other schools and continent-nations, but¡­ it ain¡¯t home.¡±


    ¡°True. But if the ACT is supposed to be the best of the best, and you¡¯ve qualified for it multiple times, then that sounds like something to be proud of.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius always says that, too¡­¡±


    Mark paused as he watched Kar¨ªsah¡¯s expression drop, and her gaze begin to wander, as if she were searching for something to distract herself with. He didn¡¯t know much about the ACT or her motivations for fighting in it, but it was obvious to him now that ¡ª for whatever reason ¡ª she didn¡¯t seem to enjoy it. Out of a desire to not dwell on unpleasant topics, Mark decided to change the subject of the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s think about more¡­. immediate concerns, for now,¡± he commented, drawing Kar¨ªsah¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°What about Hunger¡¯s Bane? Do you know if there are any big plans for WCU or Tresnon this year?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah¡¯s eyes lit up and a smile slowly crept back onto her face. ¡°Oh! Hmm¡­ well, WCU does usually do somethin¡¯ for the students, but I haven¡¯t heard much, yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s not to late for me to offer to help, then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we couldn¡¯t possibly demand that of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, I want to help! Just tell me how things normally go, what kinds of foods you typically prepare, and I¡¯ll try to fit right in ¡ª albeit, with some Earthian flair.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Well, in that case¡­ uh, lemme think ¡ª oh, right! For one¡­¡±


    Mark and Kar¨ªsah¡¯s conversation continued on, the two discussing the foods and intricacies of the upcoming Nimalian holiday while gradually resuming their afternoon errands.

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 54: Meeting of the Commanders

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 54: Meeting of the Commanders


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Wednesday, November 23, AD 2129 ¡ª


    ¡°Alright, Kaji¡­ it¡¯s just a meeting with all of High Command. Nothing to worry about. Hah¡­¡±


    Colonel Saito took a deep breath after muttering to himself, and then adjusted his tie a second later. In lieu of the black jacket and cargo pants that was his typical uniform, Saito currently wore a navy blue suit with a black tie and beret. Sewn onto both of his shoulders was the winged sun insignia that represented Colonels in SERRCom, while pinned to the right breast of his jacket was a small nameplate listing out his full name and rank: Colonel Kaji Saito. In line with his fancy uniform, the Colonel had also freshly shaved ¡ª and this time, he had made sure that his cheeks and chin were as smooth as possible.


    ¡­Get it together, Kaji, he mentally berated himself as he strode through the hallways of the Opportunity space station, SERRCom¡¯s space-borne headquarters. He passed but a brief glance at the virtual windows to his left before recentering his attention on the hallway in front of him and taking another deep breath. Damn. You¡¯re acting like a schoolgirl on her first date. Pull it together, man, you¡¯re a Colonel! You¡¯ve earned this.


    However, as much as Saito attempted to cheer himself up, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. Command Meetings, wherein every member of SERRCom¡¯s High Command was physically present, weren¡¯t that uncommon; High Command held such a meeting at the beginning of every year. However, irregular Command Meetings ¡ª like the one Saito was about to attend, wherein the meeting was called out-of-cycle and with short notice ¡ª were exceptionally rare. As far as Saito knew, the last time SERRCom¡¯s High Command had held an irregular Command Meeting was twenty years ago, at the outset of the Nanocreature War.


    ¡°Ah, Colonel! On the way tae the meetin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Saito glanced behind him, where he spotted Director Scott MacTavish walking up, dressed in a slightly baggy gray suit and carrying a tablet. ¡°¡­Ah, Director MacTavish,¡± Saito greeted as Scott fell into step beside him, and the two men continued down the hallway. ¡°I see you brought your own suit¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, this?¡± Scott looked down and frowned as he pulled at his jacket. ¡°Well, Director of the ETAA is considered a ¡®civilian¡¯ role, even if our promotions are processed like the rest of SERRCom¡­ sae I didn¡¯t get one of the fancy military dress uniforms. Had tae buy my own.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Hell, I almost forgot I had the thing! Didnae remember I had it until Sarah said I should ¡®wear my best¡¯ for the meetin¡¯, ha!¡±


    ¡°You certainly seem calm about this.¡±


    ¡°Why nae? It¡¯s just a little meetin¡¯ with High Command. I gae tae these all the time!¡±


    ¡°You mean the annual meetings?¡±


    ¡°Of course I dae. Isnae this one of those?¡± The moment the words left Scott¡¯s mouth, a frown developed on his face. ¡°Wait¡­ this isnae January!¡±


    Saito passed Scott a deadpan look as the two stopped in front of a large door at the end of the hallway. ¡°¡­No, Director. It¡¯s November.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Hmm.¡±


    A wary sigh escaped Saito¡¯s lips as he held his right wrist up to a scanner next to the door. The scanner flashed as it read the identification implant under his skin, and then a click sounded as the door unlocked, and slid open into the ceiling. Standing back, Saito gestured for Scott to enter the room. ¡°After you, Director.¡±


    ¡°Ever the polite one!¡± Scott remarked as he strode into the room.


    Saito soon followed, ignoring the door as it closed behind him to look upon the meeting room he had just entered. A large, oval, oaken table occupied the center of the room, surrounded by enough leather chairs to sit almost two dozen people ¡ª one at each head of the table, and ten on each side. Navy blue carpet covered the floor, and a handful of lights offered illumination from the ceiling. A couple pieces of inoffensive abstract and natural art adorned the right wall, and a projection screen occupied the far wall, behind the far end of the oval table. Overpowering those mundane sights, however, was one of the largest virtual windows Saito had seen aboard Opportunity. Stretching from floor to ceiling, from far wall to near; the entire left wall offered a view of space outside, and the vast stretches of wispy clouds, verdant land, and blue oceans upon Earth below. The view wasn¡¯t direct, of course; the virtual window offered a view of a hologram of Opportunity¡¯s exterior, without presenting the security weaknesses of a real window. These kinds of windows were abundant throughout the space station, and yet the one Saito saw now was far more majestic than the rest.


    ¡°¡­Colonel Saito. I¡¯m glad you made it.¡±


    Saito¡¯s attention snapped to the head of the table, where General Matthew Lead was currently sitting, dressed similarly to Saito but with the shielded Earth and Moon insignia of SERRCom attached to his shoulders. ¡°General,¡± Saito greeted with a salute, noting as he did that several members of High Command were already seated.


    Sitting in the chair on the left side of the table, closest to Lead, was an older woman with auburn hair done up in a bun. A few small wrinkles could be seen below her eyes and around the corners of her mouth, and she slouched slightly in her chair ¡ª but her eyes were sharp as she eyed Saito, and her navy blue pantsuit was impeccably well kept. Saito had no need to read her nametag to know her identity: this woman was Nastasia Markovic, the Commander of the Space Navy. The entirety of SERRCom¡¯s space fleet fell under her purview, an immense responsibility ¡ª given that SERRCom¡¯s spacecraft were the organization¡¯s primary method of traveling and projecting its power.


    A couple seats down from Commander Markovic sat another woman, dressed similarly but with a smaller frame. A white cap sat atop her dark, curly hair, which itself framed her ebony, rounded face. With a smile, she nodded toward Saito; the Colonel couldn¡¯t help but think that she didn¡¯t look a day over 30, but he knew better. This woman was Jackie Penningston, the 50-year-old Surgeon General of the Space Forces ¡ª the one in charge of SERRCom¡¯s medical operations. As most people thought of SERRCom as entirely a military organization, Penningston was often overlooked compared to the other members of High Command ¡ª but a large part of SERRCom¡¯s operations included scouting out and colonizing uninhabited planets, and interacting with alien peoples from entirely alien environments. The disease risk to SERRCom members ¡ª among other potential medical emergencies ¡ª could not be understated, and Penningston¡¯s role was to study and mitigate that risk as much as possible.


    The only other member of High Command present in the room at that time was Director Akane Hamasaki, of the Earthian Interstellar Intelligence Command. She sat across the table from Surgeon General Penningston, and was dressed just as sharply as the rest of High Command. On her face was her renowned polite smile, a smile that didn¡¯t disappear even as she chastised Director MacTavish for his ill-fitting suit.


    ¡°So MacTavish and Saito get here before Shepherd, yes?¡± Markovic released an incredulous snort as Saito took a seat two chairs down from Penningston, putting him the furthest from Lead.


    ¡°Give him some time, Markovic,¡± Lead replied. ¡°He still has a couple minutes before he¡¯s late.¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t call anyone late when Ulrich isn¡¯t even here,¡± Penningston remarked. ¡°That man is like clockwork.¡±


    ¡°And also unnecessary to this meeting,¡± Hamasaki retorted, her hands folded on the table in front of her. ¡°I see little reason for the ECC to be involved, here.¡±


    ¡°The matters we are about to discuss will concern the future of all of SERRCom, Director,¡± Lead declared. ¡°Normally, I would¡¯ve waited to raise these matters at January¡¯s meeting, but certain recent events are concerning enough to call an irregular meeting.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Certain events¡¯ involving a certain Colonel, I take it?¡± Markovic questioned as she passed Saito a glance.


    The Colonel opened his mouth to respond, but General Lead beat him to it. ¡°You already know the answer to that question,¡± Lead stated. ¡°Colonel Saito and Director MacTavish both should have some important insight into the matters we¡¯ll be discussing, hence their presence here.¡±


    ¡°Glad to help, sir!¡± Scott remarked.


    ¡°¡­Yes, same here, sir,¡± Saito added. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°What? Kaji Saito, disappoint?! You ought to have some more confidence in yourself, Colonel!¡±


    Everyone in the room turned toward the entrance, where there now stood two men. The one who had just spoken had a stout build, with an average height, fair skin, and short, graying hair. His sharp cheekbones and bushy gray moustache, hiding the corners of his mouth as he smiled, was more than enough to identify him as David Shepherd, the Commander of the General Forces. All of SERRCom¡¯s groundside forces fell under his command; as SERRCom¡¯s ground forces were often considered far less important than its space fleet, many people considered the position of Commander of the General Forces to be less prestigious or important than the Commander of the Space Navy. But Saito knew better; within the politics of SERRCom¡¯s command structure, Shepherd was just as important as Markovic ¡ª though in a different manner. Whereas Markovic often agreed with Lead and helped to effectively carry out his vision of SERRCom, Shepherd was Lead¡¯s biggest rival, and had done much to claw SERRCom¡¯s ground forces into relevance.


    The second man, and the final member of High Command, stood just a little taller than Shepherd with a thin build. He wore a stern expression upon his narrow, angular face, topped by short dirty blond hair and a thin mustache. This man was one of the members of High Command that Saito had the least experience interacting with, but he still knew well the man¡¯s name and role: Ulrich Riese, the Director of the Earthian Colonization Command. All of SERRCom¡¯s colonization efforts were handled by the ECC, and thus Riese stood at the forefront of Earth¡¯s expansion into the stars.


    Riese silently took his seat next to Hamasaki, while Shepherd confidently strode around the table to sit across from Markovic and next to Lead. ¡°Well!¡± he remarked, clapping his hands and looking around the room at everyone present. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°You took your time,¡± Markovic commented with a bitter smirk.


    ¡°I had a couple things to tend to,¡± Shepherd replied in kind. ¡°I arrived at the same time as Ulrich, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Riese,¡± Director Riese corrected.


    ¡°Right! Apologies, Director,¡± Shepherd replied.


    Saito watched from his seat with a level of apprehension. I¡¯d heard that Markovic and Shepherd don¡¯t get along, but to start with this level of pettiness¡­


    ¡°Now that everyone is present,¡± General Lead spoke up, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to himself. ¡°Allow us to begin. As I mentioned in the meeting declaration, today we are here to discuss SERRCom¡¯s plans to address the significant new threats and technology that we have discovered recently. Between the Drakkars, EA, the resurgence of the metallic infection, and our discovery of several pieces of Aldredian technology¡­ I think it is certainly fair to say that we have far more on our plate than we did just three months ago. As all of these matters are interconnected, it would be difficult to try and discuss them one at a time. Nevertheless, we will begin with the ongoing research into our recovered Aldredian technology, and the coordinates to other potential caches of technology and information.¡± He nodded toward Scott. ¡°Director MacTavish, would you do the honors.¡±


    ¡°Right! Of course!¡± Scott nodded back, and then cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem. Well, I¡¯m sure ye all know by nae about the Aldredian armor and Corvette that CSF-1 recovered last month?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Raenaros,¡± Markovic commented. ¡°It sounds impressive, for a fightercraft.¡±


    ¡°And that armor is currently in Lieutenant Emerson¡¯s possession,¡± Shepherd pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a good reason for that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ well, as it turns out,¡± Scott explained, ¡°both Raenaros and the armor can only be activated or controlled by Mote. Uh, by Lieutenant Emerson. The same goes for one of the mechs that we recovered from the Aldredian Dreadnought, in fact. I¡¯ve been looking intae why, and thanks tae information that CSF-1 discovered on one of their recent missions, I believe I have the answer. These devices are locked tae a specific gene signature.¡±


    ¡°I know of biometric locks, but that sounds overly strict,¡± Markovic said.


    ¡°I¡¯d even go so far as to say implausible!¡± Surgeon General Penningston declared. ¡°This is Aldredian technology, right? Devices that were created over a hundred thousand years ago?¡±


    ¡°As far as we can tell, that¡¯s correct,¡± Scott replied.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Penningston crossed her arms and cocked her head in thought. ¡°The current galactic consensus is that every race in the galaxy, except for the Drakkars, are descended ¡ª at least in part ¡ª from the Aldredas. That would explain why we look the same, and the theory is supported by similarities in our DNA and internal organ structure, among other pieces of evidence. There¡¯s flaws in the theory, of course, but that¡¯s neither here nor there; my point is that I find it difficult to believe that a gene-locked piece of technology from thousands of generations ago would recognize only one person as having the gene it¡¯s looking for. Either the gene signature should break down and disappear over the generations, or it should proliferate to the point that a large percentage of the population has it. But you¡¯re saying that only Lieutenant Mote Emerson can activate these gene-locked devices?¡±


    ¡°I agree that it¡¯s implausible, but it appears tae be the truth,¡± Scott answered. ¡°I¡¯ve tested just about every individual on the Opportunity. Of the thousands working on this space station, none of them could activate Raenaros, or the armor.¡±


    ¡°Those Eximius Vir¡­ they really are special, aren¡¯t they?¡± Shepherd remarked as he passed Lead a knowing glance.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t something we didn¡¯t already know,¡± Markovic shot back, and then turned to Saito. ¡°Colonel Saito, yes? You work with the Eximius Vir? Does what Director MacTavish is saying make sense to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Saito replied. ¡°What the Director is saying is in line with my experience. We ran into another gene-locked device on our most recent mission, as well, and Mote was the one who could activate it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of the gene-lock?¡± Penningston asked. ¡°Do we know?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Scott smiled uneasily. ¡°We have an idea. At the beginning of this month, CSF-1 visited a derelict Aldredian space station, and on that station was a large cache of valuable information!¡±


    ¡°And the Nanocreatures,¡± Saito added. ¡°Because of them, we weren¡¯t able to actually recover anything.¡±


    ¡°Physically, nae,¡± Scott commented, and then tapped his forehead. ¡°But ye remembered some of what ye saw, which is important. Namely, this gene-locking technology seems tae have been called ¡®Raen Technology¡¯ by the Aldredas, named after Rynisaren Raen, the nobleman who created it. It sounds like the purpose of the gene-lock was entirely a political one.¡±


    ¡°In other words, only Aldredian nobles could use this technology,¡± Riese stated.


    ¡°¡­Yes. It seems that way.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to circumvent the lock?¡± Shepherd questioned.


    ¡°Not that I knae of at this time¡­¡± Scott admitted sheepishly. ¡°¡­But! We¡¯re working on it, as we speak!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, Director,¡± Markovic said, her arms crossed as she wore a bitter frown. ¡°However¡­ until we can manage that, I¡¯m not sure I can endorse further investigations of those coordinates retrieved from the Aldredian Dreadnought.¡±


    ¡°And why would that be?¡± Shepherd pressed.


    ¡°Genesis just recently returned from investigating one of the coordinates,¡± Markovic replied. ¡°¡­He limped into the bay, with significant damage to his power plants and shield generators.¡±


    ¡°Genesis took damage?!¡± Scott exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°From what?!¡±


    ¡°According to Chief Captain Krick¡¯s report, they arrived at a planet that was entirely covered by defensive fortifications. Furthermore, there were sprawling gun arrays in orbit, and preliminary scans suggest that the rest of the solar system featured similarly heavy defenses. By Krick¡¯s word, the defenses immediately opened fire on Genesis, almost completely burning through his shields in barely a minute.¡±


    ¡°What?! But Genesis¡¯s shields are rated at 1.3 Teratons¡¯ worth of TNT! Are you saying that the fortifications applied that much damage tae a target as small as a Battlecruiser, all within one minute?!¡±


    ¡°That is what I¡¯m saying, Director. And Genesis¡¯s own battle logs prove it.¡±


    ¡°How did they detect Genesis in the first place?¡± Hamasaki questioned. ¡°Did Krick forget to activate the ACS?¡±


    ¡°No, he did not,¡± Markovic responded. ¡°The fortifications were able to see through Genesis¡¯s ACS. That concerns me more than their damage output, honestly.¡± She then turned toward Lead. ¡°General, quite frankly, these fortifications are not something that SERRCom would be able to handle, even with our entire fleet. If we had sent any other Sub-Capital ship aside from Genesis, they would have been slaughtered! And as I understand it, this coordinate did not have any special markings or notes in the Dreadnought coordinate cache. If that is the case, then how many more coordinates could lead to literal minefields?¡±


    ¡°It sounds to me as though you¡¯re scared that you¡¯ve finally found your match,¡± Shepherd retorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± Markovic snapped back. ¡°This Aldredian fortification represents a serious threat to SERRCom¡¯s security, as well as the life of our officers and materiel. Further investigation into these coordinates could result in the destruction of one of our ships¡­ and if someone else were to discover these fortifications, someone with enough manpower or firepower to defeat them, then they may be able to study them and develop sensor technology that could pierce Genesis¡¯s ACS.¡±


    ¡°But, Commander!¡± Scott protested, ¡°if our other searches mean anything, then perhaps the fortifications only opened fire on Genesis because they failed tae pick up on any Raen gene signatures! If you investigated with Mote, then things might be different!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Might¡¯ isn¡¯t strong enough, Director,¡± Markovic countered. ¡°As is, Genesis will be out of commission for at least a month while he undergoes repairs, and he was lucky this time. Without knowing whether or not Lieutenant Emerson¡¯s presence would deactivate the defenses, it¡¯s simply too big of a risk to investigate. Trust me, Director ¡ª I want to access those defenses just as much, if not more than you do. But we cannot sacrifice our entire fleet to do so!¡±


    ¡°Markovic does raise good points,¡± Hamasaki commented. ¡°A defensive fortification that not only can see through Genesis¡¯s Absolute Cloaking System, but also defeat her shields in a minute, is something too powerful for us to face at this point in time.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lead replied with a nod, and then glanced toward Scott. ¡°The coordinate that the Genesis visited is classified top secret, effective immediately.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right¡­¡± Scott responded dejectedly. ¡°Sae¡­ nae more coordinate investigations, then?¡±


    ¡°Ha. One single little scare, and you shut down the whole thing?¡± Shepherd scoffed. ¡°SERRCom should expect more of itself. Progress was never made without a few sacrifices along the way.¡±


    ¡°We are talking about the lives of our soldiers and sailors, here,¡± Markovic snapped. ¡°Would you throw them away so easily just to gain access to bigger guns?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth. I¡¯m just advocating for continuing to research the Dreadnought coordinates. Aldredian technology is powerful, and not all of it is just ¡®bigger guns¡¯.¡± Shepherd then passed Saito a glance. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Colonel?¡±


    Saito paused for a moment, suppressing the urge to fidget as everyone in the room turned toward him. ¡°¡­I suppose, sir.¡±


    ¡°What is he talking about?¡± Markovic demanded.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°One key piece of technology,¡± Shepherd said. ¡°One that I¡¯m sure you would love, Markovic: a device the Aldredas called a ¡®Superspace Drive¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­And how do you know this?¡± Riese questioned.


    ¡°Yes, I would like to hear the answer to that, as well,¡± Hamasaki added icily.


    ¡°You should know well that all members of High Command have complete security clearance,¡± Shepherd declared, and then passed Hamasaki a challenging look. ¡°You just have to know where to look.¡±


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Lead interjected, ¡°¡­I never intended to completely halt the research into the Dreadnought coordinates. However, given the massive fortifications that Genesis recently ran into, we should certainly approach the project with more caution. It may be that we¡¯ll have to leave the investigation entirely to Captain Krick and his ship.¡±


    ¡°But, General!¡± Scott protested, ¡°there are hundreds upon hundreds of coordinates! It would take forever tae search them all with only one ship!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all we can spare,¡± Markovic insisted. ¡°Under normal conditions, I would be willing to commit some Battleships, or even a Carrier to the investigation. However, I simply do not have that freedom right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Drakkars?¡± Penningston questioned.


    ¡°And EA¡­ as silly as it may sound.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re that pressed for ships, then why not just break out those precious Dreadnoughts of yours?¡± Shepherd snorted. ¡°We built them for exactly this purpose, didn¡¯t we? Or are we too scared to use those, as well?¡±


    ¡°Commander!¡± Markovic sharply countered, briefly passing Saito a glance as she did. ¡°That development is a classified project!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Markovic,¡± Lead said. ¡°I grant Colonel Saito clearance on the matter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Saito hastily replied. Dreadnoughts? I thought we didn¡¯t have any. I¡¯d heard that SERRCom was looking to build one ¡ª but ¡®dreadnoughts¡¯? Plural? And in secret¡­?


    ¡°¡­Alright, then¡­¡± Markovic took a deep breath before turning back to Shepherd. ¡°Ragnarok and Apocalypse are not spaceworthy, yet. They won¡¯t even be ready for field testing for another year and a half at least, let alone use in missions and active combat!¡±


    ¡°How¡­ expected,¡± Shepherd drawled. ¡°Even after all of the time and resources poured into this pet project of yours¡­ you even got that dam, all for the Dreadnought project. And now, when it matters, you still can¡¯t use them. What a shame.¡±


    ¡°Ships take time to build, Commander,¡± Riese pointed out. ¡°Not everything can be done in a day.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wrong, Riese,¡± Shepherd countered. ¡°The Space Navy might take months and years to accomplish its objectives, but the General Forces need only days. Particularly¡­¡± He turned to give Lead an impatient stare. ¡°¡­One certain, painless op that you keep needlessly rejecting.¡±


    Lead held a frustrated hand to his forehead. ¡°Shepherd¡­¡±


    ¡°And just what ¡®op¡¯ would this be?¡± Markovic questioned. ¡°A foolish waste of SERRCom¡¯s resources, no doubt.¡±


    ¡°Quite the opposite,¡± Shepherd insisted. ¡°In fact, in the face of the threats looming over SERRCom, this op is more important than ever.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­?¡± Hamasaki prompted.


    Shepherd paused for a moment as he looked around at each of the other meeting attendees. Eventually, he declared, ¡°I want to reclaim Sunova.¡±


    ¡°Sunova¡­?¡± Penningston echoed, ¡°¡­isn¡¯t that the outpost that was lost to the metallic infection 20 years ago?¡±


    ¡°The only outpost we¡¯ve ever lost to a hostile force, to date¡­¡± Riese muttered.


    ¡°Exactly, Director!¡± Shepherd exclaimed, ¡°that is my point, exactly! Sunova represents a major blemish on SERRCom¡¯s record¡­ and what¡¯s more, we lost it to the metallic infection ¡ª a threat that is supposedly resurgent. Imagine what it would do for morale if we were to reclaim the outpost? If we were to demonstrate that SERRCom never forgets, that we never leave our holdings behind? If we were to demonstrate to the public that we have no fear of this ¡®metallic infection¡¯?¡±


    ¡°You want to organize a morale op?¡± Markovic questioned incredulously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand how important this is to the rank and file,¡± Shepherd countered. ¡°We live in uncertain times, Markovic. As leaders, it¡¯s our role to put on a brave face and make sure that our followers know that we have a plan to come out ahead. They trust us to do that ¡ª they trust us because we do that. But if we just back away from every threat we face, then what does that say to the average soldier, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may,¡± Penningston interjected, ¡°the fact remains that Sunova was overrun by Nanocreatures. Active nanites may still be present. A reclamation operation would risk spreading the infection to SERRCom!¡±


    ¡°I do not see the value, either,¡± Riese commented. ¡°The ECC is not lacking for colonies and outposts. Sunova was a Tier 5 world from twenty years ago, and even then, SERRCom¡¯s surveys suggested that the planet was small, hostile, and lacking in resources. Its only value is sentimental.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that sentimental value that¡¯s important,¡± Shepherd argued, and then turned toward Lead. ¡°You¡¯ve read my op plans. I¡¯ve addressed the metallic infection issue. As it stands, this op would be faster and cheaper than anything the Navy gets up to.¡± Shepherd then passed a snide glance toward Markovic. ¡°I¡¯m not even asking for a multi-trillion dollar, 8-year ¡®defense¡¯ project.¡±


    ¡°Those Dreadnoughts will save Earth, one day,¡± Markovic shot back. ¡°And just what will taking Sunova do?¡±


    ¡°This is a lot of push back for such a harmless op. If I may ask, Lead, exactly what are the grounds for rejecting it? If couldn¡¯t be¡­ that you¡¯re afraid of what we saw in the caves?¡±


    In the caves¡­? Saito thought cluelessly. He knew that Shepherd and Lead both had a history with the fallen colony of Sunova, and he surmised that their current disagreement about Shepherd¡¯s op likely arose from that history ¡ª but he had never heard anything about caves. As the Colonel glanced toward Lead and saw the General massaging his brow, however, Saito realized that there might be actual substance to Shepherd¡¯s accusation.


    ¡°¡­If I may add,¡± Scott spoke up, ¡°there might be something tae learn about how the metallic infection spreads, by studying what remains in the caves, and whatever might have happened after we pulled out.¡±


    ¡°An astute observation, Director!¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°See, Lead? There¡¯s value, here.¡±


    Another couple seconds passed in silence before Lead eventually replied. ¡°¡­Very well. I¡¯ll approve the operation to reclaim Sunova.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Markovic exclaimed, ¡°General, you can¡¯t possibly be caving to Shepherd¡¯s demands?!¡±


    ¡°I am not caving to anything,¡± Lead refuted. ¡°¡­Scott made a decent point. That¡¯s all. If nothing else, it could be useful to secure Sunova and clear out any remaining signs of the metallic infection before it can come back to haunt us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you finally see reason,¡± Shepherd remarked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lead muttered. ¡°But for now, let¡¯s table the subject of Sunova. We still have other matters to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Might as well discuss the metallic infection, then, since the Commander here is so keen on confronting it,¡± Markovic declared.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to talk about our plans regarding the infection, as well,¡± Penningston said. ¡°I¡¯ve read what pitifully little literature exists on the subject, and none of it is good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the infection isn¡¯t just that. It¡¯s also a security threat,¡± Lead stated. ¡°We all saw 20 years ago what the metallic infection can become. Infected individuals fall under the command of a central intelligence ¡ª Morcii ¡ª and, as far as we can tell, he gains access to all of their knowledge and memory.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the solution is simple, then,¡± Shepherd remarked. ¡°If someone is infected, then we¡­ well, euthanize them.¡±


    ¡°You cannae be serious?!¡± Scott exclaimed.


    ¡°Ever the heartless one,¡± Markovic muttered.


    ¡°As an M.D., I feel ethically obligated to disagree with you, Commander Shepherd,¡± Penningston declared as she glared at Shepherd. ¡°It is our job to reduce the spread of the infection, yes, but also to save the lives of anyone who contracts it ¡ª or at least to make their exit from this world as comfortable as possible. I won¡¯t stand for any talk of involuntary euthanasia, especially when the possibility that a cure exists is on the table!¡±


    ¡°A cure? Ha,¡± Shepherd scoffed. ¡°All we have now are rumors from ancient databases. Personally, I think you all aren¡¯t taking this matter seriously enough. All it takes is one infected person to contaminate an entire command, or an entire ship. Are you willing to take that risk?¡±


    ¡°Before we make any decisions,¡± Lead cut in, glancing between Shepherd and Penningston before turning toward Saito. ¡°Let¡¯s hear from someone who has had recent personal experience.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Shepherd nodded as he and the rest of the room looked to Saito as well. ¡°Colonel, you ran into the infection earlier this month, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s correct, sir,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Well, Saito, you have the floor,¡± Lead said. ¡°We¡¯ve all read the mission report, so we know what transpired on the space station. What I¡¯d like to hear are your thoughts on the matter, and how big of a risk you estimate the infection to be.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Saito took a deep breath and cleared his throat before continuing, ¡°well, sir, I admit I¡¯m not sure what to make of it all. I can at least say that energy shielding keeps the Nanocreatures at bay; they can¡¯t get through it. The Aldredas must have known as much, too, since their labs seemed to use energy shielding to contain the Nanocreatures. Mote and Danielle were able to hold the Nanocreatures off, as well, even the big dragon we ran into. So, overall, the Nanocreatures are far from invulnerable, or unstoppable ¡ª at least, that¡¯s my opinion, sir.¡±


    ¡°You still had Captain Krick fire upon the space station,¡± Markovic pointed out.


    Saito nodded. ¡°At the time, I feared that the Nanocreatures might take physical control of the entire space station, and turn it into a weapon against us. Destroying it seemed like the best course of action.¡±


    ¡°That is something the Nanocreatures did during the big war 20 years agae,¡± Scott remarked.


    ¡°This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about, though,¡± Shepherd spoke up. ¡°If the endgame of an infection incident is bombardment from a Genesis-class battlecruiser, then why risk letting it get that far?¡±


    ¡°The Colonel provided the answer for you,¡± Penningston replied. ¡°Energy shielding can contain the Nanocreatures.¡±


    ¡°We have the technology tae scan someone and determine if they¡¯re infected, as well,¡± Scott quickly interjected. ¡°Genesis used it just fine when Saito and his team returned tae her. And I hear Raenaros, the Aldredian Corvette, has some kind of infection scanner as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, so we can detect and contain the infection, good.¡± Riese glanced around the table. ¡°Now, the question is thus: when, how often, and with what resources?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve lost me,¡± Markovic responded with a confused frown.


    ¡°Do we scan anyone who travels by Interstellar Gate, every time they travel?¡± Riese questioned. ¡°Do we scan anyone who is beamed down to an unsecured planet? Do we scan people every time they move into a new environment? These are the thresholds I¡¯m asking about.¡±


    ¡°SERRCom members already have identification implants,¡± Penningston mused. ¡°The implants already have functions for contact tracing. If someone ever gets infected, then we can look at the logs and scan anyone and anything they came into contact with.¡±


    ¡°¡­I still don¡¯t like this,¡± Hamasaki said. ¡°This metallic infection¡­ we know that a sapient entity drives it. That means that any information that comes into contact with the infection is contaminated¡­ and that includes the knowledge of any people who get infected.¡± She looked around the room, making eye contact with each of the other members of High Command before settling on Penningston. ¡°What would you have us do about that?¡±


    ¡°SERRCom¡¯s classified secrets can¡¯t possibly be worth more than a soldier¡¯s life,¡± Penningston insisted.


    ¡°If only the world actually worked that way,¡± Hamasaki replied. ¡°The fact of the matter is that if someone with access to certain pieces of information were to become infected, then the Nanocreatures would gain access to information that could quite literally cripple SERRCom. Supply routes, spacecraft weaknesses, access codes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no different from losing information to a traitor, or a spy,¡± Penningston argued. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that the EIIC isn¡¯t practiced enough in compartmentalizing information that it can¡¯t handle a few bad actors?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve had enough back and forth,¡± Lead cut in, extending his hands as if to calm Hamasaki and Penningston. ¡°The fact of the matter is that the metallic infection, in the grand scheme of things, is a novel threat. Even the CSA and the Nimalian Union are uncertain about how to handle the resurgent infection. By all reports, the CSA seems to be claiming that the infection isn¡¯t resurgent at all.¡±


    ¡°The evidence quite clearly says otherwise,¡± Riese said.


    Lead nodded. ¡°I agree. Given the CSA¡¯s cageyness toward the matter, we can¡¯t count on them to provide further information or guarantees. The Nimalian Union, however, is more willing to work with us.¡±


    ¡°The Nimalians were the ones who caused the infection outbreak on Sunova!¡± Shepherd protested.


    ¡°They dae have more knowledge than us on the matter, though,¡± Scott pointed out. ¡°And if I recall correctly, that whole ordeal with Sunova was a surprise tae them, as well. And they helped us get out of it!¡±


    ¡°And we clearly don¡¯t have enough information to come to a concrete decision ourselves,¡± Lead pointed out, and then turned to address the whole room. ¡°For the time being, Penningston, let¡¯s put that contact tracing into full practice as soon as possible. The infection risk to SERRCom officers and soldiers thus far has been small, but we need to stay ahead of it. Hamasaki, I need you to review our security protocols and make sure that anyone who is a critical member of SERRCom gets scanned any time they switch locales. Additionally, critical members will need approval before engaging in direct physical contact with anyone outside of SERRCom or our colonies, or travel to foreign locales. And Director MacTavish, I need you and the ETAA to investigate the veracity of these infection cure claims. For this project, I¡¯ll also assign CSF-1, the Eximius Vir, and the Flagship Strike Group to help you investigate the Aldredian coordinates. I know I told you earlier this month not to focus on it, but after what happened on Nimalia recently, it needs to be a priority.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Penningston replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see that it¡¯s done,¡± Hamasaki said.


    ¡°Got it, General!¡± Scott remarked.


    Lead then glanced toward Director Riese. ¡°Riese, the ECC¡¯s ongoing colonization efforts can continue, but we need increased security at points of entry. If possible, minimize publicly mentioning the metallic infection. Director Hamasaki is right ¡ª the infection is driven by a sapient entity ¡ª so we need to leak as little information to it as possible.¡±


    ¡°That will be costly, and likely require slowing or halting the homesteading contracts,¡± Riese stated.


    ¡°Whatever it takes, Director.¡± Lead then looked at Shepherd, and then at Markovic. ¡°The General Forces and the Space Navy can continue as the two of you see fit, Commanders. Our access to beaming technology greatly reduces potential points of contact for the infection, compared to the rest of the galaxy, so I do not expect the metallic infection to significantly hamper our military efforts. In the meantime, I will look into setting up an official channel with the Nimalian Union or the NSD so we can cooperate in dealing with the infection, among other things. Hamasaki, I¡¯ll be working with you on that one to ensure that any communications fall within OpSec.¡±


    ¡°Of course, General,¡± Hamasaki replied with a polite smile.


    ¡°Good. And with that dealt with¡­ it¡¯s time to discuss the final two matters on today¡¯s docket: the Drakkars, and EA.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s absurd that a single boy could present such a threat to SERRCom,¡± Shepherd declared with an irate scowl.


    ¡°Absurd as it might be, it is the reality we must face,¡± Riese stated.


    ¡°Of course I know that,¡± Shephered retorted, ¡°what I¡¯m saying is that it¡¯s absurd that we ever reached this position in the first place. How in the hell did we allow this EA to get access to the resources that he has? And why haven¡¯t we captured him yet?¡±


    ¡°¡­Loathe as I am to admit it,¡± Hamasaki commented, her polite smile maintained while her brow creased with frustration, ¡°we have very little intel regarding EA¡¯s whereabouts or activities.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Markovic questioned, ¡°this EA person is just a clone of one of the Chaotic recruits, yes? Why is he so difficult to track?¡±


    ¡°Do we actually know if he¡¯s a clone?¡± Penningston added. ¡°No blood or DNA samples have crossed my desk.¡±


    ¡°¡­This is the crux of the issue,¡± Hamasaki replied. ¡°The EIIC has heavily reviewed our surveillance logs of Earth over the past several years, and¡­ it would seem that the only possibility is that EA does not actually come from Earth.¡±


    ¡°We already knae that he somehow has access tae cloaking technology very similar tae, if not better than Genesis¡¯s ACS,¡± Scott pointed out. ¡°Perhaps he used that tae remain unseen?¡±


    ¡°If it were just him, I would concede that as a possibility. However, he has shown that he commands dozens upon dozens of human-sized battle-capable robots, on top of at least one Cruiser. One man cannot manufacture all of those on his own, and even an ACS large enough to blanket an entire production facility will leave a suspiciously large blank spot on planetary sensor readings. Not to mention all of the necessary supply chains that he would have to mask.¡±


    ¡°In other words, the robots and the Cruiser could not have been constructed on Earth?¡± Riese asked.


    Hamasaki nodded. ¡°Yes, exactly. Furthermore, I think we can all agree that one man cannot construct a Cruiser all on his own, under any circumstances. Therefore, EA must have an ally, or some kind of benefactor that supplied him with his robots and these Cruisers.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Cruisers? Plural?¡± Penningston questioned in disbelief. ¡°I thought he only had the one!¡±


    ¡°So we thought,¡± Markovic replied, ¡°but a week ago, CSF-1 and the Once In A Blue Moon Frigate encountered a second Cruiser bearing EA¡¯s insignia while they were investigating one of the Aldredian coordinates. The second Cruiser had a different signature and physical design than the one we¡¯ve seen here on Earth, so it was definitely a different ship.¡±


    ¡°Did you notice anything else about it, Colonel?¡± Lead asked, turning his attention toward Saito.


    ¡°About the Cruiser itself? No, sir,¡± Saito answered, glancing briefly at Lead before turning to Hamasaki and Scott. ¡°But when we went planetside, we ran into another one of EA¡¯s robots. It was more advanced than the rank and file robots he usually uses, and also had this weird scythe with it. It ambushed us and stole the Aldredian tech from right before our eyes, using that scythe.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Hamasaki mused. ¡°According to the testimonies of the Chaotic recruits from their encounter with EA last month, EA seems to have two different ¡®series¡¯ of robots. An E-series, which are the ¡®rank and file¡¯ robots that Saito mentioned, and then a more advanced A-series, consisting of larger robots with specialized designs. Based on EA¡¯s own statements, and records of fights with the Eximius Vir and the Chaotic recruits, I believe that we¡¯ve destroyed six of his A-series robots. The recruits took out one while training on the morning of EA¡¯s New York attack, Lieutenants Emerson and Carver destroyed two over the San Francisco bay, the recruits took out another two during the EA kidnapping incident, and Emerson destroyed one during CSF-1¡¯s most recent mission.¡±


    ¡°We may have destroyed them, but they still keep coming,¡± Shepherd pointed out. ¡°What we need is to find who¡¯s backing EA, and where they¡¯re making his robots and ships.¡±


    ¡°And why they¡¯re backing him,¡± Markovic added.


    ¡°The answer to that, I¡¯m afraid, isn¡¯t simple,¡± Hamasaki explained. ¡°For one¡­ EA¡¯s robots are significantly more advanced than any AI research in the galaxy. As you all may know, true independently-acting artificial intelligence has thus far eluded the galaxy¡¯s researchers, and yet EA¡¯s robots all seem to be equipped with it.¡±


    ¡°EA has claimed tae be an Intellitechnic,¡± Scott pointed out. ¡°Kate is one, tae, and we all knae just what she can dae. Hell, without her smarts, the Ragnarok and Apocalypse would still be on the drawing board right nae! So I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if EA designed all of his own machinery.¡±


    ¡°That would line up with Austin Travis¡¯s claim that he recognized two of EA¡¯s mechs from childhood drawings,¡± Lead commented.


    ¡°That does seem to be the likely answer, at the moment,¡± Hamasaki said, ¡°but even if EA drafted his own designs, he would still need a manufacturer for those designs. However, the EIIC is not currently aware of any non-government-owned or -aligned manufacturers that would be capable of producing two Cruisers of completely unique design.¡±


    ¡°True. Even the largest of the PMCs don¡¯t have any spacecraft foundries¡­¡± Riese mused.


    ¡°Are you saying that one of the galactic governments has it out for us?¡± Shepherd questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd,¡± Markovic quickly countered. ¡°Neither the Riaxen nor the Drakkars would use such a roundabout method of attacking us, especially when we aren¡¯t their primary targets. And what motivation could the CSA, Nimalians, or Syraus possibly have to antagonize us?¡±


    ¡°The answer seems obvious to me,¡± Shepherd shot back. ¡°The CSA and Nimalians have been begging for access to our beaming and cloaking technology for 20 years. Subspace Drives, too. Sponsoring a terrorist to antagonize us could be some kind of attempt to expose our secrets.¡±


    ¡°I disagree, Commander,¡± Hamasaki stated. ¡°EA has already demonstrated access to his own beaming, cloaking, and Subspace Drive technology, all on par with SERRCom¡¯s. If his ships were being constructed by the CSA or the Nimalian Union, then they would surely be applying the same technology to their own ships. And yet, they aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they just haven¡¯t had the time to do so.¡±


    ¡°You know as well as I do that planning and constructing even a Cruiser can take years. If the CSA or NSD were backing EA, then I have no doubt that their newest ships would be equipped with their own beaming technology and cloaking systems. They would also have no reason to continue harassing us for our technology. But, as I said ¡ª this is not the case.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting, Director?¡± Lead questioned.


    Hamasaki took a deep breath and turned toward Lead. ¡°¡­I¡­ am not fond of saying this,¡± she eventually replied, ¡°but the only possibility that remains is that a mysterious, unknown entity is backing EA.¡±


    ¡°That sounds pretty hokey,¡± Penningston remarked.


    ¡°¡¯When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth¡¯,¡± Riese quoted. ¡°It is as Director Hamasaki said. If there are no other possibilities, then this must be the answer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rather difficult to plan around an entirely unknown organization,¡± Markovic muttered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but this is the hand we¡¯ve been dealt,¡± Lead stated, and then moved to address the table. ¡°Given just how little we know about EA, there does not seem to be anything that we can proactively do at this moment in time. Director Hamasaki, I need you to figure out anything you can about EA. I want to hear about even the smallest thing you find. And until we know more, Markovic, Shepherd, I want our forces to remain on alert. Who knows when or where EA will show up next.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Shepherd and Markovic replied.


    ¡°And for our last matter of the day¡­¡± Lead continued, ¡°we have the Drakkars. There isn¡¯t much discussion to be had here, so much as a few updates. Ever since a Drakkar Cruiser appeared within a day¡¯s travel of Earth, we¡¯ve increased patrols, and the Drakkars haven¡¯t shown up since. Nevertheless, Markovic, let¡¯s keep those patrols going.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir,¡± Markovic replied, ¡°but between the Drakkars, EA, and the Nanocreatures, we¡¯re really stretching our fleets to the limit. If something happens, our only choice will be to play defensively.¡±


    ¡°That should be all we need for now,¡± Lead declared. ¡°The CSA has taken on the responsibility of handling the Drakkars. We only need to repel any potential attacks; any offensive response can be left to the CSA.¡±


    ¡°Relying on aliens to do our work for us, again?¡± Shepherd snorted. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°One of the benefits of living in an interconnected galaxy like ours is that everyone can play to their strengths, and cover each others¡¯ weaknesses,¡± Lead countered. ¡°Dealing with the Drakkars happens to be one of the CSA¡¯s biggest strengths. They have significantly more information about the Drakkars than us or the Nimalian Union, due to constantly being in battle with them. And on that note¡­¡± Lead glanced toward Saito. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard any news about Telregina since you encountered her at the Aldredian shipyard, but CSA intelligence says that there has been increased chatter about her amongst the Drakkars.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is she back?¡± Saito questioned warily.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been spotted by any of the CSA forces,¡± Hamasaki stated. ¡°We haven¡¯t told the CSA about what happened at the shipyard¡­ and the Black Suns seem to have kept it a secret, as well. But the CSA seems confident that Telregina is still alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Drakkar Faction leaders are invulnerable to all damage,¡± Penningston remarked, ¡°but can that really be true?¡±


    ¡°The CSA certainly believes it is, and they¡¯ve had well over a thousand years to form that opinion,¡± Lead said. ¡°Either way¡­ Colonel, you and the Eximius Vir should be careful the next time you run into Drakkars. I¡¯m told that the Faction Leaders have long memories.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun, sir,¡± Saito drawled.


    ¡°You ran into Drakkars during last week¡¯s mission,¡± Markovic stated, ¡°did you learn anything from that?¡±


    ¡°Just that the Drakkar Factions really do have it out for each other, ma¡¯am,¡± Saito answered. ¡°They were fighting over the Aldredian outpost, but they hadn¡¯t managed to get inside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nae the first time ye ran intae Drakkars while gaein¡¯ after Aldredian tech,¡± Scott remarked.


    ¡°And it likely won¡¯t be the last, given our luck.¡±


    ¡°That possibility is part of why I¡¯m restricting the coordinate search to CSF-1, the Eximius Vir, and the Flagship Strike Group,¡± Lead declared. ¡°You should be able to handle any Drakkars you run into. That said, we do need to figure out why the Drakkars know as much as they do. Hamasaki, MacTavish, is it possible that they¡¯ve bugged our systems?¡±


    ¡°It is always a possibility,¡± Hamasaki replied, ¡°however, it seems unlikely. The Drakkars have never had direct access to our data or systems, and their only opportunities at remote access were during the handful of ship-to-ship encounters last month. Judging by Genesis¡¯s data logs from her encounters with Drakkar ships, the Drakkars didn¡¯t transmit anything. This is in line with CSA intelligence, which states that the Drakkars tend to prefer gathering information through their ability to steal Ciei, rather than hacking computers or infiltrating systems.¡±


    A brief image of Captain Feng flashed through Saito¡¯s mind, and the Captain¡¯s fate at the hands of Prosusicivious. The scene brought a frown to Saito¡¯s face ¡ª he couldn¡¯t imagine what it felt like to lose what might as well have been his soul. However, as tragic as the event was, Feng was far too low down the chain of command for Prosusicivious to have gleaned any knowledge of long-term importance from him. If the Drakkars had a way of tracking SERRCom, then it had to come from somewhere else.


    ¡°So we¡¯re on the defensive on all fronts?¡± Shepherd questioned irately, bringing Saito¡¯s attention back to the meeting. ¡°This is ridiculous. All the more reason for my Sunova op to go through: the troops need something to inspire them, and there¡¯s nothing like a good offensive to do so!¡±


    ¡°You already got your permission for that mission, Shepherd,¡± Markovic retorted.


    ¡°Yes, despite your advice. You¡¯ll see, Markovic. This op will be more important for SERRCom than you think.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right, Shepherd,¡± Lead replied, ¡°but raw speculation won¡¯t do us any good right now. What will are the concrete actions that each of us can take to help preserve SERRCom and those we protect.¡± He then slowly looked around the room, making eye contact with each of the other members of High Command. ¡°Are we all clear on our current directives?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± replied the rest of High Command, with Scott and Saito hastily adding in their affirmations half a second later.


    Lead offered a curt nod. ¡°Good. Well then, Commanders, Directors, Surgeon General, Colonel. We have a lot ahead of us, and a lot to do. So let¡¯s get to it.¡± He then placed his hands on the table and stood up, prompting everyone else to do the same. ¡°Meeting adjourned!¡±

 V1 - A7 - Chapter 55: A Researchers Work

    NEW WORLD ¡ª NEW FACES


    <hr>


    Chapter 55: A Researcher''s Work


    A clinical silence filled the main tech lab aboard Opportunity, interspersed with the soft clicks of cables and adapters being hooked up to military hardware and plugged into a computer. With one cable in hand, Kirstin holed up in the back of the lab, sitting cross-legged on the floor with her laptop on her lap and a set of powered armor to her side. While waiting for some computational analysis to run on another project, she had decided to tinker with CSF-1¡¯s Chaos Armor in an effort to draw out even larger efficiency gains than ever before. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could squeeze out much more at this point, but she always found tinkering to be a good distraction from the world, so she decided to try anyways.


    As Kirstin quickly scanned the armor¡¯s parameter readout on her laptop screen, some shuffling noises from the side of the room briefly drew her attention to Sarah, who was at work studying the Aldredian powered armor. Without Mote¡¯s presence, the armor stood as still and inactive as a statue, but Sarah seemed to think that she could find a way to pierce its gene lock. I wonder if that¡¯s really possible¡­ Kirstin thought to herself as she looked down at her laptop again. I guess it¡¯d be cool if it was. I wonder if Sarah would let me take a look¡­ probably not¡ª


    The door to the lab suddenly snapped open, startling Kirstin to such an extent that her laptop clattered to the hard, tiled flooring. As she scrambled to pick it back up, she briefly glanced back at the doorway, finding none other than her father standing in it.


    ¡°Ach¡­¡± Scott let out a deep breath as he stepped into the room and threw his suit jacket onto a nearby table. He then began undoing his tie as he looked around the room. ¡°Ah, Sarah, Kirstin. Thought I¡¯d find ye lasses here.¡±


    ¡°So you decided to interrupt our quiet work, then, hmm?¡± Sarah questioned, albeit with a tone of levity.


    ¡°I just thought I¡¯d check in,¡± Scott replied. Kirstin watched as his gaze dropped to the Aldredian armor, and a small smirk played on his face. ¡°Studying the armor more, I see.¡±


    ¡°There are just too many secrets in this thing to let it be,¡± Sarah declared. ¡°All we need to do is break the gene lock¡­ if we can do that, then the possibilities are endless!¡±


    ¡°Endless?¡±


    ¡°Figuratively speaking, of course. But this armour seems to run entirely on Chaos Energy. And it¡¯s not like most Chaos Armours, that just turn Chaos Energy into electricity ¡ª no, this armour actually runs directly on Chaos Energy. If we can replicate that, then we can basically solve the power concerns of the entire galaxy!¡±


    ¡°That does sound promising!¡± Scott nodded enthusiastically, and then looked over at Kirstin. ¡°And what¡¯s this? Is that one of CSF-1¡¯s armors?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin replied, her gaze averted from Scott¡¯s as she fidgeted uncomfortably. ¡°I-I just thought that, um, th-that I¡¯d try to¡­ increase the, uh, e-efficiency some more¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? Good. Hmm, what about those Dreadnought coordinates? Have ye found anything interesting lately?¡±


    ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m still, um, l-looking¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. There are a lot of them, sae it¡¯s expected¡­ I knae the coordinate cache didn¡¯t come with any descriptors, but our top priority right nae should be finding that infection ¡®cure¡¯ that was mentioned on that space station ye visited earlier this month. Focus on that, if ye can.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± Kirstin shrunk down, futilely attempting to hide behind her laptop screen. As if I wasn¡¯t already focusing on the important stuff¡­


    ¡°Our ¡®top priority¡¯, huh?¡± Sarah questioned, ¡°is that from the Command Meeting?¡±


    ¡°Ach¡­¡± Scott sighed warily. ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction?¡± Sarah replied coyly, ¡°was the meeting no fun?¡±


    ¡°Since when are meetings ever fun?¡± Scott shook his head as he took a seat at one of the lab benches, facing Sarah but still angled such that Kirstin could see his face. ¡°Command Meetings especially¡­ I always forget how stressful they can be.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is High Command. I can only imagine the kind of pressure you¡¯d feel from being in a room with all of them.¡±


    ¡°Aye, nae throw in Shepherd and Markovic¡¯s rivalry, Shepherd and Lead¡¯s rivalry, all of High Command¡¯s insistence on getting in the way of research¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°The research intae the Dreadnought coordinate cache is¡­¡± Scott passed Kirstin a sideward glance before shaking his head and looking back to Sarah. ¡°Well, apparently it¡¯s more dangerous than we expected.¡±


    I could have told you that¡­ Kirstin mused, her run-in with the Nanocreatures aboard the derelict space station briefly coming to mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone expected it wouldn¡¯t be dangerous,¡± Sarah said, ¡°what¡¯s different now?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, the danger is on a whole ¡®nother level than what we expected. That¡¯s all I can really say. Either way, the ongoing search is bein¡¯ restricted. It¡¯s entirely on CSF-1, the Eximius Vir, and the Flagship Strike Group now.¡±


    ¡°W-what?!¡± Kirstin exclaimed in disbelief, only to immediately draw away as Scott and Sarah both turned to look at her. ¡°¡­B-but¡­ th-that¡¯ll take¡­!¡±


    ¡°Forever, I knae¡­¡± Scott sighed again. ¡°But there¡¯s nae much I can dae about it. Commanders Shepherd and Markovic, and Director Hamasaki are ultimately the ones who decide who goes on what missions. Ah, well¡­¡± Scott stretched and yawned broadly. ¡°That¡¯s enough about that stuffy meeting. We can talk about some of the other details later.¡±


    Sarah smirked in amusement. ¡°Did it stress you out that bloody much?¡±


    ¡°Oh shut your mouth,¡± Scott retorted. ¡°Maybe one day I¡¯ll just make ye Director, lass. Then ye can see what it¡¯s like.¡±


    ¡°And leave you out of a job, old man? I¡¯m not that heartless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ye ¡®old man¡¯ me. I¡¯m only 50¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just over twice my age. And two and a half times Kirstin¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m over twice Kirstin¡¯s age, she¡¯s my 20-year-old daughter!¡±


    Not for another three weeks, I¡¯m not¡­ Kirstin thought to herself.


    Neither Scott nor Sarah noticed Kirstin¡¯s souring expression, however, as Sarah continued grinning at Scott. ¡°You really are wound up,¡± she remarked. ¡°When was the last time you had a break? An actual break?¡±


    ¡°That question hardly sounds sincere, coming from the ETAA¡¯s leading workaholic,¡± Scott countered. ¡°And, oi! I¡¯m the Director, here, why am I lettin¡¯ ye bully me like this?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha! Well, since Thanksgiving is tomorrow and our American staff will be out, this week¡¯s movie night was cancelled, but I was still thinking of seeing something. You in? I think you could use the break.¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­ hmm. It has been a while since I went out. What¡¯s the movie?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Singularity V: To Zero and Beyond¡¯. It honestly looks ridiculous ¡ª and you know what that means.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason tae watch it!¡± Scott grinned and clapped his hands together. ¡°That Singularity series is honestly impressive with just how much it gets astrophysics wrong, despite the thin veneer of its space setting. I wonder if V can top IV¡¯s interpretation of a naked singularity!¡±


    ¡°Oh god, don¡¯t remind me. They literally turned it into a sex joke. Which, I mean¡­ that¡¯s pretty on par for physicists, but that was still a new low.¡±


    ¡°Either way, this¡¯ll be Friday, right? I should be able tae make some time. Count me in!¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it! This¡¯ll be a great time, I¡¯m sure!¡±


    Kirstin glanced warily between Sarah and Scott as the two laughed and exchanged a couple more lines of banter. Just as their conversation seemed to die down, Kirstin finally found the will within her to interject. ¡°Uh, um¡­¡± she started, only to quickly lose steam when Scott and Sarah looked her way.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°W-well, I¡­¡± Kirstin glanced down and began to fidget again. ¡°I, um¡­ I d-didn¡¯t know about, the, um¡­ m-movie night¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sarah passed Scott a glance before turning back to Kirstin. ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t one this week, really. Normally, a group goes out every Friday night, but since this week is American Thanksgiving, we officially cancelled.¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°¡­E-every¡­ Friday¡­?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes. Sorry, were you not aware?¡±


    Kirstin averted her gaze as her cheeks flushed red from a mixture of embarrassment and dejection. ¡°N-no¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, Scott and I often skip due to work, anyways. That might be why you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, that¡¯s work for ye. Sorry!¡± Scott remarked sheepishly. ¡°Though, I just kind of assumed ye wouldnae want tae come, Kirstin. Ye¡¯ve never been a fan of big social outings.¡±


    ¡°Well, on Friday it won¡¯t be,¡± Sarah commented. ¡°Kirstin, do you want to tag along? It could just be the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­!¡± Kirstin¡¯s eyes grew wide as saucers as she stared at Sarah, completely frozen in place. She then darted her eyes over to Scott, only to return them to Sarah a second later. ¡°Uh¡­! W-well, um¡­ I-I d-don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if ye make up your mind, let us knae!¡± Scott replied. ¡°We¡¯d love tae have ye.¡±


    ¡°Watching these kinds of ridiculous movies is always better with friends, after all,¡± Sarah declared.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin responded warily, having now once again averted her gaze.


    ¡°Aye¡­ well, time tae get back tae work, I suppose,¡± Scott commented. Kirstin could hear the shuffling of him standing up and retrieving his suit jacket, but not once did she actually look up as she attempted to focus on her laptop.


    ¡°What, do you have more meetings?¡± Sarah questioned incredulously.


    ¡°I keep tellin¡¯ ye, bein¡¯ Director is hard work,¡± Scott retorted. ¡°I have a lunch meeting with Hamasaki, and then a discussion with her and Director Riese, and then I need tae meet with Captain Krick about what he discovered on his latest mission¡­¡±


    ¡°That certainly sounds like a bloody pain in the arse. You better get going, then.¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­ well. See ye later, Sarah, Kirstin.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± Kirstin barely grunted in response, briefly glancing up just in time to see Scott step out of the lab, and the door close behind him. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and attempted to calm her rapidly beating heart, and then push the entire movie night conversation out of her mind. Oh, Kirstin, stop this! she mentally berated herself, Dad¡¯s right, I do hate social outings. It¡¯s never fun. Still¡­ how did I not know about this movie night? Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me¡­? She then rapidly shook her head and slapped her cheeks once. Stop it! Stop thinking about this! Focus, Kirstin, focus! You have work to do¡­


    With that, she managed to finally refocus on the armor parameter readouts on her laptop, and once more resume her work.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ?Really? You won¡¯t be able to come home, tomorrow¡­??


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. But things are getting really busy around here, and the top brass won¡¯t give us much time off.¡±


    ?But you¡¯re on Earth, aren¡¯t you? Can¡¯t you just beam down for an hour, or something??


    ¡°Normally, I could, but that isn¡¯t an option right now. I can¡¯t tell you why, either¡­¡±


    ?I see¡­ well, this isn¡¯t the first time this has happened, I suppose¡­?


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Allison. You know I¡¯d be there, if I could¡­¡±


    ?I know, I know. I¡¯m not going to lie, Rachel, I¡¯m a little frustrated, but¡­ well, at least you were able to drop by for a couple nights, last month. That was a pleasant surprise.?


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it. Still, I promise I¡¯ll make up for missing Thanksgiving as soon as I can.¡±


    ?Do you know if you¡¯ll be home for Christmas??


    ¡°¡­I¡­ wouldn¡¯t bet on it¡­¡±


    ?I see¡­ well, this is what being a military wife is all about, isn¡¯t it? Ha ha. At least you¡¯re out doing important stuff, and fighting for Earth, and all that cool stuff.?


    ¡°Yeah¡­ still¡­¡±


    ?Don¡¯t worry, Rachel. I knew what I was getting into when I married you. But the next time you get a break, I want to see you, okay??


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯ll be the first to know if I get leave. In the meantime, though¡­¡±


    ?More work??


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry, but I have to go.¡±


    ?It¡¯s alright. Keep in touch. Love you.?


    ¡°I love you, too. Talk to you later.¡±


    Major Hackett sighed wearily as she closed out the call with her wife. Hackett hadn¡¯t been lying ¡ª things were certainly getting busy in SERRCom as of late, and CSF-1¡¯s opportunities for leave anytime in the near future were looking grim. Even day trips with Opportunity¡¯s beaming systems were being locked down, on account of SERRCom gearing up to face the myriad threats to Earth. The facts of the matter didn¡¯t offer much comfort, however, and Hackett couldn¡¯t help but feel displeased with herself for missing yet another holiday season with her significant other.


    I¡¯m glad Allison is so understanding¡­ the Major thought to herself as she walked through the hallways of Opportunity en route to one of the armories. We¡¯ve been together for 17 years, now, so I guess she¡¯s used to it, but¡­ maybe I really should transfer into a more conventional Major position. It¡¯d be less exciting and feel less purposeful, but I¡¯d actually have holidays off¡­


    After a moment of thought, Hackett dispelled the doubts from her mind. CSF-1 was on the forefront of important work, after all, and there was no doubt that SERRCom was facing new and increased threats. SERRCom¡¯s entire purpose for existing was to protect Earth and everyone on it, after all, so if Hackett was going to be a part of the organization at all, then she might as well remain where she was the most effective ¡ª so she thought.


    The Major¡¯s train of thought soon ended as she arrived at one of the armories. The clocks read just past 7 in the evening, which ¡ª combined with the fact that many SERRCom personnel aboard the space station actually did have the next day off ¡ª made for a derelict set of hallways and rooms. All Hackett could hear was the low hum of the lights and electrical systems buried behind the bulkheads, and as she stepped into the armory, only the soft sound of keyboard clacking joined the chorus. Glancing to the left, the Major spotted Kirstin, sitting with her back to the wall and her face buried in her laptop. On a table in front of her was a pile of metal that Hackett quickly recognized as her own Chaos Armor, and lying next to that was her Gauss-AR02 rifle.


    ¡°Kirstin,¡± Hackett called out, offering a brief wave as the Researcher jumped in her seat.


    ¡°O-oh! M-Major!¡± Kirstin clutched at her chest and took a deep breath. ¡°¡­S-sorry. Were you, um, waiting¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, I just got here.¡± Hackett gave the armory a once-over; this was hardly her first time visiting, and she was by now well familiar with her surroundings. She and Kirstin stood in the main room, which featured several tables for preparing weapons and armor. The storage rooms were through a door in the back, and off to the side was a large glass window into a short firing range, protected by energy shielding to prevent any small arms fire from damaging the space station or anyone outside of the range. Aside from Hackett and Kirstin, no one else was present.


    The Major turned back to Kirstin. ¡°So, you called me?¡± She then nodded down at the armor and weapon on the table. ¡°More tinkering, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yes,¡± Kirstin replied. She briefly glanced up at Hackett, only to quickly divert her eyes and weakly gesture toward the pile of armor. ¡°I, um¡­ well, w-when I was working on, uh, your armor shielding, I remembered that you, uh, s-said once that it wasn¡¯t, um, v-very comfortable, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The Major approached the table and began sorting out the armor pieces from the pile. Two greaves, two guantlets, and a chestplate ¡ª everything was there, and appeared untampered with. ¡°¡­You can¡¯t really expect military gear to be ¡®comfortable¡¯ in the first place, though, I have to say. Especially for a woman of my height.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, but, um¡­ I-I figured out how to, um, use the armor¡¯s shields to help with, um, s-supporting its own weight. A-and some of your weight.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m overweight?¡±


    ¡°W-wha-what?! N-no! Th-that¡¯s, I-I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Relax, Kirstin,¡± Hackett remarked with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you. Still¡­¡± She looked down at her armor. ¡°I thought the only self-supporting powered armor was the full-body kind.¡±


    ¡°Uh, w-well, regular armor can be s-self-supporting, too, but, uh¡­ i-it usually doesn¡¯t weigh that much anyways, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So the manufacturers don¡¯t bother tuning them to support their own weight, is what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. Usually sold as a, uh, ex-extra feature, but I, um, f-figured out how to do it anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh. Let¡¯s see this for myself,¡± Hackett remarked as she grabbed the armor pieces and began donning them. Sliding on and clasping the gauntlets; pulling on the metal greaves; clipping on the chestplate and fastening the over-shoulder plates; in just under a minute, Hackett had donned the full armor set and activated each of the individual pieces, allowing them all to quickly network with each other and then generate a protective energy shield that closely followed the contours of Hackett¡¯s body. As an energy shield, the protective layer remained invisible from sight ¡ª but as the Major began performing a handful of rudimentary stretches, she quickly realized that it almost felt as though she wasn¡¯t wearing the armor at all. Even the slight pressure she had gotten used to feeling on her chest had disappeared.


    Hackett continued stretching for another minute, working through the full range of motions of her body before finally placing her hands on her hips and turning to face Kirstin, a pleased smile upon her face. ¡°It really does feel like I¡¯m not wearing the armor at all,¡± the Major remarked. ¡°Good job, Kirstin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kirstin¡¯s face flushed red and she quickly hid behind her bangs, though Hackett could still make out the faintest of smiles on the Researcher¡¯s expression. ¡°I-it was nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Hackett stated, rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms again as she did ¡ª the feeling of wearing armor, without it actually weighing her down, was a novel experience. ¡°These kinds of tweaks may seem small, but they can often be the deciding factor in drawn-out engagements. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy, either, juggling this tinkering of yours with your regular work.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡±


    The Major glanced over at Kirstin again, only to find that the Researcher had hunched over so far that her face was almost completely hidden by her laptop and her own shoulders. ¡°¡­Everything alright, Kirstin?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Uh¡­¡± The Researcher glanced up for only a brief second before slouching again. ¡°¡­I, I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. Well, what about my rifle? Did you manage some tweaks, there?¡±


    ¡°O-only a little. I, um, swapped out one of the, uh, th-the coils, which should, um, i-increase bullet speed by a little bit.¡±


    ¡°I see. Does that change the effective range, or the penetration power?¡±


    ¡°O-only a little. One percent, or so. D-didn¡¯t want to, um, ch-change that too much¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wise. Changing the handling too much could be an issue. I¡¯ll take an extra 10 meters on the range, though. Never know when that might come in handy. Again, good job, Kirstin.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    Hackett remained silent for a couple moments, her gaze on Kirstin as the Researcher remained hunched over with her eyes glued to her laptop screen. Eventually, Hackett took a deep breath and began again to speak. ¡°Hey¡­ Kirstin.¡±


    Wordlessly, Kirstin peeked over her laptop screen, making eye-contact with Hackett for only a brief second ¡ª but keeping her head up all the same.


    ¡°Let me be honest with you for a second,¡± Hackett continued, working to deactivate and remove her armor as she did. ¡°When you first joined CSF-1¡­ honestly, I didn¡¯t think you were going to last. I thought there was some kind of ulterior motive behind Lead putting you on our squad.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°But that was then. You¡¯ve been with us for over a year, now, and I think you¡¯ve proved your worth.¡± Hackett placed her newly-removed armor pieces on the table in front of her, and then looked at Kirstin once more. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you realize it, but you¡¯ve helped us out a lot. Both CSF-1, and SERRCom ¡ª in, and out of the field.¡± She reached over the table to rustle Kirstin¡¯s hair; the Researcher flinched away for a second, but on her face, Hackett could see the beginnings of a smile. ¡°Between making our weapons and gear better, and your ability to do quick in-field research and analysis¡­ just think. Without you, we wouldn¡¯t have recovered nearly as much information from that Aldredian Dreadnought, or even survived our short stint in Dead Space. And that¡¯s just from the past couple months. You still have room to grow, of course, but you do good work, Kirstin. Just wanted to let you know.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ th-thanks,¡± Kirstin responded, her voice quiet, her face flushed red, and her eyes diverted ¡ª but she was smiling, all the same.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Hackett withdrew her hand and stretched once more. ¡°Do you have anything else for me?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ n-no.¡± Kirstin shook her head. ¡°Th-that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Keep it up, Kirstin. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. For now, though, I¡¯m going to call it a night. See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ see you¡­¡±


    With that, Hackett gave Kirstin a curt nod and then left the armory, mentally preparing herself for all of the work she was sure CSF-1 soon would have.

 V1 - Arc 8: The World of Sikalia - Chapter 56: Travelers Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 8 ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 56: Travelers'' Arrival


    3 Days Later


    ¡ª Sundia, Aldredath 1, 8054 ¡ª


    (Saturday, November 26, AD 2129)


    ¡°Wow! Actual clouds! I can barely remember the last time I saw clouds!!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Conrad idly glanced skyward, through the massive overhead windows that exposed the blue skies ¡ª filled with billowing, fluffy clouds ¡ª overhead. ¡°¡­So?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®so¡¯?!¡± Sky retorted incredulously, ¡°there are never any clouds in Tres¨¦d, and when we were in Rel¨¦diaka, all of the trees blocked the sky, so you couldn¡¯t see anything! But here, in Nimaliaka, we finally get to see some not-boring skies!¡±


    ¡°Really livin¡¯ up to your name,¡± Austin deadpanned.


    ¡°Oh shut it, you,¡± Sky countered, returning her attention to the above as she did.


    Austin briefly followed her gaze, only to drop his head and rub his tired eyes. Morning light shone down upon him through the windows of the train station in which he stood, but the chaos and cacophony of nearly 150 unruly college students prevented him from appreciating what would normally be tranquil morning silence. Austin, as well as Spike, Sky, Twy, Pierce, Conrad, Kestrel, Luke, and Mark, stood apart from the crowd of WCU students, though the Earthians were nonetheless waiting to begin the same trip: a visit to the Nimalian Tier 2 World of Sikalia.


    As Austin yawned, he briefly thought over the past day or so. Yesterday, the students ¡ª led by Dav¨ªdrius, Kaon¨¦, and a handful of other WCU teachers ¡ª had traveled from the dreary wastelands of Tres¨¦d to the clean and beautiful oceanfront city of Nimaliaka Central, in preparation to use Nimalia¡¯s Interstellar Gate to leave the planet. The travel group had awoken early in the morning and arrived at a train station nearby their hotel to do just that, though as Austin looked around, nothing about the station seemed to have anything to do with the Interstellar Gate. In fact, the structure appeared to be similar in form and function to regular train stations on Earth, with several pairs of railway tracks running in parallel alongside boarding platforms. Large, crystal clear windows dominated what walls and ceilings existed in the station, allowing for a clear view of the rising sun and the distant skyline of downtown Nimaliaka Central ¡ª but none of what Austin saw matched what he recalled seeing of Nimaliaka Central¡¯s Gateport back when the Earthians first arrived on the planet.


    ¡°So, uh¡­ why¡¯re we here?¡± Spike questioned, putting to voice Austin¡¯s own thoughts.


    ¡°We¡¯re about to visit an alien planet, duh!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it exciting?!¡±


    ¡°I think Spike meant, why¡¯re we at a train station?¡± Austin clarified. ¡°Weren¡¯t we gonna use the Gate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Spike affirmed, his voice several tones lower than usual and filled with the timber of one who had just awoken. ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce scoffed in response, his arms crossed as he turned his chin up at Austin and Spike. ¡°You don¡¯t even know how Gate travel works? I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    ¡°What, and you do?¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯ve actually been to alien planets before this whole SERRCom thing.¡±


    ¡°Planets?¡± Kestrel echoed.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought you just went to the one,¡± Conrad added flatly.


    ¡°We only had one destination, yeah,¡± Pierce replied, ¡°but with Gate travel, you barely ever ever go straight to your destination. C¡¯mon, Conrad, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know, either!¡±


    Conrad shrugged. ¡°Whatever, man.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all really are feisty this morning, huh?¡± Luke said. ¡°We only just got up, what, an hour and a half ago¡­?¡±


    Pierce smirked. ¡°What, can¡¯t handle a little¡ª?¡°


    ¡°I looked up Gate travel last night, so I can explain how it works,¡± Twy began, pointedly cutting off Pierce as she turned toward Austin and Spike. ¡°You remember those railroad tracks on the ground back when we first used the Gate to get to Nimalia? Those are for trains. ¡®Gate Trains¡¯, they¡¯re called. The vast majority of Gate travel involves boarding a train and then riding it through the Gate, instead of just walking through yourself.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could get a lot more people and cargo through the Gate that way, huh¡­¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°But why did we walk through it the first time, then?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°That was a special trip,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Usually, Homeworlds will never have a direct Gate connection. There are reservation and military travel slots in the Gate Network timetable, so Archon¨¦ Culana likely arranged for us to use one of those. The lines for reservation slots are predictably very long, though, so I suppose the Archon¨¦ might¡¯ve pulled some strings to get a connection on such short notice¡­¡±


    ¡°The rich and powerful getting special benefits? Wow. I¡¯m shocked,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t there be direct connections, though?¡± Austin asked, ¡°wouldn¡¯t that be faster?¡±


    Twy shook her head. ¡°Remember, Austin, there are a lot of restrictions around Interstellar Gate travel. You can only have one active Gate per solar system, and a Gate can only be connected to one other Gate at a time ¡ª and the connection is 2-way, so if, say, Nimalia connected to Earth, then Earth wouldn¡¯t be able to connect to anywhere else until Nimalia disconnected.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re actually pretty on point,¡± Pierce commented, only to then throw a snide look at Austin. ¡°You should really learn from her.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. What do you know?¡± Austin snapped.


    ¡°Way more than you, apparently. Look, dweeb, just think about it: there are hundreds, if not thousands of Interstellar Gates in the galaxy. Now imagine that everyone wanted a direct connection to their destination. The line for that would be months long! Years, even! I don¡¯t know about your slow ass, but the rest of the galaxy can¡¯t wait that long.¡±


    Twy simply shook her head before turning back to Austin. ¡°That¡¯s why we have the Interstellar Gate Network. Each planet in the galaxy has a small list of other planets that they connect to, and cycle through daily. Getting to your destination, then, just means finding all of the right connections.  Our trip to Sikalia will only take two jumps, I believe.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Luke affirmed. ¡°We¡¯ll detour to Sunidobu first, a Nimalian Tier 1 World. After a few hours there, we¡¯ll be able to jump to Sikalia. As Gate travel goes, that¡¯s one of the shortest chains you¡¯ll ever see.¡±


    ¡°I guess I see¡­¡± Austin commented. ¡°It¡¯s annoying, but I guess there really is no way around it, huh?¡± He then looked around at the train station, watching as a train pulled into the station several platforms over. Sleek contours and soft blue paints adorned the engine and the several cars connected behind it, giving off a similar vibe to passenger trains on Earth. ¡°¡­So we¡¯re here at this station to catch the train that¡¯ll take us through the Gate to Sunidobu, then?¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it,¡± Twy replied with a smile.


    ¡°Strict timetables, a whole planned-out network, even using trains to maximize how many people can move through a Gate¡­¡± Conrad shook his head wearily. ¡°The galaxy really has figured out how to do things with maximum efficiency, huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to do it,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°The reliability of the Gate Network timetable is the only thing that saved interstellar communication during the Chaos Quakes.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I bet you¡¯ve done lots of Gate travel, right?¡± Sky questioned, her attention directed toward Luke. ¡°What¡¯s the longest detour you¡¯ve had to take?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha¡­¡± Luke smiled sheepishly and glanced toward Mark, who simply returned the look. ¡°Well, military travel has less restrictions than civilian travel. We can shortcut through an independent Fortress World network.¡±


    ¡°CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir don¡¯t often travel by Gate, anyways,¡± Mark explained. ¡°We usually travel by spacecraft.¡±


    ¡°Aw, well that answer isn¡¯t very fun,¡± Sky pouted.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about a Fortress World, though?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°Fortress Worlds are planets that are set up entirely for military use,¡± Luke said. ¡°SERRCom doesn¡¯t have many, but the other galactic nations have tons. Their militaries will use them to shortcut around the civilian network, among other things.¡±


    ¡°Entire planets? For military use?!¡± Sky echoed incredulously.


    ¡°That does sound like a bit much¡­¡± Conrad commented, with Kestrel beside him offering a brief nod of agreement. ¡°What use could a military have for an entire planet? Or multiple planets?¡±


    ¡°Spacecraft construction, mining, refueling and repair depots¡­ anything that causes a lot of pollution or ecological damage, really,¡± Luke listed off. ¡°Better to keep those operations away from the planets that people actually live on. Not to mention the ability to use an entire planet as a strategic distraction without havin¡¯ to sacrifice civilians.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like the Citans did at the end of the Nanocreature War!¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°¡­Well, that one was a little extreme, but yeah, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Pierce shook his head in disappointment. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t even know that? I already wasn¡¯t expecting much, but this is a new low.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Austin bristled with irritation. ¡°Can you not keep your ego in check for two seconds?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be pointing out your deficiencies if you didn¡¯t have any, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so good and smart, then why are you here?¡± Twy shot back with a spiteful smirk. ¡°Phoenix is off with her boyfriend right now, or something. Could it be that you¡¯re only here because you don¡¯t have a relationship, yourself?¡±


    ¡°That¡ª!¡± Pierce¡¯s haughty smirk was instantly wiped clean by a foul glare, directed at Twy. ¡°That bitch doesn¡¯t have anything to do with this. Besides, I¡¯m just¡­ taking my time scoping out the field. And saving my energy for when we get back to Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Alright, y¡¯all, let¡¯s stop arguing with each other,¡± Luke cut in. ¡°We have almost a whole week on an alien planet ahead of us, after all. Let¡¯s try to enjoy it!¡±


    Austin and Pierce briefly made eye-contact after Luke¡¯s proclamation, only to immediately scowl at each other and look away. Upon noting this, as well as the sour atmosphere that threatened to set in over the group, Spike soon spoke up, asking, ¡°so what¡¯re we gonna be doin¡¯, exactly? There¡¯s a plan for this trip, ain¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, you didn¡¯t even read the itinerary?!¡± Sky responded incredulously. ¡°¡­That¡¯s so like you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ignoring travel, we have four days to see the sights of Sikalia,¡± Twy explained. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯re going to see the Museum of Preservation, which I believe is something about Nimalia¡¯s preservation efforts across the Union. The day after that, we get to actually visit one of Sikalia¡¯s preservation parks, which as I understand it, is a lot like the national parks back home.¡±


    ¡°The day after that is a trip to Sikalia¡¯s local NSD garrison,¡± Luke said. ¡°Since the Nimalian Systems Defense is Nimalia¡¯s official military, and we¡¯re, well¡­ with SERRCom, we¡¯ll be accompanied by Dean Kaon¨¦ Densalin for that part of the trip. Be sure to stick with her while we¡¯re on the base.¡±


    ¡°Why are we even visiting the garrison in the first place, then?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Because this trip isn¡¯t just for us,¡± Twy pointed out, and then gestured to the large crowd of WCU students gathered down the platform. ¡°This is a trip organized primarily for them. We¡¯re just along for the ride.¡±


    ¡°And what a fun ride it¡¯ll be!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Because the last full day on Sikalia is their Brightest Day celebrations! A full day of partying! I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°Partying¡­?¡± Austin echoed uneasily.


    ¡°Can¡¯t handle a little social interaction?¡± Pierce taunted.


    ¡°National holiday celebrations are rarely ¡®little¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Austin, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be something that even you can enjoy,¡± Mark commented. ¡°One thing that might interest you all is Sikalia¡¯s Brightest Day Talent Show. According to the Relaynet, the local NSD Chaotics always participate. I think it could be interesting to see what talents Chaotics can use their powers for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow! That sounds like loads of fun!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Spike! We¡¯re going to see that if it¡¯s the last thing we do!¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°Still, now that I think about it¡­¡± Twy frowned. ¡°All this talk of holidays reminds me¡­ Thanksgiving was two days ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold up. What?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously, ¡°no way!¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Mark apologized sheepishly. ¡°I wanted to cook up something special for dinner, but I got caught up packing my things for this trip¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, man,¡± Spike replied. ¡°You already cook dinner for us every day, you could use a break every now an¡¯ then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but hold on one fucking second,¡± Sky interjected. ¡°Thanksgiving was two days ago? What?!¡±


    ¡°On Earth¡¯s calendar, today is November 26th. A Saturday,¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been on Nimalia for just over a month, huh¡­¡± Austin mused. ¡°I guess we lost track of time¡­¡±


    ¡°Not like there¡¯s much point in tracking Earth time, anyways,¡± Conrad said. ¡°We aren¡¯t on Earth, after all. Might as well stick to the local calendar.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I still want to celebrate our regular Earth holidays, too!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°Damn it, we missed Thanksgiving?! This is insane! We better not miss fucking Christmas!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep a note of that,¡± Luke replied, his attention directed to his left as a train came into view in the distance. ¡°¡­But for now, grab your bags, everybody. Looks like our ride is here.¡±


    ¡°Fucking finally,¡± Pierce huffed as he heaved his lone bag over his shoulder, his foot tapping impatiently while the train rushed into the station and then rapidly slowed to a stop at the platform. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting here for forever!¡±


    ¡°You should be ready for more waiting, then,¡± Luke remarked, lining up behind the group in preparation to board. ¡°There¡¯s a reason an entire day of our itinerary was booked for travel, and we still had to wake up early. We have a long day ahead of us, folks. Better prepare for it!¡±


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Huh, this is actually kinda good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking leaves on a stick. With sugar on it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah? So? It tastes good. It¡¯s sweet and the leaves have kind of a bready texture, but with a little bit of spice, too. It¡¯s weird, but I think I like it.¡±


    Pierce shook his head as he watched Conrad bite out of a large leaf, covered in some kind of shiny brownish texture, reminiscent of caramelization. ¡°You really will eat anything.¡±


    ¡°Your loss,¡± Conrad replied around a mouthful of caramelized leaf. He then broke off one of the leaves from the stick in his hands and held it out toward Kestrel, who wordlessly accepted it. ¡°See? Even Kestrel likes it,¡± Conrad declared.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s just the sugar that¡¯s getting to you,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°That just looks like tourist trap food. Which should be obvious, given where we are.¡±


    As if in response to Pierce''s statement, he, Conrad, and Kestrel all glanced around at their surroundings. They currently sat at a table in an open-air food court atop a five-story building, overlooking a sprawling city covered in sunlight. The skyline appeared similar to that of the other Nimalian cities Pierce had seen, with rolling contours couched in natural green, blue, and brown tones. But one key thing stood out: a massive structure in the center of the city, towering over everything around it at over a kilometer tall. Bark-like contours in the building¡¯s steel structure, combined with leaf-shaped solar panels attached to metal branches, contributed to a metallic tree appearance ¡ª and extending out of the top of the metal tree and disappearing into the sky above was a massive black tether. As Pierce eyed the tether, he spotted a small metal carriage descending the cable and disappearing into the metallic tree, confirming what he already knew: the massive structure was a space elevator, disguised as an aesthetically pleasing metal tree. From reading a tourist brochure, Pierce knew that this elevator was the Konis elevator, named for the city in which it was anchored on the Nimalian Tier 1 World of Sunidobu ¡ª and also the same facility that housed Sunidobu¡¯s Interstellar Gate.


    After watching the elevator for a moment, Pierce dropped his attention to the land and city around it. Stretching far to the west and east of the space elevator was a large, forested park, with no actual buildings to speak of. The city of Konis itself was built into two halves: a northern half that ended almost a kilometer north of the elevator, and a southern half that stopped just short of a kilometer south of the elevator, with a thin strip of streets, Gatetrain railways, and buildings running from the south to the north in line with the towering tree. According to the same tourist brochure from earlier, the city of Konis was originally built with the massive east-west stretch of undeveloped land as a precaution in case the space elevator ever collapsed or became unanchored; due to the planet¡¯s rotation, in such a situation buildings to the east or west would be most at danger. Modern construction techniques meant that there was no real risk of the space elevator failing, but the long equatorial park in Konis remained as a peculiar aesthetic.


    And as a draw for tourist money, I bet, Pierce mused, glancing toward Conrad and Kestrel as they finished off the caramelized leafs. Certainly worked on them. And everyone else. I guess we DO still have several hours to burn before we can leave this place for Sikalia, though¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Conrad released a pleasant sigh as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°That was good! We should get more of that.¡±


    Kestrel nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Man, you guys are hella weird,¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man, you can¡¯t expect things to be ¡®normal¡¯ around here,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°Not when there¡¯s a big fucking metal tree in the middle of the city! Now that¡¯s cool!¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll give you that. Still¡­¡± Pierce frowned as he glanced over the brochure on the table next to him. ¡°Is there anything to do here that isn¡¯t just tourist trap bullshit? Anything of actual substance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like a place to take a post-lunch nap?¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up, dude. It isn¡¯t even lunchtime for the people living here, anyways. It¡¯s still morning for them.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s lunchtime for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because we¡¯re fucking interplanetary travelers, you dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Man, you really are no fun when you¡¯re grouchy like this.¡±


    ¡°Grouchy? The hell are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, gee, I wonder,¡± Conrad deadpanned, his eyes flicking off to the side. Pierce followed his gaze, ultimately landing his attention on a table across the food court. On one side sat Phoenix, smiling contentedly as she chatted away and shared lunch with a young man across the table from her, with tanned skin, long dark hair, and a rugged build.


    A scowl crossed Pierce¡¯s face as he turned back to glare at Conrad. ¡°The fuck are you trying to say, here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just sayin¡¯, dude,¡± Conrad replied innocently, ¡°you¡¯ve been pretty sour ever since Phoenix started going out with that guy. Sounds like jealousy to me.¡±


    ¡°Jealous? Of a dude named ¡®Arn¡¯? Yeah fucking right.¡±


    ¡°Contest?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    Pierce eyed her for a moment before scoffing and glancing off to the side, at the cityscape all around the food court. ¡°So what about the contest? Phoenix still hasn¡¯t won. She won¡¯t last, either, you just watch.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy with no girlfriend,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Hey, look, I¡¯m just taking a short break,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°After this trip, the regular WCU students have Finals week, and the ACT signups open next week, too. I¡¯m just, you know, giving people the chance to focus on what¡¯s important.¡±


    ¡°How generous of you.¡±


    ¡°Naturally. I am a generous guy, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Conrad let out a loud, but brief guffaw in response to Pierce¡¯s declaration. ¡°Alright, c¡¯mon, man, you can¡¯t seriously believe that.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell not? Explain to me what¡¯s wrong with what I just said.¡±


    Conrad stared at Pierce blankly for several moments. He then exchanged a glance with Kestrel before sighing loudly. ¡°Man¡­ I don¡¯t think you realize it, but you¡¯ve been way more abrasive than usual, lately.¡±


    Pierce frowned and sat back in his chair. His gut reflex was to immediately counter Conrad¡¯s claim, but Pierce was able to suppress the reflex before any words left his mouth. Shit, maybe he¡¯s right¡­ ¡°¡­So what if I am?¡± Pierce eventually replied.


    ¡°Well, at least you aren¡¯t fighting me on this one¡­¡± Conrad took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°look, man, I think this dating contest you and Phoenix have is bringing out the worst of both of you.¡±


    ¡°Phoenix¡­ gone all week,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Yeah, she hasn¡¯t spent much time with us since going out with that Arn guy, and when she does, it¡¯s just to rub it in Pierce¡¯s face,¡± Conrad declared.


    A relieved smile began to appear on Pierce¡¯s face. ¡°Ah ha, so you do agree¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hold on, Pierce,¡± Conrad cut in, ¡°like I said, you¡¯ve been really abrasive lately, too. And not just toward Phoenix, but everybody. You really need to chill.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll chill once I¡¯ve won.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the problem, dude! C¡¯mon, man, just think, when was the last time any of your contests with Phoenix ended well? Or even with a real victor?¡±


    ¡°¡­This time is different. I¡¯ll win for real this time, you¡¯ll see. I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­¡± Conrad threw his hands up in resignation. ¡°Whatever you say, dude. Just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted and turned his attention to the surrounding city once more. ¡­Conrad¡¯s right, I should tone it down a little, I guess¡­ but I still refuse to give up. I WILL have a longer, more successful relationship than Phoenix, and I won¡¯t settle for anything less!


    ¡°Change subject?¡± Kestrel suggested, drawing Pierce¡¯s gaze back to her and Conrad.


    ¡°Yes please,¡± Conrad replied. He looked up at the towering metal tree in the distance, his gaze lingering for a moment before dropping to the low skyline of the rest of the city. ¡°This really is a cool place,¡± he commented, ¡°that space elevator disguised as a big tree is a cool look. I wonder if there are more like that in the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Pierce replied, his tone flat as he leaned to the side, his elbow on the armrest of his chair and chin in hand. ¡°Anti-grav tech makes space elevators redundant. The ones on this planet were basically a big engineering experiment that¡¯s only maintained for the novelty.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    Pierce grabbed the tourist brochure with his free hand and held it up.


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Conrad muttered, and then reached for the brochure. ¡°Wait, let me see that¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce eyed Conrad with confusion as the latter grabbed the brochure and stared at the back. ¡°What? It¡¯s just a stupid tourist brochure¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but¡­ hey, Kestrel.¡± Conrad held the brochure toward her and pointed at something. ¡°That look familiar to you?¡±


    She idly glanced over, staring at whatever Conrad was pointing at before nodding her head once. ¡°SFC¡­¡±


    ¡°SFC?¡± Pierce echoed, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°According to this, it stands for ¡®Stealth and Force Corps¡¯¡­ a Nimalian private military contractor, originating in Riverana,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°A PMC? Why the hell is that on a tourist brochure?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a recruitment ad, it looks like. I thought I recognized the uniform. Kestrel and I saw a couple guys wearing this uniform last week, on the WCU campus. Dav¨ªdrius was real mad at them for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are a PMC. Basically mercenaries. Not many people have good opinions of mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°If that was true, then why would the galaxy have so many PMCs? Actually¡­¡± Conrad frowned in confusion. ¡°Why are there so many PMCs? What do they even do? The nations of the galaxy don¡¯t really fight each other, do they? The only conflict I know of is that stuff with the Drakkars, but the CSA already handles that, I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Man, what are you asking me for?¡± Pierce countered impatiently, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about this PMC shit. Why do you even care? It¡¯s just more military bullshit to worry about.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn, there really isn¡¯t anything pleasant to talk about,¡± Pierce muttered with a scowl. ¡°There has to be something we can do while we wait for the end of this damn half-day layover¡­¡±


    ¡°Souvenirs?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t Twy and Sky go souvenir shopping?¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°I think they took Austin and Spike with them, too.¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Souvenirs are already stupid, and now you want me to go shop for them alongside the dweeb? Count me out.¡±


    ¡°Ever the pleasant one. Well, hmm¡­ what about¡­¡±


    Pierce, Conrad, and Kestrel then continued spitballing ideas as they whiled away the time, hoping to find something to distract themselves with before their eventual trip to Sikalia.


    <hr>


    ¡°Still shopping, huh?¡±


    ¡°That they are,¡± Mark replied as he stepped up next to Luke, joining the Captain in leaning on a railing overlooking the equatorial forest of Konis. He then glanced behind them, at a souvenir shop across the walkway; the shop was one of many in a long stretch, all featuring brightly decorated signs meant to draw in tourists. ¡°¡­Sky in particular seems to really enjoy looking at all the souvenirs,¡± Mark eventually continued as he turned back to look over the forest with Luke.


    ¡°That¡¯s Sky, for you,¡± Luke replied with a chuckle. ¡°I bet she¡¯s dragging the other three around with her, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you could say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least they¡¯re sticking to the one shop, for now. Sure makes our jobs easier,¡± the Captain remarked as his gaze slowly swept across the forest laid out in front of them, and the massive space elevator off to the left. He then shifted his attention to the right, where a number of WCU students could be seen along the long shopping strip ¡ª as well as a handful of WCU teachers attempting to corral them.


    Mark glanced in the direction Luke was looking. ¡°¡­Oh, yeah. The Tres¨¦dian students do seem to be enjoying themselves, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gotten pretty rowdy. I don¡¯t envy the teachers right now, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but can you really blame them? This trip is the first time most of those students have even left Tres¨¦d, let alone stepped off-world.¡±


    ¡°True, true¡­ can hardly imagine what that¡¯s like.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I wish I could understand their situation better,¡± Mark said with a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s just hard to believe that Nimalia has an entire continent that everyone¡¯s written off as a lawless wasteland¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like most nations on Earth don¡¯t tunnel vision on their own problems,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°¡­Still, you¡¯re right. A wasteland that spans an entire continent does seem like a bit much. Hmm¡­¡± As the Captain looked over the wide walkway behind him, busy with all manner of tourists, his gaze soon fell upon a certain three individuals walking toward the WCU students: Dav¨ªdrius, Kaon¨¦, and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Well, we could always try asking the Deans about it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, right,¡± Mark replied as he spotted the three as well. ¡°They do seem to be coming this way. I¡¯m not sure if I want to bother them, though¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oh, skies be with me! You¡¯re Kaon¨¦ Densalin, aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Luke and Mark both turned their attentions toward a young Nimalian couple, who had just stopped in front of Kaon¨¦ ¡ª who herself bore a bashful smile.


    ¡°That would be me, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied cordially, while Dav¨ªdrius looked on with a cross expression. ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±


    ¡°O-oh! N-nothing of the sort!¡± the Nimalian woman exclaimed, all while grinning from ear-to-ear. ¡°It¡¯s just, you know, I never thought I¡¯d run into one of the members of Hero Machina while on vacation! An actual galactic hero!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re huge fans,¡± the man next to her remarked, ¡°I mean, how couldn¡¯t we be? If not for you and your friends, we probably wouldn¡¯t even be standing here, right now!¡±


    ¡°If not for her and her friends, right,¡± Dav¨ªdrius drawled.


    ¡°It really was a team effort, anyways,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, smiling at the Nimalian couple while eying the ever-increasing number of glances thrown her way. ¡°In regards to ending the Nanocreature War, I really didn¡¯t do that much¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, ever the modest hero!¡± the woman remarked, her attention still fully on Kaon¨¦ even as several other tourists began to gather around. ¡°That¡¯s why we love you!¡±


    ¡°Are the two of you friends of hers?¡± the man questioned as he looked over at Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah.


    ¡°¡­Could certainly say that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize him?¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, and then smiled as she patted Dav¨ªdrius on the shoulder. ¡°This is Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax! He was in Hero Machina, too!¡±


    A pained expression rapidly crossed the Dean¡¯s face as the Nimalian couple ¡ª along with the mass of tourists that had gathered behind them ¡ª turned to look more closely at Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°O-oh!¡± the woman exclaimed, ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! I, I didn¡¯t recognize you! I guess you being here would explain all those rowdy students back there, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ Hero Machina¡¯s quite the group, huh?¡± the man replied, ¡°you even had a Tres¨¦dian with you. Just goes to show the diplomatic skills of that Captain of yours, right?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Diplomacy¡¯ has nothing to do with Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s presence on the team,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly countered. ¡°He contributed just as much as the rest of us. I might even say that he was more useful than I was.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a lie,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°But even so, sometimes I wish I did even less, if all my achievements were gonna get written off as shit that everyone else did.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± the man stared at Dav¨ªdrius, wide-eyed in horror. ¡°I, no, I didn¡¯t mean to diminish what you did, I just¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Save your excuses, I don¡¯t want or need them. I didn¡¯t help save the galaxy for the recognition, anyways. That said¡­¡± The Dean turned his gaze toward the woman, his arms crossed. ¡°You keep my students outta this. Sure, they¡¯re excited right now, but who the hell wasn¡¯t the first time they went off-world?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ s-sorry¡­¡± The man and the woman exchanged an uneasy glance; the rest of the tourists who had gathered around had already dispersed. ¡°¡­A-anyways!¡± the woman remarked, turning to flash a quick smile at Kaon¨¦. ¡°We just, um, wanted to say hi, I guess! But I guess you were busy, huh? Sorry. We¡¯ll get out of your hair, now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no problem. It was nice to meet you!¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, maintaining a polite smile as the Nimalian couple turned around and walked off. Once their backs were turned, Kaon¨¦ finally relaxed her smile into a concerned frown, her attention immediately snapping to Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he pre-empted her. ¡°I don¡¯t need words of consolation.¡±


    ¡°But still, that was¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah stared after the retreating Nimalian couple, and then glanced around, noting that there were no more tourists gathered ¡ª and the remaining walkway traffic was giving the trio a slightly wider berth than before. ¡°¡­That wasn¡¯t just me, right? The way they reacted when they recognized Dav¨ªdrius, that wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure didn¡¯t look very nice to us.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch, now y¡¯all show up,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said with a scowl as he eyed Luke and Mark, both of whom had just approached. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me y¡¯all saw that.¡±


    Mark flashed an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°That was one hell of a backtrack, though,¡± Luke remarked as he looked out over the crowd, and then turned his attention back to Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦. ¡°Is that a normal crowd reaction to you guys just walking around?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ sighed warily. ¡°Unfortunately¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that kinda reaction back on Nimalia¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause you¡¯ve barely ever left Tres¨¦d,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered.


    ¡°Most people on Nimalia don¡¯t call out to us if they see us on the street, anyways,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°We live there, after all, so people are used to seeing us. When we go to another planet, though¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why everyone just suddenly left when they recognized Dav¨ªdrius!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s hardly fair! You were a member of Hero Machina, too!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that ain¡¯t the part people remember,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Doesn¡¯t help that I didn¡¯t do any of the flashy shit. That was all Siyuak¨¦n, Christean¨¦, Kevken, Rebehka, even Kev¨¦rin¡­ hell, Siyuak¨¦n sacrificed the most, and you can see just how the rest of the galaxy treats her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but¡­ I can understand it,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°She was able to break free of Morcii¡¯s control in the end, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that most of the galaxy only saw her while Morcii was controlling her¡­¡±


    ¡°Understanding it don¡¯t make it better.¡±


    ¡°It also doesn¡¯t explain how people treated you,¡± Mark pointed out while looking at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°You were never corrupted, right? So what just happened, earlier?¡±


    The Dean simply leaned back and crossed his arms while glancing incredulously between Luke and Mark. He then shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°It ain¡¯t worth dwellin¡¯ on or talkin¡¯ about. This is a Nimalian problem, anyways. Ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ you Earthians could help with.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about me,¡± the Dean replied as he reached up to ruffle Kar¨ªsah¡¯s hair. ¡°I¡¯m used to this, it¡¯s nothin¡¯ to me. If anyone ever talks shit to you, though, you let me know, a¡¯ight? I¡¯ll tear ¡®em a new one for you.¡±


    ¡°A Nimalian problem, though, huh¡­?¡± Luke muttered under his breath as he watched Kar¨ªsah bat away Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s hand. The Captain then shifted his attention down the block toward the groups of WCU students, noting this time that ¡ª despite the heavy morning traffic ¡ª the surrounding crowds maintained a notable distance from the students. ¡­Even on another planet, huh¡­?


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m very sorry you had to see that,¡± Kaon¨¦ apologized to Luke and Mark, and then turned toward Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry you had to sit through that. I should¡¯ve said something sooner¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s whatever,¡± Dav¨ªdrius waved her off. ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred they just not recognize me in the first place. Just ¡®cause I got free time doesn¡¯t mean I wanna use it chattin¡¯ with random fucks.¡±


    ¡°We do still have a couple hours until we leave, don¡¯t we¡­¡± Mark mused.


    ¡°And on that note, we should probably head back,¡± Luke commented. ¡°Don¡¯t want to let Austin and co. get out of our sight in these crowds.¡± He then offered a casual wave at Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Sorry for bothering y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re no bother, really!¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°I¡¯m on this trip for you, after all, as well as the Keys. If you have any questions for me, don¡¯t hesitate to ask!¡±


    ¡°But let¡¯s save it for later, we¡¯ve been standin¡¯ around long enough,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°Let¡¯s get lunch already!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll leave you to it,¡± Luke remarked, watching as Dav¨ªdrius began leading Kaon¨¦ and Kar¨ªsah through the crowds ¡ª albeit at a somewhat faster pace than before they had been stopped.


    Once they were out of earshot, Mark leaned down to speak softly to Luke. ¡°¡­Do you know what just happened, here?¡± he questioned. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius brushed it off, but¡­¡±


    Luke, however, simply shook his head and turned back toward the souvenir store. ¡°It¡¯s as he said, Mark. This is a Nimalian problem. Let¡¯s not butt our heads in where we aren¡¯t welcome.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯d I say about calling me ¡®sir¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Ha, right¡­ sorry, um¡­ Luke.¡±


    ¡°There we go. Is that really so hard?¡±


    ¡°More than you¡¯d think¡­¡±


    With that, the two continued back toward the store, exchanging friendly banter while awaiting their departure from Sunidobu.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Man, what¡¯d we stop for? I thought we were good to go!¡±


    ¡°This is standard procedure for Gate travel,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied from a couple seats back. ¡°The early trains always stop just outside of the Gateport while they wait for the Gate connection to clear. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be on our way soon.¡±


    ¡°Soon¡­¡± Austin grumbled as he glanced around impatiently. He, the other Earthians, as well as the other WCU students and teacher chaperones were currently sitting aboard their outgoing Gatetrain, parked on the narrow north-south strip of developed land running between the northern and southern halves of Konis. The train itself, while crowded with travellers and baggage, remained surprisingly comfortable ¡ª similar to that of long-distance passenger trains on Earth, by Austin¡¯s reckoning. Two seats on each side of a comfortably-sized aisle made for a pleasant amount of room, and overhead baggage bins kept bags and suitcases out of the way of legs and passengers. Next to Austin sat Twy, with Spike and Sky a row ahead of them, Luke and Mark a row behind, and Pierce, Conrad, Phoenix, and Kestrel across the aisle. Kaon¨¦ accompanied the group this time as well, sitting across the aisle from Luke as she looked up through the passenger car¡¯s glass ceiling.


    Austin briefly followed her gaze, sighting the massive metal tree that disguised the Konis space elevator. Its metallic branches and solar panel leafs extended out over their train, and the massive metal trunk that was the actual space elevator occupied a large percentage of the northern horizon. To the west, Austin could see the late afternoon sun descending over the forested equatorial park, casting long shadows over the train as it sat in preparation for Sunidobu¡¯s Interstellar Gate to connect to Sikalia.


    ¡°This does seem like a lot of waiting, though,¡± Phoenix commented a few moments later. ¡°We¡¯ve been sitting here for almost ten minutes. Isn¡¯t Gate travel supposed to be more efficient than this?¡±


    ¡°We sure as hell didn¡¯t have to spend this long sitting on our asses while traveling to Ainminthalus, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient, but delays happen sometimes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all flown before, I¡¯m sure,¡± Luke commented. ¡°Delays aren¡¯t the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wait a whole day if you miss a flight, though!¡± Sky countered.


    ¡°I know we¡¯ve all had a long day,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded calmly, ¡°but just have a little more patience. Once we¡¯re on Sikalia, we can all rest.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Long day¡¯ is bit of an understatement,¡± Austin grumbled. ¡°We left our hotel in the early morning on Nimalia, left Nimalia mid-morning, only to arrive here in the early morning, and now leave in the late afternoon! It¡¯s gotta be nighttime back on Nimalia!¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s nighttime somewhere on Nimalia, it¡¯s a fucking planet,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°You know what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dealing with timezone jumps can be taxing,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled through the Gate Network a lot, and watching the light level change completely as you go through the Gate is something I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll ever get used to. At least our destination is nice, so I hear.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been to Sikalia?¡± Twy questioned.


    Kaon¨¦ shook her head. ¡°No. In hindsight, I feel like I really should have. Sikalia is one of the oldest Tier 2 Worlds in the Nimalian Union, and is largely responsible for the number of preservation worlds within the Union.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why we¡¯re goin¡¯ there, then?¡± Spike asked.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a big part of it.¡±


    ¡°I bet the whole Brightest Day thing is part of it, too!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what that¡¯s all about!¡±


    ¡°You and me, both!¡± Phoenix quickly affirmed with a grin. ¡°A day-long, city-wide party is something I can always get behind!¡±


    ¡°¡­Brightest Day is often exciting,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°I bet I know most of what Sikalia is going to do, too. They used to be under the Nimaliakian government, after all, before the creation of the Union 9 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Sky remarked incredulously. ¡°Only 9 years ago?!¡±


    ¡°Sky¡­¡± Twy softly facepalmed. ¡°That¡¯s basic galactic history. Not even history, really, it was all over the news, even on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ha, well, the average Nimalian doesn¡¯t concern themselves too much with the affairs of foreign governments, so I wouldn¡¯t expect the same of Earthians,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°The official formation of the Nimalian Union was a long time coming, anyways. Once the Nimalian Systems Defense came into being 20 years ago, it was inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Still, with how many planets you Nimalians have, I would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d¡¯ve set up a centralized government sooner,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°It probably would¡¯ve helped with some things along the way¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed, and then shook her head. ¡°Well, before the Union came along, pretty much every Nimalian world fell under one of three jurisdictions: Nimaliaka, Tekdec¨¦, or the then-ill-named RPF, or Riverana Protection Force.¡±


    ¡°Another PMC, I assume?¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Yes. Originally created to, well, protect Riverana. That was a long time ago, though, and for most of the past couple centuries, they¡¯ve been colonizing planets just as much as Nimaliaka or Tekdec¨¦. They only stopped 20 years ago, when the NSD absorbed the interstellar arms of the Nimaliakian, Tekdec¨¦nian, and RPF militaries. The Union did the same to the interstellar arms of their governments, really, once it came around. The RPF now is a shell of its former self.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure plenty of people weren¡¯t pleased with that kind of centralization of power,¡± Twy commented.


    Kaon¨¦ shrugged. ¡°There were some complaints, yes, but most Nimalians were actually in favor of creating the Union. When you live on, say, Sikalia, it can feel a little disenfranchising to have your laws controlled by a government focused on an entirely different planet. So far, the Union and Sidont¨¦ Demerin have been doing a good job giving everyone a voice, I think.¡±


    ¡°Everyone except for Chaotics,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Well, actually, I think Demerin is our best shot at finally ending the practice of Chaotic conscription in Nimalian space,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t actually get all the way there, he¡¯s expressed that he¡¯s open to progress. Personally, I¡¯m hopeful.¡±


    ¡°¡­Personally, I¡¯m just waiting for this train to fucking move,¡± Pierce muttered, only for an electrical whirring noise to slowly build up from below. ¡°Huh. Finally.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, looks like this is it,¡± Luke remarked as the train began to move, slowly picking up speed as it rolled toward the Gateport built into the base of the Konis space elevator. Barely seconds later, the waning sunlight through the train¡¯s windows was blocked out by a long tunnel, which itself soon gave way to a large underground cavity littered with rails and other trains waiting to navigate out of the Gateport.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in an underground train yard,¡± Austin observed.


    ¡°Or like we¡¯re about to take off from an airport!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°This train really got moving, fast! How long until we¡¯re through the Gate?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long, now,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, leaning over in her seat in an effort to look through the side window toward the front of the train. ¡°Ah, here we go¡ª¡°


    Just as the words left her mouth, the large blue, silver, and white ring that was the Interstellar Gate appeared in view ¡ª and half a second later, it engulfed the train, its black event horizon sweeping across everyone in the passenger car before Austin could react. By the time he was able to jump in surprise, the event horizon was behind him, and the view through the Gatetrain¡¯s ceiling and side windows had changed. Instead of the large, underground train yard of Konis, Austin now saw a glass tunnel surrounding the speeding train¡­ and through the glass tunnel was a wide-reaching view from atop a towering mountain, overlooking a massive sprawling city below.


    ¡°¡­Alright, I have to admit, this isn¡¯t bad,¡± Pierce remarked as the train¡¯s speed slowed a little and it entered into a downward-sloping right turn. A rock face soon appeared on the right side of the train, while through the left windows, lines of railway tracks could be seen spiraling down the mountain and eventually entering the city around it. More mountains could be seen in the distance, along the north and west horizons, but the mountain down which the Gatetrain traveled seemed to be the only one in the immediate vicinity ¡ª and it easily dwarfed even the distant mountains in size.


    ¡°I hear this is the typical reaction upon arriving on Sikalia,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked with an amused smile, sweeping her gaze up and down the passenger car to see both the Earthians and WCU students eagerly staring out the left-side windows. She then turned to look out the windows herself, watching the city slowly spiral around as she explained, ¡°Sikalia¡¯s Interstellar Gate is located atop a tall mountain; an extinct volcano, if I recall correctly. According to the history books, there was a lot of debate about whether to move Sikalia¡¯s Gate or not when they first began colonization, and for a while, they did. But after setting up the Gatetrain tracks, they moved the Gate back to the mountain¡¯s peak, so that travelers can have this magnificent panoramic view of Ilia when they arrive and leave.¡±


    ¡°I bet that brings in lots of tourist money,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯re savvy about tourist traps,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°So¡­ this city is called Ilia, then?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, and then pointed at a large swath of forested land as it came into view, and a singular massive tree that towered over the rest ¡ª although still much shorter than the mountain they were currently descending. All throughout the forest, particularly near the massive tree, were thick rock columns tall enough to tower over all but the large tree itself. ¡°And that, over there, is the Ilia preservation park, one of the largest non-continental parks in the Union. You can only see a small part of it here, but it stretches out for millions of square kilometers.¡±


    ¡°Millions?!¡± Sky echoed incredulously, ¡°that¡¯s huge!¡±


    ¡°I read on the Relaynet that many Nimalian Tier 2 Worlds have these kinds of large parks,¡± Twy commented. ¡°In many cases, only one or two continents are actually developed, and the rest of the planet is left in its natural state.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Kaon¨¦ affirmed. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear someone¡¯s done their reading!¡±


    ¡°I was just curious, that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s all a great sight, for sure,¡± Austin drawled, staring out the windows with everyone else before glaring up at the bright blue skies, and the sun slowly rising over the eastern horizon. ¡°But has no one else noticed that it¡¯s the fuckin¡¯ morning here?¡±


    ¡°I did warn you it¡¯d be a long day,¡± Luke said with a sigh.


    ¡°In the literal sense, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Sikalia¡¯s days are longer than Nimalia¡¯s by around an hour and 12 minutes.¡±


    ¡°The days are 25 hours and 12 minutes long?¡± Spike questioned. ¡°Oof. That¡¯ll take some gettin¡¯ used to¡­¡±


    ¡°At least we¡¯re only here for a few,¡± Luke declared. ¡°Make sure you all have your bags, y¡¯all, we should be pulling into our station here soon. The itinerary says we¡¯ll have today to rest and adjust to the local time, and tomorrow, the activities fully begin!¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 57: A Review of History

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 57: A Review of History


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Wow¡­ this place looks a lot like nature and science museums back home, huh?¡±


    ¡°Guess it does,¡± Spike replied flatly. ¡°Though¡­ it¡¯s a museum. What¡¯d you expect?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good question,¡± Sky responded, her hand held to her chin in thought as she and Spike looked around at their surroundings. The crowded cacophony of 150 excited college students filled the air as the travel group spread out through the open halls of Sikalia¡¯s Museum of Nimalian Preservation History. Expansive ceiling skylights gave way to blue skies stuffed with fluffy white clouds, and a massive window on the far side of the hall revealed the endless sea of green that was the Ilia Preservation Park, with a singular massive tree standing in the distance among the forest of regular-sized trees. In the museum itself, a variety of exhibits lined the walls, extolling the virtues of natural preservation and explaining the how and why of current Nimalian preservation practices, all while decked out with examples of flora and fauna from all across the Union.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people here,¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, but not enough to fill the place,¡± Spike countered. While the travel group had crowded the Gatetrains and hotels en route to Sikalia, the group of less than 200 individuals appeared rather sparse amidst the planet¡¯s largest museum.


    ¡°I guess it does look kinda empty, if you put it like that,¡± Sky admitted. ¡°¡­But there¡¯s still enough people to block my view! C¡¯mon, Spike, let me ride on your shoulders!¡±


    ¡°I said no touching, remember?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah¡­ but a little bit wouldn¡¯t kill you, would it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant.¡±


    Spike grunted in response and continued surveying the exhibits, pointedly ignoring Sky as she glared at him. A second later he gestured toward an exhibit off to the side, showcasing what appeared to be several different Nimalian building styles. Most of the students were ignoring it, but there was still one person looking it over. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s Kaon¨¦, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh!¡± Sky glanced in the direction he was pointing. ¡°Ha ha, yeah, I¡¯d recognize her anywhere! One of the few people around here even shorter than me!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t that short, for a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Still, she¡¯s a Dean, right? I wonder why she¡¯s all alone.¡±


    ¡°Who knows.¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­¡± Sky replied contemplatively, and then turned to march off toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°Let¡¯s go ask her!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? Ah¡­¡± Spike released a brief sigh as he watched Sky walk off, and then followed after her. The two soon found themselves standing next to the Nimalian Dean, and she noticed their presence just as quickly.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°Just lookin¡¯ around,¡± Spike said.


    ¡°You seemed lonely,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°So I thought we¡¯d come over to talk.¡±


    ¡°Sky, don¡¯t just walk up to people and say they looked lonely,¡± Spike admonished.


    ¡°Ha ha! It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, adopting a warm smile as she turned to face the two Earthians. ¡°I¡¯m only here for you Keys, and Luke seems to be doing a decent job watching you, himself. Dav¨ªdrius and the other WCU teachers are watching their students, so I have some time to actually look around.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only here for us¡­?¡± Spike questioned warily.


    ¡°Part of this trip involves a visit to an NSD garrison, after all. They wanted someone to vouch for you Earthians.¡± Kaone then flitted her eyes to the side as her smile disappeared. ¡°Someone who wasn¡¯t Tres¨¦dian¡­¡±


    Spike and Sky glanced in the direction Kaon¨¦ was looking, spotting Dav¨ªdrius across the hall as he attempted to corral a handful of rowdy students. Turning back to Kaon¨¦, Sky asked, ¡°what, does Sikalia not trust them or something?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re being¡­ distressingly blatant about it,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Have you not noticed? The museum is covered in CENT fields.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sky gave Kaon¨¦ a confused stare, and then looked down at her own hands. Her brow furrowed with focus for a moment. ¡°¡­Huh! You¡¯re right! I can¡¯t make any fire!¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, everyone here is a Chaotic, right?¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°I guess they¡¯re just bein¡¯ careful¡ª!¡±


    Spike suddenly stumbled back, caught off guard as Sky latched on to him, with her arms wrapped around his chest in a tight hug. With brow furrowed in confusion, he made to respond, but Sky beat him to the punch as she locked eyes with him. ¡°This is fine now, right?¡± she questioned expectantly, ¡°if there¡¯s a CENT field, then you don¡¯t have your crazy super strength right now, right? So touching is fine!¡±


    Spike stared back at her, dumbfounded. ¡°¡­I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Touching. Is. Fine.¡±


    An exasperated sigh escaped Spike¡¯s lips, his gaze quickly sweeping over the exhibits around them. When he realized that Kaon¨¦ was the only one paying any attention to the couple, he eventually relented, lifting his right hand to tousle Sky¡¯s hair ¡ª to which she responded with a self-satisfied smile and a giggle.


    Kaon¨¦, meanwhile, regarded the couple with an amused expression. ¡°Try not to get too carried away in public,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but c¡¯mon, this is a rare chance!¡± Sky remarked, still tightly embracing Spike. ¡°I have to make the most of it!¡±


    ¡°Guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Spike commented with a smirk.


    ¡°CENT fields are somewhat rare¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say it¡¯s better to try and get used to your abilities, rather than using a CENT field as a crutch¡­ but I¡¯ll overlook this for now.¡±


    ¡°How generous of you,¡± Sky retorted.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± the Dean laughed uneasily before returning her attention to the building exhibit in front of the three. ¡°¡­Well, I hope you spend at least some of today looking at the exhibits. Have either of you seen anything here that piques your interest?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only been here for half an hour¡­¡± Spike commented, momentarily crouching down as Sky finally stopped hugging him, only to climb up onto his back.


    ¡°And still we¡¯ve seen nothing, since you¡¯ve been dragging your ass,¡± Sky replied, looking down at him as he wrapped his arms around her legs to carry her piggy-back style. ¡°I know it¡¯s the morning, but c¡¯mon! We have things to see!¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t just the mornin¡¯, it¡¯s also the mornin¡¯ after a long travel day that ended in a different time zone. And on a planet with a longer day, too!¡±


    ¡°Oh stop complaining, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You say, after climbin¡¯ up on my back¡­¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I have to make the most of this!¡±


    Kaon¨¦ smiled as she watched the two banter ¡ª as much as Spike protested, he was smiling as much as Sky was. The Dean then turned back to the building exhibit. ¡°Well, I suppose you could start here.¡±


    ¡°What, looking at how buildings are constructed?¡± Sky looked the exhibit up and down, eying the scale models of several buildings on the display. One of them appeared to be similar to the massive artificial tree that had disguised the space elevator on Sunidobu, while several others appeared to be skyscrapers designed with natural colors and contours, looking much like tall stone pillars or tree trunks. ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s kind of a cool look,¡± Sky said a moment later. ¡°All the Nimalian buildings I¡¯ve seen seem to care more about aesthetics than the ones I¡¯ve seen on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s more like the look is just different,¡± Spike countered. ¡°Folks on Earth care about how buildings look, especially skyscrapers, but the look ain¡¯t as unified as the Nimalians. Or nature-y.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, I¡¯ve heard similar from Citans and Siions. About the nature part, at least,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°I think Nimalians tend to care more about their environment than others. No one but us has such a widespread preservation program, after all.¡±


    ¡°What, does the CSA just build stuff too fast to care?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Well, yes and no. Development speed isn¡¯t really a problem. Nimalians can construct buildings and cities just as fast as the Siions, especially when you have a Chaotic like me around.¡±


    ¡°Bein¡¯ able to summon up matter at will must be pretty useful for that, huh,¡± Spike observed.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a little tricky, making sure that you make the building correctly,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered, ¡°but yes, I can¡¯t deny that my powers are incredibly useful for construction. In fact, I prefer using them that way.¡±


    ¡°Prefer? Prefer over what?¡± Sky asked.


    ¡°Over fighting, of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡±


    ¡°So Nimalians like nature, huh?¡± Spike questioned, turning his attention back to the model buildings. ¡°I guess that should be obvious, after seein¡¯ that big metal tree on that last planet we were at¡­¡±


    ¡°The Tree of Konis is a gimmick more than anything else, honestly,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°More show than substance. A tourist trap. It¡¯s a pretty show, to be sure, but still¡­ most Nimalian construction is more practical.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s practical about making your skyscrapers look like trees?¡± Sky questioned incredulously.


    ¡°It¡¯s about the mindset, the psychology of it. I can¡¯t speak for non-Nimalians, but many studies have shown that Nimalians benefit greatly from free access to green spaces. Even just looking at a nice park helps.¡±


    ¡°Same goes for us, I think,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Then I think you can understand,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Which would you prefer for a building design: a giant glass block? Or something that evokes the sense of nature, something that has an open-air park every several floors, to maintain the presence of greenery even within a dense city center?¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it like that, the answer is obvious,¡± Sky responded.


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Must be expensive, though.¡±


    ¡°It is, but it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    ¡°Now if only we could convince construction companies on Earth to think like that,¡± Spike drawled.


    ¡°All the more reason to check out everything here while we can!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Ha ha, I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re interested in how we do things,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented with a smile. ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can show you around the exhibits and give a better background on them.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, I¡¯d love that! Let¡¯s get going!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Now, let¡¯s see¡­ this is my first time here, as well, but I should still know enough to explain the things we see. Let¡¯s start over here¡­¡±


    As Kaon¨¦ led Sky and Spike over to an adjacent exhibit, Austin and Twy watched from across the hall, standing alone nearby a different exhibit.


    ¡°¡­How does Sky have so much energy?¡± Austin muttered groggily.


    ¡°Oh, you know how she is¡­¡± Twy responded in kind, and then covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her. ¡°Ugh¡­ my internal clock is all messed up¡­¡±


    ¡°Yours and everyone else¡¯s,¡± Austin replied, finally taking his attention off of Sky and Spike to glance at Twy, and then up at the exhibit adjacent to them that displayed a handful of planets. ¡°I guess when you think about it, it¡¯s pretty lucky for us that Nimalia¡¯s day is the same length as Earth¡¯s, huh?¡±


    ¡°Incredibly lucky,¡± Twy said, turning her attention to the exhibit as well. ¡°As I understand it, all of the Homeworlds have 24-hour days. Pretty convenient¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably just ancient Aldredas meddling or somethin¡¯. That¡¯s always how precursor races go.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Twy deadpanned. ¡°In more modern news, this display about planet development levels is interesting.¡±


    ¡°¡¯The World Tier System¡¯,¡± Austin read out from the display, and then took a closer look at the exhibit itself. The display featured models of 8 different terran planets, all labeled differently and accompanied by images of skylines with decreasing height and density from left to right. On the left were two planets practically stacked on top of each other, with a small model of a space station attached to a giant black orb floating in between; these two were labeled ¡°Homeworld¡± and ¡°Transpace World¡±. The next model over was labeled ¡°Fortress World¡±, and the remaining five were labeled Tier 1 through Tier 5, from left to right.


    ¡°A system that categorizes planets by their purpose and development level, all for the sake of organizing the Interstellar Gate Network,¡± Twy commented as she scanned the display. ¡°¡­It never really occurred to me to rank planets like this, but I guess it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Well, we Earthians don¡¯t exactly have a lot of planets, so of course we don¡¯t think about it,¡± Austin replied. ¡°The biggest colony we have is Nova Terra, and that¡¯s, what¡­ Tier 3? I think? ¡­What does Tier 3 mean, again?¡±


    ¡°500 thousand to 500 million people, and self-sustainable for critical supplies, like food and water¡­ says the display,¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡±


    ¡°The exact population thresholds aren¡¯t as interesting as everything else, though. Look here.¡± Twy pointed at the far right planet. ¡°According to this, most Tier 5 Worlds are really just small colonies or military bases, and most take decades to make it to Tier 4 ¡ª if they do at all! If Tier 5s take so long to develop, but there are still hundreds of planets at Tier 4 and above¡­ then just how abundant are terra worlds in this galaxy?¡±


    ¡°The galaxy is a big place. And the other races have had a long time to colonize it.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, there are hundreds, if not thousands of colonized planets, but still only a few dozen Tier 1s, right?¡±


    ¡°If you exclude the Homeworlds and Transpace Worlds, which are technically Tier 1.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re their own category for a reason. What do Transpaces even look like, anyways?¡± Austin questioned, and then looked closer at the small space station model on the far left of the display. It consisted of a long tube ¡ª the actual livable area ¡ª connected to a couple of long manipulator arms that surrounded a giant black orb adjacent to the space station. ¡°¡­Is that supposed to be a Transpace?¡±


    ¡°A small model of a space station, next to a model of a planet labeled ¡®Transpace World¡¯?¡± Twy passed Austin an incredulous look. ¡°Hmm, I wonder.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you smart ass,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°I bet you can¡¯t explain how Transpaces work.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can¡¯t, no one can,¡± Twy countered. ¡°All we know is that they¡¯re basically big, ancient space stations that can open portals to other Transpaces, portals large enough for entire space fleets to fly through. As far as I know, no one knows how the portals work, they just do. Just like the Interstellar Gates, really.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you read the captions, you¡¯d know that yourself.¡±


    Austin rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh please, readin¡¯ is for chumps.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Twy deadpanned, and then turned her attention back to the left-most models. ¡°¡­Though, if you think about it¡­ the Nimalian Union has a bunch of Tier 1 Worlds, right? And according to Kaon¨¦, all of those planets used to be ruled directly by just two or three nations on Nimalia¡­ that¡¯s kind of ridiculous, if you think about it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, just imagine it. Imagine if the United States, a country that¡¯s only able to claim a part of Earth¡¯s surface, was able to lay claim to multiple planets, each with several billion people living on them? All while China and Russia are doing the same?¡±


    ¡°¡­When you put it that way, yeah, I guess it does sound pretty ridiculous. Well, the Nimalian Union had to¡¯ve been formed for a reason, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just surprised it didn¡¯t happen sooner. If it were Earthians in that position, I¡¯m certain there would¡¯ve been multiple wars for independence already¡­ I guess the Nimalians are just peaceful people.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Peaceful¡¯?¡± Austin scoffed. ¡°Did you forget what we saw on the last two trips we went on?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­ but the Bleeders are clearly criminals, and not normal ones, at that.¡±


    ¡°The point still stands. Personally, I think that the Nimalians might just be too willing to bow to authority.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a broad statement to make¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but even Dav¨ªdrius conceded to that Pallan guy, as much as he claims to hate him.¡±


    A frown crossed Twy¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Is this about the conscription thing, again?¡±


    Austin passed her a glance before looking away and sighing in frustration. ¡°¡­Man, you¡¯ve seen what¡¯s happened since we got to Nimalia. And accordin¡¯ to Pallan, we¡¯re supposed to be ¡®Keys¡¯, we¡¯re supposed to be the ones to fight all that! Can you believe that?!¡±


    Twy released a weary sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to believe, at this point. All we can really do is keep moving forward, and try to adapt to anything that¡¯s thrown at us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say, but given the last month, fuckin¡¯ anything could happen! It¡¯s impossible to prepare for that!¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­ hmm, didn¡¯t you have a vision, or something? Back when we first got our powers?¡±


    ¡°The vision¡­¡± Austin muttered, looking down at his right hand. ¡°¡­Normally, I wouldn¡¯t pay any attention to that crap, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡±


    Austin remained silent for a few moments as he thought back to that fateful August morning, when the new Chaos Energy Quake began and he had had a vision. Several different scenes and people had flashed through his mind ¡ª he recognized one of the people as EA, but that wasn¡¯t the part of the vision that stood out to him.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Austin¡ª who was suddenly standing in front of a massive army of metallic creatures, his own face raked with metallic rashes¡ª


    At the time, Austin hadn¡¯t recognized the metallic rashes for what they were, but now, he knew. Only two questions remained: was the infected man he saw himself, or EA? And was the sight he saw inevitable¡­?


    ¡°Austin¡­?¡±


    He glanced over at Twy, finding that she was looking up at him with concern. I never told her about the full contents of my vision, did I? Austin thought, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve told anyone about most of it. And I don¡¯t know if I should¡­ ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing,¡± Austin eventually replied. ¡°Just¡­ a bunch of random crap. I don¡¯t see any reason to expect anything in my vision to become true.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose,¡± Twy responded warily. ¡°I guess it would have some uncomfortable implications about predestination and free will¡­ still, what did you see? Was it anything you recognized?¡±


    ¡°Well, I saw EA, but the rest of the faces I saw, I don¡¯t recognize¡ª wait. Wait a second¡­¡± A wave of uncomfortable realization crashed over Austin as his mind raced through all of the faces in his vision. He hadn¡¯t realized it until now, but there was one more aspect of his vision that he recognized:


    a blond-haired man with a deranged look on his face and blood on his clothes as he whipped a massive chain weapon through the air toward Austin¡ª


    ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Austin muttered, and then turned to Twy in alarm. ¡°I saw Pierce!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Twy returned the look. ¡°Really? What happened?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ it wasn¡¯t much, but¡­¡± Austin cast a wary glance across the rest of the museum hall, catching a glimpse of Pierce before returning his attention to Twy. ¡°He looked, well¡­ crazy. As in, like, psychotic. With blood all over him, and he was fightin¡¯ me¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ not good.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, like you said, there¡¯s no reason to expect your vision to become true, right? I¡¯m sure everything will be fine.¡±


    Austin passed Twy a doubtful glance. Maybe, but the fact that I saw Pierce in my vision WAY before I knew the guy actually existed is¡­ disturbing. That information had to come from somewhere. But where¡­?


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Twy spoke up, drawing Austin¡¯s attention out of his own thoughts. ¡°For now, let¡¯s try to have some fun here in the museum, and not think so much about all of this¡­ prophecy stuff. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Austin took a deep breath, after which he adopted a small smile. ¡°¡­Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. We¡¯re on an alien planet, after all. Might as well make the most of it, huh?¡±


    Twy smiled back. ¡°Exactly. I know that¡¯s what Sky would say, at least. Now¡­¡± She and Austin turned away from the planetary exhibit next to them and began surveying the museum. ¡°What else around here looks interesting¡­?¡±


    While Austin and Twy looked around the museum hall, Luke eyed them from near the hall¡¯s entrance. He continued watching them for a couple moments before sighing and turning to watch over the rest of the hall.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Luke glanced to his side, where Mark stood, dressed in a casual green and white baseball shirt and jeans, though his posture remained as square and impeccable as ever. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothin¡¯,¡± Luke replied. ¡°What about you? You not gonna check out the museum with everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± Luke responded with a smirk.


    ¡°It is interesting, though,¡± Mark commented, slowly surveying the large student group as everyone in the hall roamed between exhibits. ¡°Traveling to other civilian planets, that is, and using the Gate Network to do it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we really don¡¯t do that, much, huh?¡± Luke remarked. ¡°And even the few times we did go to Nimalian worlds, they were all Tier 4 or 5. Never seen anything like that space elevator on Sunidobu before. That was somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Goes to show what you can miss if you don¡¯t know what to look for, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Heh, suppose so.¡± Luke chuckled briefly, only for his faint smile to quickly collapse back into a neutral expression as he eyed the two major exits from the museum hall. Standing at stiff attention at each of the exits were two individuals, clad in green uniforms.


    Mark glanced toward the exits as well before turning his attention back to the main hall. ¡°¡­So you noticed them, too?¡± he questioned, his voice low.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Luke muttered. ¡°How couldn¡¯t I? What museum needs armed guards? And from the NSD, no less.¡±


    ¡°Armed? And from the NSD? How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t exactly bein¡¯ subtle about it. That green uniform with the black trimming, that looks so similar to what you Eximius Vir wear? That¡¯s the official uniform of the NSD. Your uniforms are actually modified NSD uniforms made specifically for Chaotics, after all. But back to the guards ¡ª if you look closely, you can tell that they have sidearms hidden under their jackets. Suela Laser Pistols, I¡¯d bet.¡±


    Mark passed Luke an incredulous look. ¡°How can you tell what kind of weapon they have? I can barely see that they even have one!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s obviously a pistol, by the size of it,¡± Luke explained. ¡°The NSD uses two kinds of pistols, the Nitak Coil Pistol and the Suela Laser Pistol. In the field, you¡¯ll run into the Nitak more often, since mag weapons are better against energy shields than lasers. But against an unshielded target, laser weapons are far better, and no one around here is wearing any energy shielding.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ still, that leaves a major question: why are there armed guards here? And why do the Deans and other teachers not seem to care?¡±


    Luke remained silent for a second, his gaze snapping over to Dav¨ªdrius, who was currently speaking with a handful of students a few exhibits over. The Dean seemed absorbed in explaining something about the exhibit, but every now and then, Luke could catch him sneaking quick glances toward the hall exits. ¡°¡­I think they do care,¡± Luke eventually replied. ¡°I just think they expected this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mark frowned in confusion. ¡°But¡­ why? This can¡¯t possibly be standard procedure for travel groups, can it? That seems a little aggressive¡­¡±


    Luke nodded. ¡°I agree. The way I see it, there¡¯s three possibilities, here. One, the guards are here for us ¡ª the Earthians. We are part of SERRCom, after all, and while we may be allies with the Nimalians, we¡¯re still a different military.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Two, the guards are here because all of these students are Chaotics. This is supported by the activation of CENT fields around here ¡ª which I very much doubt the museum is normally equipped with, but hey, who knows.¡±


    ¡°CENT fields? Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°So said Dean Densalin, at least,¡± Luke replied with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not a Chaotic, so I can¡¯t tell, and you¡¯re part of the Eximius Vir, so you can¡¯t tell¡­ either way, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Mark muttered, ¡°but that seems like a very cynical move. Do the Nimalians really not trust their own Chaotics?¡±


    ¡°Are you kiddin¡¯? Of course they don¡¯t. Why else is conscription a thing?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Dean Wrikax,¡± Luke remarked, glancing over as Dav¨ªdrius approached the duo with his arms crossed. ¡°Can we help you with somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Nah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius glanced back at the students he had just been talking to, watching for a moment as they pointed at and discussed the exhibit near them. ¡°The students are behavin¡¯ themselves, for the most part. They even seem actually interested in all this history shit. Didn¡¯t expect that, but, hey, guess Kaon¨¦ is right sometimes.¡± He then turned back to Luke. ¡°All that aside, I overheard what y¡¯all were talkin¡¯ about.¡±


    ¡°About the guards¡­?¡± Mark questioned warily.


    ¡°What the hell else?¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. He snuck a frustrated glance toward the guards before looking at Luke and Mark again, saying, ¡°fuckin¡¯ guards and CENT field bullshit¡­ it¡¯s to be expected.¡±


    ¡°So this is normal, then?¡±


    ¡°Now hold on, I ain¡¯t said this is normal. This ain¡¯t fuckin¡¯ normal, Kaon¨¦¡¯ll tell ya that.¡±


    ¡°I suspected that might be the case, especially after what we saw yesterday,¡± Luke commented. ¡°I guess possibility three is the answer, then.¡±


    Mark passed Luke a confused glance. ¡°Possibility three?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Luke nodded. ¡°That the guards are here ¡®cause this travel group is from Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Well lookit you, figured it all out already,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked with a bitter smirk.


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Mark looked between Luke and Dav¨ªdrius in disbelief. ¡°But¡­ Tres¨¦d is a nation on an entirely different planet! Why would the people here care about any of that?¡±


    ¡°Tres¨¦d¡¯s history is long, longer than Nimalia¡¯s history in space, in fact. And it¡¯s known all across the Union,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Not for good, either. Everyone knows Tres¨¦d¡¯s rep. A massive, lawless wasteland, dominated by outlaws and criminals and savages.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. It kinda is. And that¡¯s why these assholes feel justified uppin¡¯ the security for a Tres¨¦dian travel group.¡± A low growl escaped Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s throat as he passed the guards another glance. ¡°Don¡¯t like bein¡¯ likened to the fuckin¡¯ Bleeders, but I learned a long time ago that fightin¡¯ this every step of the way doesn¡¯t get you anywhere.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait a second,¡± Mark responded warily. ¡°Is this¡­ is this the same reason those people on Sunidobu acted so weirdly when they recognized you? Because you¡¯re a Tres¨¦dian?¡±


    ¡°You only realized that now?¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied incredulously.


    ¡°But¡­ why? Is the fact that you¡¯re a Tres¨¦dian really enough to override the fact that you were a part of Hero Machina?¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t like I go around talkin¡¯ about the damn war all the time,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°Most of us would rather just not talk about the war if it ain¡¯t relevant. It¡¯s everyone else who keeps bringing up this Hero Machina shit. ¡®Hero Machina¡¯ this, ¡®heroes of the galaxy¡¯ that. Meanwhile no one cares about Siyuak¨¦n, or me¡­ not to say I did anythin¡¯ close to what Siyuak¨¦n did, but¡­ well, you get the fuckin¡¯ point.¡±


    ¡°Prejudice is rarely rational, anyways,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°Aye. Don¡¯t make it any less stupid, though.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ but that¡¯s¡­¡± Mark continued, distress painted across his face.


    Dav¨ªdrius responded with a bitter smile. ¡°Really that unbelievable to you outsiders, huh? Bet things are just perfect on Earth, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d hardly say that,¡± Luke countered. ¡°We still have our own fair share of problems.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Mark commented, and then shifted his attention back to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°But, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ it seems like you expected this kind of unfair treatment. Why arrange for a trip off-world, then?¡±


    ¡°When I said I ain¡¯t gonna fight things every step of the way, I didn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just gonna fuckin¡¯ roll over and take it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. He then turned to look out over the greater hall, where groups of students were gathered in front of all the different exhibits, talking about the sights that laid beyond their homeland. ¡°¡­These students deserve to see Nimalian culture just as much as any other Nimalian, and that¡¯s somethin¡¯ I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ fight to the death for. Just ¡®cause they were born in some shithole doesn¡¯t mean they gotta stay there their whole life, and trips like this are the best way to help ¡®em out, by showin¡¯ ¡®em the world beyond. It sure ain¡¯t perfect out here¡­ but it¡¯s better than a wasteland.¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s admirable, Dean,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°Folks say that a lot. What would mean more is acceptance. Or even better, gettin¡¯ rid of this shitty status quo in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way we can help with that?¡± Mark questioned.


    Dav¨ªdrius glanced back at Mark, his expression blank. A moment later, the Dean took on a bitter smirk as he turned away. ¡°¡­Appreciate the thought, but this ain¡¯t your problem to solve. A problem with Nimalian culture is an issue for us Nimalians to deal with ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have our own share of problems to deal with back on Earth, anyways,¡± Luke remarked. He then glanced toward Dav¨ªdrius, saying, ¡°still, my offer to help out with more tangible threats, like the Bleeders, still stands.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Bleeders¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. For a brief moment, Luke thought he saw intense fury flash across Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face, but it was wiped out by a smirk just as quickly. ¡°We¡¯ll talk Bleeders when we get back to Compound Tresnon,¡± the Dean said, ¡°for now, let¡¯s focus on the trip.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Luke replied with a nod.


    ¡°Speakin¡¯ of focus¡­ hey! Hey! Rok! Cut it out!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted, leaving Luke and Mark behind as he jogged toward two students that had begun play-fighting in the middle of the hall. ¡°Damn it, what¡¯d I tell y¡¯all about doin¡¯ this shit¡­?¡±


    On the other side of the hall, Phoenix glanced toward the center, her attention drawn by Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s shout. After watching the Dean split up the two students and begin scolding them, Phoenix simply shook her head and returned her attention to the holographic display in front of her, showcasing all sorts of animals. ¡°There¡¯s always someone who can¡¯t just admire the exhibits¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± replied a young man with tanned skin, long dark hair, and a rugged build. He glanced down at Phoenix, saying, ¡°I mean, this stuff is cool, I guess, but spendin¡¯ a whole day here¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, Arn! You have to think about it more positively,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°You get to spend a day here. And I have to say, this is an interesting museum¡­¡±


    The young man, Arn, remained doubtfully silent, with a neutral expression upon his face. Phoenix attempted to read him, but to no avail; she¡¯d only been with him for around a week, after all. Still longer than anything Pierce has managed, ha! She smirked as the thought crossed her mind, only to quickly shake it out and focus on the present.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s think about it like this,¡± she spoke up, meeting eyes with Arn. ¡°What kinds of things do you like? I¡¯m sure we can find some exhibit related to those things.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Arn¡¯s brow furrowed in thought as he remained silent for several more seconds. Eventually, he replied, ¡°I like fightin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Phoenix deadpanned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that you¡¯ll find anything here about fighting.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Arn replied, his eyes lighting up as he stared at some of the model animals in front of him, featuring several varieties of feathered birds, mammals that vaguely resembled forest creatures on Earth, and then a few other creatures with horns, spikes, claws, or blades that appeared extremely hostile and entirely foreign. ¡°¡­I heard there¡¯s wild animals on Nimalia that can be a fight for Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Phoenix responded incredulously. ¡°How? Where?¡±


    ¡°The Hazard Islands. I think they¡¯re way up north, somewhere. I heard that they have all kinds of crazy animals up there that kill Chaotics all the time!¡±


    ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°No, see, it¡¯s right here!¡± Arn pointed at one of the models, resembling a long-limbed monkey with beady black eyes and a small razer on the end of its tail. He then pointed at the plaque under the model, which read out: ¡°Deathtail. A deadly creature originating on Nimalia¡¯s Hazard Islands. It can whip its tail through the air with so much force that it can shatter Velocitechnic skulls.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh,¡± Phoenix muttered after reading the plaque. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ huh. Didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°The Hazard Islands are full of this stuff, from what I hear,¡± Arn said. ¡°¡­Or used to be, at least. I just remembered, accordin¡¯ to Dav¨ªdrius, the Hazard Islands got destroyed 20 years ago, for some reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, islands? Destroyed?!¡± Phoenix echoed incredulously, ¡°h-how? Why?!¡±


    Arn shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I think it was¡­ some infection, or somethin¡¯? I don¡¯t remember, I kinda slept through that lesson¡­¡±


    ¡°An infection? ¡­Oh¡­¡± Phoenix¡¯s face fell as she realized what Arn was unknowingly referring to. So the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ ended up on these Hazard Islands 20 years ago, and the Nimalians nuked the place to stop them? That¡¯s what it sounds like happened. If so, then the infection must really be dangerous¡­


    While Phoenix was absorbed in her thoughts, Arn returned his attention to the display, remarking, ¡°before the islands got destroyed, though, I heard that Chaotics went there all the time to fight wild animals and unlock Overdrives.¡±


    ¡°¡­Really? That sounds incredibly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. But you can¡¯t unlock your Overdrive by bein¡¯ safe all the time!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well.¡± Phoenix turned back to the display, looking over the other two models of creatures from the Hazard Islands. One resembled a grizzly bear in stature, though with black fur, large boar-like tusks extending out from its face, and six long, thin tails, nearly thrice as long as its body and barely thicker than a strand of hair. The other model was a bird with a massive 2.5-meter wingspan and claws at the ends of its blue-and-white feathered wings, as well as a sharp golden beak strongly indicating that it was a bird of prey. ¡°A Thrallbear and a Chaos Tisan¡­¡± Phoenix read from the plaques, ¡°¡­these hardly sound natural!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s crazy, right?¡± Arn remarked. ¡°I heard that the Thrallbear can mind control people!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s half true, according to the plaque¡­ they can use those hair-like tails to exert some control over other creatures by¡­ inserting their tail into the ear canal and invading the brain? Where they hijack the creature¡¯s nervous system??¡± Phoenix grimaced. ¡°Ugh. How does that even physically work?¡±


    Arn shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Chaos Energy? Chaos Tisans can use Chaos Energy, so I bet other animals from the Hazard Islands can, too.¡±


    ¡°More than just ¡®using¡¯ Chaos Energy, according to this, Chaos Tisans are full-blown Chaotics!¡± Phoenix exclaimed. ¡°What the¡­ what? Since when was wildlife so hella dangerous?!¡±


    ¡°The Hazard Islands were called that for a reason,¡± Arn replied. ¡°¡­Says Dav¨ªdrius, at least.¡±


    ¡°Well if these plaques are right, then he¡¯s a hundred percent correct. Ugh. I might be glad they were destroyed. Who the hell would want to go there, anyways? Anyone who did must have had a death wish.¡±


    ¡°¡­I wanted to¡­¡± Arn responded, crestfallen.


    ¡°¡­And if you trained enough, I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve been fine!¡± Phoenix added while forcing a smile.


    ¡°True¡­ I still got a couple years in WCU to go.¡±


    You¡¯ll probably need way more than that to face an island full of these monsters, Phoenix thought, casting an aside glance toward the three animals from the Hazard Islands. And these are only three of the animals. I bet there are tons more, and all just as dangerous. Eugh. What a fucking place¡­


    ¡°Anyways¡­ I guess we could go look at somethin¡¯ else¡­?¡±


    Phoenix glanced up at Arn, and then at the rest of the hall. ¡°There are plenty of exhibits. I¡¯m sure something here will have to interest you. Is there anything else you like, aside from, uh¡­ fighting?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Arn¡¯s brow furrowed in thought again. ¡°Well¡­ maybe¡­ no¡­ hmmmm¡­¡±


    While Phoenix eyed Arn as he puzzled out his thoughts, she failed to notice the set of eyes watching her from across the large room. With his arms crossed and mouth turned down in the beginnings of a scowl, Pierce watched Phoenix and Arn from afar, only to rip his gaze from them a moment later.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Conrad questioned, noticing Pierce¡¯s foul expression.


    ¡°Funny that you¡¯d ask that,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Who¡¯s the one who¡¯s been complaining about being ¡®hella tired¡¯ all damn morning?¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, man,¡± Conrad responded in exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s the jetlag. Everyone gets jetlag.¡± He looked up at Kestrel. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°¡­You slept ten hours,¡± Kestrel replied flatly.


    ¡°So what if I slept for ten hours? That was in the middle of the day, yesterday! My internal clock is all off, it¡¯s morning here, but it still feels like evening, you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any of the Nimalians complaining,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ fuck you,¡± Conrad muttered. He then slowly looked around, eying each of the large museum exhibits before sighing and returning his attention to Pierce and Kestrel. ¡°Man, we got a whole day of this museum, too. Why a museum? Museums are some of the most boring places on Earth¡­¡±


    ¡°Conveniently, we aren¡¯t on Earth,¡± Pierce pointed out.


    Conrad passed Pierce an exasperated glance before looking up at Kestrel again. ¡°C¡¯mon, you¡¯re with me, right? Museums suck.¡±


    Kestrel glanced blankly at Conrad before surveying the museum herself, though her shoulders slumped slightly as she did. ¡°Mm¡­ sometimes.¡±


    ¡°What, are there too many people here for you?¡± Pierce questioned.


    Kestrel nodded once, firmly and emphatically.


    ¡°Could definitely use less people,¡± Conrad affirmed.


    Pierce shook his head in amused resignation. ¡°You antisocial dweebs¡­ this museum isn¡¯t even anywhere near capacity. Look at the place! There¡¯s so much empty space!¡±


    The trio momentarily turned to look out over the hall again. The interior space stretched for dozens of meters both long and wide, and was clearly built to maintain hundreds of museum-goers with wide halls and large exhibits. By comparison, the less than 200 people in the WCU travel group made the museum look like a ghost town.


    ¡°¡­Look, it¡¯s the thought that counts,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°Whatever, you losers,¡± Pierce retorted, and then began walking toward the far side of the hall. ¡°Now c¡¯mon.¡±


    ¡°What for? So we can be bored somewhere else?¡± Conrad deadpanned, though he and Kestrel nonetheless followed Pierce.


    ¡°It figures.¡± Pierce snorted as he glanced back at Conrad and Kestrel. ¡°Neither of you losers read anything about this museum before we showed up, did you? Of course you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The hell are you trying to get at?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a VR exhibit.¡±


    Conrad¡¯s eyes widened, and his pace quickened to fall in next to Pierce. ¡°Whoa, really?!¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    Pierce smirked, amused by the sudden interest Conrad and Kestrel were showing. As the trio arrived at the end of the hall, just outside a pair of double doors, Pierce replied, ¡°it¡¯s a flyover of the Ilia Preservation Park. You know, the one with that bigass tree and the rock pillars that¡¯s just outside the city.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Conrad immediately deflated. ¡°C¡¯mon, man, a flyover is nothing. It¡¯s barely VR.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. Getting to look at nature as though you were there, but from perfect safety in an air-conditioned room? This is exactly the kind of shit you like.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, got me there.¡± Conrad sighed and exchanged a glance with Kestrel. ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s see it.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Thought you¡¯d say that,¡± Pierce replied as he pushed through the double doors. The room beyond was modestly sized for a showcase room, at around fifteen meters a side, but the decor was anything but. Plants of all sorts ¡ª many of them real, by Pierce¡¯s reckoning ¡ª decorated the walls, and faux rock pillars stood in the center of the room, acting as supports for dividing curtains. Combined with the bright late-morning sun shining down through the sunlights above, it almost seemed as though the trio had stepped outside, rather than into another room in the building.


    Several of the dividing curtains were open, revealing modestly sized VR setups spread throughout the room. A couple of the headsets appeared to be free, and Pierce began to gesture toward one of them ¡ª only to stop himself as he spotted a familiar duo to the side of the room, about to engage with one of the empty headsets. ¡°¡­Well, what do we have here,¡± Pierce remarked, his arms crossed as a snide smirk crossed his face. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the dweeb.¡±


    ¡°¡­Pierce,¡± Austin responded tensely, turning away from the VR headset.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Twy questioned, eying Pierce suspiciously as he, Conrad, and Kestrel approached.


    ¡°Nothing, really,¡± Pierce replied, and then shifted his attention to Austin. ¡°I just find it amusing that I¡¯d find you here, at the VR exhibit. Go figure, you dweeb.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, too,¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°Only ¡®cause of these two losers, here.¡± Pierce gestured back at Conrad and Kestrel.


    Conrad sighed and shook his head. ¡°Not a great way to make friends, Pierce,¡± he said.


    ¡°As if I¡¯d want to be friends with a dweeb like him,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°I could say the same to you, asshole,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°Seriously, what do you want from us?¡± Twy questioned, glaring at Pierce as she did. ¡°What did we do to you?¡±


    ¡°Knowing Pierce? Could be anything,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°The only thing I ¡®want¡¯ from you is to see less of you,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Seriously. Your loser attitudes about this whole Chaotic thing is going to make a bad look for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Austin stared at Pierce incredulously. ¡°Are¡­ are you seriously accusin¡¯ us of crimpin¡¯ your style?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want to call it.¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°Look, as far as I¡¯m concerned, not only can you barely use your powers, you don¡¯t even want to use them! What a fucking waste.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I can use my powers!¡± Austin replied defensively. ¡°I mean, not here, ¡®cause of the CENT fields, but, like¡­ I can hold my own in a fight!¡±


    ¡°Might wanna back down, Austin,¡± Conrad interjected, ¡°Pierce never takes a challenge lying down¡­¡±


    ¡°But of course. Losers who think too much of themselves always deserve to be put in their place,¡± Pierce declared, and then passed Austin an arrogant smirk. ¡°If you think you aren¡¯t bad with your powers, dweeb, then how about a race, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, I¡¯m not a fuckin¡¯ moron,¡± Austin countered. ¡°How the hell am I gonna win a race against a guy who¡¯s power is literally superspeed?¡±


    ¡°And yours is to copy other people¡¯s powers, right? If you were actually any good at it, then you could do anything I could.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª what? That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Austin¡­¡± Twy passed Pierce an annoyed glance before turning back to her friend. ¡°C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s just leave him be¡­¡±


    ¡°After he comes in here and acts like an asshole? No way,¡± Austin countered, crossing his arms in a huff and glaring at Pierce.


    Pierce chuckled in response. ¡°Finally got some balls, huh? Alright, then, if not a race¡­ how about this: tomorrow, we¡¯re going to that Preservation Park near the city. The one of us that can take a picture from the highest point, while standing on something, wins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way more doable. And somethin¡¯ I can actually win at,¡± Austin retorted with a spiteful grin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away, dweeb. I¡¯ll leave you in the dust, as with any challenger. My pic won¡¯t just be the highest, it¡¯ll be better than yours in every conceivable way!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ see about that.¡±


    ¡°Riiiight. And with that out of the way¡­¡± Conrad stepped up, inserting himself between Austin and Pierce as he turned toward the latter. ¡°C¡¯mon, man, let¡¯s go check out the VR thing already.¡±


    Pierce glanced at Conrad, and then back at Austin. ¡°¡­Heh. ¡®Til tomorrow, dweeb. Don¡¯t complain when I win.¡±


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Austin shot back.


    Pierce flashed another snide smirk before turning away, leaving Austin and Twy to their own devices. He, Conrad, and Kestrel then approached one of the empty headsets on the far side of the room; Conrad quickly took to the headset and began fiddling with the controls, but the whole time, Pierce was distracted with thinking about his newly issued challenge. Fucking useless dweeb¡­ he thought bitterly, your evil twin is the reason we¡¯re all here¡­ so I¡¯ll fucking show you what it¡¯s like to lose¡­!

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 58: Wanderings in Nature

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 58: Wanderings in Nature


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Alright, everyone, listen up! Oi, oi! Over here!¡±


    ¡°¡­What now?¡± Conrad muttered as he and everyone around him turned toward the source of the shouting: Dav¨ªdrius. Morning light shone down on the WCU travel group as they gathered in a small field at the entrance to the Ilia Preservation Park, with Dav¨ªdrius standing at the front of the large group and trying to get everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°¡­A¡¯ight, then!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted once the crowd had quieted down. ¡°As y¡¯all should¡¯ve learned yesterday, the whole point of preservation parks is to preserve nature. That means you don¡¯t bother it! Now, today, this park here is open to just us, so hike around as you¡¯d like ¡ª but don¡¯t break shit, don¡¯t touch shit, and just don¡¯t make a mess of the place, or I will kick your asses! Y¡¯all got that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± came the reply from the crowd.


    ¡°Good! Then get out there and have fun. And don¡¯t get carried away, ¡®cause I¡¯m watchin¡¯ y¡¯all!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sky exclaimed, turning to look at the other Earthians in excitement. ¡°Finally, a chance to look at some real nature!¡±


    ¡°Certainly is a nice place, huh,¡± Luke remarked as he swept his gaze across the horizon. From the ground, the park possessed a distinctly different appearance than when they had looked down upon it from the mountaintop during their arrival on-planet. The massive tree still stood in the distance against the backdrop of distant mountains, towering over all else, but its incredible network of branches that laid under its leaves was visible from the lower angle. Tall rock columns appeared throughout the park as well, and seemed even larger than before; one such column stood near to the travel group, and appeared to be nearly a dozen meters around while standing taller than a football field was long. Normal-sized trees ¡ª on the order of 10 to 15 meters tall ¡ª filled in the rest of the horizon, their density and softly serrated leaves disguising the rolling hills that laid under the forest and the rock pillars.


    ¡°It looks like that tree is the centerpiece of this park,¡± Mark commented, looking up at the massive tree in the distance. ¡°And I mean that literally, it¡¯s called the Centerpiece Tree. I heard it¡¯s almost a kilometer tall, that¡¯s pretty crazy.¡±


    ¡°And its branches extend over the ground for that distance all around,¡± Twy remarked. ¡°It really evokes the feeling of that legend of the world tree, Yggdrasil. I¡¯m starting to wish I brought my paints with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Think it¡¯s related to those big trees we saw in Rel¨¦diaka?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Maybe it is, maybe it isn¡¯t, but there is one thing I do know,¡± Pierce declared as he threw Austin a glance and then looked up at the tree. ¡°That thing is definitely the tallest thing around here.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Austin snorted. ¡°You think you¡¯re gonna stand at the top of that tree, huh? You won¡¯t get as high as me, you just watch!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Good fucking luck, dweeb!¡± Pierce retorted, and then began walking off toward the massive tree in the distance. ¡°Hey, Conrad, Kestrel! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡­Man, why do we always get dragged into this shit?¡± Conrad complained, but a second later he sighed, shrugged, and began trudging off after Pierce anyways ¡ª with Kestrel falling into stride beside him.


    ¡°The hell is that about?¡± Spike questioned, watching Pierce leave before turning to Austin. ¡°You bet somethin¡¯ with Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Whoever takes a picture from the highest place today, wins,¡± Austin said, and then held up a small camera in his hands. ¡°That¡¯s why I have this.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re taking this seriously¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s gotta put that asshole in his place,¡± Austin countered. ¡°What better way to do that than to beat him at his own game? C¡¯mon, y¡¯all, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m going to stick around here and make sure everyone¡¯s lunch is all ready to go in a couple hours,¡± Mark said, turning toward the front gates to the park where several tourist buses were parked. ¡°You all have fun!¡±


    ¡°And Spike and I have better things to do than indulge Pierce and his stupid whims,¡± Sky declared. ¡°Right, Spike?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Spike started, with a doubtful look on his face. Before he could get much further, Sky sidled up next to him and elbowed him in the side.


    ¡°Right, Spike?¡± she repeated under her breath, such that only Spike could hear her. ¡°I¡¯m sure Twy can keep Austin on the straight-and-narrow. By herself. Riiiight?¡±


    Spike stared down at her in confusion, though a second later his eyes lit up in recognition. ¡°¡­Oh! Yeah!¡± He then passed Austin a sheepish look. ¡°Sorry, dude, but I, uh, made Sky a promise and everythin¡¯. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Austin muttered, eyeing Spike and Sky suspiciously as the two turned away and began walking deeper into the park. With a sigh, he glanced back at Twy, and then at Luke. ¡°¡­Y¡¯all gonna leave me alone, too?¡±


    ¡°If I did that, you¡¯d have no one to help you when you inevitably get into trouble,¡± Twy responded in resignation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tag along too, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Luke said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had a moment like this, Austin.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why,¡± Austin deadpanned, but then turned toward the park interior himself and began marching forward. ¡°Well, either way, let¡¯s get goin¡¯! We only got a day to get this pic!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Aaaaah, finally! I forgot how good hiking feels!¡±


    ¡°It has been a while since we last got the chance,¡± Spike remarked, carefully ducking under a low-hanging tree branch as he and Sky followed a vague and twisting path up a hill. He stopped for a moment to look through the tree cover to his right, through which he could see the Centerpiece Tree as well as several of the towering rock columns spaced out around the park. Off to the right of that view was the tall, gently sloped mountain that hosted the Interstellar Gate on its peak, and far beyond, faded blue with distance, were several more mountains. A soft breeze rustled the leaves all around, masking any sounds of nearby hikers; the brief moment of cool summer air and a beautiful sight brought a serene smile to Spike¡¯s face. ¡°Really is a great view though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, it is!¡± Sky exclaimed, backtracking a couple steps to stand next to Spike and join him in looking out over the park. ¡°You¡¯d never see something like this on Earth!¡±


    Spike chuckled in response and reflexively reached out to ruffle Sky¡¯s hair, only to catch himself mid-reach and pull back his hand ¡ª though not before Sky noticed.


    ¡°¡­Back to the no touching, huh?¡± she questioned flatly.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Spike apologized with a sheepish smile. ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve got the hang of this, yet.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t accidentally crushed anything else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­ with this kinda strength, all it takes is one accident. I can¡¯t risk that with you.¡±


    Sky glared at Spike for a second before sighing in resignation. ¡°Well, I knew about that overprotective streak of yours since before we started dating, so I can¡¯t really complain now. At least I got some headpats in yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Museum ain¡¯t really the best place for that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it was the only place with a CENT field. Oooh, wait, Kaon¨¦ can just make stuff out of thin air, right? Maybe we should ask her to make us a CENT generator!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she could, but given what she said yesterday, I don¡¯t think she would¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess. Well, anyways¡­¡± Sky then spun on her heel and began following the dirt path up the hill again. ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯m sure the view will be better at the top of the hill!¡±


    Spike watched her go, his eyes lingering on her for a couple moments before looking down at his right hand. As the wind briefly picked up around him, he stooped down to pick up a small rock, just large enough to fit into his open palm. He then slowly clenched his fist, with no more difficulty than if his palm had been empty, and opened his hand again a moment later. In the rock¡¯s place was now a spattering of fine powder, powder that soon blew away on the wind itself. Spike¡¯s gaze followed the dust, his shoulders slumping.


    ¡°Hey, Spike! C¡¯mon, already! We don¡¯t have all day, you know!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he muttered, his attention returning to Sky as he began to follow in her footsteps. ¡°¡­Wait. We do got all day, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but I wanna see more than just this trail,¡± Sky retorted. ¡°According to Kaon¨¦, this park is huge! I wanna see as much of it as we can!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d need a car for that. This place is bigger than Yellowstone.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to get off our asses and keep moving! If you just stand around all day, you¡¯ll get nowhere faster than Austin and sis¡¯s relationship!¡±


    ¡°Pu ah ha ha!¡± Spike released a hearty guffaw at Sky¡¯s comment. ¡°Alright, alright, point taken.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, those two¡­¡± Sky shook her head with impatience as Spike caught up to her and they continued ascending the hill. ¡°Sometimes I think we should just bash their heads together, maybe then they¡¯d get the point.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not force it, now. Especially given current events. I¡¯m sure Austin and Twy both are stressin¡¯ about things a lot, so let ¡®em sort through all that, first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, whatever¡­ anyways, c¡¯mon! Like I said, there¡¯s lots of sights to see around here, so let¡¯s get going!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with ya,¡± Spike replied, the two climbing the trail even higher and farther into the park.


    <hr>


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man, slow down¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already moving slow,¡± Pierce countered impatiently, stopping in his tracks to look behind himself at Conrad and Kestrel as they climbed the hill to reach him. ¡°If not for you guys, I¡¯d have reached the tree and been back already! And that¡¯s not even using my superspeed!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Conrad groaned in response. A second later he reached the peak of the hill, at which point he flopped over onto his back to stare up at the sky above ¡ª or what would have been the sky, if not for the massive leaves and tree branches in the way. A couple hours had passed since the group set out from the park entrance, and now they found themselves standing under the massive canopy of the Centerpiece Tree, its cover extending out from the tree¡¯s towering trunk like a low-hanging cloud.


    ¡°¡­Big,¡± Kestrel commented, staring blankly up at the tree and its trunk, which was now close enough that its massive trunk obscured a large percentage of the horizon.


    Pierce passed her a glance before slowly surveying their surroundings. While the hill they stood on was fairly short, it was still just tall enough to see over most of the surrounding forest. In the distance behind them was the low skyline of Ilia, and the tall peak of the Gate-bearing Gateport Mountain. Pillars of stone littered the forest, though from Pierce¡¯s current position, the pillars seemed to be poking out of a massive rolling sea of green, with the low hills throughout the forest looking alike to waves.


    ¡°¡­Well, I have to admit,¡± he eventually remarked, ¡°this place looks a lot cooler than I expected. Open air and clear skies, so you can see for kilometers around¡­ yeah, this is way better than Rel¨¦diaka was.¡±


    ¡°¡­Too closed in?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    Pierce nodded. ¡°That, and you couldn¡¯t even see the fucking sky, because of all those trees. And it was so damn dark under the city. Here, though¡­¡± He whistled in awe as he moved his gaze back to the Centerpiece tree, swiveling his head from left to right just to be able to see the full width of its branches. ¡°¡­Here, you get to see the cool, big-ass tree, but you still get sun, too! This is the best of both worlds.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Great,¡± Conrad deadpanned, still lying on the ground between Pierce and Kestrel. ¡°Can we go back now?¡±


    ¡°Stop being so hella lazy and actually appreciate the scenery for once. I mean, we both know that a little hike like what we just did isn¡¯t enough to actually wind you,¡± Pierce retorted, and then took a small camera out of a small satchel he was carrying. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s still something I need to do here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, is this about that stupid ¡®take a picture from the highest place¡¯ thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid. Besides, even if I didn¡¯t need to beat the hell out of the dweeb, I¡¯d still want to snap a pic. I mean, c¡¯mon, are you seeing this?¡± Pierce spread his arms out, gesturing at the scenic views all around. ¡°Just imagine what this place looks like from the top of that tree!¡±


    ¡°And how are you gonna get up there?¡± Conrad challenged.


    ¡°Easy,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk. ¡°I can jump. I¡¯ve scaled taller buildings than this¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oi! What¡¯d I say about touchin¡¯ the nature?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Pierce spun around in surprise, only to scowl as he spotted Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª followed closely by Mark ¡ª approaching from down the hill. ¡°What? Where the hell did you come from?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been helping me hand out lunches,¡± Mark declared as he fished through a large bag slung over his shoulder. ¡°It is lunchtime, so I wanted to make sure everyone got fed.¡±


    ¡°Lunch? Yes please,¡± Conrad remarked, readily sitting up to accept a brown bag from Mark.


    ¡°The hell? Hey!¡± Pierce scowled, watching Conrad grab a sandwich out of his bag and readily begin eating as Kestrel accepted another bag from Mark. ¡°We don¡¯t need your lunch, we brought our own. The hell do you think you are, our mom?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you need one, to keep a fuckin¡¯ eye on you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, his hands on his hips as he fixed Pierce with a level glare. ¡°I heard that, about you tryin¡¯ to jump up the tree. Well you ain¡¯t doin¡¯ it.¡±


    ¡°Why? I¡¯ve scaled buildings taller than this, I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t you I¡¯m worried about. When I organized this trip, I promised the folks here on Sikalia that we wouldn¡¯t touch a thing, that we¡¯d leave the place in at least the same shape we left it in, if not better.¡±


    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m going to kill the fucking tree?¡±


    ¡°Not on purpose, no.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What?! That thing is so much bigger than any of us, how could we¡ª¡°


    ¡°That ain¡¯t it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°It¡¯s also a matter of example. Can¡¯t make exceptions for this kinda thing, it¡¯s either I let everyone climb the tree, or no one. And I chose no one. So suck it up.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted in derision, glaring at Dav¨ªdrius for a second before turning toward Mark, who was holding out a brown bag toward him. ¡°I said, I brought my own lunch!¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Mark commented with a shrug, placing the bag back in his larger bag.


    ¡°Look,¡± Dav¨ªdrius started again, drawing Pierce¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°If you wanna get somewhere high, then you can check out the rock pillars. Those are fair game. But this big tree here, it¡¯s¡­ uh, what¡¯s the word¡­ in¡­ in danger?¡±


    ¡°Endangered?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, that.¡±


    ¡°That tree is an endangered species?¡± Conrad questioned incredulously. ¡°But it looks like the ones in Rel¨¦diaka!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, ¡°but that tree bein¡¯ ¡®endangered¡¯ means it¡¯s basically one-of-a-kind, so it¡¯s off-limits. Don¡¯t touch it. Or else.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, alright. I get it,¡± Pierce replied impatiently. ¡°I won¡¯t go up the fucking tree. That good enough for you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m askin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. He gestured toward Mark, and then turned to Pierce to make one final comment. ¡°An¡¯ if I find out you went up there anyways, then I¡¯ll kick your fuckin¡¯ ass clear across Tres¨¦d when we get back, you got that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Pierce responded with a roll of his eyes. He then watched Mark climb onto Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s back; a second later, the two disappeared from sight, with Dav¨ªdrius moving so fast that even Pierce quickly lost track of him.


    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s that,¡± Conrad remarked around a mouthful of sandwich.


    ¡°Shut it, you,¡± Pierce retorted, and then began to survey the horizon once more, in search of the tallest of the rock pillars. ¡°This is an annoying setback, but we can deal. It looks like the tallest of the rock columns aren¡¯t too far from here¡­ and, now that I think about it, a pic of the tree from the top of one of those rocks would be way better than one from the top of the tree!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°But I¡¯m not going anywhere until I¡¯ve had lunch and a nap. The grass here is so soft, and the breeze just right ¡ª this is the best napping spot I¡¯ve seen in a long time!¡±


    ¡°Fucking lazy asshole,¡± Pierce muttered, and then sighed in resignation as he began to take his own lunch out of his satchel. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll rest for a bit. But after that, we¡¯re heading out again, so don¡¯t get too cozy!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Well? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I guess it¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°You ¡®guess¡¯?¡± Phoenix responded incredulously as she looked up at the massive rock column standing before her and Arn. A small strip of grassy land ¡ª devoid of tree cover ¡ª surrounded the rock column, enabling Phoenix to see the sky above, and the rock pillar that so majestically reached for it.


    ¡°I just¡­ don¡¯t really know what to make of all this, I guess,¡± Arn replied, staring up at the top of the column himself before looking around at the trees surrounding it. ¡°Never seen anythin¡¯ like this. It¡¯s all so¡­ green.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nature, for you,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you lived in a desert for your entire life?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. That¡¯s what Tres¨¦d is, a big desert wasteland.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ there isn¡¯t even all that much greenery around Tresnon, and that town is on the shore of a massive lake.¡± Phoenix sighed warily. ¡°I don¡¯t know how Tres¨¦d is so dry and dreary¡­ but I¡¯m glad you got a chance to come here, and see what the rest of the galaxy is really like!¡±


    ¡°The rest of the galaxy, huh¡­? Wonder if I¡¯ll get to come back, some day.¡±


    Phoenix glanced up at Arn, finding that his normally stoic expression had soured somewhat. ¡°¡­Well, I won¡¯t claim to know what it¡¯s like to grow up in Tres¨¦d,¡± she eventually commented, drawing Arn¡¯s attention and looking him straight in the eye. ¡°But I do know that I¡¯ve run into a Tres¨¦dian while on a different planet. He said that he went to WCU, just like you ¡ª just like us. So if he can manage to leave Tres¨¦d, then I¡¯m sure you can, too!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ yeah¡­ I guess so, huh.¡± Arn nodded in understanding.


    That said, it seems like his only way out is to join Nimalia¡¯s military¡­ Phoenix mused, her brow furrowing slightly. Which is pretty fucked up, when you think about it, and I¡¯m not sure if I should be encouraging that¡­ but Arn likes to fight, so for someone like him, the military might not be a terrible option¡­


    ¡°Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡±


    Phoenix glanced up at Arn, finding him looking down at her with a blank expression. ¡°¡­Just thinking,¡± she eventually replied.


    ¡°Huh. I see.¡± Arn nodded once before looking left and right. ¡°Well¡­ anything else to see?¡±


    ¡°The park is huge, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s¡ª¡­!¡±


    ¡°¡­Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing,¡± Phoenix responded, forcing a smile while nonetheless focusing her attention on something else. A few dozen meters away, she could see three people approaching the rock column from a slightly different direction as her and Arn. A tall woman, with white hair tied back in a braid; a young man, with tanned skin and brown hair who walked in a slouch; and another man with dirty blond hair, confidently leading the other two as he stared up at the top of the rock column. ¡­Pierce! With Conrad and Kestrel, too! A scowl briefly crossed Phoenix¡¯s face. What¡¯re they doing here¡ª? she began to think, but cut herself off just as Pierce¡¯s gaze slowly turned her way. Wait, this is perfect!


    Pierce himself was still a dozen meters away from Phoenix, but she was still able to tell that he had noticed her. In that moment, she grabbed Arn¡¯s hand and pulled him down to her level, at which point she offered him a quick kiss on the cheek. She then glanced back at Pierce and winked, only for the latter to turn away in a huff.


    ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡± Arn stared down at Phoenix in confusion. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°What, the kiss?¡± Phoenix replied innocently.


    ¡°¡¯Kiss¡¯?¡± Arn echoed cluelessly, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Do Nimalians not kiss? Oops¡­ well, uh, on Earth at least, that¡¯s just how we show affection. Well, some Earthians, at least.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± The confusion on Arn¡¯s face was replaced by understanding, only to return a second later. ¡°Why now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just¡­ felt like it,¡± Phoenix replied, casually placing her hand on Arn¡¯s shoulder to turn away from Pierce and begin walking back toward the trees. ¡°Why, did you not like it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen someone do that, before.¡±


    ¡°Really? How do Nimalians show romantic affection, then?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ huh. Aside from sex?¡±


    ¡°Yes, aside from sex. I¡¯m talking about something more public.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know, I guess.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Phoenix deadpanned. She snuck a quick glance behind herself, noting that Pierce seemed to have disappeared, but Conrad and Kestrel remained. ¡­Oh, this is probably that stupid challenge he had with Austin, or something, isn¡¯t it? Go figure. ¡°Well, anyways,¡± she commented, turning forward as she and Arn re-entered the tree cover and began again to follow one of the dirt paths through the park. ¡°Let¡¯s go see what else this park has to offer¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Alright, this is it! It has to be!¡±


    ¡°This¡­?¡± Twy echoed warily, looking up at the massive rock pillar that stood before her, Austin, and Luke. The golden-orange light of sunset shone upon the pillar and the forest surrounding it, casting long shadows that stretched to the horizon.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Austin replied, quickly surveying his surroundings before looking up at the pillar again. ¡°This has to be the tallest one. Right? That¡¯s what Luke said.¡±


    ¡°Sure looked like it,¡± Luke remarked as he knocked on the massive column. ¡°We¡¯ve been around the whole park, it feels like, and this is the one you can see from anywhere. One of two, at least, and I¡¯m pretty sure this one¡¯s taller.¡±


    ¡°Because you brought out an altimeter when we scaled the last one,¡± Twy said incredulously. ¡°I still think it¡¯s weird you have that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, knowing the altitude on-demand can be useful for a marksman,¡± Luke replied with a shrug. ¡°I may not have my rifle, but bringin¡¯ my other tools with me is just a habit.¡±


    ¡°You still would¡¯ve needed to re-calibrate it for a new planet, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t take that long. Besides¡­¡± Luke shot Austin an amused glance. ¡°I heard about this ¡®height¡¯ challenge last night, so I had time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Should I be thankin¡¯ you?¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Hey, do whatever you like. But you aren¡¯t gonna get a picture from down here, now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ c¡¯mon, Twy. Let¡¯s go up!¡± Austin clapped his hands and then used his Imperator powers to take to the air, while Twy enveloped her and Luke¡¯s legs in bubbles of water and lifted off after Austin. The trio quickly ascended to the top of the rock column, where they alighted and Twy quickly siphoned the excess water out of her and Luke¡¯s clothing.


    ¡°Still haven¡¯t gotten used to that,¡± Luke commented as he patted down his pants to ensure they were dry. ¡°I heard most Chaotics have ways to fly, but most of the Eximius Vir don¡¯t. Seeing y¡¯all do it so easily is really somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Somethin¡¯ I can do better than Mote, eh?¡± Austin replied with a bitter smirk as he held up his camera and began scanning the horizon. The Centerpiece Tree stood in the distance to the south, its long shadow stretching for kilometers over the forest below; from the same viewing angle, the peak of Gateport Mountain could be seen southwest of the Centerpiece Tree as it towered over all else around it.


    ¡°As stupid as this challenge might be,¡± Twy said, her gaze slowly sweeping across the sights bathed in sunset, ¡°¡­the views we¡¯re seeing today are beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Luke said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think this pillar would have such a good angle on the park. I bet you can even get part of the city skyline in your photo, Austin.¡±


    ¡°Already on it,¡± Austin remarked, still squinting through the camera¡¯s viewport as he searched for the perfect shot. ¡°The pic I¡¯ll take here will blow Pierce¡¯s outta the water, you just watch!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Twy responded with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Luke moved toward the edge of the pillar and sat down upon it, dangling his legs over the edge. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever actually seen anything like this. All the times I¡¯ve been to other planets¡­ well, I guess the sights weren¡¯t really the focus those times, heh.¡± He then glanced back at Austin and Twy. ¡°Y¡¯all make sure to savor this. This is an opportunity most folks don¡¯t get, even in SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is pretty unique, huh?¡± Austin commented as he continued angling his camera. ¡°I guess I can see why Dav¨ªdrius wanted to bring people here. Ah¡ª! Alright!¡± He paused for a second to actually take a photo before finally lowering the camera, a giant grin upon his face. ¡°A pic like that is perfect! I got the tree, the mountain, part of the skyline ¡ª and all in cool sunset lighting, too! Pierce¡¯ll never be able to match this!¡±


    ¡°¡­Why are you so concerned with Pierce?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°He¡¯s just an asshole. Don¡¯t pay attention to him, it¡¯s clear he thrives on it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that would be the best solution,¡± Austin replied, ¡°but he just¡­ gets on nerves. He thinks he¡¯s so much better than everyone, so if I get a chance to show him that he ain¡¯t, then I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    Twy sighed and looked away. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I should probably talk to him, too¡­¡± Luke admitted. ¡°Not sure he¡¯d listen to me, though.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Austin nodded in agreement. ¡°With a guy like him, showin¡¯ him that he¡¯s wrong is the only way to go.¡±


    ¡°What? But that opinion sounds an awful lot like¡­!¡± Twy began, only to trail off halfway through her thought.


    Austin passed her a questioning glance. ¡°A lot like what?¡±


    Twy sighed again, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking out over the horizon. ¡°¡­Nothing. It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ you sure¡ª?¡±


    ¡°We should get going. Everyone else is already heading back to the front gates.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Really?¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know that?¡± Luke questioned, glancing back at Twy before turning to scan the forest around them. From their height above the trees, it was impossible to see any signs of human activity. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t see anyone from here!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I haven¡¯t told anyone,¡± Twy replied quietly, and then looked at Austin and Luke. ¡°Well¡­ I think I have the ability to, uh¡­ ¡®sense¡¯ the locations of everyone. That is, Austin, Spike, Sky¡­ Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Really?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°That sounds neat,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°Is that, like, some kind of Chaotic ability, or something?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it must be,¡± Twy responded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sense anyone yesterday, when we were at the museum, with all those CENT fields¡­ but it¡¯s only the seven of you that I can detect.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Luke mused. ¡°I guess this has to do with that ¡®Key¡¯ stuff then, maybe?¡±


    Austin scowled. ¡°The fuckin¡¯ prophecies, again?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t really any other explanation,¡± Twy said. ¡°I looked it up, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any Chaotic abilities that let you sense the locations of specific people like this, so¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Luke declared. ¡°It doesn¡¯t line up with any Chaotic ability I¡¯ve heard of. But if you really do have another special ability due to being a ¡®Key¡¯, aside from being able to summon those weapons of yours¡­ well, I wonder if everyone else has something like that, too?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed anythin¡¯¡­¡± Austin muttered dejectedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just another thing we need clarification on, really,¡± Twy said. ¡°If we get a chance, we should try asking the Archon¨¦ for more details.¡±


    ¡°Culana? Yeah, he certainly did claim to know a lot,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but he is a national leader. A king of sorts, I think is what Archon¨¦s are. So it might not be easy to get an audience with him.¡±


    ¡°Well he owes us somethin¡¯ after draggin¡¯ us to Tres¨¦d,¡± Austin declared.


    ¡°Can¡¯t really argue with that.¡±


    ¡°Either way¡­ we should get going, for now,¡± Twy said, conjuring up bubbles of water around herself and Luke once more. ¡°We don¡¯t want the buses to leave without us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ let¡¯s go,¡± Austin replied, clapping and again taking to the air as the trio descended to the ground and began heading back to the park gates.


    <hr>


    ¡°Ahhh, what a refreshing day!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you enjoyed it,¡± Mark said with a warm smile as he watched Sky and Spike approach. He then turned to look over the rest of the group ¡ª Austin, Twy, Luke, Pierce, Conrad, and Kestrel ¡ª as they all stood near the crowd of WCU students just outside of the park gates. The skies above were dark with dusk, and only the lights of the travel buses illuminated the surrounding area. ¡°¡­Well,¡± Mark continued, momentarily drawing the attention of the others, ¡°it sounds like everyone had fun today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a beautiful park,¡± Twy remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, but now my legs ache from walking around all damn day¡­¡± Conrad complained from his seat on the ground. ¡°Not to mention that the days are longer than normal! Can I just sleep through tomorrow? I¡¯m sure no one will miss me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really mind doin¡¯ that, either¡­¡± Austin muttered, leaning down to massage his own legs.


    ¡°Hey, look on the bright side,¡± Spike commented, ¡°you never used to be able to handle a full day of hikin¡¯, Austin. The fact that you aren¡¯t winded and layin¡¯ on your back right now shows how much your stamina has improved, recently.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­ still doesn¡¯t mean I like this, though.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Then I¡¯m sure you and Conrad will be pleased to know that tomorrow should involve much less walkin¡¯ around,¡± Luke said as he glanced between Austin and Conrad. ¡°Tomorrow is the tour of the NSD garrison.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡± Conrad groaned, leaning back to fully lay on the ground. ¡°¡¯Tour¡¯ sure sounds like a lot of walking, to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you lazy asshole,¡± Pierce retorted as he kicked at Conrad¡¯s side. ¡°A little walking never killed anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s categorically false.¡±


    ¡°I said a ¡®little¡¯, smart ass.¡±


    ¡°Define ¡®little¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°How much hiking did y¡¯all even do?¡± Sky questioned incredulously as she eyed Conrad and Pierce. ¡°Spike and I hiked almost the whole day, but we¡¯re fine!¡±


    ¡°Well, we are used to hikin¡¯,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°We got the endurance for it already.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Conrad replied, pointing up at Spike while still laying on the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t hike.¡±


    ¡°You used to do track, though,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°You really let yourself go these past couple years, huh? You¡¯re doing worse than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, man,¡± Conrad retorted. ¡°I still lasted ¡®til the end, didn¡¯t I? Now I just can¡¯t wait for some sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°Had fun, today,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°¡­Never said I didn¡¯t. Just that I want a nap.¡±


    ¡°Sleeping for a whole day isn¡¯t a nap,¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°Yeah, well it¡¯s gotta be better than listening to you hunting for the perfect photo spot all day long,¡± Conrad shot back.


    ¡°The photo¡ª! Right!¡± Austin exclaimed, his attention immediately snapping to Pierce as he pulled out his own camera. ¡°So, you ready to lose?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that? C¡¯mon, dweeb,¡± Pierce replied with a self-amused smirk, and then quickly whipped out his own camera. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know there¡¯s no possible way you could match the finely crafted vista I captured on this camera. Literally impossible.¡±


    ¡°Here we go¡­¡± Twy muttered, rolling her eyes as she turned away.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be the judge of that,¡± Austin declared, ignoring Twy¡¯s comment as he brought up his photo on the camera display and held it out toward Pierce. ¡°Check this out! A pic from the tallest rock column in the park, showin¡¯ off the Centerpiece Tree, Gateport Mountain, and the forest ¡ª all in sunset lighting! And everyone knows that sunsets make photos better!¡±


    ¡°Better my ass,¡± Pierce retorted as he held his own camera display toward Austin. ¡°I took a photo from the real tallest rock column in the park. I have the tree, the mountain, and the city, too, but with much better image composition than yours ¡ª look, I even followed the rule of thirds. And I took this mid-afternoon, with perfectly clear sun lighting!¡±


    ¡°Better composition? That¡¯s not¡ª hey, the most important part is that we got the tallest point, right? And that¡¯s me!¡± Austin declared. ¡°I even had Uncle Luke check with an altimeter!¡±


    ¡°Like I need a tool to tell me I won,¡± Pierce sneered. ¡°Just look. No other part of the park is taller! Aside from the tree, but that¡¯s off limits, of course.¡±


    Wordlessly, Kestrel approached Austin and Pierce while they were verbally sparring and gently took their cameras. She looked at Austin¡¯s photo for a second, noting the golden orange colors of sunset, and then looked at Pierce¡¯s photo, taking in the clear mid-afternoon lighting and the fluffy clouds hanging in the sky. There remained something interesting about both photos, however, and after a few moments of deliberation, Kestrel pointed it out. ¡°¡­Same place.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Austin and Pierce replied in tandem.


    ¡°¡­The fuck do you mean, ¡®same place¡¯?¡± Pierce questioned irately as he snatched the two cameras from Kestrel. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±


    Conrad finally pulled himself off of the ground to approach behind Pierce and look at the two photos himself. ¡°¡­Huh. Kestrel¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Twy interjected, momentarily taking the cameras from Pierce. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s true. The angles are all the same. The tree and the mountain are in the same place¡­¡± She then looked up at Austin and Pierce. ¡°It looks like you two really did take pictures from the same column.¡±


    ¡°What?! But¡­¡± Austin quickly took back his own camera, his brow furrowed in frustration. ¡°But¡­! There weren¡¯t any signs of Pierce when we were there!¡±


    ¡°It was sunset,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°And, to be fair, the rock column you took that photo from was pretty clearly the tallest one around. I only broke out my altimeter because it¡¯s been a while since I last used it.¡±


    ¡°So the competition was flawed from the start? Ha!¡± Sky grinned. ¡°Go figure!¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± Pierce glared at his own photo, a scowl crossing his face. ¡°¡­Damn it, I knew I shouldn¡¯t have listened to Dav¨ªdrius. Should¡¯ve just gone up the fucking tree¡­¡±


    ¡°And I should¡¯ve just flown up above it,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°Man, the one time my powers could¡¯ve actually done something for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. I specifically said when I issued the challenge that you have to stand on solid ground,¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°And what part of the top of a tree is ¡®solid ground¡¯, huh?¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°Hey¡­ c¡¯mon, guys,¡± Conrad interjected. ¡°At least you both took some cool photos, right?¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s way better than that over-saturated piece of crap he has,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Bullshit, everyone knows sunset colors makes thing better!¡± Austin argued.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­ let¡¯s calm down, now,¡± Luke insisted, coming to stand in between Austin and Pierce as he held his hands out toward them. ¡°Let¡¯s just call it a draw.¡±


    ¡°A draw?!¡± Austin echoed incredulously.


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted, crossing his arms and turning his nose up at Austin. ¡°¡­I was held back by the terrain, and the rules. I¡¯ll beat you next time, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± Austin responded through clenched teeth, his tone oozing with sarcasm.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, what are we getting all mad at each other for?¡± Sky interjected, ¡°we¡¯re on a field trip to an alien planet! And there¡¯s gonna be a big party in two days! Now isn¡¯t the time to get all mad at each other!¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Kestrel nodded in agreement.


    ¡°¡­Ah, whatever.¡± Pierce turned away from Austin and began to slink away toward the buses. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡±


    ¡°For once, I agree with you¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath, slowly putting away his camera and joining the rest of the group in returning to the buses, finally ready to bid farewell to another day.

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 59: Earthly Struggles

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 59: Earthly Struggles


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Tuesday, November 29, AD 2129 ¡ª


    Kra-KOOOOMMM


    A deafening roar echoed throughout the room as the energy shields protecting the walls shimmered and flickered under the force of an explosion. Smoke filled the air and began to spread ¡ª only for a mid-sized mech to spring from the smoke and bring down its arms on an olive-skinned, red bandana-wearing woman below.


    ¡°HA!¡± Kate retorted with an aggressive grin, deftly dodging around the mech¡¯s arms and then slapping them with a large chunk of fabricated C4. She then immediately set off the C4, causing another explosion that launched her across the room and sent the mech reeling. In response, the mech¡¯s destroyed hands transformed into two laser cannons that opened fire on Kate, who managed to predict the cannons¡¯ aim and dodge out of the way of their lasers. She then fabricated two smoke grenades in hand and set them both off, obscuring her location.


    As soon as the smoke popped, the mech transformed into a large wolf. Its nostrils flared as it searched for Kate¡¯s scent; only a scant couple moments passed before it found her, at which point a large railgun appeared on its back and opened fire, launching a projectile at Mach speeds directly into Kate¡¯s frontside.


    ¡°Argh¡­!¡± Kate grunted in pain as she was flung against the far wall, impacting with such force that the energy shields protecting it flared. She then dropped to her knees, with one fist on the ground as she clutched at her chest.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± came a worried exclamation from the wolf ¡ª who¡¯s head suddenly transformed into that of Danielle. ¡°Kate, are you okay?!¡±


    Kate remained as she was, taking several deep breaths before glancing up at Danielle with a spiteful smirk on her face. ¡°Ha¡­! Like this¡­¡± she began, speaking between breaths as she held up her right hand, ¡°¡­could stop me!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Danielle questioned, confused, as she eyed Kate¡¯s raised hand. Barely a second later, Danielle realized that Kate was holding some kind of detonator ¡ª but by then, it was too late.


    Click.


    BOOOOOM!


    The instant Kate pulled the trigger, a handful of mines ¡ª masked by the smoke in the room ¡ª exploded underneath Danielle, launching her into the air. The railgun on her back cracked off and she soon tumbled to the ground in a painful heap, just as a quiet alarm began sounding in the back of the room.


    ¡°Alright, time!¡± Kate shouted, and then pumped her fist as she returned to her feet. ¡°Ha, yes! That¡¯s a win for me!¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Danielle muttered, her broken wolf body quickly transforming into her normal uninjured self, with a steel cybernetic right arm and black hair tied back in a low ponytail. ¡°Explosions hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, relax, you¡¯re fucking fine,¡± Kate retorted as she brushed herself off and inspected herself. Despite taking several blows to her unshielded body, the worst of her injuries consisted of a couple bruises.


    ¡°True,¡± Danielle conceded. ¡°I guess you look fine, too, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of fucking course I do,¡± Kate replied proudly. ¡°It¡¯ll take a hell of a lot more than just a few fucking explosions and railgun shots to take me out!¡± Her boast was soon followed by a tired exhale, however, as she bent over with her hands on her knees. ¡°¡­Oof¡­¡±


    ¡°Tired?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Anyone would be,¡± Kate responded defensively. ¡°We¡¯ve been sparring for almost three straight fucking hours.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha, right¡­¡± Danielle glanced around at the training room the two were currently inhabiting. The room was devoid of all features save for a few markings on the ground, denoting different distances from each of the four walls; as the smoke from their fighting cleared, the walls could be seen as well, all four of them just as pristine and undamaged as when the two started fighting ¡ª all thanks to energy shielding.


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Kate took another several deep breaths before standing straight again and pumping her fists. ¡°Alright¡­! I fucking needed that! Thanks, Danielle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem!¡± Danielle replied cheerfully. ¡°Duels like these can be really fun!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good for blowing off steam, that¡¯s for damn sure.¡± Kate rolled her shoulders before making for the room¡¯s exit. ¡°And now, I need a fucking shower¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess I could use one, too,¡± Danielle remarked, quickly skipping over to Kate and then falling into step beside her.


    ¡°What do you need a shower for?¡± Kate questioned incredulously. ¡°Can¡¯t you just do that thing where you turn into a clean version of yourself?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but showers are good for more than just cleaning, you know! Standing under the cold running water feels really good!¡±


    ¡°Huh, yeah, I get what you¡ª wait, fucking what?¡± Kate stopped herself mid-sentence to pass Danielle a disgusted look. ¡°Cold water? What the fuck?¡±


    Danielle shrugged. ¡°What can I say? I like it.¡±


    ¡°¡­You can be fucking weird at times.¡±


    ¡°I guess. Same for you, though. It¡¯s been a while since you wanted to spar with me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Kate pursed her lips as she returned her attention forward, the two women rounding a corner in the hallway. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a fucking while since I needed it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    ¡°Just fucking think about it. Normally I get to blow some steam while on a damn mission, fighting Drakkars or some shit, but that hasn¡¯t happened very often.¡±


    Danielle frowned. ¡°Weren¡¯t we fighting Drakkars just two weeks ago¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that was the first fucking time I got to fight in a god damn month!¡± Kate protested, ¡°and we fucking lost! Hell, I lost the two fights before that one, too! Fucking¡­ damn it!¡± She punched the wall beside her, causing a loud metallic thud to echo through the hallway. ¡°I¡¯m fucking tired of losing!¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean, we all survived all our missions, right?¡± Danielle pointed out, ¡°that counts as winning, right?¡±


    ¡°Surviving is the fucking default state,¡± Kate countered irately. ¡°I want to win fights! You know, fucking actually beat our enemies! When was the last goddamn time that happened, huh?!¡±


    Danielle fell silent as she thought back over the past several missions ¡ª and a frown formed on her face as she realized that the last time the Eximius Vir had an undisputed victory in combat was months ago, when fighting off the Drakkars that had attacked the Black Suns dig site that had found the Aldredian Armor; though even that mission ended in the Earthians and Black Suns both fleeing from a Drakkar Cruiser. Every following mission had been either a loss or a half-victory: when recovering the Aldredian Corvette Raenaros, they were still forced to flee from the Drakkars; at the Aldredian shipyard, they had been forced to destroy all of the ships despite fighting off Telregina; at the abandoned space station, they had run into Nanocreatures and were forced to flee without finding anything ¡ª not to mention that Kate wasn¡¯t there in the first place; and on their last mission, they had almost recovered a mysterious new piece of Aldredian technology, only for it to be snatched out from under them.


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    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ exactly,¡± Kate muttered in response to Danielle¡¯s silence. ¡°Just once, I want to win, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s always next mission, I guess,¡± Danielle replied.


    ¡°¡¯Next mission¡¯. Tch. We don¡¯t even know what our next fucking mission is.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ well, it¡¯ll probably be looking into Aldredian tech, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Maybe. If it is, we better fucking actually get something out of it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, either way¡­¡± Danielle clasped her hands behind her back and passed Kate a smile. ¡°If you ever feel like you need to blow off some steam again, feel free to ask! This was fun.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kate sighed warily. ¡°¡­Thanks. I¡¯ll remember that. For now, though¡­¡± She looked up at the door the duo had just arrived at, and the sign above it that read ¡°locker room¡±.


    ¡°Time for a shower!¡± Danielle cheerfully remarked as she bounded through the door, leaving Kate behind in the hallway.


    ¡°So fuckin¡¯ cheerful¡­¡± Kate muttered, and then followed her friend into the locker room. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping she¡¯s right, I guess¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­Say again, sir?¡±


    ¡°You heard me,¡± General Lead replied, his hands clasped on top of the large desk in his office as he stared levelly at Colonel Saito, who sat across from him. ¡°On Sunday, December 4th, CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir will ship out to Eana to prepare for Operation New Dawn ¡ª to reclaim SERRCom¡¯s old colony of Sunova, under the command of Commander Shepherd.¡±


    Saito responded with an incredulous look as he searched for the words with which to reply. ¡°¡­Why? I thought we were supposed to be investigating the Dreadnought coordinates.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still a long-term priority,¡± Lead answered, ¡°however, Genesis is still under repair. Until she is back in mission-worthy condition, your investigations are on hold.¡±


    ¡°Why not use the Origin? Or one of the other Genesis-class Battlecruisers?¡±


    ¡°None of the Genesis-class Battlecruisers actually match the capabilities of Genesis herself. We just haven¡¯t yet figured out how to perfectly recreate Genesis¡¯s technology ¡ª and Genesis herself was almost destroyed while investigating one of the Dreadnought coordinates. Only a couple of our Carriers have sturdier shields than Genesis, and they¡¯re occupied with other tasks.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito sighed warily. ¡°Still¡­ you¡¯re putting us under Shepherd¡¯s command?¡±


    Lead responded with a deep exhale, his gaze momentarily dropping as he massaged his brow. A few seconds later, he returned to making eye-contact with Saito as he replied, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you, Colonel. This assignment is mostly political. As much as Shepherd and I¡­ don¡¯t see eye-to-eye, he made several valid points during last week¡¯s Command Meeting. The lion¡¯s share of SERRCom¡¯s military budget goes to the Space Navy over the Ground Forces, and for good reason, in my opinion. Nevertheless, the morale of SERRCom line members mustn¡¯t be neglected, and this kind of symbolic operation may be just what SERRCom needs to show that we¡¯re still in control.¡±


    ¡°Are we in control, sir?¡± Saito questioned.


    Lead chuckled. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no doubting that recent events have put us on the back foot. Still, there is value in keeping up appearances ¡ª and that¡¯s where the Eximius Vir, and by extension CSF-1, come in. The eight of you are symbols in SERRCom, whether you like it or not.¡±


    ¡°Which makes us convenient to use, I¡¯m sure,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°Both by Shepherd, and by anyone who wanted to keep an eye on him¡­ am I right, sir?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Lead offered a wry smile. ¡°¡­It is what it is, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Although, I don¡¯t suppose I could get a higher paycheck out of all of this?¡± Saito quipped.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir have certainly faced greater danger than usual over the past several months.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ well, as much as I dislike working under Shepherd, sir, it¡¯ll be nice to have a straight-forward, low-threat mission, for once.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡± Lead pursed his lips, though the action was partially hidden by his mustache. ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known it wouldn¡¯t be that easy,¡± Saito deadpanned, and then shrugged. ¡°But I guess it¡¯s what we¡¯re here for, isn¡¯t it? Well, what¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°Last Friday, one of our scouting Frigates did a flyby of Sunova, as preparation for Operation New Dawn,¡± Lead explained. ¡°During this flyby, it was discovered that someone had moved in. Closer inspection revealed that ¡®someone¡¯ to be the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°Them again¡­¡±


    ¡°It would seem so. And they had blanketed the entire region in beam jamming fields, so they clearly know that there was a risk of us discovering them.¡±


    ¡°Do they know that we discovered them?¡±


    ¡°The scouting Frigate was equipped with a PCS and detected no large-scale sensor equipment on the planet¡¯s surface, so it¡¯s unlikely that the Black Suns detected her. However, as per galactic policy¡­ we reached out to the Black Suns to inquire about their presence on Sunova.¡±


    ¡°So they know that we know, then.¡±


    ¡°The Black Suns claimed that the outpost on Sunova isn¡¯t connected to their official operations ¡ª essentially, they claimed no ties, and that we can do with the outpost whatever we see fit. It¡¯s hard to know how much of that is true or a bluff, however.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Shepherd was pleased to hear that,¡± Saito quipped.


    ¡°If he had it his way, we would have ambushed the Black Suns without warning,¡± Lead stated. ¡°But that would risk an incident and increased tensions with the Suns as a whole, which SERRCom cannot afford right now. We may have lost the element of surprise, but the ambush play was too risky, politically speaking.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir. It still makes this whole op tricky, since the outpost might know we¡¯re coming, now¡­ is there a plan to address that?¡±


    Lead shook his head. ¡°That is ultimately up to Shepherd. He¡¯s the one planning the op; you¡¯ll be informed of the details when you arrive on Eana this weekend. All I can tell you is what the scouting Frigate discovered ¡ª and part of that is that the Black Suns weren¡¯t actually inhabiting the gatefort we left behind.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Saito passed Lead a confused glance. ¡°¡­You¡¯re saying they left it abandoned?¡±


    ¡°It would seem so. The building showed the signs of wear and tear that you¡¯d expect from 20 years of abandonment, and there were no indications of Black Suns defenses. They seemed to be focused entirely on the caves, which if I recall correctly, are around a hundred kilometers from the Interstellar Gate and the gatefort.¡±


    ¡°The caves of Sunova¡­¡± Saito muttered. While Sunova may have been an abandoned colony, the planet was still well known among the members of SERRCom for the part it played in the organization¡¯s history. 40 years ago, the galaxy was hit by the first Chaos Energy Quake, after which all of the Chaos Ayas ¡ª the only nine objects in the entire galaxy capable of generating Chaos Energy ¡ª disappeared. The first time anyone encountered the Ayas again was 20 years later, in the caves of Sunova, where a young Captain stumbled upon an odd silver sphere and grasped it in his hands. That silver sphere turned out to be the Master Ayas, and when the Captain touched it, an incredibly advanced spacecraft of mysteriously familiar construction spontaneously appeared in orbit around Sunova. That spacecraft was the Battlecruiser Genesis, the origin of much of SERRCom¡¯s current technology ¡ª and the Captain was none other than David Shepherd, now the Commander of the Ground Forces.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± Saito eventually commented, ¡°I know that the caves of Sunova hold some significance for SERRCom¡­ but why are the Black Suns interested in them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible to say,¡± Lead replied. ¡°But I suspect it has something to do with the Nanocreature outbreak 20 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Were there any signs the Nanocreatures were still around?¡±


    ¡°Not that the scouting Frigate could see. Still, the Nanocreatures came from the caves, and were far from the only¡­ odd thing that we found there. We weren¡¯t able to map out the entirety of the caves before abandoning the colony, however, so it¡¯s possible that there are undiscovered mysteries that we left behind.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess ¡ª Shepherd wants to get his hands on them?¡±


    ¡°If they exist, yes. That reason is why this op is moving forward so quickly: Shepherd wants to get the jump on the Suns before they can pack up and leave with anything they found.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito sighed warily. ¡°¡­The damn Black Suns, again¡­ and I just heard that one showed up on Nimalia, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Master Captain Gavon Sav¨¦nos, yes,¡± Lead replied. ¡°I heard that, as well. The Suns suddenly showing up around the recruits does sound suspicious on first glance, but it is actually a coincidence. The Master Captain¡¯s arrival was arranged months ago, before we even knew about the recruits.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still concerning, sir, isn¡¯t it?¡± Saito pointed out, ¡°to have a Black Suns officer so close to our own activities?¡±


    ¡°The recruits¡¯ presence and activities on Nimalia are hardly confidential, Saito,¡± Lead countered. ¡°Enrollment in the Nimalian Schools of Chaos is public information. The Black Suns could learn all they wanted, even without sending an officer ¡ª much less a Master Captain, which is roughly analogous to a SERRCom Major in terms of authority.¡±


    ¡°Sending a Major to spy would be a bit much, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Master Captain Sav¨¦nos is with Sector 1 of the Black Suns, as well. I remain wary of the organization as a whole, especially in light of what¡¯s happening with Sunova¡­ but based on what I know from watching galactic politics for nearly three decades, Sector 1 is trustworthy ¡ª it¡¯s perhaps the only Sector that is. They declassify as many of their mission reports as they can ¡ª I suspect as an advertising tool, but the reports are nonetheless impressive, and Sav¨¦nos¡¯s history with the Suns checks out.¡±


    ¡°I suppose if it didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t be a ¡®guest instructor¡¯ on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°That is my thinking, as well. The Nimalians have yet to do us wrong, so I¡¯ll continue to trust their judgment.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll continue to trust in yours, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Saito. I know CSF-1¡¯s recent experience with the Black Suns was more adversarial than you would have liked, but each Sector of the Black Suns is practically and effectively their own, independent organization ¡ª so your encounter with Sector 3 won¡¯t necessarily reflect how an officer from Sector 1 would act. And on the subject of Sectors¡­ it is Director Hamasaki¡¯s suspicion that the Black Suns on Sunova are associated with Sector 2. Black Ops are Sector 2¡¯s M.O., and this situation sounds like exactly that.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much, myself¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°¡­Oi. I originally thought that we¡¯d just have to clean up some dead nanites, but now there¡¯s Black Suns involved¡­ This mission is starting to sound like more of a pain in the ass than I expected.¡±


    A regretful smile passed over Lead¡¯s face as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Colonel, but I need you for this one. I¡¯ll find a way to make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°There is my paycheck,¡± Saito replied cheekily, and then adopted a thoughtful look as a realization crossed his mind. ¡°¡­Actually, sir, I know something you might be able to do for us. For CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Some leave. The others are starting to feel some real fatigue from all of these missions we¡¯re going on. We had already been on a string of missions before the recent Chaos Quake, and since the Quake, we haven¡¯t had a break. And at this rate, things aren¡¯t looking good for the winter holidays, or the new year.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll look into that, but I think it should be doable. Genesis is liable to be under repair all through December, anyways.¡±


    It figures that our only chance at leave is because one of our most important spacecraft can¡¯t go out, Saito thought bitterly. Things really are busy around here.


    ¡°Anyways, that covers everything I wanted to discuss,¡± Lead declared. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for Captain Travis and Lieutenant Cox to join you for Operation New Dawn, as well. Until then, you have time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir. We¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear, Colonel. I¡¯m glad SERRCom has officers like you to count on. But for now, you¡¯re dismissed.¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 60: The Future of Chaotics

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 60: The Future of Chaotics


    ¡ª Watedia, Aldredath 4, 8054 ¡ª


    (Tuesday, November 29, AD 2129)


    ¡°Alright¡­ everything checks out, ma¡¯am. You¡¯re clear to enter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied cordially, briefly bowing her head toward the uniformed guard standing before her. As the guard stepped aside to open the gates in front of him, Kaon¨¦ glanced behind herself at Luke, Mark, and all of the Keys who stood with her. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully cheerful for a tour of a military base¡­¡± Austin muttered as the group followed Kaon¨¦ through the gates, and onto the grounds beyond. A long road stretched from the gates to a modest courtyard resting between two three-story buildings, each one appearing to have a footprint the size of a football field. Verdant grass and tall, healthy trees lined the road and the two buildings, though gave way on either side for a distinctly more military appearance. Far to the left was a series of massive hangars, with a handful of tanks, mechs, and other military vehicles parked outside while military mechanics and WCU students crowded around; off to the right appeared a large athletics complex, with a track that appeared to be in use by some Nimalian soldiers. The entirety of the base was encircled by a metal fence and more trees, helping to disguise the military nature of the complex from the surrounding civilian buildings.


    ¡°Damn, everyone else is already so far ahead of us!¡± Pierce remarked, his attention directed toward the WCU students near the hangars. ¡°Why the hell did we have to sit outside the gates for so long when all of them could just walk on in?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the unfortunate reality of us not only not being Nimalian, but also being part of the military of an entirely foreign government,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°Earth and Nimalia might be allies, but that doesn¡¯t get rid of all the issues and red tape of us visiting an NSD military base.¡±


    ¡°I do apologize for taking so long,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented as the group continued walking down the long road to the base¡¯s central courtyard. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to get held up like that¡­ still, we¡¯re in now.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t forget that we have to stick together as a group,¡± Luke quickly declared, just as Pierce and Austin made to split off in separate directions. ¡°Dean Densalin here has graciously agreed to be our chaperone today, but there¡¯s only one of her, after all.¡±


    ¡°The Nimalians really don¡¯t trust us, huh?¡± Phoenix questioned bitterly.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Pierce passed her a spiteful smirk. ¡°Mad you can¡¯t spend the day with your wonderful boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Anything to get me away from you,¡± she shot back.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re all here, though,¡± Spike interjected, ¡°what do we wanna check out?¡±


    ¡°What even is there to do?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡­ you used to be in the NSD, right?¡± Twy asked, her attention directed toward the Dean. ¡°Do you have any insight?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ responded with a deep sigh, her own gaze slowly sweeping across the base around them. ¡°Yes, I was once an NSD soldier¡­ but it¡¯s been a while, and as I said a few days ago, I¡¯ve never been to Sikalia before. So I don¡¯t know much about this base.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s start with that, then!¡± Sky exclaimed as she gestured off to the right. Not far from the track were a handful of open-air training fields, and on one of the fields appeared a group of soldiers in white shirts and shorts. Water, flames, and rocks swiveled around the group, slowly lowering, rising, and then dipping down toward the soldiers in a distinct, yet graceful rhythm, all while one of the soldiers seemed to dance outside of the levitating elements and made punching motions toward the center.


    ¡°Some kind of training¡­?¡± Mark suggested.


    ¡°Looks way too choreographed for that,¡± Sky refuted. ¡°It almost looks like they¡¯re dancing.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­¡± Phoenix commented as she watched the group from afar. ¡°It certainly doesn¡¯t look like combat training, anyways.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised what ¡®training¡¯ can look like for Chaotics, sometimes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Not everything we do is combat, after all. As for that group over there ¡ª well, I don¡¯t know for certain what they¡¯re doing, but if I had to guess, I¡¯d say they¡¯re warming up or practicing for tomorrow¡¯s show.¡±


    ¡°You mean, during tomorrow¡¯s Brightest Day celebrations?¡± Luke asked.


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°Right. There¡¯s a talent show of sorts running all through tomorrow, and some of the performers are NSD Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯d heard,¡± Twy remarked. ¡°It might be nice to see Chaotics using their powers outside of a martial context.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted, her gaze lingering on the training Chaotics. ¡°¡­Why we¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah, yeah, I bet that¡¯s the entire reason we¡¯re here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Conrad questioned, briefly passing Kestrel a glance before turning toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°The NSD wants to hook people by claiming that Chaotics don¡¯t actually have to fight all the time, or some shit, right?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what they wanted to do, then they wouldn¡¯t have dragged us to a fucking military base,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°With tanks! And mechs! You don¡¯t get more ¡®military¡¯ than that!¡±


    ¡°Still makes you wonder why we¡¯re here,¡± Conrad insisted, with Kestrel offering a nod of agreement from beside him. ¡°What¡¯s the point of visiting a military base, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Judging by how those tanks and mechs are lined up, all clearly for show¡­ I¡¯d say that you weren¡¯t completely off track,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°This whole visit is one big recruitment ad, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ sighed warily. ¡°I wish I could say otherwise¡­ but you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like conscription, or the military,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly replied, fixing Austin with a stare before turning to address the group as a whole. ¡°But, the only way Dav¨ªdrius and I could convince the Union to allow this off-world trip was to agree to this tour of the Ilia NSD base.¡±


    ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t sound very cool of the Union, then,¡± Sky declared.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t¡­ especially since joining the NSD is one of the only ways for Tres¨¦dian Chaotics to legally leave their homeland. This whole visit reeks of exploitation, and if it were up to me, we wouldn¡¯t be here. But¡­¡± The Dean sighed once more. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius claimed that letting his students see the world outside of Tres¨¦d was worth it. I just hope that he¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°¡­This is way heavier stuff than I was expectin¡¯ to think about today¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda hoped we¡¯d just get to look at some tanks and mechs, or somethin¡¯¡­¡± Austin added.


    ¡°Well, while we¡¯re here, it at least couldn¡¯t hurt to look around,¡± Luke commented, though as he spoke, his attention was fixed entirely on the hangars, and the half-dozen mechs that stood outside them. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted a closer look at Nimalian mechs, myself.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be all day, isn¡¯t it?¡± Phoenix questioned with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Just you guys salivating over military hardware, huh?¡±


    ¡°Better than just standing around, feeling sorry for ourselves,¡± Pierce retorted, and then set out toward the hangars. ¡°C¡¯mon, you slow asses, let¡¯s go do something already!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t believe I agree with him on something¡­¡± Austin muttered to himself, only to shake the thought from his head and join the group as everyone began walking to the left, starting their day visit of the NSD base.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s so crowded in here¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fucking cafeteria, of course it is,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Get over it, dweeb.¡±


    Austin responded with an irritated scowl as he took a seat at a long cafeteria table alongside the rest of the Earthians. After spending the day looking through the mechs, tanks, and other machinery of the local NSD garrison, the group of Earthians now found themselves sat within the base¡¯s large mess hall, a little off to the side of the portion of the hall that was marked off for the WCU travel group. Scents of just barely above-average food filled the room as the traveling students all took turns grabbing dinner, all while a handful of NSD officers looked on from nearby the serving lines.


    ¡°Pretty big cafeteria, though,¡± Spike pointed out as he began spooning food into his mouth. ¡°Ain¡¯t seen one this big in a while.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Spike,¡± Luke declared, his gaze slowly sweeping across the large hall. Dozens upon dozens of long tables filled the room, featuring enough space to easily seat several hundred people. By comparison, the WCU travel group of under 200 filled far less than half of the space, with the rest occupied by the actual soldiers of the garrison. ¡°¡­I guess there¡¯s a lot of soldiers on this base, huh?¡±


    ¡°Fort Ilia is Sikalia¡¯s primary NSD garrison,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out from her seat across from Luke and to the side of the Keys. ¡°And you all saw the facilities, today. It takes a lot of people to run a base like this.¡±


    ¡°Half of them dedicated just to maintaining all of the vehicles around here, I bet,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that there¡¯s a large support staff, but automation can take care of most standard maintenance.¡±


    ¡°There sure were a lot of mechs and tanks, though!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Nimalia¡¯s at peace, right? So why keep around all of that stuff?¡±


    ¡°Dismantling your weapons during peacetime is one of the quickest ways to end peacetime,¡± Luke countered. ¡°Nimalia may not have any immediate enemies now, but who knows when they will. In the interim, they have to maintain their weapons ¡ª just like SERRCom, and any other military in the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°I reject the premise that peacetime militaries need fifty mechs and a hundred tanks, all in the same place,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°And even if we were to accept it,¡± Twy commented, ¡°based on what I know about military defenses¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be really easy for most Chaotics to destroy it all?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bold claim,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Nah, she¡¯s right,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Eating through energy shielding is piss-easy. I¡¯ve done it several times, myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s true that most Chaotics can easily shutdown energy shielding, or bypass it entirely,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded warily. ¡°However, Chaotics are rare. Only 1 in every forty thousand Nimalians is a Chaotic ¡ª and I¡¯m sure you all are aware that you are Earth¡¯s only Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°In other words, most military defenses aren¡¯t designed to stop Chaotics, because the likelihood of running into one isn¡¯t high enough to justify the insane extra defenses you¡¯d need,¡± Luke stated. ¡°Most doctrines say that the best anti-Chaotic weapon is another Chaotic. And it isn¡¯t like Chaotics are all that useful at the kinds of ranges that you use vehicular weaponry for, anyways. Why, the shortest-range mech-mounted weapon the Nimalians have is a plasma shotgun, and that can still reach fifteen hundred meters! I¡¯d like to see a Chaotic that could attack from that far away!¡±


    ¡°Chaotics are conscripted, though,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°Only 1 in every forty thousand Nimalians is a Chaotic, sure, but that ratio has to be way higher for the military, right?¡±


    ¡°It is, but even then, not all Chaotics can bypass energy shielding. And many aren¡¯t even front-line combatants,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°You saw that yourself, today.¡±


    ¡°Right, with the Nucleartechnic in charge of the local power plant¡­¡± Mark nodded absentmindedly. ¡°And the Electrotechnic that was helping him¡­¡±


    ¡°A couple of the mechanics were Metallitechnics, too,¡± Spike said. ¡°I guess bein¡¯ able to move metal with your mind would help out with mechanic stuff a lot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Though the only Hydrotechnic I saw was cleaning dirt off the side of a hangar¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, everyone has a second job that they¡¯re good at, we know,¡± Pierce retorted with a roll of his eyes. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that Chaotics are way more useful in a fight!¡±


    ¡°Maybe you are,¡± Austin countered. ¡°Is fightin¡¯ people the only thing you¡¯re good at?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°Hardly. I still have a lot of improvement to make in that area ¡ª and yet I¡¯m still better at fighting than you¡¯ll ever be, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Luke quickly interjected, briefly drawing the attention of both Austin and Pierce. ¡°Let¡¯s not be fighting over dinner, especially not in the middle of a military base. Of a foreign nation.¡±


    ¡°You hear that, Pierce? You could be an embarrassment to all of Earth,¡± Phoenix remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°¡­Anyways,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually continued, ¡°my point earlier is that not all Chaotics are put on the frontlines, even in a war. There aren¡¯t many Chaotic types that are only useful in combat, after all, and as Luke said earlier ¡ª most wartime combat takes place over long ranges, the kind that Chaotics aren¡¯t very useful for.¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re a Velocitechnic like me, and can close that distance hella fast,¡± Pierce declared smugly.


    ¡°And then get surrounded on all sides as you attack an enemy frontline all by yourself?¡± Austin retorted.


    Pierce smirked. ¡°As if that¡¯s a danger. I¡¯d just use my superior speed to stay out of trouble. You can¡¯t hit what you can¡¯t see, after all!¡±


    ¡°If it were that easy for you to take on a whole group by yourself, then I wonder why you had so much trouble back when we were fighting EA¡¯s robots,¡± Austin challenged.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ looks like y¡¯all are doin¡¯ as good as ever, huh?¡±


    Austin and Pierce stopped their bickering as they turned to the side, where they found Kar¨ªsah approaching with a tray of food in hand. She offered the group a curt wave.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Oh, Kar¨ªsah!¡± Mark exclaimed. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Just thought I¡¯d check up on y¡¯all¡­¡± she replied, her gaze briefly sweeping across the Keys before lingering for a moment on Kaon¨¦. ¡°Oh, Kaon¨¦, I didn¡¯t see you there¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the Dean replied with a smile. ¡°Everything okay with the rest of the travel group?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Dav¨ªdrius and the other teachers have it all handled.¡± Kar¨ªsah then nodded toward an empty seat next to Mark. ¡°¡­Would y¡¯all mind if I joined you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Mark said as he made room for her. ¡°More friends are always welcome for dinner, I say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d pick us over almost literally anyone else here,¡± Conrad said, eying Kar¨ªsah warily as she took a seat. Beside him, Kestrel also kept an eye on Kar¨ªsah; the joint wariness of the two wasn¡¯t lost on the Nimalian, who responded with an uneasy laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ as I said,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°I¡¯m just checkin¡¯ in. Though you all seem to be just like your normal selves, huh?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to be ¡®checked in¡¯ on,¡± Pierce countered, and then shot Austin a glance. ¡°Well, most of us, at least.¡±


    Austin opened his mouth to respond, only to stop himself before actually saying anything and settling with glaring at Pierce.


    ¡°Looks like any further conversation will have to wait,¡± Luke spoke up, gesturing toward a group of NSD officers standing near the mess hall serving area. The last of the students in the travel group had just gotten their dinners, and one of the officers appeared to be preparing to give some kind of speech.


    ¡°Oh, boy,¡± Phoenix deadpanned, her elbow on the table and chin resting in her palm as she half-turned to face the officer. ¡°I wonder what kind of jingoistic bullshit they¡¯re going to try to peddle at us?¡±


    Any replies to her rhetorical question were cut off by one of the NSD officers loudly clapping their hands, so as to draw attention. The ambient noise of cafeteria chatter failed to subside, however, until Dav¨ªdrius stood up and shouted across the room, ¡°hey, y¡¯all, shut your traps for just a couple minutes!¡±


    Soon after, the idle conversations subsided, and everyone¡¯s attention turned toward the NSD officers. A tall man in the front, with thin gray-black hair and the beginnings of wrinkles on his face, hidden only by a massive, thick beard, stepped forward and cleared his throat. ¡°Thank you, Dean Wrikax,¡± he commented, offering a curt nod toward Dav¨ªdrius before turning his attention to the travel group at large. Adopting a welcoming smile, the man said, ¡°welcome, everyone! I¡¯ve run into a handful of you over the past few hours, but allow me to introduce myself to you all: I am Ground Colonel Folas Orough, of the NSDGC ¡ª the Nimalian Systems Defense Ground Core. You can just call me Colonel Orough, though. I¡¯m the commander in charge of Fort Ilia, as well as all of the NSD¡¯s operations here on Sikalia.¡± He then swept his gaze across the sea of students. ¡°I trust you all have had a good time on Sikalia, so far?¡±


    The Colonel¡¯s question was met by the low murmurs of quiet conversations in a crowd, accompanied by a handful of positive ¡ª if somewhat subdued ¡ª exclamations.


    ¡°The park was fun,¡± Sky commented, her voice low so that only those near her could hear, ¡°that museum trip, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say we didn¡¯t learn anythin¡¯, though,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Kaon¨¦ hushed. ¡°Let¡¯s save the talking for later.¡±


    The group turned their attention back to Colonel Orough, who had begun speaking again. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that many of you are enjoying your time here,¡± he declared. ¡°It¡¯s always heartening to see my fellow Nimalians immersing themselves in the culture of conservation and preservation that we¡¯ve cultivated over many, many generations ¡ª dating as far back as when we lived only on Nimalia itself! Though I suppose I need not say that to all of you, hailing from the Homeworld as you do.¡±


    ¡°Does this guy know we¡¯re from Earth?¡± Conrad whispered to Pierce.


    ¡°Forget us, I don¡¯t think he knows the Nimalians are from a fuckin¡¯ wasteland,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Now, with most of your trip revolving around Sikalia¡¯s preservation efforts until today,¡± the Colonel continued, his hands clasped in front of him, ¡°I¡¯m sure many of you are wondering why you¡¯ve spent today at an NSD facility. Well, my friends, we aren¡¯t just here to show off the advances in Nimalian technology that you can see in our latest-gen Nikom tanks, or the impressive mobility of our Rivad and R¨¦tek mechs, or the intricate targeting systems that allow our snipers to use our Regad and Imarin laser guns to their maximum capability. Neither are we here just to demonstrate how Chaotics fit into the regime of our modern military, and their training practices to remain in top shape. Today, I have offered you a glimpse into your future ¡ª and now, I would like to discuss it.¡±


    Murmurs from the WCU students built up again, quickly filling the brief silence after the Colonel¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°I bet this asshole is about to wax poetic about Chaotic conscription or some other tone-deaf subject, isn¡¯t he,¡± Phoenix deadpanned.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment, her expression blank ¡ª though with her lips ever so slightly pursed.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Colonel Orough spoke up again, briefly raising his voice to draw attention back to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all thinking the same thing ¡ª ¡®is the military, the NSD, really right for me?¡¯ All of our servicepersons must ask themselves this question before joining. Ultimately, I find, the answer comes down to the following: if you have power, then what do you do with it? Do you sit idly by, letting your abilities waste away, or do you rise to the occasion and do all that you can to better the society in which you live? After all, what is the NSD but an organization of defense that allows the Nimalian Union to blossom under our watchful protection ¡ª and what is more honorable than using the powers at your disposal in the most efficient manner to do so?¡±


    ¡°I expected this, but it¡¯s still pissin¡¯ me off¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°We are on a military base¡­¡± Twy replied with a sigh. ¡°Just sit tight. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be done soon¡­¡±


    ¡°And thus, we come to the one thing you all have in common,¡± the Colonel proclaimed, his hands spread apart and palms held open and upwards in a welcoming gesture. ¡°All of you before me today are Chaotics ¡ª and not just any Chaotics, but students at one of Nimalia¡¯s esteemed Schools of Chaos! You are the rarest of the rare, and some might even say that you are some of the Union¡¯s most important citizens. But do not think that we at the NSD take that for granted. No, we understand all of the hard work that goes into training your Chaotic abilities, and maintaining your enrollment at one of our Union¡¯s most prestigious institutions. Each and every one of you are dedicated, hardworking citizens, easily on track to join the NSD as a commissioned officer, in fact. Additionally, I hear that the famed ACT ¡ª the Annual Chaotic Tournament ¡ª is soon coming. While it may seem a mere sport to you all, the reality is that the entire Union is watching, NSD included. Those of you who perform well may find yourselves rewarded handsomely. Just ask your own member of the Elite Six ¡ª Kar¨ªsah Lekai, I do believe?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah groaned, though forced a smile as many of the WCU students turned to look at her. ¡°¡­¡¯Elite Six¡¯ isn¡¯t even an official title¡­¡± she muttered under her breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of what the ACT has become, either¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ added in kind. ¡°But, like it or not, Kar¨ªsah, you are a role model. And in that capacity, you do a far better job than any other member of the Elite Six.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all wondering just how long this old man is going to drone on, by now,¡± Colonel Orough continued, his mouth turned up into a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯ve just about said my piece, but before I leave you all today, I¡¯d just like you to consider my words. As Chaotics, you all hold immense power ¡ª far more than your average person. Just as every individual has a responsibility to aid their neighbors and advance the society in which they live, so too do you all have a responsibility to use your powers for the forces of justice, and the well-being of our Union. Do not be afraid of this responsibility; rather, rise up to it and beyond, and the Nimalian Systems Defense will reward your societal contributions accordingly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is this what SERRCom recruitment speeches sound like?¡± Mark questioned as he passed Luke a glance.


    The Captain responded with a nervous chuckle. ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ well, that¡¯s just the military, for you.¡±


    ¡°And with that, I will open the podium to your Dean,¡± Colonel Orough finished. ¡°I hope you enjoy the rest of your dinner, and be sure to join the festivities that Ilia has planned for tomorrow! Now, Dean Wrikax, if you would?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius paused mid-chewing, his mouth full with food as Colonel Orough turned to look at him on the far side of the room. The Dean hastily swallowed and stood up, clearing his throat once before stating, ¡°¡­well, y¡¯all heard the man. Let¡¯s fuckin¡¯ eat!¡±


    An uproarious exclamation met the Dean¡¯s declaration, easily drowning out any of the tepid murmers during the Colonel¡¯s speech. All of the WCU students then readily returned to eating and loud banter, filling the mess hall with the noise of a crowd decompressing after a long day.


    ¡°Well that went exactly as I expected,¡± Phoenix deadpanned as she turned to look at the rest of the Earthians. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought it was all bullshit, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have to agree with you, there,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°What a bunch of fuckin¡¯ hot air.¡±


    ¡°Are NSD recruitment speeches usually like this?¡± Twy questioned, her attention directed toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°Are they always, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Underhanded?¡± Conrad suggested.


    ¡°It was typical military recruitment rhetoric,¡± Luke commented between bites of food. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same from the American army and SERRCom. It¡¯s just rhetoric.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Rhetoric¡¯ works on people,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°Why else would it exist?¡±


    ¡°This all was just an obligation, on everyone¡¯s behalf,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Our visit to this base, and the Colonel¡¯s speech just now¡­ I wouldn¡¯t look into it too much.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°That guy seems really out of the loop, though,¡± Sky declared. ¡°Does he know who he was talking to?¡±


    ¡°You mean how he talked up Nimalia¡¯s ¡®preservation¡¯ efforts, and the duty of Nimalians to help out the Nimalian Union, despite everyone here coming from Tres¨¦d?¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°The hell did you think I meant when I said he was full of hot air? He clearly doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    ¡°Is that true, Kar¨ªsah?¡± Mark questioned as he turned toward the Tres¨¦dian.


    ¡°¡­Well¡­¡± She adopted a pained smile as she replied, ¡°¡­Dav¨ªdrius always told me about how the ¡®outside world¡¯ didn¡¯t care about Tres¨¦d. I always thought he was exaggeratin¡¯, but¡­ I have to say, it was a little irritatin¡¯ to hear him preach about our responsibility to the Union, when the Union hasn¡¯t actually done anything for us.¡±


    ¡°Just a little?!¡± Phoenix eclaimed incredulously, ¡°if I were you, I¡¯d be livid!¡±


    ¡°Either way¡­ talkin¡¯ about it here isn¡¯t really, uh, helpful,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, passing a nervous glance to her left ¡ª where a couple of NSD soldiers were milling about just outside of earshot. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ talk about somethin¡¯ else?¡±


    ¡°I have a question, then,¡± Austin said. ¡°That Colonel introduced himself as a ¡®Ground Colonel¡¯ from the ¡®Nimalian Systems Defense Ground Core¡¯.¡± He looked over at Kaon¨¦. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°The NSD is split into three Cores: the Ground Core, the Space Core, and the Colony Core,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°The Ground Core handles all planetside military activity, while the Space Core handles everything in space. And the Colony Core handles Nimalia¡¯s expansion efforts.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s just organizational stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°All large militaries are split into different commands like that,¡± Luke declared. ¡°SERRCom has a bunch of different commands, too. It¡¯d be impossible to manage everything if it didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just too big for it¡¯s own good,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly a discussion to be had about how large the interstellar militaries have gotten,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented, ¡°but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a factor here. Splitting up the overall military into individual, separate commands ultimately leads to less conflict. After all, you wouldn¡¯t want someone who¡¯s primary training is in field combat to handle the development of a new colony, would you?¡±


    ¡°The Dean makes a good point,¡± Luke agreed. ¡°It¡¯s the same with SERRCom. You wouldn¡¯t want someone from the ECC running intel, or someone from the ESFC running a colony, or someone from the EIIC doing in-field combat. Unless they¡¯re a spec ops squad, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you just said,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d still know nothing about SERRCom, even after getting all wrapped up in it,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°The ECC is the Earthian Colonization Command, and the ESFC is the Space Force Command ¡ª you know, the actual military part. And I think everyone here already knows the EIIC.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Where do Chaotics fit in, then?¡± Spike questioned. ¡°I guess Nimalian Chaotics would all end up in the Ground Core, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ mostly, I suppose,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°There are some Chaotics who perform better on spacecraft, or with developing colonies¡­ and the NSD¡¯s intelligence agencies are part of the Space Core, so you¡¯ll usually find Intellitechnics there. But, overall, you¡¯re right. The NSD sees the most value in Chaotics as combatants, and in that role, it only makes sense for Chaotics to be in the Ground Core.¡±


    ¡°I assume that was also true for Hero Machina, back when you were all part of the NSD?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Our squad was actually formed a few months before the NSD, and even then, we reported directly to the Commander. It wasn¡¯t until after the Nanocreature War that we were moved to the Ground Core. Which is also right about when everyone started leaving, too¡­¡±


    ¡°To found the Schools of Chaos?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°In the end, yes, but we actually weren¡¯t expecting it to turn out this way, at first,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. She then leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table as she folded her hands, thoughtful reminiscence crossing her face. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius was the first to leave. He wanted to actually help out Tres¨¦d, somehow, and the NSD wasn¡¯t really doing that. Then Christean¨¦ left shortly after, to help Dav¨ªdrius¡­ they were the ones who founded the school that eventually became WCU. Honestly, none of us expected it to work out as well as it did ¡ª I guess that was a little prejudicial on our part, ah ha. But after seeing so many young Chaotics joining Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦¡¯s new school, the rest of us decided to follow suit. That¡¯s when I left to create the Densalin School for Chaotics, with Rebehka¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the NSD just let y¡¯all leave,¡± Austin said.


    Kaon¨¦ smiled forlornly, with just a hint of bitterness hidden behind her eyes. ¡°When you¡¯re part of a group that helped to save the entire galaxy, well¡­ you can get a lot out it,¡± she replied, and then sighed. ¡°At the time, we all thought we were finally free from the NSD¡¯s influence. But in the end, we still have to listen to them. Just, indirectly¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of Nimalia¡¯s Chaotic conscription taking your students¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this whole ¡®ACT¡¯ thing doesn¡¯t help, either,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°A big tournament that the NSD explicitly has eyes on? Sounds like a lot of scrutiny, to me.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t used to be this way,¡± Kar¨ªsah said. ¡°The ACT used to be small. I remember watchin¡¯ the first one, seven years ago¡­ just one team from each school, in an empty field, with no cameras. Barely any audience, outside of the locals. And now it¡¯s a whole¡­ thing.¡±


    ¡°A ¡®thing¡¯ that we¡¯re going to join and beat,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why the ACT is still around¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed. ¡°The students like the competition too much¡­¡±


    ¡°This is something I¡¯ll have to agree with Pierce on,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Competition is fun! And healthy, if run well. I don¡¯t see what¡¯s wrong with an annual tournament.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid you¡¯d say that¡­¡±


    ¡°It also seems like a bit much to assume that any of us would be able to win,¡± Twy said. ¡°We¡¯ve all only had our powers for three months!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯ve also kicked some ass, you know?¡± Austin declared. ¡°Remember, we¡¯ve fought and beat EA, twice!¡±


    ¡°I remember winning once, but the second time was a stalemate¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, dweeb, you didn¡¯t even do anything that whole fight!¡± Pierce countered. ¡°But if you want to throw down in a tournament so I can properly kick your ass, then be my guest!¡±


    ¡°Oh, great. Just what we needed. A new competition for Pierce to get into,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I might be down for a tournament, too,¡± Spike said, and then passed Kaon¨¦ and Kar¨ªsah a wary glance. ¡°But if we joined¡­ we¡¯d just be replacin¡¯ a regular Nimalian team, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that would look bad¡­¡± Phoenix replied with a frown. ¡°Especially with how poorly the Tres¨¦dians look at outsiders, already¡­¡±


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s just a little presumptuous to think that we¡¯d even qualify,¡± Twy argued, and then gestured at the sea of WCU students in the cafeteria with them. ¡°Do you really think you all are better than all of them?!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try. That¡¯s the whole fucking point of a tournament!¡± Pierce exclaimed.


    ¡°Well, first, let¡¯s make sure you wouldn¡¯t actually get in the way of a home team,¡± Luke declared, and then turned to Kaon¨¦. ¡°¡­Would they?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ and Kar¨ªsah exchanged a glance, at which point the Dean released a lofty sigh. ¡°I hope I don¡¯t regret saying this,¡± she replied, ¡°¡­but there are free spots in the ACT bracket. Four teams from six schools is 24 entrants ¡ª so there¡¯s eight empty slots in the standard bracket, to be filled by exhibition teams and the like.¡±


    Pierce grinned. ¡°Perfect! Hear that, dweeb? No excuse for you and your friends to sit out now!¡±


    ¡°What are you dragging us into this for?!¡± Twy responded incredulously.


    ¡°I dunno, sis, I was with you at first, but this sounds like a great chance to show off!¡± Sky said. ¡°Not to mention a chance to finally get Pierce to shut up!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Austin added as he glared at Pierce. ¡°You won¡¯t be braggin¡¯ when we wipe the floor with your ass!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you fucking try,¡± Pierce countered with a smirk. ¡°You¡¯d better bring your best! That goes for you, too, Conrad and Kestrel! Don¡¯t think you¡¯re sitting this one out!¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha!¡± Kar¨ªsah smiled as she looked over the group. ¡°It¡¯s funny to see that Earthians can be just as competitive as Tres¨¦dians. Still, don¡¯t get too ahead of yourselves. You have to get past the Qualifiers before you make it into the ACT itself.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, that¡¯ll be a walk in the park,¡± Pierce declared, and then pointed at Kar¨ªsah, as if directly challenging her. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re one of the Elite Six, right? You¡¯d better be in this tournament, too, so I can really show how great I am!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully rude, to tell someone to join a tournament just so you can beat them,¡± Phoenix snarked, only to shake her head. ¡°¡­Still, I can¡¯t help but feel the same. I¡¯d like to see just how you earned your title, Kar¨ªsah.¡±


    ¡°A title that she didn¡¯t want,¡± Mark quickly pointed out.


    ¡°Oh! Right¡­¡± Phoenix¡¯s expression turned sheepish. ¡°Sorry, Kar¨ªsah¡­ didn¡¯t mean to pressure you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°I¡¯m used to this kind of pressure by now, ha ha.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even worse! Girl, if you don¡¯t want to do something, then you should stand up for yourself!¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, I didn¡¯t say that¡­¡±


    ¡°We still have some time before the Qualifiers, anyways,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this more, later. We have other things to concern ourselves with in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like the celebrations tomorrow?!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°I hear it¡¯s supposed to be a whole-day, city-wide festival, right? Oooh, I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been on your mind all day, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Spike remarked with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to look forward to a holiday, you have to admit,¡± Luke commented, and then glanced toward the side of the room where Dav¨ªdrius and a handful of the other teachers were beginning to round up the students. ¡°But to actually enjoy a whole day of partying, we¡¯d best get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Finally, time to leave the fucking military base,¡± Phoenix replied, collecting her silverware onto her tray.


    ¡°Yes¡­ sorry about today,¡± Kaon¨¦ apologized as she stood up with the rest of the group. ¡°But I do think you¡¯ll enjoy tomorrow. Hopefully, it¡¯ll make up for today.¡±


    ¡°Depends on whether we have to join the party or not,¡± Austin grumbled.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that lame response, dweeb?¡± Pierce challenged. ¡°These kinds of festivals always have all kinds of contests, after all ¡ª and if I don¡¯t see you at any of them, then that¡¯s as good as conceding defeat!¡±


    ¡°How about we get some sleep before we start challenging each other to contests we don¡¯t even know about yet,¡± Luke interjected. ¡°We can save this talk for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Austin muttered to himself, lagging slightly behind the group as they began moving to stack their trays in the dirty dishes area. ¡°¡­Tomorrow¡­ is gonna suck.¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 61: The Brightest Day

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 61: The Brightest Day


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Whoa! Look! Spike, check it out!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I see it¡­¡± Spike replied groggily, and then stopped to stretch his arms and yawn. He then continued down the short set of steps in front of the hotel, where he stepped up next to Sky and joined her in looking up at the fantastically decorated city around them. The glass buildings and surrounding trees were swathed in bright yellow and pale blue drapery, with hints of green strings dangling from the massive banners over the streets below. Holograms of the sun, surrounded by a slowly moving dial that seemed to track the amount of remaining daylight, hovered over every street, separated only by a few blocks ¡ª and the streets themselves were filled with large stalls of all sorts, ranging from a variety of food stalls whose aromas were already drifting past the hotel, to a flower stall or two with entire bouquets of summer flowers on display, to dozens of sun- and sky-themed carnival games, all with dozens of people gathering around despite the clocks reading barely an hour past sunrise.


    ¡°¡­The Nimalians really like the summer solstice, huh,¡± Austin deadpanned as he and Twy approached Sky and Spike, though his words were almost lost amongst the background noise of the distant crowds.


    ¡°As much as I dislike big events like this¡­ you have to admit, this is all pretty impressive,¡± Twy remarked, her head slowly sweeping from side to side as she took in the sights. ¡°None of this was up when I went to bed last night, they must¡¯ve done all of the setup in the early morning¡­ how could they even do that?¡±


    ¡°The answer to that question is obvious if you know someone like me.¡±


    ¡°Pierce¡­¡± Austin muttered, glancing off to the side as Pierce and Conrad approached. Conrad walked with a slight hunch and his hands in his pockets ¡ª not too different from his normal posture, in fact, yet he still looked more miserable than ever before; while Pierce confidently strode up and planted his hands on his hips as he stared down his nose at Austin.


    ¡°A Velocitechnic could set all of this up hella fast,¡± Pierce remarked, gesturing over the street in front of them in a sweeping motion with his right hand. ¡°And if they have multiple Velocitechnics, then it¡¯d be even faster!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need superspeed to set all this up, just a bunch of volunteers¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Sure, but a couple of Velocitechnics could put everything up faster than volunteers ever could.¡±


    ¡°Cities are still big, you know!¡± Sky countered. ¡°Can just a couple of Velocitechnics really set up an entire city¡¯s worth of decorations? I don¡¯t think so!¡±


    ¡°You only say that because you haven¡¯t actually seen me ¡ª or any other Velocitechnic ¡ª in action,¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°We saw Dav¨ªdrius fight back in Tres¨¦d,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°That was just the one time, it still doesn¡¯t¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hey, Kestrel,¡± Conrad commented, ignoring Pierce¡¯s reply to nod toward Kestrel as she joined the group. Following closely behind her was Phoenix, who Conrad acknowledged with a nod, and then Arn to her side ¡ª who Conrad simply passed a blank look before turning back to Phoenix. ¡°¡­Brought your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Phoenix declared proudly, and then slapped Arn on the back with her left hand as she gestured at the rest of the group with her right. ¡°Arn, these are my friends ¡ª I¡¯ve told you about them, remember? Everyone, this is Arn!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hey,¡± Arn replied, offering an awkward wave as he slowly looked at everyone.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted dismissively and crossed his arms before glancing over at Phoenix. ¡°Not going to run off on your own today, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon. I just wanted to introduce my boyfriend to you all,¡± Phoenix replied with an innocent smile. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten how relationships work, have you, Pierce?¡±


    Pierce offered naught but a spiteful smile in response.


    ¡°¡­Well, uh, nice to meet you, Arn!¡± Sky eventually said, staving off the awkward silence that threatened to set in. ¡°You¡¯re a Nimalian, right? Maybe you could show us around!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never seen Brightest Day celebrations like this,¡± Arn replied.


    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­¡± Sky passed Spike a pleading glance, as though asking for him to step in, but he merely responded with a shrug of his shoulders.


    ¡°Wow¡­ looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Luke,¡± Spike greeted, turning toward the Captain and Mark as they excited the hotel. More and more WCU students were beginning to flow out of the hotel doors as well, prompting the group to move off to the side as Luke opened up a large brochure in front of them.


    ¡°Surprised to see everyone¡¯s up, honestly,¡± Luke remarked as he scanned the brochure. He then passed Austin a glance and a cheeky smirk as he added, ¡°thought you¡¯d just spend the whole day cooped up in your room, Austin. You always do.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! That¡¯s, uh¡­¡± Austin started, catching Pierce throw him a haughty smirk out the corner of his eye. ¡°¡­Shut up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see that everyone¡¯s excited, though,¡± Mark commented, and then looked up at the bright decor himself, and the nearby sun hologram. ¡°All these decorations¡­ the atmosphere is so much more festive than I expected!¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot goin¡¯ on,¡± Luke said, his attention back to the brochure in his hands. ¡°According to the Deans, we have the whole day to ourselves, so we can look around at our leisure. Hmm¡­ oh, here¡¯s that talent show Kaon¨¦ talked about. Looks like it¡¯s on top of city hall.¡±


    ¡°I wanna check that out!¡± Sky declared, ¡°I won¡¯t miss watching Chaotics do cool shit for the world!¡±


    ¡°Well hold on, this isn¡¯t a Chaotic talent show. They have other stuff for most of the day. Singing, dancing, baking, uh¡­ holographic pyrotechnics?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a rave,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m out,¡± Conrad stated, with Kestrel offering a curt nod in affirmation. ¡°Crowds, loud noises, and flashing lights? No thanks.¡±


    Luke chuckled in response. ¡°Well, there might still be stuff for you around here. ¡­Ah, here! It looks like the NSD Chaotics aren¡¯t going up on the talent show until late afternoon.¡±


    ¡°We have the whole day, then,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°C¡¯mon, Spike, Austin, sis! Let¡¯s go check out the stalls! Oooh¡­ that one pastry stall over there smells amazing, and I haven¡¯t had breakfast yet!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the games,¡± Pierce remarked, and then cracked his knuckles as his gaze fell on one of the larger stalls down the street. ¡°Hey, Phoenix, that one looks like some kind of javelin toss. Bet I could kick your ass!¡±


    ¡°Ignoring how I kick your ass in the regular javelin toss all the time? Typical,¡± Phoenix retorted with a roll of her eyes. ¡°But if you need to learn this lesson again, then be my guest!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Good fucking luck!¡± Pierce countered as the two began walking off down the street.


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Arn stared after Phoenix in confusion.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Conrad shook his head and passed Arn a glance. ¡°Welcome to the group, bud.¡± He then looked back at Kestrel and nodded toward Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s retreating forms. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Kestrel. You know how they get when we aren¡¯t around to hold ¡®em back.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment as she and Conrad began walking off as well, with Arn following uneasily.


    ¡°What a weird group,¡± Sky remarked as she watched them leave.


    ¡°Well, what works for them, works, I guess,¡± Luke replied with a shrug. ¡°¡­Though Conrad has a point. Mark, mind taggin¡¯ along with them? Just¡­ make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡± Mark answered, offering Luke a quick salute before jogging off in pursuit of Conrad and Kestrel.


    ¡°So it¡¯s just the five of us, then?¡± Twy questioned, looking around at each of Austin, Sky, Spike, and Luke.


    ¡°And we¡¯re just standing around, burning daylight!¡± Sky declared. ¡°C¡¯mon, already! Let¡¯s go see the festivities!!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Burning daylight¡¯? It¡¯s not like this is a celebration set on the longest day of the year, or anything,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Oh shut up, asshole, you know what I meant. Now let¡¯s go!¡± Sky began marching off into the street, opposite the direction of Pierce and Phoenix. The rest of the group followed her lead, finally stepping out into the decorated streets of Ilia for Sikalia¡¯s Brightest Day.


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe¡­ you turn this one¡­?¡±


    ¡°But we did that already. We only got three turns left.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but those two mirrors at the top are turned the right way, now! If we turn this one, we¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That ain¡¯t the right one, if we do that, we¡¯ll end up hittin¡¯ the side.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Twy spoke up, raising a finger as she did. ¡°I think the correct move is¡ª¡°


    ¡°Shush!¡± Sky and Spike interjected in unison, both of them turning around to pass Twy disapproving glances.


    ¡°We already know you¡¯re smarter than us, sis,¡± Sky continued, ¡°just let us figure this one out, all on our own!¡±


    ¡°It is just a carnival game,¡± Spike admitted, ¡°but we can¡¯t just let ya give us the answers!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Twy deadpanned, watching as Sky and Spike turned back to face the stall in front of them, on which a dozen small mirrors were mounted, such that they could rotate. A small yellow laser shone out of the top of the stall; the goal was to get the laser to shine into a receptor at the bottom by swiveling the correct mirrors around. A simple puzzle, in concept ¡ª though one that Sky and Spike had spent nearly five minutes trying to figure out on their own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure y¡¯all can do it,¡± Luke cheered from off to the side, and then took another bite out of a circular pastry in his hands, topped with a red and yellow sauce.


    ¡°I have doubts, personally,¡± Austin remarked, glancing over at Twy as she backed up to join him and Luke before returning his attention to the mirror puzzle. ¡°Pretty sure I figured out the solution a couple minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°The stall does claim that many people can figure it out within a couple minutes,¡± Twy pointed out, a cheeky grin playing on her face as she added, ¡°hey, Sky, how long has it been since you started?¡±


    Sky whipped her head around to make a face at Twy, only to then turn back and continue gesturing at the mirrors. ¡°Well, Spike, what about that one?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll just turn the laser in your face,¡± Spike refuted.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, the stall is clearly built to stop that from happening. I was talking about turning it the other way, anyways!¡±


    ¡°You ever wonder if your friends are dumbasses?¡± Austin questioned, his voice just low enough for Sky and Spike not to hear him.


    ¡°Ah, give ¡®em a break,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Solving carnival puzzles is hardly the pinnacle of intelligence.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good symbol of the floor, though,¡± Twy remarked.


    ¡°Ha! Maybe, maybe.¡± The Captain smirked and shook his head in amusement, and then happily finished off his pastry. ¡°Mm¡­ that was surprisingly good. Never thought to put spice on a baked good before.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, those little¡­ what were they called? Kivas?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°The spicy doughnut-looking things were called a ¡®kifa¡¯,¡± Twy corrected, gesturing toward a stall down the street as she did. ¡°It was on the sign.¡±


    ¡°¡­Bah, that sign is so far away, now. There¡¯s so many people in the way, you can barely see it.¡±


    ¡°Speakin¡¯ of people¡­¡± Luke glanced over at Sky and Spike again, and at the small line forming behind them. ¡°Hey, you two,¡± he called out, ¡°maybe you should wrap up soon, there¡¯s a line formin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The couple glanced behind themselves; as soon as they spotted the line, sheepish smiles crossed their faces.


    ¡°Guess we should finish this soon¡­¡± Spike muttered as he turned back to the puzzle. ¡°We only got two more turns. Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°These two!¡± Sky exclaimed, impulsively reaching out to flip two of the mirrors. With one 90-degree turn, the yellow laser shot straight down into a mirror at the bottom, which reflected the laser into the opposite side of the stall as the receptor. Then, with one turn, Sky flipped the mirror to direct the laser in the same direction as the receptor ¡ª and an additional mirror that was in the way.


    ¡°Oooooh¡­ looks like ya didn¡¯t quite make it,¡± the stall manager commented with a wry smirk. ¡°Better luck next time!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Sky impetuously crossed her arms as she and Spike vacated the area in front of the stall to join Austin, Twy, and Luke. ¡°I think that puzzle was just too difficult.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like an excuse to me,¡± Austin quipped.


    ¡°You turned the wrong two mirrors at the end,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°You should¡¯ve done the one¡ª¡°


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever, look, there¡¯s still tons of other things to see around here!¡± Sky exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air as she began marching off into the crowd. ¡°There was another game around here I wanted to try! C¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°She never slows down, does she?¡± Luke remarked, and then glanced up at the sky, where the sun hung high over the western horizon. ¡°Aside from our break for lunch, she¡¯s been all over the place!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha! That¡¯s Sky for ya!¡± Spike replied with a grin as he began moving after Sky himself. ¡°She ain¡¯t wrong, though, some of the games around here are pretty fun!¡±


    ¡°If only there weren¡¯t so many people around¡­¡± Twy muttered as she, Austin, and Luke quickly followed after Spike.


    ¡°I¡¯m with you there¡­¡± Austin responded in kind, his gaze slowly sweeping across the street as he navigated the crowds. As far as he could tell, most recently-built Nimalian cities were designed around using hover cars for transportation, so ground-level streets were entirely pedestrian. As such, the pathways were a bit narrower than what he was used to calling a ¡®street¡¯ at home, and the colorful banners and decor hanging over the street from the buildings above merely contributed to a distinctly crowded feeling. Bright blue skies above helped to counteract the sensation, however, and the local Nimalians were respectful of personal space, so he at least wasn¡¯t bumping shoulders. All things considered, this could be a lot worse, he mused, and then turned his attention up to the nearest sun hologram. The dial around the glowing orb was now over halfway full, reflecting the mid-afternoon time.


    ¡°Wait, more food?!¡±


    Austin glanced down, where he found Twy staring incredulously at the stall Sky and Spike were lining up for. A variety of meats adorned the shelves on the stall¡¯s back wall, while a savory smell filled the air, not wholly unlike sausage ¡ª though with a hint of both sweetness and spice.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Twy,¡± Luke remarked, though nonetheless lined up behind Sky and Spike. ¡°We¡¯ve been eatin¡¯ all day! Aren¡¯t you full yet?¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s a festival!¡± Sky countered, ¡°you¡¯re supposed to eat a lot!¡±


    ¡°That sausage smells real good, too,¡± Spike declared, momentarily closing his eyes to take a deep inhale through his nose. ¡°¡­Man, fresh grilled meat. Looks a little spicy, too. Hope it tastes as good as it smells!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my stomach can take any more of this¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Austin commented. ¡°¡­It does smell pretty good, but man, I just don¡¯t have any room for it!¡±


    ¡°Hey, no one said you had to eat, even if you¡¯re missing out!¡± Sky countered. ¡°That Chaotic talent stuff is supposed to be soon, right? If you don¡¯t want to eat, then go save us some seats!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your maid,¡± Twy shot back.


    Sky shrugged. ¡°Just a suggestion. ¡­Oh, Spike, look over there! That¡¯s pizza, right?¡±


    ¡°If pizza had plants instead of sauce, I guess,¡± Spike replied as he looked in the direction she was pointing, ¡°but the Nimalians have a way of makin¡¯ plants taste good, so I¡¯ll give it a shot later.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, more food,¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to convince Sky or Spike to stand down,¡± Luke replied cheekily, and then glanced between Austin and Twy. ¡°If the two of y¡¯all are really fed up, why don¡¯t you go take a walk? I¡¯ll make sure these two here don¡¯t get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°They do often prove the need for chaperones,¡± Twy quipped; Sky stuck her tongue out at her in response, though quickly whipped back around to order food from the stall.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t argue with a walk, though. Especially away from these crowds.¡± Austin glanced down at Twy. ¡°You up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s go,¡± Twy eagerly replied, stepping out of line and to the side of the street. ¡°I think I saw a calmer street on the side over here¡­¡±


    Austin quickly fell into step behind Twy, following as she navigated the street crowds. Before long, the two had reached a juncture and turned off onto a less busy street. Stands, decorations, and pedestrians still adorned the path, but Austin at least had room to stretch his arms to his sides and not accidentally hit someone ¡ª and the ambient crowd noise was much lower.


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Austin released a relieved sigh as the two slowed their pace. ¡°Wow¡­ this is so much better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± Twy replied, her hands clasped behind her back as they walked along. ¡°The Nimalians really like to party, huh? You¡¯d never see a city-wide celebration like this, back home.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, the weather is pretty damn nice, here,¡± Austin remarked. Despite being in the middle of summer, Austin and Twy both were more than comfortable in their normal t-shirt and jeans attire. Twy was even wearing a thin unzipped jacket, as the streets of Ilia were often swept by cool breezes that helped to dispel the heat the crowds created.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ true,¡± Twy admitted, her ponytail fluttering softly in the breeze. ¡°Texas is definitely way too hot in the summer for an outdoors festival like this.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is a perk of goin¡¯ off-world, huh,¡± Austin mused.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t get too used to it,¡± Twy countered. ¡°At the end of all of this, we still have to go back to Tres¨¦d ¡ª a desert. And believe it or not, but Tres¨¦d¡¯s actually been in winter the whole time we¡¯ve been there.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Spring for Nimalia¡¯s southern hemisphere only just started earlier this week.¡±


    ¡°Aw, fuck. Tres¨¦d was already gettin¡¯ warm enough to walk around in a t-shirt during the day, and you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me it¡¯s gonna get worse?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though, to be fair, Tresnon is right on the shore of a massive lake, so I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll dampen the temperature differences.¡±


    ¡°That, or make the place really fucking humid.¡±


    ¡°That is possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Speakin¡¯ of water¡­¡± Austin glanced down at Twy. ¡°How¡¯ve you been doin¡¯ with your water powers, lately?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure.¡± Twy held out her right hand, into which a small bubble of water appeared, just smaller than a baseball. After a moment, she morphed the bubble into a flat sheet, the water so still and clear that Austin could see his own reflection in it. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting better, but I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s true, or just because I¡¯m¡­¡± Her eyes darted off to the side, catching the gaze of a handful of Nimalians who were staring at her water mirror in awe. Quickly, she allowed the water to fall to the ground and clasped her hands behind her back again, her face flushed red with embarrassment.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, guess we shouldn¡¯t be tryin¡¯ to draw attention, huh,¡± Austin mused. ¡°But what were you about to say?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡± Twy turned her head upward, taking in the blue summer skies as she released a lofty sigh. ¡°I just don¡¯t think I¡¯m a good judge of my own abilities, you know?¡±


    ¡°I think that could be said of most beginners,¡± Austin replied. ¡°But, for what it¡¯s worth, I think you¡¯re gettin¡¯ pretty good. Hell, you were already good back before SERRCom scooped us up. I still remember that little show you put on in that pond.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ ha ha¡­¡± Twy averted her eyes. ¡°That was just a little showing off¡­ and it wasn¡¯t really practical, either¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good with practical stuff, too. You can manipulate a lot of water at once, and you can even control a bunch of different water bubbles all at once, like when you help people fly and stuff. Believe me, I¡¯ve tried, and, well¡­¡± Austin held out his own right hand, his brow furrowed in concentration as a small sphere of water manifested in his palm. The sphere slowly transformed into a flat surface, similar to the mirror Twy had just created, but with uneven edges and a slowly rippling surface. After a couple seconds of attempting to smooth out the surface, Austin sighed and let the water all drop to the ground, at which point he shrugged. ¡°See? It ain¡¯t easy, even though you make it look the part.¡±


    ¡°Sure, maybe, but I also have access to my own water powers 24/7. You can only practice when I¡¯m nearby. So, if anything, the fact that you¡¯re able to do that much should be impressive.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ if only. It is kinda hard to practice my Simulator powers, though, since I always have to have someone around¡­ still, the range on what I can copy seems kinda big. I haven¡¯t tested the exact range, but I bet you could be standin¡¯ a building or two down and I could still copy your water control.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s impressive!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe. I don¡¯t know how easy or hard it is for a typical Simulator to copy another Chaotic¡¯s abilities, so¡­ eh.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we both still have a lot to learn, don¡¯t we?¡± Twy replied with a resigned smile.


    ¡°Ha, suppose so,¡± Austin replied in kind. ¡°But, hey, at least we can both fly, right?¡±


    ¡°That is true. It seems like a lot of Chaotics can, actually. It¡¯s kind of amusing to think about.¡± Twy¡¯s attention then shifted to one of the sun holograms hanging in the air; the dial around it had filled nearly three quarters of the way. ¡°¡­Well, as much as I dislike Sky bossing us around¡­ she is right that those Chaotics will go on the talent show, soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ good point,¡± Austin remarked, his own gaze following Twy¡¯s. Before he could respond further, however, he felt a subtle tinge of discomfort strike his lower torso, prompting him to wince. ¡°Ah¡­ shit. You go on ahead, I¡¯ll meet up with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Twy passed him a concerned glance, and then looked down at his stomach as he subtly grasped it with his hand. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but it isn¡¯t worth worryin¡¯ about,¡± Austin replied sheepishly. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that, uh¡­ I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve eaten so much spicy stuff today, and leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­? Oh! Oh.¡± An amused smile crossed Twy¡¯s face as she shook her head. ¡°You never were good with spicy food, were you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, lay off. I¡¯m headin¡¯ back to the hotel. If you see the others before me, just tell ¡®em that I¡¯m, uh, busy.¡±


    ¡°Right. Don¡¯t take too long, or you¡¯ll miss the show!¡±


    ¡°No guarantees,¡± Austin replied, and then waved casually as he turned around and began walking down the street in the opposite direction. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later!¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 62: Neverending Competition

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 62: Neverending Competition


    Earlier That Day


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s five for five, and on the farthest target, too! That¡¯ll be my win.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bullshit!¡± Pierce retorted with a scowl as he glared down the range before him and Phoenix. A handful of targets were mounted at various spots down the green lane, and the target in the back had been pierced by ten short javelins ¡ª with five of them near the center of the target. ¡°¡­You had an inherent advantage here,¡± Pierce argued, turning to glare at Phoenix. ¡°You do javelin toss all the time, of course you¡¯d win. This wasn¡¯t a fair match.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who was just bragging that his superspeed would help him claim the win?¡± Phoenix countered with a smug smirk. ¡°Fat lot of good that did you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, he was kinda close a couple times¡­¡± Arn commented, only to freeze as Pierce and Phoenix both passed him the stink eye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stroke his ego,¡± Phoenix demanded. ¡°That¡¯s the last thing Pierce needs!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Stroke my ego¡¯ my ass, that was one hella condescending remark!¡± Pierce replied irately. ¡°I don¡¯t need your pity.¡±


    ¡°Pity or not, you both did better than I ever could,¡± Conrad remarked, stepping forward to peer down the range himself. ¡°That target down there has to be a dozen meters away or so, right? Phoenix got more bulls-eyes, sure, but Pierce, you still hit it every time.¡±


    ¡°I agree, it is impressive,¡± Mark affirmed.


    ¡°Oh, this is nothing,¡± Phoenix replied airily. ¡°These javelins are much smaller and lighter than what¡¯s actually used in the javelin throw ¡ª not to mention there¡¯s an actual target to aim for. This might as well be a different event entirely.¡± She then passed Pierce a smug look. ¡°In a real throw, I¡¯d kick your ass so hard, your head would be spinning ¡ª even with that superspeed of yours!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you smartass,¡± Pierce shot back, and then turned around and began marching off down the street. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you keep that attitude up when I beat your ass at the next game!¡± he shouted over his shoulder.


    ¡°Bring it on, you arrogant asshole!¡± Phoenix replied in kind as she jogged after him.


    Arn stared at her retreating form incredulously. ¡°But¡­ I wanted to try this game, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ well, that¡¯s Phoenix, for you,¡± Conrad replied with a weary smile. He casually patted Arn on the back before sauntering off after Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s not leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Arn muttered, finally setting off himself alongside Kestrel and Mark. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s always the next one¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Time! That¡¯s 2 minutes 40 ¡ª wow, that¡¯s a record!¡±


    ¡°Damn straight!¡± Pierce grinned and pounded his chest once, nodding toward the timekeeper before turning around to look at the obstacle course behind him ¡ª just as Phoenix swung around the corner, leaped over the last hurdle, and crossed the finish line herself.


    ¡°2 minutes 56 ¡ª another sub-3 minute time?!¡± the timekeeper remarked incredulously, ¡°wow! The average time on this course is supposed to be 4 minutes!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ I still lost¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°Throwing shit might be your thing, but running is mine,¡± Pierce declared haughtily, barely sparing a glance to the side as Kestrel silently crossed the finish line herself. ¡°Did you really think you could beat me here? Ha!¡±


    ¡°I came hella close,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°I bet you only won because of your superspeed!¡±


    ¡°If only that was the case ¡ª but you know as well as I do that this course has CENT fields!¡± Pierce¡¯s grin settled into a smug smirk as he crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Phoenix. ¡°What you just saw from me was pure athletic skill and training. All me, baby!¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­ what the¡ª?¡± Arn passed Pierce and Phoenix confused looks as he finally reached the finish line himself, with Mark alongside him. ¡°You both finished? Already?!¡±


    The timekeeper nodded from the side. ¡°It was close, but very impressive¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± Phoenix snapped. ¡°A loss is a loss¡­ but I¡¯ll win the next one, Pierce, guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯d like to see you fuckin¡¯ try!¡± Pierce countered as the two rushed off into the crowds.


    ¡°Hey¡­! Wait a¡­! Oof¡­¡± Conrad panted out, finally crossing the line himself. He took several deep breaths as he watched Pierce and Phoenix leave, and then sighed warily. ¡°Damn¡­ so fast¡­!¡±


    ¡°You still finished pretty quickly, yourself,¡± Mark pointed out, and gestured toward the clock on the side. ¡°3 and a half minutes on a par-4 minute course? I have to admit, Conrad, you¡¯re more athletic than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Common sentiment,¡± Kestrel remarked.


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Conrad retorted.


    ¡°I guess we should go follow ¡®em, though,¡± Arn commented as he nodded toward the crowd Pierce and Phoenix had disappeared into. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°And the results are in¡­ contestant number 3, with the red ribbon design, is our victor! Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Phoenix pumped her fist amid a small crowd of applause. At the front of the crowd was a large festival stand, featuring holograms of five identical trees with various different designs and decorations adorning them. A red ribbon ¡ª small enough to not overpower the lush green leaves of the tree itself, yet obvious enough to draw the eye ¡ª snaked its way around the trunk and branches of the third tree hologram, forming surprisingly intricate designs amongst the leaves.


    ¡°Ah, fuckin¡¯ whatever,¡± Pierce muttered dismissively, his own design featuring a handful of plain blue ornaments. ¡°Who cares about exterior design? This whole contest is subjective as fuck, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, the leader board says Phoenix got half of the votes,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°And there were five contestants,¡± Phoenix smugly added. ¡°Face it, Pierce. You just don¡¯t know the slightest thing about art and style.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. My wardrobe is hella stylish,¡± Pierce insisted; at that moment, his outfit consisted of jeans, a blue v-neck short-sleeved shirt, and a black unbuttoned overshirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. While his clothing appeared plain on first glance, however, all of the articles fit him perfectly, with nary a wrinkle nor a blemish to be seen ¡ª and his rolled up sleeves emphasized his lean, though clearly toned forearms. His clean and swept-back dirty blond hair, combined with his short but well-trimmed goatee rounded out Pierce¡¯s subtle, yet attractively well-kept appearance.


    Phoenix, by contrast, was wearing a red crop top and blue jean capri pants, just tight enough to accentuate her shapely hips and legs ¡ª though loose enough to give her a full range of movement. Her black hair was immaculately well-kept, held in the front by a black headband and tied in the back into a ponytail that splayed out behind her head. Accompanying her style was a small braid that dropped down in front of her right ear and dangled on her chest, with small purple beads worked into the braid. A pair of subtle metal earrings rounded out her outfit, serving as aesthetic highlights. All together, it was clear that Phoenix put a lot of thought into her appearance, even if her outfit itself seemed uncomplicated at first glance.


    Conrad glanced between Pierce and Phoenix, and then down at himself ¡ª and his plain gray t-shirt and jean shorts. Mark and Arn dressed similarly (though Mark also had a jacket), while Kestrel wore a thin yellow cardigan over a white summer dress, with a wide-brimmed straw hat to shade her face from the sun. Kestrel was easily the most stylish of the four, though Conrad knew the majority of her wardrobe had been picked out by Phoenix. ¡°¡­As far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± he eventually commented, drawing Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s attention to himself, ¡°the two of you have more ¡®style¡¯ than any of us ever will.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight,¡± Pierce remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°You still can¡¯t hold a candle to me,¡± Phoenix retorted, to which Pierce¡¯s smirk was immediately replaced with a scowl. ¡°This decoration contest proves that. You just don¡¯t have an eye for anything that isn¡¯t yourself, Pierce.¡±


    ¡°Oh, get off your fuckin¡¯ high horse,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°So you won a popularity contest, so what?¡±


    ¡°Most of the people here don¡¯t even know who I am!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m startin¡¯ to wonder if I do¡­¡± Arn muttered under his breath.


    Conrad chuckled in response to Arn¡¯s comment, having heard it despite the Nimalian¡¯s low tone. ¡°Well,¡± Conrad then spoke up, his gaze drifting up to a nearby sun hologram ¡ª and the dial around it that indicated noontime. ¡°It¡¯s about time for lunch, now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response, followed shortly by a growl emanating from her stomach. ¡°¡­Hungry.¡±


    ¡°That makes three of us, then,¡± Mark declared. ¡°I saw some nice stalls around here. Let¡¯s take a break from all the competition, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Pierce and Phoenix responded in unison, and then turned to glare at each other.


    ¡°Good enough for me. Let¡¯s go,¡± Conrad said as he stepped away from the stall and began leading the group down the crowded festival streets.


    <hr>


    ¡°Thaf¡¯s four! You can¡¯f beaf me!¡±


    ¡°Thaf¡¯s disgusfing,¡± Phoenix retorted around a mouthful of food, only to quickly swallow and stuff her face once more. ¡°Don¡¯f falk wif your mouf full!¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he watched Pierce and Phoenix both stuff themselves with kifas ¡ª palm-sized doughnut-like pastries with a spicy topping and bits of meat within. ¡°How did you two manage to turn lunch into a contest?¡±


    ¡°Shuf up,¡± Pierce retorted, chewing on what was now his fifth kifa. ¡°Haffa win!¡±


    ¡°No you won¡¯f!¡± Phoenix countered around another kifa, this one her fourth.


    ¡°This is¡­ somethin¡¯,¡± Arn responded flatly from his seat next to Phoenix.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I really think you two could use a break,¡± Mark insisted, glancing between Pierce and Phoenix with concern. ¡°I get that you both want to win, but this seems like a little¡­ much.¡±


    Phoenix swallowed, clearing her mouth for just a moment as she replied, ¡°don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t the first time we¡¯ve had an eating contest. We¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Conrad deadpanned, his eyes dropping to Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s waistlines. Neither of them were overweight by any means ¡ª both of them had fairly lean figures, in fact, with the exception of Phoenix¡¯s lower proportions. Pierce, nonetheless, had almost a full foot of height over Phoenix; there was no denying that their difference in size was a handicap for the latter. ¡°¡­When was the last time you had an eating contest, exactly?¡±


    Pierce swallowed loudly and took a massive swig out of a nearby water bottle before replying, ¡°three years ago, senior year. And if I recall correctly¡­¡± He shot Phoenix a smug glance. ¡°I won.¡±


    ¡°Shuf¡­ shuf up,¡± Phoenix retorted, and then swallowed her current mouthful of food ¡ª though her movement seemed a bit more sluggish than before as she reached for the next kifa. ¡°You only win this kind of contest because you¡¯re bigger than I am.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly why you¡¯re going to lose today,¡± Pierce shot back, and then stuffed his mouth with another kifa.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Phoenix passed him the stink eye. ¡°Today isn¡¯t over, yet. You might win this contest, but so what? I¡¯m still ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, after this we¡¯re 2-and-2,¡± Pierce argued.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think,¡± Phoenix replied, adopting a subtle smirk as she sidled up next to Arn.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Pierce scowled and passed Arn a glare; Arn simply responded with a clueless stare.


    ¡°Is that an admission of defeat, then?¡± Mark questioned, his attention on Phoenix as she leaned back and heaved a sigh.


    ¡°¡­Damn.¡± Phoenix eyed the pile of kifas in the center of the table, and then shrugged in resignation. ¡°It might as well be. I¡¯ll never be a match for Pierce the glutton, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you fucking suggested this,¡± Pierce countered irately.


    ¡°At least the rest of us can eat in peace, now,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°You might not expect this, but watching someone else just wolf down spicy doughnuts really nukes your appetite.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm.¡± Kestrel quickly affirmed with a nod.


    Mark sighed with relief. ¡°I was legitimately worried that one of you might start choking, with how fast you were eating¡­¡±


    ¡°Us? Choke? Ha!¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°As if I could fall to something so lame!¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly an encouraging attitude¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the rest of you should hurry up,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°We still have more festival time ahead of us!¡±


    Conrad simply shook his head in resignation as he replied in a deadpan tone, ¡°oh boy, I can¡¯t wait¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you guys are turning this into a contest.¡±


    ¡°Even games of chance have strategy,¡± Pierce replied, slowly stroking his trimmed beard as he watched the Nimalian vendor in front of him set up a game with three opaque boxes.


    Conrad shrugged in response. ¡°Whatever, man.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t get it,¡± Arn commented, glancing between Pierce and Phoenix in confusion. ¡°This game is totally random, ain¡¯t it? The prize is in one box, you guess the box, if you¡¯re right, you win. What¡¯s the strategy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting the most important part,¡± Phoenix declared, and pointed at the rules of the game posted on the side of the stand. ¡°After you pick, the vendor opens up one of the boxes that you didn¡¯t pick ¡ª and that box is always a losing box. And at that point, you can choose to switch to the remaining unopened box, or stick with the one you already chose.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Mark nodded in understanding as he watched from the side. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of this game before¡­¡±


    Arn looked over at Mark, utter cluelessness wrought across his face. ¡°¡­What? ¡­I still don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Most people think this game is entirely chance, but that¡¯s because they¡¯re idiots who don¡¯t understand probability,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°There is a strategy, and that strategy is to always switch after a box is revealed.¡±


    ¡°But why? There¡¯s only one prize, so you only have a 1 in 3 chance of winnin¡¯. What does switchin¡¯ change¡­?¡±


    ¡°The switching itself doesn¡¯t change anything,¡± Phoenix explained, ¡°it¡¯s the fact that the vendor only opens a losing box that does. He never reveals the prize.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Think about it like this: you pick a box at the start. Then, the vendor reveals the one remaining losing box. If the box you picked was a losing box, then the remaining box is the prize one ¡ª and vice versa, if you picked the winning box, then the remaining box is a losing one. But you have a 2 in 3 chance of picking a losing box at the very beginning, which means that 2 out of 3 times, you¡¯re guaranteed a win by switching!¡±


    ¡°Pretty simple, if you think about it,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but there¡¯s one problem,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°If both of you use the strategy, then literally all that remains is chance!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. This is a contest to see which of us is the luckiest.¡±


    ¡°What? But that¡¯s exactly the opposite of what you¡ª! Agh, whatever.¡± Conrad threw up his hands in resignation. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I try reasoning with you guys.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it, though¡­¡± Arn muttered, his brow furrowed in thought. ¡°If switching makes you win, then why¡¯d you lose, Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She grimaced in response. ¡°That was just¡­ poor chance.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to have better chance,¡± Pierce insisted, just as the vendor indicated that the boxes were ready. With an overly dramatic gesture, Pierce pointed at the leftmost box. ¡°This one!¡±


    ¡°So you think that¡¯s the prize¡­?¡± Arn questioned.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Pierce replied, watching the vendor open the middle box ¡ª revealing nothing inside. Before the vendor even prompted him, Pierce pointed at the rightmost box as he declared, ¡°I think this one is the prize box!¡±


    ¡°¡­Congratulations, sir,¡± the vendor replied, opening the rightmost box to reveal a small sun-shaped plushie inside. ¡°It isn¡¯t often I see such confidence from a player of this game!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Well, few people know what they¡¯re doing as well as I do,¡± Pierce responded with a smirk, readily accepting the plushie before tossing it toward Kestrel, who wordlessly caught it. He then turned to give Phoenix a haughty stare. ¡°I do believe this is my win.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, it¡¯s just a game of chance,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    Conrad opened his mouth to reply, only to stop himself and sigh wearily instead.


    ¡°If you knew that was the winnin¡¯ box, though, then why not just pick that at the start?¡± Arn questioned.


    ¡°Have you been listening? The whole point is that you learn something from what box the vendor opens up!¡± Pierce exclaimed. ¡°C¡¯mon, dude, it¡¯s so simple!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Mark spoke up, already beginning to back away from the stand as he gestured down the street. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty else to see, and several hours left in the day.¡±


    ¡°And several more opportunities to kick your ass,¡± Phoenix remarked, shooting Pierce a glare. ¡°I won¡¯t let you win the day!¡±


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Pierce retorted as the two barged off into the crowd, once again leaving the rest of the group to follow in their tracks.


    <hr>


    ¡°Ha! A perfect score! Take that, Pierce!¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, I was only off by one question,¡± Pierce retorted, scowling as he looked up at an answer sheet on the side of a trivia stall. ¡°That one question was bullshit, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Most of these questions were out there,¡± Conrad remarked, looking over the answers himself before glancing between Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°This trivia was entirely about the Nimalian Union¡­ how¡¯d you guys know so much?¡±


    ¡°You knew even more than I did¡­¡± Arn grumbled.


    ¡°Well, we did spend the summer on a Nimalian planet,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°We learned a lot, out there.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, not enough¡­¡± Pierce muttered irately. ¡°But c¡¯mon, that one question was bullshit, right? I mean, how the hell are we supposed to know the highest grossing food product on Nimalia, huh?! You totally guessed on that one!¡±


    Phoenix crossed her arms, a smug grin crossing her face. ¡°And if I did? A win is a win, Pierce.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get perfect scores entirely through chance, anyways,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°Pierce, the fact that you were only one off is still impressive on its own, especially over a pool of 25 questions.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I lost a Nimalia trivia quiz to outsiders¡­¡± Arn muttered.


    ¡°Oh, shut up. I don¡¯t need your pity,¡± Pierce retorted, ignoring Arn¡¯s comment to pass Mark an annoyed glance. ¡°Trivia ¡ª by definition! ¡ª is useless information, anyways. It doesn¡¯t even test how smart you are, it just tests your rote memorization skills, which is super fucking basic.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s sore that he lost,¡± Phoenix taunted.


    ¡°Pot, meet kettle,¡± Conrad retorted under his breath, just quietly enough to escape Pierce or Phoenix¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha¡­¡± Mark laughed uneasily. ¡°You two really are into this, huh? You remind me of Mote and Kate, in a way¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, fuck that asshole,¡± Pierce countered with a scowl, and then turned to glare at Phoenix. ¡°But just you wait, I¡¯ll get your ass on the next one, whatever it is!¡±


    ¡°Good fucking luck, then, ¡®cause you¡¯ll need it!¡± Phoenix shot back, the two of them already walking off into the crowded streets.


    ¡°Still going¡­¡± Kestrel muttered as she watched them leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost impressive,¡± Mark commented, ¡°if not for the fact that they¡¯re so openly antagonizing each other¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, you get used to it.¡± Conrad shrugged, and then began following after Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Well, c¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get goin¡¯¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t move there! ¡­Can you? Is that a legal move?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s legal. This is the Skypiece, right?¡± Pierce narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the game board sitting in between him and Phoenix, decorated with blue and white hexes and adorned with two dozen game pieces. His hand hovered warily over one piece that was shaped vaguely like a cloud, unsure of what to do next. ¡°¡­The Skypiece can go over other pieces, right? That¡¯s the whole point of the cloud imagery, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean, maybe? But there¡¯s a Sun- and a Moonpiece, too. Surely they can¡¯t all leapfrog each other¡­¡± Phoenix¡¯s brow scrunched up with confusion as she looked down at a small tablet in her left hand, using her right to scroll through the virtual rulebook. An impatient scowl crossed her face while she remarked, ¡°why are there so many damn rules to this game¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, Chess has a lot of rules, too, sort of,¡± Mark replied, standing off to the side with Conrad, Kestrel, and Arn as they watched Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s game. ¡°This seems like the Nimalian version of Chess, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Chess¡¯s rules are pretty fucking simple,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°They could fit on a single page. It¡¯s the strategies that take up entire books. Still, I¡¯m not going to let learning a new game get in the way of my inevitable victory!¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up,¡± Phoenix shot back, finally setting her tablet down on the table. She then moved her hand over to a board piece shaped like a mountain, and begin moving it to an adjacent hex. ¡°You hadn¡¯t even heard of Skycross until I pointed out this stall.¡±


    ¡°As if this isn¡¯t your first time playing this game, either.¡±


    ¡°I heard a couple things from Brik¨¦n. I bet I know more strategy than you do!¡±


    ¡°Then fucking bring it! I can¡¯t be happy with a win if I don¡¯t crush you at your best!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Conrad sighed wearily, briefly passing a glance up at the nearest sun hologram as he did. The dial around it now indicated that there were only a few hours of daylight left. ¡°Man¡­ the two of you have been at this all day,¡± he complained as he turned back to Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Can¡¯t you just call it a draw at this point¡ª?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Pierce and Phoenix firmly replied in unison, only to pass each other challenging glares afterward.


    ¡°Right. Should¡¯ve expected that,¡± Conrad deadpanned. He then glanced over at Kestrel, and then Mark, and Arn. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m getting tired of playing babysitter. Let¡¯s go check something else out.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Kestrel nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°¡­I suppose leaving them alone couldn¡¯t hurt,¡± Mark commented, watching Pierce and Phoenix for a couple seconds as their attentions became laser-focused on the game between then. ¡°As competitive as they are, they haven¡¯t really been self-destructive or dangerous about it¡­¡±


    Conrad smirked in bitter amusement. ¡°Not exactly a high bar, huh?¡± He then glanced toward Arn again. ¡°You¡¯re free to join us.¡±


    Arn frowned, and then looked over at Phoenix. ¡°¡­Phoenix¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Shush, I¡¯m focusing,¡± she immediately retorted, not once diverting her attention from the game board.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Shoulders slumped, Arn turned toward Conrad. ¡°Guess I¡¯m with y¡¯all¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ yeah¡­¡± Conrad chuckled uneasily before turning around, his hands in his pockets as he led Kestrel, Mark, and Arn down the street. Once out of earshot of Pierce and Phoenix, Conrad released a hefty sigh and turned his gaze skyward; late afternoon sunlight cast long shadows on the streets and buildings, but the fluffy white clouds hanging above were just as bright as ever against the deep blue backdrop of the sky. ¡°¡­Sorry about them,¡± Conrad said, and then brought his attention down to look at Mark and Arn. ¡°When they get like this, there¡¯s nothing that¡¯ll stop them.¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Too competitive¡­¡±


    ¡°It certainly does seem that way¡­¡± Mark commented with a wary frown. ¡°Is it really fine leaving them alone like this, though?¡±


    ¡°The only way they¡¯ll cool off is when they tire each other out,¡± Conrad replied, and then adopted a wry smile as he added, ¡°that, or until they realize we abandoned them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you sayin¡¯ they didn¡¯t notice us leave?¡± Arn questioned.


    ¡°They probably saw us leave, but they¡¯ll never expect us to stay gone,¡± Conrad answered. ¡°Or, I guess, they won¡¯t actually think about us being gone until they reach a lull in their competition.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡± Mark asked. ¡°Has this happened before?¡±


    Kestrel nodded. ¡°Several times.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re really competitive,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°They sure do, uh¡­ care about each other a lot,¡± Arn muttered, only to jump when Conrad responded with a boisterous laugh.


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha ha!! Oh man, that¡¯s one way to put it.¡± Conrad grinned as he wiped a tear from his eye. ¡°They¡¯ve always seemed to care about beating each other more than beating other people. Don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say they ¡®care about¡¯ each other, though, not anymore than regular friends.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem that way to me,¡± Arn countered.


    ¡°Wait¡­ are you suggesting that they like each other?¡± Mark questioned incredulously. ¡°That can¡¯t be. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Conrad declared. ¡°The likelihood of Pierce and Phoenix becoming an item is nil. And even if they did get together, can you imagine how toxic that relationship would be? Hoo boy.¡±


    ¡°Need more maturity,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Among other things,¡± Conrad replied, and then released another lofty sigh. ¡°Well, at least this spat between them seems to have made Pierce forget about Austin. Poor guy.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Mark looked between Conrad and Kestrel with unease. ¡°The way you two are talking about Pierce and Phoenix¡­ are you guys really, well¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to ask why we¡¯re friends with them, aren¡¯t you?¡± Conrad replied, and then exchanged a glance with Kestrel before shrugging. ¡°Hard to say. I guess this is just one of the lows of being friends with them. There are times when it¡¯s pretty fun, this just isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very encouraging,¡± Mark pointed out.


    ¡°Hey, I could say the same about you and Mote,¡± Conrad shot back. ¡°You had to¡¯ve noticed how that guy just condescends down to everyone, right? Kinda similar to Pierce, actually, but somehow way more grating. Like, Pierce will at least challenge you to a fight, and encourage you to do your best ¡ª even if only so he can try to crush you. But Mote seems to think that he¡¯s above all of that, like other people aren¡¯t even worth the chance. Bit much, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair to say,¡± Mark countered. ¡°I agree that Mote can be a little too strait-laced sometimes, but there¡¯s a whole compassionate side to him that you haven¡¯t had the chance to see.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess.¡± Conrad shrugged. ¡°And I¡¯d say something similar about Pierce and Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Pierce? Compassionate?¡± Arn echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Ha ha ha, I don¡¯t blame you for having that response. And I agree, it¡¯s hard to see. But it¡¯s there. Sometimes you really have to look for it, but it¡¯s there. Maybe you¡¯ll see it, one day.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Conrad then yawned broadly, stretching his arms skyward as he did. ¡°Anyways¡­ we¡¯ve been talking a lot about Pierce and Phoenix. Let¡¯s change the subject to something else, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Talent show?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Hey, yeah, good idea. Those Chaotics are supposed to be on soon, or something, right? Let¡¯s go check that out,¡± Conrad declared, briefly adjusting his orientation to lead the group through the busy streets of Ilia.


    <hr>


    ¡°Ah ha! With my Sunpiece, I finally wipe out your last Cloudpiece! Give up yet?¡±


    ¡°What? That can¡¯t be right,¡± Phoenix countered irately, her eyes sweeping back and forth across the playing field between her and Pierce. She then snapped her attention to the tablet by her side and began furiously scrolling through the rules again. ¡°Was that a legal move? That can¡¯t be a legal move. You can¡¯t move the sun through the moon¡­¡±


    ¡°What? It makes perfect sense,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°This whole game is built around altitudes. The sun is higher up than the moon, so, the sun can pass over the moon. Easy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that would make the Sunpiece way too overpowered if it could move wherever it wanted and capture any piece it wanted.¡± Phoenix scowled. ¡°We have to be missing something¡­¡±


    Pierce sat back, his arms crossed as he adopted a smug grin. ¡°Just don¡¯t want to admit defeat that hard, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not if we¡¯re using the rules wrong. And we are, you dumbass!¡± Phoenix tossed the tablet toward Pierce, who easily snatched it out of the air. ¡°Look at the rules for moving the Sunpiece.¡±


    ¡°What, that it can only move 1 hex at a time? You know it says right here that it can move any number of hexes in a straight line if it¡¯s going over your own pieces, right?¡±


    ¡°After that. The Sunpiece isn¡¯t allowed to go closer to any edge of the board than any of your other pieces, and that¡¯s exactly what you just did!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Pierce¡¯s grin rapidly collapsed into a scowl as he scanned through the rules himself. ¡°The fuck¡­? Why didn¡¯t I see that before?!¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Phoenix smirked in the face of Pierce¡¯s own frustration. ¡°So the only way you can beat me is by cheating, huh?¡±


    ¡°Cheating my ass, that¡¯s a stupid rule,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°This board only has six hexes on a side, and there¡¯s only a dozen game pieces! How are you supposed to do anything with the Sunpiece with that rule?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, but why don¡¯t you take back that last move of yours?¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce begrudgingly began to reach over the board to move his piece back to where it was originally located, but he stopped when he felt his watch vibrate once. Reflexively, he turned his watch face toward him to check the notification.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re stalling, too?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°Conrad just sent me a message. ¡­They¡¯re waiting for us at the Talent Show venue?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Phoenix¡¯s eyebrows perked up, at which point she began swiveling her head to and fro to search her surroundings. ¡°Wait, they¡¯re all gone? When did they leave?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ hmph.¡± Pierce snorted as he looked about himself as well. Several small tables surrounded them, featuring a handful of different board games and dozens of players engrossed in them ¡ª but all amongst the crowd, Conrad, Kestrel, Mark, and Arn were no where to be seen. ¡°¡­Impatient bastards,¡± Pierce eventually muttered.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rich, coming from you,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Say what you like about my patience, but I don¡¯t just abandon people in the middle of a festival,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°I bet this is all because of that Arn guy. You really know how to pick ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you asshole, that¡¯s¡ª!¡± Phoenix stopped herself mid-sentence and pursed her lips, her brow furrowed into a glare at Pierce. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, at which point she stood up from her chair.


    ¡°And where are you going?¡± Pierce pressed as Phoenix turned away from the table. ¡°Forfeiting our match already?¡±


    ¡°Call it whatever the fuck you want, I just need a break from your toxic ass,¡± Phoenix shot back. ¡°I¡¯m going after Arn. Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce scowled as he watched Phoenix¡¯s retreating form until she disappeared into the crowds on the street. He then turned to glare down at the game board in front of him, and the pieces remaining on it. Before his illegal move, he and Phoenix had been tied ¡ª six silver pieces on her side, and six cerulean pieces on his. ¡°Fucking¡­ ugh.¡±


    With that irritated exhalation, Pierce stood up himself, and began looking around ¡ª only for his scowl to deepen when he realized that he was now alone. In hindsight, I guess Phoenix and I really were going at each other hard today, but¡­ argh. I can¡¯t just leave things at this! He passed an irate glare in the direction that Phoenix had left, only to shake his head and storm off in the opposite direction. ¡­Whatever. I¡¯ll just go cool my head back at my room, for a bit. But this day isn¡¯t over, yet. I¡¯ll pull out a win against someone, you just watch¡­

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 63: Chaotic Talents

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 63: Chaotic Talents


    ¡°Ah, Mark! I was starting to wonder where you were.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Mark replied sheepishly as he took a seat next to Luke. As he settled in, he looked up at his surroundings; he and Luke currently sat within a large open-air theater atop one of the taller buildings in Ilia¡¯s city center. While ¡°taller¡± in this case only meant ten stories tall, it was enough to provide an entirely unobstructed view of the deep blue skies that stretched from horizon to horizon, dotted with slow-moving puffy white clouds that basked in the golden sunlight of late afternoon. The Gateport Mountain towered in the distance, standing directly behind the theater stage from the perspective of the audience, while the Centerpiece Tree and the rock columns in its surrounding forest filled the horizon to the east.


    Not to be outdone by the natural beauty of its surroundings, the theater itself was decorated all over with colorful blue and yellow drapery and banners, similar in style to the flower- and sun-themed street decorations below. Lively chatter filled the air as the next act of Ilia¡¯s Brightest Day Talent Show prepared themselves; it was amongst this energetic summertime atmosphere that Mark, Conrad, and Kestrel finally joined Luke, Spike, and Sky in the theater stands.


    ¡°We miss anything?¡± Conrad questioned, leaning forward to look past Mark at Luke, Spike, and Sky.


    ¡°We only just got here, really,¡± Luke responded. ¡°The last act was some kind of poetry reading. It sounded nice, but I feel like some things were lost in translation¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose you can¡¯t expect real-time translation to be perfect,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°It was still pretty cool, though!¡± Sky exclaimed, only for her face to scrunch up in frustration as she scanned the crowds. ¡°But the actual Chaotic stuff is about to start¡­ where¡¯s sis and Austin?!¡±


    ¡°You know how they don¡¯t like crowds. Maybe they¡¯re skippin¡¯,¡± Spike suggested.


    ¡°Awww, c¡¯mon, that¡¯s no fun!¡± Sky pouted. ¡°Damn it, sis, Austin, y¡¯all better be making some real progress right now¡­!¡±


    ¡°Real progress with what?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Sky¡¯s eyes lit up as she whirled around, spotting Twy approaching through the stands from the opposite direction of Mark. ¡°You¡¯re here! Finally! You almost missed the good stuff!¡±


    ¡°Alone, huh?¡± Conrad questioned as he passed Twy a nod. Sure enough, she had approached the group all by herself.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Austin?¡± Luke asked.


    ¡°He had an upset stomach, so he went back to the hotel,¡± Twy replied as she took a seat next to her sister. ¡°He¡¯ll come when he can.¡±


    ¡°What? And you didn¡¯t go back with him?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    Twy passed her an incredulous look. ¡°Why would I? He just needs to use the bathroom¡­¡±


    ¡°But this was a perfect opportunity to be alone with him!¡±


    ¡°While he¡¯s using the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°No, you dumbass! Afterwards! When you would¡¯ve been walking here, together! Or, hell, I know how you both hate crowds, you could¡¯ve used that as a pretense for skipping the talent show entirely to spend time with him!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Twy looked down sheepishly, only then to awkwardly stutter out, ¡°¡­I-I mean, w-why would I want that?!¡±


    Sky loudly facepalmed. ¡°Oh come on, sis¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Leave her alone, Sky,¡± Spike interjected, to which Sky responded with an annoyed pout. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a shame Austin¡¯s missin¡¯ out on this.¡±


    ¡°Well, we might still see him, yet,¡± Luke replied. He then glanced over at Conrad and Kestrel, who had both settled into their seats next to Mark. ¡°What about Pierce and Phoenix? They haven¡¯t gotten into any trouble, have they?¡±


    ¡°Not the last we saw of them, at least,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°We left ¡®em behind at one of the stalls,¡± Conrad candidly declared. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be up soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Just to ruin everything with their bickering, I¡¯m sure,¡± Sky retorted.


    ¡°Now now, let¡¯s not talk shit about people behind their back,¡± Luke reprimanded with a sheepish smile. He then gestured toward the theater stage, where a handful of individuals ¡ª all dressed in the green with black trim that was the NSD uniform ¡ª had begun to gather. ¡°Looks like the next act is about to start.¡±


    ¡°NSD uniforms, huh?¡± Mark observed. ¡°Are these the Chaotics, then?¡±


    ¡°The first of the two groups, aye,¡± Luke affirmed. ¡°Now let¡¯s be quiet and see what they¡¯ve got.¡±


    The noise of the crowd in the rooftop theater began dying down as the Chaotics on the stage stood silently at attention, as if waiting for all eyes to fall on them. Before long, the ambient noise had dropped down to a few occasional whispers, allowing the soft summertime breeze to dominate the soundscape. Then, slowly, the winds began to pick up, rustling loose clothing and hair as one of the Chaotics on the stage stepped forward. They reached their right hand skyward, as if attempting to grasp the clouds themselves ¡ª and then, with a snap of their fingers, the theater was plunged into complete darkness.


    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Sky yelped, a reaction echoed by many others in the audience as crowd chatter quickly rose. ¡°What just happened? Did I go blind?!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ something is off. Look west,¡± Twy pointed out; sure enough, Sikalia¡¯s sun could still be seen, its late afternoon rays of light seeming to pierce the veil of absolute darkness, yet not actually reaching anything inside.


    Luke whistled in admiration. ¡°A Solartechnic, then, I¡¯d assume. This is impressive¡­ but it¡¯s only the start, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    As if on cue, the moment after Luke¡¯s words left his mouth, a small flame appeared within the darkness. Its dim light paled in comparison to the sun it stood against, yet in a field of black where absolutely nothing else could be seen, the flame still managed to stand strong.


    The winds picked up again, this time blowing inwards toward the single flame. For a second, it nearly seemed to blow out, only for the fire to explode in a vertical column and then race to the left and right, quickly tracing out the outlines of the stage and revealing that a massive mound of stone now occupied the space, strongly reminiscent in shape to Gateport Mountain. A second later, a humanoid silhouette appeared in the air over the model mountain, wreathed in bright yellow sparks. For a brief moment, the sparks flared in brightness, giving the impression of a sun ¡ª even if only for a second. And immediately after that one second, the top of the mountain exploded off in a plume of fire, appearing not wholly unlike a volcanic eruption.


    ¡°Is that¡­ actual lava?!¡± Spike questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Actual lava would be too hot for a space like this, so I can only assume not,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Still¡­ that it looks so similar¡ª¡°


    ¡°Is really fucking cool!! WOO!¡± Sky thrust her arms into the air as she released an exhilarated whoop.


    Amidst cheers from the crowd in response to the explosive show, the spark-wreathed silhouette continued to hover in the air over the plumes of flames. Streaks of lightning arced from the silhouette down to the model mountain, almost seeming to excite the flames further, causing the plumes to reach higher and higher still ¡ª and eventually licking away at the silhouette of lightning. Before the flames actually reached the sparks, however, a shimmering water bubble appeared around the silhouette, extinguishing the sparks and subsequently triggering a massive steam explosion that masked the flames and again plunged the theater into darkness.


    Surprised gasps spread through the audience as even the real sun disappeared from sight, leaving behind true darkness. Within that darkness, the winds picked up once again, swirling all around the venue; then, as if invisible clouds were parting, a series of small, levitating orbs came into view over the stage. A ball of flame hovered in the center, while balls of rock of varying sizes slowly rotated around it ¡ª a clear representation of a solar system. That view continued for several moments, allowing the watching crowds to look upon it in awe, before the ball of flame began to grow in size, at first gradually, and then more rapidly as it swallowed up the model planets that orbited it. Just as the ball of flame grew so large that it seemed it might engulf the audience, it fizzled out¡­ leaving behind a massive spiral of sparkling lights in the sky above.


    ¡°¡­Our galaxy, huh?¡± Conrad remarked, staring upward at the mass of lights that dominated the artificially darkened space, taking on the four-armed spiral shape of the Milky Way.


    ¡°That is pretty cool¡­¡± Mark muttered in awe, his attention shifting left and right as he realized that he could now see everyone around him, lit solely by the flames and dots of light that emulated the stars of the galaxy. ¡°This level of control over their powers and their environment, too¡­ this all must require a great deal of skill.¡±


    ¡°And knowledge,¡± Luke added, pointing upwards at a small protrusion from one of the galactic arms. ¡°Look, they even have the offshoot of the Sagittarius Arm that has our solar system. This model of the galaxy is amazingly accurate.¡±


    ¡°Man¡­¡± Spike slowly swept his gaze from the west to the east; the spiraling lights above were arranged such that they seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, while also appearing so far away that looking up was almost indistinguishable from looking upon a true night sky ¡ª albeit from a position above the galaxy, instead of within it. ¡°¡­Never really thought of doin¡¯ somethin¡¯ like this with Chaotic abilities, huh,¡± he eventually commented.


    ¡°Ha ha, yeah,¡± Conrad chuckled. ¡°Everyone always just talks about fighting all the time. This, though¡­ not very practical, is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing says that everything you do at all times has to be practical,¡± Luke refuted, and then glanced down as the model galaxy disappeared and the true blackness slowly faded, revealing the blue skies and setting sun of Sikalia once more. ¡°Oh¡­ looks like it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Awww, c¡¯mon, that was so short!¡± Sky complained. ¡°I wanna see more of that! Agh, I guess I¡¯ll just have to figure out how to do that myself!¡±


    ¡°You gonna try to show off at a talent show?¡± Spike replied with an amused smirk.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not! This Brightest Day thing happens on every Nimalian planet, right? That means we¡¯ll eventually see one on Nimalia! We have to be ready for it!¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve gotten all fired up¡­¡± Twy observed.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly good to have something to work toward,¡± Mark pointed out, and then glanced to the side as Phoenix silently approached and sunk into the seat next to Kestrel. ¡°Ah, you found us. I was a little worried¡­¡±


    Phoenix grunted, her arms crossed as she glared forward.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s in a bad mood,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Something wrong? Where¡¯s your boy¡ª?¡±


    He stopped himself mid-word as Phoenix snapped her glare to him, shutting him up with a single look. An uneasy chuckle escaped Conrad¡¯s mouth in response.


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re in time for the next performance,¡± Luke commented, his attention directed downward as a new group of individuals took to the stage, dressed in the same NSD uniforms as the prior group. As opposed to the first group ¡ª who had arrived empty-handed ¡ª the second group was each carrying some sort of musical instrument.


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    ¡°Music, huh¡­?¡± Spike mused.


    ¡°Those instruments look weird¡­ but also kinda familiar,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Like a weird guitar, and that trumpet-looking thing with the extra loop¡­¡±


    ¡°Sound waves work the same wherever you go,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s bound to be some level of convergent evolution when it comes to instruments. You can even see that among the cultures on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh, I knew that,¡± Sky retorted, and then snapped her attention to the stage as the performer with the guitar-like instrument stepped forward and strummed once. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re starting. Hush!¡±


    Behind the guitarist were four other performers: one on drums, two on some manner of brass-like instrument, and one off to the side standing behind a large speaker. As the crowd noise in the theater died down, the guitarist slowly strummed their instrument again, generating a low, twangy echo from the speaker that sounded similar to an electric guitar. The woman behind the speaker then held up two fingers toward the guitarist, who nodded back before turning toward the crowd.


    What followed was a moment of silence, the crowd now quiet as they awaited the start of the next performance. The performers, in turn, stood quietly, as if awaiting a signal themselves ¡ª apart from the drummer, who held a drumstick high. Another second passed, and then two, the sound of a soft breeze being the only thing to fill the venue¡­ until the drummer slammed their stick down onto their drums, setting a steady, yet rapid string of beats across the entire drum set.


    Within a second, the guitarist had joined the rhythm, energetically bobbing their head with the high tempo as their fingers practically flew up and down the strings of their instrument. The two brass players soon joined the chorus, crafting a subtle jazz line to complement the fast-paced rock style of the drums and guitar. For the next four minutes, the performers jammed out to their hearts¡¯ content, almost seeming to forget the audience before them as they ceded the floor to each others¡¯ solos and then picked up the beat again without missing a single note. And then, just as quickly as it had all begun, the music reached its end, with one final energetic drum riff signaling the finale.


    ¡°¡­WOO!¡± Sky jumped to her feet and whooped, joining the loud and eager response of the crowds. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I expected, but that was great!!¡±


    ¡°Weird tune, but yeah, I guess it was pretty cool, huh,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°And they performed so well, too!!¡± Sky exclaimed, turning to grin excitedly at the rest of the group. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think I quite have the hang of this particular musical style, but it didn¡¯t sound like they missed a single note, despite how fast they were playing. That¡¯s impressive!¡±


    Kestrel nodded in agreement. ¡°Some improv, too.¡±


    ¡°You know, I kinda thought there was some improv in there, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was just the jazz-like sound getting to me. If you caught it, too, though, then it was definitely there. Ooooh¡­!¡± A squeal escaped Sky¡¯s throat as she stomped on the ground. ¡°Damn it, this has me so fired up! Now I wanna make some music!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha ha ha!¡± Spike laughed uproariously in response to his girlfriend¡¯s energy. ¡°That¡¯s great, Sky! I feel like I ain¡¯t seen you this worked up in a while!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but let¡¯s not make too much noise, now¡­¡± Twy quickly spoke, casting an uneasy glance toward some nearby audience members. ¡°There¡¯s still the next act.¡±


    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s a 10-minute interlude, now,¡± Luke pointed out, holding up a paper itinerary as he did. ¡°That was it for the Chaotic performances.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that last group was a bunch of Chaotics, weren¡¯t they¡­¡± Mark mused.


    ¡°Never would¡¯ve guessed, if not for the uniforms,¡± Conrad declared. ¡°Huh, did they even do anything with their powers during that performance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they did¡­¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°That was just a regular band performance. A good one, but nothing about it was special to Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Which I think is even better!¡± Sky declared as she pounded her chest and then pumped her fist. ¡°That first performance, the light show, was pretty cool ¡ª but the band was way better in every way!¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Twy said. ¡°Especially if you look at it from a symbolic perspective. The light show demonstrated that Chaotics don¡¯t have to be fighting to do cool things with their powers¡­ but the band showed that Chaotics don¡¯t have to use their powers at all to do something cool.¡±


    ¡°And honestly, I think I needed that reminder¡­¡± Sky admitted with a sheepish smile.


    Conrad shrugged. ¡°Sounds to me like you¡¯re looking into this way too deeply.¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Twy¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡­ Huh.¡± Conrad glanced up at Kestrel, and then sighed. ¡°Well, if you say so, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad everyone¡¯s havin¡¯ a good time, at least,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°And Twy did make a good point, there. I guess it could be pretty useful if y¡¯all all had some kind of hobby or something outside of your powers, huh?¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦ actually said something similar a few weeks ago¡­¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°True, but I don¡¯t know if any of us actually listened,¡± Phoenix said. She then glanced over at Sky as a tired smile crossed her face. ¡°But, actually seeing it in action, and seeing Sky¡¯s enthusiasm¡­ I think I want to do something, too!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Sky exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air as she grinned down at Phoenix. ¡°Maybe we can even work together on something!¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say no to that,¡± Phoenix replied in kind, and then planted her hand on Kestrel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you¡¯re doing something musical, then maybe Kestrel can help out, too. She¡¯s always had a mind for composition.¡±


    ¡°Just a hobby¡­¡± Kestrel countered quietly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not that good.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, we¡¯ll all just hobbyists right now,¡± Sky insisted. ¡°Besides, creators are always the hardest on themselves. Shit, you should see sis complain about her art all the time, despite making some of the best stuff I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to flatter me¡­¡± Twy muttered bashfully.


    ¡°But that¡¯s my point! It¡¯s not flattery!¡± Sky shook her head in disbelief before turning to face Kestrel. ¡°Look, if you¡¯re into musical compositions, then I wanna see what you can do and judge for myself if you¡¯re any good! If you aren¡¯t, well, I know a thing or two, so I could teach you! But, honestly, I¡¯d bet you¡¯re even better at it than I am, ah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Kinds feels like you ain¡¯t takin¡¯ your own advice,¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, whatever.¡± Sky simply waved him off. ¡°But Phoenix, Kestrel, if y¡¯all really want to do something together, then I¡¯m all for it! Let¡¯s talk when we get back to Nimalia!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ sounds like a plan,¡± Phoenix responded with a smile.


    ¡°¡­Maybe,¡± Kestrel replied quietly.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s actually an impressive level of commitment, coming from Kestrel,¡± Conrad remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Still good to hear,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Although¡­ I guess it¡¯s a shame that not everyone got to see the show.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right¡­¡± Luke looked left, and then right. ¡°¡­Austin still isn¡¯t here? Twy, you sure he¡¯s okay?¡±


    ¡°He sounded okay when I last saw him¡­¡± Twy replied warily.


    ¡°Oh, now that you mention it¡­¡± Conrad passed Phoenix a glance. ¡°Where¡¯s Pierce? We left him with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks for that,¡± Phoenix retorted sarcastically, and then sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where he went ¡ª I left him at the stall. If he isn¡¯t here, then maybe he went out for a run, or back to his room, or something. Hell if I know.¡±


    ¡°The two of you split up? Oof¡­¡± Conrad grimaced. ¡°Didn¡¯t think it would get that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°That would mean that you and Pierce are still tied, right?¡± Mark mused. ¡°I¡¯m almost surprised he let you just walk off.¡±


    ¡°It was a stupid contest to begin with,¡± Phoenix muttered. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t believe I let myself get swept up in it¡­ well, I don¡¯t care anymore. He can take that contest and shove it up his ass, for all I care.¡±


    ¡°What a guy,¡± Sky deadpanned, and then elbowed Spike cheekily. ¡°Hey, maybe Pierce and Austin will run into each other, and Austin¡¯ll finally get a chance to shut Pierce up, just like he wanted a couple days ago!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Twy snapped her attention to Sky, and then Phoenix, her eyes wide with realization. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Phoenix scowled as she locked eyes with Twy. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡±


    ¡°H-hey¡­ it was just a joke,¡± Sky quickly backpedaled, glancing uneasily between Twy and Phoenix. ¡°I mean¡­ what¡¯s the worst than can happen, right? Austin might be dense, and Pierce might be an asshole, but they aren¡¯t, like, stupid, right? Right¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    With a grimace, Austin finally trudged into the hallway just outside of his hotel room. He paused for a moment to hold a hand to his stomach; after feeling no reaction from his bowels, he took a deep sigh of relief. Fuck¡­ I guess the spiciness in Nimalian food is caused by the same chemical or something as in Earth food, huh? That sucks.


    He then cast his gaze to his left, through one of the windows that adorned the hallway. The crowds and decorations of Ilia¡¯s Brightest Day celebrations met his eyes, backed by the distant mountains and fluffy clouds above, bathed as they were in late afternoon light. ¡°How long was I in there¡­?¡± Austin muttered to himself, ¡°shit, I¡¯ve probably missed the Chaotic talent stuff, haven¡¯t I? Ugh¡­¡±


    With that thought, Austin shook his head forlornly and began trudging down the hallway to the elevator. As much as he disliked crowds and large festivals, his friends were still out there, and he wasn¡¯t about to just sit around while they had all the fun. If nothing else, he could sit on the sidelines with Twy and poke fun at Sky and Spike¡¯s antics.


    All things considered, this has actually been a decently fun day, he mused to himself as he arrived at the elevator and waited for the doors to open. Even with the circumstances of the trip, and us being on Nimalia in the first place¡­ tch. Why do I keep thinking of that stuff? Why can¡¯t I just accept a silver lining when I find it? Damn it, Austin, keep this attitude up and this day will be ruined before you know it. He lightly slapped himself on his cheeks in an effort to shake himself out of his negative thoughts, and then glanced over at the elevator as a light came on above the door. As the doors slid open, Austin sighed again, and then straightened up his posture before taking a step into the elevator.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    At the sound of another person¡¯s voice, Austin¡¯s attention snapped to the side ¡ª only to freeze as a certain dirty blond-framed visage met his gaze. A scowl quickly formed on Austin¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Pierce.¡±


    ¡°Fancy running into you here, dweeb,¡± Pierce retorted, his arms crossed while he turned up his chin at Austin. ¡°Though I guess I should¡¯ve expected to find a shut-in like you at our hotel, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, too,¡± Austin shot back, watching as Pierce joined him just outside of the elevator. ¡°What do you even want with me? Why are you bullyin¡¯ me all the time?¡±


    ¡°Bullying?¡± Pierce echoed incredulously, at which point his prior haughty smirk transformed into a spiteful smile. ¡°Your evil twin is what got us all into this mess.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª! But I don¡¯t have anythin¡¯ to do with EA!¡± Austin protested. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where he came from!¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s still basically you. And don¡¯t say that he isn¡¯t,¡± Pierce preempted Austin¡¯s retort, ¡°I saw how you tried to defend the designs of EA¡¯s mechs. Some move.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I agree with everythin¡¯ he¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But you sure as shit haven¡¯t done much against him.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, I helped destroy his Bug Crawler in Plano, and I helped fight his War Wasp, too!¡±


    Pierce paused for a moment as he passed Austin an incredulous stare. By this point, the elevator doors had closed and the elevator had departed, but neither of them had noticed. ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± Pierce eventually questioned, ¡°you remember the names of his mechs?¡±


    ¡°S-so what?¡± Austin diverted his gaze uneasily, only to soon return it to Pierce and furrow his brow. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I have fought EA!¡±


    ¡°Barely. I¡¯ve seen the footage of that fight in Texas, and you barely helped at all. Your friends did all of the legwork,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°And then when you guys ¡®rescued¡¯ us on EA¡¯s ship, again, you did barely anything. Meanwhile, I¡¯ve singlehandedly fought and destroyed dozens of that bastard¡¯s robots, and even fought off an attempted attack on my hometown ¡ª without destroying a neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what? W-wait, we didn¡¯t destroy a whole neighborhood, it was just a block! A-and that was EA, anyways, not us! Why are you tryin¡¯ to blame me for stuff that EA¡¯s done, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce glanced away for a moment, his lips pursed in thought. After a second, he turned back to face Austin, his expression further souring into a scowl. ¡°You might be right that I shouldn¡¯t hold all of that against you. But you know what I really don¡¯t like? Losers. Whiners. Complainers. People who can¡¯t accept reality.¡±


    Austin stared at Pierce in disbelief. ¡°Are you listenin¡¯ to yourself? I¡¯ve known you for barely a month, and I can still tell how sore of a loser you can be!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not talking about me,¡± Pierce snapped. ¡°At least I¡¯m willing to work to improve myself, to getting ever better, so that I don¡¯t have to repeat my losses. But you? I¡¯ve only known you for barely a month, but it¡¯s still easy to see how you just run from everything. Every time conscription is brought up, you complain. Every time you get a chance to train or improve, you complain!¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted derisively. ¡°¡­A month ago, when that Pallan guy showed us that we could summon unique weapons, and then started calling us ¡®Keys¡¯ or some shit¡­ I could tell that he was trying to put me and you on the same level. Do you know how insulting that is, though? To be put on the same level as a weakling like you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not weak,¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°And yet everyone around you is doing better than you,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Even your evil fucking twin is more accomplished than you! And yet, while he¡¯s on the loose, and you have here the perfect opportunity to train up and kick his ass¡­ you refuse! Every time we train, you either give it only a token effort, or come up with some excuse as to why you¡¯re lagging behind everyone else. That¡¯s what really pisses me off about you. You never fucking try!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Austin drew back, startled by Pierce¡¯s accusation. ¡°I¡ª I do try! B-besides, you¡¯ve barely known me for a month, what the fuck do you even know? For all you know, I could beat you in a fight!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± A dangerous grin spread across Pierce¡¯s face. ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±


    Shit! Austin swore internally, his thoughts racing through his mind. I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª! Ah, damn it, if I back down now this will all just get worse! I mean, I probably CAN beat him, right? I can copy his speed, and then also have my Imperator powers on top of that, so it¡¯s like I¡¯m a strictly better version of him. If I can just show him that, then maybe I can shut him up¡­!


    ¡°¡­Figures you¡¯d back down,¡± Pierce eventually muttered after several moments of silence. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t have the balls to¡ª¡°


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Austin interjected, staring down Pierce with his hands balled into fists.


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± A bitter chuckle escaped Pierce¡¯s throat as he uncrossed his arms and turned toward Austin directly. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a surprise? The dweeb actually wants to fight.¡±


    ¡°If beatin¡¯ you will shut you up, then I¡¯ll do it,¡± Austin retorted, and then mirrored Pierce¡¯s spiteful grin. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna back down?¡±


    ¡°And miss a chance to show you just how much you¡¯re lacking? Wouldn¡¯t miss that for anything, dweeb,¡± Pierce countered, at which point he reached toward the elevator and pressed the button to call it. ¡°With all the festivities in the city, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no one at the Preservation Park. We can start on that one stone pillar we both took pictures from¡­ the perfect way to put you in your place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, asshole,¡± Austin shot back, barely giving the elevator a glance as the doors opened up and he and Pierce stepped through. ¡°By the end of tonight, I¡¯ll show you that I ain¡¯t the weak little ¡®dweeb¡¯ that you think I am!¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 64: Keys Rivalry

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 64: Keys'' Rivalry


    30 Minutes Later


    Golden rays stretched across the skies of Ilia, bathing the city and its festivities in the light of the setting sun. Pink- and orange-tinged clouds lazily drifted across the sky, serving as serene backdrops to the fireworks and displays of holographic lights that heralded the end of Sikalia¡¯s Brightest Day. Despite the season, a slight yet persistent breeze through the region kept temperatures comfortably cool, while softly rustling the leaves of the surrounding forest to generate a peaceful white noise that could lull even the lightest of sleepers to slumber.


    Amongst all of these summertime displays, Ilia¡¯s Centerpiece Tree and its surrounding rock pillars stood as tall and stoic as ever. Even from many kilometers away, the light shows that hailed the sunset could be seen from Ilia¡¯s Preservation Park. One stone pillar in particular, being the tallest of them all, offered a stunning view of the city in the distance and the towering mountain to its south. However, only two individuals were around who could appreciate the view¡­ and their attention was elsewhere entirely.


    Standing in silence with his arms crossed, Austin stared down Pierce, who stood atop the stone pillar across from him. A wary sigh soon escaped Austin¡¯s lips; the two had recently arrived at the agreed-upon duel location, and despite traveling together for half an hour, neither of them had spoken a word to the other.


    Pierce¡¯s eyes narrowed in response to Austin¡¯s sigh, but he said nothing. Instead, he backed into a runner¡¯s stance, keeping his eyes on Austin the whole time. ¡°¡­Alright, dweeb,¡± he eventually spoke up, breaking the thirty minutes of silence between them, ¡°let¡¯s get this show on the road. We fight until one of us forfeits, or can¡¯t fight any more!¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Austin glanced westward, toward the sun setting over the city of Ilia and the distant mountains. ¡°A duel like this¡­ probably isn¡¯t a good idea¡­ I mean, we don¡¯t even have energy shields, or anything¡­¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Pierce countered, ¡°as a Velocitechnic, I¡¯m more than durable enough to take my own kicks. And as a Simulator Psychotechnic, you automatically get my level of durability whenever I¡¯m near you. So don¡¯t try to use that as an excuse to back down, now!¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that just turn this into a stalemate, then? What¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°The point is that skill can break a stalemate of raw ability. But hey, dweeb, if you want to forfeit the match and acknowledge my superior abilities, then I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Austin drew back, confusion and frustration writ across his face. ¡°I¡¯m not forfeitin¡¯, I¡¯m sayin¡¯ the duel is a bad idea!¡±


    ¡°A bad idea that you suggested,¡± Pierce shot back, relaxing his runner¡¯s stance to stand up straight and plant his hands on his hips. ¡°If you back out, that means you forfeit ¡ª and that I won. It¡¯d be one hella boring win, but a win nonetheless. That¡¯s how forfeiting works.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Austin pursed his lips, attempting to stare down Pierce ¡ª who simply returned the gaze. Eventually, Austin broke eye-contact to look all around him; standing on top of the tallest stone pillar in the Preservation Park as they were, Austin had a clear view of the entire park, and of the tops of the trees a few dozen meters below.


    As Austin¡¯s gaze wandered, Pierce¡¯s remained fixed on him, his brow furrowed despite his confident smirk. Nothing but clear skies and distant clouds served as a backdrop, seemingly isolating Austin and Pierce on the stone pillar nearly twenty meters in diameter. Despite the distance between them, however, Pierce kept his full attention on Austin, watching his each and every move.


    Eventually, Austin returned his attention to Pierce, and then backed into a tense defensive stance. ¡°Fine. Have it your way,¡± he conceded. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    A dangerous grin spread across Pierce¡¯s face. ¡°Glad to hear it, dweeb! Too bad all those big words of yours won¡¯t mean shit in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say the same to you,¡± Austin muttered under his breath, and then raised his voice for Pierce to hear. ¡°Since you¡¯re the fastest of us, I¡¯ll countdown to the start.¡±


    ¡°A handicap you¡¯ll definitely need,¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ tch. We¡¯ll start on ¡®go¡¯. Ready?¡± Austin called out, his body involuntarily tensing up even further in anticipation. ¡°Three¡­!¡±


    Pierce resumed his runner¡¯s stance in the blink of an eye, his attention focused solely on Austin.


    ¡°Two¡­!¡±


    Austin held up his hands, attempting to mimic the martial arts stances he had seen Spike take in the past.


    ¡°One¡­!¡±


    For just a moment, the persistent breeze through the park died down, causing the soft rustling of the leaves below to cease and be replaced by a deafening silence.


    ¡°¡­Go¡ª!¡±


    The moment the word left Austin¡¯s mouth, he felt an incredible blow to his stomach that launched him through the sky over the trees of the Preservation Park. Pain shot through his body, but he found himself surprised in how it didn¡¯t sting much more than a hard slap. I knew my body would be durable enough to take Pierce¡¯s blows, since he has to be in my simulator range to hit me, but I didn¡¯t quite expect this¡­ Damn it, Austin, focus! Immediately, he clapped his hands together, using his Imperator Psychotechnism to seize control of his own body and fly through the air. As he did, he felt his perception of his surroundings slow down ¡ª and then, in the corner of his eye, he spotted Pierce sailing through the air toward him. Reflexively, Austin dodged through the air, resulting in Pierce¡¯s incoming kick missing him by just a hair. Everything slowed down¡­? Austin thought warily, keeping an eye on Pierce as he sailed past ¡ª and the flow of time reverted to normal. ¡­Oh, right, of course. Just like I copy Pierce¡¯s durability when he¡¯s near me, I must be copying his reflexes, too. All without having to think about it. I mean, I knew it would work like this, but seeing it in action is something else entirely¡­ at least this should even the playing field!


    ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± Pierce snorted in derision as he disappeared below the tree tops, landing on the ground after his first attempt at a flying kick. He immediately launched into an all-out sprint, weaving through the underbrush of the forest as he kept Austin¡¯s flying form in the corner of his eye. Damn! I knew that him copying my powers could be a pain in the ass¡­ Pierce¡¯s thoughts raced through his mind just as quickly as his feet pounded the ground. But how the hell did he react THAT quickly? This should be his first time trying to copy me! And now he¡¯s flying, too¡­ but I know his powers. He doesn¡¯t have any way to attack at range, so he still has to get close to me to do anything, and that limits his options. So think, Pierce. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re losing to the dweeb! With that thought, Pierce blasted off across the park, crossing over entire hills and sections of forest in the blink of an eye.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Up in the air, Austin frantically swept his gaze across the forest. Faint cracks could be heard from below ¡ª the signs of Pierce repeatedly breaking the sound barrier as he slowed down, sped up, and changed directions ¡ª but the sonic booms came in too quickly and from too disparate areas for Austin to follow. Brow furrowed in concentration, Austin attempted to track the booms all the same as he braced his body for any potential unseen attacks; barely a second later, Pierce appeared from directly below, feet directed upward in an attempt to knock Austin further into the sky. However Austin was able to react just in time to dodge out of the way of Pierce¡¯s foot, momentarily locking eyes with his opponent before reaching out with his hand to try and grab Pierce¡¯s arm. C¡¯mon, I just need to touch him¡­!


    ¡°Shit¡ª!¡± Pierce swore aloud as he twisted his torso around midair to evade Austin¡¯s outstretched hand ¡ª and then he used the rotating motion to swing himself around completely and slam his feet down onto Austin¡¯s back, sending the latter rocketing toward the ground. That was close¡­ Pierce thought to himself, now beginning to fall back to the ground himself after the split-second physical exchange with Austin. Getting close to him is dangerous. If he touches me just once, this whole thing might as well be over ¡ª but the damn dweeb is staying in the air! As Pierce alighted on the ground, he threw a glance toward Austin¡¯s location, finding that the Psychotechnic had managed to stop his descent just above the treetops. With an irritated scowl, Pierce took off running again, hoping to disorient Austin and then launch another surprise attack.


    The sonic boom from Pierce¡¯s sudden acceleration soon reached Austin¡¯s ears, alerting him that Pierce was once again on the run. I can¡¯t just stay on the defensive¡­ Austin mused, and then searched all around him for some object to aid in the fight. Upon spotting a downed tree, Austin quickly swooped down to it and slapped the bark with his bare palms, at which point he seized control of the dead tree¡¯s movements and focused on hoisting it into the air. Just as he was getting the hang of it, Pierce appeared in the corner of his eye; entirely by reflex, Austin psychically swung the tree around, managing to slam it into Pierce¡¯s approaching form and crush him against an adjacent tree. Startled by his own reflexes, Austin was little able to react as Pierce burst out of the trees a second later, using his ability to quickly accelerate to demolish the bark and then chuck dozens of the remnant wood chips at Austin. Several of the chips found their mark against Austin¡¯s body; he was hovering close enough to Pierce that the mach-speed wood pieces weren¡¯t able to pierce his skin, but the sharp stinging pain they left behind drove Austin into the skies once more.


    Pierce glared after him, only to jump to the side a second later as Austin exerted control over the remnants of the dead tree and used it to swing at Pierce. With another supersonic kick, Pierce obliterated what remained of the tree and then sped off into the forest once more. ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± he muttered to himself. How the hell is he matching my speed? This can¡¯t just be him learning as we go! Maybe he¡¯s been practicing with my speed behind my back, somehow?! Agh, there ARE other Velocitechnics at WCU, so maybe he is! In that case, I have to do something that it isn¡¯t possible to have trained for! As Pierce continued ducking and weaving through the forest, occasionally sidestepping debris that Austin rained down from on high, the thought of using his blue and silver chain blade crossed his mind ¡ª only for him to quickly dismiss it. Damn it, Pierce, you can¡¯t use that weapon! It¡¯s way too fucking sharp for this! Not to mention it¡¯d basically be like admitting that I can¡¯t take him on my own! If he whips out his sword first, THEN I¡¯ll use my blade, but until then, I need another solution! What would he not expect? What¡¯s hard to train against? What would most people at WCU not have¡­? Oh! The frustrated scowl that adorned Pierce¡¯s face was soon replaced by a bitter grin. I know!


    From the air, Austin watched the forest closely, having lost sight of Pierce amongst the foliage. It¡¯s so fucking hard to track him! he thought in annoyance, fucking superspeed¡­ I knew I should¡¯ve practiced more with my Simulator powers. Right now, I can barely do anything¡­ the next time he gets close to me, I need to try and stick next to him, so I can keep his speed. That¡¯s the only way I can turn this around. Unless¡­ The image of his claymore, wreathed in magnificent blue and gold, briefly came to mind before he forced it away. No, Austin, you can¡¯t do that. Pierce would throw a fit. Though, he does have his own weapon, so I guess it¡¯d be fair, but¡ª


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?!¡± Austin exclaimed, the sudden shout from below forcing him out of his thoughts. Pierce is using his Overdrive?! You can¡¯t be serious¡ª! He began to turn toward the source of Pierce¡¯s shout, but before he could complete the turn or even his thought, Pierce appeared in the corner of his vision ¡ª and then slammed into him from below faster than he could react. ¡°Ungh¡ª!¡± Austin grunted in pain, confusion writ across his face as he spiraled up into the sky. What the hell? Why couldn¡¯t I react fast enough, this time¡ª? Mid-thought, Pierce appeared in the air beside Austin, his legs swinging around and down onto the Psychotechnic. The latter immediately attempted to fly away, as he had done several times already to evade Pierce ¡ª but this time, he proved just too slow. Pierce¡¯s foot connected and knocked Austin back toward the ground; all Austin¡¯s evasion attempt had succeeded at was changing the angle of his descent.


    As he fell through the air after landing his attack, Pierce watched Austin recover from the blow just above the trees. A smug smirk slowly spread across his face. Alright, this is it! Pierce thought to himself, Speed Break seems like it only increases my max speed by around 1 Mach or so, but that difference is enough. Time to end this before the dweeb can get used to it! Immediately, he blasted off toward Austin, reaching the Psychotechnic before he could begin again to ascend into the air. Instead of leaping at Austin directly, Pierce jumped toward a tree near to Austin and then used it as a springboard to hit the flying Chaotic from a more oblique angle, thereby launching Austin almost horizontally across the treetops and back toward the stone pillar where the fight had begun. A split second after he landed that hit, Pierce dropped to the ground and then rocketed off again, this time using his speed to run up the stone pillar so as to gain altitude on Austin. Ha! Fucking finally, I have the upper hand! Just one more kick, and I can end this!


    ¡°Uagh¡­!¡± Austin grasped his chest as he involuntarily dry heaved, his sides and stomach aching from the kicks Pierce had just landed on him. What the fuck?! Why do his hits hurt so much, all of a sudden?! Can my Simulator powers not keep up with an Overdrive, or something? ¡­Shit! I need altitude, now! Shaking off his earlier discomfort, Austin clapped his hands together to renew his psychic control over his own body and then shot upwards into the air. Just as he cleared a dozen meters over the treetops, however, Pierce suddenly appeared above and to the left, careening through the air from the direction of the stone pillar. Eyes wide with surprise, Austin reflexively held his hands up to block. Wait, no! Don¡¯t block, evade¡ª! he mentally shouted at himself, commanding his arms and body to move, but Pierce was already too close ¡ª and too fast. Pain shot through Austin¡¯s arms as Pierce¡¯s foot connected, launching Austin toward the forest below. Shit! Austin quickly asserted psychic control over his body, managing to slow his downward momentum as he had several times before, but he could already tell that this time was different. Not only had he been lower to the ground at the moment of Pierce¡¯s kick than every other one of Pierce¡¯s aerial assaults, but the Velocitechnic had also possessed far greater momentum. Fuck, I¡¯m gonna hit the ground¡ª!


    Less than a second passed between Pierce landing his hit on Austin and Austin smashing into the ground below, impacting with such force that dirt and leaves were thrown into the air, forming a small dust cloud that practically glittered in the twilight. While light, the dust cloud was still thick enough to obscure the surroundings; Pierce landed on the ground and rushed over to the cloud, tensely waiting for the dust to clear. That HAD to have done the dweeb in. Right? There¡¯s no way he could recover from¡ª!


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­ should¡¯ve fuckin¡¯ expected this to happen.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Confusion crossed Pierce¡¯s face as he heard a voice distinctly different from Austin¡¯s, with a much deeper timbre. ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you give me that shit!¡±


    A blast of air immediately cleared the dust cloud; Pierce reflexively held up an arm to shield his eyes from the dirt before taking a look at the scene before him. Sure enough, Austin was sitting on the ground, his chest heaving as he clutched it with his right hand. And standing over Austin was another figure ¡ª a man, with dark tanned skin and scruffy black hair that was long enough in front to frame his face down to his cheeks, and long enough in back to be tied into a low ponytail. Combined with his full black goatee and the light beige scarf wrapped around his neck, Pierce immediately recognized the man, and adopted an apprehensive smile as he muttered, ¡°¡­Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± The Dean crossed his arms, his face contorted into an irate scowl as he glared at Austin and Pierce. ¡°¡­Now, I¡¯m only gonna ask this once. What the fuck is goin¡¯ on, here?!¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 65: Keys Frustration

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 65: Keys'' Frustration


    ¡°What the fuck is goin¡¯ on, here?!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pierce groaned in reply to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s demand. ¡°¡­What¡¯s it look like?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t an answer,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he glared at Pierce. He then stepped to the side, allowing him to easily glance between Pierce and Austin, who was still sitting on the ground. ¡°I know what I saw. I ain¡¯t askin¡¯ about that. I¡¯m askin¡¯ what the fuck y¡¯all think you¡¯re doin¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Austin grunted in pain, his face scrounged up and his right hand clutching at his stomach as he stumbled to his feet. ¡°We were just¡­ ow, fuck¡­¡± He then turned toward Pierce. ¡°What the fuck, man? Why¡¯d you hit me so hard?!¡±


    ¡°Hard?¡± Pierce echoed incredulously as he returned the look. ¡°The hell are you talking about? Don¡¯t be a baby, your Simulator powers would¡¯ve¡ª¡°


    ¡°Stop ignorin¡¯ the damn question!¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected, drawing Pierce and Austin¡¯s attention back to himself. ¡°If y¡¯all don¡¯t answer me, then there¡¯ll be hell to pay when we¡¯re back in Tres¨¦d!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gonna be hell to pay no matter what we say¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath.


    ¡°We were just settling, once and for all, which of us is the best,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°And given how things were looking there, I think it¡¯s clear that I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Am a fucking idiot,¡± Dav¨ªdrius cut in. ¡°There¡¯s a fucking reason we don¡¯t let first-year Chaotics duel each other. Y¡¯all ain¡¯t got the knowledge, the experience, or the grasp of your own powers to safely do this shit!¡±


    ¡°What? Bullshit! I know my powers just fine! Superspeed is piss-easy to understand.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what makes it dangerous. Take it from me, as a Velocitechnic. It¡¯s easy to get wrapped up in your speed, thinkin¡¯ that nothin¡¯ can hurt you, but that ain¡¯t true in the slightest.¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed and began massaging his temples before looking toward Austin. ¡°¡­That ain¡¯t even the start of what y¡¯all got wrong, anyways.¡±


    Pierce crossed his arms, an impatient frown upon his face. ¡°So now you¡¯re going to lecture us, huh?¡±


    ¡°Normally, I¡¯d do even worse, but y¡¯all ain¡¯t regular students,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°Do y¡¯all understand what the hell you¡¯ve done, here? Startin¡¯ a fight on a different planet, and in a protected area, too! People¡¯ve been thrown in jail for less!¡±


    ¡°But no one was around,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°No one around my fuckin¡¯ ass,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°There¡¯s always someone around when you don¡¯t expect it.¡±


    ¡°Is this what you¡¯re concerned about? Us getting arrested?¡± Pierce snorted derisively. ¡°Fuck off. We can look out for ourselves. As if SERRCom would let us get arrested, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d count on that, actually.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin and Pierce both looked to the left, where Mark and Luke now approached through the trees. ¡°Luke?!¡± Austin exclaimed in disbelief, ¡°what¡¯re you doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you guys even find us?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°A combination of luck, and your friends knowing you too well,¡± Luke replied as he and Mark stopped across from Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Austin, Pierce, the two of you haven¡¯t exactly been subtle about antagonizing each other.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what?!¡± Austin stared at Luke incredulously. ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything! Pierce is the one who¡¯s been bullying me!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been bullying anyone, just putting a loser in his place,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°We can discuss the details of this later,¡± Luke interjected. ¡°Look, as soon as we realized that the two of you were the only ones not at the talent show, Twy and Phoenix put two and two together and suggested this might happen. Twy was even able to sense the two of you leaving the hotel together. Doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure things out from there.¡±


    ¡°Twy could sense us? What?¡± Austin questioned in confusion.


    ¡°The special abilities of your friends ain¡¯t the focus, here,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re just mad that our designated worry-wort got you involved in our own problems, aren¡¯t you¡ª?¡± Pierce remarked with a taunting smile, only to suddenly stagger backwards when met by Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s foul glare. In the waning twilight, the Dean¡¯s flared nostrils and deeply furrowed brow were accentuated by dim golden lighting and sharp shadows; for the briefest of moments, Pierce thought that the Dean had been replaced by a furious monster.


    ¡°¡­Now, you listen here, you ungrateful shit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius started, his voice low as he glared directly at Pierce, maintaining eye-contact with such fierce steadfastness that Pierce could feel the hairs on the back of his neck beginning to rise. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask to teach a bunch of fuckin¡¯ ungrateful outsiders,¡± the Dean growled. ¡°This task was forced on me by the other Deans, and I decided to go through with it ¡®cause I trust ¡®em. If it¡¯d been totally up to me, y¡¯all sure as shit wouldn¡¯t be here.¡± Dav¨ªdrius paused for a second, and then added, ¡°¡­but you knew that, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re just tryin¡¯ to get a rise outta me, ain¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Pierce started, forcing himself to keep smiling to mask his unease. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I ain¡¯t heard it before. I¡¯ve dealt with hundreds of threats in my life more challenging than a petulant kid.¡± Dav¨ªdrius finally tore his attention away from Pierce to glance between him and Austin. ¡°But that don¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m still responsible for y¡¯all, as much as I¡¯d rather not be. And that means that anything y¡¯all does reflects on me. Which means that I won¡¯t stand for the fuckin¡¯ death-seekin¡¯ idiocy on display, here.¡±


    ¡°Death-seeking?!¡± Austin echoed incredulously.


    Pierce snorted. ¡°So you want to protect your reputation, is that it?¡±


    ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Dav¨ªdrius hung his head as he released a lofty sigh. He then looked up at the darkening skies above, his lips pursed as he seemed to process his own thoughts; in the silence, only the soft rustling of the nearby leaves could be heard.


    ¡°¡­Ahem¡­¡± Mark cleared his throat, making his unease manifest as he looked between Austin and Pierce. ¡°Well, uh¡­ let¡¯s all start going back, how about that?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t done here yet,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°We ain¡¯t leavin¡¯ until these idiots learn just what they did wrong, here.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what? B-but Pierce was the one who¡ª!¡± Austin started, only to be interrupted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to pin this on me, dweeb,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°You¡¯re the one who first said you could beat me in a fight, and you¡¯re the one who decided not to back down from the challenge.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that backwards?!¡±


    ¡°Austin,¡± Luke spoke curtly, drawing the attention of his nephew. ¡°¡­I know this is frustrating, for you. But the fact of the matter is that you¡¯re here, too. You could¡¯ve said ¡®no¡¯ at any point and just stayed out of a duel. But you didn¡¯t, so in the end, you and Pierce both are at fault.¡±


    Austin drew back, a mixture of surprise and anger running across his face as he attempted to find the words to reply to his uncle. Before he could, however, Luke turned toward Dav¨ªdrius and nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you, Dean,¡± Luke commented. ¡°You got the floor.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Nice to know some Earthians get it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°Now if only you could teach your own these lessons¡­¡±


    Luke adopted a sheepish smile as his shoulders raised into a shrug. ¡°Sorry, Dean. You know a lot more about bein¡¯ a Chaotic than any of us do, anyways. That¡¯s the whole reason we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ remind me¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, and then sighed again. A second later he gestured for Austin and Pierce to step closer, which they both reluctantly did. ¡°¡­Now,¡± the Dean eventually began, ¡°let¡¯s talk about the real reason that y¡¯all fucked up, here, which is that y¡¯all don¡¯t understand your own abilities ¡ª or each other¡¯s abilities ¡ª nearly as well as you think you do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so hard to understand about superspeed?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    ¡°My powers are a little more complicated, sure, but I still get them, I think,¡± Austin added.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The Dean shook his head and sighed, and then glanced over at Austin. ¡°Just a second ago, you were complainin¡¯ about how hard Pierce hit you. Explain.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Austin stared cluelessly at Dav¨ªdrius for a second, before glancing over at Pierce, who simply passed him a snide smirk. ¡°¡­Tch¡­ well¡­¡± Austin then turned back to Dav¨ªdrius as he explained, ¡°the fight started fine. At first, when he hit me, it just stung a little, but I could take it. Then, after he used his Overdrive¡ª¡°


    ¡°He WHAT?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius exploded, and then whipped around to glare furiously at Pierce. ¡°You used your fucking Overdrive? For a damned duel?!¡±


    ¡°The fuck was I supposed to do, not go all-out?¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°Yes! That is exactly what you¡¯re supposed to do! Are you trying to fucking kill Austin? How much practice have you even had with your Overdrive, huh?!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I¡¯ve used it before. Besides, you said that Speed Break was just a simple speed boost, right? What¡¯s so bad about using it in a duel?¡±


    ¡°This is exactly what I was talkin¡¯ about when I said y¡¯all don¡¯t understand your abilities,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared, looking between Austin and Pierce. ¡°Simulator Psychotechnics can only copy the baseline abilities of nearby people. They can¡¯t copy power boosts granted by Overdrives, or the Chaos State.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Pierce muttered, unease washing across his face.


    ¡°That would explain why you were suddenly hitting so hard¡­¡± Austin grumbled. ¡°And why I couldn¡¯t track you, anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh. You should¡¯ve expected to lose a contest of speed, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time for that fuckin¡¯ attitude,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped, ¡°especially not after you almost fuckin¡¯ killed Austin!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Austin and Pierce responded in unison, passing each other confused stares before looking back at Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°You¡ª you were serious about that? But I¡­ I didn¡¯t ¡®almost kill¡¯ anyone,¡± Pierce refuted, his face contorting into a bitter scowl. ¡°The hell are you even talking about?¡±


    ¡°And this is the lack of restraint that beginner Chaotics are known for¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°I know y¡¯all figured out that part of bein¡¯ a Velocitechnic means that you can take hits that would kill any normal person, and I know y¡¯all figured out that Simulator Psychotechnism can copy that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, otherwise I¡¯d be dead,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°Right. But that copied durability only lasts as long as Pierce here is within your simulation range.¡±


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what your simulation range is?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Austin trailed off, and then looked down at the ground in thought. ¡°Um¡­ a few meters, I think¡­?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t know is a big fuckin¡¯ problem,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Admittedly, that¡¯s one of the first things we should¡¯ve figured out for you, so part of that¡¯s on me¡­ but it doesn¡¯t change the overall point.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Pierce pressed.


    Dav¨ªdrius looked over at Pierce. ¡°When you kick Austin, he can survive the blow because he¡¯s copyin¡¯ your durability. He doesn¡¯t even have to think about it to make it happen, which is part of what makes Simulators powerful. But what happens after the kick, huh? Now that Austin is sailing through the air at Mach 2, and you¡¯re no longer in his simulation range. What happens?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d lose the increased durability that he got from me,¡± Pierce answered.


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°Right. But he¡¯s still goin¡¯ Mach 2, ¡®cause nothin¡¯s stopped him yet. So what happens when he does stop? Say he hits a tree, or the ground. What happens?¡±


    ¡°Hitting a tree at Mach 2? I¡¯d¡­ die¡­¡± Austin muttered, and then clutched at his chest again as he felt his stomach churn. ¡°Fuck¡­ I almost died?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ no. There¡¯s no way that was gonna happen,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°I¡ª I was practically on top of him the whole fight. He wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve died!¡±


    ¡°He absolutely would have if I hadn¡¯t shown up right before he hit the ground,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°I saw that last blow. You spiked him to the ground from a dozen meters up. I ain¡¯t ever heard of a Simulator havin¡¯ a simulation range longer than ten meters or so, and you sure as shit ain¡¯t fallin¡¯ fast enough to keep up with him. I know too well just how hard a Velocitechnic can spike an opponent like you just did. And ain¡¯t no way a Chaotic like Austin is gonna survive hittin¡¯ the ground at supersonic speeds.¡±


    ¡°What¡­!¡± Pierce scowled, reflexively clutching the side of his torso as he glared at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°You realize your fuckup now?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, his arms crossed as he slowly glanced between Pierce and Austin. ¡°A duel between Chaotics can easily turn deadly, even between experienced Chaotics who know what they¡¯re doin¡¯. All it takes is one mis-step, just one person gettin¡¯ too into it for just one moment.¡± He then sighed. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a good thing that y¡¯all could learn this now¡­ but I better not hear about any more impromptu fuckin¡¯ duels from y¡¯all, you understand me?¡±


    ¡°¡­Like we could¡¯ve known any of that!¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°How the hell were we supposed to know the stakes were that high if no one even told us about how dangerous a fight could be, huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you seriously want me to fuckin¡¯ spoon-feed you everything?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back, ¡°I would¡¯ve thought someone like you could pick up on that shit after gettin¡¯ involved in multiple Chaotic fights. For someone who talks shit so much, though, you sure are slow to the take, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª that¡¯s ridiculous. Besides, your whole point about how Austin could¡¯ve¡ª about how this duel could¡¯ve ended was based on his deficiencies, not mine!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Austin exclaimed incredulously, ¡°how¡¯re you tryin¡¯ to pin the blame on me for this?!¡±


    ¡°If you actually had your head in the game the whole time, then you shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve had any issue keeping up with me,¡± Pierce argued.


    ¡°What?! You¡¯re the one who pulled an Overdrive out of his ass just to out-speed me and make sure that couldn¡¯t happen!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can weasel your way out of this,¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled as he glared at Pierce. ¡°Austin needs improvement, too, but you¡¯re the one who almost killed him!¡±


    ¡°And if he had just accepted his loss earlier, then we wouldn¡¯t have gotten to that point!¡± Pierce snapped back.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Austin¡¯s lips curled as he glared at Pierce, his hand still clutching at his stomach. ¡°¡­You fucking push me into this goddamn duel, and then you almost fucking kill me, and you can¡¯t even take goddamn responsibility for that? Are you fucking kidding me?!¡±


    ¡°¡­I think you¡¯re both just in shock, at the moment,¡± Luke interjected, taking a step toward Austin with his hand outstretched. ¡°We still need to talk this out, but not while emotions are running this hot¡ª¡°


    ¡°No!¡± Austin snapped, momentarily turning his glare toward Luke, who stopped in his tracks in surprise. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t just let this sit,¡± Austin growled, turning back toward Pierce and pointing an accusatory finger toward him. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for any of this shit! Getting these powers, gettin¡¯ sucked up by SERRCom, and then dumped on an alien planet with a bunch of people who don¡¯t even want me around? You think I wanted any of this, that I signed up for this? And now you get all up in my fucking face, with the bullying, and the taunting, and thinkin¡¯ that you¡¯re so much better than I am¡­ but you¡¯re in exactly the same situation as me, you arrogant bastard!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you¡ª?!¡± Pierce began to reply, but was cut off as Dav¨ªdrius stepped up and held out an arm in front of him.


    ¡°Austin¡­¡± the Dean muttered, his tone low as he turned to face the Simulator Psychotechnic full-on. ¡°I get where you¡¯re comin¡¯ from, but I need you to take a few deep breaths, a¡¯ight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take those breaths when I¡¯m done,¡± Austin countered, shifting his gaze to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Why the hell should I listen to you, anyways? You clearly don¡¯t like us, you don¡¯t want us here. So why are you lecturing us in the first place? Why¡¯d you even bring us along? Hell, why the fuck didn¡¯t you just say ¡®no¡¯ to Pallan? Then you wouldn¡¯t have to deal with us, we wouldn¡¯t have to deal with you, and we wouldn¡¯t be stuck in some crapsack shithole desert town!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius started, only to stop himself and clench his teeth. ¡°¡­Shit,¡± he muttered under his breath, and then passed Pierce a furtive glance. ¡°Back up. Now.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Pierce questioned uneasily, but the tension in Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s words and stance suppressed Pierce¡¯s urge to talk back. Instead, he slowly began stepping back as a familiar sensation of anxiety washed over him. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, or why the dweeb is breaking now, but something about this feels familiar¡­ why? What¡¯s happening¡ª?


    ¡°Oh, so now you¡¯re fucking running, huh?!¡± Austin snapped, his attention back to Pierce, while he remained clutching his stomach ¡ª but it seemed as though his fingers had curled with tension, and were digging into his shirt and skin. ¡°You talk fucking shit, but when shit doesn¡¯t go your way, you just point fingers at everyone else, huh?! Well I¡¯ve had e-fucking-nough of this! I didn¡¯t want¡ª I don¡¯t¡ª! Urgh¡­ you¡­!¡± Austin doubled over, his face scrounged up in discomfort. ¡°Agh¡­! Rgh¡­!!!¡±


    ¡°Austin? What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Mark questioned, beginning to approach the distressed Chaotic as he doubled over and fell to all fours. ¡°Hey¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Get back!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted, just as a faint blue tinge appeared over Austin¡¯s hands. ¡°Damn it all, get away from him!!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Mark started, only to be interrupted as a blast of energy emerged from Austin¡¯s position, carving a chunk out of a nearby tree and staggering Mark onto his back foot. Before he had even the chance to recover, a loud, bestial snarl echoed through the underbrush, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to Austin ¡ª or at least, where he had been a moment earlier. In his place appeared the dark blue silhouette of a humanoid beast, hunched on all fours, with its head angled up toward Pierce.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± Pierce froze in place, eyes wide as he beheld the snarling sight before him. A sharp throb ripped through his torso, nearly forcing him to his knees if not for Dav¨ªdrius grabbing him and leaping into the forest beyond. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s happening?!¡±


    ¡°One of the worst things that could happen right now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered with a scowl. ¡°Austin¡¯s gone berserk!¡±

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 66: Berserk Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 66: Berserk Chaos


    ¡°Austin¡¯s gone berserk!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Pierce responded, his tone uneven as he shifted his gaze to the feral silhouette now standing several dozen meters away. Not a single aspect of Austin¡¯s physical appearance could be seen ¡ª not his unkempt hair, not his casual clothing, nor his light skin. All that remained was his tall and lanky stature, as a dark blue aura had practically consumed him.


    A sharp pain ripped through the right side of Pierce¡¯s torso, forcing him to drop to one knee as he grimaced and clutched his side. What the hell¡­ Pierce¡¯s thoughts raced through his mind, his attention never once wavering from the feral form in the distance. This is like¡­ this is just like¡­!


    In the growing darkness of dusk, for just a brief moment, Pierce thought he saw a whirling dome of metal, ripping and tearing into the walls and streets around him. He then snapped his gaze to his left, where he saw a tall man standing in front of him, with tanned skin and scruffy black hair that was tied back into a low ponytail. His dark green jacket with black lining was pierced through the arm with metal shrapnel, and a deep red had begun to stain the cloth ¡ª though the man seemed to ignore the pain as he crouched down, his own attention focused on the berserker in front of him.


    In that moment, Pierce reflexively lashed out, grabbing the man¡¯s arm as he shouted, ¡°Wait, Tren¡ª!¡± As soon as he made contact with the man, however, his vision snapped back to normal, replacing the shredded street with a dark forest ¡ª and the man in dark green with Dav¨ªdrius and his beige jacket.


    The Dean looked down at Pierce, startled. ¡°The hell¡¯re you doin¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Pierce quickly withdrew his hand and cast his gaze to the side. ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius responded with contemplative silence. Before he could offer a verbal reply, however, a feral howl emerged from the berserker in the distance as he leaped toward one of the nearby trees. Dav¨ªdrius immediately backed into a defensive stance, but remained where he was as Mark dashed onto the scene with Luke in his arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re both safe¡­ good,¡± Mark observed with relief as he set Luke down on the ground. He then looked over at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°What do we¡ª?¡±


    ¡°You need to restrain ¡®im, now!¡± the Dean barked. ¡°Hold ¡®im down ¡®til the Berserk State wears off! But you¡¯re on your own!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mark nodded firmly before whipping around toward the silhouette ¡ª just in time to block an incoming tree trunk, using his strength to simply knock the trunk to the side. Berserk Austin was soon to follow, but Mark leaped forward to intercept, successfully grabbing the berserker by his arm and dragging him through the air away from the others.


    ¡°¡­Well, this is just great,¡± Luke muttered as he watched the two Chaotics disappear into the forest. He then passed a doubtful glance toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you helping?¡±


    ¡°For the same reason that Austin and Pierce fightin¡¯ was a terrible idea,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°Austin is a Simulator. And when Simulators go berserk, they¡¯ll copy any ability in range, almost at random. So if a Velocitechnic like myself got too close, then he¡¯d just zip off and kill himself on a tree.¡± Dav¨ªdrius then looked back at Pierce, who remained as he was with one knee on the ground and a hand on his side. ¡°You better not try to play the hero, here.¡±


    Pierce didn¡¯t respond. His attention was wholly focused on the snarls and sounds of cracking timber that he could hear in the distance; sounds that occasionally reminded him of shattering concrete and glass. Damn it, Pierce, keep it together! What the fuck is wrong with you?!¡­


    A shout of exertion drew the bystanders¡¯ gazes to Mark as he blocked a particularly fierce blow from Berserk Austin. As the two were standing barely a couple meters from each other, Austin was able to Simulate Mark¡¯s own superstrength and durability to almost force Mark to his knees and crater the ground below him; however Mark managed to remain on his feet and calmly shove Austin back. He then reached over and grabbed the berserker¡¯s wrist, holding him in place with his superior strength. Berserk Austin struggled against Mark¡¯s grasp for just a couple seconds before swinging his other arm around; Mark quickly brought up his own free hand to block the blow with his forearm, only for his arm to then be yanked downwards as an invisible force tugged at his jacket. Caught by surprise, Mark¡¯s grip on Austin loosened just enough for the Berserker to free himself, leap back, and then claw into a nearby tree. Immediately, the entire 20-meter plant was uprooted and began swinging through the air, only for Mark to effortlessly smash it with his fists and charge at Austin.


    ¡°A whole tree, and that large¡­?¡± Luke muttered, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Austin manipulate something that massive before¡­¡±


    ¡°This ain¡¯t uncommon for a Berserk Chaotic¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°When a Chaotic goes Berserk¡­ it¡¯s like any mental safety limiters get removed. Often looks like they get stronger, but it¡¯s at the risk of hurtin¡¯ themselves real bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to stop him?¡±


    ¡°Given what we have right now?¡­¡± The Dean passed a contemplative glance toward Pierce, only to shake his head a moment later. ¡°Mark¡¯s strength is all we got. A Berserk Simulator can copy his strength, but not his skill, and Berserkers ain¡¯t known for usin¡¯ skill in the first place.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is there something I can do?¡± Pierce questioned, his voice low, though he nonetheless had turned his attention to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°The way you looked at me¡­¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you know, we have to use it,¡± Luke insisted.


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted in irritation. ¡°The problem is what I don¡¯t know. What I thought of two seconds ago won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°But still¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now ain¡¯t the time for experimentin¡¯, not if you value Austin¡¯s life. Besides, it looks like Austin can¡¯t copy the full extent of Mark¡¯s strength. It¡¯s convenient right now, for sure, but I never heard Mark use an Overdrive¡­ so somethin¡¯s off.¡± Dav¨ªdrius passed Luke a glance. ¡°I guess those ¡®Eximius Vir¡¯ of yours really are somethin¡¯ special, huh?¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡± Luke questioned warily, and then slowly turned his attention back to the fight in front of them.


    By then, several trees had been uprooted by Austin¡¯s Berserk Imperator ability, and then transformed into wood chips by Mark¡¯s deflective punches, forming a small clearing pock-marked with craters from the Berserk Chaotic¡¯s attempts to crush Mark with his own strength. Nevertheless, Mark pressed on, his jacket, shirt, and shorts covered in small tears and holes but his body showing nary a scratch. As the berserker moved to uproot another tree, Mark lunged forward, using the superhuman strength in his legs to cover the distance between him and Austin in a single powerful pounce. With the tree only halfway out of the ground, Berserk Austin forcefully used it to intercept Mark, creating a shower of dirt and grass as he ripped the roots out of the soil ¡ª but none of it fazed Mark, who simply smashed his way through the tree and charged at Austin. The berserker¡¯s hunched-over stance, combined with the six-inch height advantage that Mark normally had over Austin, allowed Mark to quickly wrap his arms around the berserker¡¯s neck from above in a guillotine choke; immediately, Austin began thrashing about, his arms and legs lashing out to smash the ground and slam Mark in the face, each blow containing so much force that they kicked up dust clouds and created visible shockwaves in the air. Yet, Mark calmly stood strong against them, his skin and bones unbreaking as he wrestled with the berserker to maintain control of his hold and stay on his feet, all while slowly dragging him away from the trees and to the center of the makeshift clearing.


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    Just as Mark took another step backwards, however, the berserker released a feral howl, startling Mark and causing him to stumble. He barely caught himself, but he was now on the back foot ¡ª and Berserk Austin immediately followed the howl by stooping down and raking the ground with his free hand, activating his Imperator ability against the layer of wood debris covering the dirt and shooting it all up at Mark like a ground-fired shotgun. Mark stood strong as the debris ripped into his clothes yet bounced harmlessly off of his skin, but the debris provided just enough cover for the berserker to swipe Mark¡¯s legs out from under him, thereby finally managing to force him to the floor. Yet still, Mark maintained his grasp on Austin¡¯s neck, resulting in the berserker nearly falling down on top of him ¡ª Mark quickly moved to wrap his feet around Austin¡¯s hips in an effort to maintain the hold, but the berserker knocked away Mark¡¯s leg with his arms before flipping unnaturally through the air, using his Imperator powers on himself to simulate flight. Berserk Austin then slammed his back down onto Mark¡¯s face before lurching forwards, using his chin and neck alone to attempt to throw Mark. Between Austin¡¯s sudden movements and Mark being unsure of the exact difference in strength between them, Mark quickly released his hold before Austin could follow through with the neck throw, therefore allowing the berserker to escape without injury. Mark quickly jumped back to his feet, but so did Austin, the two once again separated.


    ¡°¡­Mark¡¯s got skill,¡± Dav¨ªdrius admitted, as he continued to watch the fight from a distance. ¡°He knew he was stronger than Austin, and that he could accidentally hurt ¡®im, so he gave up his advantage. Most Chaotics his age wouldn¡¯t realize that in the heat of the moment, not against a berserker.¡±


    ¡°I hear you,¡± Luke muttered warily, ¡°but this is dragging on longer than I¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°This is normal for when someone goes Berserk. We¡¯re just lucky it happened out here, away from the city.¡±


    ¡°Are we really safe here, though?¡±


    ¡°When a Chaotic goes Berserk, it¡¯s like they go feral. They can¡¯t strategize or use tactics, and they always focus on the nearest threat. So as long as we don¡¯t do anythin¡¯ to draw his attention, we¡¯re fine where we are.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Pierce started, finally finding the strength within himself to climb to his feet again ¡ª though his hand unconsciously remained clutching his torso as he turned toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°If this goes much longer¡­¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Pierce a glance. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve seen this before, ain¡¯t you?¡± he eventually questioned. ¡°Someone goin¡¯ Berserk?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t stop Austin soon, someone is going to di¡ª get hurt,¡± Pierce insisted, momentarily diverting his gaze as he stumbled over his final words. He soon snapped his attention back to Dav¨ªdrius and finished, ¡°you had an idea earlier, right? When you looked at me. If there¡¯s anything I can do, tell me!¡±


    ¡°The way you¡¯re feelin¡¯ right now is why I can¡¯t tell you!¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°Bein¡¯ over-eager to help against a berserker is a surefire way to get you or someone else hurt ¡ª or worse, killed!¡±


    Pierce drew back, as if startled, only to furrow his brow a moment later. ¡°Look, I can totally¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Stay where you are,¡± the Dean interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll explain better when this situation is under control. But believe me when I say that I know first-hand that nothin¡¯ good¡¯ll come from you gettin¡¯ involved right now!¡±


    Pierce glared back at Dav¨ªdrius while gritting his teeth, but a sharp throbbing in his torso prevented him from forming a verbal response. Instead, he looked back to the clearing, and the fight within it. Mark had successfully dragged the fight to the center of the clearing, and for the past minute he had been blocking and weathering Austin¡¯s attacks in search of an opening. Heavy blow after heavy blow, the berserker used Mark¡¯s own strength against him, generating loud thuds and blasts of air as he slammed his fists into Mark¡¯s forearms. Even under the incredible assault, however, Mark remained braced, standing, and unmoving, seemingly content to serve as an outlet for the berserker¡¯s aggression.


    After a couple more seconds of launching punch after punch, Austin finally drew back, putting about a meter between him and Mark. At this point, the veil of dark blue that covered Austin¡¯s entire body was beginning to lighten, allowing parts of his body and clothes to be seen ¡ª but the berserker¡¯s stance remained hunched and feral, his attention focused entirely on Mark. Cautiously, Mark repositioned his feet and reset his stance, preparing for another onslaught¡­ but instead, the berserker whipped around and dashed for the tree line. Immediately, Mark bounded through the air, his superstrength allowing him to kick off of the ground so hard that a small crater formed where he had just been standing. Before Austin could reach the trees, Mark had landed on top of him, grabbing his legs to trip him up and bring him to the ground. As soon as the berserker¡¯s palms touched the ground, he exerted control over the dirt and wood chips with his Imperator powers to create a debris shotgun, as he had done earlier, but Mark ignored the attack to drop onto Austin¡¯s back and wrap his right arm around the berserker¡¯s neck in a rear naked choke hold. In clear distress, Austin began lashing out, his arms and limbs flailing in an attempt to knock Mark away ¡ª but the latter used his superior size and strength to calmly remain on top of Austin, this time carefully maintaining his position to reduce the berserker¡¯s chances of injuring himself.


    Nearly a full minute of thrashing followed, interspersed with more attempts at shotgunning debris into Mark¡¯s face, but still he managed to maintain his choke hold, all while the blue veil around Austin¡¯s body continued to lighten and thin. Eventually, Austin¡¯s movements began to slow, with the aura that had once been surrounding him now concentrated on his hands and face. Tentatively, Mark released his hold, allowing the berserker to collapse to the ground¡­ where the final remnants of the aura dissipated into the air.


    Quickly, Mark held two of his fingers up to Austin¡¯s neck to check his pulse. After verifying that the Imperator was still alive ¡ª merely unconscious ¡ª he climbed to his feet and signaled to the bystanders that they could approach. Luke immediately obliged, dashing across the open clearing to kneel by his nephew¡¯s side while Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce approached more cautiously.


    ¡°¡­Good work,¡± Dav¨ªdrius eventually commented, passing a nod toward Mark.


    ¡°¡­Then why doesn¡¯t it feel like it¡­?¡± Mark muttered, his own attention focused on Austin.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ is ever good about someone goin¡¯ Berserk,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°This whole situation is shitty. But you did the best you could in that shitty situation ¡ª even better than some Chaotics I know. Look at it this way: no one died, and no one got hurt.¡±


    Pierce opened his mouth to comment, only to close it a second later without saying anything. Instead, he looked down at Austin, his lips pursed and brow furrowed. No one died¡­ but choking someone until they¡¯re unconscious is pretty damn close¡­


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce glanced over at Dav¨ªdrius, only to find that the Dean was looking at him.


    ¡°Austin will be fine,¡± Dav¨ªdrius reiterated, and then jerked his head toward Mark. ¡°Mark has both Forcetechnism and Duratechnism, right? That means Austin¡¯ll be copyin¡¯ that increased durability, even while unconscious. Should be obvious, given how long it took to knock ¡®im out. But that also means he¡¯ll recover faster than normal, so long as Mark stays in his simulation range.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡± Mark muttered quietly as he stepped closer to Austin.


    ¡°Austin does seem fine, that¡¯s true¡­¡± Luke said, having completed a quick in-field checkup. He then looked up at Dav¨ªdrius, still kneeling by Austin¡¯s side as he said, ¡°this situation still isn¡¯t great, though.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Course it ain¡¯t,¡± the Dean retorted, passing a look toward Pierce. ¡°You understand the stakes of usin¡¯ your power irresponsibly, now?¡±


    ¡°H-hey, I¡­!¡± Pierce started to respond, but quickly lost steam as he failed to find any words with which to defend himself.


    ¡°¡­I ain¡¯t gonna lecture you any more, not at this point. Seein¡¯ a Berserk episode up front like this is often enough to scare folks straight, I find,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. He then looked up at the sky, now filled with the star-speckled darkness of night. ¡°¡­But I will at least say this. What you just saw was a stress-triggered Berserk episode. These¡¯re more dangerous than regular Berserk episodes that¡¯re caused by over-usin¡¯ your abilities. Shit like this is why we Chaotics need to keep a cool head when we can, and most of all¡­¡± He dropped his head to look Pierce in the eye. ¡°Not antagonize other Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°¡­A-alright, I get it. Point taken,¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Good. ¡®Cause one day, if you ain¡¯t careful, this could be you. Watch out for that. Now¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius began walking away from the clearing, beckoning for Pierce to follow. ¡°Pierce, you an¡¯ I should head back to the others. Luke, Mark, y¡¯all got Austin, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Luke replied, only to quickly turn his attention to his nephew as Austin slowly began moving. ¡°Oh, Austin! You¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s our cue to leave. C¡¯mon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented, passing Pierce a nod before dashing off into the dark forest.


    Pierce, however, didn¡¯t immediately follow. For just a second, his gaze lingered on Austin, watching as he slowly sat up. ¡­Dav¨ªdrius is right. No one died, or was hurt, so it worked out in the end. But¡­ A dull throb shot through his torso, bringing a grimace to his face. ¡­Damn it! Fuck this. Let¡¯s get out of here. With that, he whipped around on his heel and launched into the forest after Dav¨ªdrius, leaving the impromptu battlefield behind him.

 V1 - A8 - Chapter 67: A Trips End

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE WORLD OF SIKALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 67: A Trip''s End


    The Next Evening


    ¡°Ahhh, finally, we¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ sorta,¡± Spike replied, casually striding out of the sleek train car and onto the station platform behind Sky. ¡°We still ain¡¯t back in Tres¨¦d, yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, no, but we¡¯re at least on the same planet,¡± Sky retorted, spinning on her heel to grin at Spike and gesture up at the large windows of the Gatetrain station. Through the massive windows shone the golden light of sunset, illuminating both the building interior and the distant skyline of downtown Nimaliaka Central ¡ª the capital of Nimaliaka, one of the five great nations of Nimalia.


    ¡°Long day of travel, though, huh¡­¡± Conrad muttered just before allowing a yawn to overtake him. He then glanced to the side; the entire WCU travel group was disembarking from the same train, rapidly filling the station platform with bodies and luggage. With a weary sigh, Conrad then remarked, ¡°still got more traveling tomorrow, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡± Kestrel nodded slowly. ¡°¡­Almost home.¡±


    ¡°Home, huh¡­?¡± Twy echoed as she looked contemplatively up at the sky through the station skylights. ¡°I guess that is one way of putting it¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve only been away from Earth for a little over a month, ain¡¯t we?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°Sure, but it looks like we¡¯re going to be at WCU for many more months yet. When you think about it like that, it kind of is our home, for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing¡­¡± Sky responded with a frown.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mixed bag,¡± Phoenix asserted as she stepped up next to Kestrel, joining the group conversation. ¡°The food is nice at Tresnon, and the place is interesting enough, but it¡¯s so damn dusty. And the people¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Conrad chuckled briefly as he eyed the scowl on Phoenix¡¯s face. ¡°What happened to your boyfriend, huh?¡±


    Phoenix quickly passed him the stink eye. ¡°Sh-shut up. ¡­I knew it wasn¡¯t going to work out, anyways, so this is fine!¡±


    ¡°Wait, did y¡¯all break up?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°And what¡¯s it to you?¡± Phoenix shot back.


    ¡°Uh¡­ n-nothing¡­?¡± Sky responded, taken aback by Phoenix¡¯s attitude. She passed Spike a glance, as if to ask him for help, but he replied only with a hapless shrug.


    ¡°¡­Pierce?¡± Kestrel spoke up a second later, her attention directed to the side.


    ¡°Hey, yeah, good point,¡± Conrad muttered, following Kestrel¡¯s gaze to spot Pierce ¡ª who was standing off to the side with a sullen expression on his face, his attention seemingly focused on the ground. ¡°Yo, Pierce, you really not going to say anything, right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Pierce looked up to meet Conrad¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Oh, about Phoenix and Arn? Yeah, that sucks, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Phoenix turned to give Pierce a concerned look. ¡°What was with that¡­ surprisingly empathetic response? Are you alright?!¡±


    Pierce shook his head and diverted his attention again. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I guess you only save your aggression for certain people, huh?¡± Twy accused, glancing to the side as Austin finally disembarked from the train himself. ¡°Oh, Austin, you¡¯re finally here.¡±


    ¡°You sure took your time!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    Austin passed the twins a wordless glance, his expression unreadable. He then looked off to the side, briefly meeting eyes with Pierce before the two quickly looked away from each other.


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted, his brow furrowed. He briefly scratched his side before grabbing his lone duffel bag and charging off. ¡°I¡¯m going ahead. Don¡¯t try to catch me.¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell¡¯s gotten into him?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously as she watched Pierce disappear into the station crowds.


    ¡°He ain¡¯t the only one actin¡¯ out of it,¡± Spike muttered under his breath as he turned to look at Austin, who himself seemed intently focused on the contours of the stone flooring. ¡°¡­Yo, Austin.¡± Spike raised his voice to address his friend. ¡°Somethin¡¯ up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Sky quickly chimed in, ¡°ever since you and Pierce got back last night, you¡ª!¡±


    ¡°If you wanna talk,¡± Spike interrupted, throwing Sky a reprimanding glance before looking back to Austin. ¡°I got time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Austin muttered in response, making eye contact with Spike for only a brief moment. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe later.¡± He then turned his attention to the skies above, taking in the golden sunset.


    ¡°¡­Austin¡­?¡± Twy looked up at him with concern.


    His chest heaved as he took a deep breath; he then dropped his head to look at Twy, an apologetic smile upon his face. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ a little out of it. We, you know, we just had a lot of busy days. So I¡¯m, uh¡­ tired.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Man, I can agree with you there,¡± Conrad remarked, yawning again and stretching his arms. ¡°We did so much shit on Sikalia, it feels like those four days took hella long. And then one whole day of travel, both going there and coming back. Oof. I can¡¯t wait ¡®til things slow down and I can get some actual, proper sleep.¡±


    ¡°Your definition of ¡®proper¡¯ sleep is laying in bed for half of the damn day,¡± Phoenix retorted with a smirk. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t secretly a cat?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I wish I was. Cats have it so easy, you know? Sleep away the whole day, and then just eat and drink a little¡­ man.¡± Conrad¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°But, alas¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I guess we should probably get going,¡± Twy spoke up. As she did, the train that the travel group had arrived on began to leave the platform, and the crowd that had disembarked was already thinning.


    ¡°Just one more night in a hotel ¡®fore we¡¯re back at WCU,¡± Spike declared as he easily hoisted both his and Sky¡¯s luggage onto his back. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d look forward to goin¡¯ back this much, huh.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, Conrad, slow down, now!¡± Phoenix remarked as the group began to leave, with Conrad ahead of everyone else. ¡°You really can¡¯t wait for a bed, can you?¡±


    ¡°You know me well!¡± Conrad replied cheekily, not once turning to face Phoenix as he did.


    Twy lingered for a moment, watching everyone walk off before turning to give Austin a wary look. His attention was still directed skyward, his head turned in such a way that Twy couldn¡¯t see his expression. ¡°¡­Are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± she eventually questioned.


    Austin finally looked down at her, and then at the rest of the group that was walking off. His face remained blank for several seconds, at which point he released a deep sigh and forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Twy responded doubtfully, though quickly fell into step beside him as they followed behind the rest of the travel group.


    As they left, two figures watched on from further back along the platform. They watched in silence for a moment before the larger of the two looked down at his compatriot. ¡°Are we not going to say farewell¡­?¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ didn¡¯t really seem the time for it,¡± Luke replied, passing Mark a quick glance. ¡°Austin and Pierce are distracted, and the others are clearly concerned, even if they don¡¯t show it openly. Just didn¡¯t seem like the right time to announce our temporary departure.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose,¡± Mark replied, and then sighed. ¡°Still¡­ we¡¯re being called back for a mission immediately, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sure looks that way. And for a mission to Sunova, of all places¡­¡± Luke sighed, and then started walking off, with Mark quickly following suit. ¡°Oh well. Our train to catch is in an hour, so we might as well stick around at the station. But before we leave, we need to talk to the Deans.¡±


    ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°Well, to tell them that we¡¯re leaving, for one. We¡¯ll be back in a week or two, most likely, but we can¡¯t just leave them without any warning.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°And I do also have some¡­ questions¡­¡± Luke¡¯s brow furrowed for a moment, but as soon as he spotted Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ standing to the side of the station entrance, seemingly in conversation with each other, he adopted a friendly smile. ¡°Ah, Deans. Perfect,¡± Luke called out to them, drawing their attention. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to talk to y¡¯all about.¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned warily. She then glanced about; at that point in time, the four of them were the last members of the WCU travel group still remaining in the train station. After determining that, she lowered her voice and added, ¡°¡­is this about last night?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes and no,¡± Luke responded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, his arms crossed.


    ¡°It¡¯s really nothing that special. First of all¡­¡± Luke reached up and slapped his hand down on Mark¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The two of us have been called back for something. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to leave the recruits to y¡¯all for the next week or two.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leavin¡¯?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Something happened with SERRCom, I take it?¡± Kaon¨¦ asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just silly politics, nothin¡¯ to get worked up over,¡± Luke replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°But we have to leave tonight. Apologies for the short notice.¡±


    ¡°I guess SERRCom ain¡¯t much different from the NSD, huh.¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted. ¡°I remember bein¡¯ yanked off on some mission on a second¡¯s notice, too. Really don¡¯t miss those days.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure that the Keys don¡¯t get into any trouble,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°You can trust us on that one. Or, well¡­¡± She immediately began backtracking when Luke and Dav¨ªdrius both grimaced. ¡°I, uh, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax. What happened between Pierce and Austin last night wasn¡¯t either of y¡¯all¡¯s faults,¡± Luke commented. ¡°If anything, it¡¯s mine. I really should¡¯ve realized sooner what was happening¡­¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t blame yourself, either,¡± Mark insisted. ¡°I mean, you did tell me to watch Pierce, yesterday, but I still left him on his own. So, if anything¡ª¡°


    ¡°A¡¯ight, we ain¡¯t here for a fuckin¡¯ pity party,¡± Dav¨ªdrius quickly interjected, an annoyed scowl upon his face. ¡°What happened, happened. We¡¯ll need to talk to Austin and Pierce about it, sure, but Chaotics go Berserk all the damn time, especially young ones. Better they learn how to handle that now, than later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never gone Berserk¡­¡± Mark muttered. ¡°¡­Neither have Mote, Danielle, or Kate, for that matter¡­¡±


    ¡°Well good for y¡¯all, but that ain¡¯t the norm. Most Chaotics go Berserk at least once or twice over the course of their life. Learnin¡¯ how to deal with it is an important skill.¡± He then frowned. ¡°One we probably should¡¯ve taught ¡®em earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, this leads me to something I wanted to ask about,¡± Luke commented, his attention focused on Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Last night, you clearly had some kind of idea to deal with the situation, but you didn¡¯t want to act on it, for whatever reason. Well, I¡¯m sure you had a reason, but now that we¡¯re out of the moment, I¡¯d really like to know what you were thinking.¡±


    ¡°¡­Agh, me and my damn mouth¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°I bet you think I had some secret technique to deal with a berserker or somethin¡¯, but just didn¡¯t use it ¡®cause I wanted to teach a lesson. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Luke replied with a smile, though a hint of bitterness hid within his expression. ¡°But I was there for everything you said to Pierce, last night. Including the part about not wanting us ¡®outsiders¡¯ around.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ turned to give Dav¨ªdrius a reproachful glare ¡ª an action that felt almost meaningless, given that Kaon¨¦ stood just over a foot shorter than Dav¨ªdrius, but the latter responded with an uneasy grin all the same. ¡°¡­Dav¨ªdrius, what did you say?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ aaahhh¡­ fuck.¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head and sighed before turning back to Luke. ¡°Yeah¡­ I understand why you¡¯d be wary of me, after that¡­¡±


    ¡°I can certainly understand if you were feeling stressed out at that moment, for a number of reasons,¡± Luke replied. Can hardly imagine how I¡¯d feel in his shoes after what I saw on Sunidobu, and in the museum, he mentally added, but still¡­ ¡°Even so,¡± he continued, ¡°I think those words were uncalled for.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius released a long, drawn-out exhale before adding, ¡°¡­Suppose it was. But for the record, just ¡®cause it wasn¡¯t my decision to have y¡¯all here doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to sabotage y¡¯all, or anythin¡¯. Your Chaotics still got a lot to learn, but all things considered, they ain¡¯t doin¡¯ too bad, for people who just discovered their abilities a few months ago. ¡­Don¡¯t tell ¡®em I said that, though.¡±


    ¡°You really should praise your students more often,¡± Kaon¨¦ admonished.


    ¡°Praise only works if the target¡¯s got humility and won¡¯t let it go to their heads,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ now, what about my original question?¡± Luke pressed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ right. Well, you know about the Ayas Weapons, right?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about those special weapons that a Chaotic can summon when they¡¯re holding one of the Chaos Ayas?¡± Mark questioned.


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded. ¡°Yeah. Well, if you hit a Berserk Chaotic with an Ayas Weapon, then instead of slashin¡¯ ¡®em, you instantly stop their Berserk episode.¡±


    ¡°So we hear, anyways,¡± Kaon¨¦ added. ¡°Kevken ¡ª uh, Kievkenalis is the only one who¡¯s actually seen it happen.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Luke mused. ¡°¡­What does that have to do with last night?¡±


    ¡°The Keys can all summon an Ayas Weapon, can¡¯t they?¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out, and then glanced at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Is that what you were thinking?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius nodded again. ¡°Right. If those weapons they can summon really are actual Ayas Weapons, then we could¡¯ve used Pierce¡¯s to stop Austin.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°¡¯Cause we don¡¯t know if Pierce¡¯s weapon is actually the real thing,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Sure, it looks like Hastryth ¡ª and trust me, I would fuckin¡¯ know. But we ain¡¯t done any tests yet to see if it can do everythin¡¯ the real Hastryth can. Worst case scenario, instead of endin¡¯ Austin¡¯s Berserk episode, we would¡¯ve sliced ¡®im in half!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to Pierce¡¯s weapon than the blade,¡± Luke countered. ¡°We could¡¯ve made it work.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, only the bladed part of the weapon works for this purpose,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°And Ayas Weapons are exceedingly sharp. They¡¯ll cut through anything physical with virtually no effort.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Tryin¡¯ to touch a Berserk Chaotic with just the tip of a weapon is practically impossible,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Especially if that Chaotic is a Simulator, like Austin. Besides, Mark clearly had the situation under control. More than I expected, too.¡± The Dean passed Mark an approving nod. ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°I was just trying my best, that¡¯s all,¡± Mark replied sheepishly.


    Luke remained silent for a couple moments as he glanced between Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦. Eventually, he released a deep sigh and said, ¡°well, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of holding back information like that, but your reasons are sound enough.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothin¡¯ to like about a Chaotic goin¡¯ Berserk, but you just gotta deal with it how you can,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared.


    ¡°I suppose your questions about Pierce¡¯s weapon highlight just how little we know right now, too,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°Why are the recruits special? Why can they summon those weapons?¡±


    ¡°Twy and Phoenix have both claimed to have some kind of secondary sense, too, now that I think about it¡­¡± Luke mused.


    ¡°And Kestrel, too,¡± Kaon¨¦ added. ¡°She and Phoenix both were able to sense the Bleeder attack in Rel¨¦diaka just moments before it happened. I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but now¡­ hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯ the same,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied with a scowl. ¡°That old bastard Pallan sure likes keepin¡¯ folks in the dark, huh? Well, I done had enough. I arranged with Kievkenalis for the ¡®Keys¡¯ to visit YCUR next week. He should be able to teach ¡®em more about their special weapons, and convince Pallan to tell us more about whatever the fuck he expects from them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather hostile attitude toward the Archon¨¦ of Riverana,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented.


    ¡°Oh shut up. Pallan¡¯s an old cagey fuck and we all know it. He was 20 years ago, he still is now, and I¡¯d bet my ass that he will be 20 years from now. Stupid prophecy bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Luke chuckled. ¡°I see not all Nimalians take that prophecy stuff seriously.¡±


    ¡°Most Nimalians think it¡¯s bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°It¡¯s only those idiots over in Riverana who believe.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t ¡®idiots¡¯, per se,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°The Oraculm has actually been right several times, to an almost scary degree. ¡­It¡¯s just also been wrong a handful of times, too.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Throw enough shit at a wall, and eventually somethin¡¯ sticks. I don¡¯t see why we¡¯re listenin¡¯ to the thing now.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any other explanation for why the Keys can summon Ayas Weapons without an Ayas?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a reason. We just ain¡¯t found it yet.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ shook her head and turned back to Luke. ¡°I hope it¡¯s fine by you if we take the Keys to Riverana in your absence?¡±


    ¡°As long as one of y¡¯all sticks with ¡®em,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I¡¯m pretty curious about this supposed prophecy stuff, too, so if you can learn from this trip, then I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, and then looked up at the skies above, which were now darkening with dusk. ¡°¡­Well, we gotta get to the hotel, now. Gotta make sure all the kids¡¯re behavin¡¯ themselves.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Luke nodded toward the Dean. ¡°Thanks for hearing me out.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, sure,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded uneasily as he turned toward the exit.


    ¡°Stay safe on your mission!¡± Kaon¨¦ called out, and then left after Dav¨ªdrius, leaving Luke and Mark alone in the station.


    ¡°¡­Time to head back to Earth?¡± Mark questioned as he looked down at Luke.


    ¡°Oh, if only we were actually goin¡¯ to Earth¡­¡± Luke lamented as he turned toward the station interior. ¡°But apparently, we don¡¯t have the time for that detour. Man. Just what kind of op are the brass planning¡­?¡±

 V1 - Arc 9: The Reclamation of Sunova - Chapter 68: Reclaimers Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 9 ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 68: Reclaimers'' Arrival


    3 Days Later


    ¡ª Sunday, December 4, AD 2129 ¡ª


    ¡°Long time no see, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Back at you, sir,¡± Captain Travis replied, offering Colonel Saito a quick salute as he descended the wide ramp leading down from the Interstellar Gate behind him.


    ¡°And to you, too, Mote,¡± Mark added, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the Captain as he nodded toward Mote, who himself stood off to the side of the ramp next to Saito. With a warm smile, Mark continued, ¡°it¡¯s good to see you again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a month and a half¡­¡± Mote responded, his arms crossed. A moment later, however, a small smile broke through his stoic expression. ¡°Still¡­ good to see you, Mark.¡±


    ¡°Now if only it wasn¡¯t for work¡­¡± Captain Travis complained, his shoulders slumping as he and Mark came to a stop in front of Saito and Mote. The Captain then glanced around the room behind him; the Interstellar Gate ¡ª a giant ring wreathed in ornate royal blue, silver, and white geometric designs ¡ª dominated the space, surrounded on four sides by concrete walls with massive doors in them, large enough to fit tanks and trucks though. A heavy-duty metal ramp ran from the base of the Gate to the floorspace in front of it, and several meters beyond that were a series of windows into a control room of sorts, sitting high in the wall above one of the truck doors. Standing at attention outside each of the massive doors were several guards, dressed in SERRCom¡¯s camouflage fatigues and wielding rifles. All in all, the room¡¯s appearance was a stark contrast to the civilian Gateports on Earth, Nimalia, or Sikalia ¡ª for this was the embarkation room within the Gatefort on Eana, SERRCom¡¯s Primary Fortress World. A planet dedicated entirely to military use.


    ¡°Well, you know how it goes,¡± Saito remarked with a bitter smile. He glanced down at the single bag in each of Travis and Mark¡¯s hands ¡ª their only allowances for travel items ¡ª and then turned toward one of the exit doors, gesturing for everyone to follow him. ¡°Travis, Mark, I¡¯ll show the two of you to your barracks. We can talk on the way.¡±


    ¡°This is far from our first time on Eana, sir,¡± Mark pointed out, though quickly fell into step behind Saito and Mote all the same. ¡°We do know where the barracks are.¡±


    ¡°You know the regular ones, sure. But this time, we get special rooms,¡± Saito declared.


    ¡°Still not sure how I feel about that¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Special rooms, though, huh, sir?¡± Travis mused, ¡°are the brass finally recognizing how valuable we are to SERRCom?¡±


    ¡°Ha. In a way, yes. But also, no.¡± Saito shrugged. ¡°Commander Shepherd was the one who requested the rooms for us ¡ª he did it without even asking me. I doubt we¡¯d receive this courtesy if he wasn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°Without asking¡­?¡± Mark questioned warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, personally,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°Hackett said the same thing,¡± Saito replied with a smirk as he guided the group down the hallways of the base. He then glanced back at Travis and Mark. ¡°So, how¡¯s life on Nimalia?¡±


    ¡°Much more hectic than I expected¡­¡± the Captain responded.


    ¡°There¡¯s been a lot more combat than I expected¡­¡± Mark commented with an uneasy smile. ¡°Everything¡¯s turned out fine so far, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Can the Nimalians really not protect a simple school?¡± Mote questioned, a hint of derision in his tone.


    Captain Travis shook his head. ¡°The fighting wasn¡¯t at the school. Compound Tresnon¡¯s security actually isn¡¯t that bad, but, uh¡­¡± He looked over at Colonel Saito. ¡°I was wondering if I¡¯d be able to take my rifle back with me after this mission is over, sir.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain, I saw the requisition order you put in last month,¡± Saito replied. ¡°An SR02¡­ you sure you don¡¯t want an AR02 instead?¡±


    ¡°You know me, sir. I¡¯m a marksman, through and through. I¡¯d like to take out my opponents before they get close enough to use an assault rifle.¡±


    ¡°The land outside the walls of Compound Tresnon is very flat, as well,¡± Mark pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, but hopefully we won¡¯t have to defend Tresnon against attack,¡± Travis countered, and then sighed. ¡°I guess an assault rifle would make more sense in the situations we¡¯ve been in¡­ hey, sir, do you think they¡¯d let me take both an SR and an AR?¡±


    The Colonel chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Who knows, if this mission goes well, I bet Shepherd would be more than happy to personally sign off on that.¡±


    ¡°You say that like the Commander is giving us special attention¡­?¡± Mark replied warily.


    ¡°He is giving us special attention,¡± Mote declared crossly. ¡°Why do you think we have special rooms?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Mote¡­ it isn¡¯t quite that simple,¡± Saito stated. ¡°That said, Shepherd does seem, shall we say¡­ especially interested in how CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir perform. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be watching us through the entire op.¡±


    ¡°Is he really here, himself?¡± Travis questioned.


    ¡°You know how the Commander is. Every op worth a damn features an appearance by the man himself. It certainly doesn¡¯t help that we¡¯re going up against an actual established military, this time¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Travis and Mark exclaimed in unison.


    ¡°An established military?!¡± Mark further questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­ care to explain, sir?¡± Travis responded uneasily. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard anything about this op during the three days we¡¯ve been jumping through the Gate Network¡­ all we know is it has something to do with Sunova.¡±


    ¡°Shepherd is going to officially brief us later today, so I¡¯ll save the details for then,¡± Saito replied, ¡°but the gist of things is that we¡¯re going up against the Black Suns.¡±


    Mark and Captain Travis exchanged a wary glance before returning their attention to the Colonel. ¡°¡­The Black Suns, sir?¡± Travis echoed.


    ¡°Well, the Suns themselves claim that the forces on Sunova are a rogue element, but that¡¯s always the standard line for disavowing a black ops team ¡ª and everyone knows that the Suns like their black ops. Whether or not the Sunova forces are actually a rogue element is something we hope to find out.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all mercenaries, anyways,¡± Mote declared. ¡°The sooner we clean out the filth, the better.¡±


    ¡°Even mercenaries are still people, Mote,¡± Mark said. ¡°You can¡¯t just write off the whole group like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It takes a special kind of person to sign up for a PMC,¡± Mote countered. ¡°You recall how our missions with those Black Suns went back in October, right? They can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha¡­ right¡­¡± Captain Travis forced a smile. ¡°¡­I guess you might be right¡­¡±


    Saito glanced back at the Captain, eying him for just a moment. ¡°¡­Is this about that Black Suns officer who showed up on Nimalia?¡± the Colonel eventually questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mote looked between Travis and Saito in alarm. ¡°The Suns are even on Nimalia?!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Mote,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°General Lead is aware of the issue, and has given his approval to keep the recruits on Nimalia for the time being.¡±


    A scowl rapidly formed on Mote¡¯s face as the group ascended a set of stairs and found themselves in a hallway devoid of other foot traffic, on the far side of the base. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t see how that makes this okay, sir,¡± Mote eventually commented. ¡°We¡¯ve all seen how the Suns act. How can we trust them?¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­¡± Saito sighed and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve explained this, Mote. The different Sectors of the Black Suns do different things. Besides, the officer on Nimalia is there at the request of the Nimalian Deans. If they trust him, then I don¡¯t see a reason for us not to.¡±


    ¡°I see that as a reason to distrust the Deans, not to trust the officer.¡±


    ¡°I disagree, Mote,¡± Mark interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve met several of the Deans, and they all¡­ well, they¡¯re mostly reasonable people.¡±


    ¡°Gavon himself seemed like a nice enough guy, too,¡± Luke added.


    ¡°¡­Gavon¡­?¡± Mote questioned, only for his eyes to narrow. ¡°Is that the officer we¡¯re talking about? You¡¯ve already been meeting with him?!¡±


    ¡°He helped me cook, once,¡± Mark declared.


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Mote snorted in derision. ¡°I knew sending the recruits to Nimalia would be a bad idea. But now they¡¯re getting spied on by the Black Suns, and you and the Captain don¡¯t care to stop it!¡±


    ¡°Do you really distrust my judgment that much?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, no, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough complaints from you, Mote,¡± Colonel Saito cut in. ¡°I already know well what you think of the Suns. Whether you like it or not, however, is not going to change how SERRCom does things.¡±


    ¡°Is it not contradictory that we¡¯re about to go on a mission against the Black Suns, and yet, we¡¯re talking about how we¡¯re perfectly fine with a Black Suns officer having close access to the recruits?¡± Mote argued.


    ¡°If only things were ever as black-and-white as you¡¯d like them to be¡­ but this situation isn¡¯t. There¡¯s shades of gray all over the place.¡±


    Mote opened his mouth, as if to argue further, but stopped himself and instead pursed his lips, his gaze cast to the side. After a few moments of silence, he said, ¡°¡­if you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ I see things haven¡¯t really changed since we left, huh?¡± Travis remarked with a forced smile.


    ¡°I think we all just¡­ need a proper break,¡± Mark suggested wearily.


    ¡°Funny that you mentioned that, Mark,¡± Saito replied as he stopped in front of a door. The hallway they were standing in ended a couple doors down, and windows on the wall opposite the door allowed the group to look down on the courtyard of the base. ¡°¡­If this mission goes well, the General¡¯s agreed to give us some leave.¡±


    ¡°I like the sound of that,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°So do I ¡ª so let¡¯s see that this mission goes down without a hitch. And to that end, we have a briefing to attend.¡± Saito gestured toward the door in front of him. ¡°Travis, Mark, here¡¯s where the two of you will be sleeping while we¡¯re here. In fifteen minutes, I want to see everyone in front of briefing room A2.¡±


    ¡°Oof. We just got here, sir. Are we really going straight into a briefing?¡±


    ¡°Suck it up, Captain, it¡¯s part of the job,¡± Saito remarked with a smirk. ¡°We¡¯ll have to properly catch up after the briefing. But in the meantime, I¡¯ll see you then.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    <hr>


    15 Minutes Later


    ¡°Captain! It¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, Major,¡± Captain Travis replied with a smile as he passed Major Hackett a nod. He then moved over to one of the empty chairs surrounding the briefing room table, taking a seat next to Researcher MacTavish and across from Mark.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Danielle exclaimed, eagerly leaping out of her chair to envelope Mark¡¯s torso in a tight hug. ¡°We¡¯re finally all together, again!¡±


    Colonel Saito watched on with a faint smile, from his seat near the front of the room. For the first time in a month and a half, the entirety of both CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir were now all sitting in the same room ¡ª namely, one of the briefing rooms within Eana¡¯s Gatefort. The room itself featured little special in terms of decor: a long table filled the middle of the room, surrounded by a dozen cheap office chairs. On the wall at the front of the room was a standard holographic white board, but aside from that, the walls were bare white, and the floor covered in the same sort of thin, firm carpeting that could be found in office buildings.


    ¡°The only question¡­¡± Kate drawled, drawing Saito¡¯s attention to her as she planted her elbow on the tabletop and held up her head with her hand, ¡°is what kinda stupid reason we needed to bring Mark and the Captain back for.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with your words, there,¡± Hackett admonished. ¡°This briefing is due to start soon, and Commander Shepherd could walk in through that door at any second.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Kate snorted in response, only to flick her eyes over to the door as it opened once more. ¡°¡­Well, speak of the devil.¡±


    In through the door confidently strode an older man with a stout build, average height, fair skin, and short, graying hair. His sharp cheekbones and bushy gray mustache were more than enough to reveal who he was, a fact confirmed by the badge on the camouflage fatigues he was wearing: David Shepherd, the Commander of the General Forces. He quickly approached the white board at the front, inputting a couple quick commands in a keypad to the side before turning toward the rest of the room and flashing a smile. ¡°Apologies for my tardiness,¡± the Commander declared. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of work to do to prepare for this op, after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no issue, sir,¡± Colonel Saito replied. ¡°We all only just got here, ourselves.¡±


    Shepherd chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite with me, Colonel. CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are highly accomplished teams, after all! And quite valuable to SERRCom. You all have permission to speak frankly in my presence.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡ª!¡± Kate began, only to be interrupted by Mote.


    ¡°We appreciate that, sir,¡± he commented, throwing Kate a dirty look as he did.


    ¡°Ha ha ha! Quite the dynamic you all have,¡± Shepherd remarked with a smirk, though he quickly switched to a neutral expression. ¡°Anyways. You¡¯re all here, so without further ado, let¡¯s begin. The eight of you are here today to join Operation New Dawn, an op planned by yours truly to retake the Tier 5 World of Sunova, an old colony of SERRCom¡¯s.¡± He paused to look around at everyone else in the room before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m sure you all are wondering why I¡¯ve called you here to participate. ¡®Why waste our time retaking an abandoned base?¡¯ I certainly wouldn¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna fucking tell us, or what?¡± Kate questioned.


    ¡°Kate,¡± Mote quickly admonished, only to pass Shepherd a confused look as the Commander chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Lieutenant Emerson. I did give blanket permission to speak frankly,¡± Shepherd remarked. He then turned toward Kate. ¡°Rest assured, the purpose of this briefing is to answer all of the questions that you have, but if I may ask, at least allow me to start the explanation of the operation¡¯s purpose and plan before I take any questions.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a reasonable plan to me, sir,¡± Saito commented as he threw Kate a side glance.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get the fuckin¡¯ point already¡­¡± Kate muttered under her breath, her posture worsening as she slouched down into her chair.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Shepherd continued once more. ¡°The primary purpose of Operation New Dawn is as I stated: to reclaim the world of Sunova for SERRCom and re-establish our presence there. To this end, we have two objectives: to ensure that the metallic infection ¡ª which forced us to initially abandon the planet ¡ª is no longer a threat, and to neutralize any other threats that have manifested in the meantime. At the moment, that means the Black Suns.¡±


    The Commander paused for a moment to turn toward the holographic white board. After making a couple of gestures as though he was interacting with some invisible AR environment, the lights in the room dimmed, and a large overhead image of a mountainous region appeared on the board. ¡°This is the region of Sunova around the Gatefort,¡± Shepherd explained, drawing a quick red circle around a small building situated in a clearing to the west of the mountains. He then drew another circle around a point at the base of the mountains, at which point a line formed between the two circles, accompanied by a distance measurement of 102 kilometers. ¡°And this is the location of the caves that we discovered over twenty years ago,¡± Shepherd continued, turning back to address the room. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware, those caves were the source of a number of mysteries. It¡¯s where I found the Master Ayas after it had disappeared for two decades, and it¡¯s also where the metallic infection originated.¡±


    ¡°I take it that¡¯s the main point of concern, sir?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°It is, but not for the reason you might think,¡± Shepherd replied. ¡°The Frigate Out of Hand did a sensor sweep of Sunova last week and found no obvious signs of the infection. Instead¡­¡± He swiped his hand through the air, prompting a second image to replace the first. The second image was an overhead view, much like the other, but at an increased level of magnification ¡ª and a handful of small buildings could be seen standing just outside of the aforementioned cave entrance. ¡°¡­We found that someone had set up shop outside the caves. Through careful camera and comms monitoring, we¡¯ve been able to determine that the ¡®someone¡¯ in question is actually the Black Suns. Furthermore, they appear to have left Sunova¡¯s Gatefort alone ¡ª so orbital scans suggest, anyways. Whatever it is the Black Suns want, it has to do with these caves.¡±


    ¡°I understand that these Suns are a rogue element, correct?¡± Saito questioned.


    A strained smile appeared on Shepherd¡¯s face. ¡°That is what the Black Suns claim,¡± the Commander answered. ¡°But whether or not it¡¯s true doesn¡¯t matter for this op. The fact that matters is that, thanks to General Lead¡¯s decision to check with the Suns, we can expect to have lost the element of surprise.¡±


    ¡°Is that why this op is moving so fast?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s it exactly, Captain. We need to move on the Suns before they get an opportunity to fortify themselves ¡ª or worse, destroy or ship out whatever it is that they¡¯ve found.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ve found something? In fucking caves?¡± Kate questioned incredulously.


    ¡°The Black Suns never commit a force this size unless they have a substantial lead on something,¡± Shepherd asserted. ¡°Plus, you yourselves have already made an underground discovery, no? That Aldredian Armor was located at a Black Suns dig site ¡ª a dig site that was also infringing on SERRCom¡¯s sovereignty.¡± The Commander pounded his fist on the white board, near the buildings in the image. ¡°The presence of this outpost means that Operation New Dawn has an additional, secondary objective: to secure for ourselves all data and objects that the Black Suns have recovered from the caves. I couldn¡¯t care less if the Suns themselves live or die, but their computers, goods, and machinery must remain as intact as possible.¡±


    ¡°Guess that throws out orbital bombardment, huh?¡± Travis remarked cheekily.


    ¡°We hardly need to go to that extreme to handle a bunch of mercenaries, anyways,¡± Mote insisted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not undersell the Black Suns, here,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°Rogue element or not, members of the Black Suns are always known for their skill and elite training. The only Suns we¡¯ve worked with were Sector 3, which is the weakest of the Sectors in terms of combat training, but even Rabine seemed rather skilled.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely correct, Major,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°Bastards though they may be, the Black Suns will be a threat that must be taken seriously, if for no other reason than there are bound to be a number of Chaotics within their ranks. This is why I¡¯ve requested that you all join this op. CSF-1, Eximius Vir ¡ª the eight of you have seen more combat against Chaotics than anyone else in SERRCom. I hope I can count on your experience to make this op a success. And on that note, allow me to get into the specifics.¡± The Commander turned toward the board again, gesturing up to the top to shrink the image and move it to the side. Appearing beside it was a chart featuring a handful of symbols and numbers. ¡°Despite Out of Hand monitoring the outpost for a week, we still don¡¯t know exactly what defenses the Black Suns have available to them. It¡¯s likely that they¡¯ve stowed at least some of their weapons within the caves, where they¡¯d be quite difficult to detect by most orbital scans. We do know a handful of things, however ¡ª namely, the outpost and an area nearly half a kilometer all around it is blanketed in anti-beaming jamming fields.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like they were expecting us,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°It does seem that way,¡± Shepherd agreed. ¡°However, the lack of built-up fortifications suggest that the Suns never planned to hold this outpost long term ¡ª which is to our advantage. Aside from the jamming fields, it would seem that they have a platoon of around 30 soldiers present, accompanied by 4 mechs. At least one of these mechs appears to be a BSMI-A-389 ¡®Enforcer¡¯, which is the standard Black Suns Assault Mech. It stands 9 meters tall, and sports a head-mounted laser cannon with a 6 kilometer range. We haven¡¯t been able to positively identify the other three mechs, however.¡±


    ¡°It seems unlikely that a rogue element would have a squad of mechs at their disposal,¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°While I agree with you in spirit, Lieutenant, Black Suns mechs and technology are available for sale on the galactic market. A group¡¯s possession of either isn¡¯t proof on its own of a connection to the Black Suns as an organization,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°We should be able to determine whether this outpost truly is rogue or not when we storm it ¡ª but unfortunately, we haven¡¯t been able to determine how many of the Suns are Chaotics. Not that I expected to be able to, given the circumstances. Nevertheless, this does mean that we¡¯re going into this op with something of an informational disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if the outpost knows we¡¯re coming, do we?¡± Hackett mused.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I¡¯m operating under the assumption that they know, but Out of Hand¡¯s monitoring suggests that they might not. There¡¯s been no noticeable change in their behavior over the past week. The outpost may truly be a rogue element, or the Black Suns leadership may simply have disavowed all contact the moment they knew that we were aware of the outpost.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Saito leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he looked up at Shepherd. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll approach Sunova on two fronts,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°I¡¯ve secured the assistance of two more Frigates, due to arrive at Sunova in two days. And you, CSF-1 and Eximius Vir, will approach Sunova through its Interstellar Gate. As the vanguards, you will be in charge of clearing the Gatefort and ensuring that no Black Suns monitoring or defense equipment remains. The exact details of how you do so, I¡¯ll leave to you, Colonel. You know your own teams best.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, sir. What do we know about the Gatefort interior?¡±


    ¡°Not much, I¡¯m afraid. Orbital scans showed that Sunova¡¯s Gate is still present within the Gatefort, and as I said earlier, there doesn¡¯t seem to be an active Black Suns presence there. However, it¡¯s still possible that they set up passive surveillance or defenses that the Out of Hand¡¯s scanners can¡¯t detect, or even that they¡¯ve activated the Gate¡¯s blocking mechanism. Since we don¡¯t want to alert the Suns to our arrival, we haven¡¯t yet dialed Sunova; your departure tomorrow will be the first time we open a connection. We won¡¯t know until then if Sunova¡¯s Gate is blocked.¡±


    ¡°And if it is?¡± Kate questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the Frigates are for,¡± Shepherd stated. ¡°If Sunova¡¯s Gate is blocked, then the forces on board the Frigates will become the vanguard instead. Regardless of who the vanguard teams are, the job of the vanguards will be to clear Sunova¡¯s Gatefort, secure its Interstellar Gate, and open the way to transporting in further reinforcements through the Gate. Once we¡¯ve established a foothold in the Gatefort ¡ª which should only take a day ¡ª then we¡¯ll commence with part two of the op, consisting of our attack on the Black Suns outpost. For that purpose, and also for manning the Gatefort, we¡¯ll have a full company as reinforcements, including one mech squadron, one tank squadron, and a half-flight of Hawk gunships.¡±


    ¡°A full company¡­ against just a platoon?¡± Travis frowned. ¡°Are the Black Suns that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°A platoon is all we¡¯ve seen of them¡­ so far. We don¡¯t know what they could be hiding in the caves,¡± Shepherd pointed out. ¡°Furthermore¡­ while we may have abandoned Sunova, the fact still remains that the planet is within Earth¡¯s sphere of influence. Sunova is very far from CSA space, where the Suns normally operate ¡ª so their presence on Sunova is tantamount to challenging SERRCom¡¯s ability to enforce our sovereignty. We must respond to such a challenge with a heavy hand. This is why I¡¯ll be personally taking command of Sunova¡¯s Gatefort during the op.¡±


    Danielle¡¯s eyes widened in awe. ¡°Whoa, really?¡±


    ¡°All due respect, sir, but is that really a good idea?¡± Hackett questioned warily. ¡°Putting a member of High Command on the front lines seems kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°A poor idea?¡± Shepherd chuckled. ¡°Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you, Major. But Operation New Dawn is more important than most people realize. We aren¡¯t just reclaiming an old colony of ours; we¡¯re proving that SERRCom can enforce our sovereignty, and more than that, we¡¯re proving that SERRCom can stand against the galaxy¡¯s attempts to bully and extort us. We¡¯re proving that we don¡¯t need outside assistance to achieve our goals ¡ª and we must do so with confidence. What better way to demonstrate confidence, than to have a member of High Command personally take part?¡±


    ¡°An admirable goal, sir,¡± Mote declared with a firm nod. ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to do our part.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, Lieutenant Emerson,¡± Shepherd replied with a smile. ¡°I know you won¡¯t disappoint. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you all can do.¡± The Commander then glanced back at the board, and at the small overhead image of the Black Suns outpost. ¡°I¡¯ll go over the exact details of taking the outpost once we¡¯ve secured Sunova¡¯s Gatefort, but for that part of the op, CSF-1, Eximius Vir, you all will be acting as advance scouts and flankers ¡ª with the exception of Saito. Be sure to equip yourselves accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What am I doing, then?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be heading the main assault force. We¡¯re going up against the Black Suns, after all, who no doubt have plenty of Chaotics among their ranks. Your experience in fighting against Chaotics would be invaluable for the assault force.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re movin¡¯ up in the world, eh, Colonel?¡± Travis remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito muttered in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everything will work out,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°Major Hackett will take over command of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir for that portion of the op, but as I said earlier, I¡¯ll go over the exact details later. For the first part of the op, Colonel, I¡¯ve sent you a map and scans of the Gatefort, so you can plan for your part of the raid. You¡¯ll be heading out at 1200 hours SERRCom Earth time; should be mid-morning at the Sunova Gatefort at that time.¡±


    ¡°What? But that¡¯s less than 24 hours from now!¡± Kate complained.


    ¡°And I apologize for the short notice, but as I¡¯ve emphasized, time is of the essence,¡± Shepherd asserted. ¡°When SERRCom discovered the caves on Sunova, it led directly to us claiming the Battlecruiser Genesis, among other things ¡ª and I think we all know by now just how influential the Genesis has been. We cannot allow the Black Suns to snatch any discoveries like those from under our nose. We must attack soon, we must do so swiftly and with a firm hand, and above all else, we must preserve as much of the Black Suns¡¯ equipment as possible, just in case they¡¯ve already recorded certain data or discoveries. If we can do all of this while also evicting the Suns with minimal casualties to ourselves, then the message we¡¯ll send to the rest of the galaxy will be clear.¡± The Commander then clapped his hands together, a confident smile playing upon his face as he looked around at each member of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir. ¡°Those are the details of Operation New Dawn: reclaim Sunova¡¯s Gatefort, evict the Black Suns, and preserve their computers and equipment. Any questions?¡±


    Saito joined Shepherd in looking around the room for a moment; when no one responded, the Colonel eventually spoke up. ¡°Sounds like a no, sir,¡± he remarked, and then turned to address the room himself. ¡°I¡¯ll have a plan of attack by 1000 hours tomorrow. I want everyone suited up for the mission half an hour before that.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied a chorus of voices from the rest of the group.


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Shepherd commented with a grin. ¡°Well then, I do believe this briefing is over. I wish you the best of luck, CSF-1, Eximius Vir ¡ª the future of SERRCom is in your hands. Everyone, dismissed!¡±

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 69: Reunited

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 69: Reunited


    A Couple Hours Later


    ¡°Ah, so here¡¯s where you all went.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sir.¡± Major Hackett nodded toward Saito as he stepped through the doorway. She then returned her attention to polishing the silver gun resting on the table before her. ¡°Did you need something from us?¡±


    ¡°Nah¡­¡± Saito shook his head, watching Hackett clean her gun for a few moments before shifting his gaze over to Captain Travis and Researcher MacTavish, who were tending to their own gear at the same table. All around them were dozens upon dozens of lockers and a handful of locked closets, each one containing guns, ammunition, sets of armor, and anything else that could be found in an armory. Eana¡¯s Gatefort armories were larger and better equipped than most in SERRCom, even among all of the organization¡¯s Earth-bound bases. After all, as SERRCom¡¯s Primary Fortress World, Eana usually served as the rendezvous and departure point for any large operation ¡ª and as such, the world needed to be able to provide SERRCom forces with all the tools that they needed.


    Eventually, Saito cleared his head of idle thoughts and returned his attention to the Major. ¡°I¡¯m just out for a little walk. Still, it¡¯s nice to see you all taking this mission so seriously.¡±


    ¡°We do ship out in under a day,¡± Travis pointed out. ¡°Gotta make sure all of our gear is in shape.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Saito nodded, and then smirked as he eyed the weapons in Hackett and Travis¡¯s hands. The Major¡¯s silver weapon bore the shape of a shotgun, with a large barrel, while Travis had a regular assault rifle at his side. ¡°A Railshot and an AR02,¡± the Colonel mused. ¡°Not your typical weapon picks, Major, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are storming a base, sir,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°We don¡¯t need the range of an assault rifle, and against any potential Black Suns defenses, the stopping power of a Railshot could be useful.¡±


    ¡°If only my own shooting interests ranged that short,¡± Travis grumbled. ¡°As a marksman, why do I keep getting put on missions where we go indoors? Can¡¯t we do any outdoors shooting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part 2 of the op, Captain,¡± Saito declared. ¡°Focus on part 1, first. Once we hold the Gatefort, you can switch back to your sniper rifle and snipe to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a Railrifle instead of the usual SR02? Since, uh, you know, Black Suns shields are usually pretty tough.¡±


    The Colonel chuckled to himself. Whereas the Gauss-SR02 was SERRCom¡¯s standard sniper rifle, the Railrifle was a higher-power, longer-ranged, but slower-firing anti-materiel rifle. The Railrifle and Railshot both were SERRCom¡¯s only small arms that utilized proper railgun technology; when combined with a larger caliber size than their Gauss cousins, the Railrifle and Railshot both had devastating power, focused at long range and short range, respectively. The Railrifle in particular was a beast of a weapon capable of utterly obliterating any unshielded target ¡ª and flooring most shielded targets ¡ª from up to 5 kilometers away. In exchange for this power, however, the Railrifle¡¯s internal battery had only half the operating time of an SR02, and the weapon itself was incredibly ungainly to carry around. As such, its use in field missions was largely restricted.


    Not that that¡¯ll stop Travis from trying to get his hands on one, the gun nut that he is, Saito mused. He¡¯s right that it would be more effective than an SR02 against Black Suns shields, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to reject that proposal, Captain,¡± the Colonel stated. ¡°CSF-1¡¯s role in part 2 of the op will be a mobile one. And ¡®mobile¡¯ is one thing that a Railrifle definitely isn¡¯t.¡±


    Travis sighed and slumped his shoulders. ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that, sir. Worth a shot, though.¡±


    ¡°Next time, Captain. Next time,¡± Hackett responded while offering Travis a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, though on her face was a barely suppressed smile of amusement.


    Saito merely smiled to himself as he watched the other two officers. A moment later, he shifted his attention to the side, where MacTavish was sitting hunched over her laptop, which was plugged into an armor chestplate that laid on the table beside her. ¡°¡­Hey, MacTavish,¡± the Colonel greeted her, causing her to jump in her chair and stare at him, wide-eyed. ¡°¡­Little jumpy today, I see.¡±


    ¡°U-um¡­ r-right¡­¡± MacTavish muttered, averting her gaze as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been pretty quiet all day. More than usual, in fact. Is something wrong?¡±


    The Researcher remained silent for several more seconds, fidgeting in her seat as her attention jumped all around the room ¡ª though never to anywhere near Saito¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ w-well¡­¡± she eventually spoke, ¡°¡­I, just, um¡­ ¡­w-why am I, uh¡­ here?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a member of CSF-1,¡± Saito replied, as though it were the most obvious fact in the world.


    ¡°Y-yes, but, uh, well¡­ I, uh¡­¡± She cast her gaze to the side; following her eyes, Saito spotted the lone pistol she had next to her. ¡°I¡¯m, um, not good with, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I see where you¡¯re going.¡± The Colonel sighed, and then turned to face her fully as he planted his hands on his hips. ¡°This mission is much more of a direct assault than CSF-1 is usually called for, and it¡¯s true, there¡¯s less meaning to bringing a support member like you on a mission like this.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡ª!¡±


    ¡°However, that isn¡¯t to say that you¡¯ll be useless. The fact of the matter is, MacTavish, you¡¯re the best in-field hacker and tinkerer I know ¡ª and we¡¯ll be going up against the Black Suns, who have plenty of tech to hack and tinker.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­ b-but¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything will be fine, MacTavish,¡± Saito declared, flashing the Researcher a broad smile as he did. ¡°Just treat this like any other mission. Leave the gunfights to the Major, Captain, and myself, and you can handle dealing with any technological threats that come our way.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, we might not get into any gunfights, anyways,¡± Travis pointed out. ¡°We¡¯re with the Eximius Vir. They can take out any threat before it gets even close to us.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡¯s got a point. With all of the Eximius Vir here, all four of us are practically redundant,¡± Hackett stated, and then passed the Railshot next to her a forlorn glance. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll actually get to use this thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ true, true. Having the Eximius Vir around will certainly make things easier on us,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°Still, let¡¯s make sure we all take this mission seriously. It may seem just like a reclamation of an old, abandoned colony, but we will be up against the Black Suns. Even if the soldiers in question aren¡¯t actually part of the Suns and are just using Black Suns equipment, we¡¯re bound to have a tricky fight ahead.¡±


    ¡°Fighting the Black Suns¡­ oof¡­¡± Travis grimaced. ¡°All of their weapons out-range ours, their shields are tankier than ours, their mechs are faster than ours, and they have Chaotics¡­ you know what, on second thought, let¡¯s just leave everything up to Mote and Kate. What do you say, sir?¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea, Captain. But that¡¯s not the kind of op that Shepherd wants. He wants a symbolic op, that involves both us and the Eximius Vir. So, like it or not, we¡¯re part of this.¡±


    ¡°A typical top brass move¡­¡± Hackett muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Captain, I¡¯m confident we can handle this,¡± Saito declared. ¡°If I thought there was substantial risk, I would¡¯ve pushed back a lot harder than I did.¡±


    ¡°Still, though, sir. I still don¡¯t understand the importance of Sunova in the first place. Haven¡¯t we already gotten everything important from that planet? What could be left?¡±


    ¡°W-well, actually¡­¡± MacTavish spoke up, briefly meeting eyes with Hackett before diverting her gaze and fidgeting when she realized that she had drawn the attention of Saito and Travis, as well. ¡°Uh¡­ Sunova actually appears, um, a-among the Dreadnought coordinates¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Saito passed the Researcher a curious glance. ¡°Huh. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°Well, we did discover the Master Ayas there, right? And the Nanocreatures?¡± Travis questioned. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why the Aldredas were keeping track of the planet.¡±


    ¡°Th-the Ayas, um, o-only appeared on Sunova after, uh, th-the first Chaos Energy Quake,¡± MacTavish refuted. ¡°C-can¡¯t be the reason¡­¡±


    ¡°And based on the stories I¡¯ve heard, there wasn¡¯t anything like a Nanocreature research lab in Sunova¡¯s caves, like what we found at that space station,¡± Hackett mused. ¡°Hmm¡­ so, are you saying that there really is something else on Sunova that we haven¡¯t found, yet?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also possible that there was a lab deeper in the caves that we hadn¡¯t yet discovered,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Based on the stories I¡¯ve heard, by the time SERRCom encountered the Nanocreatures in the caves, they were already loose. If there was a lab hidden in there, well, that would certainly explain where they came from.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯re the chances there are more¡­?¡± Travis questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Well, we at least know to be careful, this time. Plus, we¡¯ll all have our powered armor to protect us. In a worst-case scenario, we just need to flee the Black Suns beam jammers and have one of our ships beam us to a decontamination bay, to incinerate any nanites that are clinging to our shields.¡±


    ¡°True, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°All things considered, Commander Shepherd has put a lot of resources into this op. We should be able to handle almost any conceivable scenario, so long as we keep our wits about us. Speaking of¡­¡± The Colonel stretched his arms into the air and opened his mouth wide as a yawn overtook him. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s time we all got some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, r-right¡­¡± MacTavish responded quietly as she began unplugging wires from her laptop.


    ¡°The Captain and I will finish up here soon,¡± Hackett commented. ¡°You go on ahead of us, sir. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get our sleep.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear, Major,¡± Saito replied as he turned toward the armory¡¯s exit. ¡°I¡¯ll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning. Let¡¯s make this op a successful one!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Mark!!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª? Whoa!¡± Mark glanced to the side just in time to see Danielle perform a flying leap at him, latching onto his torso in a big hug and sending him staggering back. An amused grin overtook his face as he quickly regained his balance and began stroking Danielle¡¯s hair. ¡°Excited to see me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Danielle exclaimed, turning her head upward to look Mark in the eyes while she remained attached to him. ¡°It¡¯s been over a month! That¡¯s the longest we¡¯ve ever been apart since we joined SERRCom!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I suppose so,¡± Mark commented, his grin softening into a mere smile. He then shifted his gaze to around a meter behind Danielle, where a certain blond-haired woman with a red bandana and crimson greaves had approached. ¡°You here to see me, too, Kate?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, specifically,¡± Kate immediately refuted, her arms crossed as she turned to look off to the side. ¡°I was just out to get some fuckin¡¯ fresh air, and ran into Danielle here, and then she just dragged me around everywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw, admit it, you missed him, too!¡± Danielle remarked, finally releasing Mark to bound over to Kate¡¯s side.


    ¡°I won¡¯t admit shit. Especially not anything that fucking sappy.¡±


    ¡°I see nothing much has changed while I¡¯ve been gone,¡± Mark said, stepping up next to Kate and Danielle and then looking down at the area around them. The three currently stood atop the roof of Eana¡¯s Gatefort barracks, a five-story structure from which the entirety of the sprawling Gatefort complex could be seen. A large, green courtyard lay out in front of the barracks; the campus¡¯s main administrative building stood across the courtyard from the barracks, and along the east side of the courtyard was the building that hosted Eana¡¯s Interstellar Gate. Mid-afternoon light cast long shadows across the Gatefort campus east of the Interstellar Gate building, where a number of hangars and vehicular maintenance structures could be seen, complete with dozens of mechs and tanks under repair or in the process of being moved around the fort. To the south of the maintenance complex were a handful of football-field sized landing pads for SERRCom spacecraft, though even at a hundred meters long, they were only large enough to support Frigates, Destroyers, and a select few Cruisers.


    All in all, Eana¡¯s Gatefort sprawled across a large plot of land several kilometers on a side; beyond the bounds of the fort were the beginnings of a small town, accompanied by a small lake to the north, and some distant mountains to the west. Aside from that, however, the region surrounding the Gatefort consisted entirely of sprawling plains, stretching from horizon to horizon. The only man-made feature breaking up the endless plains were a number of railroad tracks, spreading out like a web from a massive train yard attached to the Gatefort, just behind the building with the Interstellar Gate and north of the maintenance complex. A handful of freight trains could be seen coming and going, transporting goods to and from some of the other facilities that dotted Eana¡¯s surface, such as mines, power plants, or factories. SERRCom had been developing Eana for nearly three decades, after all, and as a Fortress World, the entire planet was marked for military use ¡ª several dozen facilities dotted the planet¡¯s surface already, all taking advantage of a Terra planet previously unmolested by intelligent life.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big place, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mark glanced over at Danielle, who herself was slowly sweeping her gaze across the sprawling Gatefort below. ¡°¡­True,¡± he eventually replied. ¡°Eana is SERRCom¡¯s Primary Fortress World, after all. It stands to reason that the facilities here would be massively accommodating.¡±


    ¡°Now if only the barracks were more ¡®accommodating¡¯,¡± Kate grumbled. ¡°All this fucking space, and I still have to share a room? Give me a fucking break.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like rooming with me¡­?¡± Danielle questioned warily.


    Kate passed Danielle an annoyed glance. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t fucking give me that. It has nothing to do with you, I just want my own fucking space every now and then. Is that so much to ask?!¡±


    ¡°Well, we are here on a mission,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°Temporary quarters are always bound to be more cramped than permanent ones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, fucking, whatever¡­¡± Kate muttered. ¡°Still, for a Primary Fortress World, this place is an undeveloped mess. They still don¡¯t even have goddamned rails through the Gate!¡±


    ¡°You can hardly compare Eana to other Primary Fortress Worlds like Siionkagh, or even Kandieras,¡± Mark refuted. ¡°SERRCom¡¯s only been operating for almost 30 years. Compared to the hundreds of years that the CSA or the Nimalians have on us, of course their Fortress Worlds will be more advanced and developed.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that advanced to mount an Interstellar Gate around two railroad tracks¡­¡±


    Danielle cocked her head inquisitively. ¡°Why would you want to do that?¡±


    ¡°So you can use the Gatetrain network, duh,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Everyone knows it¡¯s faster and easier to transport large amounts of goods by train, right? Well, the CSA and the Nimalians ¡ª hell, even the Syraus figured out that you can send trains through the Interstellar Gate if you mount the Gate just right around the rails. It makes shit so much more efficient, but SERRCom has barely adopted it at all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure there are plans to,¡± Mark pointed out, and then gestured out toward the train yard. A handful of construction machines could be seen parked just outside of the Interstellar Gate building. ¡°Just give them time, Kate. Maybe they¡¯ll even be done by the next time we¡¯re on Eana.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Give them time¡¯, he says¡­¡± Kate grumbled.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know much about any of this¡­ but riding a train to a different planet sounds fun!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t really any different from a regular train ride,¡± Mark said. ¡°It¡¯s actually kind of mundane¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve done it?!¡± Danielle spun around to face Mark, her eyes wide with interest. ¡°When¡ª? Oh, it must¡¯ve been while you were on Nimalia, right! I wanted to ask about all the stuff you¡¯ve been doing, actually! But then you disappeared after the briefing¡­¡± Her expression transformed into an impatient pout. ¡°Where¡¯d you go? I wanted to talk to you!¡±


    ¡°It was just some mission prep with Mote, that¡¯s all,¡± Mark replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°Sorry if it seemed like I was running from you, I really didn¡¯t mean it. After all, we¡¯re talking now, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, true, yeah¡­¡± Danielle nodded along, and then re-adopted her wide-eyed grin of interest. ¡°So, what¡¯s Nimalia like, huh? Tell us, tell us!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been to Nimalian worlds before,¡± Kate pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, but not, like, the Homeworld or anything! Nimalia¡¯s gotta be different, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Mark chuckled in response. ¡°I suppose it is, in a way. I¡¯ve only seen a couple of cities on Nimalia, though; most of our time there was spent in a desert town.¡±


    Kate snorted. ¡°Sounds like a shithole.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of the people living there would agree with you¡­¡± Mark admitted. ¡°Compound Tresnon can take a little bit of getting used to, and the people living there can be a little standoffish at first. But ultimately, they¡¯re all good people, I think. And the food items there are very unique.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I¡¯ve been missing your cooking¡­¡± Danielle commented. ¡°But I guess getting to try out new foods would be the dream of a cook like you, huh?¡±


    ¡°In a way, I suppose. There¡¯s supposed to be some kind of Thanksgiving-like holiday on Nimalia in a few weeks, actually. I was hoping to make a few dishes for that, if I¡¯m back in Tresnon by then, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Sounds like you¡¯re having a lot of fun,¡± Kate drawled.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, there¡¯s been a few instances of danger, too, but¡­ I guess so,¡± Mark replied sheepishly. ¡°¡­Have things not been going well around here in my absence?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve really missed you. Does that count?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Kate passed Mark and Danielle an irritated glance before shaking her head and turning away. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. I doubt you or the Captain could¡¯ve actually changed anything anyways, Mark.¡±


    Mark eyed Kate warily. After a couple moments of uncomfortable silence, he said, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for not being around to help. I¡¯ll do my best to make it up to you on this next mission.¡±


    ¡°What?! No, that¡¯s not¡ª! Agh¡­¡± Kate released an irritated sigh. ¡°You and your damn apologies¡­ look, Mark, this isn¡¯t your fuckin¡¯ fault, I¡¯m not blaming you for anything. It¡¯s just¡­¡± She crossed her arms and kicked angrily at the ground, her crimson-and-gold greaves actually chipping away at part of the cement. ¡°¡­Mission after mission, we¡¯ve been losing, losing, losing! And I fucking hate losing! And then you come in, and start talking about all the fucking shit you¡¯ve been up to on an alien planet¡­ it¡¯s just, infuriating!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking apologize for something that isn¡¯t your fault!¡± Kate snapped, only to facepalm a second later. ¡°Ah, damn it¡­ it always feels like I¡¯m the one who¡¯s wrong when I snap at you, Mark.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Kate. I know that people just need to vent, sometimes. I don¡¯t hold it against you.¡±


    ¡°And there it is, that¡¯s fucking why, you¡¯re too damn understanding¡­ who am I supposed to get mad at now, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re gonna be fighting the Black Suns, right?¡± Danielle pointed out. ¡°Why not them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s not until fucking tomorrow! I just want to fight something, damn it!¡± Kate stomped her foot impatiently. ¡°Aaarrghh! This fucking mission had better go down without a hitch! I want a complete victory, I want to fucking wipe the floor with the asses of those Black Suns mercs!¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Mark cautioned, ¡°the Black Suns are known for employing highly skilled Chaotics. You could get hurt if you let your guard down around them.¡±


    ¡°All the better!¡± A mischievous grin crossed Kate¡¯s face as she began cracking her knuckles. ¡°An actual, proper fight against other Chaotics¡­ do you have any idea how long it¡¯s been since I had one of those?! Oh man, now I can¡¯t fucking wait for this mission! I wanna kick some Chaotic ass!¡±


    ¡°And now that Mark and Captain Travis are here, we¡¯re back to being full strength!¡± Danielle remarked with a grin as she threw her left arm around Kate¡¯s shoulders, and then extended her right arm to put it around Mark¡¯s shoulders and draw him in closer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kate! With all of us here, I¡¯m sure everything will be fine!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t fucking jinx it, now.¡±


    ¡°¡­It is good to see the two of you, again,¡± Mark commented, gently patting Danielle on the head as he passed Kate a smile. ¡°I know things have been rough, lately, but I¡¯m rooting for you, too, Kate. And maybe, when this is all said and done, I¡¯ll get a chance to show everyone around Nimalia. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Oooooh! Really?!¡± Danielle questioned, her eyes practically sparkling.


    ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ve heard worse ideas,¡± Kate muttered, her arms crossed as she pursed her lips and looked out over the Gatefort ¡ª though Mark could tell that the faintest of smiles was threatening to overtake her stoic expression.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan, then,¡± Mark declared. ¡°But, in the meantime, we should probably return to our quarters. It might be mid-afternoon here, but we have less than ten hours before we need to meet up with the Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know how fucking interplanetary time zones work,¡± Kate retorted, turning away from the edge of the roof and leading the trio to the stairs down into the barracks. ¡°But even if I only get half as much sleep as I need, just you fucking watch, I won¡¯t let us lose this time!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Another mission¡­¡±


    Mote idly looked down at his hand, muttering to himself as he walked through the corridors of the Gatefort. The mission clocks read just past midnight SERRCom Earth time; Eana¡¯s own local time didn¡¯t match, but that ultimately didn¡¯t matter. SERRCom¡¯s standard clock across the whole organization was set to be the same as Earth¡¯s clock, specifically Coordinated Universal Time with zero offset. As such, Mote was already on the way back to his temporary quarters for sleep, despite the sun still being up.


    As he walked, he occasionally passed other soldiers and officers that were going about their own duties; sometimes a soldier would recognize Mote and stop to offer him a salute, but he never responded with more than a firm nod or affirmative grunt. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the operation in which he was about to participate ¡ª and all of the circumstances that surrounded it. The Black Suns¡­ Mote thought to himself, his brow creasing in confusion, ¡­I knew that they were no good. But ultimately, they¡¯re only mercenaries, and the group we worked with a few months ago didn¡¯t seem as impressive as the ¡®hype¡¯ around the Suns would indicate. So why bother with such a large operation to remove them¡­?


    ¡°Be careful with those furrowed brows, son. Nothing will give you wrinkles faster.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Mote momentarily stopped in his tracks and snapped his attention to the approaching voice ¡ª and then immediately straightened up his posture and saluted when he spotted Commander Shepherd approaching him. ¡°Oh, sir!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lieutenant. At ease,¡± Shepherd replied with an amused smirk. ¡°You look like you¡¯re deep in thought. If it¡¯s a question about the op, feel free to ask.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Mote dropped his hands to his sides, but maintained his stiff posture as he eyed the Commander. Shepherd was about average height for an Earthian man, but that still made him shorter than Mote by three inches ¡ª so Mote found himself looking slightly downwards to meet his superior¡¯s eyes. Nonetheless, Shepherd¡¯s confident demeanor dominated the hallway, and filled Mote with a sense of mild unease. The Colonel said to be careful around Shepherd, and I do trust Saito, but¡­ I still don¡¯t understand why¡­ ¡°¡­Ahem,¡± Mote eventually cleared his throat and his thoughts, and then refocused his attention on Shepherd. ¡°No questions about the op, sir. I understand what¡¯s expected of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it, Lieutenant,¡± the Commander replied, and then gestured down the hallway. ¡°I¡¯ve actually been meaning to speak with you, Emerson. Mind if we walk and talk?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no, sir. I was just returning to my quarters, anyways,¡± Mote answered, falling into step beside Shepherd as he began walking. ¡°Did you need something from me, sir?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, hardly. Your participation in Operation New Dawn is more than enough,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°I was merely curious, Lieutenant. The last time we spoke, we were in the middle of a rather interesting conversation, before being interrupted. I¡¯d like to pick up where we left off.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± Mote nodded absentmindedly as he thought back to the brief conversation he had with the Commander over a month and a half ago, before the recruits had even left Earth. As far as Mote recalled, Shepherd had raised concerns about handing the recruits over to the Nimalians ¡ª a concern that Mote himself couldn¡¯t help but agree with. I also remember Saito cautioning against Shepherd¡¯s world view¡­ Mote mused, but he never offered a concrete reason as to why. I suppose speaking with the Commander myself is the next best way to see. ¡°Is there something you wished to add, sir?¡± the Electrotechnic eventually questioned.


    ¡°Well, time has a way of altering opinions,¡± Shepherd remarked. ¡°It¡¯s now been a month and a half since the recruits were sent off to Nimalia, and with them, Captain Travis of CSF-1, and Lieutenant Cox of the Eximius Vir. I¡¯ve heard that you weren¡¯t pleased at the idea of being split up.¡±


    The beginnings of a grimace crossed Mote¡¯s face before he fought to suppress it ¡ª he was talking with a member of SERRCom High Command, after all. ¡°¡­I suppose I did say that, sir,¡± Mote eventually replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not reprimanding you, Lieutenant. I fully understand where you were coming from. I was just curious to see if you still think the same, after being split from your compatriots for this long.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Well¡­¡± Mote fell silent for a moment as he ran his mind over the memories of his past several missions. ¡°¡­Mark¡¯s help would always be appreciated. But, thinking rationally, I¡¯m not sure if his presence would have helped on our previous missions¡ª¡°


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask if Cox would¡¯ve been a help,¡± Shepherd cut in, drawing a startled glance from Mote. ¡°I asked whether or not you liked being apart.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ suppose not, sir. He is my friend. That being said¡­ uh, permission to speak freely?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, Lieutenant, and I¡¯ll say it again: the Eximius Vir always have permission to speak freely in my presence.¡±


    It¡¯s usually a trap when officers say that, Mote thought bitterly, ¡­but if I want to figure out why Saito dislikes Shepherd, then I might as well take him up on this for now. ¡°Alright then¡­ generally speaking, I don¡¯t have an issue when a mission splits up the Eximius Vir. We all have very different abilities, after all, so it would be naive to expect us to always stay together. This time, though¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the circumstances, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mote passed Shepherd another surprised glance, only to find the Commander looking back at him with a serious expression. ¡°¡­Well, yes, sir,¡± Mote continued. ¡°Both the duration of the separation, and the reason. It feels¡­ asinine.¡±


    ¡°I fully understand what you mean, Lieutenant,¡± Shepherd declared, returning his attention forward as he guided Mote around the Gatefort corridors. ¡°Ostensibly, we¡¯ve sent the recruits off to Nimalia so that they can train and better themselves, for the sake of strengthening SERRCom. So why, then, would we weaken ourselves by sending parts of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir to act as chaperones, of all things? Certainly, we could have sent some other officer, instead.¡± He then passed Mote another glance. ¡°Am I close?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose, sir.¡±


    ¡°It certainly is a puzzle, isn¡¯t it?¡± The Commander stopped walking next to a long window; Mote stopped to join him in looking out across the central courtyard which was currently bathed in afternoon sunlight. ¡°It makes you wonder what the true goal of this Nimalian excursion really is. Particularly if you¡¯ve heard some of the troubles that the recruits have gotten themselves into ¡ª run-ins with violent criminals and the Nanocreatures, of all things. And yet, Lead would have them remain on Nimalia.¡± Shepherd glanced at Mote again, with an eyebrow raised inquisitively. ¡°It makes you wonder, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mote nodded. ¡°It does, sir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree. SERRCom¡¯s attitude toward other organizations in the galaxy has been distressingly lax as of late. The Nimalians, the Core Space Alliance, even the Black Suns¡­ just how long will we roll over and play along with their every whim?¡±


    Mote found himself nodding along. When Shepherd says ¡®SERRCom¡¯ or ¡®we¡¯ here, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s actually talking about General Lead¡­ but even so, he¡¯s right. Why ARE we just playing along with the other nations? We seem to be giving up a lot, so what do we gain?


    Almost as if to answer Mote¡¯s unspoken question, Shepherd continued, ¡°don¡¯t get me wrong, Lieutenant. The Nimalians have done us a great deal. They helped to get our space fleet off of the ground by lending us use of their foundries, and they sell equipment to us at discounted rates. However, that was all in exchange for copies of our Subspace Drives ¡ª that is to say, we should not have any debts to the Nimalians.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you saying that General Lead sent the recruits to Nimalia because he thinks we¡¯re still indebted to them?¡±


    A subtle smirk crossed Shepherd¡¯s face as he chuckled to himself. ¡°Who knows? That could be it. But there certainly is a pattern of behavior. You can look to the Black Suns for that, as well. Despite the Suns very clearly infringing on SERRCom¡¯s sovereignty when it comes to Sunova, we¡¯ve yet to condemn them. Even worse, we¡¯re simply sitting by as a Black Suns officer is allowed to get close to the recruits on Nimalia!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that as well, sir¡­¡± Mote responded, his face scrounging up in frustration. ¡°I did think it sounded suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Lead is trying to please every influential organization in the galaxy, ostensibly in the hopes of negotiating ourselves into a better position¡­ but all he¡¯s managing to do is weaken our image.¡±


    So he¡¯s dropped the pretenses and started criticizing the General directly, Mote thought to himself. I suppose it IS a little unbecoming for a member of High Command to speak ill of the leader of SERRCom. If this is what Saito was talking about, then I think I understand where he was coming from. But even so, no one should be free from criticism, not even the General of the Space Forces himself¡­


    ¡°For SERRCom to stake its place in this galaxy of ours, we need to prove that we are ¡ª above all else ¡ª self-sufficient,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°We need to demonstrate that we respect our own sovereignty, and our own people. And we can¡¯t do either of those things if we let PMCs get away with a slap on the wrist, or put our own precious Chaotics at high risk for the vaguely possible benefit of better education.¡±


    Mote nodded. ¡°I agree, sir. But what can we do about it? These are both decisions that came straight from Lead himself¡­¡±


    A broad smile formed on Shepherd¡¯s face, covered partly by his bushy mustache. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked, Lieutenant. It shows that you recognize that things need changing around here. That said, you are correct ¡ª these directives come from Lead himself. There isn¡¯t much that can be done about that, even by a member of High Command such as myself. However¡­ I think I can offer you a step in the right direction, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°¡­How so?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked under Colonel Saito for years, so I¡¯m sure you understand how close he and the General are,¡± Shepherd began, and then slumped his shoulders as he heaved an exaggerated sigh. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mean to speak ill of the Colonel, but as he currently is¡­ the fact is that if you disagree with the direction SERRCom is heading, then you won¡¯t get anywhere if you remain under his command.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Mote drew back in surprise. ¡°Sir, are you saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°Join the General Forces,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°With my guidance, and your power, I¡¯m certain we can put SERRCom firmly on the path of self-sufficiency. Only then will we be able to look our galactic colleagues in the eye, and say that we deserve to stand among them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big ask, I know. And I¡¯m sure we¡¯d face push back against putting you under my direct command. But we¡¯re ultimately talking about the future of SERRCom, here ¡ª no, the future of all Earthians. This path is far from an easy one.¡±


    Mote simply stared at Shepherd in silence for several moments, unable to find any words with which to respond. Joining the General Forces under Shepherd¡¯s direct command¡­ he thought to himself, shifting his gaze to look out at the distant horizon through the hallway window. I don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn¡¯t this. I agree with most of what Shepherd has said, but why me? Why now? And why such a massive promotion?¡­ After another couple moments of thinking, Mote opened his mouth to reply. ¡°¡­May I ask a question, sir?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­Why me? I¡¯m just a Lieutenant, while you¡¯re the Commander of the General Forces. A member of High Command. I just don¡¯t see what I could offer you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t undersell yourself, Emerson,¡± Shepherd replied confidently. ¡°You¡¯ve been blessed with a power and reach that precious few will ever have access to. The people of Earth love you and the rest of the Eximius Vir, and your martial ability is nothing to scoff at. Hell, you fought off a Drakkar Faction Leader single-handedly ¡ª that kind of power is exactly what SERRCom needs to prove itself to the galaxy.¡±


    ¡­Right. He wants me because I¡¯m a Chaotic¡­ Mote idly looked down at his right hand, watching as he allowed several small sparks to dance in his palm. ¡®With great power comes great responsibility¡¯, so the old quote goes. I¡¯ve always understood that, lived by that. But¡­ With a deep breath, Mote turned to face Shepherd fully. ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t accept your offer, Commander. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shepherd turned to face Mote himself. ¡°Not yet, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I understand that you¡¯re working for the betterment of SERRCom, sir, and I do appreciate it. I sincerely do. But I don¡¯t think that I, alone, will be that great a help to you. Not to mention that joining you would inevitably mean splitting up the Eximius Vir.¡±


    Shepherd nodded in understanding. ¡°True. I suspected that might be a concern for you.¡±


    ¡°Just as with you, sir, I believe that SERRCom¡¯s future lies in self-sufficiency¡­ but I don¡¯t think that splitting ourselves along idealogical lines is quite the answer, and that¡¯s what would inevitably happen if I left the Eximius Vir right now. Plus, well¡­ I may not fully agree with Colonel Saito on every subject, but I do still trust him, as I do everyone else in CSF-1, and the Eximius Vir. And I enjoy working with them.¡±


    A disappointed smile spanned Shepherd¡¯s face. ¡°¡­That¡¯s a shame, Lieutenant,¡± he eventually replied. ¡°But, I understand where you¡¯re coming from. You have a good head on your shoulders, to be able to so clearly voice such an opinion.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ sir. I hope I haven¡¯t disappointed you.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not at all, Lieutenant. As I said, I was asking a lot of you ¡ª it¡¯d hardly be fair for me to get mad that you turned me down!¡± The Commander chuckled briefly. ¡°Still, if you ever change your mind, my offer stands. I¡¯ll always welcome anyone with an earnest desire to shape SERRCom¡¯s future for the better.¡± He then passed a quick glance at his wristwatch. ¡°¡­Apologies, Lieutenant. I¡¯ve kept you up for so long on the night before a mission! Let me get out of your hair.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble, sir,¡± Mote replied as Shepherd turned away and began walking down the hallway, in the direction the duo had come from.


    Shepherd offered a casual wave in response, not once turning around to face Mote. ¡°Get some sleep, Lieutenant. I expect great things from you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mote muttered to himself, remaining standing in the hallway as he watched Shepherd leave. It wasn¡¯t until the Commander disappeared around a corner that Mote finally turned his attention away, just to stare once more out the hallway window. I can¡¯t leave the Eximius Vir. Not yet, as annoying as things have gotten lately. And not before I can verify why Saito doesn¡¯t like Shepherd. Is it really as simple as them disagreeing on how much SERRCom kowtows to the rest of the galaxy? Surely not¡­ Mote shook his head, and then turned down the hallway to find his temporary quarters. Now isn¡¯t the time for thinking about that. I can decide how to approach things later. For now, I need to focus on the mission¡­ and how to show the galaxy that SERRCom won¡¯t simply let them push us around.

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 70: A Chaotics Best Friend

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 70: A Chaotic''s Best Friend


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Sundia, Aldredath 10, 8054 ¡ª


    (Monday, December 5, AD 2129)


    ¡°Ugh¡­ back in class, again¡­¡±


    ¡°Ever the lazyass, are we?¡± Phoenix drawled as she passed Conrad a glance, who was slouched over and resting his chin on the desk in front of him.


    ¡°You complained about the trip, and now you¡¯re complaining about being back in class,¡± Pierce remarked, his arms crossed as he looked down at Conrad from his standing position in front of the desk. ¡°You¡¯ll complain about anything, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Man, don¡¯t you lecture me about complaining¡­¡± Conrad muttered, turning his head to rest the side of it on his desk as he looked at Pierce through the corner of his eye. He then glanced around the rest of the small classroom; Kestrel sat to his side, opposite from Phoenix, while Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy were seated not too far away. Aside from the eight of them, the room was empty. ¡°¡­In the morning, too,¡± Conrad eventually added, his tone deadpan. ¡°Why do classes have to be so early¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 10,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Did I stutter?¡±


    ¡°You really do get tired a lot, huh?¡± Sky interjected, turning to face the group before passing Austin an amused glance. ¡°Really reminds me of a certain someone I know!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up¡­¡± Austin grumbled.


    ¡°Well, at least there¡¯s a break comin¡¯ up, right?¡± Spike questioned, glancing between Austin and Conrad as he did. ¡°Y¡¯all should be able to get plenty of sleep, then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s next week, and this is now,¡± Conrad complained.


    ¡°Hold on, what?¡± Austin stared at Spike in confusion. ¡°A break? What? When?¡±


    ¡°Heh. You really don¡¯t pay attention to your surroundings, huh, dweeb?¡± Pierce remarked snidely.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Austin started, only for his face to scrounge up in frustration as he tore his gaze away from Pierce. The latter made to respond, only for a troubled look to cross his face ¡ª followed by him mirroring Austin and looking off to the side in frustration.


    ¡°¡­Right. Well then,¡± Phoenix spoke up, dispersing the awkward silence. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this break, as well. The Spring Break, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Sky exclaimed cheerfully. ¡°Two whole weeks off from schooling! And at the beginning of the second week is Nimalia¡¯s Hunger¡¯s Bane holiday! I can¡¯t wait to see what that¡¯s like!¡±


    ¡°Hunger¡¯s Bane?¡± Conrad echoed, finally picking his head up from his desk to turn and face Sky directly. ¡°Sounds like a feast.¡±


    ¡°Figures that food is what would wake you up,¡± Pierce remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°Ah, shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Hunger¡¯s Bane is similar in concept to Thanksgiving,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°A fall-time harvest feast, essentially.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but isn¡¯t it in the middle of Spring Break?¡± Austin questioned.


    Phoenix shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s Spring here, so it must be Fall in the other hemisphere. Maybe Hunger¡¯s Bane originated from there.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯m excited!¡± Sky declared as she pounded her right fist into her left palm. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for this week to be over and the break to start!¡±


    ¡°Be careful with that enthusiasm¡­¡± Twy spoke up, finally tearing her attention from a small book in front of her to join the conversation. ¡°The regular students have study days and finals this week. I doubt they¡¯d want to hear that kind of enthusiasm from us, who don¡¯t have any tests to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank whatever god might exist for that,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°That does raise a question, though¡­ why don¡¯t we have finals?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°We¡¯re in classes, just like the other students. Albeit all on our own¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, probably just because we came here in the middle of the semester,¡± Pierce replied airily. ¡°I bet once next term starts after the break, we¡¯ll start having tests and shit just like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­.¡± Austin groaned.


    ¡°Guess we can¡¯t escape studyin¡¯, even here¡­¡± Spike lamented.


    ¡°That said, there is one way to escape normal classes next term,¡± Pierce remarked, adopting a challenging smirk as he eyed everyone else in the room. ¡°After all, something else starts next week, too. Any of you losers know what?¡±


    Phoenix passed him a doubtful look. ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t talking about the Qualifiers for that Annual Chaotic Tournament, are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°The ACT is going to be in Riverana this year. That means if we manage to qualify and win matches, we¡¯ll get to stay there instead of this dusty shithole.¡±


    ¡°¡­You actually expect to win in the ACT?¡± Conrad responded, ¡°with as little experience as you have?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. Tournaments are a cinch.¡±


    ¡°Right. Should¡¯ve expected you¡¯d say that. Well, I¡¯ll just watch from the sidelines as you, uh¡­ prove your skill, then.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Pierce loudly scoffed. ¡°As if I¡¯d let you. The ACT works in teams of up to four, after all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to try and drag us into this¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    Pierce shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t try. I did. I signed us up as soon as sign-ups opened this morning. Me, you, Phoenix, and Kestrel. We¡¯ll take the ACT by storm!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Conrad and Phoenix exclaimed in unison, both of them turning toward Pierce in surprise.


    ¡°¡­Irresponsible,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Phoenix added with an indignant scowl. ¡°What the hell, Pierce! You didn¡¯t even ask us!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, like you¡¯d want to miss out on a fucking tournament,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were seriously going to sit it out.¡±


    ¡°Whether or not I would¡¯ve has no bearing on you signing us up without our permission!¡±


    ¡°I was really looking forward to that break, too¡­¡± Conrad muttered as he placed his head back on his desk.


    ¡°¡­To be expected of Pierce, I suppose,¡± Twy commented, though kept her voice just low enough so that only Austin, Spike, and Sky could hear her. ¡°How irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah, definitely¡­¡± Austin responded uneasily.


    Spike and Twy both immediately passed Austin wary glances.


    ¡°¡­Austin¡­?¡± Spike muttered warningly. ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­!¡± Austin laughed uneasily, his eyes cast conspicuously to the side. ¡°I mean¡­ c¡¯mon, it¡¯s a tournament, and everything! We can¡¯t miss that!¡±


    ¡°You signed us up? Really?!¡± Twy¡¯s brow furrowed as she turned her whole body to face Austin directly. ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with your spat with Pierce, does it?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ not,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°Oh, Austin¡­¡± Twy sighed as she held her hand to her face. ¡°This is¡­ would it have been so hard to ask?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I gotta admit, I was a little interested, anyways,¡± Spike commented, ¡°but still, man. Should¡¯ve asked.¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°¡¯Little¡¯?¡± Sky echoed incredulously, ¡°I saw how much you were researching the ACT last night, you know!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that ain¡¯t the point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get it¡­ sorry, guys,¡± Austin apologized again. ¡°I guess that was pretty short-sighted of me¡­¡±


    ¡°Among other things,¡± Twy muttered, and then cast a glance toward the door as it opened. ¡°¡­But we¡¯ll have to save this conversation for another time.¡±


    The conversations in the room quickly subsided as Kaon¨¦ finally entered the classroom, followed by a certain silver-haired man. ¡°¡­I see everyone¡¯s here,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked, her gaze sweeping across the eight Earthians as she stood at the front of the room.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the new guy?¡± Pierce questioned, nodding toward the man next to Kaon¨¦. ¡°New teacher, or something?¡±


    ¡°In a sense,¡± the Dean replied, and then gestured up at the man. ¡°Everyone, this is Gavon Sav¨¦nos, a guest instructor here at WCU.¡±


    ¡°Pleased to make your acquaintances,¡± Gavon remarked with a casual wave.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be in charge of today¡¯s lesson,¡± Kaon¨¦ went on to explain, and then gestured for everyone to follow as she and Gavon stepped out of the classroom. ¡°Now, if you could all follow us to the practice fields¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw man, more outdoor lessons?¡± Conrad complained as he slowly extricated himself from his desk.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen this new guy around much,¡± Phoenix commented, glancing warily between everyone else in the room. ¡°¡­Who is he? And why are we learning from him?¡±


    ¡°Gavon¡­ I think I remember hearin¡¯ that name from Luke,¡± Austin replied, only to jump in surprise as Gavon peeked his head back into the room.


    ¡°Maybe if you all actually followed instead of standing around here, you¡¯d have some answers,¡± he declared.


    ¡°Right¡­ sorry,¡± Twy apologized as the group quickly joined Gavon and Kaon¨¦ in the hallway. As soon as they did, the two instructors resumed walking down the hallway with the group in tow.


    ¡°Anyways¡­ it stands to reason you all don¡¯t know me,¡± Gavon said. ¡°I¡¯ve only been here for two weeks, and you all were gone last week. Not to mention that I¡¯m just a guest instructor in charge of a couple of specific lessons.¡±


    ¡°Which is what he¡¯ll be in charge of, today,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson subject is something I don¡¯t have much experience with, personally, but Gavon should be more than capable of showing you the basics.¡±


    ¡°Who even are you?¡± Pierce pressed, his attention on Gavon as the group continued down the halls of the school building. ¡°We have your name, but we don¡¯t know anything about your rep or credentials.¡±


    Austin looked Gavon over head-to-toe, taking in his black, blue, and silver clothing as well as his rough goatee and short ponytail. ¡°You¡¯ve met my uncle, right?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Luke Travis? Yep, I have,¡± Gavon responded with a nod and a smirk. ¡°Well, if you know that much, and if you¡¯re so eager for answers, I guess I¡¯ll just be straight with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Gavon¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ responded uneasily.


    ¡°Hiding things won¡¯t do. It¡¯s one of the worst ways to establish trust,¡± Gavon declared, and then stopped just in front of the doors to outside. He turned to face the Earthian students, at which point he offered a casual salute. ¡°My full title is Master Captain, Sector 1, Black Suns. Nice to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°Black Suns¡­? Aren¡¯t they a PMC?¡± Phoenix asked.


    ¡°That we are,¡± Gavon replied, turning back toward the doors to push out into the outside world. As everyone followed him into the intense late morning light, he continued, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have plenty of questions and misconceptions about the Suns, but you¡¯ll have to hold off on those for now. Today¡¯s lesson is about something else.¡±


    ¡°And that something else is¡­?¡± Pierce prompted impatiently.


    ¡°Marksmanship.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t follow,¡± Phoenix deadpanned. ¡°Marksmanship? As in guns?¡±


    Gavon responded with an affirmative nod. ¡°Yep. Guns.¡± He then passed the group an amused smile. ¡°It¡¯s kind of funny how most fledgling Chaotics have that reaction.¡±


    ¡°Gavon, don¡¯t tease them¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ admonished with a sigh before turning to address the Keys. ¡°As much as I personally dislike guns, both Dav¨ªdrius and SERRCom want you to become familiar with them ¡ª and this is exactly what Gavon was brought here to teach. For the rest of today, Gavon has the floor. I¡¯m just an observer.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Dean,¡± Gavon replied.


    ¡°Guns, though¡­?¡± Twy muttered, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know how I feel about using guns¡­¡±


    ¡°More importantly, we don¡¯t need them,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon! We¡¯re Chaotics! What¡¯s even the point of using guns?¡±


    ¡°Why, what a wonderful segue into the beginning of today¡¯s lesson!¡± Gavon remarked, bringing the group to a stop at the end of one of WCU¡¯s practice fields while Kaon¨¦ moved off to the side. At Gavon¡¯s feet lay four small black cases, each of them covered with a fine layer of sand; the Instructor used his foot to wipe some of the sand off of the nearest box before turning to face the group once more. ¡°Most Chaotics tend to believe that their abilities are stronger or more useful than small arms fire. And, to be honest, in many cases they¡¯re right. But not all. However, before I give away all of the answers¡­¡± He slowly swept his gaze across the eight novice Chaotics standing in front of him. ¡°Anyone have any idea about what situations I could be talking about?¡±


    ¡°A situation where a gun would be more useful than our abilities¡­¡± Austin muttered in contemplation.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see it,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I can run faster than a bullet and hit way harder than one. What¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re a Velocitechnic. Of course you can,¡± Gavon commented. ¡°Introtechnics like you tend to have different relationships with guns than most Chaotics, but don¡¯t forget that most Chaotics can¡¯t move as fast you can, and they aren¡¯t as durable as you are. There¡¯s still one situation where a gun would do you well, anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you talking about CENT Fields?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    Gavon nodded. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s exactly it. Dead Space, too. As I¡¯m sure you all know by now, Chaotics can only use their powers when they have access to Chaos Energy. But in a CENT Field or Dead Space, you don¡¯t have any Chaos Energy. Now, imagine that you didn¡¯t have a sidearm with you, you¡¯re on a battlefield, and someone pops a CENT Field right on top of you. What do you do?¡±


    ¡°You run,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Great. You start running. CENT Fields are only a few meters in radius, so it only takes a couple seconds to escape one. But in that time, you¡¯re riddled with bullets and die. Mission failure.¡±


    Pierce immediately scowled. ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, that¡¯s not¡ª¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what would happen,¡± Gavon interrupted, his previous casual demeanor transforming into something much more serious. ¡°Now, granted, a realistic situation would be much more complicated. If you¡¯re on an active battlefield, then you¡¯d likely have powered armor, so a few bullets wouldn¡¯t injure you. But it is nonetheless significantly easier to capture or otherwise incapacitate a Chaotic once they¡¯re in a CENT Field, so every Chaotic needs to have a counter for that situation. That¡¯s one reason to have a sidearm at all times. CENT Fields are strong against Chaotics, but the generators that make them are weak to bullets.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I guess I see where you¡¯re comin¡¯ from, though¡­¡± Spike said. ¡°Gotta be prepared for any possibility, huh?¡±


    Gavon nodded. ¡°Exactly. This isn¡¯t the only situation in which a gun would be useful, either. Tell me ¡ª over what distance can you all use your powers? And I¡¯m not asking you, Velocitechnic,¡± he quickly added as he glanced toward Pierce, who had already opened his mouth to speak.


    ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t really tested, actually,¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°My projectile attacks would be effective over¡­ I don¡¯t know, a few hundred meters?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Directed-type Chaostechnic, right? That means you can use Chaos Cannon, a supersonic projectile attack. That¡¯s actually one of the few Chaotic abilities that can keep up with guns in the way that I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Twy nodded in understanding. ¡°Guns have much longer range than Chaotics.¡±


    Gavon nodded again. ¡°Yep. Most Chaotics would have a hard time hitting anything more than a hundred meters away from them, or so. Guns, on the other hand, can easily out range that.¡± The Instructor then reached into a pouch attached to his belt and pulled out a small black and silver pistol. ¡°Even a sidearm like this can have an effective range longer than most Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re makin¡¯ Chaotic abilities sound kinda useless¡­¡± Austin commented warily.


    ¡°Ha! Hardly,¡± Gavon scoffed. ¡°No one disputes that a Chaotic will win a short-range engagement against a gun. And with the prevalence of powered armor, it isn¡¯t hard for a Chaotic to close the distance on their enemy without getting personally injured. But sometimes, that just isn¡¯t possible or wise.¡±


    ¡°Those still sound like pretty niche situations, though,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I still don¡¯t see the point of all this.¡±


    ¡°I just want you all to understand the potency of small arms,¡± Gavon explained as he re-holstered his gun. ¡°Some Chaotic abilities actually mesh rather well with using a gun, too. For example, I know a couple of Velocitechnics that will use their speed as a Chaotic to give the bullets they fire even greater velocity than they already have.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I guess the physics of that makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°But, above all else¡­¡± Gavon turned to address the whole group again. ¡°Even if you all never use a gun yourself, you need to understand that they can still be a threat to you, despite your powers. Chaotics will often get stuck in the mindset of fighting another Chaotic, where incoming threats will only originate from a few dozen meters away ¡ª but, as I mentioned earlier, guns can easily out range that. If you aren¡¯t aware of your surroundings, it can be trivially easy for a non-Chaotic marksman to pick you off from range.¡± He then held up his hand to begin counting on his fingers. ¡°Using guns as a sidearm when you don¡¯t have Chaos Energy, using guns for long range combats, and being aware of their danger in general ¡ª those three things are what I hope you all can learn from today¡¯s lesson.¡±


    ¡°You talk about all this like it¡¯s obvious,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°But none of the Chaotics I¡¯ve seen have used a gun in a fight!¡±


    ¡°From what I know, none of the Chaotic fights you¡¯ve seen involved actual military combatants,¡± Gavon countered. ¡°The Bleeders don¡¯t have the resources to hand out guns to all of their members. But in more professional settings, well¡­ I¡¯m not Earthian, so I don¡¯t know too much about SERRCom, but putting Chaotics through gun training and giving them all a sidearm ¡ª at minimum ¡ª is standard doctrine throughout the galaxy. The Black Suns do it. As does the NSD, the CSA, the Syraus, hell, even the Riaxen. Not to mention all of the other PMCs out there, like the Chaos Knights or the Light Keepers. They all recognize the benefit of Chaotics using small arms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d even bother mentioning your employer¡¯s competitors,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Ha, well, the Knights and the Keepers aren¡¯t really direct competitors with the Black Suns,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°We all have different overall objectives. Not to say that I like them, but it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°Why are PMCs such a big thing, actually?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°It seems, uh, well¡­¡±


    An amused smirk found its way onto Gavon¡¯s face. ¡°Shady? Suspicious? Immoral, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°So you recognize that yourself, then?¡± Phoenix pressed.


    Gavon shook his head. ¡°I know it¡¯s what some people say about us. And I can hardly blame them, given the history of PMCs in the galaxy. ¡®Private¡¯ and ¡®military¡¯ are two words that many people seem to agree shouldn¡¯t go together. That said¡­ well, I¡¯ll leave the history of PMCs as a lesson for another day, but the major ones only exist to pursue certain goals and objectives that the governments can¡¯t, or don¡¯t. And the classification as a PMC is the only thing that lets Chaotics join.¡± His smirk collapsed into a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all have heard plenty by now about all of the laws in the galaxy that force a Chaotic to be in a military.¡±


    ¡°So all these organizations only call themselves PMCs so they can hire Chaotics?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly one of the big reasons, yep,¡± Gavon answered, and then passed Phoenix a knowing look. ¡°That said, I won¡¯t lie to you ¡ª some of the shadiness you¡¯re wary of definitely exists out there. You won¡¯t find it in Sector 1 of the Black Suns, though. I only hope that our time together here might show you that.¡±


    ¡°Words are cheap,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Gavon remarked, at which point each of the four cases on the ground opened on their own, revealing pistols just like the one in the Instructor¡¯s hand. The unaccompanied pistols began to levitate in the air as Gavon continued, ¡°which is why the lecture part of today¡¯s lesson is over. Now, we¡¯re moving on to the actual shooting! If any of you have prior experience with small arms, then step forward, please¡­¡±

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 71: Reclaiming Sunova

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 71: Reclaiming Sunova


    ¡ª Monday, December 5, AD 2129 ¡ª


    Absolute darkness, incredible silence. An abandoned abyss, filled with a lifeless stillness in a cavernous space, surrounded on all sides by steel and cement. Though no human eye would be able to perceive it in this space devoid of light, cracks covered the walls, floor, and ceiling, and dust blanketed the ground ¡ª the surest signs of a building abandoned for decades.


    Within this lightless space was a wide steel ramp, sloping gently upwards for a couple dozen meters before reaching a massive ring mounted against the back wall. At eleven meters in diameter from outer edge to outer edge, and ten meters between inner edges, the giant ring towered over everything present ¡ª though the ornate royal blue, silver, and white geometric designs that wreathed the entirety of the ring failed to impress themselves upon the abyss in which they sat. Still, the ring remained as it was, lifeless yet standing tall amongst the debris of abandonment that surrounded it.


    And then, a dim, white light pierced through the darkness. Originating from the top of the large ring, the light shone with a consistent steadiness, even though it, on its own, was no where near enough to illuminate the surrounding area. Then, at steady tenth-second intervals, nine other dim white lights began to shine into the darkness, creating a ten-point circle on the ring¡¯s face. As if in response to these white lights, several devices within the room began to stir ¡ª devices mounted on the walls, the floors, and the ceiling, devices that all possessed long, thin barrels that quickly oriented toward the translucent black film that soon manifested in the large ring¡¯s interior. After appearing, the black film shimmered slightly and darkened, and gold lines all around the ring began to glow softly, generating just barely enough light to finally fight off the darkness.


    All that remained of the silent, dark abyss was now the lack of sounds ¡ª but even that didn¡¯t last as a blue light appeared on the side of the Interstellar Gate, followed shortly by a lone figure leaping out of the black film, a figure with dark hair that was long in front but short in back. With him were only the clothes on his back: a thick green military uniform with black trim, a uniform that was immediately lit up with weapons fire as each of the devices mounted in the room revealed their identity as autoturrets, releasing a hail of bullets and laser fire upon the newcomer. Each bullet and laser found their mark, but the figure remained steadfast and uninjured, ignoring the weapons fire that deflected off of his skin as he shouted aloud, ¡°Overdrive: Pulse!¡±


    Instantly, all of the turrets in the room shorted out and exploded in a shower of sparks, while a handful of other spark explosions dotted the room as well ¡ª indicating a variety of other hidden electrical devices. None of them were any match for the powerful electromagnetic pulse that the newcomer had just released, and in the aftermath of their destruction, the room cast in dim light momentarily returned to the eerie silence that had once held it firm.


    The man took a silent moment to look over his body to verify that he was fine, even after directly taking so much weapons fire. And indeed, no injuries nor blemishes remained on his body, allowing him to easily glance back at the large ring just as two new figures stepped through it. Both wore similar thick green uniforms with black trimming as the man, but they also were wearing a handful of blue and green armor pieces that covered their upper chests, forearms, and lower legs. Of the two newcomers, both shared the first man¡¯s dark olive complexion, but one of them had a much larger build, while the other was a woman with blond hair covered partially by a red bandana.


    After taking another few steps down the ramp, the blond woman paused to glance around at her surroundings, and then turned toward the first man. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell, Mote. You couldn¡¯t leave even just one thing for me to destroy?¡±


    ¡°This is the mission, Kate. Now cut the chatter,¡± Mote retorted impatiently, and then turned to the large man. ¡°Mark?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Mark replied, holding up a small rhomboid in his hand. He then tossed it through the air toward Mote, who deftly caught it. A second later, a bright white light engulfed Mote¡¯s body, only to give way to a set of heavy crimson, black, and golden armor.


    Mote took a moment to look himself over again; he then glanced toward Mark and nodded. ¡°Thanks. Now¡­¡± he began speaking, his voice low as he slowly surveyed the room they were all standing in: the Interstellar Gate embarkation room within Sunova¡¯s abandoned Gatefort. ¡°¡­There were defense turrets when I arrived. And when I activated my Overdrive, more than just the turrets were destroyed.¡±


    Mark¡¯s brow furrowed in concern. ¡°Nanocreatures?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. It was likely Black Suns surveillance devices.¡±


    ¡°That turret wreckage definitely looks like Black Suns tech,¡± Kate declared as she inspected the remains of a nearby turret. ¡°Sure looks like the Suns were here.¡±


    ¡°But no signs of the Nanocreatures so far¡­¡± Mote muttered. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine to continue the mission. Any objections?¡±


    Mark shook his head while Kate replied for both of them. ¡°None here.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now¡­ Vanguard 1 to Overseer,¡± Mote began speaking, activating his comms as he did. ¡°Beachhead established. Continue mission, over.¡±


    ?Understood, Vanguard 1,? replied a gruff voice over the connection. Then, just a couple seconds later, Mote noticed a blue light appear on the side of the Interstellar Gate ¡ª a signal of an incoming traveler. Ten seconds later, Danielle emerged from the Gate¡¯s event horizon, dressed in nothing more than a black sports bra, black cargo pants, boots, and a thick green waist cloak with black trimming ¡ª her signature look. As soon as she was through, she spotted Mote, passed him a quick smile and a nod, and then ran down the ramp past the other three Chaotics.


    ¡°Still no armor¡­¡± Mote muttered as she passed him.


    ¡°It just gets in the way of the shapeshifting,¡± Danielle replied. ¡°Besides, if I really need it, I¡¯ll just make some!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Mote snorted as he watched her descend to the bottom of the ramp, at which point she held out her right arm and transformed her right hand into a small autoturret, not unlike the ones Mote had just destroyed. Then, she severed the turret from her arm, placing it on the ground before transforming the stump of her arm into her hand again ¡ª and then her hand into another turret. Mote found himself shaking his head in disbelief; he had known for a long time that Danielle¡¯s shapeshifting allowed her to turn parts of herself into useful tools and then separate those tools from her body, effectively allowing her to endlessly create copies of anything she wanted. This particular use of her Transtechnism was limited to objects not much larger than a person, but it was an incredibly useful application of her shapeshifting ability all the same ¡ª if an unconventional one.


    The arrival of four more individuals drew Mote¡¯s attention back to the Gate, where Colonel Saito, Major Hackett, Captain Travis, and Researcher MacTavish had just appeared, all decked out in the same kind of armor pieces as Mark and Kate. Quickly, MacTavish scurried down the ramp to the autoturrets that Danielle was creating, where the Researcher plugged in a small handheld device and began programming the turrets to properly recognize SERRCom IFF implants ¡ª and to fire on anything that wasn¡¯t registered. As she did so, Hackett and Travis moved forward on their own, carefully inspecting the embarkation room with their weapons as they secured the exits.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°¡­Vanguard 5, ready,¡± Hackett declared after taking position near the left exit.


    ¡°Vanguard 6, ready,¡± Travis echoed, as he did similarly on the right.


    ¡°The room is clear,¡± Mote added, turning to address Saito directly. ¡°Everything in here was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°You probably took out all the damn computers in the control room, too, knowing that Overdrive of yours,¡± Kate remarked with a snort.


    ¡°Black Suns?¡± Saito questioned, his attention focused on Mote as he ignored Kate¡¯s comment.


    Mote nodded. ¡°The turrets looked like Suns tech. The EMP from my Overdrive destroyed a handful of other devices, as well ¡ª and I can sense a few electrical circuits farther away that are disconnected from the Gatefort¡¯s power grid. The Suns might¡¯ve bugged this whole building. No signs of the Nanocreatures, though.¡±


    ¡°Good that there¡¯s no Nanocreatures. As for the issue of the Black Suns, well, we suspected that they might¡¯ve set stuff up here¡­¡± the Colonel muttered, momentarily casting his gaze toward Danielle as she produced her tenth turret. He then shifted his weight and adjusted his rifle, commenting, ¡°but, that¡¯s what we¡¯re here to deal with. Now. Vanguards 5 and 7!¡± Saito raised his voice as he shouted toward Hackett and MacTavish. ¡°Get to the control room. If anything survived the EMP, get it back online, ASAP.¡± He then turned his attention to Travis and Mark. ¡°Vanguards 6, 2; secure the Gatefort exterior and neutralize any Suns that might be around.¡± Saito then glanced toward Kate and Danielle. ¡°Vanguards 3 and 4; set up defenses, both in and around the Gatefort.¡± With that, the Colonel finally turned toward Mote. ¡°Vanguard 1, you¡¯re with me ¡ª let¡¯s get those generators back online.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± replied everyone in the room, with varying levels of enthusiasm.


    ¡°The details of your paired missions are as we discussed earlier,¡± Saito declared, and then offered a firm nod. ¡°Now let¡¯s reclaim this Gatefort. Vanguard team, move out!¡±


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Everything clear?¡±


    ¡°So it seems¡­¡± Colonel Saito replied as he stepped up to Major Hackett, who herself was standing guard within the Gatefort¡¯s derelict control room. A short distance away, Researcher MacTavish was busy interfacing with a lone computer on the far side of the room ¡ª the only one that had been out of range of Mote¡¯s earlier EMP blast. The Interstellar Gate embarkation room could be seen below through a large window that spanned the length of the control room; dim lights now illuminated the entire facility, showcasing exactly how dusty and derelict the entire Gatefort had become during its 20 years of disuse.


    Saito glanced out the window to the room below, and the handful of autoturrets that Danielle had left behind. In the hour since the team¡¯s arrival, Kate and Danielle had created and placed autoturrets throughout the entire interior of the Gatefort ¡ª however, not one of them had found even a single hostile to fire on. ¡°¡­Seems like the Suns really have left the Gatefort alone,¡± the Colonel eventually commented, his voice low as he addressed Hackett. ¡°Mote said that he destroyed some surveillance bugs when he first got here, but there¡¯s been no indication of more bugs around the Gatefort.¡±


    ¡°I guess the Black Suns only cared about watching the Gate, then,¡± Hackett speculated. ¡°Speaking of ¡®bugs¡¯, though, sir¡­ has there been any sign of the Nanocreatures?¡±


    Saito shook his head. ¡°None. Vanguard 1 did a sweep of the complex before going off to power the generators. His armor didn¡¯t detect any nanites, and even if it had, he practically washed the whole building in high voltage electricity. No nanites would survive that.¡±


    The Major released a disappointed sigh as she eyed the heavy shotgun in her hands. ¡°And here I was hoping to get to use a Railshot, for once. I suppose we¡¯ll just have to see how the rest of the op goes¡­¡± She then passed Saito a doubtful glance. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯re in the clear, sir?¡±


    The Colonel remained silent for a moment as his gaze was once again drawn to the Interstellar Gate. ¡°¡­I think I can safely say the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ isn¡¯t a threat, here. But something else doesn¡¯t add up. The Black Suns¡¯ reinforcement of the Gatefort is sending mixed signals ¡ª they¡¯ve left the fort itself largely abandoned, and they didn¡¯t even activate the Gate¡¯s block to stop us from coming through. So it seems like they wanted to hide their presence from any Gate-based probe into the state of this complex¡­ except for the fact that they also placed autoturrets in the Gateroom, which would immediately give away their involvement here.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯re expecting us?¡±


    ¡°Well, Vanguard 1 did destroy their surveillance bugs, so that¡¯s likely tipped them off. Before we even arrived, though? It¡¯s hard to say. If they had expected us that far back, surely they would have enabled the Gate¡¯s block? We have those Frigates that just arrived in orbit, sure, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Black Suns expected us to attack through space instead of the Gate ¡ª SERRCom is known for that. But it doesn¡¯t explain leaving the Gate completely open.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hackett pursed her lips in contemplation. ¡°¡­Maybe they¡¯re expecting someone else?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ s-sir¡­?¡±


    Saito and Hackett both glanced off to the side, where MacTavish was timidly looking up at them from her seat in front of the computer. ¡°Yes?¡± Saito prompted.


    ¡°S-something is, um¡­ weird, a-about the, uh¡­ computers,¡± MacTavish stuttered out, turning her attention back to the screen in front of her as she did. ¡°The access logs, um, a-aren¡¯t consistent¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they have been in disrepair for two decades,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°And the generators have been destroyed for some time, as well,¡± Saito commented. ¡°Mote¡¯s electricity is the only reason this place has power right now. The computers wouldn¡¯t have even been able to log any kind of access. Right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± MacTavish slowly responded, ¡°th-there was, um¡­ a recorded access just, uh, t-two months ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Two months?!¡± Saito exclaimed incredulously. ¡°How? The generators looked like they were destroyed long before that!¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I-it also looks like, um, like whoever was here t-tried to, uh, c-cover their tracks. I-it¡¯s well done, too¡­ like they know, uh, how our computers work¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ isn¡¯t that odd?¡± Hackett questioned. ¡°Earth computers work pretty differently from computers in the rest of the galaxy, right? Have the Suns been studying our computer systems¡­?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Further investigation is likely necessary,¡± Saito declared, ¡°but we aren¡¯t equipped to do that. The hardware here has been unsecured for so long that we would have to replace it all, anyways; we can just notify the EIIC about this intrusion so they can look into it when they decommission the system.¡±


    ¡°Which is sure to take some time,¡± Hackett mused, and then passed the Colonel a doubtful glance. ¡°A full recovery of this base will take a long time, won¡¯t it, sir?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Longer than we have for this op, right?¡±


    Saito nodded, a wry smile crossing his face. ¡°That¡¯s right. Now let me guess your next question: why does Shepherd¡¯s plan involve this base so heavily?¡±


    ¡°A question without an answer, as far as I¡¯m concerned, sir,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°I do wonder that, myself¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°It¡¯s likely just a matter of symbolism. Shepherd doesn¡¯t like to rely on the navy any more than he has to ¡ª I¡¯m sure that¡¯s why he only got two Frigates involved. Normally, he¡¯d insist on using the Interstellar Gate for any invasions or operations. If you assume that using the Gate is necessary, then it only makes sense to establish a beachhead around it. Still¡­ like I said earlier. Something about all of this doesn¡¯t add up¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be able to wait and see, but I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be the vanguard for the next part of the op, too¡­¡± Saito grumbled. Just as he was about to launch into another thought, however, a voice came over his communicator.


    ?Vanguard 6 to Vanguard 0, come in.?


    ¡°This is Vanguard 0, I read you,¡± Saito quickly replied.


    ?We¡¯ve swept the whole base, sir,? came Captain Travis¡¯s voice over the connection. ?Perimeter¡¯s fully secure. There really aren¡¯t any signs of hostiles around here. Vanguard 3 says there isn¡¯t even anyone listening in on our comms.?


    ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯re still in unsecure territory. Maintain callsigns.¡±


    ?¡­Right, sir.?


    ¡°Anything else to report?¡±


    ?Nope. Everything¡¯s quiet. Almost too quiet, all things considered. But Vanguard 3 says there¡¯s no bombs or mines or anything hidden around.?


    ¡°Good to hear, Vanguard 6. We¡¯re moving on to stage 2. Maintain perimeter.¡±


    ?Got it, sir. Vanguard 6, out.?


    ¡°¡­Everything¡¯s fine out there?¡± Hackett questioned as the connection cut and Saito took a deep breath.


    ¡°So it seems,¡± the Colonel replied.


    ¡°Is it just me, sir, or are things going a little too well for us?¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°¡­There isn¡¯t much we can do about that but remain alert,¡± Saito replied, and then turned toward the control room exit. ¡°I¡¯m going to dial the Gate and call in the reinforcements for the next phase. Vanguard 7, establish contact with the Frigates and see that they start beaming down their own equipment. Vanguard 5, hold the fort here until someone comes to relieve you.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± MacTavish muttered in reply.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hackett declared with a salute.


    With a curt nod, Saito left the two behind and began descending the stairs outside of the control room. The Black Suns are supposed to be an elite group, right¡­? the Colonel thought to himself as he went, if that¡¯s the case, then their work here in the fort seems sloppy. Is it possible that we¡¯re dealing with a splinter group after all?¡­ He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he reached the lower levels and entered the embarkation room. No. Don¡¯t let your guard down yet, Saito. We still have to face the main force at the caves. Maybe, once we do that, I¡¯ll find the answers I¡¯m looking for¡­

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 72: To Counter the Darkness

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 72: To Counter the Darkness


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Man¡­ we really don¡¯t get a break, huh?¡±


    ¡°It is what it is, Captain,¡± Major Hackett replied as she passed Captain Travis a glance. ¡°We all knew we¡¯d be the tip of the spear for this op.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we haven¡¯t even been here for a full day¡­¡± Travis grumbled, and then sighed. ¡°Oh well. At least I have my good ol¡¯ sniper rifle back.¡±


    Hackett briefly looked down at the rifle in Travis¡¯s grasp, and then swept her gaze across the rest of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir. Everyone was currently sitting within the small cargo space of a Corvette that was zipping through the air, disguised from sight and detection with its Partial Cloaking System. In the interior, everyone was already fully decked out in their armor and weapons, with Travis taking up position in an observation seat below the main deck that allowed him to see the forests of Sunova as the Corvette passed over them.


    The group was currently flying toward the Black Suns outpost to scout the place out and eventually position themselves for the inevitable assault. Of the eight members of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir, only two weren¡¯t present within the Corvette: Colonel Saito, who had remained at the Gatefort to take charge of the main assault force; and Danielle, who currently was the Corvette that everyone was riding.


    ¡°I, for one, can¡¯t fucking wait!¡± Kate remarked, slamming her fists together eagerly. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had a good fight. And this¡¯ll be the first time we¡¯ve ever gone up against the fucking Suns, too! I can¡¯t wait to see what they got!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away,¡± Mote admonished from his seat across from Kate. ¡°We¡¯re here to neutralize the Black Suns as quickly as possible while leaving their gear and computers as intact as possible.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ still, though. When was the last time we got a chance to fight elite fucking Chaotics, huh? Never, that¡¯s when!¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to be cautious, not reckless.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but the incredible speed that Shepherd wants to move at seems rather reckless to me¡­¡± Mark commented warily. ¡°As Luke said, we haven¡¯t even been here for 24 hours¡­ yet Shepherd wants to own the Black Suns¡¯ outpost by the end of tomorrow. Is that really enough time to both establish a beachhead and launch an assault?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been long established that overwhelming your opponent with speed and force is an effective military tactic,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°Emerson¡¯s right on this one,¡± Hackett affirmed. ¡°You all remember the mission plans we saw yesterday. Shepherd has come prepared, and with the Colonel leading the main assault force, I have faith that this op will go down without a hitch.¡±


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re just trying to sound confident since this is your first time taking control of the squad for a whole mission,¡± Travis cheekily replied.


    ¡°Which also means I have the authority to discipline you, Captain,¡± Hackett responded firmly.


    ¡°Ah, you outrank me, you always have that authority.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­ ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Since everyone is being so antsy, though¡­¡± The Major swept her gaze over the other five faces around her, including Researcher MacTavish, who sat by herself in the corner of the small passenger space. ¡°¡­We still have a couple minutes before our recon mission officially commences, so how about we review our tasks?¡±


    ¡°We scout the outpost and we blow the Suns up, easy,¡± Kate replied. ¡°Review done.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what the Major meant,¡± Mote admonished. ¡°Blowing up the Black Suns isn¡¯t even an objective in the first place!¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope you were listening the first time, Lieutenant,¡± Hackett stated as she passed Kate a disapproving look. ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain the actual objectives and timeline, just to be sure?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Kate scowled and crossed her arms petulantly, though nonetheless replied, ¡°¡­we¡¯re supposed to scout the fucking outpost from afar and report whatever we find. Then we hide out in the mountains like homeless losers until the actual op tomorrow morning, when we fucking bumrush the outpost from two sides and crush the Suns like the stupid bugs that they are.¡±


    ¡°Embellishments aside, that¡¯s not too far off. Good job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little concerned about the hiding part, though¡­¡± Mark commented. ¡°The scouting, too, really. The Black Suns are known for having a lot of high-tech equipment and skilled Chaotics. How do we know they won¡¯t detect us?¡±


    ?Don¡¯t worry, Mark!? came Danielle¡¯s voice from a loudspeaker in the compartment¡¯s ceiling. ?I made sure to make and activate a PCS when I turned into this Corvette. We¡¯ll be fine!?


    ¡°Partial Cloaking Systems aren¡¯t as perfect as the Genesis¡¯s Absolute Cloaking System, that much is true,¡± Hackett commented as she addressed Mark, ¡°but even a PCS will hide us from any sensor equipment that uses the electromagnetic spectrum. That includes optical sensors, radar, and infrared. A PCS can also muffle sound, which, combined with the fact that a Corvette¡¯s engines are already quiet by spacecraft standards, means that we can safely approach to within two kilometers of the outpost. Any closer, and the Black Suns might be able to detect us if we don¡¯t go groundside first.¡±


    ¡°We can use that same PCS to help us hide overnight, as well,¡± Mote commented. ¡°It sounds like a solid plan to me. To be expected from the Colonel.¡±


    ¡°A solid plan, sure, but this is still our first time going against the Black Suns,¡± Captain Travis pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s all keep on our toes. And, speaking of the Suns¡­¡± He paused for a moment to bring a set of binoculars up to his eyes, using them to peer through the observation dome and into the distance. ¡°¡­I think I see the outpost. 10 kilometers out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Hackett stiffened her posture as she looked over the group again. ¡°It¡¯s time. Travis, call things out as you spot them; we¡¯ll report back to the Colonel after the fact. Everyone else, cut the chatter. Our mission officially starts¡­ now.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Colonel! You¡¯re right on time.¡±


    ¡°Commander,¡± Saito acknowledged with a nod as he stepped up next to Shepherd. He then turned to look in the same direction as the Commander, at the large clearing outside of Sunova¡¯s Gatefort. The overgrown grass that had dominated the clearing barely a day prior was now pressed flat by a variety of staging operations. Toward the back of the clearing, nearest the Gatefort, was Sunova¡¯s Interstellar Gate; the Frigates that Shepherd had called as backup had beamed it out of the Gatefort and into the clearing the previous night. Over the next several hours, the Gate had been used to ferry in all sorts of SERRCom equipment, from personnel, to weapons, to tanks and mechs.


    Saito¡¯s attention drifted off toward another part of the clearing. The far side of the clearing, nearest the forest, was walled off with an energy barrier and several autoturrets. To the left of that were a handful of mechs, all deactivated and kneeling on the flattened grass as their maintenance crews tended to them. And to the right was a full tank squadron, consisting of three different types of vehicles. Rounding out the set of heavy machinery was a pair of gunships resting in the middle of the clearing.


    After taking all of this in, as well as the bustling activity of the dozens of soldiers around him, Saito turned back to the Commander. ¡°You certainly move fast, sir.¡±


    ¡°Speed and numbers are all we have on the Black Suns, Colonel,¡± Shepherd replied. ¡°I intend to make full use of those advantages.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting that, sir. Still, I don¡¯t often see this much equipment moved by Gate, this quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡± Shepherd released a lofty sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, isn¡¯t it? SERRCom likes to rely on the navy for transporting people and goods, to the extent that many people forget just how effective a tool the Interstellar Gate can be.¡± He then passed Saito a pleased smile. ¡°And we wouldn¡¯t have access to Sunova¡¯s Gate without your good work, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t done yet, sir,¡± Saito replied as he adopted a pleasant smile in response. He then allowed his face to return to a neutral expression as he continued, ¡°so, sir, I understand you wanted to review the next part of the op.¡±


    ¡°Right to the point, Saito ¡ª that¡¯s what I like about you,¡± Shepherd remarked, and then turned to gesture out over the clearing. ¡°Before we go over the details of confronting the outpost, it¡¯s necessary to know what tools we have at our disposal. That¡¯s why I called you here.¡±


    ¡°Right. Looks like one tank squadron, one mech squadron, and a half-flight of gunships, is that it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Joining us from the Eana garrison are the 16th Mechanized Assault squadron, the 104th Armored Assault squadron, and the 57th Infantry Support platoon.¡± Shepherd gestured toward the mechs; five of the large humanoid machines were present, with three of them bearing the same form and heavy armored plating as the mech Saito had piloted several months ago against the Drakkars. The remaining two were slightly smaller and leaner models. ¡°As you can see,¡± the Commander continued, ¡°the 16th consists of one Halberd Assault Mech group, with 3 mechs, and one Arbalest Support Mech group, with 2. They¡¯re a general assault squadron.¡±


    ¡°General assault¡­¡± Saito echoed, his eyes lingering on the dormant mechs before shifting to a large rack to the side of them, against which a handful of massive guns were leaning. ¡°I take it they use assault rifles, then?¡±


    ¡°Right as ever, Saito. The MWG-AR02 has a 4 kilometer range, I believe, but you¡¯ll have to quarter that in the forests around the outpost.¡±


    ¡°1 kilometer is workable. The Suns will be hampered by the forest as well, after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Another mitigating factor will be the 104th,¡± Shepherd declared, turning toward the myriad of heavily armored vehicles across the clearing. Of the seven vehicles, 5 were obviously tanks, with two of them bearing significantly heavier armor and a double-barreled main cannon. The two non-tank vehicles didn¡¯t have any guns, instead hosting a rigid, angular metal structure on their topsides that vaguely resembled a tree. ¡°In the 104th, we have a group of two Rhino tanks, a group of three Wolverine tanks, and a group of two Aegis shield units.¡±


    ¡°Two main battle tanks and three support tanks¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°And two Mobile Shield Units, for good measure. I can appreciate this level of firepower.¡± He then nodded toward the two attack helicopters resting in the middle of the clearing. ¡°I see you even brought a couple of Hawks.¡±


    ¡°As a former tank commander, I¡¯ve always preferred our Armored and Mechanized divisions, but you can¡¯t deny the effectiveness of gunships,¡± Shepherd declared. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find a good use for them, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir¡ª huh?¡± Saito glanced toward the Commander in confusion. ¡°What was that last part?¡±


    A knowing smile spread across Shepherd¡¯s face. ¡°You are a Colonel, Saito,¡± he replied. ¡°Most Colonels have a few thousand soldiers under their command. Operation New Dawn consists of a mere couple hundred ¡ª and only a quarter of that number will be joining the actual assault. I¡¯m sure you can manage that.¡±


    ¡°¡­I appreciate the confidence you have in me, sir. And I might technically be under your command in the ESFC, but CSF-1 is still a spec ops squad. Ranks don¡¯t mean quite the same thing to us as the rest of the military.¡±


    ¡°Are you happy with that, though?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± The confusion writ across Saito¡¯s face merely deepened as he turned to face Shepherd head-on. ¡°¡­Are you trying to say something, sir?¡±


    Shepherd, meanwhile, continued to look out over the clearing as he replied, ¡°well, as I said. Most Colonels have a few thousand soldiers under their command, but you¡¯re only in charge of seven. Soon to be fifteen, I suppose, if you include those new Chaotic recruits¡­ but even fifteen is a far cry from five thousand.¡± The Commander finally looked Saito in the eye once again. ¡°The rank of Colonel deserves a certain level of respect and authority. And you in particular, Saito, deserve to share in that respect, after all you¡¯ve done for SERRCom. Do you think you¡¯re getting that from your work with CSF-1?¡±


    Saito fell silent as he mulled over the Commander¡¯s words. ¡­This feels like a recruitment attempt, the Colonel thought to himself, which, coming from Commander Shepherd, is an odd olive branch. Springing this in the middle of an op, too. Just what is his plan? I guess he wins either way, if I¡¯m in charge ¡ª if I fail, he can use that against Lead, but if I succeed, then it looks good on him. Is that what¡¯s going on here, then? Did Lead know that he would try to pull this? The Colonel¡¯s chest heaved as he took a deep, long breath, idly looking out over the vehicles in the clearing before squaring his shoulders and returning his attention to Shepherd. ¡°¡­Well, sir, you aren¡¯t the first to question what I¡¯m doing with CSF-1 at this rank.¡±


    ¡°I know that both Lead and Hamasaki pushed for it,¡± the Commander commented, ¡°but even so, it always felt off, don¡¯t you think? That they would give you the title, but none of the authority?¡±


    I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯ve thought similarly, Saito mused. I sometimes wonder if the only reason I made Colonel was as an indirect way of giving the Eximius Vir greater freedom in their actions. That said, I doubt saying as much now would be wise. Instead¡­ ¡°Respectfully, sir, I disagree,¡± Saito declared. ¡°I understand your point, but I think there¡¯s something you might be missing. I may not be in charge of a lot of people, but I am in charge of some of the most important people. And that, I believe, is worth it.¡±


    A brief chuckle escaped Shepherd¡¯s throat. ¡°You know, Colonel, that¡¯s not a bad point. There¡¯s no doubt that the Eximius Vir are important to SERRCom ¡ª past, present, and future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the rest of CSF-1, sir. It might not be obvious, but Major Hackett, Captain Travis, and Researcher MacTavish have all been very helpful.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. I meant no offense when I broached the topic, Colonel; I was merely curious as to whether or not you were satisfied with your position. Even so¡­¡± Shepherd passed Saito a glance. ¡°For someone of your background, commanding the assault on the Black Suns outpost should be simple. I¡¯d like to see how you fare. And, who knows¡­ you might even develop a taste for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose we¡¯ll see, sir,¡± Saito responded stiffly. I knew from the start that I¡¯d be leading the assault force on the ground, but it sounds like Shepherd is giving me full control over ALL of the forces. I¡¯m sure most officers would jump at that chance, but after everything Shepherd just said¡­ I can¡¯t shake the feeling that I¡¯m being used¡­


    ?Vanguard 6 to Vanguard 0, come in.?


    Captain Travis¡¯s voice coming over the comms shook Saito out of his thoughts. He passed Commander Shepherd a brief glance, who replied with a curt nod; the Colonel then grasped his headset to respond. ¡°This is Vanguard 0. Report.¡±


    ?We¡¯ve completed preliminary reconnaissance,? the Captain continued. ?What we see seems to match the initial orbital survey. Looks like there¡¯s only one platoon, around 30 soldiers. There¡¯s four mechs: two BSMI-A-389 Enforcers, one BSMI-Su-237 Defender, and one BSMI-R-245 Spotter. In other words, they¡¯re all the newest version of the Suns¡¯ Assault, Support, and Recon lines.?


    Leave it to Travis to know and report even their series numbers, Saito mused, half in annoyance and half in amusement. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ?It¡¯s all we could see, but something doesn¡¯t sit right with me. For a little outpost like this, a mech squadron consisting of two assault mechs, one support mech, and only one recon mech doesn¡¯t line up. I¡¯d bet good money that the Spotter is living up to its name, and that the Suns have a fifth mech hiding around here somewhere. Likely a sniper, probably a BSMI-Sn-112 Ace, if the others are anything to judge by.?


    ¡°You haven¡¯t spotted it, though?¡±


    ?No sir, we haven¡¯t. But it would only make sense. That Spotter is pretty lightly armed, even for a recon mech. Why else would it be around, but to spot for a hidden sniper??


    ¡°I see.¡± Saito found himself pursing his lips in frustration. If the Captain was right, then the Black Suns would only have five mechs to go against everything SERRCom had to offer. The numbers were clearly in SERRCom¡¯s favor, but Black Suns mechanized sniper rifles were known for having incredible ranges ¡ª up to 20 kilometers, in fact. Given that the Black Suns outpost in question was located around a cave at the foot of a mountain, the Colonel had no doubt that there was no shortage of places for a sniper mech to hide in the surrounding mountains and have a good vantage point over the entire surrounding area. I knew things wouldn¡¯t be easy¡­ but there¡¯s still one more thing to check. ¡°What about Chaotics? Do you know how many, and what types?¡±


    ?Hard to say. They aren¡¯t in combat, after all. Seems like there¡¯s a couple of Forcetechnics; they¡¯ve been carrying a lot of material in and out of the cave. Oh, right. I guess I should tell you that they seem to be on alert, huh??


    ¡°That would be useful, yes,¡± Saito remarked incredulously. ¡°But it stands to reason. Vanguard 1 said he likely destroyed several Black Suns bugs, yesterday. There¡¯s no way that went unnoticed.¡±


    ?True. Not much else to report. Aside from the Spotter, the other mechs seem to have typical loadouts. MCR-24 Coil Rifles, and MSB-33 Short Blades. Hard to know how long they¡¯ve been running, but there might also be an Electrotechnic down there, so who¡¯s to say how their shields are doing. The boots on the ground seem to be wearing mid-line Chaos Armor, too. CPA-1450s, to be exact. Those¡¯ll be tough to deal with.?


    ¡°Understood, Vanguard 6. Is that all?¡±


    ?Uh, yep. For real, this time.?


    ¡°Good. After this, lay low. Establish contact only for emergencies until you receive the signal.¡±


    ?Got it, sir. Vanguard 6, out.?


    ¡°Sounds like the Suns are prepared,¡± Shepherd remarked as Saito turned back to face him. ¡°As we expected.¡±


    ¡°Right. If they have Chaotics with them, then they¡¯re being careful to not reveal their abilities, as well¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°Not to mention whatever secrets their prosthetics might be hiding¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Shepherd¡¯s face clouded over. ¡°That nonsense about replacing their arms with prosthetics. It¡¯s ridiculous, I say. They have no respect for the human body, and all it can do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Either way, sir,¡± the Colonel continued, deciding to leave the Commander¡¯s comment well enough alone. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can handle this, but it won¡¯t be easy. I have only two questions. One: will we have naval support for the actual assault?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The two Frigates in orbit will remain to provide support. They both have PCS and Beaming tech, not to mention a bay full of CENT field generators.¡±


    ¡°Ah, perfect. And two¡­¡± Saito glanced back at the dormant mechs kneeling on the side of the clearing. ¡°¡­Is it possible to get me a Halberd before the attack?¡±


    An amused grin spread across Shepherd¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to make that happen, Colonel,¡± he replied. ¡°Anything to make this op as easy as possible.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, sir.¡± The Colonel cracked his knuckles and began stretching. ¡°This assault won¡¯t plan itself.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it. I¡¯ll call the squadron commanders to the briefing tent. You get yourself prepared, Colonel ¡ª we have a big day tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saito replied under his breath as he watched the Commander march off. He then turned toward the tent in question, nearest the tanks, and began to approach while muttering to himself. ¡°¡­What the hell have I gotten myself into¡­?¡±

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 73: A New Dawn on Sunova

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 73: A New Dawn on Sunova


    The Next Morning


    ?Longbow 1, in position.?


    ?Longbow 2, in position.?


    ¡°Roger that. Skyhammer, what¡¯s your status?¡±


    ?Skyhammer 1 and 2 are ready on your mark.?


    ¡°Roger. Crossbow, Dagger, Vanguard, Shield. Status report.¡±


    ?Crossbow 1 through 3, ready.?


    ?Dagger 1 through 8, prepared to go.?


    ?Vanguard 1 through 7, waiting for your signal.?


    ?Shield squad equipped and ready.?


    ¡°And Flare?¡±


    ?Flare 1 and 2, all suites ready to assist. Full battlefield overview has been established.?


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Colonel Saito paused for a moment to take a deep breath before declaring, ¡°mission start in t-minus 60 seconds!¡±


    Immediately after uttering the words, the Colonel tightened his Halberd¡¯s grip on the assault rifle in its hands. Due to the neural dive technology that drove all of SERRCom¡¯s mechs, Saito¡¯s vision and body experience was currently that of a 9-meter tall heavily armored humanoid machine, and from that 9-meter vantage point, he could see all of the forces stationed just outside of Sunova¡¯s Gatefort. The loud whirring of helicopter blades drew Saito¡¯s attention to the two gunships of Skyhammer squad, hovering in the air over the three Halberd mechs of Crossbow squad, the eight armored vehicles of Dagger squad, and the thirty infantry of Shield squad. Not currently present yet rounding out the assault force were the two Arbalest mechs of Longbow squad, CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir as Vanguard squad, and the two Frigates in orbit of Flare squad ¡ª all of them prepared to move on Saito¡¯s notice.


    As the clock slowly ran down, the Colonel rapidly reviewed the mission plan in his mind. He had sent the two Arbalest support mechs ahead to take up sniping positions over the Black Suns outpost; both were accompanied by small PCS units that Danielle had crafted the previous day, not unlike how she had fabricated new autoturrets during CSF-1¡¯s reclamation of the Gatefort two days ago. PCSes were ultimately designed for spacecraft-sized vehicles, however ¡ª the units that were attached to the Arbalests would inevitably overheat and stop offering any kind of optical cloak within hours, but hours was all that Saito needed to overcome the Black Suns¡¯ advantages.


    As far as the Colonel knew, the Black Suns¡¯ advantages over SERRCom numbered four: their weapons had superior range and firepower, their energy shields were far stronger, and their forces counted among them an unknown number of highly skilled Chaotics. On top of that was the issue of the sniper mech that Captain Travis had mentioned ¡ª no one had yet to spot such a mech, but Saito was unwilling to rule out its existence. Sending the Arbalests ahead with sniper rifles under optical cloaks was an attempt to mitigate the risk of a Black Suns sniper mech; the cloaks would help the Arbalests close the distance and negate the Suns¡¯ range advantage, while their numbers should make up for the other deficits.


    However, the positioning of the Arbalests was only considering the enemy sniper mech on its own. The outpost was another matter ¡ª and to deal with that, Saito had other plans. Whether or not those plans would work depended entirely on how the next minute passed.


    A bright red ¡°10¡± appeared on Saito¡¯s Heads-Up Display. It soon switched to 9, and then 8, as it counted the seconds down to 0. He could see the growing tension in the forces around him, but that was only to be expected ¡ª in less than ten seconds, they would all be embroiled in a firefight.


    ?¡­Five, four, three, two, one¡­ launching volley!? came the voice from Flare team ¡ª the code name for the two Frigates positioned in low orbit. ?¡­Volley effective! Planetside, prepare for transport in three, two, one¡­!?


    ¡°Here we go¡­¡± Saito muttered to himself, preemptively taking aim with his Halberd¡¯s assault rifle as a bright white light blotted out his vision. A second later, his sight returned to normal, revealing that he was no longer standing in front of Sunova¡¯s Gatefort. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a forest, with the other three Halberds ¡ª consisting of the entirety of Crossbow team ¡ª standing beside him, their own guns trained forward. A mere 500 meters in front of them stood two other mechs, both bearing a sleeker frame than SERRCom¡¯s Halberds, and sporting a paint scheme dominated by black, navy blue, and silver: the signature color scheme of the Black Suns.


    The hostile mechs in question, however, weren¡¯t facing Saito or Crossbow team. Instead, they were in the middle of turning toward the interior of the base ¡ª only for several loud explosions to sound as a half dozen hypersonic projectiles found their mark against the flank of one of the Black Suns mechs. It stumbled over, its shields flaring brilliantly under the fire of the SERRCom tanks, which themselves were a couple hundred meters to Saito¡¯s left. The second Black Suns mech quickly crouched to reduce its profile and opened fire on the SERRCom forces, prompting Saito and Crossbow team to join the firefight while the first Suns mech retreated into the outpost.


    Perfect! Saito couldn¡¯t help but allow a small grin to cross his face. Given the lack of immediate counterfire from the Black Suns outpost, the Colonel could only assume that his plan had worked. While the outpost was blanketed in anti-beaming jammers that prevented SERRCom from beaming directly into the outpost, or beaming anything out of it ¡ª the jamming fields themselves still had a limited radius, both vertically and horizontally. This meant that the Frigates in orbit could still beam something into the air over the outpost. The mission parameters stated that the outpost needed to remain as intact as possible, so an orbital strike was out of the question, as was beaming bombs over the outpost. But there remained one potentially devastating option against the Black Suns:


    A massive array of CENT field generators.


    Chaos Energy formed the backbone of the Black Suns military force, after all. Without Chaos Energy, their Chaotics can¡¯t attack. Without Chaos Energy, their energy shielding was weak. So with one fell swoop, dropping an array of CENT field generators on top of the outpost negated two of the Black Suns¡¯ biggest advantages. And beaming into a 500-meter knife-fight range negated the third of the Suns¡¯ advantages ¡ª their range. Furthermore, as long as the SERRCom forces remained outside of the the CENT fields, they could benefit from their own Chaos Energy-enhanced shielding. At this moment in time, Saito¡¯s assault force held all the cards.


    But a moment was all that they had. CENT field generators were easy to destroy, even with normal small arms fire, and Saito had no doubt that the Black Suns had experience in dealing with CENT fields. It was only a matter of time ¡ª on the order of minutes, or even seconds, in fact ¡ª before the Suns were able to destroy all of the tiny generators and then bring the full force of their weapons against SERRCom. But, by the same notion, anti-beam jammers were far from difficult to destroy as well. If the SERRCom forces could destroy the jammers, then they could use their beaming systems to easily capture the Black Suns ¡ª but if they failed to do so before the Suns recovered, then the Suns could use their superior technology to push back the Earthians. Whether or not the SERRCom force would win the day depended entirely on how they used the precious little time Saito¡¯s plan had bought¡­ and with that in mind, the Colonel steeled himself for a fierce firefight.


    ¡°All teams, focus fire! Target the Enforcer at the gates!¡± Saito roared over the comms as he fired on the one Black Suns mech standing at the front of the outpost, all while strafing his Halberd through the forest trees to make himself more difficult to hit. ¡°This alpha strike will make or break us ¡ª so let¡¯s make it work!!¡±


    <hr>


    A Few Minutes Earlier


    ¡°¡­Shit, how long is this going to take? I fucking hate waiting.¡±


    ¡°For the sake of the op, we need to,¡± Major Hackett replied quietly, yet sternly as she passed Kate an annoyed glance. ¡°Timing is everything.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s just the Black Suns,¡± Kate retorted, her voice low as she peered out into the distance. The Black Suns outpost could be seen at the foot of the mountain, while CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir were all hiding ¡ª still under Danielle¡¯s fabricated PCS ¡ª nearly a kilometer up the slopes. ¡°I bet Mote and I alone could take ¡®em¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the Black Suns,¡± Mote immediately admonished. ¡°We can¡¯t assume anything. Overwhelming force, speed, and tactics are the only things we can count on.¡±


    ¡°Please. Your Overdrive alone could single-handedly wipe out that whole outpost.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t oversell it. All Pulse does is emit an electromagnetic pulse that kills unshielded electronics ¡ª key word, unshielded. The only things that¡¯ll be unshielded down there are likely the very computer systems we want to keep intact, as well as the CENT field generators that will be keeping the Suns in check.¡±


    ¡°Did you forget how your own fucking Overdrive works? You disable shielded electronics, too!¡±


    ¡°Only temporarily. And it would disable my own armor, as well,¡± Mote countered, and then briefly glanced down at the set of extravagant crimson and gold armor that adorned his body. ¡°As strong as we might be, I am not willing to walk into the middle of a hostile Black Suns outpost without any kind of armor.¡±


    ¡°Besides, if this attack was really that simple, then I¡¯m sure Saito would¡¯ve planned it that way!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°Or the Colonel is just caving to Shepherd¡¯s stupid commands and making a show out of everything,¡± Kate countered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak ill of our superiors,¡± Mote immediately reprimanded. ¡°Certainly not in such a coarse manner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Kate began to respond, but was cut short by voices over the comms.


    ?Longbow 1, in position.?


    ?Longbow 2, in position.?


    ?Roger that. Skyhammer, what¡¯s your status?¡­?


    ¡°Alright, cut the chatter, everyone,¡± Major Hackett ordered as she grasped her rifle. ¡°Final check-in¡¯s starting.¡±


    ?¡­Vanguard, Shield. Status report.?


    Hackett briefly passed everyone a glance, looking over the four Eximius Vir ¡ª hiding against trees near the front of the group ¡ª and then Researcher MacTavish, who was cowering just behind the Major. Captain Travis was no where to be seen, as he had retreated higher up the slopes to take a hidden sniping position that overlooked the outpost.


    After verifying everyone¡¯s presence, Hackett declared through the comms, ¡°Vanguard 1 through 7, waiting for your signal.¡±


    ?Shield squad equipped and ready.?


    ?And Flare??


    ?Flare 1 and 2, all suites ready to assist. Full battlefield overview has been established.?


    ?Alright¡­ Mission start in t-minus 60 seconds!?


    ¡°Fucking finally¡­¡± Kate muttered under her breath as she peeked around the tree to eye the outpost in the distance.


    ¡°Vanguard 5 to Vanguard 6¡­¡± Hackett quietly spoke into her comms. ¡°Any sign of that fifth mech?¡±


    ?¡­None,? came Captain Travis¡¯s eventual reply. ?But an Ace could be anywhere, with that 20 kilometer range. I bet we won¡¯t know where it is until it fires on us. And maybe not even then.?


    ¡°Are you certain it exists?¡±


    ?I¡¯d say 90% certain. Maybe 80. That outpost has a lot of mech-related supplies for a group of just four, I¡¯ll say that much.?


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    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to watch out for it, then,¡± Mote commented, only to steel his expression and tense his muscles as another voice appeared on the comms.


    ?¡­Five, four, three, two, one¡­ launching volley!?


    A split second later, dozens of bright, pinpoint lights appeared in the air over the outpost. From a kilometer away, it was difficult to tell exactly what was going on ¡ª all the team could see were dozens of small specks suddenly appearing and falling down on the outpost. However, they all knew the mission: they all knew that the Black Suns outpost had just been littered with active CENT field generators.


    ?¡­Volley effective! Planetside, prepare for transport in three, two, one¡­!?


    ¡°That¡¯s our cue!¡± Hackett immediately waved her hand forward. ¡°Mark, do it!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Mark quickly lunged toward Mote, who allowed himself to be scooped up in the Forcetechnic¡¯s arms. Then, in one fluid motion, Mark hurled Mote through the air, his superstrength allowing him to launch the latter over the entire kilometer distance between them and the outpost.


    ¡°Here we go¡­!¡± Mote muttered to himself, summoning his massive battlehammer into his hands as he sailed through the air. In the distance to the north and west, firefights had already broken out between the newly arrived SERRCom forces and the Black Suns soldiers on the edge of the outpost ¡ª but from Mote¡¯s vantage point in the air, he could see that the outpost interior was a mad scramble. The Black Suns were already beginning to destroy the CENT field generators that had been dropped over the base¡­ so Mote knew he had to act.


    Before he even landed on the ground, Mote channeled an incredible level of energy through his body and fired off a lightning bolt at the center of the outpost, striking the bare dirt. The blast didn¡¯t touch anything, but it was enough to draw the Suns¡¯ attention to him right as he landed in their midst. His armor¡¯s shielding quickly flared under weapons fire, but he ignored the incoming attacks as he lashed out at the handful of soldiers around him, striking them all nigh-instantaneously with powerful blasts of electricity that overloaded their shields and knocked them flat. Two of the soldiers that had been lain low attempted to struggle back to their feet, only for their chests to explode under the force of a bullet from Captain Travis¡¯s distant sniping.


    But Mote hadn¡¯t the time to spare any thoughts for the dead. He immediately dived to the side just as ice began to form under his feet, a sign that one of the Black Suns was a Cryotechnic. The Suns have destroyed some of the CENT generators already¡­? Mote thought to himself as he whipped around and smashed an incoming ice spike out of the air with his battlehammer. They¡¯re fast! To be expected from an elite group of Chaotics, I suppose¡­!


    A half-second later, the ground beneath Mote¡¯s feet exploded, knocking him over on his back and surrounding him with a cloud of debris. He quickly jumped back to his feet, only to begin sweating as his metal armor rapidly heated up, all while he could feel the air around him rushing away in a clear attempt to suffocate him. With an irate scowl, Mote quickly focused on sensing nearby electric fields ¡ª and then, the moment he determined the location of the nearest Black Suns soldiers, he honed in on the capacitors in their powered armor and used his Electrotechnism to set all of the capacitors to zero charge. Immediately, the soldiers¡¯ energy shielding failed; Mote used that opening to lunge out of the debris cloud and blast the nearest two with lightning, electrocuting them where they stood. He then glanced to the side, toward some of the other soldiers who were now without shields, just in time to watch them both get knocked to the ground as bullets pierced their chests.


    The Captain¡¯s sniping is as good as ever¡­ Mote thought to himself as he refocused on the nearest alive Black Suns soldiers, who were actively retreating from him. Their manner of retreat was clearly calm and coordinated as they alternated offering each other covering fire ¡ª fire that constantly flared up the shields of Mote¡¯s armor, particularly around his face, which caused his shields to partially obscure his vision. Just before Mote thought to strike them all with lightning, however, a half dozen small objects rained down on the soldiers from above ¡ª followed immediately by deafening explosions that kicked up large clouds of dirt.


    ¡°Woooo hooo!!¡± Kate whooped as she landed on the ground next to Mote, an ecstatic grin plastered across her face. ¡°Eat shit, you fuckwads!!¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for¡ª!¡± Mote began to admonish, only to stop himself. The chaos and cacophony of the outpost battle now made it difficult to hear much of anything, but as the clouds of dirt created by Kate¡¯s explosives began to disperse, one thing became obvious: the soldiers she had attacked were still standing, fully alive and conscious as they resumed firing on Mote. What? How? I shut down their armor! ¡­Ah, they must have an Electrotechnic among them! Shit! If that¡¯s the case, then the Suns can endlessly charge their shields. We¡¯d never be able to overpower them. If we¡¯re to win, I need to take that Electrotechnic out, but¡­ which of them is it?


    Mote quickly moved to take cover behind a nearby piece of debris as Kate charged forward, continuing to fabricate explosive device after explosive device to rain hell upon the battlefield. Despite her seemingly reckless behavior, Mote could tell that she was being careful not to damage any of the outpost buildings or tents, so he saw no need to intervene. Instead, he quickly activated his comms and declared on the SERRCom team¡¯s open channel, ¡°Be on the lookout! The Suns have an Electrotechnic!¡± He then dropped the comms without further explanation; Colonel Saito and the rest of CSF-1, at a minimum, would understand the implications of facing off against an enemy Electrotechnic. Explaining in the middle of a firefight was a waste of precious time.


    Instead, Mote again focused on sensing the electrical fields all around him. While the Black Suns had clearly already managed to destroy many of the CENT field generators that were dropped over their outpost, Mote doubted that they had found them all ¡ª and sure enough, Mote was able to detect an intact and active generator within a few dozen meters. Taking advantage of the fact that he himself could still use his powers in a void of Chaos Energy, he began to magnetically manipulate the distant generator and pull it toward him.


    Just before the generator reached him, a short, stocky soldier bounded onto the scene and slammed his fist into Mote¡¯s face with such incredible force that Mote was flung clear across the outpost and into the side of one of the temporary buildings. His armor¡¯s shields flared all over his body as he reflexively grimaced; the blow was far from damaging, but it was disorienting all the same. Nevertheless, Mote forced himself to regain an awareness of his surroundings just in time to duck under the fist of the same soldier, who Mote now knew to be either a Forcetechnic or a Velocitechnic. With another blast of electricity, Mote managed to make some distance between himself and his attacker and then refocus on the CENT field generator from earlier, managing to magnetically pull it into his hands before the enemy Chaotic could recover. Upon seeing the generator, the Chaotic seemed to falter, and then attempt to retreat, only for Mark to appear behind him and punch him in the back. The force of the blow launched the Chaotic into the wall near Mote ¡ª which put him squarely within the range of the active CENT field. Without Chaos Energy to reinforce his shields or his body, the Chaotic¡¯s shields instantly overloaded when he hit the wall, leaving his body to absorb the rest of the force and then collapse to the ground in a lifeless pile.


    Mark immediately grimaced at the sight, but Mote simply rushed past him, CENT generator in hand. ¡°Mark, you and Danielle need to secure the buildings and equipment,¡± Mote ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Electrotechnic.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Yeah.¡± Mark offered a firm nod in response. ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡±


    Mote then charged forward, putting Mark out of mind as he summoned his battlehammer back to himself. A faint draining sensation overcame him, similar to what he had felt over a month ago in Dead Space ¡ª but he forced the discomfort out of his mind as he focused on the fight ahead. Along the outpost outskirts, he could see two of the Black Suns mechs firing on the SERRCom forces in the surrounding forest, while another knelt in the distance, as though it was hiding from something. Within the outpost, however, there were still a number of Black Suns soldiers ¡ª despite having already lost half their number, the remainders were fighting fiercely against Kate¡¯s explosive onslaught, pelting her with all manner of weapons fire, flames, rocks, and ice.


    ¡°Kate!¡± Mote barked, just to make her aware of his presence on the battlefield again. She offered him a brief glance; her eyes quickly darted over to the generator in his hand, at which point she adopted a dangerous grin and jumped away from him while fabricating a missile launcher in hand. Two of the Black Suns soldiers nearly pursued her, only to quickly stop themselves as they noticed Mote running toward them. Those two must be Chaotics. There¡¯s no other reason for them to want to close the distance, Mote quickly surmised, turning his focus toward them. As his feet pounded the ground, rapidly reducing the distance between himself and the enemy soldiers, Mote saw a handful of warnings appear on his armor¡¯s HUD; he was carrying a CENT generator, after all, which meant that his own armor couldn¡¯t operate at full capacity. At the current rate of fire, Mote estimated that his shields would fail in just a couple minutes ¡ª but that was more than enough.


    ¡°Ready for a boost?!¡±


    Mote immediately braced himself after Kate¡¯s words reached his ears. A split second later, the ground just beneath him exploded as she fired on it; the force from the explosion launched Mote forward, where he took advantage of his newfound momentum to slam his hammer down on top of one of the Black Suns soldiers. He then forced a massive electric current through the head of his hammer and into the soldier¡¯s shields, forcefully overloading them and then electrocuting the soldier under his hammerhead. Without wasting even a second, Mote immediately lunged toward the next soldier, repeating the maneuver to dispatch them within a mere couple seconds. He then turned toward the next nearest soldier and lunged again, cleanly and deftly working his way through the small frontline with his hammer and electricity. Thanks to the CENT generator in his hands, after all, all of the soldiers¡¯ shields were weak ¡ª and the Black Suns Electrotechnic, wherever they were, couldn¡¯t reinforce them from afar.


    Just as Mote moved on the last soldier, however, he noticed the ground around him darkening, as though something was blotting out the sun. Immediately, he thrust himself to the side, just as a massive chunk of ice dropped onto his previous position. What?! That Cryotechnic¡¯s still around¡­?! Mote scowled as he rapidly searched his surroundings for the two Chaotics he had spotted less than a minute prior.


    ¡°Behind you!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Mote exclaimed in disbelief, heeding Kate¡¯s warning to turn around ¡ª just in time to see a small icicle zip straight toward him and into the CENT generator in his hands, immediately destroying it. The faint draining sensation ceased, indicating that Chaos Energy was no longer being negated around Mote ¡ª but before he could react further, a massive spire of ice formed around him, freezing him where he stood. He quickly blasted away the ice with a powerful lightning strike, but still stumbled as the ice spire¡¯s momentary existence had scarred the ground beneath him. In irritation, he activated his armor¡¯s flight system, spawning dozens of golden geometric triangles in the shape of wings on his back before leaping into the air. As soon as he did, he spotted another chunk of ice hurling toward him, so he quickly brought his hammer around to smash the incoming ice into smithereens. Mote then snapped his attention in the direction that the chunk originated from, only to see nothing but empty ground.


    Damn it, that Cryotechnic could be anywhere¡­ Mote thought irately as he began focusing on nearby electric fields in an attempt to locate his opponents. ¡°¡­Vanguard 1 to Vanguard 6,¡± he eventually spoke up, still focusing on sensing electricity as he spoke over the comms. ¡°Do you see the Cryotechnic?¡±


    ?Positive, Vanguard 1. Eighty meters to your five o¡¯clock, behind the bulding,? came Captain Travis¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Eighty¡­?¡± Mote echoed incredulously as he whipped around to glare at the building in question. They¡¯re attacking me from that far away, from a different direction, without having to even look at me¡­ they¡¯re good. He then began gathering electricity within his body in preparation to launch a powerful lightning strike from the skies. But ¡®good¡¯ isn¡¯t good enough!


    With that thought, Mote unleashed his strike, lashing out at the lone presence taking cover behind the distant building. Deftly, he manipulated the electricity to curve around the building and seek out his target behind cover ¡ª but in the split second between the lightning curving around the building and striking the Cryotechnic, it instead leaped far off to the side, in a wildly different direction than Mote expected. He immediately snapped his attention to where his lightning had diverted to, where he spotted a lone individual standing at the entrance to the caves, their body bathed in the golden light of wild electrical sparks.


    Shit! How could I forget¡ª? Mote began to mentally admonish himself as he dove toward the ground in an effort to evade the inevitable incoming attack, but he was just a second too late. The Black Suns Electrotechnic unleashed all of their gathered electricity into one powerful strike, blasting Mote with the equivalent of his own lightning and sending him reeling back from the blow. While it stunned him for only a fraction of a second, it was still enough to prevent him from dodging several massive boulders of ice that formed overhead. Two of the smaller ones were obliterated by sniper fire from afar, while the largest was annihilated by one of Kate¡¯s rockets, but the remaining ice chunk smashed into Mote from above and slammed him into the ground underfoot.


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± An irate scowl crossed Mote¡¯s face as he glared up at the freezing ice that now trapped him on the ground. One of Kate¡¯s explosives soon obliterated it, allowing Mote to jump back to his feet, but his cross expression remained as he snapped his attention toward the cave entrance ¡ª just in time to see the two Black Suns Chaotics retreat into its dark depths.


    ¡°Way to let them pull one over you, Mote,¡± Kate taunted as she ran up to his side.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for this,¡± Mote snapped. ¡°They slipped past you, too!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking blame me for this, I was busy fucking up the remaining soldiers in the other direction!¡±


    ¡°Mote! Kate!¡±


    The two glanced to the side, where Major Hackett and Researcher MacTavish ran up. The four took cover behind a nearby half-destroyed wall as the Major questioned, ¡°what¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°This outpost is as good as ours, at this rate!¡± Kate declared.


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t ours yet,¡± Mote countered. ¡°The mechs still need to be dealt with. And two enemy Chaotics retreated into the caves.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Hackett briefly glanced toward the cave entrance. ¡°What kind of Chaotics?¡¯


    ¡°A Cryotechnic and an Electrotechnic.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. An Electrotechnic could instantly shut any of us down. And a Cryotechnic in a small, enclosed space isn¡¯t anything to scoff at, either¡­¡± The Major turned back toward Mote and Kate. ¡°I need the two of you to go after them, now! Take Mark and Danielle with you!¡±


    ¡°Gladly!¡± Kate exclaimed gleefully.


    ¡°What about the battle out here?¡± Mote questioned, ¡°are you sure¡ª?¡±


    ¡°The Colonel¡¯s forces can handle it out here,¡± Hackett declared. ¡°But we don¡¯t know what the Suns have in the caves. We don¡¯t know what those Chaotics are up to. It¡¯s best if we take them out as soon as we can, and you ¡ª the Eximius Vir ¡ª are our best bet.¡± She then glanced back at MacTavish. ¡°MacTavish and I will be your support. We¡¯ll follow at a distance.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what¡ª?! U-um, o-okay¡­!¡± the Researcher nervously replied.


    ¡°¡­Alright. Understood,¡± Mote responded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already basically cleared out the entire fucking outpost,¡± Kate remarked dismissively. ¡°How hard could taking out these last two Chaotics be?¡±


    ¡°Never assume things will be easy,¡± Hackett countered, and then gestured toward the cave entrance at the back of the outpost. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get a move on! Go, go, go!¡±

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 74: Ace In the Hole

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 74: Ace In the Hole


    ¡°Dagger and Shield squadrons, flank west northwest under the tree cover. Get a line on that Spotter!¡±


    ?Dagger 1, copy! Flanking north!?


    ¡°Crossbow squadron, keep exchanging fire with that Enforcer. Keep next to Dagger 8; don¡¯t leave its protection under any circumstance!¡±


    ?Roger that!?


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s shields drop below 30 percent, then pull back immediately! Shield, catch a ride with Dagger if you have to! Now keep pounding the Suns!¡±


    ?Yes sir!?


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Colonel Saito muttered under his breath as he disengaged his comms. Bullets whipped past his Halberd as the Black Suns mechs, all still intact, exchanged weapons fire with the SERRCom forces. The trees of the forest within a few dozen meters of the Black Suns outpost had already been shredded to bits by the high-power bullets that flew through the air, bullets that moved with such speed and momentum that no material armor in the galaxy could hope to impede them. Energy shielding was the only thing protecting both the Black Suns and the SERRCom mechs, with the vehicles of both sides being constantly covered in flaring golden shields as bullets deflected off of them.


    However, while the Black Suns had yet to lose any of their mechs, the SERRCom forces couldn¡¯t say the same. Warily, Saito eyed the wreck of a Halberd that laid on the battlefield a couple hundred meters in front of where he and the remaining Halberds now stood ¡ª it had been destroyed during a charge barely a minute prior. Captain Travis¡¯s suspicions of a fifth Black Suns mech had proved correct, down to the model and range, and its deadly sniper fire made short work of the Halberd, even through its energy shielding. SERRCom¡¯s own sniper mechs, the Arbalests, were next; the Black Suns Ace had shown its skill in counter sniping by tracing the Arbalests¡¯ fire back to their hidden locations and obliterating one of them in a single shot. To prevent more loss of life, the other Arbalest was promptly beamed away to safety. The Ace¡¯s pinpoint accuracy also forced the Hawk gunships to retreat before they, too, were felled. If not for the Black Suns Ace, Saito was certain that the SERRCom forces could have rushed and taken the outpost by now ¡ª but instead they were forced to hold back, hiding under the significantly stronger shields of the Aegis Mobile Shield Units, which projected a dome-shaped energy shield a couple dozen meters in radius.


    Even those are getting beat, though¡­ Saito mused, noting the section of his HUD that read out the shield charge of the two Aegus MSUs. At their current shield dome size, both units could withstand up to 50 kilotons of TNT¡¯s worth of damage. Despite that, both were now down to nearly 70% shield charge, just from the weapons fire of the Black Suns mechs alone ¡ª weapons fire that had incidentally flattened and felled all trees within several dozen meters. That damn sniper mech is a big part of it, too¡­ Saito thought in irritation, glancing to the side as a large patch of the air a couple dozen meters to the east lit up a brilliant gold ¡ª a sign that the shield dome had just been impacted by one of the Ace¡¯s bullets. With that one bullet, the Aegis¡¯s shield charge dropped by a full five percent, belying the raw power of Black Suns weaponry. If the shields weren¡¯t here to absorb that blow, half of this forest would be leveled¡­ it¡¯s no wonder they took out that Halberd in just two shots. I knew that Black Suns tech was effective, but clearly, SERRCom¡¯s intel on the Suns¡¯ weapons technology is lacking. Either way, I can¡¯t let this situation stand.


    The Colonel took a brief moment to reload his mech¡¯s assault rifle. As he opened fire on the Enforcer in the distance once more, he shouted into his comms. ¡°Flare squadron, Vanguard 6, do we have sights on that damn Ace yet?¡±


    ?Negative!? replied the Captain of Flare 1 ¡ª one of the Frigates in low orbit. ?Surface scans to the east of your position haven¡¯t revealed anything. Their bullets are likely too small or too fast for our sensors to track, so we can¡¯t trace them back to the sniper. The sniper itself might be under a rock overhang or something similar, to hide themselves from aerial and orbital spotting.?


    ?It¡¯s what I¡¯d do in a situation like this,? Captain Travis remarked. ?The slopes to the east have lots of caves and overhangs. I can¡¯t see the Ace itself, but I¡¯d bet it¡¯s in one of two positions ¡ª sending speculative coordinates now.?


    ¡°Got it,¡± Saito replied as two coordinates appeared on his HUD. Both were far to the east, one slightly north of the other and both of them more than fifteen kilometers away. What absurd range¡­ the Colonel thought to himself, only to speak up again a second later. ¡°Flare, did you get those coordinates, too?¡±


    ?Roger that. 16 and 18 kilometers east of you.?


    ¡°Good. Scan for anti-beaming fields around those points. If you find one, that should be our Ace.¡±


    ?Roger!?


    ¡°¡­Now, in other news¡­¡± Saito muttered under his breath as he shifted his attention to the other side of his HUD, which displayed a small tactical map of the positions of the SERRCom forces around the outpost. The outpost itself was built against a cliff face that ran northwest to southeast; the tanks of Dagger squadron, as well as the supporting infantry of Shield squadron, had already maneuvered to the west northwest position that Saito had commanded earlier, and the Black Suns mechs had maneuvered to compensate. Of the four that Saito knew to be in the outpost, only three appeared to stand against the SERRCom forces: one Enforcer to exchange fire with Saito¡¯s squad of Halberds, and the other Enforcer plus a Defender to fire on the tanks of Dagger squadron. The Black Suns Spotter seemed to be hiding somewhere.


    If the specs I read last night are correct, then the Suns¡¯ Spotter- and Ace-model mechs don¡¯t have Chaos shielding¡­ Saito thought to himself. Their electrical energy shields are even weaker than our Halberds, too. Those Enforcers, on the other hand¡­ we don¡¯t have official numbers, but reports suggest their Chaos shields can stand up to more than a cumulative 600 fucking kilotons of TNT¡¯s worth of damage. Chances are they didn¡¯t start this fight with full shield charge, but as much as we managed to whittle away at them while those CENT generators were everywhere, the Suns cleaned those generators up faster than I expected. Not to mention that Electrotechnic of theirs, who can keep topping off the Suns¡¯ shields. There¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to overpower those mechs in a straight fight, which means that our only path to victory is to find and take out that beam jammer. Now where is it¡­?


    The Colonel carefully surveyed the outpost half a kilometer away, obscured by clouds of smoke and dirt as it was. Simply obliterating the outpost from on high to take out the beam jammer would be a simple task, given the Frigates in orbit ¡ª at which point the pilots of the Black Suns mechs could just be beamed out to instantly neutralize them. Such a tactic would inevitably involve destroying much of the surrounding Black Suns equipment, however, and Commander Shepherd had made it abundantly clear that he wanted as much of their equipment intact as possible. ¡°The things the brass ask of me¡­¡± Saito muttered to himself, ¡°but, if we can at least take out that jammer, then we can focus the rest of our efforts on finding and taking down the Ace. So think, Saito, think. Where is it¡­?¡±


    He glanced at his tactical map again. The outpost itself consisted of a half dozen temporary structures, and two large tents. When the Eximius Vir swept through the outpost earlier, they were able to confirm the presence of computer systems in two of the buildings ¡ª but then they had entered the caves in pursuit of some Black Suns Chaotics, leaving the main assault force to deal with the rest of the outpost. That left four of the buildings as possible homes for the beam jammer.


    The Suns have to know that we¡¯re looking to destroy that jammer¡­ Saito thought, all while continuing to exchange weapons fire over the dusty and smoking battlefield. They aren¡¯t dumb. In fact, for a PMC that bills itself primarily as being a bunch of elite Chaotics, they¡¯ve performed better than I expected without ever using those Chaotics against us directly. I have to give them credit for that. But, tactically speaking¡­ surely they must have realized by now that we want to capture their outpost intact. Else we would have carpet-bombed it already. I suspect that¡¯s also why they aren¡¯t yet scuttling their equipment ¡ª if they reveal which of those buildings DOESN¡¯T have the beam jammer, then we¡¯ll be able to figure out which one does. Hmm¡­


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    A second later, Saito hopped on the comms again. ¡°Vanguard 6, do you see the Spotter?¡±


    ?¡­Positive,? came the Captain¡¯s response after a moment of silence. ?Kneeling behind one of the buildings that¡¯s behind the Enforcer you¡¯re engaged with.?


    ¡°What is it doing?¡±


    ?¡­Nothing, sir. It¡¯s, uh¡­ just kneeling there. It has its hands on one of the buildings, though. ¡­Wait, is it doing what I think it is¡­??


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve got it, Vanguard 6. Can you shoot that building for me?¡±


    ?Heh. Roger that, Vanguard 0.?


    As the exchanged wrapped up, so did the magazine currently slotted into the assault rifle of Saito¡¯s Halberd. He quickly ejected the newly empty magazine and slotted in one more, at which point he lifted the mech¡¯s hands to begin firing once again.


    ?Got it!? Captain Travis exclaimed over the comms. ?Vanguard 0, my bullet deflected off of the building the Spotter¡¯s grabbed. None of the other buildings have that protection. The Spotter must be shielding it!?


    ¡°As I thought¡­¡± Saito replied. While the Spotter¡¯s shields may have been weak, they were still far better than the zero shielding that most beam jammers came with. The jammer must be in that building, then. The Enforcer is even standing in front of it, as if to protect it from our weapons fire. The other Enforcer and the Defender are protecting it from the tanks, as well¡­ if we¡¯re to destroy that jammer, then we need to get a clear line on it. But¡­


    The Colonel¡¯s attention shifted to the side again, to part of the air that once again glowed brilliantly in response to the Black Suns sniper mech firing on the dome shield. Saito had seen with his own two eyes that a mere two shots from that sniper could take out a Halberd; the only way to stay safe was to hide under the dome shields of one of the two Aegis MSUs, but that also meant that the movements of the SERRCom forces were predictable.


    Three alarm bleeps drew the Colonel¡¯s attention to the part of his HUD that listed the shield strength of the Aegises ¡ª the one that was protecting him and the other Halberds had just dropped below 45%. We don¡¯t have much time¡­ An irritated scowl crossed Saito¡¯s face as he considered his options. To get a line on the jammer and destroy it, we need someone to split from the two Aegises¡­ but doing that would be a death sentence with that sniper out there. ¡­Although¡­ that Ace has been sniping stationary targets this whole time. We haven¡¯t made any sudden movements¡­ or appearances.


    A plan quickly formed in the Colonel¡¯s mind as he glanced up at the mountain slopes behind the outpost. ¡°Flare 1,¡± he said over the comms, ¡°I need you to set something up for me.¡±


    ?Roger that, Vanguard 0. What do you need??


    ¡°I¡¯m sending you a coordinate now¡­¡± Saito replied as he commanded his mech¡¯s computers, through its neural dive interface, to transmit a set of numbers. ¡°On my mark, I need two things to happen instantly: replace my Halberd¡¯s gun with a MWR-S03, and beam me to the listed coordinate.¡±


    ?¡­Sorry. Repeat, Vanguard 0? You want to beam out of shield protection??


    ¡°I know the Ace is still at large, Flare. Just do what I ask. And the moment the outpost¡¯s beam jammer is destroyed, I need you to beam me back to Dagger 8!¡±


    ?¡­Right. Roger that, Vanguard 0. Your package is ready. Good luck.?


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Saito muttered under his breath. Without knowing the Ace¡¯s exact location, it was impossible to know what areas would be in its field of fire ¡ª but for Saito¡¯s plan, that didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was timing ¡ª and the handful of seconds that passed between each bullet the Ace fired.


    The air above and to the east of Saito again flared a brilliant golden color, indicating that the Ace had again fired upon the dome shield. Ichi¡­ ni¡­ san¡­ shi¡­ go¡ª! the Colonel mentally counted the seconds, using the clock on his HUD to pace himself until the dome shield lit up again from the impact of yet another bullet. Barely five seconds¡­ this¡¯ll be close, Saito thought to himself, and then steeled his nerves and furrowed his brow in concentration. Here¡­ we¡­ go¡­!


    The very moment before the dome shield flared up again, Saito shouted over the comms. ¡°Flare 1! NOW!¡±


    Bright white immediately engulfed the Colonel¡¯s vision, blocking out the smoky and dust-covered battlefield before him. Replacing it was a bright blue sky above and a rocky gray underfoot, with a far rougher texture and steeper slope than the flat ground Saito had been standing on barely a second prior. His mech began to stumble due to the sudden terrain change, but he immediately righted himself and firmly grasped the sniper rifle that had suddenly replaced his assault rifle. Bringing it to bear, he aimed down and to the west ¡ª at the Black Suns outpost that now stood nearly 10 kilometers east of him.


    ¡­San¡­ shi¡­! Saito counted mentally as he aimed his rifle, watching both the distant dome shield that he had once stood under and the shielded building that was completely exposed to his new angle of attack. As he expected, this time, the dome shield failed to flare up under sniper fire ¡ª the Ace hadn¡¯t yet fired. It wants to know where I went. Well, it¡¯s about to learn!


    With that thought, the Colonel fired his rifle at the shielded building. However, as good with a gun as he was, he wasn¡¯t Captain Travis ¡ª his shot deflected off the side of the building, and its shields remained intact. Shit. Still. One more shot from this gun should be enough to take it out¡ª!


    Saito¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as the rock face barely a hundred meters away from him exploded violently, as though someone had detonated a massive explosive next to the mountain. It found me! And almost hit me, from well over 20 klicks away! With pursed lips, the Colonel quickly adjusted his aim and fired once more. This time, his bullet slammed directly into his target, imparting all of its kinetic energy directly into the shields ¡ª and completely overpowering them. A visual static fuzz encased the building, indicating that its shields had overloaded as the remaining kinetic energy from the bullet carried it through the flimsy walls and obliterated whatever stood inside.


    As soon as Saito saw the static fuzz, his mech was rocked by a massive blow, followed by intense flickering in his HUD and blaring alarms. The Ace had just nailed him, and wiped out a full half of the Halberd¡¯s shield charge in the process ¡ª just one more shot, and the Halberd was as good as scrap. Immediately, Saito issued an ejection command to his mech¡¯s computers. A tense second passed as the neural dive system unlinked from his mind, causing his vision to go momentarily black. Then, a loud hiss and a bang filled his ears, followed by the sensation of rushing air across his body as he was launched high into the air. He grit his teeth and grimaced, his head growing woozy under the g-forces of the ejection, compounded by the fact that his vision had yet to return. And then, a second later, it did, allowing him to see the wide-open blue skies with his own two eyes ¡ª


    ¡ª as well as an incredible eruption of dirt and stone from the mountain below him as a 75mm sniper bullet hit the Halberd mech he had been piloting at well above hypersonic speeds, instantly obliterating both the mech and a chunk of the surrounding rock.


    The shockwave from the powerful blow blasted Saito through the air to the north, sending him tumbling painfully to the ground. His own personal armor protected him from the fall, its energy shields flaring as they absorbed the shock ¡ª and then, a split second later, a bright white light engulfed him. Took you long enough, he thought bitterly as his surroundings spontaneously changed once more, this time back to the battlefield that he had first been standing on. Upon his return, however, the sounds of gunfire and explosions had subsided; the three Black Suns mechs, once alight with heavy weapons fire, now stood as still as statues.


    ?Flare 1 to Vanguard 0, come in.?


    ¡°Vanguard 0, here,¡± Saito spoke into his headset while clambering onto the Aegis MSU that was parked amidst the remaining two Halberd mechs. ¡°Did you get the pilots?¡±


    ?Yes, sir. We can confirm the beam jammer is down. The mechs within the outpost have been neutralized, and their pilots imprisoned in our brig! We¡¯ve beamed a temporary shield generator down to the outpost, as well, to prevent the enemy sniper from scuttling it!?


    ?¡­You really did it again, huh?? came Captain Travis¡¯s amused voice. ?Just had to go and put yourself out there, huh, sir??


    ¡°You shut up, Vanguard 6,¡± Saito retorted, though he couldn¡¯t help but allow a relieved smile to cross his face. The air above him suddenly flared golden again, however, serving as an important reminder. ¡°But our work here isn¡¯t done!¡± the Colonel barked over the comms, this time to the entire assault force. ¡°The outpost exterior is as good as ours, but we still need to neutralize the remaining mech and secure the caves! Don¡¯t let your guards down now! Everyone, regroup within the outpost! It¡¯s time for the final stage of this op!¡±


    ?Understood!!? replied a chorus of voices, all of them filled with a mixture of relief and determination. The two Halberds and the Aegis that Saito was riding began to approach the newly empty outpost, allowing the Colonel a brief respite to collect his thoughts. He glanced off to the east, in the direction of where he knew the Ace to be, and then glanced down at the wreck of a Halberd that laid in the middle of the battlefield ¡ª the first SERRCom casualty of the operation.


    ¡°¡­Three destroyed mechs, and two dead pilots. More casualties than I would have liked, but overall, less than I expected¡­¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Eximius Vir, Hackett, let¡¯s hope you¡¯re having an easier time of this than us¡­¡±

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 75: Piercing the Darkness

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 75: Piercing the Darkness


    ?Vanguard 5 to ¡ªguard 1, co¡ª in.?


    ¡°This is Vanguard 1¡­¡± Mote responded quietly to Major Hackett¡¯s comm call. As he did, he stopped walking forward and silently indicated for Mark and Kate ¡ª who were following him ¡ª to do the same. ¡°¡­You¡¯re breaking up, Vanguard 5,¡± Mote eventually replied.


    ?Damn ca¡ª. One ¡ªond.? Static briefly overtook the line. It died down a second later, but remained in the audio backdrop as Hackett continued, ?¡­alright. Is this better??


    ¡°For now. What do you need?¡±


    ?A status report. Have you found the targets yet??


    Mote paused for a moment to look around at his dark surroundings. The rocky walls of a small, linear cave served as the only objects within sight, aside from Mark and Kate ¡ª and the only illumination came from the electricity that Mote arced through the air from his right index finger to his left. His armor had a brighter method of illumination, but in the dark caves, too bright a light source would simply give the group away to any enemy observers.


    The Electrotechnic then glanced toward the rocky ground. While no cords could be seen, Mote could sense a nearby active electrical wire ¡ª likely hidden within the rocky walls. But aside from that one wire¡­ ¡°¡­We haven¡¯t found the targets yet,¡± Mote responded. ¡°They must be deeper in the caves.¡±


    ¡°It seems dangerous to go much farther,¡± Mark commented. ¡°We don¡¯t know what they have with them. What if they cave everything in¡­?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just use my explosives to blast us out, duh,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°No, he has a point¡­¡± Mote muttered. ¡°We need a way to deal with this¡­¡±


    ?If you go much farther, you¡¯ll be on your own,? Major Hackett said, though the ever-present sound of static in the background of her voice made her words somewhat difficult to understand. ?There¡¯s just too much rock for the comms signal to punch through.?


    ?U-um, actually¡­? MacTavish¡¯s timid voice appeared on the comms, barely louder than the background static. ?¡­One of the wires i-in the cave is, um, a c-comms wire. I-if I splice into it, we could, um¡­ well, use it.?


    ¡°Sure, we could hijack a Black Suns comms wire, but that would be insecure as all hell,¡± Kate pointed out.


    ?It¡¯s better than nothing, so long as we keep contact minimal,? Hackett stated. ?Vanguard 7, get on that. Vanguard 1, 2, 3, once she¡¯s set this up, only use it for emergencies. Understood??


    ¡°Right,¡± Mote replied curtly. ¡°How are things on your end?¡±


    ?It sounds like the battle outside is wrapping up. MacTavish also seems to be making decent progress, hacking into these wires running into the caves¡­ but it¡¯ll still be a while before we know anything. Vanguard 4 hasn¡¯t detected any nearby hostiles.?


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Mote muttered in response. Major Hackett and Researcher MacTavish had stopped only a few dozen meters into the caves; while the Eximius Vir could potentially free themselves if they were trapped in a cave-in, the members of CSF-1 could not, so they stayed behind. MacTavish discovered a bundle of wires running through the caves in the meantime, and had quickly set to splicing into them and trying to see what kind of data passed through them. And Danielle ¡ª Vanguard 4, in this instance ¡ª had stayed behind to guard the Researcher while she did. Mote, Mark, and Kate were the only three to progress deeper into the cave, which had proved to be long and eerily linear. Still, after covering a couple hundred meters of ground, Mote still couldn¡¯t figure out where the Black Suns Chaotics had fled to.


    ¡°¡­Do you think they have a Geotechnic with them?¡± Mark questioned, putting to voice Mote¡¯s own thoughts.


    ¡°There was one back in the outpost, but I blew him up with the rest,¡± Kate declared.


    ?That doesn¡¯t mean there can¡¯t be another one hiding in the caves,? Hackett pointed out. ?There could be anything down there. Vanguards, are you certain you can handle this??


    Mark glanced warily between Mote and Kate. ¡°Can we¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course we can. We¡¯re the fucking Eximius Vir!¡± Kate exclaimed as she slammed her fists together. ¡°Nothing can stop us!¡±


    ¡°Only if we¡¯re smart,¡± Mote countered. ¡°¡­And I might have a solution. Vanguard 5, we¡¯ll need to go deeper into the caves. You won¡¯t be able to contact us.¡±


    ?Roger that, Vanguard 1. A warning, though: I¡¯m sure the only reason the Suns have let you into the caves as far as you¡¯ve gone is so they can trap you more completely and effectively. If you get trapped in a cave-in, there won¡¯t be a lot we can do to help; even Frigate-grade beaming sensors have trouble with this much rock. Don¡¯t let the Suns get the drop on you.?


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ?Good. I¡¯ll trust your judgment to get you through this, Vanguard 1. Go bag us some Suns. Vanguard 5, out.?


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Kate passed Mote an irritated look as the comms connection cut out. ¡°No one ever tells me they¡¯ll trust my judgment!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps if you didn¡¯t run your mouth so much, they would,¡± Mote shot back.


    ¡°The fuck are you saying¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for this,¡± Mote interrupted; Kate¡¯s expression immediately collapsed into a furious scowl, but she stopped talking all the same. With that, the Electrotechnic continued, ¡°now¡­ it would seem that we¡¯ve lost all of our advantages. It¡¯s hard to sense electric or magnetic fields around here due to all of the rock, and I¡¯m pretty sure that the Black Suns Electrotechnic has started sending out false signals anyways ¡ª so that manner of detection is out. We have no way of detecting any side passages that have been temporarily closed off by a Geotechnic, or similar.¡±


    ¡°We could just blow everything up,¡± Kate suggested.


    ¡°And bring everything down on top of us? As well as any Black Suns tech or info that might be down here?¡± Mote shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s far too dangerous, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°What solution do you have, then?¡± Mark questioned. ¡°As you said, we don¡¯t have any way other than our normal senses of detecting other Chaotics. They¡¯ll certainly detect us before we find them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct¡­ but also not.¡± Mote glanced back toward the way they came, finding nothing but the pitch blackness of a dark cave. ¡°¡­The Suns have seen us in action. They know how powerful we are, and that we can use our powers in CENT fields. If they haven¡¯t tried to trap us yet, it¡¯s only because we haven¡¯t yet passed them ¡ª they must be deeper into the caves.¡±


    Kate and Mark exchanged a glance. ¡°¡­Yeah? So fucking what?¡± Kate eventually questioned.


    ¡°It makes the next part easier,¡± Mote declared. ¡°There is still one way I can detect hidden caves: by forcing a massive current through the cave walls, and seeing where the current goes. However, the Black Suns Electrotechnic will definitely be able to sense me doing that ¡ª which means that we have to strike them at the same time.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Mark nodded sagely. ¡°You want to use the railgun.¡±


    Mote nodded back. ¡°Railgun¡±, in this instance, referred to a technique of Mote¡¯s based on the weapon of the same name. In simple terms, a railgun operates by sending an electric current up one rail, across a sliding armature, and then back down a second, parallel rail; the current generates a net electromagnetic force that accelerates the armature down the rails at incredible speeds. Normal railguns required conductive rails and armatures to function, but the raw power behind Mote¡¯s electricity allowed him to force even non-conductive materials to conduct electricity ¡ª even the air. This allowed him to fire objects down hallways as though launching them from a railgun, using nothing but the walls as rails and the very air around the object itself as an armature. His raw power, and additional control of magnetism, could even make up for walls that weren¡¯t parallel ¡ª a restriction that would seriously hamper a conventional railgun.


    Mote was no stranger to using this technique, and had even used it during his fight with Telregina to launch his battlehammer down a hallway. The technique was particularly effective in that the generated kinetic energy had the potential to outstrip the power of his own lightning strikes, especially when he had a long stretch of walls to wind up ¡ª such as with the caves the group now stood in. Furthermore, forcing a massive current through the cave walls would also allow Mote to detect hidden caves, giving the technique a beneficial second purpose.


    ¡°Well, what are we firing, then, huh, smartass?¡± Kate questioned. ¡°We don¡¯t know where those fucking Suns are, so shooting your hammer through the cave won¡¯t do us much good. We won¡¯t know if it hits anything!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true if I used my hammer, but there¡¯s another option here.¡± Mote glanced toward Mark. ¡°¡­Are you up for it?¡±


    Mark nodded. ¡°Of course. Given the situation, however¡­ hmm¡­¡± He glanced warily between Mote and Kate. ¡°Just in case¡­ do you think we can wrap this up in under ten minutes?¡±


    ¡°Of course we can. Who the hell do you think we are?!¡± Kate exclaimed flippantly.


    Mote¡¯s response, on the other hand, was more measured and slower to come. Fully ending the fight and capturing the Black Suns in ten minutes or less was a lot to ask, but there was a reason behind Mark asking for it. As incredibly durable as he was, the forces generated by Mote¡¯s railgun technique could sometimes be too much for even Mark. Mark¡¯s only option to mitigate the force was to activate his Overdrive: Immortal Slumber. While his Overdrive is active, Mark gains immunity to all damage ¡ª with the catch being that, once his Overdrive wore off after the typical ten minutes that Overdrives last for, he would fall into a coma for an amount of time proportional to the damage that his Overdrive prevented him from taking. And if that happened, he would quickly become a liability.


    ¡°¡­Ten minutes should be enough,¡± Mote eventually replied. ¡°My armor¡¯s flight system can move pretty fast. Once you¡¯ve cleared the route, I can grab Kate and join you in no more than half a minute.¡±


    ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s do this,¡± Mark replied as he moved to the center of the cave, and Kate backed away from him. ¡°On your signal.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Mote backed up several meters as well, leaving nothing but empty air between him and Mark. Electricity began to gather in his body, small sparks jumping into the air and then to the surrounding walls as he prepared to produce the massive currents he would need. ¡°¡­Now!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Overdrive: Immortal Slumber!¡± Mark declared ¡ª and then, barely a second later, Mote unleashed the electricity in his body, forcing it through the air to his left, down the cave wall, across the air around Mark, and then back toward Mote along the opposite cave wall.


    The sound of arcing electricity filled the air as Mark shot forward, carried by the incredible magnetic forces of the makeshift circuit. Mote himself used his control over electricity and magnetic forces to locally negate the magnetic field around himself, allowing him to remain standing exactly where he was as he continually forced electricity through the cave walls to propel Mark even farther.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Cold, dank, cave air rushed over Mark¡¯s face as Mote¡¯s lightning railgun carried him through the cave, guiding him around corners and into the deeper recesses of the underground path ¡ª all while traveling at a velocity well over the speed of sound. At this high speed, the cackling of the electricity that surged across Mark from the walls failed to reach his ears, resulting in a world of eerie silence as he flew through the cave faster than he himself could react.


    ?Get ready!? Mote shouted over the comms. Mark still couldn¡¯t see anything, but he knew that Mote wouldn¡¯t speak up needlessly. He quickly summoned his green and silver halberd, prepared to swing at the first thing he saw.


    A split second later, the light from the lightning surging across Mark dimly illuminated a couple of silhouettes in the distance. And then, in the blink of an eye, Mark found himself upon the silhouettes in question. As he approached, he could feel the air around him diving in temperature ¡ª and out the corner of his eyes, he could see the beginnings of an ice barrier forming around the cave walls. But in the end, the Black Suns Cryotechnic was too slow; no longer than a second after Mark first spotted the two silhouettes, he snapped his halberd to the ready and slammed its pointed spear tip into the Chaotic standing directly in the center of the cave, combining his own superstrength with his current hypersonic speed to impart a truly devastating blow. Instantly, the Chaotic disappeared from where they stood, leaving behind only the dim visual static fuzz effect that results from energy shields being overloaded.


    As Mark rolled to a stop on the ground, the lightning from Mote¡¯s makeshift railgun no longer surrounding him, he passed a brief glance toward the darkness. He had little doubt that his blow had completely incapacitated the Black Suns Chaotic ¡ª their shields had overloaded when he hit them, after all, and few Chaotics could survive slamming into a wall at hypersonic speeds. ¡­At least their death must have been swift, Mark thought to himself, involuntarily grimacing. But unfortunately, I don¡¯t have time to think of the dead¡­!


    He quickly swung his attention back toward the way he came, but without the arcing electricity of Mote¡¯s virtual railgun, the only thing that met Mark¡¯s eyes was complete and utter darkness. Nevertheless, he began charging forward; he had passed a second Chaotic while sailing through the air, after all, so they had to still be present and behind him. The enemy Chaotic¡¯s presence was confirmed as Mark found himself enveloped with the static fuzz effect of his shields shutting down. So the one left is the Electrotechnic, then. I must¡¯ve hit the Cryotechnic, Mark mused. But that also means that they can probably sense my location through electrical fields, just like Mote. Which means they don¡¯t need light to see me¡ª!


    As if to confirm his thoughts, a bolt of electricity leaped from the cave wall beside him, briefly dispelling the darkness and generating a cackling boom as it struck him. Mark continued rushing forward, however, undeterred and feeling no pain whatsoever thanks to his inherent durability. Several more bolts of lightning lashed out at him, each just as ineffective as the last ¡ª and none of them originating from the same direction. Just like during the fight on the surface, no attack comes from the same direction twice¡­ this misdirection tactic is surprisingly effective, and very annoying. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯ve never seen Mote try it¡ª wait! Mark furrowed his brow as he strained his ears to focus on a quiet new sound that had just reached them. It was the sound of foot falls ¡ª though muffled, as though the person making them was being careful to make as little noise as possible.


    That must be them! Mark immediately honed in on the sound and renewed his charge, readying his halberd to swing down on top of the Black Suns Electrotechnic. As he rushed forward, he could hear his opponent¡¯s footfalls grow louder, as though they had given up on trying to be stealthy and were now positioning themselves to evade. Several more blasts of lightning hit Mark as he approached, but none of them did any better than tickling him as he raised his halberd and began to swing it down over the Black Suns Chaotic. At this close distance, Mark¡¯s ears were good enough to discern which direction the Chaotic was moving from the sounds of their footfalls and armor clanking; they began to dodge left, causing Mark to adjust his swing, but then they released a blast of electricity that launched them to the right. Expecting a feint, Mark took advantage of his own superstrength to override the momentum of his swing and cut to the right toward the Electrotechnic ¡ª but just before his weapon could connect, he felt a sudden pressure from his armored gauntlets that managed to slow his swing just enough for the Electrotechnic to flee.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Mark muttered to himself in confusion. He then turned around toward where the Electrotechnic had fled to and made to pursue, only to feel the pressure from his gauntlets once again, as if they were trying to hold his arms in place. His own strength was more than enough to overpower the sensation, but it was a confusing one all the same. Is that Electrotechnic also a Magnetechnic, like Mote? Or perhaps¡ª! In the middle of his thoughts, every piece of Mark¡¯s armor ¡ª gauntlets, chestplate, codpiece, and greaves ¡ª all began squeezing down on his body with a pressure that would certainly have killed any individual with regular, human-level durability. Mark¡¯s massively increased durability allowed him to simply ignore the pressure, however; he didn¡¯t even need the effect of his Overdrive to override this level of force, though that didn¡¯t stop it from being annoying. Damn, he thought with a scowl as he began moving to rip the already-defunct pieces of armor off of his body. This can¡¯t be the work of a Magnetechnic. There must be¡ª!


    As soon as the armor pieces were separated from Mark¡¯s body, a streak of lightning jumped across them and blasted him in the stomach, knocking him back several meters. He managed to remain on his feet, however, as several small, sharp, serrated objects began whipping past his skin and clothes. None of them did any damage to him, but just as he began to move forward to retaliate, he noticed a dim light appearing in the caves behind him ¡ª a dim light in the shape of sharp, golden triangles, arranged so as to look like wings.


    Instantly, Mark made to react. ¡°Stay back!¡± he roared toward the approaching figures behind him, ¡°there¡¯s a Metallitechnic here!¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch! Understood!¡± came Mote¡¯s response from further back. The golden wings immediately disappeared, followed by a brief flash of white light around Mote¡¯s body. As soon as the light disappeared, the cave was again plunged into darkness ¡ª darkness that Mark was used to by now. He charged forward, watching out for not just one, but two enemy Chaotics, while at the same time fearing little in the way of reprisal. Several lightning strikes and serrated blades lashed out at him as he rushed through the cave, but he simply ignored them all as he bared down on where he had spotted the enemy Electrotechnic just a couple seconds prior. With a powerful swing, he brought his halberd down on the spot ¡ª only to hit nothing but the bare rock of the cave walls. Quickly, he jumped back and readied his halberd again, focusing on the ambient noise around him in an effort to track the Black Suns Chaotics.


    ¡°¡­You won¡¯t find them here. They fled down the cave.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Mark glanced back at Mote, who approached from behind while arcing electricity across his fingers to provide light. In that light, Mark could see that Mote was no longer wearing his Alredian armor ¡ª or any armor at all. And Kate was no where to be seen. ¡°Where¡¯s Ka¡ª Vanguard 3?¡±


    ¡°She went back with my armor,¡± Mote replied. ¡°She said something about not wanting to lose it to a Metallitechnic ¡ª but that¡¯s not here nor there.¡± He began running down the caves, Mark quickly following behind him as he stopped the electricity running across his fingers ¡ª and instead forced a much larger electric arc across the cave walls in front of the two men while they ran. ¡°As far as I can tell, there¡¯s only two Chaotics left ¡ª and this cave has no offshoots.¡±


    ¡°No offshoots?¡± Mark echoed incredulously, easily keeping pace with Mote as the two continued running through the cave. ¡°So this goes to a dead end?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There¡¯s a large cavern connected to it, but I didn¡¯t have the time or the power to voltage-check all of those walls¡­¡± A scowl formed on Mote¡¯s face. ¡°Something seemed off about it, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Something seems off about this whole situation. Are you telling me that the Black Suns are actually retreating into a dead end? Why would they do that?¡±


    ¡°They must have some sort of plan. But even if they don¡¯t, be careful. There¡¯s nothing more dangerous than a cornered opponent.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ but it also gives them more reason to surrender, if we offer.¡±


    Mote passed a wary glance toward Mark before turning forward again. ¡°¡­We can try. But these are the Black Suns we¡¯re dealing with ¡ª I wouldn¡¯t count on a surrender. Not to mention¡­ an Electrotechnic and Metallitechnic pairing? If we let them get past us, then they could take out the entirety of the SERRCom assault force, all on their own.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just beam them up?¡±


    ¡°Only if the assault force is expecting them. I wouldn¡¯t put it past two Black Suns Chaotics with those ability types to be able to create a beam jammer on the spot, anyways. So stay on your guard.¡±


    Mark fell silent in response to Mote¡¯s assertion. Mote made no attempt to continue the conversation, allowing the quiet darkness of the caves ¡ª filled only with their own foot falls ¡ª to overtake them. Nearly a minute passed with the two of them simply running, following the gently sloping and twisting corridor that was the suspiciously linear cave.


    ¡°¡­I think I only have six minutes,¡± Mark eventually commented. ¡°We need to find them, fast.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Mote replied. ¡°The cavern isn¡¯t far ahead.¡±


    The two rounded one final corner just as the words left Mote¡¯s mouth. A long, dark corridor stretched out in front of them, with a light at the far end ¡ª a light that seemed to grow in size as the two rapidly approached. Before long, they reached the end of the cave, and then stopped to look around at their surroundings in awe.


    A massive cavern stretched out in front of them, appearing to be at least a hundred meters long in every dimension. Several artificial lights were attached high on the walls, revealing the incredible extent of the cavern, as well as the cavern floor that laid nearly ten meters below the small overhang that the two men were standing on ¡ª a floor that was covered entirely in mounds of unmined gold. While still unrefined, the gold shimmered brightly under the floodlights, causing both Mote and Mark to squint their eyes as a pained response to the brightness.


    ¡°¡­What is that?¡±


    Mote passed Mark a quick glance, and then followed the latter¡¯s finger toward the middle of the cavern. Sprawled out over the gold was what appeared to be a massive carcass, laced with dull silver all over. The corpse was mangled beyond belief, however, such that its original form was impossible to discern.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it was¡­¡± Mote muttered, ¡°¡­but those silver markings are suspicious.¡±


    ?An astute observer, I see.?


    ¡°What?!¡± Mote and Mark both immediately summoned their weapons and adopted defensive stances as they searched the cavern for the mystery voice. It wasn¡¯t long before a metal box, shaped similarly to a speaker, floated up into the air next to them.


    ?You really are persistent, huh?? came a voice through the box, as though the box was some kind of speaker. The voice itself sounded tinny and metallic ¡ª undoubtedly a result of being produced by a metal box, but the words it spoke were clear enough to understand.


    ¡°I take it I¡¯m speaking to one of the Black Suns?¡± Mote replied tensely.


    ?I think we both know that we aren¡¯t actually working for the Suns,? the voice replied cheekily.


    ¡°Do we?¡±


    ?Ha ha! I suppose that would depend on who you ask.?


    Mote and Mark exchanged an uneasy glance before returning their attentions to the floating metal box. ¡°¡­Now that we have your ear, we¡¯d at least like to give you the option of surrendering,¡± Mark offered.


    ?Saner people would take you up on that. Unfortunately, few properly sane people take up this line of work.?


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Mote scowled as he adjusted his stance and began scanning the cavern for signs of the Black Suns Chaotics. ¡°So you insist on fighting until the end?¡±


    ?A mission only ends when you give up, or die. And I don¡¯t plan on giving up.?


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t have to end in your death,¡± Mark pleaded.


    ?Oh? Interesting that you would say that now, after you¡¯ve already killed all of my compatriots.?


    ¡°You¡¯re the ones trespassing in SERRCom territory,¡± Mote countered.


    ?Is it trespassing if you weren¡¯t using the planet in the first place? And even if it was, surely death is a bit harsh of a response. If you had just asked nicely, then we would have left.?


    ¡°I somehow doubt that. You had a full squad of mechs with you. Not to mention all of the autoturrets you set up around the Interstellar Gate; they fired on me when I arrived. That isn¡¯t exactly the move of peaceful researchers.¡±


    ?I¡¯ll grant you the mechs, but autoturrets? Come, now. Does SERRCom really need to resort to fabricating evidence to justify their raids??


    Mote and Mark exchanged a glance again, this time in confusion. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not lying,¡± Mote eventually responded. ¡°There were Black Suns autoturrets when we arrived. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t know about them.¡±


    ?As a matter of fact, I didn¡¯t, but I doubt SERRCom will believe me.?


    ¡°Enough with the bluffs.¡± Sparks began to wreath Mote¡¯s arms as his brow furrowed in irritation. ¡°For someone who sounds so sure of yourself, you certainly are trying to stall for time.¡±


    ?Ah, so you did realize what I was doing! But to indulge me for so long, anyways ¡ª you must be either very sure of yourselves, or utter fools. And I have plenty of experience dealing with both.?


    ¡°¡­He has a point,¡± Mark muttered to Mote. ¡°We¡¯ve wasted a lot of time. I don¡¯t have much of my Overdrive left¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch. Show yourselves!¡± Mote shouted out into the cavern. ¡°The sooner we end this, the better for us both!¡±


    ?At this point, I agree!?


    Just as the words left the metal speaker, all of the gold in the center of the cavern began to shift and move. The silver-laced carcass began sinking into the shifting gold, as though being submerged in liquid metal ¡ª only for a massive form to begin standing out of pool of metal, shimmering just as brightly as the gold and silver that made it. With four bestial legs, a reptilian snout, and vast shimmering wings that adorned its massive, dozen-meter tall body, the moving metal statue bore a striking resemblance to a dragon.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Mote stared at the dragon with a mixture of confusion and fury. That¡ª! It looks like the dragon creature we faced on that space station a month ago!


    ?Well then, Chaotics of SERRCom ¡ª or should I say, the Eximius Vir?? echoed the tinny voice throughout the cavern ¡ª though this time, it seemed to originate from the mouth of the metallic dragon. ?Since you claim that we¡¯re part of the Black Suns, I feel it appropriate to cite their motto here: ¡®Never die. Failing that, die last.¡¯ Not exactly the catchiest or most optimistic of mottos, but an appropriate one for a PMC, wouldn¡¯t you say?? The dragon slowly reared up, sparks wreathing its wings as it prepared to pounce. ?So, Eximius Vir ¡ª show me! Show me just how strong SERRCom really is ¡ª and show me exactly which half of that motto will apply today!?

 V1 - A9 - Chapter 76: Metal Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª THE RECLAMATION OF SUNOVA


    <hr>


    Chapter 76: Metal Chaos


    ?This is Crossbow 2! I have eyes on the enemy Ace! Sending coords!?


    ?Coordinates confirmed, Crossbow 2. Flare 1 to all forces: the Ace is located deep within a hole in the upper part of the mountain, 18 kilometers east of the outpost.?


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Colonel Saito spoke, ¡°mech pilots, this next part of the mission is all up to you. Flare 1, I¡¯m sending you two coordinates. On my command, I need you to beam Crossbow squadron and Dagger 7 to coordinate Alpha, and beam Longbow 2 and Dagger 8 to coordinate Bravo. Crossbow, this will put you within a kilometer of the Ace; Longbow, you¡¯ll be in position to counter snipe. All of you, remain with Dagger 7 and 8 as much as you can. Any questions?¡±


    ?None, sir. Crossbow squadron is ready on your mark.?


    ?As is Longbow 2, sir!?


    ¡°Good. Flare 1, beam them on my mark. Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ mark!¡±


    Saito glanced off to the side as two bright flashes of light enveloped the two Halberd mechs standing within the Black Suns outpost. A split second later, they disappeared, along with the Aegis MSUs ¡ª leaving only the tanks of Dagger squadron and the infantry of Shield squadron to continue securing the outpost.


    ¡°All that¡¯s left now is to hope they can take care of that Ace¡­¡± Saito muttered to himself, idly looking off into the distance. After the destruction of his mech, he had no means of materially contributing to the mission; all that was left was to give commands. The Black Suns Ace mech was the only threat remaining outside of the caves, anyways ¡ª the outpost was now as good as SERRCom¡¯s.


    Saito looked around at his battle-scarred surroundings. The dead bodies of the Black Suns soldiers had already been beamed up by the Frigates in orbit, leaving behind the massive pockmarks in the ground from stray weapons fire, the black char marks from Chaotic lightning strikes, and a handful of gashes in the walls of the buildings. Kneeling just outside of the outpost were the four Black Suns mechs that had once stood in its defense; since their pilots had been beamed out, the mechs themselves were free for SERRCom to claim. Before any of the infantry could reach the mechs to inspect them, however, some kind of dead man¡¯s switch activated within their cockpits, destroying much of their internal machinery and wiping their databanks. The Colonel sighed in resignation ¡ª SERRCom wasn¡¯t going to be able to get any useful information out of the mechs, in regards to whether the outpost was rogue or not. At least the mechs were still somewhat intact, such that something could be gleaned from studying them.


    ¡°Colonel!¡±


    Saito dispelled the idle thoughts from his mind and looked eastward, spotting Captain Travis as he ran up with his sniper rifle in hand. ¡°Captain,¡± Saito acknowledged.


    ¡°Man¡­ the surface op is pretty much over, huh?¡± Travis questioned, coming to a stop just in front of the Colonel.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get too ahead of ourselves, but¡­ it does seem that way.¡±


    ¡°Figured. I¡¯d still be up on my perch, otherwise. One thing¡¯s bothering me, though¡­¡±


    Saito glanced at Travis, and then in the direction he was looking: at the cave entrance in the back of the outpost. ¡°Worried about the rest of the team?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you, sir? Have you heard from any of them?¡±


    ¡°MacTavish is hacking into some of the wires the Black Suns have run through the caves. Hackett and Danielle are guarding her. As for the other three, they pursued the Suns Chaotics deeper into the caves ¡ª deep enough that we can¡¯t contact them.¡±


    ¡°Is that wise¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wise? Probably not, but we don¡¯t have time to establish comms contact through the entirety of the caves ¡ª the Black Suns Chaotics need to be dealt with. I trust Mote, Kate, and Mark to handle them.¡±


    Captain Travis adopted a doubtful frown, biting his lip in unease as he continued to stare at the cave. ¡°¡­You know, sir, the SR02 has night-vision and infrared sights. Not to mention the short range motion/RADAR hybrid sensor.¡±


    Saito passed the Captain an unamused look. He then sighed and shook his head. ¡°Leave it to you to want to join a fight between Chaotics with that thing. And underground, no less. But¡­ fine.¡± He turned to face Travis directly and offered a firm nod. ¡°Captain, go backup the Eximius Vir.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Travis returned the nod before turning toward the cave entrance and sprinting off. ¡°Got it, sir!¡± he shouted over his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the Suns in no time!¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, your help won¡¯t be necessary¡­¡± Saito muttered under his breath as he watched the Captain run off. He then turned his attention back to the east. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see about that Ace¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Bright streaks of pale blue shot through the air as Mote blasted the approaching massive metal hand with a fierce lightning strike. The force from the blow repelled the metallic dragon standing before him, but it merely staggered back a few meters before opening its maw and spitting out dozens of metal shards like bullets from a gun. Mote immediately forced a massive current through the gold beneath his feet, generating an incredible and spontaneous magnetic charge that he used to launch himself into the air ¡ª and out of the path of the bullet-like shards.


    An irate scowl formed on Mote¡¯s face as he sailed through the air over the large metal dragon in the middle of the cavern. His eyes briefly darted to the side, noting Mark as he leaped and punched his way around the perimeter of the cavern in search of the Black Suns Chaotics. The enemy Electrotechnic still lived, and they were using their powers to mess with the electromagnetic fields within the cavern ¡ª thereby preventing Mote from using them to detect the locations of the enemy Chaotics. And the Metallitechnic seemed to be adept at controlling large masses of metal from afar; their true body was hiding somewhere in the cavern, unseen, while they controlled the metal dragon. Ultimately, the puppeted dragon was just a distraction, a side show¡­ but it was an unexpectedly dangerous side show that had to be dealt with.


    As long as Mark can find the Electrotechnic and neutralize them, then I can find the Metallitechnic on my own and deal with him¡­ Mote thought as he landed on the ground, his attention now focused on the dragon that was turning to face him. Until then, I need to keep this damn metal statue off his back!


    No sooner had Mote finished his thought than the gold under his feet suddenly erupted upward, pelting him with all manner of sharp debris. He grimaced as the razor-sharp pieces sliced through his uniform and ran across his skin; while Mote¡¯s durability was no where near the level of Mark¡¯s, his body was still much hardier than a normal person¡¯s, allowing him to escape the debris shower with little more than superficial grazes. Still, the fact that they had managed to damage him at all was concern enough for him to leap to the right ¡ª only to immediately blast the ground with lightning to launch himself backwards just in time to escape being squashed by one of the metal dragon¡¯s hands. If only I had my armor! he thought irately. Unfortunately, against both an Electrotechnic and a Metallitechnic, armor would do more harm than help¡­ but without it, I can only take so much punishment. Damn Black Suns¡­!


    Across the cavern, Mark leaped through the air, using the strength in his legs to bound over large swaths of ground while looking down from above. The gold that covered the cavern floor appeared in massive lumps, almost like small hills, and were accompanied by a number of small nooks and crannies that could only be investigated up close. After pulverizing one mound of gold with his fist and searching his immediate surroundings, Mark released an impatient sigh; he didn¡¯t have much time left before his Overdrive expired. I haven¡¯t taken quite as much damage as I thought I would¡­ he mused as he leaped through the air again, careful to keep his distance from Mote and the metallic dragon. But the forces from that virtual railgun were definitely enough to trigger my Overdrive¡¯s coma side-effect. I shouldn¡¯t be out for long, but before that happens¡­! As Mark landed on the ground once more, he threw his fist into it, obliterating the mound of gold and sending metallic shards flying through the air. The enemy Chaotics were no where to be seen, however; annoyed, Mark began to move on, only for the shards of gold to suddenly freeze mid-air. Immediately, Mark braced himself for an incoming attack ¡ª which manifested a second later as a fierce lighting strike, channeled through the metal shards in the air. ¡­Well, now I know that they can see me, Mark thought to himself as he lowered his arms, his body unscathed. Looks like I¡¯m close¡­!


    As Mark leaped into the air again to get a better look at his surroundings, a bright flash of light, followed swiftly by deafening thunder, filled the cavern. The metal dragon was sent reeling by the incredible lightning strike Mote had just hit it with; Mote immediately followed by summoning his hammer and lunging forward to bring its head down on the dragon¡¯s foot, only to miss as the dragon drew back. It then slammed its two forelegs down on top of Mote, who saw the attack coming and managed to dodge out of the way just in time, allowing the dragon¡¯s arm to rocket past within an inch of his face. Mote then slapped the dragon with his hand, imparting a massive electrical charge to repel its arm and knock it off-balance, which the Electrotechnic then took advantage of to grasp his hammer and swing upwards at the dragon¡¯s undercarriage. Right as the weapon connected, he released another electric blast, this time forcing such a fierce current into the metal beast that sparks wreathed its entire body, and stray blasts of lightning jumped from its tail and head to the surrounding cavern walls.


    While the beast seemed momentarily stunned by Mote¡¯s attack, he eventually noticed its movements beginning to overcome his high-voltage currents. Slowly, but surely, its wings began to beat, generating incredible gusts of wind that knocked Mote off of his feet. Immediately, the dragon made to grab him, only to miss by a hair as he managed to roll out of the way at the last second. By the time he was able to jump back to his feet, however, the dragon had ascended into the air, no longer bound to the rocky golden cavern flooring. This damn creature¡­ Mote scowled as he glared up at it. It¡¯s a purely metal construct that¡¯s being controlled by a Metallitechnic¡­ the only way to make it stop moving for good is to utterly obliterate it. As an Electrotechnic, though, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m obliterating THIS much metal¡­ gah, what a horrendous match-up! Where the hell is Kate when you need her?!


    Mote then snapped himself out of his thoughts as the dragon¡¯s maw opened, spewing forth a rapid-fire stream of metal shards. He quickly altered his body¡¯s magnetic charge to repel himself from the ground and launch across the cavern, narrowly evading the dragon¡¯s attack. It slowly turned toward him, firing metal shards like a machine gun the entire time as Mote continued to magnetically leap out of harm¡¯s way, all while occasionally firing off a lightning strike to try and stun the giant metal puppet ¡ª even if only for a moment.


    As repeated flashes of light and the sounds of high-speed metal hitting metal filled the cavern, Mark took advantage of the distracting cacophony to further his search for the enemy Chaotics. With powerful swings of his massive green and silver halberd, he was able to rapidly and effortlessly cleave a path through all of the gold mounds surrounding him ¡ª and the sounds he made from doing so were masked by the loud and flashy exchanges between Mote and the dragon. Only a minute or so left, at this point¡­! Mark thought, his face scrounging up in frustration as he continued flattening the terrain in a large area around him. Given that he had just been attacked, he knew that his opponents had to be nearby; all that remained was to reveal them.


    As he swung his halberd once more, cleaving through a mound of metal and sending debris flying in every direction, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to rise. Quickly, Mark darted his eyes to and fro, taking stock of his immediate surroundings as the metal debris around him froze in the air ¡ª just as they had barely a minute earlier. Here it comes! From where?!¡­ Mark braced for the incoming lightning strike, and at the moment that it hit him, he spun around, taking advantage of his incredible durability to simply ignore the blast and search the cavern behind him ¡ª and right as he did, he caught sight of movement in the corner of his eye.


    Without wasting a beat, he leaped in the direction of the movement, halberd in hand and swinging down overhead without any thought as to what he might have seen. In one, clean motion, he hacked through a particularly large column of gold, sending it flying off to the side ¡ª and revealing the Black Suns Electrotechnic, hiding in a small hole that had clearly been created recently and on the spot. The Electrotechnic quickly attempted to flee, blasting Mark with lightning while at the same moment diving to the side. Against any other opponent, the tactic would have worked; the blast was bright and powerful enough to stun any normal Chaotic. But in his current state of heightened durability, the electric blast was little more than an annoyance to Mark, who remained focused on the Electrotechnic as he intercepted their dive with the blade edge his halberd. Just as he did, he noticed that they weren¡¯t currently wearing their powered armor ¡ª which allowed his halberd to slice cleanly through them, with no more effort than swinging a blade through empty air.


    No armor? ¡­They must have dropped it, so that Mote couldn¡¯t use it to detect them¡­ Mark mused, eying the now-deceased Chaotic as the two halves of their body collapsed to the ground. With a grimace, he quickly leaped away from the scene, only to feel his head throb mid-leap. ¡°Ah¡­ damn¡­!¡± he muttered, clutching at his head as his vision began to blur. Without wasting energy to turn toward the main fight in the cavern, he shouted out, ¡°Mote! I got¡­ one! The rest is¡­ up to you¡­!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? Ah!¡± Mote shifted his attention from the metal dragon just in time to spot Mark collapse to the ground off to the side of the cavern. Damn. Mark¡¯s down for the count. But if he got one of them, then¡ª! His thoughts were interrupted as the dragon lunged forward through the air, attempting again to grab him off of the ground. Mote dodged, as he had the last time ¡ª but the dragon¡¯s hand anticipated his dodge and snatched him up into the air. As its metallic fingers pressed down on him, Mote retaliated by generating a massive blast of lightning, blowing off two of the fingers and knocking away the remaining ones to give him enough room to drop back to the ground. He immediately magnetically launched himself across the cavern again, keeping an eye on the metal beast the entire time. The dragon is still moving, so the Metallitechnic must still be alive. That means Mark got the Electrotechnic. Which also means that there shouldn¡¯t be any further interference in the electric fields!


    Mote spent a split second to probe the electrical fields around him before focusing on dodging the dragon¡¯s attacks again. Upon doing so, he realized that the electromagnetic fields in the cavern were incredibly complicated, due to the massive amounts of conductive material in the form of gold ¡ª as well as the dragon itself. Finding the Metallitechnic would require a heavy amount of focus, which was difficult to achieve under the metal dragon¡¯s constant attacks. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Mote muttered under his breath as he launched himself through the air and out of grabbing range of the dragon, only for it to beat its massive wings and bear down on him once more. Maybe I should retreat to the cave at the cavern entrance. The dragon won¡¯t be able to follow me there. But then, I¡¯d be leaving Mark behind¡­ even comatose, he SHOULD be durable enough that it doesn¡¯t matter, but¡­ damn it¡ª!


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Overdrive: CRITICAL OVERLOAD!!¡±


    As soon as the words reached his ears, Mote shifted focus. Instead of simply dodging the dragon¡¯s attacks, he immediately altered the magnetic charge of both himself and the dragon to launch himself clear across the cavern, where he slammed painfully into the far wall ¡ª just as a truly massive explosion detonated against the dragon¡¯s side, obliterating a wing and an arm, and tearing off the leg on the same side. The thunderous roar of the explosion eclipsed any of the thunder Mote had incidentally generated thoughout the day, and he grimaced as the pressure wave swept across his body and made his head throb. Nevertheless, he forced the pain out of mind and braced himself for another blow, just as a second explosion lit up the cavern and utterly destroyed what remained of the large metal creature.


    ¡°Al-fucking-RIGHT!!¡± Kate whooped, her voice echoing across the entire cavern from her position right at its entrance. She then glanced down to the side, eying Mote as she put down her rocket launcher and grinned. ¡°Damn good thing you couldn¡¯t handle this on your own, huh? Or I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve had a chance to really let fucking loose!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t over,¡± Mote snapped, cautiously watching the metal pieces that had once formed the dragon as they began lifting into the air again. ¡°That dragon wasn¡¯t the main threat. We still need to find the Metallitechnic¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ you all really are powerful, huh?¡±


    Mote and Kate¡¯s attention both snapped to the back of the cavern, where the voice of a man originated. As they looked, all of the metal debris from the dragon zipped over to the back of the cavern and began to chaotically swirl through the air, forming a virtual mutli-layered ball of sharp metal. And in the center of the ball, standing atop a levitating shard of metal, appeared a man dressed in the same black, silver, and navy blue uniform that all of the other enemy Chaotics had been wearing.


    Without sparing a single word, Kate snapped her rocket launcher to the ready and fired once more. Before the rocket had passed even halfway across the cavern, however, a small piece of metal debris zipped out of the whirling ball and intercepted it, causing the rocket to detonate early.


    ¡°I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to resort to this¡­¡± the man in the middle of the metal whirlwind commented, ¡°but if I want to get out of here alive, it looks like I¡¯m going to have to risk my life after all.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Mote stiffened as he glared up at the levitating Metallitechnic. The makeshift metal shield that the Chaotic had formed around himself was far from solid, but the metal pieces moved quickly enough that they were exceptionally difficult to individually target. They were numerous and layered enough that they could inevitably intercept any explosive that Kate lobbed their way, and their inherently conductive nature meant that it would be difficult for Mote to guide a lightning strike to the center of the whirlwind. And while he¡¯s still conscious, Kate and I can¡¯t risk donning armor¡­ Mote mused, quickly going over all of his options in his head. Without armor, we can¡¯t get too close ¡ª those metal shards are moving fast enough that they might be able to injure even us. Shit¡­ these damn Black Suns¡­!


    ¡°¡­No words, huh?¡± the Metallictechnic commented after a prolonged moment of silence. ¡°Well, whatever. I was always told I talk too much on the battlefield, so let¡¯s just get this over with. Overdrive:¡ª!¡±


    Mote quickly moved to launch himself back toward the cavern entrance. He had no idea what the Metallitechnic¡¯s Overdrive was, and many Overdrives had explosive effects on activation ¡ª effects that Mote had no desire to stand around for. But just before his feet left the ground, just as the Black Suns Chaotic extended his right hand forward¡­ a massive hole suddenly appeared in his chest, his body thrown backwards with violent force. The metal whirlwind collapsed immediately, the constituent debris flying every which way and dinging off of the cavern¡¯s rocky walls, all while the Chaotic¡¯s body fell to the ground like a lifeless doll.


    In the silence that suddenly reigned, Mote found himself staring at the now-empty back half of the cavern, dumbfounded. He then shifted his attention back to the cavern entrance, where he noticed Kate was looking behind herself, farther back into the caves.


    ¡°Heh¡­ guess I was needed here after all, huh?¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­!¡± Mote exclaimed, his tense expression finally relaxing as Captain Travis strolled out into the cavern, holding his sniper rifle casually against his shoulder.


    ¡°Oh, piss off, we totally could¡¯ve handled this ourselves¡­¡± Kate muttered. ¡°But¡­ I guess I have seen worse shots¡­¡±


    ¡°Praise enough for me,¡± Travis remarked, and then gripped his rifle again as he looked down at Mote. ¡°Was that the last one?¡±


    ¡°Let me check¡­¡± Mote responded, closing his eyes and taking a moment to properly focus on the electromagnetic fields within the cavern. Now that he was no longer under constant assault, he was able to comprehensively scan the entire area, and soon come to a conclusion. ¡°¡­We¡¯re the only ones left in here.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Travis glanced between Kate and Mote, a relieved smile crossing his face. ¡°Well, then¡­ looks like our mission here is finally over! Let¡¯s head back.¡±


    ¡°Aw, man¡­ I just fucking got here, too¡­¡± Kate muttered. With an annoyed sigh, she shouldered her rocket launcher and turned to leave the cavern.


    While she did, Mote quickly launched himself to Mark¡¯s unconscious body and hefted him up. Damn, he¡¯s heavy¡­ Mote thought bitterly, taking several moments to adjust the weight of Mark¡¯s massive body before looking back at the cavern entrance. As he did so, a wave of unease crashed over him ¡ª or rather, he realized that he had been feeling latent unease in the back of his mind ever since he arrived in the cavern; it was only now that the fighting was over that he recognized it. Cautiously, he swept his attention across the large space¡­ only to find little else other than what he already knew to exist. A massive cavern, filled with mounds of gold. ¡­But why does this feel¡­ familiar¡­?


    ¡°Hey, Mote! You dumbass! Let¡¯s get the fuck outta here!¡±


    ¡°Watch your attitude,¡± Mote snapped in reply. Nonetheless, after taking one final look at the cavern, he launched himself and Mark back to the entrance and began jogging after Kate and Captain Travis. Any further investigations of the caverns and caves of Sunova could wait for later ¡ª for now, the planet was once again under SERRCom¡¯s control.


    <hr>


    The Next Day


    ¡°Oof¡­ headin¡¯ back already, huh?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Captain?¡± Major Hackett responded as she passed Captain Travis a cheeky smirk. ¡°Itching for a fight just that much?¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Travis replied, shaking his head with exasperation. He glanced to his left, and then upward; the Interstellar Gate of Sunova stood before him, mounted on a small platform on the ground outside of Sunova¡¯s Gatefort. All around him were the other members of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir: Colonel Saito, standing off to the side as he conferred with a nearby soldier; Researcher MacTavish, nervously fidgeting as she held her travel bag with both of her hands in front of her; and Mote, Kate, and Danielle, who were all in the middle of a conversation with Mark, who had awoken from his short coma just last night.


    Upon taking all of this in, Travis released a forlorn sigh. ¡°¡­It¡¯s kind of embarassing to say,¡± he commented as he turned to face Hackett and MacTavish both, ¡°but I¡¯ve missed all of y¡¯all over the past month or so. It was nice to work together again, even if the mission itself was, uh¡­ less than ideal.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± MacTavish nodded timidly. ¡°It was, um¡­ n-nice to see you, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Travis adopted an amused smile, and reached over to ruffle the Researcher¡¯s hair. She reflexively flinched away as he did, but then allowed him to continue as she tried to suppress a smile. ¡°Too bad we didn¡¯t get to spend some proper time together,¡± the Captain remarked. ¡°From the moment Mark and I arrived, everything was about the mission. And now, just a day later, we¡¯re already leaving! This pace is nuts!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s Shepherd for you,¡± Hackett said. ¡°Moving quickly and forcefully is kind of his thing, for better or for worse.¡±


    ¡°I kind of hate to say it, but it was certainly for the better, this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Colonel.¡± Travis offered Saito a nod as the latter approached the group. ¡°What were you talkin¡¯ about, there? Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°That? No, not really,¡± Saito replied, briefly glancing back at the retreating soldier who he had just been speaking with. ¡°Just taking care of some final small things before we left.¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, now that it¡¯s all over,¡± Hackett spoke up, ¡°how¡¯d you like commanding an entire assault force?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like more than it was, Major,¡± Saito countered. ¡°There were only 52 members of the assault force, and 30 of that number were infantry ¡ª who weren¡¯t able to materially contribute to the main assault.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a whole operation, though,¡± Travis pointed out. ¡°C¡¯mon, Colonel, you have to feel at least a little proud. I mean, we beat the Black Suns!¡±


    ¡°Actually, about that¡­¡± Saito looked left and right, as if checking to see if anyone was listening in on his conversation. While doing so, his gaze lingered for just a second on the Eximius Vir, who were still chatting amongst themselves a little off to the side; during that brief second, however, the Colonel¡¯s eyes locked with Mote¡¯s.


    ¡°Do you need something, sir?¡± the Electrotechnic questioned, causing the other three Chaotics to look to the Colonel as well.


    ¡°Actually¡­ yes.¡± Saito motioned the four over. ¡°What I¡¯m about to say concerns us all.¡±


    ¡°Well that sounds like a pain in the ass,¡± Kate remarked, her arms crossed.


    ¡°Yeah, just a little ominous¡­¡± Travis commented.


    ¡°Relax. It¡¯s just what we¡¯ve learned about the force we fought yesterday,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°¡¯The force¡¯, sir?¡± Hackett echoed, a wary frown drawing across her face. ¡°¡­Does that mean what I think it does?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± The Colonel nodded and sighed before continuing, ¡°the group we fought¡­ wasn¡¯t actually Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bullshit!¡± Kate exclaimed.


    ¡°They were certainly skilled¡­¡± Mark said. ¡°I thought that skill was due to them being with the Suns, but¡­¡±


    ¡°A-and their computer protocols, um, m-matched the B-Black Suns¡­¡± MacTavish muttered.


    ¡°Well, hold on, now,¡± Saito interjected. ¡°All indications suggest that the outpost was, at some point, affiliated with the Black Suns. Not only was all of their equipment Suns-manufactured, but as you mentioned, MacTavish, their computers and data use Black Suns protocols, as well. Not to mention the mech pilots that the Frigates were able to capture.¡±


    ¡°A rogue force, then, huh?¡± Travis commented.


    ¡°And that¡¯s just as bullshit as I said,¡± Kate insisted. ¡°Are we really gonna believe that?!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any choice,¡± Saito countered. ¡°All official channels say that the group on Sunova had gone rogue. We contacted the main Black Suns org, and they denied all involvement; the group themselves are denying ties to the Suns; even all of the data on their computers says that they haven¡¯t been in contact with a Black Suns command for over a year, now. We can think otherwise all we like, but it isn¡¯t an actionable opinion, or even one supported by the facts as we know them at this time.¡±


    ¡°How bothersome¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this just standard black ops bullshit? C¡¯mon!¡± Kate scowled. ¡°There has to be something we can do! What if the Black Suns try this shit again?!¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, we¡¯ve just proved that it would be more trouble than it¡¯s worth,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°Think about it this way: regardless of whether or not this rogue group was directly employed by the Black Suns to go to Sunova, the fact is that they still had Black Suns equipment and training ¡ª and we beat them. The Black Suns know now that we¡¯re not just willing to call their bluffs, we¡¯re also able to call their bluffs. Assuming that this all is a bluff ¡ª which, officially, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Soooo¡­¡± Danielle passed Saito a confused look. ¡°¡­We weren¡¯t actually fighting the Black Suns?¡±


    ¡°Officially? No, we weren¡¯t.¡± The Colonel then swept his gaze over the rest of the group. ¡°And when we talk about Operation New Dawn in the future, you¡¯ll be expected to say that we fought a rogue group, not the actual Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯re kowtowing to a fucking PMC¡­¡± Kate muttered.


    ¡°Yes, this all sounds¡­¡± Mote frowned as he paused to find the words he wanted to say. ¡°¡­Did Commander Shepherd tell you all this?¡±


    ¡°Not directly, but yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡ª sir!¡± Mote practically jumped as he whirled around, spotting Commander Shepherd approaching across the grounds. The Electrotechnic offered a hasty salute. ¡°Apologies, sir. I didn¡¯t mean to imply anything when I said¡ª¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lieutenant, it¡¯s fine,¡± Shepherd assured, coming to a stop next to the group. He then looked over at Saito. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve told them the situation, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Saito replied, though his posture had grown somewhat stiff.


    ¡°Right. Well.¡± A pensive look crossed the Commander¡¯s face before he turned to look at Mote again. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard, the official story is that SERRCom conducted an operation to expel a rogue group of Chaotics from our territory.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ really fine with that, sir?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Mote¡­¡± Hackett muttered warningly, only for Shepherd to wave her off.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Major,¡± he insisted. ¡°I¡¯m the one who gave the Eximius Vir perpetual freedom to speak freely in front of me. And besides¡­¡± Shepherd looked back to Mote, a dangerous smile forming on his features. ¡°I did say that was only the ¡®official¡¯ story. Don¡¯t underestimate SERRCom, Lieutenant. The ETAA is already looking into the veracity of the Black Suns¡¯ claims, and I¡¯m prepared for the ground forces to conduct another operation like this in the future. Though, I must say¡­¡± The Commander swept his gaze across the entire group, his smile softening into one of fatherly pride. ¡°CSF-1, Eximius Vir, you all have done a commendable job here. With how soundly we defeated the ¡®rogue Chaotics¡¯, I¡¯m quite sure that similar groups will think twice before trying this again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Commander,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Your contributions alone were invaluable, Colonel,¡± Shepherd remarked. ¡°Against such an elite enemy force, the plan you came up with was flawless. Using CENT generators like anti-Chaotic chaff and beaming in as close as possible to negate all of the enemy¡¯s other advantages¡­ it was a bold strategy, Colonel, and one that paid off. Even after that sniper mech revealed itself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you again, Commander, but I¡¯m not sure this level of praise is warranted. We still had losses¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the pilots of the destroyed Halberd and Arbalest mechs¡­¡± Shepherd paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, ¡°it certainly is a tragedy, to have lost lives on a mission. No one is ever pleased to see that. However, considering the force you were up against, the fact that they had Black Suns equipment and training, and that many of them were Chaotics ¡ª ultimately, Colonel, the fact that you pulled out a victory with a mere two casualties is nothing short of impressive.¡±


    Saito forced a small smile in response. ¡°If you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°You should take more pride in your work, Colonel ¡ª I think you¡¯d make an excellent conventional commander. The way you managed to locate the outpost¡¯s beam jammer and destroy it so quickly was a linchpin of the whole op, as well. Did you know? Three of the captured mech pilots were Electrotechnics.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡± Mote nodded in understanding. ¡°They were constantly reinforcing their mechs¡¯ shields, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°That they were,¡± Shepherd remarked. ¡°We never would have won a firefight with them. Unconventional solutions were the only path to victory, and Colonel Saito found one.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just need to teach mixed tactics, more,¡± Captain Travis suggested, only to immediately stiffen. ¡°Uh, sorry if that was out of line, sir.¡±


    A bitter chuckle escaped Shepherd¡¯s throat. ¡°No, no¡­ you do have a point, Captain,¡± the Commander admitted. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of theory behind how our beaming tech can help out in various planetside situations, but¡­¡± A forced smile appeared on his face. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that SERRCom hasn¡¯t had many opportunities to test those theories.¡±


    ¡°That just means that we aren¡¯t getting into many fights, right?¡± Danielle replied innocently. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ maybe so, Lieutenant. Maybe so¡­¡± Shepherd then glanced down at his watch before looking up at the Interstellar Gate. ¡°Well, CSF-1, Eximius Vir, I believe it¡¯s about time for your window back to Earth.¡± He offered the group a salute. ¡°I must say, it was a pleasure working with you all, and getting to see what you all can do. If a similar¡­ ¡®rogue element¡¯ situation pops up again, I¡¯d like nothing more than to enlist your help.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Commander,¡± Saito replied as he returned the salute.


    Mote quickly followed suit. ¡°We¡¯d be more than happy to assist, sir,¡± he declared. ¡°I, for one, won¡¯t stand for challenges to SERRCom¡¯s sovereignty.¡±


    ¡°And neither will I,¡± the Commander replied with a smile. ¡°Now, I have a Gatefort to get properly running again. Have fun on Earth, all.¡±


    The group remained silent as Shepherd turned and left, walking confidently across the grounds and then disappearing into one of the large tents setup just outside of the old Gatefort. It was Captain Travis who eventually broke the silence as he glanced at everyone else.


    ¡°Well?¡± he questioned, ¡°we goin¡¯ yet?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saito muttered, his gaze lingering on the tent Shepherd had entered. He then turned to approach the Interstellar Gate. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here¡­ and back to Earth.¡±

 V1 - Arc 10: Embracing Allies - Chapter 77: Skill Progression

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 10 ¡ª EMBRACING ALLIES


    <hr>


    Chapter 77: Skill Progression


    ¡ª Watedia, Aldredath 13, 8054 ¡ª


    (Thursday, December 8, AD 2129)


    ¡°Steady¡­ steady¡­ you¡¯re doin¡¯ a good job, keep it up¡­!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­ why is this so hard?!¡­¡±


    ¡°Just stay focused, man!¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say¡­¡± Austin muttered, though nonetheless maintained his attention on his blue and golden claymore as it floated through the air a few meters away from him. The weapon maintained the exact same upright orientation as it moved closer and closer to a sandy training dummy; as it approached, Spike slowly backed away, giving the incredibly sharp blade a wide berth.


    Once the sword had moved to within striking distance of the dummy, Austin attempted to swing it through the air from a distance. His brow furrowed as the blade began to shift, rotating down to slice through the head of the training dummy ¡ª all while Austin reflexively leaned forward and to the side, unintentionally mimicking the rotation he had forced on his sword. As soon as he realized he was about to topple over, he stopped concentrating on his sword and began wildly flailing his arms around in an attempt to regain his balance, only to fail and collapse to the ground with a soft thud. A second later, his sword clambered to the ground, as well.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he muttered to himself, craning his head to glare at his sword a few meters away. He then rolled over onto his back to stare up at the cloudless late afternoon skies, and didn¡¯t shift his attention away from them even as he heard approaching footsteps.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Spike commented, stopping next to Austin and looking down at him. ¡°That wasn¡¯t bad, I guess.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Wasn¡¯t bad¡¯ my ass,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°It took all of my concentration just to move my sword that slowly through the air. And I still can¡¯t figure out how to move shit without moving my body the same way!¡±


    ¡°Just give it time, and more trainin¡¯. This seems hard, ain¡¯t no one expectin¡¯ you to get it right the first time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I was at least able to manipulate my sword effectively back during the attack in Rel¨¦diaka! Why can¡¯t I do it now?!¡±


    Spike shrugged. ¡°I dunno. Didn¡¯t we hear at some point that Chaotics usually do better in a real fight, compared to trainin¡¯? Somethin¡¯ about adrenaline, or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Man, I dunno¡­¡± Austin released a frustrated sigh. ¡°These Imperator powers of mine are so hard to grasp¡­ why couldn¡¯t I have gotten something simpler? Like actual telekinesis?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spike passed Austin a confused glance. ¡°You don¡¯t got telekinesis?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kiddin¡¯, right?¡± Austin finally climbed back to his feet and brushed the sand off of his pants and back before turning to give Spike an incredulous look. ¡°Would I be havin¡¯ this hard a time if ¡®Imperator¡¯ meant ¡®telekinesis¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Man, I dunno. I ain¡¯t a Psychotechnic.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, Imperator Psychotechnism doesn¡¯t work like telekinesis. It¡¯s more like, when I take control of something, I become that something, in a sense. Like, if I want to move something that I¡¯m controlling, I have to think like I¡¯m moving my own body. Which then, you know, results in my actual body moving.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°As opposed to a ¡®Manipulator¡¯ Psychotechnic, which is actual telekinesis as we know it. A Manipulator could just pretend like they¡¯re gripping the sword from afar and swing it around easy. Instead of havin¡¯ to think like they are the sword¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get the hang of it eventually. You¡¯ve already figured out how to move stuff through the air without chasin¡¯ after it, at least.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but what¡¯s even the point? This Imperator stuff seems strictly worse than regular telekinesis¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Spike held a hand to his chin in thought. A moment later, he said, ¡°if what you¡¯re tellin¡¯ me is right, then I think there¡¯re situations where your Imperator stuff would be better.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡±


    ¡°If telekinesis is like carryin¡¯ somethin¡¯ from a distance, then there¡¯s gotta be some kinda force limit, right? Like, if a telekinetic tried to hold me down, I could probably overpower their telekinetic force with my superstrength. But if an Imperator like you took control of my body, then it¡¯d be a lot harder to resist, because there ain¡¯t really any force to resist in the first place. You control my body; I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I guess¡­¡± A contemplative look crossed Austin¡¯s face, only to be soon replaced with a sour expression. ¡°At that point, I bet it turns into a battle of wills instead of raw strength, huh? As if ¡®willpower¡¯ was ever one of my strong points¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course it ain¡¯t, with an attitude like that,¡± Spike retorted. ¡°C¡¯mon, dude. You¡¯ll never get better if you keep puttin¡¯ yourself down like this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Austin rolled his eyes in response. He then turned toward the training dummy and held out his right hand; his sword that lay on the ground disappeared in a flash of light, and immediately reappeared in his outstretched hand. ¡°Well, time to try again, I guess¡­¡±


    Spike stepped back, watching Austin as he gripped his claymore with both hands in front of him. The latter took a deep breath in preparation to move his sword through the air once again.


    ¡°¡­Wait.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin glanced over at Spike. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your form¡­¡± Spike stared at Austin for a moment, and at his hands in particular, which steadily held his sword out in front of him. Spike then dropped his gaze to Austin¡¯s feet, which were positioned firmly under his shoulders ¡ª a position that Austin had taken without a second thought. ¡°¡­I ain¡¯t too well-trained with swords, but I can recognize a trained stance when I see one. You ever get claymore trainin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course not. You know how much I hate training.¡±


    ¡°Well, you had to¡¯ve gotten that stance from somewhere. Maybe you got secret claymore-weildin¡¯ skills. You ever tried usin¡¯ that thing the regular way?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh¡­¡± Austin stared at Spike, dumbfounded, before shifting his attention down to his weapon. ¡°¡­I guess not¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it a few swings, then.¡±


    At Spike¡¯s suggestion, Austin focused his attention on his sword. Tentatively, he approached the training dummy, stopping just a meter in front of it. After a second of staring at it in doubt, Austin took a deep breath and positioned himself to cut through the dummy ¡ª at which point he found himself planting his left foot forward, while he brought his two-handed sword down to his right side, angled down and behind him with his right hand just below the blade¡¯s double crossguard, and his left hand gripping the base of the hilt. This feels weird¡­ maybe Spike is right¡­? Austin mused. Well, let¡¯s see¡­


    A second later, Austin moved to slice through the dummy. Without having to think about how he moved his body, his right foot moved forward in tandem with his arms and hands swinging up and across his chest, bringing his claymore through a steady upward arc that cleanly sliced through the chest of the training dummy. As the dummy fell apart, Austin easily stopped his swing with his sword next to his left shoulder, almost like holding a baseball bat.


    ¡°¡­See what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about?¡± Spike said a moment later, bringing Austin back to his senses.


    ¡°¡­Weird,¡± Austin commented, dropping his stance and dismissing his sword with a flash of light. ¡°How¡¯d I know how to swing so smoothly? I¡¯ve never used a claymore before¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Spike mused. ¡°¡­Hey, remember back when we were on Earth, when you had that trainin¡¯ match with Twy at the dojo? And how you used those longsword techniques on her out of no where?¡±


    Austin briefly thought back to the night two months ago that Spike was talking about, back before either of them even knew they had Chaotic abilities. ¡°¡­Oh, yeah. Roshu said something about me using the shinai wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°He also said that you were usin¡¯ actual longsword techniques, don¡¯t forget that.¡± Spike briefly looked down at his own hands, onto which he summoned his red and gold armored gauntlets to inspect. ¡°¡­I¡¯m already trained in hand-to-hand martial arts, so I didn¡¯t notice any new skills or anythin¡¯ when I got these gauntlets¡­ but I wonder. For you and everyone else, maybe when you got those weapons, you also got some kinda base-level proficiency with ¡®em, too.¡±


    ¡°That sure would be nice, if it were true¡­¡± Austin replied, and then huffed. ¡°But as is, we barely know shit about these weapons. That Pallan guy basically just called us the galaxy¡¯s saviors and then dumped us in this dusty hellhole without explainin¡¯ anything!¡±


    ¡°No kiddin¡¯. It¡¯s a little annoyin¡¯, when you think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just like to be able to ask him what the hell is goin¡¯ on, but¡­¡± Austin sighed and shrugged. ¡°Guess that ain¡¯t an option right now. Anyways¡­¡± He glanced upward, at the skies that were turning orange and red as the sun approached the horizon. ¡°¡­Should probably call it here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Suppose so¡­¡± Spike replied. ¡°We have been out here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for helpin¡¯ me out. I know you usually train with Mark and Kar¨ªsah, so I feel kinda bad about draggin¡¯ you away from that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I woulda been on my own, anyways. Mark¡¯s gone, and Kar¨ªsah¡¯s focused on her finals, just like all the other students here. The fact that you actually wanted to train, despite claimin¡¯ that you hate it, wasn¡¯t somethin¡¯ I could ignore, either. Besides¡­¡± Spike looked down at his right fist, opening and closing it before balling both of his hands into fists and slamming them together. ¡°I think I¡¯m finally startin¡¯ to really get the hang of this strength of mine.¡±


    Austin smirked as he eyed Spike¡¯s hands. ¡°Finally ready to get handsy with your girlfriend again, eh?¡±


    ¡°Well, not quite yet, but close¡ª wait.¡± Spike passed Austin an annoyed glance. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, man. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to see you¡¯ve been keepin¡¯ your hands off Sky ever since you got your superstrength. Y¡¯all used to be all over each other.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha¡­ uh¡­ sorry?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine, dude. Might sound a little bad, but I¡¯m kinda glad that I¡¯m not the only one still tryin¡¯ to get used to my powers¡­¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure that¡¯s all of us. Though¡­ hmm.¡± Spike paused for a moment in contemplation, eying Austin all the time. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve been more into it since we got back from Sikalia. Did somethin¡¯ happen?¡±


    Austin¡¯s expression immediately soured as he pointedly turned away from Spike. ¡°¡­Maybe.¡±


    ¡°It got anythin¡¯ to do with why you signed us up for the fuckin¡¯ ACT without askin¡¯ us?¡±


    ¡°Look, man, I already apologized for that¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, and I probably would¡¯ve signed up, myself, anyways, but it was still a dick move. I just wanna know why. This got somethin¡¯ to do with Pierce?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Spike sighed in response to Austin¡¯s silence. ¡°¡­Guess I won¡¯t pry, if it¡¯s that bad. But if he¡¯s givin¡¯ you trouble, I can help out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle on my own,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°In fact, it¡¯d be meaningless if I couldn¡¯t handle it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Some things are like that, I guess. Still, friends are there for a reason. If you change your mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thanks. Now can we drop the Sikalia thing, please?¡±


    Spike looked down at Austin, warily noting the thinly-veiled irritation writ across his friend¡¯s face. ¡°¡­A¡¯ight,¡± Spike eventually conceded. ¡°Won¡¯t bother you about Sikalia anymore.¡±


    ¡°Great¡ª¡°


    ¡°The ACT thing, though, is a whole ¡®nother question.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Agh¡­¡± Austin released a sigh of desperation. ¡°Let¡¯s just get dinner, for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with food,¡± Spike replied cheerfully, as the two finally began to return to their dorms.


    <hr>


    That Evening


    ¡°There we go¡­¡±


    Twy stepped back and crossed her arms, a contemplative look upon her face as she inspected the easel in front of her, lit as it was in the deep orange of sunset. Depicted in flowing watercolors were a handful of massive oak trees, standing taller than a mountain peak that appeared in the center. A bright blue sky, covered with the white wisps of clouds, served as a peaceful backdrop to the fantasy image, while a number of smaller trees formed the foreground at the bottom.


    All done with no brushes¡­ it looks better than I expected, Twy thought to herself as her eyes slowly swept across her painting. Still a little sloppy in some areas, but I think I like this technique. Using my Hydrotechnism to place paint on the paper directly, with no brush, makes it a lot easier to make certain shapes and contours than I thought.


    She nodded contentedly before turning to the side and beginning to pack away the paints. Just as she closed the case, a metal creaking noise drew her attention to the side, where the door to the roof of WCU¡¯s dormitory had just opened. Before anyone even stepped through, Twy had a good idea of who the newcomers were ¡ª she could sense three presences nearby, after all. The following shout merely confirmed her suspicions.


    ¡°Oh, sis! There you are!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Sky,¡± Twy acknowledged, barely passing her sister a glance as she continued putting her things away. ¡°If it¡¯s about dinner, I¡¯ll be down soon. You can go ahead with Spike and Austin.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what about us, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Twy stopped packing her things and looked up at the sound of a third female voice. Instead of finding Austin and Spike accompanying Sky, Twy found herself looking upon Phoenix and Kestrel. ¡°¡­Oh. Sorry, I just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Phoenix replied casually, her hands on her hips as she stepped up next to Sky. She then looked up at the orange-tinted sky and released a wistful sigh. ¡°Damn, the sunset is pretty nice from up here. You picked a good spot, Twy!¡±


    ¡°It is pretty nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Twy commented, joining Phoenix in gazing upon the sun that was now halfway past the horizon. ¡°There usually aren¡¯t that many people up here, either. On this side of the roof, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Good for lunch,¡± Kestrel stated from her position next to Phoenix. ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡±


    ¡°Man, you two introverts and always wanting to be alone¡­¡± Sky shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Even when eating, too. C¡¯mon, y¡¯all! Everyone knows that eating is more fun with a group!¡±


    ¡°Which brings us to why we¡¯re here.¡± Phoenix glanced toward Twy. ¡°Sky, Kestrel, and I were thinking about getting dinner in town. Want to come along?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wanted to ask, you could¡¯ve just messaged me¡­¡± Twy responded as she stacked her paint cases on top of a small stool near her easel.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the fun in that, huh?¡± Sky countered. ¡°I wanted to see what you were doing up here! Painting, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah¡ª¡° Twy began to reply, only to be cut off as Sky bounded over to her side and turned to look at the easel, which was facing away from the roof doors. Surprised, Twy quickly exclaimed, ¡°h-hey! Th-that¡¯s¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Woooow!¡± Sky remarked, her eyes wide with wonder as she beheld the watercolor painting attached to the easel. ¡°Hey, sis, did you paint this? This is pretty good!¡±


    ¡°Well, look at that,¡± Phoenix commented, moving over with Kestrel to join Sky in admiring the painting. ¡°This actually is pretty good!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also not for sharing!¡± Twy insisted, ¡°this was just a practice piece!¡±


    ¡°This is practice? Damn, Twy.¡± Phoenix whistled in admiration. ¡°I¡¯d like to see what you can do when you¡¯re serious, then!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see?¡± Sky elbowed Phoenix knowingly. ¡°I told you she was good.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Twy glanced uneasily between the two. ¡°¡­You told her about my painting¡­?¡±


    ¡°And why not? Can¡¯t I be proud of my sister?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± The painter¡¯s face flushed red as she bashfully diverted her gaze. ¡°I-I guess¡­ but this one isn¡¯t even that good, I was just trying out something new¡­¡±


    ¡°New?¡± Kestrel echoed.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ you know.¡± Twy held up her right hand, into which she gathered a small floating bubble of water. ¡°I wanted to see if I could paint with just my powers, without using any brushes.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, really?!¡± A massive grin spread across Sky¡¯s face as she pumped both of her fists in excitement. ¡°That¡¯s cool! That¡¯s so cool, sis!¡±


    Kestrel nodded affirmatively. ¡°Nice idea. Good painting.¡±


    ¡°Finding a non-combat use for your powers, huh¡­?¡± Phoenix mused, her hand on her chin while she looked back to the nature painting in thought. ¡°Honestly, Twy, I think that¡¯s impressive. I don¡¯t think something like this is even possible for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that can¡¯t be true¡­ can it?¡± Twy questioned.


    Phoenix shrugged in resignation. ¡°When I looked up all of the Chaostechnic abilities on the relaynet, they all seemed pretty combat-oriented to me. And with the way Chaostechnism works, I can¡¯t really just invent new techniques¡­ it kinda sucks.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can still use your powers to do cool flashy stuff,¡± Sky pointed out. ¡°Remember the talent show we saw on Sikalia? That was pretty cool!¡±


    ¡°What? I remember some kind of band performance, but that wasn¡¯t very flashy. Good, but not flashy.¡±


    ¡°No, the one before that. There was a whole light show!¡±


    ¡°Before that¡­?¡± Phoenix echoed, momentarily confused ¡ª until a look of realization crossed her face, followed by a sour expression. ¡°Oh¡­ right. I missed that one.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you did, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sky replied. ¡°Well, it was pretty cool. Kind of like a rave, almost. I think you would¡¯ve liked it, Phoenix.¡±


    Kestrel nodded in affirmation. ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I was a little¡­ busy at that time,¡± Phoenix responded with a scowl.


    Twy eyed Phoenix with unease before turning back to Sky and Kestrel. ¡°Speaking of that talent show, though,¡± she said, ¡°Sky, you seemed like you got your creative flame back.¡±


    Sky snorted in amusement. ¡°Hee hee, creative flame¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡ª! Damn it. Why do I even try.¡±


    ¡°Ah, lighten up, sis!¡± Sky remarked, moving over to throw her arm around Twy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re right! I do wanna get back into singing. But, well¡­¡± A frown crossed her face. ¡°There¡¯s not really anywhere to do that here¡­ not in any kind of specialized sense, anyways. And unlike painting, singing on top of a roof into the wind isn¡¯t really a great way to practice.¡±


    ¡°Not much room¡­ or equipment,¡± Kestrel muttered.


    Phoenix passed Kestrel a knowing glance. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯ve looked?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mmm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response, without meeting Phoenix¡¯s glance.


    ¡°Well, at least you can control air and wind, right?¡± Sky pointed out. ¡°That already gives you an advantage in making music. I don¡¯t think fire can be used the same way¡­ I guess flames can make some unique sounds, though it¡¯s still pointless if I can¡¯t record them¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just equipment you need, then why not ask Kaon¨¦?¡± Twy asked. ¡°She¡¯s the one who got me my paints. I¡¯m sure she could manage something for you.¡±


    ¡°I dunno. Mics and speakers and software and all that is a little more expensive and complicated than paints¡­¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s a Materiatechnic, Sky,¡± Phoenix deadpanned. ¡°She can literally create stuff out of thin air! We¡¯ve seen her do it!¡±


    ¡°Basic stuff, yeah,¡± Sky countered, ¡°but can she make complicated electronics and software?¡±


    ¡°Could ask,¡± Kestrel commented, extending her right hand outward to point over the edge of the roof and at the campus grounds. The other three women moved over to the side of the roof, leaning against the waist-high barrier to look down; sure enough, Kaon¨¦ was approaching the campus buildings, walking alongside Dav¨ªdrius. The two Deans were too far away to hear anything that they were saying, but they appeared to be engaged in friendly conversation.


    ¡°Huh. Don¡¯t they live in the city?¡± Phoenix questioned, watching as the two Deans stopped in the middle of the dusty campus courtyard. ¡°What are they doing on campus, and so late?¡±


    ¡°Probably busy Dean stuff,¡± Sky said. ¡°More reason not to bother her.¡±


    ¡°You never let me being busy stop you from bothering me,¡± Twy countered.


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re my sis! That¡¯s different!¡±


    ¡°Well, this is new,¡± Phoenix remarked with a smirk as she glanced at Sky. ¡°I knew Twy was an introvert, but I didn¡¯t know you had a bashful side, too, Sky.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bashful to not want to bother a busy person,¡± Sky insisted, only to look over at Kestrel in surprise as the latter raised her hand in a casual wave. ¡°What are you waving at?¡±


    Kestrel nodded downward. ¡°Spotted us.¡±


    ¡°¡­So she did,¡± Twy commented. Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius both were looking up at them; Kaon¨¦ offered a wave in response to Kestrel before turning back toward Dav¨ªdrius. The two Deans seemed to exchange a parting, at which point Kaon¨¦ began to lift into the air and Dav¨ªdrius disappeared in a cloud of dust. ¡°¡­Oh. She¡¯s even coming over here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have any excuse now,¡± Phoenix remarked as she elbowed Sky in the ribs. The latter responded with a sigh of resignation, but had little chance to say anything else before Kaon¨¦ alighted on the roof next to the group.


    ¡°Having fun?¡± the Dean questioned while brushing off her pants and waist cloak.


    ¡°We were about to head out for dinner, actually, but we got distracted by talking,¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°Ha! I know what that¡¯s like,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied cheerfully. She looked out westward, toward the horizon past which the sun had fully sank several minutes ago; now the sky was rapidly darkening, replacing the orange of sunset with the dim reddish aura of twilight. After taking a deep breath, she said, ¡°it¡¯s a surprisingly nice day today, too. I guess what they say about Tres¨¦d and equinoxes is right: the week or two before and after are the only times there¡¯s good weather.¡±


    ¡°Equinoxes?¡± Sky echoed. ¡°Is there an equinox soon?¡±


    ¡°The Spring Equinox was three days ago,¡± Twy answered. ¡°Spring officially started in Tres¨¦d on the same day that we left for Sikalia.¡±


    ¡°Not that spring really means much in a desert,¡± Phoenix lamented.


    ¡°I hear that same complaint from the locals all the time,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked. ¡°The seasonal changes can be rather beautiful elsewhere on Nimalia, though. The colors of the leaves up in Nimaliaka Central should be shifting, soon¡­¡± She released a wistful sigh.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s beauty you¡¯re after,¡± Sky remarked, passing Twy a knowing look before backing up toward the easel. ¡°Then there¡¯s something here you should look at!¡±


    ¡°What¡­? Wait, Sky¡ª!¡± Twy began to protest, but Sky had already grabbed the easel and carried it forward. While her movements were sudden and brash, however, she never once disturbed the painting attached to the easel.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned, looking over at the painting while Sky tried to show it to her, and Twy tried to stop her. ¡°¡­A painting?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­¡± Twy smiled sheepishly, finally giving up the struggle so as to not damage her own art. Bashfully, she stepped to the side, allowing Kaon¨¦ a full view of the watercolor trees and mountain.


    ¡°Oooh¡­ so this is what you wanted those paints for?¡± Kaon¨¦ fabricated a small device in her hands and turned it on, emitting light to illuminate the immediate area that had fallen into the darkness of dusk. As the light fell on the painting, a warm smile spread across the Dean¡¯s face. ¡°It looks great! I¡¯m glad you put those paints to good use!¡±


    ¡°And get a load of this: she says she used her water powers to make the painting,¡± Phoenix pointed out.


    ¡°Really? Is that so¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ paused for a moment, closely inspecting the painting before backing away and giving a nod of approval. ¡°¡­On a closer look, I can see that. The painting itself is already beautiful, but the fact that you were able to make this using your Hydrotechnism is even more impressive ¡ª it shows that you¡¯ve developed a good level of control.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks¡­¡± Twy responded bashfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just flattering you, either. Have you considered showing this off for Creators¡¯ Day?¡±


    ¡°Creators¡¯ Day?¡± Sky and Phoenix echoed in unison.


    ¡°That¡¯s a new one¡­¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Some kind of holiday¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sounds religious,¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Hmm? There isn¡¯t really anything religious about it, I don¡¯t think,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°Creators¡¯ Day is a day to celebrate creators and creations of all kinds. Writers, artists, painters, musicians, inventors, cooks¡­ even smiths, architects, and engineers. You know, creators. Everyone is encouraged to create their own material, no matter how big or small the project. You don¡¯t even need to share your creation with others; it¡¯s the act of creating that Creators¡¯ Day celebrates most.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Huh,¡± Sky responded, her head turned up in contemplation.


    ¡°That sounds pretty neat, actually,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°Earth doesn¡¯t have anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Is this a new holiday?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s relatively new in Tres¨¦d, but in general, no. Creators Day is actually one of Nimalia¡¯s oldest holidays,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°It dates back a few thousand years. It still isn¡¯t quite as old as Hunger¡¯s Bane, or Darkest Day¡­ but I think Creators¡¯ Day is actually about as old as Brightest Day.¡±


    Sky snorted in amusement. ¡°Wow, you have both Brightest and Darkest Day?¡±


    ¡°The names are kind of silly, I suppose, but it gets the point across,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Brightest Day for the summer solstice, and Darkest Day for the winter one. Anyways, back on the subject of Creators¡¯ Day¡­ the actual holiday is on Ranth 7th, almost two months from now. It¡¯s one of the few global holidays that Compound Tresnon celebrates, too. I¡¯d definitely recommend that you all participate, if you can.¡±


    ¡°A day for creative stuff, huh?¡± Sky mused. ¡°That does sound like a lot of fun, yeah!¡±


    ¡°And if it¡¯s two months away, then we have plenty of time to prepare,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°And yet, it¡¯s just enough of a crunch to really get you moving! ¡­Oh! I know!¡± She turned to glance between Sky and Kestrel. ¡°The two of you are into music. Sky, you like to sing; Kestrel, you¡¯re more of a composer. You compliment each other nicely!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted, her lips pursing slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna force you if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Sky commented, looking up at the tall, silver-haired woman, ¡°but personally, I think it¡¯s a great idea! Oooh, and we could get Twy involved, too, to make some kind of big art backdrop for a musical performance!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember saying that I wanted to be involved¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon, sis! It¡¯ll be so much fun!¡±


    ¡°¡­Phoenix?¡± Kestrel said, turning her stoic gaze onto her friend.


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t just leave you on your own, Kestrel!¡± Phoenix replied enthusiastically. ¡°I might not be musically- or artistically-inclined myself, but there is one thing any good performance needs: the perfect outfit! One that¡¯s hella stylish, but also matches the performer, and conveys the theme of the performance¡­¡± She eagerly rubbed her hands together. ¡°Sky, let me pick your outfit for this! It¡¯ll be perfect!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sky grinned at Phoenix and pumped her fist. ¡°This is really coming together! Yeah!¡±


    ¡°Leave Sky to get all carried away with something like this¡­¡± Twy muttered to herself in resignation.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ sorry,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied quietly as she glanced apologetically at Twy and Kestrel. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ probably,¡± Twy said, while Kestrel responded with a deep sigh.


    ¡°¡­Now, with that all said!¡± Sky declared, turning away from Phoenix and back to the other three, ¡°we¡¯ve been talking for a while up here on the roof, when we could have been doing it over dinner! C¡¯mon, I¡¯m really fucking hungry right now!¡±


    ¡°That makes two of us,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Kaon¨¦, you want to join us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. I just had dinner,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°Actually, I got a little distracted, as well. I originally came up here to talk to you all about something.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Sky¡¯s grin immediately flipped upside down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not in trouble,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°For the first thing, I just wanted to ask. ¡­Are you all really sure you want to try out for the Annual Chaotic Tournament?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s happening¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°I saw you all on the sign-ups, and¡­ I just want to be sure that you all know that the ACT is incredibly competitive,¡± Kaon¨¦ continued. ¡°You all have been making great strides as Chaotics, that much is true, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­But we don¡¯t stand a chance, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± Phoenix finished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound quite so pessimistic, but, well¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ smiled uneasily. ¡°It¡¯s pretty rare for new Chaotics to make the qualifiers, let alone win the entire tournament.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but we can still learn something if we try, right?¡± Sky pointed out. ¡°Losing sucks, but I also wanna see what level all the other students are at!¡±


    ¡°I suppose you have a point, there¡­¡± Twy mused. ¡°We¡¯ve only ever seen other Chaotics in action under¡­ less-than-ideal circumstances.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go into a competition expecting to lose, anyways,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°That¡¯s only doing a disservice to both yourself and your competitors. Personally, I intend to take the ACT as seriously as any other competition!¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, then.¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed in resignation. ¡°Just¡­ be careful with your training, and the tryouts.¡±


    ¡°The four of us will be fine, I assure you,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°Now, was there something else you wanted to talk about?¡±


    The Dean nodded. ¡°Yes, but this won¡¯t take long. You all have another trip coming up soon.¡±


    ¡°Another one?¡± Sky and Twy responded in unison; Sky with excitement, and Twy with incredulity.


    ¡°You really are sending us all over the place, huh?¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°I suppose, but I just want to help you all learn and grow as much as I can,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Given your¡­ unique circumstances, my hope is that this next trip will help you all tremendously.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh?¡± The four Earthian women all glanced amongst themselves before turning their attention back to the Dean.


    ¡°Where are we going, then?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Well, on the 15th, in two days¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ declared, ¡°all of you Earthians will accompany me to Anika, the capital of Riverana. There, we¡¯ll get a chance to speak with Pallan, to try and clear up any questions we all have over the Oraculmic Prophecies¡­ and your supposed role in saving our galaxy.¡±

 V1 - A10 - Chapter 78: Friends and Acquaintances

    NEW WORLD ¡ª EMBRACING ALLIES


    <hr>


    Chapter 78: Friends and Acquaintances


    The Next Day


    ¡°It fucking happened again. I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an awfully passive way of putting it.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up, dude. You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to be rejected this frequently.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever, man,¡± Conrad replied dismissively, holding his arm over his eyes to shield them from the bright sun overhead while he laid down on one of the benches in WCU¡¯s courtyard. Standing just off to the side was Pierce, whose arms were crossed as he glared down at Conrad in annoyance.


    ¡°Are you really going to take a nap, right now?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Lunchtime is a great time for naps,¡± Conrad replied, all without moving his arm from his eyes. ¡°And if you start complaining about your dating life in the way that you usually do, then I¡¯ll be able to nod off in no time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph. Should¡¯ve figured talking to you would be a waste of time¡­¡±


    Tentatively, Conrad moved his arm to allow him to look up at Pierce ¡ª who at that moment was busy restlessly sweeping his gaze across the courtyard, as if in search of something to distract himself with. He looks more stressed out than usual, Conrad thought to himself, he¡¯s been like that ever since our last night on Sikalia, in fact. I bet something went down between him and Austin ¡ª if so, he probably deserved it, but man, it¡¯s still really weird seeing Pierce like this¡­ With a resigned sigh, Conrad lethargically pulled himself up into a sitting position. ¡°Alright, alright¡­ I¡¯ll hear you out. This have something to do with what happened on Sikalia?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Pierce snapped his attention back to Conrad. ¡°Who the fuck said anything about Sikalia?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve just seemed a little stressed out since we got back. If something happened¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Pierce insisted, though Conrad noticed his eyes diverting as he did. ¡°¡­I was complaining about something else entirely, anyways,¡± Pierce continued with a scowl, ¡°this and that aren¡¯t related at all.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Conrad deadpanned. At a surface level, he¡¯s probably right. But I bet all of his problems have more in common than he thinks¡­ ¡°Well,¡± Conrad said, keeping his thoughts to himself, ¡°what¡¯s happened, then?¡±


    ¡°I had a date with this cute chick last night, right? I think you saw me go out. Things were going pretty well, we even spent the night together. And it was a great time, let me tell you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up. Anyways, when we got up this morning, I tried asking when she might be open for a second date, you know? And she told me she wasn¡¯t interested!¡±


    ¡°I guess it just goes that way, sometimes, huh?¡±


    ¡°If it really was just ¡®sometimes¡¯ then I could deal with it, but it¡¯s not! It¡¯s almost every time!¡± Pierce huffed in frustration. ¡°It¡¯s like they all assume I¡¯m only after a one-night stand¡­ I¡¯m not that shallow, c¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s dating chicks just as part of a competition,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Shut the hell up, dude,¡± Pierce snapped. ¡°This isn¡¯t just because of that stupid competition, now. I just want a girlfriend, really, I do!¡±


    ¡°Something you¡¯re doing must be giving the wrong impression, then,¡± Conrad suggested. ¡°Or maybe you just haven¡¯t met the right person, yet.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. The idea of ¡®the right person¡¯ is a myth.¡±


    ¡°¡­And you wonder why women don¡¯t want to go farther than one date with you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, you asshole. ¡®The one¡¯ is a naively romantic concept that has no basis in reality. Real, lasting relationships are built on a foundation of getting to know each other, and accepting the other person for who they are. If you hold out, waiting for that one, ideal person, then you¡¯ll never get laid your whole fucking life!¡±


    ¡°That was almost deep, until you started talking about sex again.¡±


    ¡°Sex is part of a healthy relationship, and it¡¯s asinine to think otherwise. ¡­Unless you¡¯re ace, I guess, but I¡¯m definitely not.¡±


    ¡°How understanding of you,¡± Conrad deadpanned, and then sighed. ¡°But, Pierce, after having said all that¡­ you still always have sex on the first date, somehow. That¡¯s pretty fucking fast, dude. Are you sure these women actually want to sleep with you?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, dude? Of course I get consent. I¡¯m not a fucking rapist. Hell, I¡¯m not even the one who initiates, half the time. Nimalian women especially are surprisingly forward¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Well, are you sure the women you date actually know you¡¯re after something long-term, then? Maybe they really do think you¡¯re after a one-night fling.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t always have sex on the first date, so that can¡¯t be it,¡± Pierce refuted. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ sometimes. ¡­Most of the time, I guess. Look, you can¡¯t just say that you want a long-term relationship on the first fucking date, man. That¡¯s a good way to make yourself look like an overly attached loser.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. Right.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Why the hell am I even talking to you about this? You haven¡¯t had a date in years.¡± Pierce held a hand to his forehead as he released a frustrated sigh. ¡°Damn¡­ I have to think of something, fast. I feel like I¡¯ve already gone through half the dating pool, here¡­¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Conrad replied incredulously. ¡°Aren¡¯t there, like, 300 students, here?!¡±


    ¡°If you count everybody, yeah,¡± Pierce answered, ¡°but unlike you, I don¡¯t swing both ways. So cut that in half, or so. And then, to break it down further ¡ª there¡¯s 6 years¡¯ worth of students here, and each year has about the same number of students, so that¡¯s about 25 women per year. And since the lower two years are underage, you have to throw 50 out, leaving only 100 women.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Only¡¯ 100, he says.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done, asshole. Look, remember how Kar¨ªsah said that most Nimalians our age are already in a long-term relationship? Well, she was more right than I expected. If you account for that, and for all the chicks who aren¡¯t into dudes, then there¡¯s only a couple dozen left that are available. That¡¯s nothing!¡±


    ¡°A ¡®couple dozen¡¯ still sounds like plenty, to me.¡±


    ¡°That only shows how little you know.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. What about the town? Have you tried your luck there?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a language barrier, dude. Only the students and a handful of other people in this city have translation implants. You can¡¯t very well date someone you can¡¯t talk to. I mean, I could understand them, so I could at least listen, I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°And we all know that you¡¯re great at that.¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m a fantastic listener. You have to be if you want to get anywhere while dating. Women love it when you listen to them, after all. If you can prove that you¡¯re actually paying attention when they talk, they eat that right up!¡±


    ¡°¡­Dude, everyone likes it when you listen to them.¡±


    ¡°And women are a subset of ¡®everyone¡¯, so I¡¯m still right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Conrad replied dismissively. ¡°I think I see where you¡¯re going wrong, Pierce, and it probably has more in common with what happened on Sikalia than you¡¯d think.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Pierce glared at Conrad. ¡°What the fuck does Sikalia have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Did something happen on Sikalia?¡±


    Pierce and Conrad both looked up and to the side, in the direction of the third voice coming from a young woman with tan skin and a prominent scar stretching from just above her mouth to down past her collar. ¡°¡­Oh. Liask,¡± Pierce commented, forcing a smile as he did.


    ¡°Hey, Pierce,¡± Liask replied, approaching the bench on which Conrad was sitting and stopping to talk. With her were two faces that Pierce thought he recognized: one belonging to a dark-skinned young man with a strong jawline and a buzz cut, and another belonging to a fair-skinned young woman with a short stature and long, unkempt hair that partially obscured half her face.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Conrad greeted, casually nodding toward the trio. ¡°We¡¯ve met, right? Liask, and, uh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Minilas,¡± the young woman replied, her tone flat.


    ¡°And this is Obra,¡± Liask declared as she gestured toward the man.


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Obra snorted dismissively.


    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s been a little bit since we last saw each other, huh?¡± Pierce commented, pointedly ignoring Obra as he addressed Liask. ¡°Did you need something?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just out here for a break, that¡¯s all,¡± Liask replied. ¡°Today¡¯s been so¡­ hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Hard?¡± Conrad echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°We have finals,¡± Minilas explained, and then adopted a small smirk as she nodded toward Liask. ¡°Meatheads like her always have a hard time.¡±


    ¡°I am not a ¡®meathead¡¯!¡± Liask countered. ¡°Those tests are just¡ª! They¡¯re too hard! Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak¡¯s especially, why are they so hard?!¡±


    ¡°I offered to study with you,¡± Obra declared, his arms crossed as he looked down at Liask. ¡°You said ¡®no¡¯, and went off to train, instead. You have only yourself to blame.¡±


    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to say it like that¡­¡± Liask muttered dejectedly.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Heh¡­ I guess finals really are the same wherever you go, huh?¡± Conrad observed with an amused smile.


    ¡°I heard you all don¡¯t have to take ¡®em, though,¡± Minilas replied, deadpan.


    ¡°Lucky bastards,¡± Obra said.


    ¡°Look, we didn¡¯t make that decision,¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hey, look, guys, our break only lasts for so long,¡± Liask interjected as she physically interposed herself between Pierce and Obra. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else, okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me,¡± Pierce remarked while side-eying Obra ¡ª who responded only by scowling and looking away.


    ¡°Well, what do you want to talk about, then?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Liask wanted to hear about Sikalia,¡± Minilas commented, and then slowly smirked as she threw Obra a glance. ¡°But maybe we should wait until a certain bitter someone isn¡¯t around to talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª! Minilas!¡± Obra exclaimed in flustered irritation.


    ¡°¡­You really are blunt, huh?¡± Pierce said, looking warily at Minilas.


    She responded with a casual shrug. ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    Conrad chuckled. ¡°Heh. I think I like you.¡±


    Pierce shook his head and sighed in exasperation. ¡°Figures that the two irreverent assholes would get along. Well, if Sikalia and your finals are out, then¡­ oh!¡± His face lit up for a moment before he turned toward Liask. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard much talk about the ACT, despite sign-ups opening at the beginning of the week. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s still focused on finals,¡± Liask replied. ¡°Can¡¯t really afford to focus on anythin¡¯ else¡­¡±


    ¡°Only when you haven¡¯t studied,¡± Obra interjected.


    ¡°And you have?¡± Minilas questioned, glancing up at the dark-skinned Barriertechnic. He responded by scowling at her and then turning away in a huff.


    ¡°¡­We¡¯ll still have a few days before the qualifiers to train up,¡± Liask said, bringing the conversation back around as she looked over at Pierce. ¡°You¡¯ll see a lot more trainin¡¯ and talkin¡¯ about the ACT this weekend, for sure.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Pierce remarked, a confident smirk spreading across his face. ¡°I was worried the competition around here wouldn¡¯t be up to snuff!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Obra¡¯s gaze snapped to Pierce. ¡°Are you signin¡¯ up?!¡±


    ¡°For better or for worse¡­¡± Conrad replied, and then sighed in resignation.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Obra¡¯s already perpetually-furrowed brow creased even further as he glared directly at Pierce. ¡°You¡¯re that arrogant, huh? Gonna try and steal a spot from a rightful Tres¨¦dian?¡±


    ¡°Rightful Tres¨¦dian?!¡± Pierce echoed incredulously, and then shrugged. ¡°Look, dude, it¡¯s a competition. If you can¡¯t earn your spot, then what¡¯s even the point of taking part?¡±


    ¡°Actually, Pierce¡­ he might have a point,¡± Conrad pointed out, glancing warily between Obra and Pierce. ¡°There¡¯s a limited number of spots in the tournament, right? If we made it in, then we really would be taking the spot of a Nimalian team¡­¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you paying attention on Sikalia? Kaon¨¦ told us that there are exhibition slots in the tournament bracket. We wouldn¡¯t be displacing anybody,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°But even if we were ¡ª at the end of the day, that¡¯s just how competition works. If the Nimalians want to think that they¡¯re better than us, then they had better fucking prove it! That¡¯s the whole point of a competition!¡±


    ¡°Wow. What a one-track mind,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°Nothing I said was wrong,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°This is just an interschool tournament, anyways. Why take it so seriously?¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s the star of his track team back home,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Liask spoke up, drawing Pierce and Conrad¡¯s attention to her. ¡°¡­I agree that you have to earn your spot on the tournament bracket, but the ACT has more meanin¡¯ to us Tres¨¦dians than just bein¡¯ a tournament. It¡¯s one of the only ways we can legally leave Tres¨¦d, and see the world outside.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Pierce stared at Liask in disbelief. ¡°Wait, really? No way.¡±


    Minilas nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Still too much of a pain, in my opinion, but it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Unlike y¡¯all, we Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t get to just leave the country on a whim,¡± Obra declared. ¡°You¡¯ve already gone on more trips in your one month here than most of us 3rd-years have in the three years we¡¯ve been here. And now you wanna rob even more Tres¨¦dians of that opportunity by joinin¡¯ the ACT?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t my fault, now, is it?¡± Pierce countered irately. ¡°Besides, we aren¡¯t even displacing any Tres¨¦dians in the first place! If you still want something to blame, then blame the system. The Deans are the ones who designed this whole thing, right? Go complain to them, not us.¡±


    ¡°Tch. Maybe I will. It¡¯d sure as hell beat wastin¡¯ time talkin¡¯ to you damn outsiders,¡± Obra snarled. He then whipped around and stormed off toward the dormitory, leaving the remaining four to stare after him.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m really sorry about him,¡± Liask apologized, turning back toward Pierce and bowing her head slightly. ¡°It¡¯s just, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°He does have a point, though,¡± Conrad remarked with a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re the outsiders here, trying to push our way in on your own traditions and events¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we chose to come here,¡± Pierce argued. ¡°It was the Nimalians who put us here! Why the hell shouldn¡¯t we take advantage of the opportunities that they¡¯ve given us?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, dude, you know that Pallan guy isn¡¯t affiliated with Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°It was still the Deans who put us here after listening to him. If anyone¡¯s at fault, it¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°Just blaming everyone but yourself, huh?¡± Minilas replied flatly.


    Pierce shot her an annoyed glare. ¡°And what¡¯s it to you? I¡¯m not wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­Eh.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Whatever. I never liked the ACT much, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I mean, your Chaotic ability is literally just summoning food out of thin air, right?¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Kinda hard to win a combat tournament with something like that, I¡¯d think.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Minilas offered a single nod of affirmation, and then fabricated a green stick into her hand that she immediately took a bite out of. ¡°¡­Still,¡± she spoke in between chewing, ¡°Liask is different.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Different¡¯ is puttin¡¯ it kinda strangely¡­¡± Liask replied with a sheepish laugh.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re signing up, then?¡± Pierce asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I always have. I haven¡¯t made it in yet, though, and I doubt I will this year, really. Maybe one day¡­¡± Liask sighed, and then shrugged. ¡°Well, the ACT isn¡¯t even in Nimaliaka this year, so it¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to visit Nimaliaka?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a little embarassin¡¯ to say,¡± Liask commented, adopting a bashful smile as she continued, ¡°but my namesake is in Nimaliaka. Mount Liask, the tallest mountain on the planet¡­ I always wanted to visit.¡±


    ¡°A real romantic,¡± Minilas remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve heard far worse reasons to want to go out and see the world,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°I¡¯m more of a plains and hills kind of guy, but mountains and mountain climbing are pretty cool, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Liask grinned in response, only to look away again as her expression relaxed into a sad smile. ¡°¡­Too bad I¡¯ll have to go alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Pierce¡¯s own expression hardened in response to her words, and he found himself suddenly unable to look her in the eye.


    Conrad and Minilas glanced between their two friends, watching as Pierce and Liask fell into an awkward silence. Eventually, a sly smirk appeared on Minilas¡¯s face; poking Liask¡¯s arm with her half-eaten stick, she commented, ¡°if you want someone to go with, you can always take the playboy, here.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Pierce exclaimed, his attention immediately shifting to Minilas. ¡°Playboy? What?!¡±


    ¡°Rumor is, you¡¯ve slept with a dozen women over the past month,¡± Minilas said.


    ¡°A dozen? Ha! If only I were actually that good. Try, uh¡­¡± Pierce paused for a moment to count out on his fingers. ¡°¡­Six or seven? I guess seven¡­¡±


    Conrad whistled. ¡°Over a single month? Damn, dude. And we haven¡¯t even been here the whole time!¡±


    ¡°Now if only any of them were up for a second date¡­¡± Pierce muttered. A second later, his eyes widened with realization and he snapped his attention back to Minilas. ¡°Wait! Rumors? What fucking rumors?!¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! You didn¡¯t know?¡± Liask grinned. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been talkin¡¯ about the two outsiders who¡¯re tryin¡¯ to sleep their way through the whole school. It¡¯s some kinda competition, right?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Pierce stared at her disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s¡­! Who fucking told everyone there was a competition? Was it Phoenix? I bet it was Phoenix, wasn¡¯t it!¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was just your weird behavior,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°Aw, man¡­ well it¡¯s no fucking wonder no one wants a second date with me, then. They all think I¡¯m just in some lame competition!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ you are,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°Hmph. Well, now that I know this, at least I can adapt my strategy, somehow¡­¡± Pierce crossed his arms and began stroking his chin, his eyes directed downward in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ maybe I should¡­ no, well¡­ hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Conrad commented flatly, eying Pierce for a moment before glancing toward Liask and Minilas. ¡°He¡¯ll be like this for a while.¡±


    ¡°Always the same with those competitive types,¡± Minilas said.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time we left, anyways,¡± Liask remarked. ¡°Our break is only so long¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I know how tough finals can be,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Good luck with those.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Liask nodded in acknowledgment, at which point she and Minilas turned toward the school building. Just before she left, however, Liask glanced back at Pierce, who was still absorbed in his thoughts. ¡°Good luck with that competition!¡± she remarked.


    ¡°¡ªHuh? Uh, right, thanks¡­¡± Pierce muttered, looking up just long enough to meet Liask¡¯s gaze and acknowledge her comment.


    Conrad glanced between the two of them, watching Liask¡¯s gaze linger for a second on Pierce before she turned to follow Minilas back into the building. Once the two women were out of earshot, Conrad elbowed Pierce in the side. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Pierce perked up, only to pass Conrad an annoyed look. ¡°What do you want? I¡¯m thinking, here.¡±


    ¡°You said you just want a relationship, right?¡± Conrad remarked, and then nodded toward the school building entrance that Liask had just disappeared into. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just thinking too hard.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Pierce followed Conrad¡¯s gaze for a moment, his expression filled with confusion while the cogs turned in his head ¡ª only to arrive at a realization a second later. As soon as he did, however, Pierce fixed Conrad with a serious look. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡±


    ¡°Really? ¡­Is it her scar? It is pretty big. Must¡¯ve really hurt when she got it.¡±


    ¡°No, you dumbass, I¡¯m not that shallow. To be honest, even with the scar, I think she¡¯s kinda cute. It¡¯s just¡­ there¡¯s just no way she¡¯d want me.¡±


    ¡°You sure, dude? Seems to me like she¡¯s going out of her way to talk to you.¡±


    A moment of silence passed as Pierce continued staring at Conrad, his expression unchanging. Eventually, he looked away and sighed. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know the full story, do you? Of how Liask and I know each other.¡±


    Conrad shrugged. ¡°I kinda thought that she was just one of your failed dates, but it sounds like you haven¡¯t even tried with her.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Pierce sighed again, running his hand through his hair as he idly looked around, as if searching for an answer to something.


    Upon seeing Pierce¡¯s distressed state, Conrad¡¯s own expression softened. He stiffened up his posture and adopted a serious look, commenting, ¡°hey, man¡­ if something¡¯s wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I should probably tell you eventually, might as well do it now¡­¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°You know how Phoenix and I went to a different planet over the summer? And how we told you about how we spent most of it hanging out with our mentor and our Nimalian Liaison?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember. Brik¨¦n and Trenon, right?¡±


    Pierce nodded. ¡°Right. And we told you about how we got stuck on Ainminthalus during the Chaos Quake.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Sounded like a real pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°It was. But¡­ we left something out of the story. See, on the night the Quake started, Phoenix and I were having dinner with Brik¨¦n and Trenon. But then, right before the Quake actually started, some Chaotic went berserk in the city.¡±


    Conrad opened his mouth to comment, only to think better of it and remain silent as Pierce himself paused, his expression growing darker.


    ¡°¡­Trenon was a Chaotic, you see,¡± Pierce eventually continued. ¡°A Velocitechnic, like me. So he went off to help stop the berserk Chaotic. Only¡­¡± A deep scowl formed on Pierce¡¯s face, but he didn¡¯t seem to be directing it at anything external. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t get out of the way in time. And Trenon had to come save my useless ass, and got hurt in the process. So hurt, in fact, that when he actually went to stop the berserk Chaotic, he¡­ died.¡±


    Silence dominated the air after that final word left Pierce¡¯s mouth. At a loss for words, Conrad simply looked away ¡ª though in the corner of his eye, he noticed Pierce grasping the side of his torso. ¡°¡­That¡­ kinda explains a lot, I guess,¡± Conrad spoke up a moment later, in an effort to break up the silence.


    Pierce nodded absentmindedly. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Though¡­ I still don¡¯t really get what this has to do with Liask¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. Well¡­ Trenon¡¯s full name was Trenon Rakos.¡±


    ¡°Rakos? ¡­Rakos¡­ wait, isn¡¯t that Liask¡¯s¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Liask shares his name, because he was her older brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Conrad nodded slowly in understanding. ¡°¡­Right. Huh. I guess that does make things a little complicated, huh¡­?¡±


    Pierce passed Conrad a bitter smile. ¡°Just a little.¡± He then looked down at his left hand, while his right remained clutching the side of his torso. ¡°¡­At the end of the day, I¡¯m the reason Liask¡¯s brother is dead, and she knows it. Any kind of relationship between us has no chance, because of that.¡±


    Conrad simply nodded along, completely lost for a response to any of Pierce¡¯s claims. While he had plenty of experience with hearing out Pierce¡¯s concerns, no matter how superficial or serious they were, this was the first time Pierce had brought up the subject of death ¡ª and what¡¯s more, a death that he clearly blamed himself for. ¡­Knowing Pierce, for him to actually take that kind of blame¡­ Conrad eyed Pierce warily. ¡­Whatever happened must have been¡­ rough. Too rough for me to help him with, probably. I bet what he needs right now is a distraction.


    With that, Conrad finally climbed to his feet, abandoning the warm bench to stand next to Pierce. ¡°Hey, man,¡± Conrad remarked, placing his hand on Pierce¡¯s shoulder as he looked his friend in the eye. ¡°Let¡¯s go do something.¡±


    Pierce returned Conrad¡¯s look, though with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. How about some training for the ACT, huh? The qualifiers are supposed to start next week, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Pierce responded hollowly, and then shook his head vigorously and pounded his chest. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± he exclaimed with renewed vigor. ¡°Fuck, what are we even doing here? Let¡¯s go get ready to kick some ass!¡±


    ¡°Heh. There we go¡­¡± Conrad smiled to himself as he watched Pierce march off toward the practice fields. He then released a weary sigh as he began following in Pierce¡¯s footsteps, muttering to himself the whole way. ¡°Oof, I just had to go and volunteer myself for physical activity, huh? You better thank me for this one day, Pierce¡­¡±

 V1 - A10 - Chapter 79: Value of Time and Allies

    NEW WORLD ¡ª EMBRACING ALLIES


    <hr>


    Chapter 79: Value of Time and Allies


    ¡ª Friday, December 9, AD 2129 ¡ª


    ¡°¡­Oh, Major. Hey.¡±


    Major Hackett paused, her hands stretched forward and wrapped around a gauss pistol pointed at a target sheet several meters downrange. Without turning her head, she glanced to the side, where she spotted Captain Travis setting up in an adjacent booth at the firing range. ¡°¡­Captain,¡± the Major acknowledged, and then fired another several bullets into her target. From the relatively short range of a couple dozen meters, she was easily able to center all of her shots on the chest area of the target outline.


    ¡°Hey, not bad,¡± Travis remarked, leaning over to peek over Hackett¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty good shot, Major.¡±


    ¡°Not nearly as good as you,¡± Hackett refuted, passing the Captain a glance as she lowered her pistol and ejected its now-empty magazine. Thanks to the fact that gauss weapons used electromagnetism to fire their bullets instead of chemical propellants, they were far more quiet than firearms when fired ¡ª to the point that hearing protection in a firing range wasn¡¯t necessary. This also allowed Hackett and Travis to easily converse with each other without leaving the range. Most firing ranges still had rules against prolonged conversations to encourage people to focus on handling the dangerous weapons in their hands, but at the moment, Hackett and Travis were the only ones present ¡ª and they were comfortable enough around each other that some friendly conversation between shots wasn¡¯t an issue. The International Space Defense Station Opportunity had a great many such ranges, after all.


    ¡°¡­Oh¡­ I¡¯m not that good,¡± Travis commented in response to Hackett¡¯s compliment. ¡°Well, with a sniper rifle, I am. But the shorter the ranges get, the worse my aim gets.¡± He sighed and shrugged. ¡°It feels like a real crapshoot, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®worse¡¯ is still better than most soldiers I¡¯ve ever worked with,¡± Hackett remarked as she passed him an annoyed look. ¡°Just take the compliment, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, sorry, Major.¡± Travis grinned sheepishly as he loaded bullets into a magazine like clockwork. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to run into you here, though. Working off some steam?¡±


    ¡°You could say that,¡± the Major replied. She picked up one of the loaded magazines on the small shelf in front of her and slotted it into her pistol; as she did a quick once-over of the weapon, she asked, ¡°you here for the same?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Nothin¡¯ like a good shooting session to work out some stress.¡±


    ¡°Stress, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Ever since we got back to Earth, yesterday, I¡¯ve been feeling kinda¡­ used.¡± Travis stopped for a second to look over at Hackett. ¡°You know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± The Major grunted in response. She then firmly grasped her pistol with both hands, raising it up to aim at the target downrange. After a couple seconds of adjusting her aim, she fired five times in quick succession, the bullets flying through the chest of the paper silhouette and impacting the protective energy shielding at the back of the range. Then, without missing a beat, she shifted her aim slightly upwards and fired five more bullets ¡ª this time, piercing the target silhouette¡¯s head in a close grouping near the center.


    Travis whistled in admiration. ¡°Pretty good shots, Major.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a non-moving target. If I couldn¡¯t do this much, then I wouldn¡¯t belong on a team like CSF-1,¡± Hackett responded. A deep exhale then escaped her lips as she set her pistol down and stepped back, watching Travis finally take aim with his own pistol and open fire ¡ª without even stopping to aim. Nevertheless, after releasing ten bullets downrange and into a fresh piece of target paper, all of his shots found their mark right on the bulls-eye on the target¡¯s chest. ¡°¡­And you say you aren¡¯t a good shot,¡± the Major remarked incredulously.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°But, going back to what you said earlier¡­¡± Hackett commented, crossing her arms as Travis lowered his own and glanced back at her, ¡°you¡¯re right. Everything about Operation New Dawn rubbed me the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Nice to know I¡¯m not alone, then,¡± Travis replied. ¡°Do you know if the Colonel thinks the same?¡±


    ¡°Knowing him, I think it¡¯s likely. As an associate of General Lead, Saito¡¯s never been fond of Commander Shepherd. I can¡¯t imagine him accepting that last mission willingly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now that you mention that¡­ it makes you think, huh?¡± the Captain responded as he turned back toward the range and aimed his gun again. He then began firing once every couple seconds or so, while still speaking, ¡°Shepherd knows that we usually take orders from Lead, right? And that Saito and Lead are close? Why¡¯d he want us for that operation, then?¡±


    ¡°¡­You must be showing off, now, Captain,¡± Hackett deadpanned, staring downrange at the target that Travis had been shooting while speaking ¡ª the target that now had two clean holes in the bulls-eyes on both its chest and head.


    ¡°Ah ha, sorry, didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°That aside¡­ I have a few ideas about what Shepherd wanted, and why we were put on the op¡­ none of them substantiated, though.¡±


    ¡°At least some kind of idea is better than nothin¡¯. What¡¯re you thinkin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That our assignment to Sunova was entirely political,¡± the Major asserted, her expression growing grim as Travis set his gun down and turned to face her fully. ¡°CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are two of the highest-profile infantry squads in SERRCom right now ¡ª hell, we might be the highest-profile squads period. I¡¯d be willing to bet that Lead handed us over to Shepherd for a mission to get Shepherd to shut up about something.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ still doesn¡¯t feel right, though. The whole op just seemed kinda¡­ pointless. That outpost didn¡¯t have a bombardment shield, after all. So why didn¡¯t Shepherd just have the Frigates scan the enemy outpost for its beam jammer, precision strike it from low orbit, and then beam up the remnants? I get that Shepherd wanted to recover as much of the Black Suns tech as possible, but some of our Frigates are capable of strikes with a precision of just one meter or so. They wouldn¡¯t have to obliterate the whole outpost¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree in general, but that outpost was fairly small. And don¡¯t forget that a precision of one meter doesn¡¯t include the blast radius, which is pretty sizable for even ¡®precision¡¯ strikes.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°That said, barring orbital strikes entirely was definitely overcautious. There¡¯s certainly another reason for a planetside raid, and I think you already know that reason, Captain: the Commander hates relying on the navy for anything. The fact that we even had Frigate backup in the first place is surprising, given his track record.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that he wanted the Ground Forces to be the ones to take the outpost?¡±


    Hackett nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see any other answer. That desire would match up with all the rhetoric he was spewing on Eana and Sunova, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Travis sighed warily. ¡°And thanks to that, two pilots, and three mechs¡­¡± He then looked back at Hackett. ¡°Was it just me, or did Shepherd¡¯s praise after the op sound hollow?¡±


    ¡°You mean when Saito brought up the casualties? I did think something of the same¡­¡± the Major admitted. ¡°In an objective sense, Shepherd is right; the fact that we only lost two soldiers during that op is nothing short of a miracle, especially given who we were up against. That said¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­The op didn¡¯t have to be ground-based in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. At the end of the day, those soldiers died because of Shepherd¡¯s ego and rhetoric¡­¡±


    Captain Travis responded with solemn silence, his gaze directed downward.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± Hackett spoke up again after a few moments of quiet, ¡°at least we can say now that we fought and won against opponents on the same skill and tech level as the Black Suns. That¡¯s something, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Even that feels weird to say, though¡­¡± Travis muttered. ¡°The Black Suns¡­ I mean, they¡¯re still a PMC in the end, but we worked with them before. And they¡¯re usually on the side of the galactic governments, right? It just feels weird to be fighting them like this. Or, I guess¡­ ¡®splinter forces¡¯, as the official reports say.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s like you said, Captain. They¡¯re a PMC. Mercenaries.¡± Hackett scowled. ¡°The likes of them are only ever after their own self-interest.¡±


    ¡°The Suns are a huge organization, though. And they¡¯re split into four separate entities, almost. They can¡¯t all be that bad, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are some misguided souls in the Suns who have good intentions, but at the end of the day, they all chose to be there.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but even that isn¡¯t entirely true, right? Especially for the Black Suns, who employ a lot of Chaotics. Those Chaotics have to serve in some military, as part of CSA and Nimalian law. And I think we both know that private jobs usually have better pay and better freedom than any government job.¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The Major crossed her arms and gave Travis a hard stare. ¡°¡­You¡¯re defending the Black Suns?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Travis chuckled nervously in response to Hackett¡¯s accusation. ¡°I guess it does look that way, huh¡­ still. Something about this whole situation with the Suns doesn¡¯t sit right. It¡¯s almost like¡­ hmm¡­¡± he trailed off uneasily, his brow furrowed in thought. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s probably nothing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never nothing when someone says that. What were you about to say?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well¡­ it just feels like the Black Suns as a whole aren¡¯t properly working together, or something. The Suns we fought on Sunova seemed completely different from the ones we worked with back in October, and all of them seem so different from Gavon¡­¡±


    ¡°Gavon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Gavon Sav¨¦nos. He¡¯s a Black Suns officer who showed up on Nimalia a few weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Hackett¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°What¡¯s he doing there?¡±


    ¡°He said he was just a guest instructor at WCU,¡± Travis replied. ¡°I already told Saito about him, and he hasn¡¯t been up to anything suspicious, as far as I can tell¡­¡±


    ¡°WCU? Isn¡¯t that one of those schools that¡¯re headed by the former members of Hero Machina? What the hell is a Black Suns officer doing there?¡±


    ¡°See what I¡¯m talking about? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. The Deans seem to trust the Suns, as does Nimalia. Why else would they let a Black Suns officer become a guest instructor? But the Nimalians don¡¯t strike me as the kind of people who would trust an organization that tries to steal research and territory from sovereign nations.¡±


    ¡°¡­Perhaps we just have a flawed understanding of the Nimalians.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ I can¡¯t speak for the Nimalian Union government, but the Deans ¡ª the former members of Hero Machina ¡ª they all seem like mostly respectable people. I can¡¯t see any of them supporting what the Suns did on Sunova.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Hackett frowned. ¡°¡­If we assume that¡¯s true, and that this Gavon is trustworthy ¡ª which seems like a flawed assumption, to me ¡ª then that likely means one of two things.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough¡­ what¡¯re you thinkin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°One, the four Sectors of the Suns know less about each other¡¯s activities than I¡¯d like to think¡­ or two, the forces we fought on Sunova really were a splinter group with no current Black Suns affiliation.¡±


    Travis sighed dejectedly. ¡°¡­I guess if you look at things objectively, that second one has to be true¡­¡±


    ¡°It does seem that way¡­ but it just doesn¡¯t feel right¡­ how would a splinter group have current and well-kept models of Black Suns mechs, armor, and weapons?¡±


    The Captain shrugged. ¡°Beats me. Man, though¡­ the Black Suns sure are causing us a lot of headaches lately, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Hackett muttered, stepping back up to her pistol and picking it up. ¡°¡­Not just them, either. Everything we¡¯ve been doing lately has been a headache.¡±


    ¡°I heard that your last couple missions were a real pain¡­¡± Travis commented, eying the Major as she took aim with her gun once more. ¡°But, hey, there¡¯s gotta be some leave on the horizon soon, right?¡±


    ¡°I try not to think about leave until I know we have it,¡± Hackett countered.


    ¡°Ha ha, good idea. Well¡­¡± Travis turned around to pick up his own gun. ¡°Let¡¯s at least hope that our next mission is a breeze, huh?¡±


    ¡°A breeze¡­¡± Hackett muttered, taking careful aim with her pistol before opening fire on the target. ¡°¡­If only¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, sir, how about that leave I mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± General Lead chuckled to himself as he looked Colonel Saito in the eye from across his desk in his office aboard the ISDS Opportunity. ¡°Straight to the point, I see.¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve brought this up yesterday if we didn¡¯t get back to Earth so late,¡± Saito declared, standing in front of the General despite the two open chairs next to the desk. With his hands in his pockets and his expression grim, the Colonel looked down on Lead from the middle of the office as he continued, ¡°sir¡­ you know as well as I do that Operation New Dawn was a farce.¡±


    ¡°Oh? The reports say quite the opposite, Colonel. A complete operational success, with minimal casualties. That¡¯s nothing to scoff at.¡±


    ¡°Respectfully, sir, the reports are meaningless. This op shouldn¡¯t have happened in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Lead maintained firm eye contact with Saito for several seconds, his expression unreadable. Eventually, however, the General breathed a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, allowing his gaze to drop from Saito¡¯s. ¡°On some level, you¡¯re correct, Colonel. If the only objective was reclaiming Sunova and evicting the Black Suns, then Operation New Dawn, as designed, was entirely unnecessary.¡±


    A displeased scowl formed on Saito¡¯s face. ¡°What other objective was there?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°One that I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll dislike,¡± the General replied with a bitter smile. ¡°One that I¡¯m sure you already know, in fact, whether or not you want to admit it.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. Politics?¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is what it boils down to.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that two of our soldiers and an entire ¡®splinter¡¯ Black Suns platoon died because of SERRCom¡¯s own internal politics?¡±


    ¡°Your concern for the deceased mech pilots, I can understand. But why the Black Suns? You¡¯ve never voiced such a concern any other time you fought and killed enemy combatants.¡±


    ¡°Never before was there an obvious alternative. I¡¯m stupid for not realizing this earlier, but there¡¯s no way that both you and Shepherd failed to realize that all the reports of the Black Suns outpost never mentioned a bombardment shield. The Suns are already entirely unable to detect our Frigates, so it would have cost us nothing to scan their outpost from orbit, locate the beam jammer, obliterate it with a well-placed, low-power bombardment round, and then beam up all of the Suns into CENT-field protected cells. No one dies, and we have even more leverage against the Black Suns than we do right now. And yet, I couldn¡¯t help but notice that the Frigates supporting the op weren¡¯t equipped with precision orbital strike weaponry. I can only assume that Shepherd did that on purpose¡­ and that you let him do it, all to justify a ground assault.¡± While still staring at the General, Saito mirrored Lead¡¯s bitter smile. ¡°But you¡¯re about to tell me that this isn¡¯t just about the Suns, aren¡¯t you? That the reason Operation New Dawn went through is because of your relationship with Shepherd.¡±


    ¡°Shrewd as ever, Colonel,¡± Lead replied. ¡°And at the same time¡­ for a military officer, Saito, you certainly can be soft.¡±


    ¡°Is that a criticism?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s because of this side of you that I picked you to raise and train the Eximius Vir.¡± The General paused to take a deep breath; Saito simply watched him in silence, not wanting to interrupt the explanation he knew was soon to come. And then, just as the Colonel expected, Lead began again to speak. ¡°You know well that Shepherd and I don¡¯t see eye-to-eye, Saito. He is focused far too much on Earth itself, and rejects the idea that the other civilizations of the galaxy have anything to offer us ¡ª or that they¡¯re anything other than rivals. He rejects the idea of cooperation for mutual benefit; he thinks that we¡¯re being exploited.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s made that a secret to no one,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why it¡¯s concerning. All of Earth knows his opinions on the matter, and still, many agree with him. Many nations agree with him. They hate the idea of Earth being the least-advanced homeworld of the galaxy, leading the smallest and weakest military in the galaxy, and they think that the solution to this is to hoard what few advantages we do have, in the hopes that we will eventually be able to get an upper hand on the likes of the CSA or the Nimalian Union. They think that we can do better in isolation than we can working with our allies.¡±


    ¡°So? Since when has SERRCom cared about public opinion? You sure as hell didn¡¯t when you conscripted the recruits.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ the truth is more complicated than that. It is true that the U.N.¡¯s appointment of the General of the Space Forces every 5 years has become a formality since 2110, when Jennifer Dowley demonstrated just how powerful SERRCom had become. But the appointment in 2125 was closer than you would think, Saito. The possibility of Shepherd becoming the General of the Space Forces was very real; I won out in the end, but I can¡¯t guarantee the same outcome next year.¡±


    Saito¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°What are you saying, General?¡±


    ¡°If Shepherd were to lead SERRCom, then the long-term results for Earth would be disastrous,¡± Lead declared. ¡°He¡¯d destroy all our alliances, and all the progress we¡¯ve made in establishing relationships with the nations and groups of the galaxy. I cannot allow that to happen. However, given his popularity, I can¡¯t simply discard him, either. The fact that most of the General Forces do genuinely like him certainly doesn¡¯t help. So, to keep him and his supporters placated, I have to throw him a bone every now and then ¡ª and that includes approving operations like Operation New Dawn, even when the Space Navy could get better results.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that two of our pilots died just because you don¡¯t want to look like you¡¯re playing favorites between Shepherd and Markovic?¡±


    ¡°It sounds trite when you state it that way, but I can¡¯t deny that¡¯s what it comes down to. You must understand, Saito: there isn¡¯t a single doubt in my mind that if Shepherd were to command the entirety of SERRCom, then there would be more casualties than two pilots ¡ª be they Earthian, or not.¡±


    ¡°And you think you¡¯re the best person to stop him?¡±


    ¡°There are a number of officers who would be good replacements eventually. Commander Markovic, for one. Admiral Nevaeh, Captain of the Carrier Earth, is another. But as of this moment, I am the only one with the popular support to oppose Shepherd, and I don¡¯t see that changing before the U.N. appoints the next General of the Space Forces next year.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Saito scowled, finally tearing his gaze away from Lead to glare off to the side. ¡°¡­There has to be a better way.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®better way¡¯ is to prove to the world that Shepherd is wrong: to prove that mutual cooperation is truly beneficial to SERRCom and Earth,¡± Lead asserted. ¡°And for that, I¡¯d like your assistance, Colonel. You and your team, both.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to butter me up. Not after that conversation,¡± Saito muttered. ¡°If you want something done, then I¡¯ll do it, so long as it really is for the betterment of SERRCom. I¡¯ll acknowledge that Operation New Dawn might fit that criteria¡­ for now. But consider this entire conversation to be my formal complaint, sir. I¡¯d prefer to never see another farce like Operation New Dawn ever again.¡±


    The General sagely bowed his head. ¡°I understand, Colonel. And thank you for hearing me out and sticking with me this far.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ now, how about that leave? I¡¯m feeling used, and I could tell that the rest of the team has been feeling the same. If we could at least get the week of Christmas off, it would do wonders for our spirits.¡±


    ¡°Heh, it is that time of year, isn¡¯t it. Well, Saito, as luck would have it, there is indeed time to grant CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir some leave¡­ albeit, with a caveat.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Leave, with a caveat¡¯ doesn¡¯t sound like leave, sir.¡±


    ¡°There will still be time for you to relax, Saito. The short of it is thus: SERRCom has been invited to meet with the NSD during a military summit on Nimalia. The meeting is set to take place on Aldredath 31st ¡ª or December 26th, on our calendars. I¡¯d like you and CSF-1 to represent us. You¡¯d leave for Nimalia this upcoming Monday, spending time in Compound Tresnon for the days until the meeting. You can use that intervening time however you please.¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­¡± Saito muttered, and then sighed wearily. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s hard to argue with nearly two weeks of free time. But, on Nimalia, huh?¡±


    ¡°I really am sorry, Saito, but this summit was sprung on us short-notice. You¡¯re the best man I have right now. Not to mention¡­ I¡¯ve been hearing some concerning reports out of Compound Tresnon and the school there. I¡¯d like you to also check on the recruits and verify that it really is safe for them to remain there.¡±


    ¡°Oof. Even our ¡®leave¡¯ turns into a mission. Though I suppose it¡¯s always been this way¡­ alright, General, I¡¯ll take it. But I¡¯d still like some actual vacation time, soon.¡±


    ¡°I fully understand, Colonel, and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°¡¯You¡¯ll see¡¯, you say. Oi, oi, oi¡­ the price we pay for being SERRCom¡¯s highest-profile spec ops team¡­¡±


    ¡°It is as you say. You¡¯re more valuable to SERRCom than you might think.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust those words when I see some real vacation time and a nice, fat paycheck. In the meantime¡­¡± Saito began to turn toward the office¡¯s exit. ¡°Anything else, sir?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have for you, Saito.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ well, then.¡± The Colonel grabbed the doorknob and threw open the office door, after which he quickly strode through it. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, General.¡±

 V1 - A10 - Chapter 80: A Leave of Work

    NEW WORLD ¡ª EMBRACING ALLIES


    <hr>


    Chapter 80: A Leave of Work


    ¡°Finally! We¡¯re all back at home, and together again! Yay!¡±


    Mark chuckled in response to Danielle¡¯s excited exclamation, watching her with a smile from across the cafeteria table. ¡°I haven¡¯t been gone for that long,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that this entire past month,¡± Mote deadpanned. ¡°Nothing will stop Danielle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like she¡¯s just a small puppy with separation anxiety,¡± Kate remarked as she passed Danielle a teasing smirk.


    ¡°Aw¡­ c¡¯mon, guys,¡± Danielle responded with a pout. ¡°I¡¯m just happy to see everyone¡­¡±


    Mark briefly glanced to Mote, sitting beside him, and then at Kate, who sat next to Danielle and across the table from Mote as the four ate dinner aboard the space station Opportunity. The food itself was nothing to write home about, but Mark still couldn¡¯t help but smile. He reached across the table to tenderly pat Danielle¡¯s head, saying, ¡°don¡¯t worry, Danielle. I¡¯m glad to see you, too.¡±


    ¡°Yay! I knew it!¡± Danielle grinned as she leaned into his head pats.


    Kate, meanwhile, shook her head in disbelief. ¡°So fuckin¡¯ sappy¡­¡±


    ¡°That is Danielle, for you,¡± Mote pointed out. ¡°Besides, she does have a point. It¡¯s nice to be able to all eat together, again, even if it¡¯s only been a month and a half since we last did.¡±


    ¡°A month and a half it may have been, but it¡¯s felt like so much longer,¡± Mark said. ¡°So much has been happening, both on my end and yours.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ remind me¡­¡± Kate scowled as she talked around the food in her mouth. ¡°So much shit to study, and so many fucking missions, and still, not a single damn breakthrough¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s a shame¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember you said you didn¡¯t like how we were losing a lot¡­¡± Danielle said. ¡°¡­But, hey! At least we won that last mission, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I still only got to fight so much,¡± Kate countered. ¡°Not to mention the bullshit directive to keep the outpost intact. I can¡¯t let fuckin¡¯ loose if I have to worry about collateral damage!¡±


    ¡°You should always be aware of collateral damage,¡± Mote declared. ¡°Especially with an explosive ability like yours.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, what-fucking-ever. Still, though. That mission¡­¡± Kate trailed off, her attention directed downward as she idly poked at her food with her fork. After a second¡¯s pause, she looked up at the rest of the group, a serious look on her face. ¡°Am I the only one who thought it felt off?¡±


    ¡°¡­How do you mean?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°Like we were used, or something.¡±


    ¡°Used?¡± Danielle echoed in confusion.


    ¡°Yeah. Just fuckin¡¯ think about it,¡± Kate insisted. ¡°That outpost didn¡¯t have a bombardment shield. SERRCom has Frigates that can orbitally bombard a target as precise and small as a meter across from LEO ¡ª we could¡¯ve sent two of those instead of the stupid-ass toothless support Frigates that we got, and they could¡¯ve taken out the fucking beam jammer and all of the outpost¡¯s defenses on their own. So why the hell were we there?¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯ve been wondering that, as well¡­¡± Mark replied. ¡°I thought it was just me, though.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that hadn¡¯t even occurred to me,¡± Danielle remarked, and then glanced toward Mote. ¡°Did you notice?¡±


    Mote looked up at Danielle, his expression unreadable. He remained thoughtfully silent for another couple seconds before commenting, ¡°¡­no matter how we feel about it, the fact is that we contributed to a significant SERRCom victory. I think that¡¯s something to be proud of.¡±


    ¡°Figures Mr. Goody-Goody two-shoes would say that,¡± Kate deadpanned.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s just your irreverence for authority that has you feeling ¡®used¡¯,¡± Mote shot back. ¡°Commander Shepherd specifically asked for us for Operation New Dawn. We should appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll appreciate it the same fucking way I appreciate a knot in my back.¡±


    ¡°What?! This is a member of High Command we¡¯re talking about¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­¡± Mark quickly interjected, adopting a sheepish smile as he placed a hand on Mote¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Arguing about this now won¡¯t get us anywhere. Let¡¯s just enjoy dinner.¡±


    Kate and Mote both stared at Mark for a second, and then exchanged bitter glances. ¡°¡­Fine,¡± Mote eventually conceded. ¡°I can drop it. For now.¡±


    ¡°¡¯For now¡¯, he says,¡± Kate muttered under her breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on, but¡­¡± Danielle looked at each of Mote and Kate. ¡°We at least have that mission to thank for bringing us all back together, right?¡±


    ¡°Ever the fucking optimist¡­¡±


    ¡°The mission is over with, anyways. There¡¯s no point in talking about it further,¡± Mote insisted.


    ¡°Well, if you say so,¡± Danielle replied warily, only to then grin ear-to-ear as she remarked, ¡°but if talking about the future is fair game, then how about our next mission, huh? Have you guys heard about where we¡¯re going?!¡±


    ¡°What? Another mission? Fucking, already?!¡± Kate exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Well, ¡®mission¡¯ in quotes,¡± Mark replied. ¡°I was with Danielle when we ran into the Colonel earlier, and he said that we¡¯re all going to Nimalia for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°¡­Nimalia?¡± Mote echoed, his brow furrowing. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter why?¡± Danielle countered. ¡°We¡¯re gonna get to see Nimalia! Do you know how much cool stuff there is to see, there?! Mark, tell him!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Mark laughed uneasily as he found himself trapped between Danielle¡¯s enthusiasm and Mote¡¯s obvious frustration. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve only been to a couple of places on Nimalia, myself. There¡¯s still plenty I haven¡¯t seen.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re going for a fucking sight-seeing trip, huh?¡± Kate questioned.


    ¡°Only sort of. Saito mentioned something about a military summit that he¡¯d have to go to, and that the General wants us to investigate the safety of Compound Tresnon ¡ª the town that the Keys are staying at.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Keys¡¯?¡± Mote echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah¡­¡± Mark smiled sheepishly. ¡°It¡¯s just a convenient shorthand. It¡¯s better than calling them ¡®the recruits¡¯ all the time, I think.¡±


    ¡°I think it sounds kinda cool,¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s an example of everything that¡¯s wrong with this whole situation,¡± Mote countered irately. ¡°That term comes from those supposed ¡®prophecies¡¯ that the Nimalians used as a justification to steal our recruits from us.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, and I thought I had some hot takes,¡± Kate replied. ¡°Angry, much?¡±


    ¡°That phrasing is dishonest, anyways,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°You know that SERRCom agreed to this, Mote. The Nimalians didn¡¯t force us to do anything. Or are you questioning General Lead¡¯s judgment?¡±


    ¡°¡­!¡± Mote¡¯s mouth hung partially open, as he had been about to start a reply before Mark¡¯s final comment. In response to that, however, was only silence.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Kate snorted in amusement. ¡°Good job using that stick up his ass against him, Mark!¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like it¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°I think I understand where you¡¯re coming from, Mote¡­ but I think you should give the Nimalians a chance,¡± Mark suggested. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, the Nimalians that the Keys are learning from don¡¯t seem to think that the prophecy is real, either. The only one using it to make decisions is Pallan.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear that the Nimalians aren¡¯t all fuckin¡¯ idiots, then,¡± Kate remarked, and then sighed wistfully. ¡°It would figure that the only damn way we get a break is by visiting an alien fucking planet, though. Damn. At least it¡¯s something.¡±


    ¡°I agree, it isn¡¯t really ideal¡­¡± Mark admitted, ¡°but I think it¡¯ll be enjoyable. At the very least, I might get a chance to show you guys the giant tree forest I saw in Rel¨¦diaka. And¡ª oh!¡± His expression immediately lit up as he looked eagerly between the other three. ¡°Now that I think about it, we should be on Nimalia for their Hunger¡¯s Bane holiday! That should be fun!¡±


    ¡°Hunger¡¯s Bane? That sounds fun!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°What is it? It sounds like a feast!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it is. From what I¡¯ve heard, it originally started as a sort of harvest celebration, so expect there to be lots of good food.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to Mark to be excited about the fucking food event,¡± Kate retorted, though she wore a grin as she did. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re cooking, then that¡¯s something to look forward to, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ something¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    Mark passed a quick glance toward Mote, only to find the latter glaring down at his mostly finished dinner. Before Mark could attempt to address him, however, his attention was dragged back to Danielle.


    ¡°What have you heard about Hunger¡¯s Bane?¡± she questioned eagerly, leaning forward over the table toward Mark. ¡°What about other holidays? What kind of stuff do the Nimalians celebrate? Where do they go? What kind of sights are there to see?!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, slow the fuck down,¡± Kate insisted. ¡°I¡¯m not the one you¡¯re asking and even I¡¯m overwhelmed!¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! Well¡­¡± Mark chuckled in amusement, and then side-eyed Mote once more. The Electrotechnic had adopted a neutral expression and resumed eating, his attention drifting across the cafeteria in which they sat. For a second, Mark thought to try and address Mote¡¯s obvious wariness, but then he thought better of it; Mote¡¯s trepidation could be addressed at a latter date, in a more private venue. With that, Mark returned his attention to Danielle, and began attempting to answer her barrage of questions. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ what have I heard about Hunger¡¯s Bane? Not a whole lot, but, hmm, according to Kar¨ªsah¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh, Kirstin, you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin meekly replied, glancing toward Scott and Sarah on the other side of the lab before scurrying to her own workstation in the back. ¡°Just, um¡­ ch-checking some things¡­¡±


    ¡°What a hard worker!¡± Scott remarked, casually leaning back in his seat as he eyed his daughter. ¡°CSF-1 just returned yesterday, and you¡¯re already back on research!¡±


    ¡°Reminds me of a certain someone I know,¡± Sarah replied cheekily.


    ¡°Ah, same to ye, lass,¡± Scott retorted. ¡°Anyways, Kirstin, what¡¯re ye workin¡¯ on? The data from that Black Suns splinter group ye fought on Sunova?¡±


    ¡°¡­Y-yeah.¡± Kirstin nodded once, though never looked up as she began hooking up a couple of hard drives to her machine. ¡°Had to, uh, s-sanitize the drives, first, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡± Scott nodded sagely. ¡°Always have tae be careful when workin¡¯ with foreign computers. Never know when they¡¯ll spring something unsightly on ye.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something to be especially cautious of with the Black Suns,¡± Sarah commented. ¡°Few organisations in the galaxy are as protective of their data and information as the Suns. Even if the group on Sunova was just a splinter force, I¡¯d expect them to be just as cautious.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± Kirstin muttered in reply. She knew Sarah¡¯s statement to be true; beyond simply encrypting their information, the Black Suns were known for installing special programs on their hardware that would hijack or otherwise sabotage any unauthorized systems that they connected to. Knowing this, Kirstin had taken special steps to defuse the digital bombs on the two Black Suns hard drives she had with her ¡ª a process that had taken her all day. And now she still needed to find a way to decrypt the drives before she could actually access any of the Black Suns data. Fortunately, the SERRCom forces had managed to recover a couple of wholly intact computers from the outpost, which rapidly sped up the process of defusing and decrypting all of the recovered hard drives¡­ but even so, there was an entire rack of drives for Kirstin to work through. It would take several weeks ¡ª perhaps even months ¡ª of work before she could even begin to look at any of the Black Suns¡¯ data.


    ¡°Really is a pain, huh¡­¡± Scott said, putting voice to Kirstin¡¯s own thoughts. ¡°I understand some of the recovery work found one of the Suns¡¯ computers in a vulnerable state, which let us peak intae at least some of what they had¡­ but gettin¡¯ the rest intae a good state for research will be hard.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯m sure Kirstin can handle it,¡± Sarah proclaimed, passing Kirstin a welcoming smile as she did.


    ¡°Wha-what¡­?¡± The Researcher simply stared back, her eyes wide and expression blank in response to Sarah¡¯s claim. ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m not that, um¡­g-good¡­¡±


    ¡°Ach, don¡¯t sell yourself short!¡± Scott countered. ¡°A task like this will nae be tae much for a daughter o¡¯ mine!¡± He then frowned and began stroking his scruffy goatee, his eyes turned down in thought. ¡°Makes it unfortunate that you¡¯ll be gone for a few weeks¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Y-you¡¯ve¡­ heard, then¡­?¡±


    ¡°That CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are going to Nimalia? That we have,¡± Sarah said. ¡°Kate mentioned it when she swung through here earlier. You just missed her, actually.¡±


    ¡°And when ye gae, ye cannae take any sensitive or confidential work with ye¡­¡± Scott muttered. ¡°That¡¯ll cut down on what ye can work on¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll have other things to worry about, you old workaholic,¡± Sarah retorted. ¡°If anything, this is a chance to see one of the galactic Homeworlds! This is a good chance, Kirstin. You should go sight-seeing!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin briefly glanced up at Sarah before lowering her gaze back to her workstation. ¡°M-maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°I ¡®ave heard there¡¯s some good sights tae see¡­¡± Scott mused. ¡°Suppose you¡¯re right, Sarah. Ye should enjoy yourself, Kirstin!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kirstin grunted noncommittally in response. A moment later, however, she stopped working and allowed her attention to drift over to Scott, who by then had turned back toward his own workstation. ¡­Alright, Kirstin, come on. If you¡¯re going to ask, it¡¯s now or never! What¡¯s the worst he can say, anyways? ¡®No¡¯? Well, maybe he could be disgusted. That would be¡ª no, Kirstin, come on, Dad¡¯s never been disgusted about anything! Visibly, at least. But, what if¡ª I mean, he spends so much time at work, so much so that he left me and Mom behind, so, maybe¡­ n-no, Kirstin, that can¡¯t be right¡ª!


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Eek¡ª!¡± Kirstin yelped in surprise, jumping in her seat before whirling around to stare wide-eyed at Sarah ¡ª who had crossed the lab to quietly address Kirstin from next to her workstation. ¡°N-n-no! N-nothing!¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to startle you,¡± Sarah said, a sheepish smile forming on her face as she held her hands out in front of her, as if to make herself appear harmless. She passed a glance over at Scott, who was still working, before turning back to Kirstin. Leaning in, Sarah lowered her voice and said, ¡°is it something about Scott?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? ¡­H-how¡­?¡±


    ¡°You were staring at him,¡± Sarah replied, and then smirked in amusement. ¡°You were staring so hard that you didn¡¯t even notice me approach, in fact. Did something happen between you two?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ w-well¡­¡± Kirstin muttered, her gaze diverted as she timidly poked her fingers together. More like something HASN¡¯T happened¡­


    ¡°¡­Well, I won¡¯t claim to know what your relationship with Scott is like,¡± Sarah eventually spoke up after Kirstin failed to continue her own thought, ¡°but I do know that Scott can be a bit dense at times. Not to mention a workaholic. I mean, we all are, here, and we all know that, but he can take it a little far at times.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Personally, I think the man could use a break. I bet you were thinking the same, weren¡¯t you? A little father-daughter outing, perhaps, what with this trip you¡¯re about to go on?¡±


    ¡°U-um¡ª! W-well¡­ s-sort of¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Well, you should say so, then! I think he¡¯d be more likely to consider it, if it came from you.¡±


    ¡°¡­I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Kirstin hunched over in her seat, her head bowed to a point where her bangs completely hid her face from Sarah. ¡°He¡­ ¡­he d-doesn¡¯t usually, um, l-listen to me¡­¡±


    Sarah responded with silence. Kirstin couldn¡¯t see what kind of expression she was making ¡ª but an audible sigh did escape the Senior Researcher¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­I was afraid of that,¡± Sarah eventually replied. ¡°But knowing Scott, I doubt he really means to. And, hey, there¡¯s no harm in at least asking. Right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Slowly, Kirstin turned her head to look up at her colleague, only to find Sarah offering a warm smile. ¡­What? Why is she¡­? Why is she even bothering with me? Getting this kind of advice from her, of all people, too¡­ Sarah, why are you¡­ why are you so¡ª?


    Before Kirstin¡¯s thoughts could finish, however, Sarah had turned toward Scott and raised her voice to shout across the lab. ¡°Oi, Scott! There¡¯s something Kirstin wants to ask you!¡±


    ¡°Wha-what?!¡± Kirstin spluttered out, glancing frantically between Sarah and her father, who turned halfway around in his chair to look back at the two women.


    ¡°Well, look at ye lasses, gettin¡¯ along,¡± Scott remarked with a grin. He then shifted his attention to Kirstin, saying, ¡°it¡¯s nae often ye ask me for somethin¡¯! What dae ye need?¡±


    ¡°Uh, uh, um¡­!¡± Frantic unease filled the young Researcher¡¯s expression, unease that she attempted to hide by ducking behind her computer monitor. ¡°W-well¡­!¡± she managed to squeak out, ¡°s-since, um, since CSF-1 is g-going to N-Nimalia, I-I thought that, um¡­ w-well, y-you probably haven¡¯t had, um, a b-break in a while, so, uh¡­ w-well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, dinnae tell me ye are askin¡¯ me to come along with ye?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­ k-kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Scott exclaimed, a grin overtaking his face as he spun his chair around to face Kirstin¡¯s workstation head-on. A second later, however, his grin receded into a mere sheepish smile. ¡°Ach¡­ I dunnae, Kirstin. I have a lot of work tae dae, even over the holidays. Might even have tae work through Christmas! Ha ha! Ach¡­¡±


    Is that the only day in December that matters to you¡­? Kirstin thought warily, but didn¡¯t dare to speak the question aloud.


    Sarah, however, responded to Scott¡¯s claim by shaking her head in disappointment. ¡°You can¡¯t be bloody serious, Scott. You can¡¯t have that much work!¡±


    ¡°Ach, it¡¯s nothin¡¯. I¡¯ve worked Christmas before. Ye have, tae! Remember last year?¡± Scott chuckled to himself. ¡°We had a grand ol¡¯ time with the bevs in the lab, remember?¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Kirstin muttered as she passed a timid glance toward Sarah. ¡°Y-you spent Christmas t-together¡­?¡±


    ¡°Only as colleagues, and because he refused to put down his work,¡± Sarah insisted. ¡°Scott¡­ you really do work too bloody much. You really should take a break.¡±


    ¡°Ach, maybe. Even if I dae, though¡­¡± Scott glanced at Kirstin sheepishly. ¡°¡­Ach, ye dinnae want ye old man draggin¡¯ ye down. Ye¡¯ll have more fun without me.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­¡± Kirstin started, eying her father uneasily. ¡°W-well¡­ ¡­I, um, g-going to Nimalia isn¡¯t, um, s-super important to me, so, uh¡­ i-if you have that much work, then, um, m-maybe I could, um¡­ t-try and c-convince the Colonel to, uh, l-let me stay behind, and, uh¡ª?¡±


    ¡°And help? Nae, I cannae allow that!¡± Scott declared. ¡°What kind of a father would I be if I foisted my work ontae my own daughter? One lousy lad I¡¯d be, ah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ha ha, um, r-right¡­¡± Kirstin forced a laugh in response to Scott¡¯s own, though she hunched over in her chair, her head bowed to once again hide her expression behind her bangs. A second later, she glanced over at the two Black Suns hard drives on the desk next to her, at which point she quickly stood up and scurried past Sarah to the lab¡¯s exit. ¡°I-I, um, I¡¯m g-going to, uh, w-work on the other drives¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, good luck with that!¡± Scott called out to her as she left, though she had disappeared through the door before he could even finish his sentence. ¡°¡­Huh. That was fast.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, Scott¡­¡± Sarah left Kirstin¡¯s workstation to approach Scott¡¯s, shaking her head in disbelief the entire time. ¡°You bloody dunce.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± The Director looked up at her cluelessly. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s not my place to say. But let¡¯s just say that these past few months have given me a lot of insight into how your life has ended up the way it has.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, watch with those ominous words, lass! I might start tae think ye¡¯re plottin¡¯ against me! Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°That would certainly be a shame, wouldn¡¯t it. Anyways. We were discussing the Raenaros earlier, right? Something about its CCS?¡±


    ¡°Ach, yes, that¡¯s right! See, I was lookin¡¯ earlier, and¡­¡±


    With that, the two began again to discuss their work, paying no heed to the clocks as they marched ever onward through the evening.

 V1 - Arc 11: A Source of Chaos - Chapter 81: Key Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 11 ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 81: Key Arrival


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Isdia, Aldredath 16, 8054 ¡ª


    (Sunday, December 11, AD 2129)


    ¡°Ngh¡­ mornin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Morning?¡± Kaon¨¦ echoed, an amused grin upon her face as she watched Austin and Spike descend a set of stairs in front of her. ¡°My, someone sure seems tired.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Austin drawled in response, ¡°what makes you say that.¡±


    ¡°Well, the fact that it isn¡¯t even morning anymore, for starters.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡± A tired groan escaped Austin¡¯s lips as he looked up at the skylights in the ceiling, and the early afternoon sun that hung above them. With eyes squinted due both to bright light and exhaustion, Austin slowly swept his gaze across his surroundings. He and Spike were now standing in the lobby of a hotel, having just left their room; marble walls encased the lobby, contributing to a grand, historic feel that the heavy and intricate wooden furniture throughout the room reinforced. A handful of well-manicured indoor plants adorned the corners of the room and parts of the walls, while off to the side of the lobby was a stout wooden table with a glass top, around which a handful of wooden stools were installed. Twy, Sky, Phoenix, and Conrad were already sitting upon them, with Conrad resting his head on the top of the table while the three women engaged in lethargic conversation. Pierce and Kestrel stood off to the side, Pierce leaning on the wall behind Conrad and Kestrel standing beside Phoenix as they both idly looked around the room.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re the last ones up¡­¡± Spike muttered as he took stock of the situation.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, without an ounce of the morning tiredness that all of the Earthians ¡ª even Pierce ¡ª were displaying. ¡°I can see you all don¡¯t travel much.¡±


    ¡°Never had to worry about this much jetlag before,¡± Austin grumbled.


    ¡°Well, Anika is nine hours ahead of Compound Tresnon. I can certainly see how that would mess with your internal clocks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Spike slowly nodded, only to have his attention drawn to the side as Sky began waving him over.


    ¡°Finally! Y¡¯all are awake!¡± Sky exclaimed impatiently, watching as Austin, Spike, and Kaon¨¦ all approached the table. ¡°Geez, just how long did you need to sleep?!¡±


    ¡°You slept in, too,¡± Twy pointed out.


    ¡°We all slept in,¡± Phoenix said, her voice filled with the tired croaking of someone who had just awoken. ¡°Shit, even Pierce is tired.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pierce scowled and scratched his head. ¡°Wish I could argue¡­ but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s my fault. We left Tres¨¦d yesterday morning, flew for only three hours, and then landed in the middle of the night!¡±


    ¡°And then we immediately booked into this hotel¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, leaning forward to rest her chin on the tabletop. ¡°By the time I was able to go to sleep, dawn was already on its way in¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha. Well, I did warn you,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, her amused grin settling into a mere smile as she planted her hands on her hips and looked at each of the Earthians. ¡°Riverana ¡ª and specifically its capital city, Anika ¡ª is almost halfway around the globe from Compound Tresnon. The time difference is undeniably vast.¡±


    ¡°I get that we¡¯re here for business and stuff,¡± Sky replied, ¡°and that the ¡®business¡¯ is apparently so important that we didn¡¯t even wait for Luke or Mark to get back¡­ but I can¡¯t wait to see the city! I¡¯ve never even been to Riverana before!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right. We did arrive at night, so I suppose you all haven¡¯t yet had a chance to see the city and the falls proper,¡± Kaon¨¦ mused.


    ¡°Falls?¡± Twy echoed. ¡°As in waterfalls?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ chuckled to herself before gesturing for the group to follow her up a set of stairs across the lobby. ¡°Let¡¯s go have some lunch in the outdoor dining area. You¡¯ll see what I¡¯m talking about there.¡±


    ¡°Lunch¡­¡± Austin muttered, and then sighed in resignation. He glanced back at the table ¡ª just long enough to see Pierce shake Conrad awake, and Sky bounce past to join Spike ¡ª before turning around himself and sluggishly trudging across the lobby and up the stairs.


    ¡°Tired, much?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Austin retorted, his tone flat. He then passed Twy an annoyed glance as she fell into step beside him. ¡°Like you¡¯re any better. I see those bags under your eyes.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Twy frowned and immediately began rubbing her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything in the mirror when I woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡± An amused smirk spread across Austin¡¯s face. ¡°Who¡¯s the tired one, now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up¡ª¡°


    ¡°Woooooowww! SIS! Come look at this!!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Sky saw somethin¡¯ cool,¡± Austin deadpanned.


    ¡°Well, I suppose that is Nimalia¡­ for¡­ you¡­¡± Twy began, but trailed off as she and Austin stepped through an open doorway and onto a large balcony with solid wooden flooring. On both sides of the balcony were small fountains, running water down the sides of the building and through a shining white trough that ran around the balcony¡¯s exterior. A number of sturdy tables filled the balcony itself, all surrounded by similarly sturdy ¡ª yet light enough to easily move ¡ª wooden chairs. Despite the numerous tables, Kaon¨¦ and the Earthians were the only ones present, allowing them to bask in the serene sound of flowing water from the nearby water features while they took in the full view of the city of Anika ¡ª and the massive river and beautiful set of waterfalls around which it was built.


    From the elevation of the hotel, a truly massive river could be seen flowing into the city from the east, and then splitting up around a handful of rock formations and large marble structures. Indeed, the city of Anika was built around, in, and over the river, with several of its bright white stone buildings finding their foundations in the riverbed below, while wide bridge-streets stretched like webs over the water¡¯s surface. The buildings didn¡¯t reach high into the sky in the same manner as Ilia on Sikalia, or Alus on Ainminthalus; most of them seemed to top out at seven or eight stories. But that relatively short height did little to diminish the impact of their gleaming white marble construction with gently sloping contours, adorned with the greenery of vines, shrubbery, and small trees ¡ª trees that added in dashes of red, yellow, and orange, as they heralded the autumnal season of Riverana. Water features were also prevalent around all of the buildings in the city, eventually guiding Austin¡¯s eyes back to the river below, and to the series of incredible waterfalls that it fed into.


    Five waterfalls, each nearly half a kilometer in width by Austin¡¯s guess, made up the majority of the falls that he could discern. The falls themselves had carved a crescent into the towering cliff on which Anika was built, arcing eastward along a north-south axis; the hotel was built on the south side of the crescent, allowing Austin to clearly see the falls on the north side, as well as the massive cliff face that surrounded them. Where the falls dropped into, however, remained completely out of sight ¡ª what little Austin could see of the world below the tops of the waterfalls suggested that it must have been several hundred meters down, if not an entire kilometer. A wide river could be seen winding into the distance, and an autumnal forest flanked the river on both sides, suggesting that the world below was covered in lush forest ¡ª but the actual bottom of the falls was blocked from view.


    Magnificent height and size were far from the only striking aspects of the falls, however. Built right on the edge of the falls, in the middle of the center-most waterfall, was a large marble palace, consisting of grand arches and open terraces that almost seemed Roman in appearance, if not for the occasional silver metal reinforcement that added a sleek modern contour ¡ª accented by vines and gently sloping water features. The palace parted the waterfall and extended partway over the edge, making the building appear as though it might topple over the falls if given a slight push; yet its grand construction seemed remarkably stable, nonetheless. It was far from the only building on the waterfall¡¯s edge, as well ¡ª many smaller marble structures adorned the massive waterfalls: buildings, statues, terraces, and plazas alike created small parts in the falls, or were built on the slim dry islands between the falls, or were even placed into the cliff edge below the top of the waterfall, visible to the outside world only through the ever-falling curtain of water in front of them.


    Trees, shrubs, vines, and other greenery dotted the city of Anika, much like all other Nimalian cities ¡ª but unlike the others, Anika was clearly dominated by water and marble, both of which seemed to stretch out to the eastern horizon as far as Austin could see. The occasional hill or large tree would break up the cityscape, and the edges of a forest could be seen in the distance, but little else could match the sheer magnificence of the river, the waterfalls, and the city that was built upon and around them.


    ¡°¡­It really is amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Austin briefly glanced back at Kaon¨¦, and then to his side, where the rest of the Earthians were staring, slack-jawed, at the view. It was only at that moment that he realized they had all gone silent in response to the massive falls and city before them.


    Eventually, Pierce cut through the silence with an amazed whistle. ¡°Damn. This is hella cool.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing I¡¯ll agree with you on,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°I guess waking up might¡¯ve been worth it, for this¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you all can enjoy these sights,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, stepping up to join the Earthians as they leaned on the balcony railing. Just below them, trees sporting the colors of fall lined a well-kept street, that itself ran between a number of gently curving marble buildings. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get to come to Riverana often,¡± the Dean continued after a second of admiring the sights herself, ¡°but when I do, I always make sure to stay here. The view of the falls from here is one of the best, without breaking the bank.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Even you have to worry about money, huh?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just make money?¡± Sky pointed out. ¡°Like, literally. You can control matter!¡±


    ¡°Fabricating money out of thin air is a poor idea, for many reasons,¡± Kaon¨¦ countered. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do to abuse my Chaotic ability like that.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Chaotic abilities¡­¡± Twy said, while still staring out over the falls, ¡°¡­a city on the edge of waterfalls, like this¡­ I bet it needs Chaotics to keep it safe, right?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a smart observation, Twy. You¡¯re right, the city of Anika has historically used both Hydro- and Geotechnics to maintain the integrity of the buildings near the waterways, as well as to prevent the waterfalls from eroding the cliff. Fun fact: the Anika Falls have receded by less than a meter over the past thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Whoa! That actually is a fun fact!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    Twy nodded. ¡°It really is impressive.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°The city¡¯s added a variety of energy shielding, anti-gravity generators, and other technologies over the years to help fight erosion, but at the end of the day, the city¡¯s maintenance depends on Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Bet that backfired on them when the Chaos Quake hit,¡± Pierce pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ luckily, the structures of Anika are sturdy enough that they can go a year or two without maintenance, in a worst case scenario. But the new reality of the Chaos Quakes does make things troublesome¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed. ¡°I hear that the local government is already moving to decommission most of the Fall¡¯s Edge.¡±


    ¡°Well that sucks,¡± Spike responded with a frown. ¡°It all looks so cool¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you know what wouldn¡¯t be cool? Another Quake hitting, and the whole city eroding itself to pieces because Chaotics can¡¯t stop nature,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kaon¨¦ nodded in affirmation. ¡°Since we don¡¯t know for sure what causes Chaos Quakes, we can only assume that they¡¯re going to keep happening, and for random periods of time. The next one could last for a day, or it could last for ten years ¡ª we have no way of knowing. And as long as we assume that to be true, then cities like Anika aren¡¯t as safe as we thought, anymore. That¡¯s the sad reality¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Sky crossed her arms and scowled in disappointment. ¡°That really isn¡¯t cool¡­¡±


    ¡°But it hasn¡¯t happened yet,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°All those structures? They might be gone next year, or the year after, but they¡¯re still here right now.¡± A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face as he finished, ¡°so we had better make the most of this trip while we can!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re eager to see the city, and I did make time for us all to do so,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated, turning away from the balcony railing and approaching a nearby empty table. ¡°But the sight-seeing will have to wait. For now, we have an important meeting.¡±


    ¡°A meeting¡­?¡± Austin echoed cluelessly as he and the rest of the Earthians reluctantly followed Kaon¨¦¡¯s lead, and took seats at the table. ¡°¡­Wait, do you mean¡ª?¡±


    Interrupting Austin¡¯s question were the loud thuds of approaching footfalls. Just as the group turned to look back at the balcony entrance, four soldiers marched through, dressed in impeccable white longcoats with green trimming. Sewn onto their shoulders and upper chests were a variety of silver and golden insignia; their exact meaning was lost on the Earthians, but the fact that these soldiers were well-trained and highly capable came across through their demeanor alone. Without wasting a beat, the four soldiers fanned out across the balcony, taking up positions at each of the four corners and standing at stiff attention, as if keeping watch over the exterior world.


    ¡°Soldiers¡­?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Conrad mused, glancing between the two soldiers on the north side of the balcony. ¡°¡­I think I recognize that uniform¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, do you now?¡±


    The group turned back to look at the balcony entrance, where there now stood two more individuals. On the left and standing slightly in front was a thin man of average height, with a light complexion and sharp cheekbones. Short, graying hair covered his head, and on his face was a goaetee of similar coloring that tapered down into a point just above his collar bones. When coupled with the faint, yet still evident age lines on his face, he appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old. Everything about his face gave off the impression of a wizened elder, but the man¡¯s clothing seemed comparatively odd; he wore what appeared to be a three-layer shirt, with a single-shoulder sleeveless brown shirt on top of a short-sleeved white shirt, on top of long blue sleeves. His pants were blue down to the knees, at which point they became a rocky gray, ending just above a pair of dark brown boots.


    The other man behind him was taller, with a similar complexion and short black hair. His bare face made him appear significantly younger than the man in front of him, and his clothes seemed more put-together, consisting of a thick green jacket that wrapped part-way around his chest and extended down past his belt, a leather-like sash, black slacks, black boots, and a green sort of half-cloak that attached to his belt rather than his shoulders and extended down to his boots.


    ¡°Ah, Kievkenalis!¡± Kaon¨¦ greeted warmly, watching the two men approach while two more soldiers appeared at the balcony entrance to guard it.


    ¡°Hey, Kaon¨¦,¡± the younger man replied with a casual wave and a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡±


    ¡°Only a month and a half, or so,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted, though she returned Kievkenalis¡¯s smile nonetheless. She then turned toward the older man and bowed her head in greeting. ¡°And Archon¨¦ Culana. It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°How many times have I told you? You can simply call me ¡®Pallan¡¯,¡± the elder remarked, stepping foward to stand at the head of the long table while Kievkenalis walked around it to take a seat next to Kaon¨¦. ¡°Stuffy titles like ¡®Archon¨¦ Culana¡¯ do more to hamper communication than to help it, I find,¡± Pallan continued, ¡°so, please. Pallan is more than enough.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Austin snorted dismissively, his arms crossed as he glared at the older Nimalian. ¡°¡­So we meet again.¡±


    ¡°That is why I¡¯ve been called here, as I understand it,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all have a great many questions for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a little bit of an understatement¡­¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. But, before we begin¡­¡± Pallan looked behind himself at the two soldiers standing guard at the balcony entrance. ¡°I¡¯m dismissing the Archonia Guard. Return to the outpost.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± The two soldiers glanced at each other in unease before turning back to Pallan. ¡°Sir, we can¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, I¡¯ll be perfectly fine,¡± Pallan insisted. ¡°There are no assassins after an unimportant figurehead such as myself. And even if there are¡­¡± He turned to look toward Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis. ¡°We have in our company Nimalia¡¯s two most powerful Chaotics!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t really say that¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted sheepishly.


    ¡°Yeah, Chaostechnic abilities can only do so much,¡± Kievkenalis declared.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are an experienced Materiatechnic and a powerful Chaos Conduit,¡± Pallan said. ¡°I know well what you two are capable of. The ability to control and fabricate matter within a kilometer of you, or the ability to freeze time itself¡­ these are no small feats, Densalin, Yumach. Modest as you two are, I have the utmost confidence that no Chaotic could best either of you without resorting to underhanded tricks. And even then, they may still lose.¡± He then turned back to the soldiers. ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. The Guard is not necessary for the moment.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, sir.¡± The soldier saluted stiffly and then barked out an order to the other soldiers on the balcony. With rapid, yet well-trained swiftness, the six soldiers retreated from the balcony, closing the entrance behind them to leave behind only Pallan, Kaon¨¦, Kievkenalis, and the eight Earthians.


    ¡°¡­Oof¡­¡± Once the doors had closed, Kievkenalis released a pent-up sigh and relaxed his posture, allowing himself to slump back in his chair. ¡°They¡¯re finally gone¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like them¡­?¡± Phoenix questioned warily. ¡°Uh, why?¡±


    ¡°Their uniforms looked familiar,¡± Conrad stated, and glanced over at Kievkenalis. ¡°Are those guys the SFC?¡±


    ¡°Oh ho!¡± Pallan exclaimed, an amused smile growing on his face. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect any of you to be able to recognize them on a glance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what the hell?¡± Pierce shot Conrad an annoyed look. ¡°How¡¯d you recognize them?¡±


    Conrad quickly exchanged a glance with Kestrel before shrugging. ¡°Just a lucky guess¡­¡±


    ¡°You might¡¯ve seen them around Compound Tresnon,¡± Kievkenalis commented. ¡°They¡¯ve been up to something in Tres¨¦d, lately.¡±


    ¡°In Tres¨¦d?¡± Spike echoed warily. ¡°Is this somethin¡¯ we should be worried about?¡±


    ¡°And who are they?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°What does ¡®SFC¡¯ even stand for?!¡±


    ¡°Allow me to explain,¡± Pallan stated, waiting a moment for everyone to turn toward him before continuing, ¡°SFC stands for the Stealth & Force Corps. They are a private military contractor that is currently serving as Riverana¡¯s official military.¡±


    ¡°Another fucking PMC?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously.


    ¡°How the hell are they a private military if they¡¯re also your national military?¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any damned sense.¡±


    ¡°It is a¡­ ¡®quirk¡¯ of Riveranian government, shall we say,¡± Pallan explained. ¡°Long ago, the Riveranian government was known for tyrannical overreach, driven by its extensive army. After a brief civil war, the standing army was disbanded, and the government was reformed such that it had to rely on private entities for security and military action. It was thought that this would prevent the government from taking unilateral military action on its own.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it would cause more problems than it would solve,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°There are certainly some Riveranians who think that way, and it is impossible to deny that setting up the government in such a manner has promoted the creation of PMCs within Riverana.¡± Pallan sighed wistfully. ¡°Until relatively recently, Riverana benefited from the protection of the RPF ¡ª the Riverana Protection Force. I can state with confidence that the RPF were an honorable sort.¡±


    ¡°You say that like somethin¡¯ happened to ¡®em¡­¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°When the Nimalian Systems Defense was created 20 years ago,¡± Kievkenalis spoke up, ¡°it absorbed the interstellar arms of the existing Nimalian militaries. That included the RPF. The RPF failed to adapt to losing so much of itself, though, and has been in decline ever since.¡±


    ¡°So when it came time for the government to charter a new official military, they chose the SFC over the RPF,¡± Pallan said. ¡°¡­A shame, but it is a fact that we must live with.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Archon¨¦, though?¡± Sky countered. ¡°Isn¡¯t that, like, a King, or something? If you didn¡¯t like it, why didn¡¯t you stop it?¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho¡­ if only it were that easy,¡± Pallan remarked. ¡°The hereditary ruling title of ¡®Archon¨¦¡¯ is little more than a figurehead in Riverana. The true governmental body is the Li¨¦pen, the elected legislature. I have minimal control over the policies of this nation.¡±


    ¡°For the better, I¡¯d say,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°Hereditary titles have no place in modern society.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Hereditary anything is pretty bullshit,¡± Pierce affirmed.


    ¡°Pierce! Phoenix!¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected sharply, her tone admonishing as she glanced between the two with a frown. ¡°You can¡¯t say that in front of our host!¡±


    ¡°Bah, I hardly mind,¡± Pallan commented. ¡°Their opinion is one that¡¯s shared by much of this galaxy. Besides, there is only one matter that I wish to devote my life to¡­ and that would be the same matter that Dean Densalin has arranged for us to discuss today.¡±


    ¡°The prophecies¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ passed Austin a wary glance before clearing her throat and turning back to Pallan. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard, the Keys have been through a lot, recently ¡ª but they still don¡¯t know much about what¡¯s expected of them. Even I don¡¯t know much of anything, and I¡¯m supposed to be teaching them.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t tell us much,¡± Spike pointed out, his gaze focused on Pallan as well. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be more.¡±


    ¡°Well of course there is,¡± Pallan replied candidly. ¡°Did you really expect there not to be?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡± Twy exclaimed incredulously, exchanging a brief glance with Austin before remarking, ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner, then? Instead of just leaving us to try and figure out what we¡¯re supposed to be doing on our own?¡±


    ¡°Answers mean little if you don¡¯t have the foundation with which to understand them,¡± Pallan responded. ¡°You needed to learn more about yourselves, your abilities, and the world around you before you could understand the full breadth of your responsibilities ¡ª even now, you haven¡¯t yet reached that position.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously holding out on us because you think we aren¡¯t ¡®good enough¡¯?¡± Pierce questioned irately. ¡°What the hell, old man?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we came here for nothing¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°If I had nothing to say, then I would not have come,¡± Pallan countered. ¡°You still lack the awareness to be fully informed of the Oraculm¡¯s contents¡­ but you have at least reached a point where I can be more open, without endangering your progress.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a so-called ¡®prophecy¡¯ here, right?¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°If you really believe this damn prophecy, then what¡¯s the harm in just telling us everything?¡±


    The Archon¨¦ shook his head slowly, as if admonishing an ignorant child. ¡°The Oraculmic Prophecies are far from concrete,¡± he explained, his expression serious. ¡°Hasty or misguided actions can jeopardize their fulfillment. And when the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake, I am not willing to take any risks.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like even more reason to tell us everything,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°When people hear the full and direct contents of a prophecy, they most often act to pre-empt it, to use the information that they¡¯ve gained to arrive at the conclusion at a faster pace. But in the thousands of years that the Oraculm has been in the possession of Riverana¡­ rarely has that ever had a positive outcome. Most people are not prepared to catch a glimpse of the future; they do not understand the implications of all that they see, or that a foretold outcome can depend on a thousand, if not a million discrete and independent decisions before that point.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re talking about a version of the butterfly effect?¡± Twy mused. ¡°If we know the end, but not how to get there, then we might accidentally do something ¡®wrong¡¯ along the way¡­ which will result in a different end?¡±


    Pallan nodded. ¡°That is the basic idea, yes. I¡¯m glad at least one of you understands.¡±


    ¡°I guess this all at least means that ¡®fate¡¯ isn¡¯t really a thing¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Not in the way that most would think of it, no, but at the same time, the concept of ¡®fate¡¯ can apply to more events and individuals than you might think,¡± Pallan refuted. ¡°Regardless, I believe I¡¯ve done enough lecturing for now. Before I indulge your wish for more information, however, I would like to personally verify what you all understand about your positions.¡±


    ¡°I ¡®understand¡¯ that we were forced to be here,¡± Austin quickly replied, his expression narrowing into a glare as he focused on the Archon¨¦.


    ¡°Austin¡­¡± Twy softly placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t deny it,¡± Pallan declared, making steady eye-contact with Austin as he did. ¡°Indeed, I have forced the hands of all of you Keys. When the fate of the galaxy is in question, how could I not?¡±


    ¡°I mean, as much as I like the idea of being galactic heroes, that¡¯s still a pretty dick move,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°If you really wanted us to figure out all of this shit on our own, then why force us to do anything?¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho¡­¡± Pallan chuckled to himself. ¡°That you know enough to ask that question is a sign of your progress ¡ª but the fact that you don¡¯t know the answer shows how far you still have to go. It is true, from a certain perspective, that forcing you to train on Nimalia may seem to run counter to everything I¡¯ve just told you. However, very few things in this galaxy are so black and white ¡ª and few have been trained to handle the Oraculm¡¯s prophecies better than those of the Culana lineage. Ultimately, the end that I am working for is the survival of the billions upon billions of lives within this galaxy. If that means keeping people in the dark about the exact contents of the prophecies, then I will. If it means robbing eight young adults of their freedom¡­¡± His gaze hardened, but never once did he break eye contact with the Earthians. ¡°¡­Then I will. Without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Archon¨¦¡­ isn¡¯t that just a little harsh¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned warily.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t harsh at all,¡± Pallan countered. ¡°In the face of ensuring the survival of a trillion lives, the freedom of eight is nothing.¡±


    A stunned silence fell over the group, as Pallan stared resolutely ahead, while everyone else failed to find the words for any kind of response. Even Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis were at a loss for words, their attentions shifting awkwardly between Pallan and the Keys sitting at the table.


    Eventually, it was Pierce who broke the silence. ¡°¡­You really are no different from SERRCom, huh, old man?¡± he remarked bitterly. ¡°You think you can just swing in here and tell us all what to do, huh?¡±


    ¡°As I said, we are dealing with the fate of the entire galaxy,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°Your role is to prevent that. Would you really abandon that duty, and leave a trillion people to die?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Pierce drew back, an annoyed scowl forming on his face. ¡°But that¡­ hold on, we aren¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Why should we even trust you that that¡¯s what the stakes are?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°You¡¯ve yet to do anything to make us trust your word. Not even SERRCom trusts you. Not even the Nimalians trust you!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you might even be worse than SERRCom,¡± Phoenix declared irately. ¡°At least they were honest about why they conscripted us. You¡¯re just trying to guilt us into submission!¡±


    ¡°I speak nothing but facts,¡± Pallan countered. ¡°Tell me, young Keys. You were in Rel¨¦diaka three weeks ago. What, exactly, did you see? What did you experience?¡±


    ¡°¡­You mean that Bleeder attack?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°¡­That was Bleeders, right?¡±


    ¡°The saboteurs that we captured claimed that they were Bleeders, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered.


    ¡°Probably ain¡¯t what Pallan¡¯s talkin¡¯ about, though¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°You mean the metallic infection, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Pallan nodded sagely. ¡°That¡¯s right, Ayas Materia.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Spike stared cluelessly at the Archon¨¦. ¡°Ayas¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have answers in due time. My current point, of course, is to direct your attention to the metallic infection outbreak that you all suffered through.¡±


    ¡°It was contained,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly pointed out. ¡°Rebehka and her team did a full sweep of the area after we left. There weren¡¯t any nanites outside of containment.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the fact that an outbreak happened is concerning enough,¡± Pallan challenged. ¡°Deans Densalin, Yumach ¡ª as members of Hero Machina, the two of you personally experienced the rise of the Nanocreatures and the Nanocreature War 20 years ago. And as Deans of the Schools of Chaos, you must be aware of the growing number of metallic infection reports throughout the galaxy in recent times.¡±


    ¡°I think Rebehka did say something like that, but¡­¡± Twy glanced warily between Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis. ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ pursed her lips, staring uneasily at Pallan for several moments before releasing a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­It might be,¡± she admitted. ¡°And if things are really following the same pattern as 20 years ago, then¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Then we could see that Morcii guy, again,¡± Sky finished.


    ¡°And with him, another war¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know.¡± Kivekenalis cocked his head in thought. ¡°Remember, the Nanocreatures have to claim at least three of the Chaos Ayas in order to bring Morcii back. We heard as much from several sources, including Morcii himself. Right, Kaon¨¦?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she replied, ¡°and all but one of the Ayas are currently accounted for and under high security, but still¡­ the fact that the metallic infection is still around, and spreading, is¡­ concerning, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°When Hero Machina defeated Morcii with the aid of the Prior Arc¨¢n, it was merely a temporary solution. Arc¨¢n told you as much. The only ones who can permanently defeat Morcii and put an end to the Nanocreature menace¡­ are the Keys of the Oraculmic Prophecies. This is a fact.¡±


    ¡°The only ¡®facts¡¯ I¡¯m seeing right now is that you¡¯re full of hot air,¡± Pierce snapped. ¡°I bought into this ¡®Key¡¯ shit when you first brought it up over a month ago, but the more you talk, the more it sounds like bullshit. What proof do you even have that we¡¯re the ones you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    Pallan shook his head in disappointment. ¡°I already proved this once, did I not? Your unique weapons.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Archon¨¦ is right on this one,¡± Kievkenalis stated. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if it means that you¡¯re ¡®Keys¡¯, but it is true that it shouldn¡¯t be possible to summon an Ayas Weapon without having access to the respective Ayas. The fact that all of you can do that is unique, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°The claymore, Arc¨¢n. The gauntlets, Matl¨¦s. The bow, Mystryth. The staff, Tanivas.¡± Pallan looked at each of Austin, Spike, Twy, and Sky, and then shifted his attention to Pierce, Conrad, Kestrel, and Phoenix on the other side of the table. ¡°The energy chain weapon, Hastryth. The glaive, Aldrace. The spear, Tsern. And the chakrams, Sendous. Eight of the nine Ayas weapons, each of which can be summoned by one of you.¡±


    ¡°So they have names, now, huh?¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    Pallan passed Conrad a disapproving look. ¡°They do ¡ª I¡¯ve told you as much once before. You would do well to remember them. The Ayas weapons are more than mere tools; they are key to your success.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d laugh at that pun, if this situation weren¡¯t so ridiculous¡­¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°¡­Well, okay, so we can summon those weird weapons,¡± Pierce admitted. ¡°But that can¡¯t be it. You want us to stop a galactic threat with a medieval armory? Come the fuck on.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ the Archon¨¦ is right about the power of the weapons, too,¡± Kievkenalis said with an uneasy smile. ¡°They have a¡­ handful of useful abilities. Not to mention being completely unbreakable, and sharp enough to cut anything¡­ well, the real ones are like that, anyways. I¡¯m not sure if you guys¡¯s versions are the same.¡±


    ¡°Still, at the end of the day, they¡¯re just weapons,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°Surely we have more to go on than just that?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Pallan replied. ¡°As Keys, you have a variety of additional boons and abilities at your disposal. There are several that you are not yet prepared to handle¡ª¡°


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Pierce interjected irately.


    ¡°¡ªbut of the ones you are,¡± Pallan continued, passing Pierce a brief glance before turning his gaze back to the rest of the table, ¡°I will explain. One thing you all might have realized by now is that you¡¯re immune to all Direct Manipulation.¡±


    ¡°¡­Direct what-now?¡± Sky questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°Sky¡­ this was one of the first things we learned,¡± Twy responded in exasperation. ¡°Direct Manipulation is when a Chaotic attempts to directly manipulate the matter of something. In your case, it would be if you tried to heat me up by affecting the atoms and molecules in my body directly, instead of just lobbing fireballs at me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I do remember Kaon¨¦ sayin¡¯ we were all immune to that¡­¡± Spike mused.


    ¡°Which certainly isn¡¯t a common thing among Chaotics,¡± Kievkenalis asserted. ¡°Most Chaotics are only immune to Direct Manipulation from other Chaotics of the same type. In fact, of all Chaotic types, only Chaostechnics should have blanket immunity to Direct Manipulation¡­ and only one of you is a Chaostechnic.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t all that you¡¯re immune to as Keys, either,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°You¡¯re also immune to Nanocreature corruption.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Sounds too good to be true,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°And far too dangerous to test¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused. ¡°It would be safest to act as though that you actually aren¡¯t immune¡­¡±


    ¡°Assume what you like; I speak the truth,¡± Pallan commented. ¡°Another unique ability you all have ¡ª with the exception of one of you ¡ª is a specific sixth sense, of sorts.¡± He looked over at Phoenix. ¡°I believe some of you have already realized this ability.¡±


    ¡°Hate to admit it, but he¡¯s right,¡± Pierce said with a scowl as he passed Phoenix a glance. ¡°You¡¯ve had that weird ¡®danger sense¡¯ thing trigger a couple of times over the past month or so.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but¡­¡± Phoenix frowned warily, pausing to search for words. ¡°¡­It¡¯s always just a sort of¡­ nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I thought I was just being paranoid, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can tell you that that sensory ability is one of the key traits of being the Eternity Key,¡± Pallan stated. ¡°You are able to sense impending danger in your near future.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It may only be a vague sensation now, but you can train yourself, and hone the sense. It would be best that you do; being able to sense impending danger is an incredibly useful ability.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll say,¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°¡­So, can the rest of us do that, too, then?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± Pallan refuted. ¡°Only the Eternity Key can sense danger in the near future. You other Keys have different senses. Yours, Ayas Navitas, is the ability to sense the presence of Chaos Energy ¡ª or the lack thereof ¡ª within a set radius around you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great! ¡­Why have I never sensed anything, then?¡±


    ¡°Chaos Energy is everywhere,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°You probably just couldn¡¯t tell. Sounds kinda like a useless ability, to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°As for your counterpart,¡± Pallan continued, shifting his gaze to Spike, ¡°you, Ayas Materia, can sense Chaos Matter within the same range.¡±


    ¡°There it is again, that term. ¡®Ayas Materia¡¯,¡± Spike replied. ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°It is merely your title as a Key.¡± The Archon¨¦ looked at each of Austin, Twy, Sky, and Spike. ¡°The four Ayas Keys: Imperium, Iunctio, Navitas, and Materia¡­¡± He then shifted his gaze to look at each of Pierce, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Conrad. ¡°¡­And the four Universe Keys: Omni, Eternity, Infinity, and Void. These titles indicate the handful of unique abilities you each possess.¡±


    ¡°Sounds hella edgy,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°So I¡¯m ¡®Void¡¯, huh? Sounds great,¡± Conrad deadpanned, and then laid his head down on the table. ¡°Well, if I¡¯m ¡®nothing¡¯, I guess you all won¡¯t mind if I just take a nap.¡±


    ¡°Hell of a time for jokes¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°In the face of such serious discussions, there is always time for levity, I say,¡± Pallan replied, a small smile briefly gracing his lips before he returned to a serious expression. ¡°But, I have wasted enough of your time already. Allow me to quickly lay out the sensory abilities of the rest of you. Ayas Imperium.¡± He turned toward Austin. ¡°You have the unique ability to sense the direction and location of nearby Chaos Ayas. An ability I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t yet had a chance to exercise.¡±


    ¡°Suppose not¡­¡±


    Pallan then looked to Twy. ¡°You, Ayas Iunctio. Your sensory ability should tell you the general location of the other Keys in an intermediate range.¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much¡­¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°And you, Omni Key¡­¡± The Archon¨¦ glanced toward Pierce. ¡°You should be able to sense any nearby Nanocreatures.¡±


    ¡°Nanocreatures, huh?¡± Pierce snorted. ¡°Guess that would explain the shitty feeling I had back in Rel¨¦diaka¡­¡±


    ¡°And finally, you, Infinity Key.¡± Pallan turned toward Kestrel. ¡°Similar to your friend, you can sense impending danger¡­ but where she can sense the timing, you can sense the direction and location.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± Kestrel grunted and offered a curt nod of acknowledgment.


    ¡°That would explain how we were both able to sense EA before he attacked with his mech¡­¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°Or how we sensed the Bleeder attack in Rel¨¦diaka just before it happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess that means I¡¯m the odd one out, though, huh?¡± Conrad remarked flatly.


    Pallan nodded. ¡°Yes. Your unique ability is¡­ somewhat more overt, and significantly more dangerous than the other Keys. It is more than you can handle at this moment in time.¡±


    ¡°What, does he have the ability to just wipe things out of existence?¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s closer to the truth than you might expect.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ what? Really?!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a pain¡­ and a lot of effort,¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°And it requires a great deal of discipline,¡± Pallan insisted. ¡°One day, when you have reached that level¡­ I will reveal the full suite of your abilities.¡± He then swept his gaze across the entire table. ¡°That goes for all of you, as well.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a cop out, to me¡­¡± Austin said impatiently.


    ¡°If only it were,¡± Pallan responded. ¡°History and fiction both are filled with the tragic tales of individuals who were granted great power long before they were ready. I cannot afford for you all to live out those tragedies yourselves; for the sake of the galaxy, you must all survive and become strong ¡ª not die, or grow weak.¡±


    ¡°If only it were really that simple¡­¡± Twy lamented.


    ¡°Not to sound glib, but in the case of Chaotics, it kind of is,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about all those special abilities the Archon¨¦ just mentioned, but training Chaotics is one thing that this galaxy knows how to do really well.¡± He then grinned as he passed Kaon¨¦ a look. ¡°You just need to listen to your teacher, and you¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Great. Sure. We¡¯ll do that,¡± Pierce deadpanned, and then shot an annoyed glance at Pallan. ¡°We done with the lecturing, now? This whole discussion has put a serious damper on the beauty that awaits us out there.¡±


    An amused chuckle escaped Pallan¡¯s throat. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you look forward to exploring our proud capital of Riverana,¡± he commented, ¡°and, indeed, I have now said my piece. However, there is still one thing I want to show you all. Something that should hopefully help you all to realize the level of power that you will eventually be dealing with.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Oh ho ho! Trust me, it isn¡¯t,¡± the Archon¨¦ replied, and then, for the first time since beginning his discussion with the Keys, he turned his attention toward the city of gleaming white and blue that could be seen beyond the balcony¡¯s rails. ¡°¡­Before I leave you all for today, I¡¯d like to show you the precious treasure held under lock and key¡­ at the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana.¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 82: Gleaming White

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 82: Gleaming White


    2 Hours Later


    ¡°Wow, this is a pretty nice campus, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really nothing special,¡± Kievkenalis insisted, smiling awkwardly as he led Pallan, Kaon¨¦, and the Keys down a stone pathway. Small canals of water flanked the path on both sides, which itself was more than wide enough for two groups walking four-abreast in opposite directions to comfortably pass each other. Trees adorned the far sides of the walkway, their branches stretching across the water canals and the path itself as they slowly released their autumnal leaves over everything below, giving beautiful crimson and golden accents to the already gleaming white that was the stone pathway.


    ¡°¡¯Nothing special¡¯, he says,¡± Austin deadpanned, taking in the soft sound of leaves underfoot while he allowed his gaze to sweep across the buildings and green spaces that surrounded the group. No building stood more than three stories tall, with most of them topping out at one or two, their stone arches and sloped roofs partially hidden by the trees that grew in front of them. ¡°This place feels right out of a fantasy novel, or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like what most people seem to think Atlantis would look like!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°There¡¯s marble and water everywhere! How do you keep this place so clean?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ constant maintenance?¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°The same way that any city or campus keeps itself clean.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, sure, but that¡¯s not¡­ ah, whatever.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, if you say so,¡± the Dean commented, and then stopped walking. The rest of the group stopped behind him and looked up at the administrative building standing in front of them; it bore the same stone archway and sloped roof architecture as the rest of the buildings nearby, though it stood at three floors tall and served as the main pathway¡¯s endpoint. In large, serif block letters carved into a large arch over the main entrance was Nimalian writing, automatically translated by the Earthians¡¯ ocular RTV implants to read ¡°Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana¡±.


    Conrad looked up at the words before glancing behind the group; the main pathway that they had just walked down stretched in a straight line for several hundred meters, with the campus¡¯s main gate appearing at the far end. The campus pathways were overall quiet, especially given that the time was currently mid-afternoon on a weekend ¡ª though there were still a handful of individuals out and about, each of them clearly focused on some task or another. ¡°¡­Pretty quiet around here,¡± Conrad observed. ¡°Are the dorms not on-campus?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, they¡¯re right over there,¡± Kievkenalis replied, pointing down the path to the left. ¡°They¡¯re on the southwest edge of the campus. But the main reason you don¡¯t see anyone is the time; most students spend their weekend out in the city. If you come back to Stonemain in the morning or late afternoon, then you¡¯ll see plenty of people. ¡ªUh, sorry, ¡®Stonemain¡¯ is what people have come to call the main pathway.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why,¡± Pierce deadpanned as he tapped the marble underfoot with his toes.


    ¡°I find that YCUR tends to be quieter than the other Schools of Chaos,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, and then passed Kievkenalis a cheeky glance. ¡°Which is kind of surprising, given how many Chaostechnics you have here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, just because we have to verbally activate our abilities doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯re all loud people,¡± Kievkenalis countered.


    ¡°It still seems rather quiet around here, though,¡± Twy said. ¡°Weekends at WCU usually felt just as busy as weekdays¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because WCU is a small campus,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°It¡¯s the smallest of all the Schools of Chaos, in fact. YCUR, meanwhile, is one of the largest.¡±


    ¡°Only because of all the labs,¡± Kievkenalis interjected. ¡°In terms of actual student facilities, Kev¨¦rin or Christean¨¦¡¯s schools are bigger, and better.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Spike looked at the two Deans cluelessly. ¡°I thought these were supposed to be schools¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, they all seem to style themselves after colleges and universities,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°And most universities do engage in research.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Pallan remarked, ¡°and the kind of research that can be committed by Chaotics is rather interesting, indeed.¡±


    ¡°So students do research, here, huh?¡± Pierce questioned, while smirking bitterly. ¡°I bet they can¡¯t get up to much before graduating and getting shipped off to the military, huh?¡±


    ¡°Actually, most of the researchers here are dedicated scientists or engineers,¡± Kievkenalis replied cheerfully, oblivious to the obvious jab in Pierce¡¯s words. ¡°Many of them are aligned with the NSD, but many of them aren¡¯t.¡± He then puffed out his chest proudly. ¡°YCUR has the prestigious distinction of being one of the only private institutions in the Nimalian Union that engages in Chaos Energy and Chaotic research. This gives numerous opportunities to the students, as well, of course.¡±


    ¡°Wait, one of the only private labs? Really?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously. ¡°Are you saying that Chaos Energy research is usually done by the state?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°It¡¯s typically the military that handles that research, especially if it pertains to Chaotics. That¡¯s where all of the Chaotics are, after all¡­¡± She then passed Kievkenalis a glance. ¡°The fact that you were able to get the Union to approve of a private institution is nothing short of impressive, Kevken.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Kievkenalis let out a sheepish laugh. ¡°Honestly, though, I didn¡¯t really do anything. It was you and Dav¨ªdrius who led the way.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, Dean Yumach,¡± Pallan countered, ¡°you and Hero Machina all saved the entire galaxy. Allowing you to set up such an institution as YCUR is the least I could do for you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but there was nothing special about us. We were just in the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­You know, now that you mention it¡­¡± Sky spoke up, drawing everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°¡­I know that the Schools of Chaos are headed by the former members of Hero Machina, who saved the world or galaxy or whatever, but is that really the only reason the schools are considered so prestigious?¡±


    Spike nodded. ¡°Yeah, good point. It¡¯s only been 20 years since the Nanocreature War, too. How¡¯d y¡¯all get this rep that fast? Are the schools really just that good?¡±


    ¡°The quality of their education is top-notch,¡± Pallan proclaimed.


    ¡°¡­Though being galactic heroes undeniably helped,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted. ¡°If not for the War, we would all still be in the NSD. They only let us quit and start semi-private schools for Chaotics because the public liked us so much¡­¡±


    ¡°And even then, they only let Dav¨ªdrius go, at first,¡± Kievkenalis pointed out. ¡°Probably because he was Tres¨¦dian, and, well¡­ I¡¯m sure you all know by now how most Nimalians feel about Tres¨¦dians.¡±


    ¡°Kinda fucked up,¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°Yeah, but, that¡¯s just how it is,¡± Kievkenalis replied with a casual shrug. ¡°It¡¯s starting to change, though, I think ¡ª partly because Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s WCU was the first School of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°He had Christean¨¦¡¯s help,¡± Kaon¨¦ added, ¡°but the two of them were able to prove that the concept had merit. Three years later, I saw how it was working out, and decided to try founding my own school in Nimaliaka. I had Rebehka¡¯s help, of course; without her, I never would have gotten the school off of the ground ¡ª and without Archon¨¦ Nimal¡¯s word, the NSD never would have let us. But, nevertheless, I was able to found the Densalin School for Chaotics, just over ten years ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I do remember it,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°It took all of the Nimalian Archon¨¦s, not just myself and Sonw¨¦, to convince the Nimalian Systems Defense to loosen their conscription rules enough to allow for the Schools of Chaos. But I¡¯m glad to see how the schools have worked out, and that each nation now has its own.¡±


    ¡°Probably because it let you shove us into the system¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice, but it¡¯s also a lot of work,¡± Kievkenalis pointed out. ¡°Especially managing all of the research around here. Everybody¡¯s always asking me permission for this or that, or asking me to participate directly in their experiments. I¡¯m always so busy!¡±


    ¡°Well, you are a Chaos Conduit ¡ª one of only two in the entire galaxy,¡± Pallan remarked. ¡°And the other is rather unwilling to participate in experiments. It¡¯s no wonder that researchers would be keen to study your abilities.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°¡­¡¯The other¡¯ being Surdeus, right?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°One of the Drakkar Faction Leaders?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kievkenalis replied with a nod. ¡°Fun fact: I fought him once! Not-so-fun fact: I wasn¡¯t a Chaos Conduit yet, and he went easy on me, and I still lost. Would¡¯ve been really bad if Morcii hadn¡¯t shown up!¡± There was a brief pause, at which point the Dean frowned. ¡°Wait. That sounded better in my head.¡±


    ¡°You guys really got up to a lot of shit, huh?¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Indeed they did, and I would love nothing more than to go over all of their deeds in detail,¡± Pallan said. ¡°¡­But while Chaos Conduits may be able to halt the flow of time, their ability works only on themselves and other Chaostechnics. For the rest of us, time marches on.¡±


    ¡°The Archon¨¦ has a point.¡± Kaon¨¦ passed Kievkenalis a glance. ¡°We¡¯re here to show the Keys something specific. Can you lead us to the lab?¡±


    ¡°Right, right. Sorry.¡± Kievkenalis sheepishly smiled as he bowed his head apologetically. He then turned on his heel and began walking down the path to the right, bidding for everyone to follow. ¡°Most of the labs are on the northwest side of campus,¡± he explained, and then turned left down another path that went down the side of YCUR¡¯s main administrative building. ¡°Some of them, however, are built right on Fall¡¯s Edge, or in the Curtain.¡±


    ¡°The Curtain¡­?¡± Phoenix echoed in confusion, but trailed off as the group emerged in a wide-open area behind the campus admin building. Ahead of the group were a series of stairs, bordered on the left by trees, and the right by a sloped grassy terrace. At the bottom of the stairs was a small building, flanked on both sides by tall guardrails ¡ª over which the magnificent Anika waterfalls could be seen.


    YCUR was located on the north side of the crescent-shaped falls ¡ª as opposed to the hotel, which had been on the south side ¡ª so the new angle gave the group a distinctly different view of the falls. Additionally, one of the massive waterfalls was barely a dozen meters away; in fact, the YCUR campus appeared to have been built partially above the river leading off the cliff ¡ª which itself dropped off into a sea of crimson and gold several hundred meters below. The forest stretched out for almost as far as the eye could see, making way only for the large river that flowed away from the bottom of the falls, eventually curving to the south and merging with a massive lake that was just barely visible on the southern horizon.


    ¡°Wooooow!!¡± Sky exclaimed, rushing forward down the steps and nearly slamming into the railing at the bottom as she stared, wide-eyed, at the waterfalls. The several kilometer-long crescent looked even more vast from up close, and the spray of the nearby waterfall seemed just close enough to touch ¡ª in fact, it was. Dim shimmers of gold in the air beyond the railing indicated that energy shielding was stopping droplets of water from flying up onto the observer¡¯s deck; combined with the natural gleaming of the water drops in the afternoon light, the falls almost seemed to be covered entirely in a magical sheen of gold and faint rainbows.


    ¡°Lot quieter than I expected,¡± Conrad observed as he and the rest of the group joined Sky at the railing. ¡°Always thought waterfalls were supposed to be loud¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be because of the sound dampeners,¡± Kievkenalis explained. ¡°The roaring falls can be nice to listen to, sometimes, but most of the time it¡¯s just too much.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ this is a lot prettier up close!¡± Twy remarked, ¡°and now that we¡¯re this close, you really can see all of the structures built into the cliff face, behind the waterfalls! That¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°Seems dangerous, to me¡­¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°It can be, but thanks to the power of Chaos Energy and Chaotics, it usually isn¡¯t,¡± Kievkenalis declared. ¡°Besides, the fact that it¡¯s difficult to access or observe the Curtain can make it more secure.¡±


    ¡°Curtain¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, you¡¯re not from around here. The ¡®Curtain¡¯ is what we call all of the structures and buildings built into the cliff face under the waterfalls. We call it that because it looks like they¡¯re hiding behind a ¡®curtain¡¯ of water ¡ª you know, the falls.¡±


    ¡°And while we¡¯re on the subject,¡± Kaon¨¦ spoke up, ¡°Fall¡¯s Edge refers to anything built on or near the edge of the waterfalls, just in case you didn¡¯t know. YCUR, for example, is part of Fall¡¯s Edge.¡±


    ¡°Well it makes for some hella nice views, that¡¯s for certain!¡± Phoenix exclaimed. ¡°There must be some excellent restaurants or shopping plazas on the Fall¡¯s Edge. I can¡¯t wait to get a look at those!¡±


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s some running trails that thread the Edge and the Curtain, too,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give those a look.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enjoying our city!¡± Kievkenalis remarked, and then turned away from the railing to approach the nearby building. ¡°But unfortunately, I didn¡¯t bring you here to admire the view.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make it any less fantastic of a side show!¡± Sky replied cheerfully as she led the group after him.


    ¡°What are we here for, then?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°And does it have anything to do with this weird feelin¡¯ I¡¯ve had since we stepped on campus¡­?¡± Austin added warily.


    Pallan passed Austin a knowing glance. ¡°You¡¯ll understand soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Austin muttered, turning his attention forward again as the group entered the building, revealing smooth tiled floor leading up to a glass elevator. Standing on either side of the large elevator doors were two guards, bearing the same white and green uniform as the soldiers that had accompanied Pallan and Kievkenalis earlier.


    ¡°More soldiers¡­¡± Phoenix commented quietly, her face growing sour.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s to be expected, considering where we¡¯re going,¡± Kievkenalis replied in kind, and then straightened up his posture as he flashed a badge at the two soldiers. Pallan quickly followed suit, at which point the soldiers offered the two men a curt nod and stepped aside ¡ª just as the elevator doors opened. The Dean gestured for everyone to follow him in; as soon as everyone had boarded, the elevator doors closed, and they began to descend.


    ¡°Well this is¡­ great¡­¡± Austin said, grimacing as he looked down. The entire elevator was made from glass, including the floor, allowing the group to look out upon the water falling in front of them, the rocky cliff face behind them¡­ and the turbulent waters several hundred meters below.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Sky threw Austin a teasing glance. ¡°Still scared of heights, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I can handle heights just fine,¡± Austin countered. ¡°I can fly, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little more concerned about security,¡± Twy remarked before turning her attention toward Kievkenalis. ¡°If we¡¯re going where I think we¡¯re going, then isn¡¯t it a little insecure to have glass elevators, that onlookers can see through?¡±


    ¡°This is one-way glass ¡ª and I mean actual one-way glass,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Thanks both to advanced material science and holograms, this glass appears completely opaque to someone outside, while someone inside can see out perfectly fine. Even if it¡¯s light in here, and dark out there.¡±


    ¡°Advanced material science?¡± Kievkenalis echoed, and then passed Kaon¨¦ a cheeky grin. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re calling your Materiatechnism, now?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me who came up with this,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly refuted. ¡°I just used existing ideas¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Phoenix looked between the two Deans in confusion. ¡°Are you saying that you made this elevator yourself?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I made most of the glass here, yes,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted. ¡°It was a special request from Kevken.¡±


    ¡°And well worth it,¡± Kievkenalis declared as he looked out over the sprawling autumnal forest below through the curtain of water in front of them. The city of Anika was no longer in view, save for the palace and other structures built on the Fall¡¯s Edge; now, only the waterfalls around them and the cliff face behind them could be seen, as well as the series of structures built into the cliff face that consisted of the Curtain.


    One such structure rapidly approached, forming a stubby hallway that protruded a couple meters out of the cliff face to meet the elevator ¡ª which soon came to a stop. Bright afternoon sunlight shone into the elevator and upon the solid doors into the hallway, doors that refused to open until Kievkenalis stepped up and swiped his wrist over a small pad on the side. Once he did, a loud beep echoed through the elevator, followed by the doors slowly opening sideways ¡ª and revealing yet another set of doors a dozen meters beyond.


    ¡°Lotta security,¡± Conrad remarked as Kievkenalis led the group out of the elevator and through the hallway that burrowed into the cliff. ¡°Underground, too, huh? Must be hiding something important.¡±


    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t really hiding anything. Everyone knows what¡¯s here,¡± Kievkenalis replied.


    ¡°What is here?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Ah. I guess no one told you?¡± The Dean glanced back at Austin and then stopped walking. A brightly lit tube, just large enough to fit a small two-lane road, stretched out in front of them. Massive locks filled the walls to the left and right; they seemed to be blocking off another small road that ran the length of the Curtain. Similar locks appeared further down the tube, with a small but heavily armored security kiosk stationed just to the side. ¡°¡­All of the security here is to protect one thing,¡± Kievkenalis commented, ¡°but let¡¯s get past it all first before I explain everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, a lecture,¡± Pierce groaned as the group began approaching the security kiosk.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find this one more interesting than most lessons I¡¯ve taught,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied.


    ¡°And far more important,¡± Pallan declared.


    ¡°That¡¯d be easier to tell if anyone actually said what we¡¯re doin¡¯¡­¡± Austin grumbled, watching as Kievkenalis approached the kiosk. After a brief exchange with the two guards at the kiosk, the Dean filled out a quick form and then engaged in a series of security checks: fingerprints, optical scanners, even a full-body scan of some sort. Despite the apparent complexity of the checks, Kievkenalis had completed them all in barely half a minute¡­ a half minute that soon ballooned into nearly 20, however, as Pallan, Kaon¨¦, and each of the Keys had to perform the checks in turn ¡ª with no small amount of complaints from the Keys, Pierce and Phoenix in particular.


    Eventually, however, everyone was cleared, and the guards opened the massive locks, allowing Kievkenalis to lead everyone through¡­ where he and Pallan both engaged in yet another series of security checks and locked doors, featuring knowledge checks, CENT field checks, and even a DNA swab. By the time Kievkenalis indicated to everyone that the security checks were fully complete, over an hour had passed, as well as three different security kiosks and five doors.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Conrad groaned, dragging his feet along the ground as he followed the group through the sterile white hallways of what appeared to be a research center. ¡°Whatever is here had better be worth it¡­¡±


    ¡°What a pain in the ass that was,¡± Pierce affirmed. ¡°Why the fuck is there so much security, huh? Do you guys have a fucking nuke, down here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually not a bad analogy,¡± Kievkenalis remarked, eventually stopping the group before one final set of double doors. He quickly flashed his wrist across a small pad to the side of the door, causing the magnetic locks to release and the doors to slowly slide open ¡ª revealing a large, circular room inside, with a handful of terminals along the outside wall. White tiling and a bright white ceiling, nearly three meters high, gave the room a distinctly sterile appearance, aided by the relative lack of objects or furniture to fill the empty space¡­ except for a small white gemstone placed upon an austere pedestal in the center of the room.


    ¡°For those of you who may not know¡­¡± Kievkenalis eventually spoke up once more, beginning to explain as everyone filtered into the room around the gemstone. ¡°There are only nine objects in the entire galaxy that are capable of actually creating Chaos Energy. These nine gemstones are incredibly powerful; just a few of them together can destroy planets. They¡¯re so powerful, in fact, that the nations of the galaxy came to an agreement to split these gemstones among them, so that no one nation would be too powerful. As a result, the Nimalian Union has only three, and this gemstone¡­¡± He gestured at the white, triangle-cut gemstone resting on the pedestal. ¡°¡­Is one of them. This is one of the nine Chaos Ayas. This¡­ is the Mystryth Ayas.¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 83: The Most Powerful Resource

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 83: The Most Powerful Resource


    ¡°This is one of the nine Chaos Ayas. This¡­ is the Mystryth Ayas.¡±


    ¡°Mystryth Ayas¡­?¡± Pierce echoed as he stared at the gleaming white triangle-cut stone. ¡°So this thing is a ¡®Chaos Ayas¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, watching as Kievkenalis approached the pedestal. She then turned back to address everyone else standing in the research lab, hidden deep behind the cliffs of Anika¡¯s waterfalls. ¡°Mystryth is one of the nine Chaos Ayas, and one of the four light Ayas. It¡¯s one of the only objects in the entire galaxy that can actually create Chaos Energy.¡±


    ¡°That explains a lot¡­¡± Phoenix muttered. ¡°Ever since we got past some of those security locks, it felt like the air was getting heavy with¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°That would be you, as a Chaostechnic, sensing the high levels of Chaos Energy all around you,¡± Kievkenalis explained. ¡°I know the feeling pretty well at this point, but it can take some time to get used to.¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­¡± Austin passed a wary glance toward Pallan. ¡°Is this what I was sensing¡­?¡±


    Pallan nodded. ¡°You are the Ayas Imperium. Locating the Ayas is part of your role.¡±


    ¡°Role¡­ right¡­¡±


    ¡°All that aside¡­¡± Kievkenalis interjected. He turned back to face the group, the Mystryth Ayas now in his hands ¡ª it appeared to be around the same size as a baseball, allowing him to easily grasp it as he began to approach the group again. ¡°This is you guys¡¯s first time seeing any of the Ayas, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s right¡­¡± Phoenix commented, her face scrounged up in confusion and thought. ¡°This feeling of, like, pressure from the air, and everything¡­ that¡¯s Chaos Energy, right? From the Ayas? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve felt this before¡­¡±


    ¡°I can feel somethin¡¯ weird, too,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Like the air is kinda thick or somethin¡¯, right? Is that what you¡¯re feelin¡¯, Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°At this range, you¡¯re all bound to feel it,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained while Kievkenalis stopped just a couple of meters from the group. ¡°Usually, only Chaostechnics can sense Chaos Energy, but the output from an Ayas is so great than any Chaotic can feel it from this close.¡±


    ¡°Makes it hard to hide it, among other things,¡± Kievkenalis stated, and then turned back to Phoenix. ¡°But you¡¯ve said you felt this before? When?¡±


    ¡°¡­In LA,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Right! That¡¯s it!¡± Phoenix¡¯s eyes shot open in realization as she turned to look at Kestrel and Pierce. ¡°Right before that bastard EA kidnapped us, there was that weird stone that showed up on the ground. Do you remember that?¡±


    ¡°¡­You mean that silver ball?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ a silver ball¡­?¡± Austin passed Pierce a doubtful glance. ¡°It¡­ wasn¡¯t the size of a baseball, or anything, right? And felt like polished metal¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­What the hell? How¡¯d you know that?!¡±


    ¡°This is all to be expected,¡± Pallan declared, stepping forward and turning to address the Keys. ¡°And is only further proof as to your roles. The object of which you speak is none other than the Syn Ayas, otherwise known as the Master Ayas.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how can you know that?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that the Master Ayas disappeared just before the beginning of the last Chaos Quake, but how do you know where it went? We still don¡¯t know where it is! Don¡¯t tell me you think SERRCom has it¡­?¡±


    Pallan slowly shook his head, as if refuting a deeply flawed argument. ¡°The Syn Ayas¡¯s disappearance heralded the current stage of the Key Prophecies,¡± he declared. ¡°As part of that, the Syn Ayas briefly appears before both the Ayas Imperium and the Omni Key, as a beacon to guide them on the correct path. Imperium.¡± The Archon¨¦ then turned toward Austin. ¡°When you saw the Syn Ayas, it was just before the Chaos Quake began, yes? And you saw a vision?¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Austin¡¯s brow furrowed in confused frustration. ¡°How the hell¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wait, he¡¯s right?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Austin admitted. ¡°I thought I was just seein¡¯ things at the time, but¡­ was that really the Master Ayas¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°We may not know where it is now, but the fact that it appeared before you is undeniable.¡±


    ¡°Well, you say that, but I bet we know exactly where it is right now,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°It was with us when EA kidnapped us, and wasn¡¯t with us when we woke up on his ship. He¡¯s gotta have it.¡±


    ¡°That fucker¡­¡± Spike growled. ¡°We really ain¡¯t seen the last of him, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Who¡¯s EA?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°A real stupid asshole, that¡¯s who,¡± Pierce snarked. ¡°How about we talk about something actually cool instead of him. Like the Chaos Ayas, huh?¡±


    Twy passed Pierce an odd look. ¡°The Chaos Ayas¡­¡± she echoed, and then gingerly rubbed her throat as she turned to glance at Kievkenalis. ¡°¡­They really are¡­ odd, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ve finally noticed!¡± the Dean remarked, a pleased smile appearing on his face. ¡°I always find it kind of funny how long it takes some people to realize.¡±


    ¡°Realize what?¡± Pierce asked impatiently. ¡°Let¡¯s get to the fucking point, we¡¯ve been here for forever already!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha, good point, good point. Well, let me start from the top, then.¡± Kievkenalis took a moment to clear his throat before continuing, ¡°as has been said before, the nine Chaos Ayas are the only objects in the entire galaxy can actually create Chaos Energy ¡ª and they do so at a truly incredible rate. This, of course, makes them very powerful, and very useful; if you were to attach an Ayas to a machine or system that operated on Chaos Energy, then you could power that machine indefinitely, and even supercharge it beyond its base capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Most systems would be overloaded by that kind of power, though, if you aren¡¯t careful,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°For example, attaching an Ayas to a conventional set of Chaos Armor would be like directly hooking it up to a nuclear power plant: if you aren¡¯t careful, you¡¯d easily destroy the armor due to the amount of raw power flowing through it.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re that powerful, then why not use them as an actual power source?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°It sounds like free energy, to me.¡±


    ¡°A couple of the Ayas actually are used that way,¡± Kievkenalis remarked, and then looked down at the gleaming white gemstone in his hand. ¡°Many people consider the Ayas to be too dangerous to use so simply, however. The Ayas aren¡¯t exactly difficult to track down, due to the incredible amounts of Chaos Energy they generate ¡ª in fact, with specialized sensors, equipment, and enough time, you could detect an Ayas from across the galaxy! But even so, hooking one up to a power grid would make it even more obvious where it is, and therefore easier to steal.¡±


    ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve heard that bad things could happen if the Nanocreatures got a bunch of the Ayas,¡± Sky mused, ¡°but what else could be dangerous about them?¡±


    ¡°How useful they are to Chaotics,¡± Kievkenalis declared. ¡°There¡¯s two traits that can make even one Ayas very dangerous in the immediate term. The lesser of the two¡­¡± He paused for a moment, stretching his empty left hand out into the air. A second later, there was a flash of white light, followed immediately by the appearance of a magnificent white and silver bow into his hand. The Dean grasped the bow tightly and looked it over as he finished, ¡°¡­is the Ayas Weapons.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­!¡± Twy stared at the bow in awe, at which point she held out her left hand ¡ª into which she summoned an identical bow. ¡°That¡¯s my bow!¡±


    ¡°Well, that answers one of my questions!¡± Kievkenalis remarked as he glanced between the bow in his hand, and the same bow that Twy now held in hers. ¡°So you can summon yours at the same time as the ¡®real¡¯ one, after all. Interesting!¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°But of course,¡± Pallan commented, ¡°the Keys¡¯ ability to summon the Ayas Weapons would be nigh-useless if it were negated by anyone holding the Ayas.¡±


    ¡°That may be so,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, ¡°but the fact that there are two Mystryths here is¡­ well, I don¡¯t really know what I expected.¡±


    ¡°It does imply some interesting things about how the Ayas and the Ayas Weapons work, though,¡± Kievkenalis declared, and then turned back to Twy. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you drop by tomorrow? I¡¯d really like to look into this matter some more!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sure¡­?¡± Twy responded uneasily.


    ¡°Anyways, as I was saying,¡± the Dean said, turning to address the whole group once more, ¡°when a Chaotic has one of the Ayas on their person, they gain the ability to summon that Ayas¡¯s specific weapon. In this case, since I¡¯m holding the Mystryth Ayas, I can summon the Mystryth bow. It may not seem like much, but according to all tests that I and the other researchers have done here ¡ª as well as the papers I¡¯ve read from the CSA labs ¡ª the Ayas Weapons are completely indestructible, never dull, and can cut through anything. That, combined with the ability to summon and dismiss them at will, can make them very dangerous in the right hands. The only thing that will stop an Ayas Weapon is energy shielding.¡±


    ¡°It does sound useful, but only so much,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Unless you can summon one of those weapons, like, inside of someone, or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not possible. In order to successfully summon an Ayas Weapon, you have to have enough free space for it to fit,¡± Kievkenalis answered. ¡°Still, you¡¯d be surprised. Ayas Weapons can be a significant force multiplier for certain kinds of Chaotics, particularly Introtechnics and some types of Psychotechnics.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, the Ayas Weapons aren¡¯t the primary danger of the Ayas,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°Kevken, I think it¡¯s about time you showed them.¡±


    Kievkenalis offered her a curt nod before glancing over at Pallan. ¡°Archon¨¦, just to check¡ª¡°


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Pallan urged. ¡°You hardly need permission from me.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so!¡± The Dean promptly dismissed the Mystryth bow, allowing his left arm to drop to his side as he firmly grasped the Mystryth Ayas in his right. ¡°¡­Chaos State: First Tier!¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, a burst of white light filled the room, blinding everyone present and sending the Keys recoiling in surprise. Immediately after the flash of light, the Ayas in Kievkenalis¡¯s hand disappeared into his chest, leaving his right hand free ¡ª and the Ayas no where to be seen.


    ¡°What the fuck¡­!¡± Pierce scowled, rapidly blinking his eyes in an attempt to recover from the unexpected flash. ¡°How about a warning, next time?!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha, sorry,¡± Kievkenalis apologized sheepishly. ¡°I guess I forgot that most people aren¡¯t used to seeing a Chaos State activation, ha!¡±


    ¡°The Chaos State¡­¡± Twy echoed. ¡°¡­A state of increased power that a Chaotic can enter, using the power of the Chaos Ayas¡­ right?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, Twy. I see you¡¯ve done your homework.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Twy laughed shyly in response. ¡°I just kind of expected all of this, is all, so I looked it up before we got on campus.¡±


    ¡°You expected this?¡± Austin passed Twy a surprised look. ¡°What? How?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve been told before that YCUR has an Ayas, right? So when Pallan said he wanted to bring us here to show us something, I figured this would be it. And then, when everyone¡¯s voice started doing that echo-y thing that Phoenix¡¯s does when they said the word ¡®Chaos¡¯, well¡­¡± Twy glanced over at Kievkenalis. ¡°I figured we¡¯d see this.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait¡­ you¡¯re right!¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ what the hell? What¡¯s that voice stuff all about?¡±


    ¡°Consider it a quirk of the Ayas and Chaos Energy,¡± Kievkenalis explained. ¡°The activation phrase for the Chaos State is verbal, much like Chaostechnic abilities ¡ª but any Chaotic can use the Chaos State. And since even a partial invocation of a Chaos Keyword causes the vocal distortion, it means that any time a Chaotic says the word ¡®Chaos¡¯ within ten meters of the Ayas, their voice distorts just ever so slightly.¡±


    ¡°And now it¡¯s only yours,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°Well, yes. Once an Ayas has been used to activate the Chaos State, it becomes a part of the Chaotic¡¯s body, and can¡¯t be used by any other Chaotic until the Chaos State ends ¡ª either as a result of the Chaotic voluntarily ending it with the deactivation phrase, or them being beat out of it in a fight.¡±


    ¡°The Chaos State isn¡¯t strong enough to win every fight? That¡¯s lame,¡± Pierce said.


    ¡°The First Tier Chaos State isn¡¯t that strong, no,¡± Kievkenalis corrected. ¡°But the Chaos State gets exponentially more powerful with each Ayas that you add to it. I¡¯m sure you all have heard about the Battle of Neticen during the Nanocreature War, right? One of the combatants in that fight was using five of the Ayas, and an entire planet was destroyed just as collateral damage.¡± The Dean then looked down at his hands. ¡°Even the First Tier can be a powerful boon, though. While a skilled Chaotic can still defeat a lesser-skilled Chaotic who¡¯s been boosted by the First Tier Chaos State, the fact still remains that the power boost is significant, enough to typically require multiple other Chaotics to counter. Not to mention how the Chaos State renders you immune to the Chaos Energy-nullifying effects of CENT Fields and Dead Space.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose I see why the Ayas are considered so dangerous, then, if any Chaotic can do this,¡± Phoenix mused.


    ¡°Guess all that security wasn¡¯t for nothing, after all,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Though there¡¯s obviously limitations, if it¡¯s possible to beat someone who¡¯s usin¡¯ the Chaos State,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°What kinda limitations are we talkin¡¯, here?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly few, actually,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°Research and information that we gathered during the Nanocreature War says that spending too much time in the Chaos State can be physically stressful to the point of lethality, but the effect seems rather minor with the First Tier. As part of our research, I¡¯ve activated the First Tier and didn¡¯t disengage it until a week had passed ¡ª and after that, I only felt a little bit of fatigue. I¡¯d bet that you would have to inhabit the First Tier Chaos State for months on end, perhaps even years before disengaging it would be lethal.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you serious?!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Are you saying that someone could just be walking around in the Chaos State indefinitely, and we¡¯d never know until we fought them?!¡±


    ¡°There are still ways to tell if someone is in the Chaos State. You can still sense the Ayas they¡¯re using, for one. And two¡­ I suppose none of you have noticed it, but the voice of someone who¡¯s in the Chaos State does sound different. It¡¯s the same kind of subtle echo that you hear when a Chaostechnic uses a Chaos Keyword, albeit even more subtle than that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now that you mention it¡­¡± Phoenix nodded slowly, as if in understanding. ¡°¡­Yeah, I can¡­ kind of hear it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? His voice sounds normal, though¡­?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Ah ha, well, it is almost imperceptible for the First and Second Tiers,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°Once you get up to the Third or Fourth Tier, it starts getting obvious. And the Fifth Tier even lets you speak in the vacuum space! Pretty cool, huh?¡±


    ¡°What are these ¡®tier¡¯s you keep talkin¡¯ about?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. The ¡®Tier¡¯ of the Chaos State indicates how many Ayas were used to activate it. One Ayas is First Tier, two is the Second Tier, and so on. You don¡¯t even have to have all of the Ayas at once to activate a higher tier, either, you can start lower and then call the activation phrase for the higher tier once you get more Ayas. Which is both cool, and pretty dangerous, when you think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°So? What¡¯s stoppin¡¯ you from just deactivatin¡¯ the State and reactivatin¡¯ it on the spot with the extra Ayas?¡±


    ¡°Someone faster can snatch the Ayas from you in that time, duh,¡± Pierce interjected.


    ¡°Well, yes, but not in the way that you¡¯d think,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°With the exception of the First Tier Chaos State, when you disengage the State, the Ayas are randomly scattered across a wide area ¡ª an area that gets larger and larger the more Ayas there are.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to test that part much, for security reasons,¡± Kievkenalis added, ¡°but when my friend briefly used all nine Ayas to activate the Chaos State at the end of the Battle of Neticen, and then disengaged, they were all scattered randomly across an area fifteen thousand light years across!¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s supposed to be some kind of balancing factor?¡± Twy suggested. ¡°As a way to make sure that one person can¡¯t hoard all of the Ayas for long?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re assumin¡¯ that the Ayas can think about this,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°The Ayas don¡¯t, no, but¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ started, only to trail off and then shake her head. ¡°No¡­ we can save that lesson for another time. I think you¡¯ve learned plenty about the Chaos State and the Ayas already, today.¡±


    ¡°I will admit, they¡¯re more interesting than I expected,¡± Pierce said, ¡°¡­but at the same time, all of the catches and caveats just sound annoying as all hell.¡±


    ¡°Better that than letting fully unrestricted power fall into the hands of one person,¡± Phoenix replied.


    ¡°Yes, the Ayas are dangerously powerful, indeed,¡± Kievkenalis affirmed. ¡°If nothing else, I hope the one thing you learn today is to not take the Ayas lightly!¡±


    ¡°A lesson that you would do well to internalize,¡± Pallan declared. ¡°As each of you fulfill your roles as the Keys, you are bound to come across all of the other Ayas. Understanding their power, and their danger, is paramount to ensuring your future success.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± Conrad droned, and then jerked his head toward the exit. ¡°But if we¡¯re done here, can we get back to the hotel? I could really use a nap right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve said my piece,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°There¡¯s a couple other things that might be worth mentioning, but we can save that for a later time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that¡¯s a good stopping point for today, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°There should still be a couple hours of sunlight once we get back to the surface¡­¡± She then turned to address all of the Keys. ¡°For the rest of today and tomorrow, you¡¯re free to explore Anika as you would like!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, and don¡¯t forget to stop by tomorrow, please!¡± Kievkenalis quickly interjected while looking at Twy. ¡°I¡¯d really like to study your weapon, more!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I do, too,¡± Twy replied. ¡°I still don¡¯t know as much as I would like.¡±


    ¡°Great! Just come by the admin building and ask for me. I should be on campus all day.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to you to squander a good day of urban exploration, sis,¡± Sky remarked.


    Twy responded with a simple unamused glance before turning toward the room¡¯s exit as Kaon¨¦ took the lead.


    ¡°Kievkenalis, I¡¯ll leave you here to re-secure the lab,¡± the Dean commented, and then gestured for the rest of the group to follow her as she strode into the hallways beyond. ¡°As for everyone else, I do believe it¡¯s finally time for us all to enjoy the cool air and sights of Anika! Let¡¯s go!¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 84: The Sights of Riverana

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 84: The Sights of Riverana


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Ugh¡­ c¡¯mon, man, slow down¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up, dude. I know you can handle this much,¡± Pierce retorted, not even bothering to glance at Conrad as he did.


    Conrad released a weary sigh, but maintained his jogging pace alongside Pierce nonetheless. ¡°Yeah, sure, I can handle this, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I want to.¡±


    ¡°You really never stop complaining, huh? Just be quiet and enjoy the view, for once.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Conrad grumbled, but cut himself off from further complaints. Instead, he turned his attention to the cool fall air that brushed past him and fluttered his thin ponytail behind him as he ran, and the quiet city around him bathed in the dim light of dawn. Stone pathways and buildings that had glistened a clean white during the day now appeared to be shades of blue and orange, an effect that was exacerbated by the orange and crimson-leafed trees all across the city.


    Sounds of rushing water slowly came to dominate the soundscape as Pierce and Conrad followed a pathway down to the riverside, and then turned westward, toward the falls. Down by the water¡¯s edge, the city of Anika seemed even larger than before, as it sprawled out over the wide river and beyond. Massive bridges, dozens of meters wide and hosting entire city blocks, webbed their way from one river bank to the other and stood tall over the riverside pathways and shops. Despite being physically lower than the entire rest of the city, however, the riverside was just as impeccably and glistening clean as everywhere else.


    ¡°You must really like this, huh?¡±


    Conrad passed Pierce a brief glance before turning his attention back to the path they were running on, and the trees that bordered it on the right. ¡°¡­What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with me, dude,¡± Pierce retorted with a knowing smirk. ¡°Usually when I drag you out for a morning run like this, you can¡¯t stop complaining the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Perfectly justified, if you ask me. You wake up way too damn early. When do you even go to bed?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just the one who sleeps for too long. Still, though. The view¡¯s pretty good, right?¡±


    Conrad looked up and to the left, at a massive arched bridge the duo was about to run under. Several large buildings could be seen standing atop the bridge, adorned by trees and featuring a handful of small water features that artfully drained down the side of the bridge¡¯s arches ¡ª all bearing the subtle golden tint of dawn. ¡°¡­I guess,¡± he eventually admitted.


    ¡°Heh, figured that¡¯s all I¡¯d get out of you,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Still, we aren¡¯t at the best part yet ¡ª in fact, if we want to reach the Fall¡¯s Edge on time, then we need to pick up the pace! C¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°Ungh¡­¡± A groan escaped Conrad¡¯s lips as Pierce accelerated slightly, though Conrad quickly moved to fall into pace beside him anyways. The increased speed placed just enough strain on Conrad to force him to focus more on his breathing, but Pierce¡¯s pace remained well within the boundaries of what Conrad could match. ¡°¡­Now if only you could show this kind of consideration to others¡­¡± Conrad muttered under his breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Inhale, exhale; breath in, breath out. ¡°¡­Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Pierce replied, passing a quick glance behind himself before turning forward again, just as the two emerged from under arched bridge. ¡°Not far, now.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Not far¡¯, he says¡­¡± Conrad grumbled, though continued to keep pace behind Pierce. The two had only been running for half an hour, after all; this much was nothing, even for Conrad.


    Another couple minutes passed without a word from either man, allowing the soft bubbling of the river and the serene bristling of leaves to fill the air. Reddish light slowly transitioned into orange, and then gold as the sun finally crested over the eastern horizon, centered perfectly on the river behind them. Conrad found himself distracted looking behind himself as he ran; the handful of bridges that they had passed under obscured a complete view of the eastern horizon, but their arches were high enough that the rising sun could be seen through them anyways.


    ¡°Alright, here we are. And just in time!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Conrad slowed his pace to a walk, following in Pierce¡¯s steps as the latter led them onto a small terrace. Golden specks of light filled the air, confusing Conrad for just a moment until he arrived at the terrace railing beside Pierce ¡ª and saw once more the same sweeping valley that he had seen the day prior. Darkness still covered the entire valley, as the falls and the cliff face were far too tall to allow any light from the rising sun to reach them, resulting in the incredible waterfalls appearing to drop down into nothing. That nothingness was veiled by the spray of the falls, however, which glistened gold in the light of the sunrise, providing a fantastical sheen across the entire falls that accompanied a bright, nearly solid rainbow, all made exceptionally visible against the dark backdrop of the forested valley below.


    Several moments passed as Pierce and Conrad admired the view in silence, allowing the soft roar of the falls to dominate instead. As the sun continued to rise, and the shadows of the bridges and the city shifted, Conrad could tell that the golden view wouldn¡¯t last for more than another couple of minutes ¡ª a fleeting vista, viewable only to those who could rise before or with the sun.


    Eventually, Conrad sighed in resignation and passed Pierce a defeated smile. ¡°Alright, you win. This was worth waking up early for.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± Pierce grinned and threw his arm around Conrad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°See? I told you! You miss a lot of hella cool stuff when you sleep in all the time!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ but just this once. You better not start waking me up early every day.¡±


    ¡°I know well enough to know that wouldn¡¯t get me anywhere. Still¡­¡± Pierce released Conrad and allowed his gaze to drift across the falls, and to the valley below. ¡°¡­Man, I wish we ended up going to school here, instead of that dusty hellhole¡­¡±


    ¡°Really would be different, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ well, no use dwelling on that now, not when times a-wasting.¡± Pierce turned to look up at the city. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before all these bridges and buildings block the morning sun, but if we get up there ourselves, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s still plenty more to see. C¡¯mon, Conrad!¡± He began jogging off along the path, taking it north along the cliff edge as it began to sweep up and back around to the city. ¡°We own this place right now! Let¡¯s check it all out before the crowds start!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Conrad replied dismissively as he reluctantly followed in Pierce¡¯s footsteps. ¡°Oh boy. More running¡­¡±


    <hr>


    A Couple Hours Later


    ¡°Aw, what?! They won¡¯t let us in?!¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what you expected,¡± Austin responded flatly, his hands in his pockets as he eyed Sky¡¯s annoyed expression. ¡°You can¡¯t just walk in anywhere you want.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I know that, smartass,¡± Sky shot back. ¡°But c¡¯mon, this is a public venue, isn¡¯t it? I just wanna see the inside!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll just have to wait,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Even stadiums ain¡¯t open to the public all the time.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Sky snorted in disapproval, her hands planted on her hips as she stared up at the stone arches before her. Standing nearly ten meters tall, the arches denoted the main entryway to a large stadium built on a small island in the middle of Anika¡¯s river. Grand marble arches ¡ª reinforced by and decorated with polished silver and golden metal ¡ª surrounded the entire stadium, reaching even taller than the entryway arch such that the stadium itself easily stood several stories tall and encompassed a space large enough to host a football field. The stadium was positioned on the east side of Anika, however, such that the Anika Falls were practically out of sight ¡ª but this merely allowed the building to stand on its own merits as a meticulously-constructed and well-kept center of entertainment.


    ¡°¡­Though it would¡¯ve been nice to take a look,¡± Spike eventually commented, looking up at the entryway arches alongside Sky. ¡°This is where the ACT is supposed to be this year, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the ACT still ain¡¯t for another month,¡± Austin pointed out, and then glanced to and fro; despite the clocks now reading well into the morning, with the sun shining brightly above, there seemed to be few passersby in the area of the stadium. ¡°I bet they won¡¯t even bother settin¡¯ up for the ACT until the week before.¡±


    ¡°Still, the fact that the tournament is here, in this beautiful city, is amazing!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°We better make it in, y¡¯all! We can¡¯t afford to miss this!¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t think you need to tell us,¡± Spike remarked as he passed Austin a knowing look.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Austin responded with an exasperated sigh. ¡°¡­Look, I already apologized, what more do you want?¡±


    ¡°Just make sure you keep up with the rest of us, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Keep up with¡¯?! Oh c¡¯mon, man, don¡¯t give me that shit.¡±


    ¡°I think you deserve all the shit for signing us up without asking, first,¡± Sky retorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure sis would agree, if she were here right now!¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t, so, meh,¡± Austin countered, and then made a face at Sky ¡ª one that she readily mirrored back at him.


    ¡°Alright, you two,¡± Spike said while shaking his head in resignation, though smiling in amusement all the same. He then led the trio back onto the main pedestrian pathway, beginning their trek back across the river to the northern bank. ¡°We got more of the city to see, you know.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight, we do!¡± Sky exclaimed in glee, bouncing forward to overtake Spike and take over the leading position. ¡°This place is so big, and so beautiful! I can¡¯t believe sis decided to do a bunch of studying over checking this all out!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Research¡¯ isn¡¯t the same as studyin¡¯,¡± Austin pointed out.


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d defend her.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what?!¡±


    ¡°Naw, Austin¡¯s got a point,¡± Spike interjected. ¡°It ain¡¯t studyin¡¯ if you¡¯re discoverin¡¯ somethin¡¯ new. And based on what that Kievkenalis guy said yesterday, it sounded like he wanted Twy¡¯s help discoverin¡¯ somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°She seemed pretty into the idea this morning, too¡­¡± Austin said. ¡°Honestly, she¡¯s getting to work with one of the Ayas, and with one of the former members of Hero Machina! That¡¯s pretty fuckin¡¯ cool. I almost wanted to go with her, but then I remembered all the damn security we had to go through, yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°That was a li¡¯l much¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Man, figures you¡¯d let a little thing like that get in the way of spending more time with sis,¡± Sky remarked as she passed Austin a cheeky glance.


    Austin quickly covered his mouth with his hand as he coughed, in what was transparently an attempt to disguise a surprised splutter. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about,¡± he replied uneasily.


    ¡°Oi¡­ Sky, leave the poor man alone,¡± Spike commented. ¡°Research ain¡¯t a good time for dates, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because you¡¯re not trying hard enough!¡± Sky said. ¡°But if you¡¯re gonna be lame about it, then whatever. We do have a whole city to see, and it¡¯s nothing like any of the other cities we¡¯ve been to!¡±


    ¡°Sure ain¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool, yeah,¡± Austin replied, ¡°but I think I¡¯d say that L¨¦dia was more fantastical than this. A huge city constructed entirely in the air, using huge-ass trees as supports ¡ª that¡¯s something that you literally can¡¯t see on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s not like Earth has waterfalls like those on the far side of the city, either!¡± Sky refuted as she gestured westward; at that moment while the three progressed over the pedestrian river bridge, they could see part of the waterfalls in the far distance. ¡°Besides, we saw another one of those big trees on Sikalia, so it¡¯s not like they¡¯re unique to Nimalia or anything.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was,¡± Austin challenged. ¡°Maybe that lone tree on Sikalia was just brought there from Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°Uniqueness ain¡¯t the point, anyways, or so I thought,¡± Spike interjected. ¡°Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ all that unique about the city on Sikalia, but you still liked it there, Sky.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but a big part of that was the party at the end,¡± Sky replied. ¡°What was that again, Bright Day or something?¡±


    ¡°Brightest Day,¡± Austin corrected.


    ¡°Yeah, that! That was the highlight of that trip, by far!¡± Sky exclaimed, and then shot Austin an accusatory glance. ¡°And you didn¡¯t even participate in half of it! Where were you during the talent show, huh?¡±


    ¡°The talent show¡­?¡± Austin echoed cluelessly, only for recognition to dawn on his face a second later ¡ª followed immediately by a sour scowl as he diverted his gaze. ¡°I was¡­ busy.¡±


    ¡°No shit, Sherlock, but what were you busy with, huh? Don¡¯t tell me it was something with Pierce.¡±


    ¡°Sky¡­¡± Spike cut in, his tone low as if to warn her against pursuing the subject further.


    Austin, however, was quick to respond. ¡°No, Spike, it¡¯s¡­ fine.¡± A deep sigh escaped his lips before he continued with a defeated smile, ¡°yeah, Sky, you¡¯re right. It was somethin¡¯ stupid with Pierce.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Sky¡¯s face froze on her prior impatient expression. ¡°¡­I mean, of course, duh,¡± she then continued, forcing a smile before turning forward to continue leading the trio across the bridge. ¡°With how you and Pierce were acting on the way home, it was obvious that something had happened.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Sky, you really gotta be careful how you say this stuff¡­¡± Spike admonished. ¡°If Austin doesn¡¯t wanna talk about it, then that¡¯s that. You don¡¯t gotta be so dismissive.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­¡± Sky adopted a sheepish look before bowing her head apologetically toward Austin. ¡°Uh, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine,¡± Austin replied as he forced a smile. ¡°It was just a stupid fight, that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    ¡°Not an actual fight, I hope,¡± Spike said.


    ¡°¡­Ha ha, nope, no, I have no idea why you¡¯d think that¡­!¡±


    ¡°Wait. Did you actually fight Pierce?!¡± Sky exclaimed incredulously.


    An exasperated sigh escaped Austin¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t for long,¡± he eventually replied, ¡°and neither of us really won. Dav¨ªdrius stopped the fight¡­¡±


    ¡°You fought Pierce?¡± Spike frowned. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous, Austin. No offense to you, but you don¡¯t got the temperament to resolve conflicts through a fight, and I don¡¯t think Pierce does, either. You both get too invested.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I figured that out myself.¡±


    ¡°Still, this means you¡¯re able to stalemate Pierce, right?¡± Sky commented, her tone cheerful. ¡°That should knock him down a peg! I bet that¡¯s why he was so sour the couple days afterward!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sure, yeah,¡± Austin responded hollowly. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ go with that.¡±


    Spike passed Austin a doubtful glance, only to find the latter already diverting his attention by staring out across the bridge. After a moment of thought, Spike opened his mouth to speak ¡ª only to think again and decide against it.


    ¡°Anyways, that was then, and here is now,¡± Sky declared while openly gesturing out over the river under their feet. ¡°We only have one day here, so let¡¯s make the most of it!¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh. Sounds like a plan,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°Well, if y¡¯all are in, then so am I,¡± Spike remarked, just as the trio finally reached the riverbank and turned onto another path. ¡°Let¡¯s get goin¡¯!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Hmm¡­ what about this one? Is this any good?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± Kestrel stared down at Phoenix, her expression unmoving as the latter held a black jacket up to her chest, with subtle crimson trim on the cuffs, collar, and breast pockets. After a moment of silence, Kestrel offered a curt nod. ¡°Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Phoenix moved the jacket away from her chest and flipped it around to look at it herself, all while a contemplative look occupied her face. ¡°¡­I do like the crimson highlights, but I wonder if it¡¯s too much¡­ maybe I should go with the all-black one, instead. I can get color contrast out of wearing a colored shirt¡­¡±


    Kestrel responded with silence as she watched Phoenix debate with herself over the jacket in her hands, and another one on a nearby rack. While her friend continued to assess the two clothing articles, Kestrel slowly swept her gaze across the rest of their surroundings. All manner of clothing adorned the shelves and racks around them, for the two women currently stood within one of Anika¡¯s many clothing stores. This one in particular, however, was unique: the entire western wall consisted of a massive glass window, providing a magnificent view of the Anika Falls directly below, and the vast autumnal valley beyond. Furthermore, while Kestrel and Phoenix currently stood on the store¡¯s second floor, the first floor had several windows built into the flooring to allow shoppers to see the river waters that ran directly underneath. Such was the nature of shops on the Fall¡¯s Edge, after all; all of the buildings built on the platforms over the waters possessed a number of ways of taking advantage of the unique view.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m probably boring you, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Kestrel turned her attention back to Phoenix, who now was wearing an apologetic smile. ¡°¡­No,¡± Kestrel eventually replied, though her tone remained flat, and her expression neutral. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. Still, though¡­¡± Phoenix moved around the jacket rack to look over the second floor guardrail, toward the first floor; Kestrel¡¯s height allowed her to see most of the first floor even over the jacket rack, but she nonetheless joined Phoenix in leaning on the railing. ¡°¡­I really appreciate you coming out here with me,¡± Phoenix continued, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to make this all about me! There has to be something you want to do, or buy.¡±


    Kestrel briefly glanced at Phoenix before slowly sweeping her gaze across the store floor. The building was the size of a full department store, and featured clothes of all styles and manner; most prominently featured were pants, jackets, coats, and other fall- and winter-time articles, given that fall had already arrived in Riverana. The same couldn¡¯t be said for Tres¨¦d, however ¡ª as Tres¨¦d was in the southern hemisphere of Nimalia, as opposed to the city of Anika being in the northern hemisphere, Tres¨¦d had just entered spring, and was warming up. As such, Kestrel had no interest in any of the heavy clothing articles, and she allowed her attention to stray beyond, eventually settling on a display off to the side.


    ¡°¡­The waist cloaks, huh?¡± Phoenix questioned after noting where Kestrel was looking. ¡°They are an interesting style. One of the two most obvious features of Nimalian fashion, I think.¡±


    Kestrel passed Phoenix a questioning look. ¡°Two?¡±


    Phoenix nodded. ¡°Yep. Waist cloaks, and¡­ well, I don¡¯t really want to call it ¡®chaps¡¯, but that¡¯s basically what it is.¡±


    ¡°Chaps?¡±


    ¡°Think like pants where the inner thigh and the ass is cut out, usually worn over a pair of actual pants. I¡¯ve seen a lot of Nimalians wearing them. Kaon¨¦, sometimes, and Rebehka as well. Some of the Tres¨¦dians, too ¡ª hell, it¡¯s even part of the NSD¡¯s uniform!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hadn¡¯t noticed¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d say that¡¯s a sign that the Nimalians make it work, I think,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°I¡¯m not super interested in copying that particular style myself, but at least it¡¯s distinct.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. ¡­Waist cloaks?¡±


    ¡°I actually like those, and was thinking about getting one or two, myself. It¡¯s kind of like a skirt, but not really¡­ it has a similar look to tying a hoodie around your waist, but in a way that can look formal if you want it to. Bonus points for being able to flutter dramatically in the wind, like an actual cloak, ha! Although¡­¡± Phoenix turned toward Kestrel again, eying her up and down; the latter was currently wearing a white halter top, jeans, and a light gray cardigan ¡ª serving as a conservative contrast to Phoenix¡¯s sleeveless purple crop top and denim capri pants. ¡°¡­Waist cloaks can work for you,¡± Phoenix eventually continued, ¡°but I don¡¯t think they pair well with the cardigans and dresses you usually wear.¡±


    Kestrel¡¯s gaze dropped. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey now, I did say that we can make them work,¡± Phoenix quickly insisted. ¡°I just think you need some jackets or blazers ¡ª or even just some kind of long-sleeved shirt. Turtlenecks fit you pretty well, and I think waist cloaks could pair with that fairly well¡­ yes, that¡¯s it!¡± Phoenix pumped her fists eagerly. ¡°Alright, Kestrel, I¡¯ve got some nice outfits in mind for you! Let¡¯s go try them out!¡±


    ¡°Expensive¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be. Trust me, Kestrel ¡ª I have more than enough experience with shopping on a small budget. It¡¯s why I picked this store over all the others on the Fall¡¯s Edge ¡ª this one¡¯s the cheapest, without sacrificing too much on quality or style. Besides, shitty though SERRCom might be, they do at least give us a monthly stipend, and that should be enough to cover any purchases we make, today.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment, her attention shifting back to the rack of waist cloaks across the store. ¡°¡­The outfits¡­ how heavy?¡±


    ¡°Given some of the fabrics I¡¯ve seen around here, likely not too heavy at all¡­ though you do raise a good point. We¡¯re based in Tres¨¦d, which¡¯ll be entering a hot desert summer soon. Hmm¡­ well, for a practical summer wardrobe, we¡¯ll have to do some shopping back in Tresnon, where they actually sell desert robes and such. But that doesn¡¯t have to stop us from buying clothes from here! They¡¯ll still be useful when we leave Tres¨¦d!¡±


    For a couple moments, Kestrel¡¯s gaze remained on the distant clothing rack. Eventually, however, she stood back from the railing and passed Phoenix a glance, at which point she offered a curt nod.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Phoenix grinned in response and began striding toward the stairs down to the first floor, with Kestrel in tow. ¡°I¡¯m glad you trust my judgment, Kestrel ¡ª you won¡¯t regret it. Now, let¡¯s get you some new outfits!¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 85: The Process of Discovery

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 85: The Process of Discovery


    ¡°Once again, I really must thank you for coming down here to help out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no problem,¡± Twy replied, flashing a smile at Kievkenalis as they waited outside of one of the security locks in the underground research center. ¡°Everything you¡¯re researching here is related to me and my friends, after all. It¡¯s the least I can do to help.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it!¡± Kievkenalis remarked as he returned Twy¡¯s smile, only to then frown as he looked over at the locked doors. ¡°Still¡­ I really am sorry about the waiting. This is the Ayas we¡¯re dealing with, after all, so this security is necessary, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I understand,¡± Twy responded, turning to look at the door herself. Despite having arrived in the research center mid-morning to aid Kievkenalis in his research, Twy had yet to actually lay eyes on the Mystryth Ayas. For the first couple hours after her arrival, Kievkenalis had enlisted her help in testing the parameters of her bow ¡ª the Mystryth bow ¡ª instead. Learning that the weapon she could summon was truly the very same as the one tied to the Mystryth Ayas had piqued Twy¡¯s interest, so she didn¡¯t mind the unexpected detour; Kievkenalis¡¯s research was bound to answer many of the questions she had about her own abilities.


    And indeed, they had. To Twy¡¯s surprise, the Dean¡¯s tests on her bow were incredibly thorough. From tests of the bow¡¯s durability, to Twy¡¯s ability to summon and dismiss it, to how it handled and how much it weighed ¡ª Kievkenalis made sure to test and document all of it. In the end, he had arrived at a single conclusion: Twy¡¯s bow was identical to the ¡°true¡± Mystryth bow in every conceivable way. It survived even the harshest of crushing and breaking attempts with nary a scratch; Twy could summon it in under a second, even while separated from it and in a different room; it handled flawlessly, allowing Twy to snipe a handful of targets with ease; and its weight was no greater than that of a normal recurve bow. Drawing the bowstring back generated the same glowing arrow of light as the ¡°true¡± Mystryth bow, as well. And as a cherry on top, Twy learned that when a Chaotic holds an Ayas Weapon, they passively gain the skills to wield it with a basic level of competence ¡ª which explained exactly her sudden archery ability, despite rarely engaging in the act of archery before gaining the ability to summon a bow.


    All in all, Twy thought that her morning had been incredibly productive. As the clocks struck and moved past noon, Kievkenalis was finally taking her to see the Mystryth Ayas for the last handful of tests. She hadn¡¯t the slightest idea of what to expect, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy at the thought of once again approaching such a powerful object ¡ª and yet, she found herself looking forward to it all the same.


    ¡°Alright, sir, ma¡¯am. You¡¯re clear to go.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Kievkenalis glanced over at the guard stationed at the kiosk just outside of the security lock. The guard wore the same white and green uniform as all of the soldiers that Twy had seen yesterday, so she figured that he was part of the SFC as well ¡ª though for a brief moment, Twy thought she saw annoyance cross Kievkenalis¡¯s face as he looked at the guard.


    ¡­What¡¯s up with that? she mused, Kievkenalis doesn¡¯t seem like the type to be easily annoyed. Though, now that I think about it¡­ he did say something kind of weird about the SFC yesterday, didn¡¯t he? About how they were ¡®up to something¡¯ in Tres¨¦d? Sure sounds like he doesn¡¯t like them, but why?¡­


    As soon as the annoyance had appeared on Kievkenalis¡¯s face, however, he had replaced it with a pleasant smile. He nodded toward the guard and turned back to Twy. ¡°Well. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°After you.¡± She gestured forward after the locks had disengaged and the door slid open.


    ¡°Oh. How polite!¡± Kievkenalis remarked, quickly taking the lead as he strode through the open door and into the hallways beyond. Twy followed, at which point the door closed and locked behind them; with just two people present instead of the large group from yesterday, the loud thunk of the locks engaging was much more audible and imposing.


    Now walking through the same hallways as yesterday, Twy briefly scanned her surroundings. After determining that she and Kievkenalis appeared to be alone, she opened her mouth to speak. ¡°Um¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡±


    Kievkenalis passed her a curious glance. ¡°Hmm? Yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Twy trailed off uneasily, thinking for a moment about the best way to ask about the SFC. ¡°I guess¡­ I was just curious what it¡¯s like to work with a PMC for security?¡±


    ¡°Eh? It¡¯s pretty normal,¡± Kievkenalis replied with a shrug. ¡°In Riverana, at least. Rebehka has some PMC with her over in Rel¨¦diaka, too, right? The Chaos Knights?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°The way the others talk about it, though, I guess it is weird to have a PMC taking care of everything. I¡¯ve just never seen it done differently, really.¡± He sighed wistfully. ¡°I do miss the RPF, though¡­¡±


    ¡°The RPF? Do you mean the¡­ ¡®Riverana Protection Force¡¯ that Pallan mentioned yesterday?¡±


    Kievkenalis nodded. ¡°Yep. I used to work for the RPF, actually, back before the NSD existed. Fun times. But then they got mostly absorbed by the NSD, and, well¡­ they¡¯ve been going downhill ever since. And now, they even lost the government¡¯s army contract to their old rival. It¡¯s sad.¡±


    ¡°Wait, rival?¡± Twy questioned, her eyes wide in surprise. ¡°Are you saying the SFC and the RPF were rivals?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Kievkenalis chuckled uneasily, a sheepish look upon his face as he glanced to and fro. ¡°¡­Well, I guess it isn¡¯t really a secret. The Riverana Protection Force and the Stealth & Force Corps have been rival PMCs for generations, with the RPF focusing on more conventional military activities, and the SFC focusing on, well, stealth and espionage. The SFC used to really flirt with the line of Nimalian laws, which got especially hairy, since Nimalian space was kinda weird and complicated with laws until the creation of the Union fifteen years ago. So we ¡ª that is, the RPF ¡ª often had to go in and raid SFC outposts that were out of line.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t.¡± Kievkenalis sighed again as the two approached the door into the room that stored the Ayas. ¡°I always thought the SFC was no good. But, when the interstellar arm of the RPF was absorbed into the NSD, the SFC soon became Riverana¡¯s biggest and most influential PMC.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ the RPF had an interstellar arm? What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We were actually one of the three main militaries of the Nimalian Territories, the other two being the Nimaliakian military, and the Tekdec¨¦nian military.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Twy stared at Kievkenalis incredulously, almost forgetting to follow him through the double doors after he unlocked them. ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t RPF stand for Riverana Protection Force? Why did they need to be interstellar to protect one country on one planet?!¡±


    ¡°Until the formation of the Union, most Nimalian planets were administered by one of Nimaliaka, Tekdec¨¦, or Riverana,¡± the Dean explained. ¡°So Riverana wasn¡¯t ¡®just¡¯ one country on one planet. Though it¡¯s kind of weird how that arrangement lasted for so long, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s weird is this galaxy¡¯s obsession with private militaries¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is, huh. I hear that a lot of people don¡¯t like the concept,¡± Kievkenalis remarked casually. ¡°I think PMCs have a purpose, as long as they behave. And the SFC ¡ª well¡­¡± He glanced back at the double doors, as if checking for anyone who could overhear him, only to shake his head a moment later. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t repeat the rumors,¡± the Dean continued, ¡°but I do know that the SFC has been trying to acquire land in Tres¨¦d for some time, now. I heard from Dav¨ªdrius that they were recently in Compound Tresnon for that. I trust him and Selind to keep them in check, but I¡¯d still suggest that you and your friends be careful around them.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ sure¡­ but why would they want land in Tres¨¦d? I thought the whole place was a wasteland¡­¡±


    Kievkenalis shrugged. ¡°Beats me, though even a wasteland can be useful for certain things. Anyways, that¡¯s enough about the SFC.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Twy stood back, watching as Kievkenalis approached the gleaming white triangle-cut gemstone on the pedestal in the center of the room. As he grabbed it and turned to face her, she asked, ¡°so, what is it that you wanted to test, here¡­?¡±


    ¡°One thing I want to test is whether your Mystryth stays up to spec if I also summon the true Mystryth,¡± Kievkenalis declared while sliding the Mystryth Ayas into one of his pockets. ¡°However¡­ there¡¯s one more aspect of the Ayas Weapons that I want to test. This one is something that Dav¨ªdrius told me not to teach you guys yet, but I can¡¯t just let this chance pass me up! You seem responsible and trustworthy, besides.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Twy stared at Kievkenalis in confusion. ¡°Uh¡­ something that he didn¡¯t want to teach us? Why¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, the ability is really easy to abuse, and rather difficult to counter,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°I¡¯d bet that¡¯s why. I think Dav¨ªdrius just doesn¡¯t trust you guys with it.¡±


    ¡°If this ability is as powerful as it sounds, then I don¡¯t know if I disagree with him¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Anyways.¡± Kievkenalis held out his left hand, into which he summoned the Mystryth bow. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small steel ball, which he placed on the pedestal in the center of the room. ¡°Now, as to the ability in question,¡± he began to explain as he backed away from the pedestal, ¡°it¡¯s called Subspatial Storage. Essentially, all of the Ayas Weapons have the ability to store objects in Subspace, and then retrieve those objects freely at a later time and place.¡±


    ¡°Really? How¡­ how does that work?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, well, unfortunately, the galaxy¡¯s understanding of Subspace still isn¡¯t all that great,¡± Kievkenalis replied sheepishly. ¡°We only even learned that it exists twenty years ago. Nevertheless, Subspatial Storage is incredibly useful, since it basically gives you infinitely deep pockets. Plus, anything that¡¯s held in Subspace is placed in a sort of stasis, such that when you bring it back out, it¡¯s in exactly the same condition that it was when you put it in.¡±


    ¡°That sounds incredibly useful, and I can think of a couple ways to abuse a power like that, but I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s ¡®powerful¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°That comes from how easy it is to store something. Watch.¡± Now standing on the far side of the room from the pedestal, Kievkenalis raised his bow to take aim at the object he had placed on top of it. Carefully and steadily, he grasped the bowstring and pulled back, creating an arrow of silver light that remained perfectly nocked. After a second of aiming, he then released the bowstring, causing a streak of silver light to shoot forward from the bow and strike the object on the pedestal ¡ª which immediately dissolved in a cloud of blue mist.


    ¡°¡­Whoa¡­!¡± Twy stared at the now-empty pedestal, and then stepped up to swipe her hand through the air where the steel ball had been ¡ª only to meet no resistance. I remember seeing this before, she thought to herself, back when we first met with EA, on that tower in New York, he sliced through Austin and turned him into a cloud of blue mist¡­ so that was Subspatial Storage, then¡­? Turning towards Kievkenalis, she questioned, ¡°what just happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it looks like when you store something in Subspace,¡± the Dean explained. ¡°The way you do it is simple: when you go to attack something with one of the Ayas Weapons, you simply think, ¡®I want to store that thing in Subspace¡¯. And then, when you hit the thing ¡ª instead of slicing through it, you store it in Subspace. Simple.¡±


    ¡°That almost sounds too simple¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, some people do say that. It makes fights against someone using an Ayas Weapon pretty dangerous, too, since they only have to touch you once to store you in Subspace ¡ª and once you¡¯re in, you can¡¯t get out on your own. You don¡¯t even consciously experience being in Subspace.¡±


    ¡°That does sound powerful. Is there a way to counter it?¡±


    ¡°Energy shielding will still block an Ayas Weapon, so it isn¡¯t a complete ¡®I win¡¯ button ¡ª unless you¡¯re using the Syn Scythe. If I recall correctly, I think that specific weapon can even bypass energy shielding when in Subspatial Storage mode. You also can¡¯t Subspatially Store someone who¡¯s in the Chaos State¡­ but aside from that, nothing can stop Subspatial Storage. Nothing that I know of, at least.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ kinda crazy.¡± Twy then summoned her own Mystryth bow, and stared at it in contemplation. ¡°And you¡¯re saying¡­ that we can all do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I wanted to test,¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°Along with something else. Hold on one second.¡± He raised his bow again and fired another silver arrow over the pedestal, this time causing the object that he had just stored to reappear atop the pedestal, also in a cloud of blue mist. ¡°There we go. Retrieving something from Subspace is just as simple as storing it; just swing or fire at empty air and think of the thing you want to retrieve. Now.¡± The Dean glanced at Twy and gestured at the pedestal. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Twy responded uneasily, and then took a deep breath. Calmly, she raised her bow, just as Kievkenalis had a moment earlier. She took just a moment to aim at the object atop the pedestal, her brow reflexively furrowed as she focused on the glowing silver arrow beside her and the task before her. So I just have to think that I want to Subspatially Store it, right¡­? That really does seem too simple, but, here we go¡­!


    After another second, she released the arrow, causing it to streak through the air far faster than she could track with her eyes, creating a streak of light that hit ¡ª and then pierced through the object as it disappeared into a cloud of blue mist.


    ¡°Huh. So you really can Subspatially Store stuff,¡± Kievkenalis remarked, and then flashed a grin at Twy. ¡°That means you basically have an infinite pocket on you at all times! Pretty useful, huh?¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Twy responded. This feels WAY too powerful. I think I can totally understand why Dav¨ªdrius didn¡¯t want to teach this to any of us, yet¡­


    ¡°Now, keep in mind that Subspatial Storage works on people, too,¡± Kievkenalis commented, drawing Twy¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°Which makes it both useful, and dangerous. Remember that if you ever find yourself fighting against someone else with an Ayas Weapon.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, time for one last test¡­¡± The Dean raised his bow once more, taking aim at the now-empty pedestal and drawing his bowstring. A second later, he released, loosing an arrow through the space over the pedestal ¡ª at which point the object that Twy had stored reappeared in the wake of his arrow.


    ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Twy stared at the object, dumbfounded. ¡°But¡­ I thought I stored it!¡±


    ¡°That you did,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°And I unstored it. This is interesting. Your Mystryth bow can exist at the same time as the true Mystryth bow, but it seems like they both have access to the exact same Subspatial Storage pocket¡­ interesting. Interesting!¡±


    ¡°Is that true for all of the weapons, then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Each of the Ayas Weapons has their own pocket. So if you Subspatially Stored something with, say, Hastryth, then you wouldn¡¯t be able to access that same thing with Mystryth. However, it looks like two of the same Ayas Weapon do connect to the same pocket. That¡¯s good to know.¡±


    ¡°It also means that Subspatial Storage isn¡¯t very secure, if multiple people can access it.¡±


    ¡°True, true, which is both a good and a bad thing. It opens up a lot of interesting potential use-cases, though. There¡¯s a lot of research potential, here¡­¡±


    Twy passed Kievkenalis a wary glance before returning her attention to the pedestal. ¡°¡­I guess the Ayas and everything connected to them really are powerful, huh¡­¡± She then looked back to the Dean. ¡°Which makes me wonder¡­ if the First Tier Chaos State doesn¡¯t seem to have many adverse effects, then why not just use it all the time? Like right now?¡±


    ¡°Well, a Chaos State Chaotic can still be beaten in a fight,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°The Chaos State would make me more powerful, sure, but it would still be easier for a hostile element to attack and beat me up when I¡¯m out and about in the city, than it would be for them to penetrate all of the security that protects this lab.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense. What about right now, though? What¡¯s stopping you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right, I guess you guys haven¡¯t learned about the Ayas¡¯s mental influence¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°You see, each of the Ayas have a sort of¡­ ¡®corrupting¡¯ effect on the psyche of anyone who uses their power,¡± Kievkenalis declared. ¡°The Dark Ayas ¡ª Hastryth, Sendous, Aldrace, and Tsern ¡ª tend to make you emotionally volatile, and particularly provoke feelings of impatience, frustration, anger, and battlelust. These feelings only get stronger the longer you use one of them. And the Light Ayas ¡ª Arc¨¢n, Matl¨¦s, Mystryth, and Tanivas ¡ª tend to have an excessively ¡®rationalizing¡¯ effect, where the user will slowly lose their emotions and act on a purely ¡®rational¡¯ basis. Some people find that idea appealing, but personally, I think we have emotions for a reason, so I try not to use Mystryth any more than I have to.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right. That¡¯s¡­ that all sounds rather dangerous. Is there¡­ is there a chance that we¡¯re being affected the same way, when we use our Ayas Weapons?¡±


    ¡°You mean, you Keys? I doubt it. The corrupting influence of the Ayas doesn¡¯t depend on using their weapon ¡ª it only depends on having the Ayas on your person, or using it in a Chaos State. If you Keys were being affected by this influence, then we would have seen signs of it by now.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we are in unprecedented territory with all of this. Which is why you¡¯re here today: to help find out these kinds of answers!¡± Kievkenalis declared, and then moved over to the lab doors. ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s still a handful of tests I want to run on your Mystryth while we have the Ayas. If you¡¯ll follow me¡ª oh?¡±


    The Dean paused halfway through opening the doors, just in time to stop himself from accidentally running into someone else who was stepping in. Twy stepped over to see what the confusion was about, only to spot an SFC soldier standing just outside of the doors.


    ¡°¡­What are you doing here?¡± Kievkenalis questioned, while staring at the soldier. The soldier didn¡¯t respond immediately, however, as she looked past the Dean toward the center of the room ¡ª and at the pedestal that was devoid of the Mystryth Ayas.


    In that moment, Twy was overcome by an intense feeling of dread ¡ª dread that Kievkenalis seemed to mirror as his body obviously stiffened. Immediately, he opened his mouth to shout, but the soldier beat him to the punch.


    ¡°Chaos State: First Tier!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡ª!¡± Kievkenalis scowled and ducked backwards as the Mystryth Ayas phased through his pocket, floating through the air toward the soldier and then disappearing into her chest. ¡°Twy, get back!¡± the Dean shouted, prompting Twy to nearly stumble over herself in retreat ¡ª but as the two backed away from the door and the SFC soldier, the soldier didn¡¯t follow. Instead¡­ she broke out into laughter.


    ¡°Ba ha ha ha ha ha!!¡± She gripped at her chest, grinning like mad as she looked down at her hand ¡ª into which she summoned the Mystryth bow. ¡°Oh, man! I was told this would feel great¡­ but this is somethin¡¯ else!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Kievkenalis barked, all while interposing himself between Twy and the soldier. ¡°You have to know that the SFC won¡¯t get away with this!¡±


    ¡°Tch. I don¡¯t give two shits about those fuckin¡¯ outsiders,¡± the woman responded, turning to glare haughtily at Kievkenalis. ¡°All I care about is winnin¡¯ and makin¡¯ a name for myself¡­ and if I can kill or capture you, mister Chaos Conduit, then that¡¯ll be quite the name, innit?¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Save it for the dirt. Once you meet the Sentry there, feel free to blame him! But for now¡­!¡± A dangerous grin crossed the woman¡¯s face, her fists clenched in front of her. ¡°Chaos¡­!¡±


    ¡°Chaos¡ª!¡± Kievkenalis immediately shouted, diving toward Twy as he did ¡ª but just as he reached her, one final word from the hostile soldier reached Twy¡¯s ears, accompanied by the thunderous roar of a massive explosion.


    ¡°BLAST!!!¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 86: State of Chaos

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 86: State of Chaos


    ¡°Ah, now that was a productive shopping trip!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment as she trailed after Phoenix, the both of them carrying a couple bags of clothing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to properly try everything on,¡± Phoenix remarked, a satisfied grin on her face while she walked the glistening white walkways of the Fall¡¯s Edge. Many other shoppers and pedestrians were out and about, taking advantage of the midday weekend to relax and run errands ¡ª though the walkway remained large enough to not feel crowded, even with all of the activity. ¡°And I¡¯d really like to see how those new outfits look on you,¡± Phoenix continued, passing Kestrel a glance. ¡°You only tried things on one at a time, after all.¡±


    Kestrel simply returned Phoenix¡¯s glance before releasing a sigh. ¡°¡­Lunch?¡± she suggested.


    ¡°It certainly is that time,¡± Phoenix commented, turning to look out over the falls. The early-afternoon sun was slowly continuing its westward march, now positioned to clearly illuminate all of the Anika Falls, the massive river into which they fed below, and the orange and crimson forest that filled the land out to the horizon. ¡°We passed a few restaurants this morning that looked like they have some good views of the valley. Let¡¯s go see if we can grab a seat! ¡­Huh?¡±


    As Phoenix finished her thought, it suddenly occurred to her that her surroundings had grown silent, and the riverway breeze that was a constant on the Fall¡¯s Edge no longer brushed across her skin. Confused, she turned to look at Kestrel ¡ª only to freeze, her eyes wide with surprise, as she realized that everyone and everything around her had frozen in place.


    ¡°¡­What the¡­?¡± she muttered, her expression slowly collapsing into a frown as a nasty feeling formed in her gut. ¡°Why is¡ª?¡±


    Just as soon as everything had stopped, however, everything began moving once again, the silence dispelled by the muffled roaring of the falls below and the surrounding crowds. Kestrel herself remained standing by the edge of the walkway, still looking out over the valley, as she and Phoenix had been doing a moment prior.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Kestrel¡­?¡± Phoenix began; when Kestrel glanced back at her, she momentarily relaxed ¡ª only for her surroundings to freeze once again. ¡°Okay, what the hell¡­?!¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°¡­it¡¯s like time is stopping¡­? Wait¡ª! Could it be¡­?!¡±


    A second later, time resumed its normal flow once more; as soon as it did, Phoenix grabbed Kestrel¡¯s hand and looked her straight in the eyes.


    ¡°¡­?¡± Kestrel responded with a questioning look.


    ¡°Something bad is about to happen ¡ª or, is happening,¡± Phoenix hissed. ¡°Can you feel it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm¡­?¡± Kestrel slowly began to swivel her head to and fro, as if searching for something; while she did, Phoenix noticed time stopping and starting again a handful of times in quick succession. Eventually, Kestrel turned her attention back to Phoenix and opened her mouth, as if to say something ¡ª only to be interrupted.


    KRA¡ªKOOOOOOM!!!


    ¡°What?!¡± Phoenix and Kestrel both immediately moved over to the edge of the walkway, as did many of the pedestrians around them, with everyone directing their attention to the north side of the falls ¡ª where an explosion had just blasted a hole through part of the cliff face, sending rock debris and water spraying through the air over the valley.


    ¡°¡­The lab,¡± Kestrel muttered, her body growing tense.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Twy down there, with Kievkenalis? Studying the Ayas, or something?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°¡­What the hell is going on¡­?!¡±


    <hr>


    A Minute Earlier


    ¡°Chaos¡­!¡±


    ¡°Chaos¡ª!¡±


    ¡°BLAST!!¡±


    ¡°¡ªDeflection!!¡±


    An explosion of red energy rapidly filled Twy¡¯s field of view, only to be blocked a split-second later as Kievkenalis grabbed her and created a spinning shield of bluish energy around them. In the moment that the shield appeared, the red blast wave rocketed past them, throwing the duo against the far wall.


    ¡°Ungh¡ª!¡± Twy grunted in pain as she fell to the ground, her head pounding ¡ª but her body intact. When she looked up to inspect the room, however, she froze with shock at what she found: a massive, spherical hole filled the space where the room and surrounding hallways had been, stretching nearly a hundred meters across¡­ and standing at the bottom of it was the woman who had just caused the damage, and was now staring up at Twy and Kievkenalis.


    The Dean, however, wasn¡¯t stunned into silence like Twy ¡ª and immediately acted to grab her by her shoulder and mutter, ¡°Chaos Other Armor.¡± A veil of bluish energy formed around Twy¡¯s body, creating a solid translucent set of armor similar to plate mail; before Twy could thank him or test the armor¡¯s durability, however, Kievkenalis followed by shouting, ¡°Chaos Time!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡± Twy remarked, startled, as Kievkenalis suddenly disappeared from where he was standing ¡ª and the enemy Chaostechnic also disappeared from the bottom of the massive spherical hole. In their place, several more spherical pockmarks spontaneously appeared in the crater, walls, and ceiling, with Kievkenalis suddenly appearing mid-air, and the other Chaostechnic slamming into the far wall. Quickly, Twy climbed back up to her feet and began searching for the exit, or the closest thing to an exit in the mess that the underground research center had become ¡ª but as Kievkenalis declared ¡°Chaos Time¡± once more, the entire facility¡¯s appearance seemed to change shape in an instant, with even greater damage and debris strewn across the battlefield.


    That ability¡ª this must be what Pallan meant when he said that Kievkenalis can stop time. That would explain where all this damage is coming from, if he and that other Chaotic are fighting while time is stopped. But¡ª! Twy cut her thoughts short as an intense rumbling nearly knocked her off her feet, and streams of dirt and debris began falling out of the ceiling. Before she had any time to think about the underground facility¡¯s imminent collapse, however, Kievkenalis suddenly appeared next to her, grabbed her shoulder, and shouted, ¡°Chaos Teleport!¡±


    The next instant, Twy found herself standing within the campus security checkpoint on the surface of the Fall¡¯s Edge, just outside of the elevator leading down to the Curtain labs. Kievkenalis stood beside her, already turning toward the two startled guards as he barked, ¡°there¡¯s an intruder! Someone wearing an SFC uniform has stolen the Ayas! Twy, get out of here; I¡¯ll go deal with the Chaostechnic. Chaos Teleport!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª!¡± Twy started, but the Dean disappeared in a flash of bluish energy before she could get out another word. In the momentary lull that filled the air after he left, Twy realized that her heart was beating at an incredible pace while her whole body had grown tense; reflexively, she clutched at her chest and took deep breaths to calm herself down, all while staring at the blue armor that adorned her body, as though she couldn¡¯t believe any of the past minute had just happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, here?¡±


    Twy shifted her attention to the two guards. They were also wearing the white and green colors of the SFC, which put her on guard for a moment ¡ª though an intense rumbling in the ground beneath her feet quickly spurred her to action. ¡°Um, the intruder used the Chaos State!¡± she quickly explained, ¡°I think they¡¯re a Chaostechnic, and they¡¯re blowing everything up!¡±


    ¡°They used the Chaos State?!¡± the guard exclaimed incredulously, though he immediately beckoned toward his colleague. ¡°Contact Command! Declare an emergency¡ª!¡±


    Marble, glass, and metal suddenly erupted underfoot, accompanied by a red shockwave that obliterated the entire building and flung Twy through the air. Stunned by the explosion, she was barely able to come back to her senses a second later, and only due to the air she felt rushing past her skin and through her hair. The armor Kievkenalis created for her had absorbed the force of the explosion and prevented any damage to Twy¡¯s body, though it had now dissipated, leaving Twy completely on her own ¡ª a fact that hit her at the same moment as the realization that she was now falling through the air over the valley beyond the Anika Falls.


    ¡°Ah, damn it¡­!¡± she muttered, her brow furrowing in concentration as she quickly moved to save herself. A sea of orange and crimson laid out below her, but in the midst of it all was the flowing blue of a massive river. It approached quickly, but not too fast for Twy to react as she reached out to manipulate the water below her, raising a massive swell to engulf her in the air and slowly break her fall. Once under the river¡¯s surface, she moved the water around her to bypass the river¡¯s current and deposit herself on the riverbank, where she finally collapsed to her knees and took several deep breaths in an attempt to compose herself. Warily, she looked out over the river; she hadn¡¯t seen either of the two guards fall with her, and as she thought back to her brief encounter with them, she couldn¡¯t even recall if she saw them wearing Powered Armor. As it was, she was certain that the only reason she survived the building explosion was due to the armor Kievkenalis had granted her, but if the guards didn¡¯t have any protection¡­


    No, no! Now¡¯s not the time to be thinking about that! She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned her attention skyward. From her position at the bottom of the valley, looking up at the grand Anika Falls, Twy almost felt herself get lost in the grand beauty ¡ª if not for the fact that a massive hole now existed in the cliff face under the northernmost waterfall. What about Kievkenalis? Is he fine? Or even the city! If this keeps up, what could¡ª?


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of repeated explosions in the air overhead. One of them even disrupted the water in the waterfalls, sending an incredible blast of water everywhere ¡ª though Twy was standing nearly a hundred meters downstream, well out of the splash zone. Nonetheless, she felt her whole body grow tense as she pre-emptively surrounded herself ¡ª face excluded ¡ª with a protective layer of water.


    And just as she did, none other than the intruding Chaostechnic slammed into the ground by the riverbank, barely a dozen meters away from Twy¡¯s current position.


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± the woman muttered, having caught herself in a three-point landing. She then jumped back to her feet, staring down at her hands as she opened and closed them rapidly. ¡°¡­Huh. That didn¡¯t hurt at all. This Chaos State thing fuckin¡¯ rules!¡±


    Twy froze where she stood, completely at a loss for a response. A second later, her brain began again to function, and came to the immediate conclusion that she needed to flee. A Chaos State Chaostechnic who could match Kievkenalis in a fight, however briefly, was certainly more than Twy could handle¡­ but before she could begin even attempting to run, the Chaotic noticed her presence.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The Chaostechnic squinted at Twy, and then scowled. ¡°¡­You¡¯re one of them Earthians, ain¡¯t ya?!¡±


    ¡°Uh, n-n-no¡­?!¡± Twy responded frantically.


    ¡°¡¯No¡¯? What the hell¡¯s that mean? That some stupid Earth word?¡± The Chaotic shook her head and slammed her fists together. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re speakin¡¯ gibberish, then that¡¯s proof you¡¯re an outsider, ain¡¯t it?¡± She then threw her right hand out ¡ª into which the Mystryth bow soon appeared. ¡°Conduit boy had less fight than I expected, but let¡¯s see what you got!¡±


    What? Did she beat Kievkenalis?! But how¡ª?! Damn¡ª! Eyes wide with surprise and fear, Twy threw herself to the side just in time to evade an arrow shot from the intruder¡¯s bow. Two more arrows followed, with Twy barely managing to dodge around them and then dive behind a nearby tree to take cover, where she paused for just a moment to catch her breath. Damn it, damn it! What do I do here? I can¡¯t face her alone!


    ¡°So you¡¯re gonna be like that, huh?¡± came the Chaostechnic¡¯s voice, filled with an undercurrent of impatience. ¡°Well, fine then. Chaos¡­!¡±


    Immediately, Twy manipulated the water still surrounding her body to launch herself through the air, cresting the tops of the trees in the forest. Her vision dimmed for a moment, the sudden acceleration putting an incredible strain on her body ¡ª


    ¡°¡­BLAST!!!¡±


    ¡ª but it was just enough to escape the dome of red energy that exploded outward from the Chaostechnic, obliterating a piece of the forest and riverbank, and leaving behind a crater fifty meters in radius. Twy spent little time watching the depression begin filling with water, instead using the water membrane around her body to fly back under the tree tops as two silver streaks of light shot past her. She¡¯s still using Mystryth? But why? That Blast attack seems way more potent! Twy mused, all while weaving through the crimson leaves in an attempt to throw off the Chaostechnic¡¯s trail ¡ª only to be slammed into the ground as the air above her spontaneously exploded.


    ¡°Ungh¡ª!¡± she grunted in pain, but ignored the cuts and bruises that had formed on her knees and forearms as she forced herself back to her feet and dashed toward the river. That Chaostechnic must be an Explosive type, and if I recall correctly, shock waves can be broken up by medium changes. If I can get close to that river, I¡¯ll have plenty of water to make shields with¡ª!


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°THERE you are!! CHAOS¡ª!¡±


    Immediately, Twy mentally reached out to the river waters ¡ª which were now only a few meters away from her ¡ª and haphazardly yanked a massive curtain of water onto the land between her and the Chaostechnic, successfully shielding herself as the intruder declared ¡°EXPLOSION!¡±, prompting the very air nearby to explode. The shock wave still pierced the veil of water, but it was enough to dampen the blow that hit Twy and knocked her onto her back ¡ª though she managed to cushion the blow even further by breaking her fall with more water. A silver light blasted the ground just next to her, however; she quickly rolled to the side and stumbled to her feet, summoning Mystryth in the same motion and taking aim at the Chaostechnic all while trying to dodge incoming light arrows.


    Damn¡­! I can¡¯t get a shot¡­! Twy scowled as she attempted to hone in on her opponent, but between the Chaostechnic¡¯s movements and Twy¡¯s own running, she simply couldn¡¯t aim well enough to hit. Agh, well it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any point! Kievkenalis said that Subspatial Storage won¡¯t work on a Chaos State Chaotic! In frustration, she dismissed her bow and then threw herself to the ground just in time to dodge a streak of light. She then rose to her feet and began pounding the ground toward the river, drawing out a curtain of water as she did to deflect a couple more incoming arrows.


    ¡°Chaos Explosion!!¡±


    Just before she could reach the river waters, the air in front of her exploded, launching her back into the forest where she tumbled painfully along the ground and slammed into the base of a tree. She struggled to her feet, her face scrounged up in pain, only for her leg to give way; she only didn¡¯t fall due to drawing in some nearby water to support herself with, but with a sharp pain in her leg threatening to overtake her, supporting herself was about all she could concentrate on.


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re a squirrelly one.¡±


    Twy slowly turned her attention to the side, where the Chaostechnic approached openly, Mystryth in hand. Reflexively, Twy made to retreat, only to stumble and fall on her bottom. Damn it, Twy, there has to be some way out of this! Just, make a water bubble to carry myself, or something, but¡­ argh, everything hurts too much¡­!


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The woman snorted, stopping a few meters away from Twy to glare down at her. ¡°I¡¯d heard y¡¯all were just newbies, but you were a lot more squirrelly than I¡¯d expect from a newbie Hydrotechnic. Still ain¡¯t enough, though.¡± She raised her bow, aiming directly at Twy as she pulled the bowstring back to create a silver arrow of light. ¡°Might still be useful, though. Guess I¡¯ll bring ya home¡ª!¡±


    The Chaostechnic then loosed her arrow, but not before some invisible force blasted into her from below and knocked her aim far off course. As a silver light streaked through the branches, causing many leaves to disappear in a blue mist, the air all around whipped up into a frenzy ¡ª a frenzy that coalesced into a single blast of air as Kestrel landed in front of Twy and launched the Chaostechnic into the river waters beyond.


    ¡°Kestrel¡­!¡± Twy muttered in relief, and then glanced to the side as Phoenix ran up to her. ¡°¡­And Phoenix¡­! How¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, girl, what happened to you?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed, kneeling next to Twy to look her over. In that moment, Twy realized that a translucent purple aura in the shape of armor was covering Phoenix and Kestrel¡¯s bodies, not unlike the armor that Kievkenalis had created earlier.


    ¡°¡­Well, long story short,¡± Twy began, struggling back to her feet as she did, ¡°¡­some Chaostechnic attacked the lab, and used the Ayas to enter the Chaos State.¡±


    ¡°That explains a lot, but still! Damn!¡± Phoenix moved to try and support Twy, but the latter waved her off, instead encasing her legs in a bubble of water and using it to levitate slightly off the ground without putting weight on her legs. ¡°¡­You¡¯re still in it, huh?¡± Phoenix said in response, ¡°but you should really get out of here. Look at yourself!¡±


    Following Phoenix¡¯s suggestion, Twy looked down to inspect her body, only to grimace at what she saw: blood covered both of her arms, and she could see a few wounds on her legs ¡ª as well as a sharp, throbbing pain halfway down her right leg. In the momentary lull, she could tell that her ears were ringing, too. ¡°¡­You¡¯re probably right,¡± she replied, ¡°but I can¡¯t just leave you and Kestrel¡ª!¡±


    A red flash of light from the middle of the river drew the three women¡¯s attention. Following the flash was the enemy Chaostechnic, tumbling to the ground on the riverbank after having launched herself through the air with her own explosions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight,¡± Kestrel declared, immediately lunging forward, the leaves and dirt around her whipping up into a fierce whirlwind as she blew back the Chaostechnic.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one?¡± Phoenix questioned, her brow furrowing as she watched Kestrel engage the Chaostechnic, who had summoned the Mystryth bow again to attack with. ¡°¡­What do we do?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re an Explosive-type Chaostechnic¡­¡± Twy muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t read up everything on Chaostechnics, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°So they¡¯ve been using Blast and Explosion? Damn. That explains a lot, but damn¡­¡± Phoenix scowled. ¡°Blast has a 50 meter radius, centered on the user, so we can¡¯t get close ¡ª but Explosion lets her basically detonate the air at will, dozens of meters away from her. Which means running will be hard¡­¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve read up on this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Chaostechnic too, after all. I figured I should know all of the abilities.¡± Phoenix then turned to look Twy in the eye. ¡°Where¡¯s Kievkenalis?¡±


    Twy met Phoenix¡¯s gaze uneasily. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡ª¡°


    Another blast of red energy interrupted Phoenix and Twy¡¯s exchange, followed by Kestrel slamming into the ground at Phoenix¡¯s feet, the purple armor protecting her dissipating into thin air. Kestrel herself seemed fine as she jumped back to her feet ¡ª but another red blast eviscerated the forest in front of the three, revealing the enemy Chaostechnic charging forward.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Phoenix swore aloud, and then grabbed both Kestrel and Twy by their shoulders and shouted, ¡°Chaos Other Armor!¡± Translucent purple armor again formed on Kestrel and Twy¡¯s bodies as the trio began retreating into the forest, ducking around bushes and tree trunks to evade a barrage of light arrows ¡ª arrows that pierced several of the tree trunks and left behind nothing but dissipating blue mist, filling the air with sounds not unlike sifting sands or a fizzing drink. Amidst the slowly dissolving forest, the enemy Chaostechnic charged blindly forward, throwing her bow to the side as she shouted aloud, ¡°Chaos¡­¡ªungh!¡±


    A sudden blast of wind knocked the woman against a tree just behind her, interrupting her attack. Phoenix immediately jumped on the opening, calling out ¡°Chaos Impact! Chaos Cannon!¡± to hit their assailant with a wall of blunt force that winded her, followed by a Mach-speed projectile that knocked her legs out from under her. Kestrel followed by violently whipping up the air around the Chaostechnic and attempting to form a vacuum around her head, so as to prevent her from calling out more attacks ¡ª but the Chaotic responded by resummoning Mystryth and releasing a barrage of arrows into the trees, forcing Kestrel and Phoenix to evade. Twy, meanwhile, circled around back toward the river, hoping to use the vast swath of water to her advantage, but she was forced to hold off as she heard the enemy Chaostechnic shout through the forest, ¡°Chaos BLAST!!¡±


    Red energy again exploded outward from the Chaotic, obliterating the nearby forest and sending dirt, bark, and leaves flying everywhere. Phoenix and Kestrel were flung through the air, their armors breaking under the force of the explosion while Kestrel just barely managed to catch them with cushions of air before crashing down to the ground. As the one person who had retreated far enough to not be hit, Twy¡¯s armor remained intact, and she was able to quickly respond by launching several high-speed water projectiles down into the newly created crater, at the Chaos State Chaotic who stood at its bottom ¡ª projectiles that successfully knocked the Chaostechnic backwards. Brow scrounged up in fury, the Chaotic glared up at Twy, and held her hand out toward her, shouting, ¡°Chaos Explosion! Chaos Explosion!!¡±


    ¡°Ack¡ª!¡± Twy immediately manipulated the water bubble surrounding her legs to engulf her entire body, just in time for two loud cracks to emanate from nearby, accompanied by two painful shockwaves that knocked her to the ground. Her head throbbed, pounding with pain, but she was still able to keep it together enough to gather her protective water shield into a single mass of water, from which she launched a barrage of high-speed water pellets like gunfire, forcing the Chaostechnic to evade ¡ª and allowing Phoenix to nail her with a handful of her own Chaos attacks.


    Upon seeing Kestrel and Phoenix jump back into the fray, Twy allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Damn it¡­ everything hurts¡­! But, somehow, it feels like my control over water got a little better after Phoenix and Kestrel showed up. Is that another unique ability, due to me being a Key¡­? No, Twy, this isn¡¯t the time to think about this! She briefly glanced up at the Anika Falls, now a few hundred meters upstream from her current position. ¡­What happened in the lab? Did that Chaostechnic really beat Kievkenalis? But how¡­?


    ¡°Chaos Cannon, Chaos Cannon!¡± Phoenix called out, ignorant of Twy¡¯s current state as she pressed the attack against the Chaos State Chaotic. Multiple purple energy projectiles few out of her hands and slammed into the Chaotic, but the intruder simply weathered the attacks with a grimace as she whipped her bow around to take aim at Phoenix. A blast of air knocked her shot off course just as she fired, resulting in a nearby tree dissolving into a blue mist; Kestrel immediately followed by sweeping both herself and Phoenix up into the air and away from the Chaostechnic as she shouted ¡°Chaos¡­!¡±, in preparation for the incoming blast. Just as the pair crossed the 50 meter threshold, however, the enemy Chaostechnic instead declared, ¡°Explosion!¡±


    The air above Phoenix and Kestrel suddenly detonated, throwing the two women to the ground. As they quickly tried to recover, a powerful blast of red energy suddenly flung them backwards through the air, again breaking their armor that Phoenix had so recently renewed. Kestrel quickly caught the both of them in a cushion of air again, and brought Phoenix close to renew their armor once more, but as she did, a loud crack emanated from within the new crater nearby ¡ª followed by the Chaos State Chaotic rocketing up into the air over the forest. The moment she spotted Phoenix, she shouted ¡°Chaos Explosion!¡±, detonating the air behind her to launch herself forward.


    ¡°Shit¡ª! Chaos Impact!!¡± Phoenix quickly replied, launching a nigh-invisible plane of blunt force that deflected the incoming Chaostechnic back into the air. As she began to fall back to the forest, she summoned Mystryth and fired once more, almost managing to hit Phoenix ¡ª if not for Kestrel yanking her out of the way with a lasso of air at the last second. Two detonations in the air nearby soon followed, however, stunning Phoenix and knocking Kestrel flat to the ground. Immediately, she moved to pick herself up¡­ but not before the Chaos State Chaotic rocketed onto the scene, dissolving a tree trunk into blue mist and then blasting through the mist to practically stand on top of Kestrel. Before either Kestrel or Phoenix could react, the Chaotic had brought Mystryth to bear and fired an arrow into Kestrel¡¯s back ¡ª thereby dissolving her into a million tiny blue particles, that then disappeared into the air.


    ¡°No, Kestrel!!¡± Phoenix shouted, her eyes wide ¡ª only for her to snap her attention back to the Chaostechnic, her brow scrounged up in fury as she began calling out, ¡°Chaos¡ª!¡±


    But the Chaostechnic managed to preempt her. ¡°Chaos BLAST!!¡±


    ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± Phoenix yelped in pain as the powerful explosion, centered on the Chaostechnic, launched her through the air and down into one of the many other craters created by the Chaostechnic¡¯s many uses of Chaos Blast. After rolling to a painful stop and her armor breaking, Phoenix quickly muttered ¡°Chaos Armor¡± and began trying to pick herself up, only to be stomped back to the ground as the enemy Chaostechnic dropped down on top of her, and then grabbed her mouth to prevent her from speaking further.


    ¡°Tch¡­ you Earthians are a pain in the ass,¡± the Chaostechnic growled while holding Phoenix still, despite the latter¡¯s struggling. ¡°Fightin¡¯ another Chaostechnic is actually pretty damn hard when you can¡¯t understand what they¡¯re sayin¡¯! Still, you and your friend gave me more of a challenge than I expected, I¡¯ll give ya that. Now¡ª!¡± The woman released Phoenix, stepped back, and summoned Mystryth, all in one suprisingly graceful swoop as she aimed directly at Phoenix, a light arrow already nocked. ¡°Lie still¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Chaos Slam!!¡±


    One moment, Phoenix was staring down an arrow made of silver light ¡ª in the next moment, Kievkenalis had rocketed onto the scene in the blink of an eye and slammed into the Chaos State Chaotic, impacting with a blast of energy that launched the Chaotic across the ground.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Phoenix muttered, stumbling to her feet as she looked between Kievkenalis and the enemy Chaostechnic in confusion. ¡°Weren¡¯t you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Chaos Assist, Chaos Heal,¡± Kievkenalis said, his hand on Phoenix¡¯s shoulder. A wave of energy and comfort swept across her body, removing all of the pain and exhaustion from the previous fight and making her feel as good as new. ¡°Now, stay here!¡± the Dean demanded, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this!¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­?¡± the Chaos State Chaotic shouted, having now recovered from Kievkenalis¡¯s attack. ¡°How are you here?! Argh, Chaos¡­!¡±


    ¡°Chaos Cannon!¡± Kievkenalis quickly called, preempting the Chaostechnic¡¯s attack to hit her with a high-speed projectile that knocked her flat. Then, without missing a beat, he called out in rapid succession, ¡°Chaos Impact! Chaos Impact! Chaos Massive Impact!¡± As he spoke, the enemy Chaostechnic was pounded into the ground by three successively more powerful blunt impacts, to the point that she was half-buried in the dirt after the final strike. She began struggling against the dirt, attempting to get back to her feet, but Kievkenalis didn¡¯t wait. ¡°Chaos Form, Chaos Surefire,¡± he muttered as he held his right hand toward the Chaotic, a protective cloak of bluish energy forming around his body. Then, he shouted, ¡°Chaos Mach 15 Cannon!!¡±


    In the very moment after the words left the Dean¡¯s mouth, a blue energy projectile exploded from his hand and rocketed into the Chaos State Chaotic. The recoil blasted Kievkenalis backwards and into the edge of the crater, while the projectile moved so quickly, that Phoenix was barely able to discern that it had existed at all before it slammed into the enemy Chaostechnic with enough force to form a small crater under her body. Tentatively, the Chaostechnic raised her arm, as if attempting to recover¡­ only for her arm to then fall to the side, her body limp, as the Mystryth Ayas appeared in the air over her and then fell on top of her.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, frozen in place in sheer awe of Kievkenalis¡¯s demonstration of force. The Dean himself remained in action, however; as soon as he spotted the Ayas, he muttered ¡°Chaos Teleport¡±, appearing next to the now-incapacitated Chaotic. He then declared, ¡°Chaos State: First Tier.¡± A second later, the Mystryth Ayas again disappeared, but this time, to within the body of Kievkenalis. As soon as it did, he summoned the Mystryth bow and fired a single arrow into the body of the downed Chaotic, causing them to disappear in a cloud of blue mist. Only then did he finally relax, his shoulders dropping as he took a deep breath.


    ¡°Oh, Phoenix, you¡¯re alright!¡±


    ¡°Twy¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, watching the Hydrotechnic slowly float down into the crater half-suspended in a levitating bubble of water. ¡°¡­What just happened? Where¡¯d you go?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Twy apologized, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to leave you and Kestrel alone¡­ uh¡­¡± She paused for a moment to look around. ¡°¡­Where is Kestrel?¡±


    ¡°She¡­¡± Phoenix scowled and turned away. ¡°She¡¯s fucking gone, Twy, that¡¯s what.¡±


    ¡°G-gone?! What?! As in¡­¡± Twy began to respond, only for doubt to form on her face. ¡°Wait. Was it a blue mist?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just like half the damn forest that got dissolved by that fucking bow,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, one second.¡± Twy summoned her bow and then loosed an arrow through the air next to Phoenix. A mass of blue particles appeared in the trail of the arrow, coalescing a half-second later to form Kestrel¡¯s body ¡ª who immediately jumped, as though startled, before cautiously surveying her surroundings.


    ¡°¡­Phoenix?¡± Kestrel eventually called out, her voice uneven.


    ¡°Kestrel!!¡± Phoenix immediately leaped forward, nearly bowling her friend over as she enveloped her in a massive hug. ¡°Oh my god, I thought you were dead for a second! ¡­But, wait!¡± She paused, confusion overcoming her features as she glanced back at Twy, and then at Kievkenalis, who was now approaching. ¡°¡­What the hell happened, here?¡±


    ¡°The same thing that happened to Kievkenalis, happened to Kestrel,¡± Twy explained. ¡°That Chaotic Subspatially Stored you, and I was able to bring you back.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°We can explain later,¡± Kievkenalis commented, and then looked around himself at the crater they all currently stood in ¡ª that was itself filled with pock marks, smaller craters, tree debris, and other battlescars. ¡°¡­This damage is going to be a pain to repair¡­¡± he muttered with a sigh, ¡°but for now, let¡¯s get you all back to Anika. We have a lot to talk about¡­¡±

 V1 - A11 - Chapter 87: The Aims of Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª A SOURCE OF CHAOS


    <hr>


    Chapter 87: The Aims of Blood


    2 Hours Later


    ¡°Alright¡­ that about wraps that up, for now.¡±


    ¡°For now¡­?¡± Twy echoed warily.


    ¡°A situation like this was never going to be resolved in a single afternoon,¡± Kievkenalis replied as he put away his communicator. ¡°At least the cleanup is going well. Just a couple of Geo- and Chlorotechnics, and the Curtain and the valley should be as good as new by tomorrow morning¡­¡± He sighed as he sat back in his office chair and swept his gaze across the other individuals present in his modestly-decorated office: Kaon¨¦, Phoenix, and Kestrel. His attention then shifted back to Twy, his eyes lingering for a brief moment on the small cast she now wore on her leg. ¡°¡­Does anything still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, I¡¯m fine,¡± Twy quickly insisted. ¡°Between your Chaos Heal, and the rapid treatment from the campus health center, I feel almost as good as new. They even said that I should be back to normal by the end of the weekend.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡±


    ¡°The incredible effectiveness of Nimalian medical technology aside, that Heal ability seems hella useful,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°When you used it on me earlier, it felt like I¡¯d just woken up from a good night¡¯s rest! Damn, I wish I was a Support type¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, Kevken is a Chaos Conduit,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°His Chaos Heal is much more potent than any other Chaostechnic I¡¯ve worked with.¡±


    ¡°Question¡­¡± Kestrel commented, waiting a brief moment to draw Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis¡¯s attentions before continuing, ¡°¡­is ¡®Chaos Heal¡¯ Direct Manipulation?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes. That¡¯s a good point¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ replied as she passed Kievkenalis a contemplative look. ¡°The Keys are supposed to be immune to Direct Manipulation, aren¡¯t they? I mean, I can¡¯t use my Materiatechnism on any of them, so that seems like it should be the case. So why were you able to effect them, Kevken?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably just a Chaostechnic thing, or a Chaos Conduit thing,¡± Kievkenalis replied with a shrug. ¡°Chaostechnics have always been able to pierce Chaos Energy-based durability. An Arrow from me will hurt a Duratechnic just as much as it would hurt a normal person, for example. It¡¯s just a quirk of us directly controlling Chaos Energy.¡±


    ¡°Well, all the same, I¡¯m very thankful for you healing me,¡± Twy responded, her head bowed in gratitude. ¡°I hadn¡¯t fully realized how injured I got during that fight until it was over¡­¡±


    ¡°Adrenaline will do that to you,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°There was definitely a lot going on during that fight, anyways.¡± She then shifted her attention to Kievkenalis. ¡°Stuff I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about, actually.¡±


    ¡°I have some time before I need to meet with Pallan, so go head,¡± the Dean replied.


    ¡°¡­Well, first of all¡­ are you still in the Chaos State?¡±


    Kievkenalis chuckled bitterly. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡±


    ¡°¡­I actually hadn¡¯t realized until just now, personally,¡± Twy said. ¡°But, I guess once you know what to look for ¡ª or, I guess, listen for ¡ª it¡¯s obvious enough.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Anyways, I¡¯ll be remaining in the State for the time being as a security measure. I said yesterday that walking around like this is a risk, but after what happened today, leaving the Ayas in the lab would be an even greater risk ¡ª that is, if the lab had even survived in the first place. We have to rebuild the lab, run the security audits, figure out what went wrong, and fix it before the Ayas can be left on its own, again ¡ª and all of that will be difficult, since the lab and all of its security checkpoints were obliterated by the intruder.¡±


    ¡°How did this security breach happen?¡± Phoenix pressed. ¡°I was there, yesterday. It seemed like there were a billion security checks in place. How did this intruder get past them all?¡±


    A deep sigh escaped Kievkenalis¡¯s lips. ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I wish I knew.¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh, well¡­¡± Twy spoke up, uncertainty writ across her face. ¡°I think the intruder might have been a Bleeder¡­ so they might¡¯ve had the same kind of help that the Bleeders in Rel¨¦diaka had.¡±


    ¡°A Bleeder?!¡± Kaon¨¦ echoed incredulously. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°The intruder did use the term ¡®outsiders¡¯ as a pejorative¡­¡± Kievkenalis mused.


    ¡°Yes, and she also couldn¡¯t understand me,¡± Twy added. ¡°The only other people who couldn¡¯t understand English were Bleeders, or people from Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°RTA implants aren¡¯t universal,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°There are plenty of people on Nimalia, outside of Tres¨¦d, who don¡¯t have the implants.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the language issue, though. The intruder also mentioned a ¡®Sentry¡¯ just before she attacked us, as though she were talking about a specific person that she didn¡¯t like ¡ª and I¡¯ve heard the Bleeders use that term to refer to Dav¨ªdrius a couple times.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she did say that, didn¡¯t she¡­¡± Kievkenalis said.


    ¡°¡­¡¯Sentry¡¯ is what many Tres¨¦dians have started calling Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°If the intruder really did say ¡®Sentry¡¯ and ¡®outsider¡¯, then I guess there really is a decent chance they were a Bleeder. It wouldn¡¯t exactly be the first time that they¡¯ve attacked outside of Tres¨¦d¡­¡±


    ¡°The SFC has been operating in Tres¨¦d, as well¡­¡± Kievkenalis muttered. ¡°¡­But, hmm¡­ no, it couldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­What couldn¡¯t be?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t trying to suggest that this ¡®SFC¡¯ is teaming up with the Bleeders, are you?¡± Phoenix asked.


    ¡°That would be pure speculation,¡± Kievkenalis quickly refuted. ¡°The SFC might be operating in Tres¨¦d, but I don¡¯t see what they¡¯d gain from working with the Bleeders. The Bleeders aren¡¯t even a centralized organization, the name is just something that separate gangs all across Tres¨¦d have picked up. It¡¯s more like a shared brand, or identity, rather than an actual group.¡±


    ¡°Still, if the SFC and some Bleeders were working together, and today¡¯s intruder was a Bleeder, then it would explain how they got through security,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out.


    ¡°On one hand, yes. What happened today could only be possible if the SFC was extremely negligent, or working with the intruder,¡± Kievkenalis stated. ¡°On the other hand, we still don¡¯t know the identity of the intruder. We haven¡¯t had the chance to interrogate her, yet. And based on what I know of the SFC, criminal negligence is far from out of the question.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t really sound like the kind of people you¡¯d want protecting the Ayas, then,¡± Phoenix replied.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t,¡± Kievkenalis retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve always advocated for the NSD to handle security around here, not the SFC. Maybe now that this has happened, the government will actually listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Even you guys have to deal with people not listening to you?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°It happens more often than people seem to expect,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded sheepishly. ¡°Having ¡®Hero Machina¡¯ on our resum¨¦s doesn¡¯t actually get us very far, in most circumstances. Though it stands to reason ¡ª that was 20 years ago. It¡¯d be naive to expect a 20-year-old accolade to be worth anything in the present day.¡±


    ¡°Being the ones to stop the Nanocreature War is a little more than just an ¡®accolade¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Regardless, as Kaon¨¦ said, that¡¯s in the past,¡± Kievkenalis declared, and then looked over at Phoenix. ¡°Did you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Twy about this ¡®Subspace Storage¡¯ thing since the fight, and it explains all the blue mist I saw, and what happened to Kestrel¡­ But why the hell weren¡¯t we all told that our weapons could do something like that?!¡±


    Kaon¨¦ passed Kievkenalis a resigned glance. ¡°¡­So you told them about it, huh?¡±


    ¡°Unlike Pallan, I tend to think that having more information helps much more often than it hurts,¡± Kievkenalis declared, and then chuckled to himself. ¡°In that regard, I think Dav¨ªdrius is more similar to Pallan than he¡¯d like to believe. He¡¯s the one who wanted to hide Subspatial Storage from all of you.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius again¡­¡± Phoenix muttered with a scowl.


    ¡°I kind of agree with him on this one, actually¡­¡± Twy commented as she passed Phoenix a wary glance. ¡°I know that Austin and Sky can be short-sighted or short-tempered, sometimes, and¡­ well, you know Pierce better than I do, Phoenix. Would you really trust him with the knowledge of Subspatial Storage? Considering how powerful an ability it is?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess he can be pretty immature, at times¡­¡± Phoenix admitted.


    ¡°¡¯At times¡¯,¡± Kestrel echoed.


    ¡°Alright, a lot of the time,¡± Phoenix amended with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the immaturity of a few is the reason Dav¨ªdrius held off on telling all of us, though.¡±


    Kievkenalis shrugged. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask him. I guess I¡¯ll leave it up to the three of you, though, as to whether or not you tell your friends about Subspatial Storage. You know them best, after all.¡±


    ¡°It would figure. Everyone¡¯s so damn secretive around here,¡± Phoenix remarked with a scowl. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s why no one came to help during our fight.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t think I follow¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded.


    ¡°The explosion in the Curtain could be seen and heard from all of Fall¡¯s Edge,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°I should know, because Kestrel and I were on the south side, while the explosion was in the north. And you could see the Chaos Blasts from the air¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that,¡± Kievkenalis quickly interjected. ¡°As a Chaostechnic, never fully invoke a Chaostechnic ability unless you mean to use it, even if you think you can¡¯t. Chaostechnics surprise themselves by accidentally invoking abilities all the time, and the results can be disastrous.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right. Sorry. But you get my point, right?¡± Phoenix glanced impatiently between Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis. ¡°Despite all the obvious signs of a fight, Kestrel and I were the only ones to come to Twy¡¯s aid! Surely, there¡¯s more Chaotics than us around here?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Kievkenalis sighed warily. ¡°That¡¯s another aspect of the failed security I want to discuss with Pallan. Don¡¯t blame the students here at YCUR ¡ª they¡¯ve been told that the SFC would handle any emergencies like the one that happened today, and they had no reason to believe that the SFC would fail to respond. As to why the SFC failed to respond, well¡­ that¡¯s another question entirely.¡±


    ¡°The SFC¡­¡± Twy muttered under her breath, only to suddenly freeze, her breath catching in her throat as she thought back to the two SFC guards she had run into just before the cliff face exploded ¡ª and the fact that she hadn¡¯t seen any sign of the two guards after the fact. ¡°¡­Um¡­¡± she spoke up a second later, ¡°¡­did¡­ did anyone die, today?¡±


    An uneasy silence filled the room, with Phoenix and Kestrel both joining Twy in watching Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis ¡ª who both exchanged a wary look. After taking a deep breath, Kievkenalis replied, ¡°I¡¯m told that no bodies have been found. I can say that much.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Phoenix drawled.


    ¡°Um, thanks, though¡­¡± Twy responded hollowly. He says no bodies, but from all of the perfectly rounded craters I saw, it¡¯s obvious that Chaos Blast doesn¡¯t leave any traces¡­


    Kievkenalis awkwardly cleared his throat, drawing Twy¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°A-anyways,¡± he continued, ¡°my meeting with Pallan is soon, but I probably have time to answer another question or two, if you have any more.¡±


    ¡°Uh, none¡­¡±


    ¡°I do, just one more,¡± Phoenix quickly insisted. ¡°Back when I first read up on Chaostechnism, everything I found said that Velocitechnics are the best counter to us, since they can run up to and hit a Chaostechnic before they can finish calling an attack. Given how secure the Ayas was yesterday, it seems reasonable to assume that the intruder was part of a group, rather than acting alone, and if so¡­ why¡¯d that group send a Chaostechnic to attack you, and not a Velocitechnic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a very astute question!¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a number of potential answers,¡± Kievkenalis replied. ¡°It¡¯s true that Velocitechnics are usually better at fighting Chaostechnics than any other type of Chaotic, but they¡¯re also uniquely weak to us. Remember, I said earlier that Chaostechnic attacks ignore Chaos Energy-based durability boosts ¡ª with the sole exception of other Chaostechnics. It¡¯s possible that the intruder was a Chaostechnic because they didn¡¯t want to risk me pre-empting them and taking them out. Or maybe they didn¡¯t expect to see me in the lab in the first place. ¡­Buuut it¡¯s probably because I¡¯m a Chaos Conduit.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°¡­Well, as a Chaostechnic yourself, I¡¯m sure you noticed that time stopped for you a handful of times before the Curtain exploded.¡±


    ¡°I knew it was related. So that was you, then?¡±


    ¡°Stopped time?¡± Kestrel commented, glancing between Phoenix and Kievkenalis.


    The Dean nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. As a Chaos Conduit, I have the ability to stop time, through the aptly-named ¡®Time¡¯ keyword. Other Chaostechnics are resistant, however. For example, if I stopped time right now, then Phoenix and I both would still be able to move ¡ª but Phoenix would perceive me as moving much faster than her, as though she has been merely slowed instead of stopped altogether. In fact, the more types of abilities that a Chaostechnic can access, the less they¡¯re slowed by Time.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that you and the intruder seemed to ¡®jump¡¯ around¡­¡± Twy commented. ¡°So that was you stopping time, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure how well it would work ¡ª until today, I¡¯ve never tried to stop time against a Chaos State Chaostechnic. Unfortunately, as I suspected, I didn¡¯t actually slow the intruder down at all. The stopped time disoriented her a little, but she was able to keep up with me. As to be expected, from the Chaos State¡­¡±


    ¡°How does stopping time even work?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°I mean, I could still see and breath just like normal, so photons and other small particles must still be moving. Does Time just freeze all macro objects, or something? And what¡¯s even the range? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re stopping time for the entire galaxy?!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha! Good questions!¡± Kievkenalis remarked. ¡°¡­But unfortunately, I don¡¯t have any answers. There are only two people in this galaxy, that I know of, who can stop time ¡ª myself, and Surdeus, the leader of the Sursum Drakkars. And he certainly isn¡¯t going to cooperate with experiments. And it¡¯s rather difficult to experiment with these things when I¡¯m the only one who can do it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°On one hand, I¡¯m inclined to think that the time stop is a local effect, since every time I¡¯ve stopped time, I¡¯ve never had any reports of Chaostechnics from outside the local solar system detecting the stop. And if it is a local effect, then leaving time stopped for extended periods of time could be¡­ dangerous. Especially if it only actually affects macro objects, and not small molecules and the like. And yet¡­¡± A concerned frown appeared on Kievkenalis¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Sometimes, it seems like time stops for me, all on its own. And other times, when I stop time, it restarts a few moments later without me explicitly restarting it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying¡­¡± Twy responded.


    ¡°Remember what I said just a minute ago: I¡¯m not the only one in this galaxy who can stop time.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wait, hold on,¡± Phoenix replied incredulously, ¡°are you saying that you can tell when this Surdeus guy stops time, and that he can restart time after you¡¯ve stopped it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to verify, but I do wonder¡­¡± Kievkenalis commented. ¡°The sudden time stops and starts that I experience could be explained by Surdeus, but if that¡¯s the case, then it implies that Time¡¯s timestop is galactic in scale, at minimum. But no other Chaostechnic has experienced what I¡¯ve experienced, despite them knowing when time has been stopped on a local scale¡­ it¡¯s all rather confusing.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Well, this might just be one of those areas where the explanation is ¡®because Chaos Energy¡¯ and everything just works out, because Chaos Energy. Who knows?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would, but I guess even you don¡¯t know some of this galaxy¡¯s mysteries¡­¡± Phoenix replied with a resigned sigh.


    ¡°Is that really the answer to these kinds of questions, though?¡± Twy glanced doubtfully between Kaon¨¦ and Kievkenalis. ¡°Just¡­ ¡®Chaos Energy did it¡¯, and that¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, but that¡¯s just how it goes, sometimes,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°It is often said that Chaos Energy got its name from the fact that trying to integrate it into the laws of physics as we know them leads only to chaos.¡±


    ¡°A pithy quote, to be sure, but there is more to it than you might expect.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Archon¨¦!¡± Kievkenalis quickly stood up from his chair as Pallan entered the office. ¡°Apologies, I didn¡¯t realize the time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll hear no complaints from me,¡± Pallan commented as he eyed Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel. ¡°After what happened today, it stands to reason that there would be many questions. Many questions, indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°I certainly still have plenty for you,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Yes, but unfortunately, it will have to wait,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected, already moving toward the office door and gesturing for Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel to follow suit. ¡°Kevken and the Archon¨¦ have more pressing matters to talk about, for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Kievkenalis said with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Twy replied. ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than enough for us¡­ I can¡¯t thank you enough for coming to our aid.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you should give yourself more credit. If you hadn¡¯t realized that I had been Subspatially Stored and freed me, I never would have been able to help. If anything¡­¡± Kievkenalis adopted an uneasy frown. ¡°¡­It was my own fault for allowing myself to get stored, in the first place. If I¡¯d been more on top of things, this all could have ended much more quickly, and none of you would¡¯ve been hurt¡­ a-anyways.¡± He shook his head vigorously, as if to shake idle thoughts out of it, and returned to looking at Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel. ¡°The three of you did an amazing job, holding off the intruder for as long as you did. It might not feel like it, but it is worth commending.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I guess¡­¡± Phoenix responded.


    ¡°And now, it¡¯s time for us to leave.¡± Kaon¨¦ paused for a moment to bow her head toward Pallan; she then glanced at each of Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel, and then stepped out of the room, with the three women following suit. Once outside, and the door closed, Kaon¨¦ released a pent-up sigh. ¡°¡­I¡¯d like to echo what Kevken said,¡± she commented quietly. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry that things ended up the way that they did, and you all should be proud of yourselves for handling it the way you did.¡± The Dean then passed Phoenix and Kestrel a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­Normally, I¡¯d say that joining a fight in progress, as novices, was incredibly foolhardy ¡ª but if everything you¡¯ve told me is correct, then you handled yourselves much better than I expected. Good job.¡±


    ¡°¡­Honestly, I agree with you on the irresponsible part,¡± Phoenix admitted. ¡°At the time, I just thought that Twy might be in danger, and wanted to help¡­ by the time I realized the stakes, I was already in the thick of it, ha.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for sticking your neck out for me, though,¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯d do it again in a heartbeat, just like I¡¯m sure you¡¯d do for me. And don¡¯t say that you wouldn¡¯t,¡± Phoenix insisted, just as Twy opened her mouth to respond. ¡°After all, you said exactly the opposite when Kestrel and I showed up. And if not for you sticking around, she and I would¡¯ve been screwed.¡±


    ¡°Mmhm.¡± Kestrel nodded in agreement. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ha ha, well, if you say so,¡± Twy responded sheepishly.


    ¡°It really warms my heart to see you all getting along!¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked with a grin, drawing the other three¡¯s attention to her just in time for her to begin leading them down the hallways of YCUR¡¯s administrative building. ¡°But for now, let¡¯s get back to the hotel. I¡¯m sure your friends want to see that you¡¯re all okay. And aside from that, we¡¯ll be leaving Anika tomorrow, so make sure you have everything packed. Now¡­ let¡¯s get going.¡±

 V1 - Arc 12: Holiday Calm - Chapter 88: Breaks Arrival

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 12 ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 88: Break''s Arrival


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Sundia, Aldredath 19, 8054 ¡ª


    (Wednesday, December 14, AD 2129)


    ¡°Eugh¡­¡±


    With a groggy groan, Austin slowly awoke, his eyes fluttering open to reveal a dimly illuminated stone ceiling. He stared at the ceiling for a couple moments, letting himself adjust to his new wakeful state before turning his head to the side and squinting his eyes. Thick curtains over the lone window of his dorm room at WCU suppressed most of the sunlight that would otherwise be shining through, but enough light managed to skirt around the curtains to let Austin know that morning was now well underway. Another groan escaped his lips as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, before throwing the covers off of his body and turning to stand from his bed.


    Looks like a bright day today¡­ he thought to himself, moving over to the curtains to peak outside for just the briefest moment. He immediately recoiled from the bright sunlight, pausing for a second while blinking rapidly in an effort to dispel the temporary imprints on his vision. As he did, he stumbled over to his room¡¯s light switch and flipped on the lights, creating a less bright ¡ª though still clearly illuminated ¡ª environment for his eyes to first adjust to.


    ¡°What¡¯s today¡­ Sundia, right? Ugh¡­¡± Austin muttered under his breath as he began rummaging through his room¡¯s closet for his morning affects. ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ Sundays on Earth are part of the weekend, but Sundia here is the first day of the workweek¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to that¡­ at least today is the first day of Spring Break, here¡­¡±


    While he continued grumbling to himself, he grabbed his toothbrush, a wash cloth, and a facial towel before trundling over to his bedroom door, throwing it open, and stepping into the dormitory hallway beyond. Without paying much heed to his surroundings, he walked down the hallway to the coed bathroom and pushed his way in, prepared to begin his morning wash-up routine.


    ¡°¡­Oh. Hey.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin glanced up, his eyes widening in surprise as he spotted Spike standing in front of one of the bathroom sinks. ¡°¡­What¡¯re you doin¡¯ up?¡±


    ¡°What am I doin¡¯?¡± Spike echoed incredulously. He paused for a moment to wipe off his face with his own towel before turning to face Austin directly. ¡°I should be askin¡¯ you that. What¡¯re you up so late for?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Late¡¯ my ass¡­¡± Austin grumbled as he setup at the sink next to Spike. ¡°The hell am I even late for?¡±


    ¡°Damn, don¡¯t tell me you fuckin¡¯ forgot.¡±


    ¡°Forgot what¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Oh! There you guys are!!¡±


    Austin and Spike both glanced toward the bathroom entrance, where Sky now stood, holding the door open as she glared inside. She opened her mouth to speak again, only to stop herself as she glanced toward Austin, and the items he held with him ¡ª at which point a scowl formed on her face.


    ¡°Oh my god¡ª Austin, did you really just wake up?!¡± she exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Austin stared at her cluelessly. ¡°¡­Yeah? So? We have today off, right?¡±


    A weary sigh escaped Spike¡¯s lips as he shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Damn, you really did forget.¡±


    ¡°How rude,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°You were the one who signed us up for this shit, after all!¡±


    ¡°I what¡­?¡± Austin continued staring at Sky, at first in confusion ¡ª though realization hit him a moment later. ¡°Oh, shit, that¡¯s right¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Now you remember. Sheesh.¡± Sky made a show of rolling her eyes. ¡°Spike, make sure he gets his shit together, please? I¡¯m going ahead with sis and Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Spike replied, passing her a nod of acknowledgment before she retreated from the doorway. He then looked over at Austin. ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯d ask if you were ready for today, but given how late you woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, fuckin¡¯ whatever¡­¡± Austin muttered as he placed a dab of toothpaste on his toothbrush and began running it under some water. ¡°¡­Guess I oughta get ready for some fuckin¡¯ training, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Not just any trainin¡¯. Trainin¡¯ for the Annual Chaotic Tournament!¡± Spike declared, heartily slapping Austin on the back as he did. The latter spluttered in surprise, but managed to keep his footing as he shot his friend a glare. ¡°¡­Heh,¡± Spike chuckled in response. ¡°If you can¡¯t even take that, then you¡¯re bound to cost us our qualifyin¡¯ match tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Eugh¡­ right, right¡­¡± Austin sighed warily. ¡°¡­Today¡¯s gonna fuckin¡¯ suck¡­¡±


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Steam cloud!!¡±


    A half-second after Sky¡¯s excited declaration, a large bubble of water formed in the air ¡ª which then immediately detonated in a forceful steam explosion, sending a small shockwave across the dirt below as a cloud of steam spread through the air. Tentatively, Spike approached the cloud of steam and reached his hand out toward it, only to grimace and yank his hand back a second later.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he remarked, backing away and passing Sky a glance. ¡°That¡¯s pretty hot, alright. Dunno what I expected, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha HA! We¡¯ve got this down, pat!¡± Sky exclaimed, jumping in the air once before whipping around to hold her hand up toward Twy. ¡°Way to go, sis!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t really do that much¡­¡± Twy replied, though nonetheless gave Sky the high five she was so obviously waiting for.


    ¡°Might not have been much, but it¡¯s enough,¡± Austin remarked, stepping up to the two alongside Spike. ¡°From everything I¡¯ve heard, the ACT is all about bein¡¯ showy and forceful ¡ª and explosions do both of those things at once! The only thing I¡¯m worried about, is¡­¡± He trailed off, his gaze drifting out across the group¡¯s surroundings. They currently stood on the side of one of WCU¡¯s practice fields, with the bright mid-morning sun shining down upon them. Just a few meters off to the side of them were Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel, practicing on their own, but aside from them¡­ the entirety of WCU¡¯s practice fields were occupied by a dozen different groups of student Chaotics, all getting in some last-minute practice before participating in the week¡¯s qualifiers for the Annual Chaotic Tournament.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s to worry about?¡± Spike questioned, as he watched a Velocitechnic and a Forcetechnic engage in a quick duel across the field, flanked by a Metallitechnic manipulating a piece of metal into various geometric shapes, and a Cryotechnic covering their entire body in ice. ¡°Folks are trainin¡¯, just like we are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s all in public!¡± Austin countered. ¡°By practicing here, we¡¯re basically givin¡¯ away all of our moves and secrets!¡±


    ¡°Do we have any secrets?¡± Twy responded incredulously. ¡°This steam explosion idea is pretty simple. All you need is a Hydrotechnic to gather the water, and a Pyrotechnic to rapidly overheat it¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure any Hydro-Pyrotechnic pair could figure this out on their own.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You should just focus on training yourself!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°If you can master that Simulator stuff you have, then that would help us a lot, if we ever went up against a powerful Chaotic!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Austin muttered, holding up his hands ¡ª over his right palm appeared a small bubble of water, while over his left appeared a mote of flame. ¡°¡­It¡¯s harder than you¡¯d think, but I¡¯m gettin¡¯ there¡­¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Well you better step it up, because our qualifying match is tomorrow!¡± Sky declared. ¡°You better not make the three of us carry your ass!¡±


    ¡°If anythin¡¯, I think it¡¯d be Twy that¡¯ll carry us,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Twy looked up at him in confusion. ¡°Uh¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you know why.¡±


    The four glanced over to their left, to find Phoenix looking their way.


    Upon noticing that she had grabbed the group¡¯s attention, she winked at them before continuing, ¡°come on, Twy. It¡¯s barely been two days since we went up against the Chaostechnic in Riverana!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Twy adopted an uneasy smile as she glanced away. ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard the story from Phoenix,¡± Sky remarked, stepping aside to make room for Phoenix as she joined the group ¡ª and Kestrel quickly followed. ¡°The three of you, against a Chaos State Chaotic? Wow!¡± Sky continued, ¡°I¡¯m a little annoyed I didn¡¯t hear the story from you, sis, but I guess you never were someone to toot your own horn, huh?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even do anything, though. In fact, I just got knocked around a lot. I even had to go home in a cast¡­¡±


    ¡°A cast which you¡¯re not even wearin¡¯ anymore,¡± Austin commented, eying Twy¡¯s bare lower legs as he did. ¡°I dunno if the Nimalians are just really good at fixin¡¯ bones or what, but the fact that you¡¯re fine after just two days seems impressive enough to me.¡±


    ¡°Same to the two of you,¡± Spike declared as he nodded toward Phoenix and Kestrel. ¡°I¡¯m kinda sad I missed a fight like that, but it¡¯s good y¡¯all kept your wits about you and stood your ground.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s nothing. I could¡¯ve done that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could have,¡± Phoenix deadpanned, her hands on her hips as she watched Pierce ¡ª followed by Conrad ¡ª join the group.


    ¡°Always have to one-up people, huh?¡± Sky retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one-upping, I¡¯m just stating facts,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Besides, it isn¡¯t hard to one-up people who stop in the middle of training for idle chit-chat.¡±


    ¡°Chit-chat that you just joined,¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there,¡± Conrad remarked as he passed Pierce an amused smirk.


    ¡°Look, I joined this little group chat for a point,¡± Pierce commented, shooting Conrad an annoyed look before turning back to Austin and pointing at him. ¡°I know why you signed your friends up for the ACT, dweeb ¡ª same reason I signed all of us up: a rematch. Or, in a way, a proper match. But that match won¡¯t mean shit if you don¡¯t take it seriously!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª? I am taking this seriously!¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°Please. You almost missed our joint practice because you overslept. That isn¡¯t ¡®taking this seriously¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­You have a way of saying things in the most annoying way possible,¡± Phoenix muttered, only to pass Austin a wary glance. ¡°But ultimately, Pierce is right, you know. If we end up fighting each other in the tournament, then we won¡¯t be going easy on you. You know that, right?¡±


    Austin returned Phoenix¡¯s glance. ¡°I know that, I¡¯m just¡­ warming up. We still have all day, you know.¡±


    ¡°You hear that?¡± Sky elbowed Spike¡¯s side as she passed him a cheeky grin. ¡°Austin just committed to a whole day of training!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that, dweeb,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Beating your ass won¡¯t be any fun if you aren¡¯t bringing everything you have!¡±


    ¡°Man, sometimes I forget just how competitive you are¡­¡± Conrad muttered, with Kestrel offering a firm nod of agreement.


    ¡°Well, this is a competitive tournament,¡± Spike said. ¡°Should probably expect to see more of this attitude from other folks.¡±


    ¡°And according to Kar¨ªsah, some of the other tournament entrants are even worse about this than Pierce¡­¡± Twy said with a sigh.


    ¡°L-look, I¡¯m prepared for that!¡± Austin insisted. ¡°I signed us up for this tournament with the intention to win, and I do intend to win, damn it! Just let me move at my own pace!¡±


    ¡°Your own pace will never be enough to accomplish that goal.¡±


    ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± Austin exclaimed in surprise, his attention ¡ª as with the rest of the group ¡ª snapping to the side, where none other than Mote was approaching, with Mark and Luke in tow.


    ¡°You?¡± Pierce¡¯s expression collapsed into a scowl as he eyed Mote, who stopped a couple meters short of the group. ¡°The hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Could¡¯ve sworn I sent you all a message via Relaynet¡­¡± Luke commented, stepping up next to Mote. ¡°CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are all here; we just arrived, in fact. We¡¯ll be sticking around for the next couple weeks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that everyone¡¯s been fine in our absence,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s certainly nice to see you,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Specifically you,¡± Phoenix declared.


    Mote shot Phoenix an irate glance. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, here we go,¡± Pierce remarked with a roll of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re going to try and boss us around again, huh? What, didn¡¯t get enough of it back on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, our training here doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you!¡± Austin added. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing just fine without you!¡±


    ¡°Really, now,¡± Mote deadpanned. ¡°Because the way I¡¯ve heard it, that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. Already, you all have been involved in two separate incidents, and not once did any of you assist in a material manner!¡±


    ¡°What?! I totally helped during that attack in Rel¨¦diaka!¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°You clearly haven¡¯t heard about what happened a couple days ago, either!¡± Sky exclaimed as she threw her arm around Twy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel managed to hold their own against a Chaos State Chaotic, you know! If that doesn¡¯t show our progress, then I don¡¯t know what does!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Luke¡¯s eyes widened in alarm as he looked between the three women. ¡°What the hell happened while I was gone?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a long story,¡± Twy replied sheepishly.


    ¡°¡­Well, I will admit, that is a feat worthy of praise¡­¡± Mote commented, only to snap back to glaring at Austin and Pierce. ¡°But it apparently involves neither of you ¡ª the weakest links of the entire group.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, dude?¡± Austin countered irately, ¡°that¡¯s pretty fucking rude!¡±


    ¡°Did you really just come over here to talk shit?¡± Piece snapped. ¡°Believe it or not, pretty boy, we have gotten better since we last saw you. If you still think you¡¯re sooo much better than us, then how about you fucking prove it, huh, asshole?¡±


    Sparks began wreathing Mote¡¯s arms as he replied with a single word. ¡°Gladly.¡±


    However, before the conversation could progress any further, Luke and Mark both stepped forward to stand in between Mote and Pierce, with Mark placing his hand on Mote¡¯s shoulder and Luke extending his arms as if to calm everyone.


    ¡°Alright, alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Luke declared. ¡°We didn¡¯t come here to start a fight. Right, Mote?¡±


    Mote continued glaring at Pierce for a second before finally diverting his gaze and taking a deep breath, ceasing the sparkstorm on his arms as he did. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, sir. That was unbecoming of me.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s all it takes for you to back down, huh?¡± Pierce taunted.


    ¡°Pierce, cool it,¡± Phoenix quickly interjected.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go get Kate and Danielle?¡± Mark suggested, baring a friendly smile as he addressed Mote. ¡°I can show you all around town. It¡¯ll be a fun time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ right. Let¡¯s do that,¡± Mote replied, as he and Mark both turned toward the campus gates. Just before walking off, however, Mote glanced back at the group and declared, ¡°if you all really think you¡¯ve become skilled enough to participate in a tournament, then you had better at least succeed in your qualifiers!¡±


    A tense, uneasy silence fell over the group as Mote and Mark finally left, leaving only the sounds of training Chaotics to fill the air.


    ¡°¡­Well.¡± Conrad eventually broke the silence. ¡°¡­That was something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m real sorry about that¡­¡± Luke commented sheepishly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Mote to be so, uh¡­ irritable. But I guess that¡¯s on me.¡±


    ¡°What an asshole¡­¡± Austin muttered. ¡°A total buzzkill¡­¡±


    ¡°He certainly seems to think he knows best,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Self-righteous pricks like him are always a pain to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Why is he like that, though?¡± Twy questioned, her attention directed toward Luke. ¡°It seems like he¡¯s friends with Mark, and Mark seems reasonable enough, so I can only assume that Mote is¡­ at least kind of a good person.¡±


    ¡°He is, it¡¯s just¡­ well, everything about y¡¯all¡¯s circumstances seems to be pissing him off,¡± Luke replied. ¡°He¡¯s wrong to take it out on all of you, of course, but¡­ eh.¡± He shrugged in resignation. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the Colonel about it. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure Mote doesn¡¯t bother you all much more.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot about our circumstances that piss us off, too, but we don¡¯t go around snapping at people,¡± Sky retorted, only for her attention to shift to Pierce. ¡°Well¡­ most of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t snap at people,¡± Pierce countered, and then released a frustrated sigh. ¡°But that goody-goody two-shoes showing up really put a damper on everything. Damn¡­ I¡¯m going out for a run. I¡¯ll see you losers later.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Pierce¡ª!¡± Phoenix started to shout, but it was too late; he had already disappeared in a cloud of dust. ¡°Ah, damn it, what about our training?¡±


    ¡°Training while angry ain¡¯t really helpful for some folks,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°If you¡¯re the type to let anger get the better of you, then usually it¡¯s better to cool off, instead of trainin¡¯ while distracted. Could lead to bad trainin¡¯ habits otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Tch, maybe I¡¯ll do that, too¡­¡± Austin muttered. ¡°What a fuckin¡¯ way to start the day¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, but what about the ACT?¡± Sky questioned, turning toward Austin as he began walking away from the group. ¡°You were the one who signed us up for this! Why aren¡¯t you sticking around?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back later,¡± Austin replied, without even turning around to face the group as he walked. ¡°I just need a breather.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t say that I blame him,¡± Twy commented once Austin was out of earshot. ¡°Let¡¯s just leave him be, for now?¡±


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°With Mote coming in hot like that, I¡¯m honestly surprised that a fight didn¡¯t break out.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Kestrel grunted in affirmation, and then glanced at Luke. ¡°¡­Why Austin and Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Luke returned the glance. ¡°What, you mean why did Mote focus so hard on them? ¡­Honestly, I think it¡¯s just a clash of personalities. Mote¡¯s never responded well to people with attitudes like Austin¡¯s or Pierce¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t respond well to people with attitudes like Pierce¡¯s,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°Either way, the three of them aren¡¯t here anymore, so I don¡¯t see any reason to keep talking about them. Especially when we¡¯re burning daylight!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°We have a tournament to train for! C¡¯mon!¡±


    With those two exclamations, the remaining six returned to their training, working hard under the bright morning sun to prepare for the next day¡¯s qualifying matches.

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 89: New Introductions

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 89: New Introductions


    2 Hours Later


    ¡°Man, this fucking sucks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said that already,¡± Conrad flatly remarked.


    Pierce shot his friend an unamused glance, only for Conrad to ignore the look by taking another bite out of the lakefood skewer in his hands. With a frustrated sigh, Pierce turned his attention back over Compound Tresnon¡¯s Mirage Lakefront, which was abuzz with lunchtime crowds and activity.


    ¡°Fucking Mote¡­¡± Pierce muttered, a scowl on his face as he thought back to his encounter with Mote that morning. ¡°Just why do all of the Eximius Vir have to be here, huh? Those entitled, uptight assholes¡­¡±


    ¡°Funny to hear you calling someone entitled,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I might have problems, but Mote is on a completely different level.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ eh. You¡¯re not really wrong, but there¡¯s not much point wasting this much time and energy complaining about it, you know?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to pull the ¡®too tired to complain¡¯ card on me, you complain about shit all the time.¡±


    ¡°Heh, got me there. Still¡­¡± Conrad paused just long enough to take another bite of fish before continuing, food still in his mouth, ¡°we¡¯re on break now, right? And there¡¯s a big feast in a week. Might as well just enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking with food in your mouth,¡± Pierce countered, to which Conrad replied with a cheeky grin. ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right, though,¡± Pierce mused as he looked out over the massive lake stretching to the southern horizon. ¡°If we¡¯re on break from classes and stuff, then at least there isn¡¯t much for the Eximius Vir to interfere with.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. They¡¯ll be gone before the next term even starts.¡± Conrad suddenly frowned. ¡°¡­Aw man, now I¡¯m thinking about next term¡­ we¡¯re supposed to have actual exams and stuff this time, right? Aw, maaan¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it. You¡¯ve never had problems with exams, even though you never study.¡±


    ¡°It still sucks to think about. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought up next term!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Conrad replied dismissively, stepping up next to Pierce to look out over the railing they were standing next to. Not far to their left was the sloped entrance to Market Street, with the docks and piers of the lakefront located directly down and in front of them. ¡°¡­Oh, yeah. Kestrel¡¯s birthday is tomorrow, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± Pierce passed Conrad an amused smirk. ¡°You want to get her a birthday present, huh?¡±


    ¡°We are friends,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get me anything for my birthday this year.¡±


    ¡°You were on another planet!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I sure was.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you missed my birthday, too, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ I was on another planet.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Let¡¯s just call it even, then. Now, what about Kestrel?¡±


    ¡°I mean, she isn¡¯t exactly the type to appreciate attention. She never asks for anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I still want to get something. It¡¯s her 21st, you know? That¡¯s a milestone.¡±


    Pierce responded with a shrug. ¡°Just get her alcohol, then.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, man, you know she¡¯s not interested in that,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°The legal drinking age here is¡­ wait, what even is the legal drinking age, here?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t one.¡±


    Pierce and Conrad both turned to look behind them, where they spotted a particular young woman with tanned skin, shoulder-length black hair, and a prominent scar stretching from just above the left corner of her mouth, down her neck, and disappearing below the collar of the white and beige robes that swathed her body.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Liask,¡± Pierce remarked, turning to face her fully as she stepped up.


    ¡°Nice to see you,¡± Conrad added. ¡°But, is that really true? There¡¯s no legal drinking age here?¡±


    ¡°Why would there be?¡± Liask questioned. ¡°Why ban it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question!¡± Pierce replied, ¡°why ban alcohol, indeed?¡±


    ¡°I mean, there are good reasons for it, but¡­ whatever.¡± Conrad simply shrugged. ¡°My original point was that turning 21 here doesn¡¯t matter for drinking since we can already drink.¡±


    Liask passed Conrad an incredulous look. ¡°Wait, does Earth limit when you can drink beer?¡±


    ¡°Most nations do. Most of Nimalia does, actually,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°I guess Tres¨¦d¡¯s just different.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Well, why were you talkin¡¯ about beer? Did you guys want to get a drink or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Please, in the middle of the day?¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°C¡¯mon, we aren¡¯t that trashy.¡±


    ¡°We were just talking about getting one of our friends a present for their birthday, that¡¯s all,¡± Conrad explained.


    Liask simply stared blankly at Conrad and Pierce for a few moments before shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°Outsiders really can be weird, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°¡¯Outsiders¡¯, huh?¡± Pierce echoed. ¡°Tres¨¦dians really seem to like using that word.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah? I mean, you guys are outsiders.¡± After speaking, though, Liask frowned. ¡°¡­Well, I guess a lot of Tres¨¦dians do use that word like an insult, huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, we know you didn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°What¡¯s weird about what I said, though? The drinking age part?¡±


    ¡°And the part where you said it was ¡®trashy¡¯ to drink in the middle of the day,¡± Liask said. ¡°And the birthday part, too. I¡¯ve heard of other Nimalians celebrating birthdays, but I¡¯ve never seen it in Tres¨¦d. I don¡¯t really get the point, either.¡±


    ¡°It is pretty silly if you think about it too hard,¡± Pierce commented, ¡°but the key is to not think about it that hard. Just think of your birthday as an excuse to hang out with your friends and maybe get some free stuff.¡±


    ¡°Man, it sounds so cynical when you put it like that¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°¡­Well, the whole idea of ¡®birthday¡¯ is weird, too,¡± Liask replied. ¡°Most Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t actually know what day they were born on, or even the exact year. I don¡¯t. Like, I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m 18 or 19 years old, but¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really see how it matters, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Uuuuhhh¡­¡± Pierce stared at her incredulously. ¡°When you¡¯re our age? It matters a lot.¡±


    ¡°Only when you do the things that you do, playboy,¡± Conrad remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Shut up. I¡¯ve only been with 4th-years and up, anyways. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine. It has to be fine, right? It¡¯s totally fine¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡± Liask passed Pierce a doubtful glance. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Pierce insisted, and then diverted his gaze as he muttered under his breath, ¡°damn, just one more thing to worry about¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha, don¡¯t mind him,¡± Conrad remarked, playfully elbowing Pierce in the side before turning back to Liask. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re on your own, today? Where¡¯s your friends?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha, we just¡­ split up for a little while,¡± Liask responded with an uneasy laugh. As she did so, however, her shoulders noticeably slumped.


    ¡°Something happen?¡± Pierce questioned after noticing her posture.


    ¡°I guess. My ACT team had our qualifying match this morning.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, already?¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Ours isn¡¯t until tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°The qualifiers are spread over the entire Spring Break,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°It stands to reason that some people get the short end of the stick and have to go early.¡± He then turned back to Liask. ¡°Judging by that shoulder slump, though¡­ I¡¯m guessing your match¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Liask smiled bitterly. ¡°We didn¡¯t qualify. Which, I mean, I expected it, but it still sucks¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°I guess only four teams can make it in the end, huh?¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ and Kar¨ªsah¡¯s is basically an automatic pass,¡± Liask replied. ¡°So there¡¯s really only three slots for the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Automatic pass? In a tournament?¡± Pierce scowled. ¡°That¡¯s not cool.¡±


    ¡°I meant it like, we all knew that she¡¯d pass,¡± Liask corrected herself. ¡°Her team was the first one to go, this morning. It went just like everyone expected: they passed.¡±


    ¡°Still sounds like favoritism, to me¡­¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°Passing the first team to have a match in the qualifiers? How do they know there won¡¯t be other, better teams down the line? ¡­How the hell do qualifiers work, anyways?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Oh shut up, it¡¯s not like you do, either.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, no one explained it to you, huh?¡± Liask remarked with a small smile. ¡°Well, the qualifiers work on a ¡®double pass¡¯ system, so Dav¨ªdrius calls it. This week, he and some of the teachers score every team that signed up; any team that gets a passing score will have another qualifying match next week. At the end of that, the four teams with the highest average scores, qualify. That¡¯s how it works here, at WCU, at least; I hear it¡¯s different at some of the other schools.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s more reasonable than I was expecting¡­¡± Pierce mused.


    ¡°So, when you say that Kar¨ªsah passed already, you just mean that her team got a really good score on their first match?¡± Conrad asked.


    Liask nodded. ¡°Yep. She¡¯s been the only one to actually go on the offensive against Dav¨ªdrius, so far. I don¡¯t think anyone else will do as good as she did.¡± Her shoulders slumped again as a sigh escaped her lips. ¡°Compared to her, I still have a long way to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you still have time, too,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re a 3rd-year, right? So you have three more chances at this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make one of them.¡±


    ¡°¡­Thanks,¡± Liask replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely try. And I wish you guys luck on your match tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Appreciate it. Before then, though¡­¡± Conrad commented, looking mournfully down at the now-bare skewer in his hands. ¡°¡­I knew that wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still hungry?¡± Pierce remarked incredulously. ¡°Damn, dude, sometimes it seems like all you do is eat and sleep. How are you not fat as fuck?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m a growing boy. I need my food and sleep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re twenty-fucking-one, you aren¡¯t growing shit.¡±


    Liask giggled as she watched Pierce and Conrad¡¯s banter. She then began to turn away from the two, saying, ¡°well, I¡¯ll stop being a bother. Have fun at¡ª¡°


    ¡°Who said you were a bother?¡± Conrad questioned, and then nodded down at the lakefront below. ¡°You know, when I¡¯m feeling bad, nothing helps like some good food. ¡­Or a nap. But I¡¯m hungry, so let¡¯s go with food for now.¡±


    ¡°Your pick-up lines need some work,¡± Pierce declared with a smirk, and then turned toward Liask. ¡°Still, the slob here¡¯s got a point. If you want to get lunch, you can tag along with us, if you want. ¡­Though you¡¯re always free to say no.¡±


    Conrad passed Pierce a wary glance, but before he could say anything, Liask spoke up.


    ¡°¡­Well, if it¡¯s alright with you guys,¡± she replied. ¡°I was about to get lunch, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then!¡± Conrad remarked, turning away from Pierce to begin walking toward the Lakefront entrance, with Pierce and Liask both beginning to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some food!¡±


    <hr>


    That Evening


    ¡°Again, I really must apologize for your treatment¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s no issue,¡± Colonel Saito airily replied, offering Kaon¨¦ a smile from across the table. ¡°I understand it¡¯s a busy time for the staff, here. It stands to reason Dean Wrikax would be busy.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but even so¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, warily casting her gaze across the other individuals sitting at the table with her and Saito: Major Hackett, Captain Travis, and Researcher MacTavish. The Dean and the four members of CSF-1 had just taken seats around a pier-side table on the Mirage Lakefront, food in hand as they began to share dinner. ¡°¡­Welcoming guests is still one of our jobs, as Deans,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually continued, turning her attention back to Saito. ¡°Especially when the guests are as important as you are. I¡¯d hoped that Dav¨ªdrius would see that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re guests, sure, but don¡¯t overstate our importance,¡± Saito refuted. ¡°Given what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯s no surprise that the people around here aren¡¯t keen on welcoming a group of outsiders like us. I have no intention of forcing ourselves on them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only here on temporary leave, anyways,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°We¡¯re primarily on Nimalia to attend the military summit the NSD is hosting next week. We¡¯re only here in Compound Tresnon to check in on the recruits.¡±


    ¡°Right, the summit¡­ I¡¯d heard something about that from Kev¨¦rin. I think he and Rebehka are both due to attend,¡± Kaon¨¦ mused, and then passed a glance toward Luke. ¡°I think you might know what that means¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, right,¡± the Captain replied around a mouthful of food. He quickly gulped it down before remarking, ¡°something about the infection, huh? Well, we wanted to talk about that, too, so it works out.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, the summit isn¡¯t for several days,¡± Saito interjected as he began digging into his own lakefood, a sort of breaded fish topped with a spicy yellow sauce. ¡°Let¡¯s try to spend what little break time we have, actually taking a break.¡±


    Hackett nodded in agreement. ¡°Hear, hear.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, good point,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the next couple weeks off, myself, after a long stretch of working¡­ so I can really sympathize with not wanting to think about work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sounds like great timing,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°If it¡¯s not too much trouble, would you mind showing us around town, one of these days?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, but I won¡¯t be here. Tomorrow evening, I¡¯m going home for two weeks, to Nimaliaka Central.¡±


    ¡°Dean Densalin isn¡¯t from around here, Colonel,¡± Luke explained. ¡°She¡¯s Nimaliakian, right? But we¡¯re in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Which is one of the reasons I wanted Dav¨ªdrius to meet with you all, since he¡¯s actually a local¡­ oh well.¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed and shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Luke should be familiar enough with Compound Tresnon to show you around, though, I¡¯d imagine.¡±


    ¡°I know a few places, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take too long to look around,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°This town didn¡¯t look too large when we flew in. And a lot of it is¡­¡± She trailed off as she passed Kaon¨¦ an uneasy glance. ¡°¡­Well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh, I think I understand what you mean,¡± the Dean replied with a bitter smile. ¡°Compound Tresnon might be one of the larger and wealthier towns in Tres¨¦d, but it¡¯s still¡­ not very well off, compared to the rest of the globe. Even some of the residents here would agree that there isn¡¯t much to see. But, what there is to see¡­¡± She paused to stretch her right arm to the south, gesturing over the waters of the massive lake, tinted gold and orange with the sunset as they stretched from the east to the west. Bustling, merry activity filled the lakefront piers and shops, with dozens of different displays and small stalls decorating the walkways. ¡°¡­Is pretty nice,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually finished, turning back to CSF-1 as she did. ¡°There¡¯s a certain charm to the markets of Compound Tresnon that you don¡¯t get in Nimaliaka Central, or any of the other large cities on Nimalia, where the personal touch of smaller markets have been exchanged for the selection and impersonal efficiency of supermarkets and department stores.¡±


    ¡°The food¡¯s not bad, either,¡± Saito remarked, having just finished part of the fish laid out before him. ¡°I don¡¯t often have the chance to eat otherworld food, but it¡¯s pretty good. Different, but the same, all at once.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°For the fish, maybe,¡± Luke commented, ¡°but don¡¯t get fooled by any of the produce, sir. I once ate what I thought was a pepper, only to get hit with something like a super sweet apple! Really not what I was expecting.¡± He then glanced to the side, adopting a playful smirk as he noticed Kirstin attempting to suppress a smile. ¡°What, you think my suffering is funny?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ n-no¡­!¡± Her smile immediately vanished, her gaze diverted from Luke¡¯s. ¡°I-I just¡ª¡°


    ¡°Relax, Kirstin, I¡¯m just messing with you,¡± Luke quickly interjected.


    ¡°Someone seems on edge, today,¡± Saito observed, passing Kirstin a glance between bites of his fish. ¡°Something bothering you, MacTavish?¡±


    The Researcher¡¯s attention lingered on Saito for a moment, and then Luke, before she dropped her eyes ¡ª and her shoulders. ¡°¡­N-no, it¡¯s¡­ nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big sigh for ¡®nothing¡¯,¡± Hackett said.


    When Kirstin responded with further silence, Luke stopped eating for a moment to eye her warily ¡ª but never once achieved eye contact. After just a couple seconds of contemplation, however, realization rushed across his face, realization that he quickly replaced with a warm smile. ¡°I think I get it. Sorry, Kirstin,¡± he remarked, at which point Kirstin timidly looked up at him. ¡°But we were pretty busy with travel yesterday, you know. And then with getting settled in today¡­ how about a proper dinner tomorrow?¡±


    Kirstin perked up, the beginnings of a smile showing on her face. ¡°R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ did I just watch you ask MacTavish out on a date?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, sir, you know it¡¯s not like that,¡± Luke replied, and then nodded toward Kirstin. ¡°She turned 21 yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Really?¡± Kaon¨¦ turned toward Kirstin. ¡°Happy Birthday! If I had known, then I would¡¯ve¡ª¡°


    ¡°N-no, this is, um, fine¡­¡± the Researcher quickly interjected, her face at this point flushed blood red as she attempted to hide behind her bangs and hands. ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­ the thought that, uh, counts¡­¡±


    ¡°Even so, I¡¯m really sorry for not remembering,¡± Hackett said. ¡°I know we were traveling yesterday, but that¡¯s still no excuse. I agree with the Captain ¡ª to make up for it, let¡¯s all get dinner tomorrow, and maybe take a look through some of the local shops. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something that you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°¡­Y-you don¡¯t have to go that, um, far¡­ n-not for me¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, we don¡¯t have to,¡± Luke retorted, ¡°but we¡¯d still like to. So long as we¡¯re not being a bother, at least.¡±


    Kirstin slowly raised her head, just enough to peek at Luke under her bangs. She fidgeted in her seat for a moment, and then diverted her gaze again, uttering only one word in response: ¡°¡­Th-thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Luke replied with a grin. ¡°And like Kaon¨¦ said earlier, I¡¯ve been here for about a month, so I know a few places to show you all around, and a few people to meet. Tomorrow will be great!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose I¡¯d happen to be one of those people?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± Luke turned in the direction of the new voice, a familiar voice ¡ª one that he quickly discovered belonged to a man of average height with light skin, silver hair tied back into a ponytail, and a rough goatee of similar coloring. Upon recognizing the man, a smile began to appear on Luke¡¯s face, only to stall as he recalled the man¡¯s employer. ¡°¡­Hey, Gavon¡­!¡± the Captain eventually managed to say, finally forcing a smile. ¡°Been a while, huh?¡±


    ¡°Only about two weeks,¡± Gavon replied, coming to stand next to the table that Kaon¨¦ and CSF-1 were seated at. He nodded toward the Dean in greeting, and then shifted his attention to Saito, Hackett, and Kirstin. ¡°Hope I¡¯m not interrupting. I just saw Luke here, and thought I¡¯d say hi. Are all of you his friends?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re one of his, too,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°Uh, well, sort of¡­¡± Luke answered warily. ¡°We only just met a week before I left with the students to visit Sikalia, but, uh, he seemed like a decent enough guy.¡±


    ¡°You wound me with your faint praise!¡± Gavon replied cheekily.


    ¡°Well, care to introduce us?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°¡­Should¡¯ve expected this¡­¡± Luke muttered under his breath, only to sigh and gesture at each of the others seated at the table as he introduced them. ¡°Well, Gavon, meet Colonel Kaji Saito¡­ my commanding officer. And Major Rachel Hackett, my, uh, other commanding officer. And this is Kirstin MacTavish, our in-field tech specialist.¡± The Captain then sharply inhaled before nodding toward Gavon. ¡°Uh, Colonel, Major, Kirstin, meet Master Captain Gavon Sav¨¦nos¡­ of the Black Suns.¡±


    As soon as the words left Luke¡¯s mouth, the atmosphere over the table cooled, with Saito and Hackett both stiffening as they warily eyed Gavon, while Kirstin fully diverted her gaze and found a new fascination in playing with the uneaten remains of her dinner.


    ¡°I should add that I¡¯m with Sector 1,¡± Gavon declared after quickly picking up on CSF-1¡¯s shifts in demeanor. ¡°Zero affiliation with the fools you bested last week.¡±


    ¡°¡­What do you know about what happened last week?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°¡­I get the feeling I shouldn¡¯t be privy to this discussion¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ commented, slowly beginning to stand up, but Gavon extended a hand toward her, as if to tell her to stay.


    ¡°It¡¯s no concern, Dean Densalin. The incident we speak of is, in a roundabout way, connected to you, as well,¡± he remarked, and then adopted a sheepish smile as he turned his attention to Saito. ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving Tresnon anytime soon, so it¡¯s best we clear the air now. To be upfront ¡ª I¡¯ve been briefed by my superiors on what happened last week. And while I¡¯m not fond of being a PR mouthpiece, they did want me to stress to you that the outpost SERRCom captured on Sunova had no official connection to the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Official¡¯?¡± Luke echoed.


    ¡°Wait, Sunova?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned. ¡°¡­I remember that name. That was one of SERRCom¡¯s Tier 5 Worlds, but it was overrun by the metallic infection 20 years ago¡­ are we talking about the same Sunova?¡±


    ¡°That would be correct,¡± Saito admitted. ¡°The very same planet that you and the rest of Hero Machina visited two decades ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t have the whole team together at that point, but still, that¡¯s interesting¡­ What¡¯s this about a Black Suns outpost, then? Did the metallic infection disappear from Sunova?¡±


    ¡°This might take some time to explain¡­¡± Gavon responded, and then looked toward Saito. ¡°Mind if I take a seat, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°Might as well get this over with, now,¡± Saito replied as he scooted his chair over to make room around the table for the Black Suns Officer. ¡°I¡¯m particularly interested in hearing what you have to say.¡±


    ¡°Colonel¡­¡± Hackett spoke up, passing Gavon a doubtful glance as she did. ¡°¡­Should we really be discussing the situation directly with a Black Suns Officer like this?¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows, at this point, that the outpost wasn¡¯t actually affiliated with the Black Suns,¡± the Colonel retorted. ¡°So I¡¯m sure discussing these obvious rogues with the Master Captain here won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°What a wonderful grasp you have on the situation, Colonel,¡± Gavon replied, a faint smile upon his face as he rested his elbows on the table in front of him. ¡°But, sorry to disappoint, there isn¡¯t much that I know aside from the official story. I do know that the Black Suns have been engaged in metallic infection clean-up work across the galaxy, so there¡¯s a chance that Sector 2 ¡ª ahem, I¡¯m sorry, the ¡®rogues¡¯ ¡ª were on Sunova because of that.¡±


    Saito and Hackett exchanged a wary glance before the former commented, ¡°are we to assume that these ¡®rogues¡¯ were from Sector 2, then?¡±


    Gavon smirked. ¡°Heh. Well, officially, the outpost you raided had no Black Suns connection, and therefore, no connection to any of the four Sectors. ¡­If we were to erroneously assume that the outpost was connected, however, then I can guarantee that they¡¯d be with Sector 2.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like some dangerous speculation¡­¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°From what I know about the Black Suns, though, it stands to reason,¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°When I visited Sunova all those years ago, I remember hearing that the Master Ayas was discovered in the caves, and that SERRCom¡¯s Battlecruiser Genesis first appeared in orbit around Sunova. And then Dav¨ªdrius and Siyuak¨¦n found a cavern full of gold, where they found four young children in stasis pods, and fought a critical infection dragon. Suffice it to say, a lot was discovered on Sunova.¡±


    ¡°Wait, kids in stasis pods?¡± Hackett stared at Kaon¨¦ incredulously, and then glanced at Saito. ¡°This is the first I¡¯ve heard of that. Do you know what she¡¯s talking about, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that I do¡­¡± Saito muttered.


    ¡°I remember seeing a cavern full of gold,¡± Luke remarked, ¡°but no stasis pods¡­ huh. You said this was on Sunova, Dean?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, I didn¡¯t see them, myself¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly amended with a sheepish smile. ¡°I only heard about it from Dav¨ªdrius and Siyuak¨¦n. You might be able to ask Dav¨ªdrius for more, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s forgotten by now.¡±


    ¡°And this ¡®Siyuak¨¦n¡¯?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s no longer with us.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°What point were you trying to make about Sunova, though?¡± Luke asked, his attention directed toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°I don¡¯t see how anything you said relates to the Suns?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. What I meant to say was that Sector 2 of the Black Suns has always been on the hunt for new information and technology, no matter how trivial,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°Their actual operations are all confidential and classified, but it isn¡¯t hard to tell that getting and maintaining a technological and informational edge is what Sector 2 is all about. So if any of the Black Suns Sectors were involved with Sunova, I¡¯d suspect Sector 2 over the others. They probably wanted to see if there was anything left after SERRCom abandoned the planet.¡±


    ¡°That just sounds like R&D, though, and I thought Sector 3 were the R&D guys?¡±


    ¡°On a large scale, yes,¡± Gavon replied, ¡°but all of the Sectors engage in some of their own R&D. Sector 2 in particular always likes to act all cloak and dagger, shrouding their activities under the censor¡¯s marker, which allows them to get away with all manner of nefarious deeds. They¡¯re never up to any good.¡±


    ¡°Oi, tell us how you really feel,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Gavon chuckled. ¡°I often get that kind of response when I talk about Sector 2. Seems that most people don¡¯t expect me to criticize a part of my own organization so heavily.¡±


    ¡°It stands to reason,¡± Hackett commented. ¡°When you¡¯re this forthright with information, especially to us, as members of SERRCom, well¡­ it makes you wonder about the veracity of the things you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ why are you being so candid with us?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly the attitude I see so often from members of national militaries.¡± Gavon released a wary sigh before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m aware of SERRCom¡¯s recent history with the Black Suns. About your run-in with Sector 3 a couple months ago, and now, with this outpost on Sunova. I fully understand why you¡¯d be wary of speaking to me. However, I happen to agree with Sector 1¡¯s general policy on this matter: the best way to gain trust is to be open about your activities.¡±


    ¡°Awfully different from what you¡¯ve said about Sector 2, isn¡¯t it?¡± Saito pointed out.


    Gavon nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. The four Sectors of the Black Suns do often behave as their own organizations, after all. Speaking ill of the other Sectors is still typically frowned upon, but, well¡­¡± He paused for a moment to look over his left shoulder, and then his right, before making a show of shrugging. ¡°There isn¡¯t exactly anyone here to stop me, now, is there?¡±


    Saito chuckled in response. ¡°I see you play fast and loose with the rules, huh?¡±


    ¡°That is how I prefer to do things.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you joined a PMC?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°This and that really have nothing to do with each other,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°Many people ¡ª especially Chaotics ¡ª do join PMCs due to greater general freedom than the national militaries, but PMCs can also be more strict, at times. Not to mention, you always have to worry about being good enough to not get fired, ha!¡±


    ¡°Why else would anyone join a PMC, then? Money?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. And the Black Suns do pay handsomely, I can¡¯t deny that. But that isn¡¯t all; all of the major PMCs in this galaxy have certain idealogical drivers that its members usually align with. What if you wanted to stop the Drakkars, or the metallic infection by any means possible, and you weren¡¯t satisfied with the CSA¡¯s progress? Well, then the Chaos Knights are for you. What if you simply wanted to maintain galactic peace, even between smaller entities within the CSA, or on the fringes of national space? Then join the Light Keepers ¡ª they¡¯re exceptionally good at diplomacy, both by pen, and by sword.¡±


    ¡°What drives the Black Suns, then?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Generally? To stimulate the march of progress,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°Both technological, and otherwise.¡±


    ¡°The Black Suns are widely regarded to have some of the most advanced technology in the allied galaxy,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°So it looks like you¡¯re succeeding.¡±


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have all of the most advanced tech. We really only excel when it comes to infantry-scale combat, ha ha,¡± Gavon laughed sheepishly. ¡°Even so¡­ everything the Black Suns does is in the name of ¡®progress¡¯. What kind of progress will depend on who you ask, of course, and in the case of Sector 2, well¡­ I¡¯m sure you can imagine what kind of ¡®progress¡¯ happens behind closed doors and a dozen layers of ¡®classified¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking shit about Sector 2 this whole time,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°What is it that you have against them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard such strong condemnations of Sector 2, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ added, ¡°and from a Black Suns Officer, no less. I mean, I¡¯ve always been a little wary of Sector 2, given that everything they do is Black Ops¡­ but if they were really as bad as you¡¯re suggesting, then would they really still be allowed to operate?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a naive question, if I¡¯ve ever heard one,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°I can¡¯t speak to these apparent problems with Sector 2, but there are a dozen ways to cover up your tracks when you¡¯re engaged in shady activity, especially if you¡¯re already working in Black Ops ¡ª and it gets even easier if the higher-ups turn the other cheek, or actively cover for you.¡±


    Gavon nodded sagely. ¡°That¡¯s right, Colonel. In the case of Sector 2, at least, all of the most damning stuff I¡¯ve heard are just rumors and speculation, so I won¡¯t bother to repeat those here. That said¡­¡± He stopped to take a deep breath, his elbows on the table in front of him and his fingers steepled in front of his face. A moment later, he continued speaking, though in a lower tone and volume than before. ¡°¡­Colonel, Major, Captain, Researcher. Before I say what I want to say next, I feel the need to acknowledge upfront that I am a member of Sector 1, with all of the biases that includes. And as a member of Sector 1, I truly am interested in repairing SERRCom¡¯s rightfully damaged opinion of the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°¡­But?¡± Saito prompted after a moment of silence.


    ¡°¡­But what I¡¯m about to tell you may sound rather biased, coming from me,¡± Gavon continued, adopting a sheepish smile as he did. ¡°And I doubt it will do much to improve your opinion of the Suns in the short term. But, hopefully, in the long run, things will work out.¡± He then glanced toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°This goes for you, as well, Dean. In fact, Hero Machina played a part in the catalyst for everything that¡¯s happening today¡­¡±


    ¡°Does this have anything to do with the Riaxen attack on Tyrnaus two decades ago?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned. ¡°I recall rescuing a Black Suns General from the wreck of the Riaxen Deathnaught¡­ he¡¯s the current Supreme Commander of the Black Suns, right? Sike Regek?¡±


    ¡°Supreme Commander Sike Regek¡­ I¡¯ve heard about him,¡± Saito said. ¡°Supposedly a ruthless, but highly effective leader ¡ª and Chaotic. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s never lost a single fight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, for more reasons than one,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°Aside from being an incredibly shrewd man who will never take a fight unless he¡¯s engineered a situation that gives him the upper hand, he¡¯s also a rare triple-type Chaotic: a low-tier Velocitechnic, and an Imperator and Simulator Psychotechnic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like Austin, but faster?¡± Luke said.


    ¡°And with 70 years of skill and experience,¡± Gavon added. ¡°As a Nimalian, the Supreme Commander is starting to show his age ¡ª I¡¯m sure he was much scarier in his prime. But he still has many decades ahead of him, and even now, he¡¯s skilled and able-bodied enough to flawlessly simulate any Chaotic ability. It¡¯s often said that fighting him is like fighting a faster, more skilled version of yourself. But that¡¯s not what I meant to talk about ¡ª I meant to speak of the political side of Sike Regek.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Hackett pressed.


    ¡°First, let me explain just a little bit about how the Black Suns Sectors are designed. I¡¯m sure you all know about the tiered authority system in the Suns ¡ª in particular, that an officer from a lower-numbered Sector has authority over an officer from a higher-numbered Sector, all else being equal. Within that scheme, Sector 1¡¯s dedication to transparency arose to counterbalance Sector 2¡¯s preference for keeping secrets. Sector 1 was meant to be the watchdogs for Sector 2, the ones who could always step in and unearth any unpleasant secrets ¡ª and let me tell you, there have been some very unpleasant secrets in the Black Suns¡¯ past.


    ¡°Of course, at the very top of the tiered authority system is Black Suns High Command, headed by the Supreme Commander. All of High Command, particularly the Supreme Commander, has the authority to order around any of the Sectors. And so, to maintain Sector 1¡¯s ability to be Sector 2¡¯s watchdogs, whenever the position of Supreme Commander was vacated, it was historically filled by the then-Master General of Sector 1 ¡ª the thinking being that a former Master General of Sector 1 would understand the importance of the tiered authority system, and of Sector 1¡¯s ability to expose any dark secrets in the greater organization.¡±


    ¡°I think I can see where this is going,¡± Saito commented.


    ¡°I figured you were a smart man, Colonel,¡± Gavon remarked with a bitter smirk. ¡°Now, everything I just told you is fact. And in the interest of keeping things that way for now, I won¡¯t speculate about what Supreme Commander Regek is and isn¡¯t doing. But it is a fact that, while Sike Regek was a Master General before becoming Supreme Commander, it wasn¡¯t of Sector 1. He was the Master General of Sector 2.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right¡­!¡± Kaon¨¦¡¯s eyes widened with realization. ¡°Now that you mention that, I remember¡­ back when we rescued then-General Regek from the Tyrnaus system, we heard him talking with Master General Greant, of Sector 1. Apparently, the old Supreme Commander perished during the Riaxen attack on Tyrnaus, but before she died, she filled out some kind of will that named Regek as the next Supreme Commander, instead of Greant. I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but¡­¡±


    ¡°When you frame it like that, it does sound suspicious¡­¡± Hackett said, and then passed Gavon a doubtful glance. ¡°What¡¯s the catch? It can¡¯t be that simple.¡±


    ¡°In this case, I¡¯m afraid it is,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°From what I understand, the ¡®will¡¯ in question was recovered by Sike Regek himself, but its authenticity was verified by both Sector 1 and 2. Even so, Regek¡¯s appointment was a very norm-defying event, one that I¡¯m surprised Greant didn¡¯t fight more ¡ª I suspect Greant cared more about keeping the organization intact in the face of imminent danger, given that news of the will came out at the same time as the Drakkar Offensive, and then the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Regek benefited from several months of uncontested control over the Black Suns during the Nanocreature War ¡ª which no doubt reinforced the legitimacy of his command?¡± Saito suggested.


    ¡°¡­A cynical person would certainly phrase it that way,¡± Gavon responded. ¡°And it is also a fact that Sector 1 inquiries into Sector 2¡¯s activities have been less and less fruitful over the past two decades ¡ª all while Sector 2 has increased the scope of its operations across the board. It¡¯s a concerning trend.¡±


    ¡°You think that Sike Regek is using his position to protect Sector 2?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Colonel, I said nothing of the sort. But, if that¡¯s the conclusion you choose to draw from these facts, then¡­ I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°Is it really alright for you to tell us this?¡± Luke questioned incredulously. ¡°If everything you¡¯ve said is true, then it sounds like the Black Suns are more of a problem than anyone thinks!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there agencies in the CSA that regulate PMCs?¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out, ¡°they were formed to prevent exactly the kind of situation you¡¯re talking about, Gavon. Have they been informed?¡±


    Gavon nodded. ¡°They have, but nothing¡¯s been done ¡ª nothing that I know of, at least. I certainly wouldn¡¯t blame you if you took that to mean that I¡¯m blowing things out of proportion ¡ª after all, if the CSA truly wanted to, then they could dismantle the Black Suns overnight. But I just want you all to know that everything I¡¯ve shared tonight about the tiered authority system, the history of the Black Suns, and Sike Regek is factual and public information. If you doubt me, feel free to look this all up yourselves.¡±


    ¡°This is still¡­ suspicious,¡± Hackett stated as she warily eyed the Black Suns Officer. ¡°Why go out of your way to tell us all of this? If we take you at face value, this information sounds materially damaging to the Black Suns as an organization.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, you have to damage something before you can fix it,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Besides, what I said earlier about wanting to make friends is still true. I know that SERRCom doesn¡¯t trust us, and I¡¯m of the personal opinion that the first step to fixing that is to be forthright. I won¡¯t be so naive as to say that Sector 1 holds no culpability for the actions of the other Sectors, but I do still hope to be able to make friends with SERRCom ¡ª both personally, and professionally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like nothing more than to see that, as well,¡± Saito remarked, ¡°but that depends on how future interactions between our two organizations pan out.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Colonel. But I hope to show you a better side of the Suns,¡± Gavon declared, and then held out his fist toward Saito. ¡°To a hopeful future between our orgs, eh?¡±


    The Colonel eyed Gavon¡¯s fist with confusion, unsure of the meaning; upon seeing Saito¡¯s reaction, Gavon lowered his fist and then opened his hand.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, Earthians do handshakes or something, right?¡± the Black Suns Officer remarked.


    ¡°¡­Have you read up on Earthian culture?¡± Luke questioned, bewildered.


    ¡°Just a little,¡± Gavon replied, and then winked at Luke. ¡°After all, the second best way to gain trust after being truthful, is understanding the other side.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Saito released an amused snort, a smile overtaking his face as he firmly grapsed Gavon¡¯s extended hand and shook it. ¡°You really are serious about this, aren¡¯t you? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met a Black Suns Officer quite like you.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve had the misfortune of not meeting anyone else from Sector 1,¡± Gavon remarked with a grin. ¡°Some of my colleagues are even more candid than I am!¡±


    ¡°I can barely imagine that¡­¡± Hackett muttered.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯re on friendly terms now, even if only for the moment,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. She then offered Saito an apologetic bow of her head as she continued, ¡°I am sorry for not informing SERRCom ahead of time that there would be a Black Suns Guest Instructor here. I didn¡¯t think it would be a problem, but in hindsight, I should have reported it anyways.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine for now,¡± Saito replied, releasing Gavon¡¯s hand to turn back to the table. ¡°If anything, it could be useful for the recruits to get some more outside perspective.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to live up to your expectations!¡± Gavon commented, only to then stand from his seat. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve covered everything I wished to discuss with you, Colonel. Feel free to do with this information whatever you see fit, but I¡¯ll go ahead and give you some space.¡± He then bowed his head toward the group. ¡°Sorry for taking so much of your time.¡±


    ¡°Eh, seems like it worked out fine,¡± Luke responded. ¡°Oh! I brought my rifle with me. Let¡¯s grab Selind and go shooting sometime this week.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯d like nothing more!¡± Gavon replied with a grin. ¡°And with that, I bid you all good night!¡±


    Momentary silence fell over the table as they watched Gavon leave, eventually disappearing into the busy evening crowds of the lakefront. Once he was out of sight, the group turned back toward the table, with Saito and Hackett both eying Luke.


    ¡°¡¯Let¡¯s go shooting¡¯?¡± Saito taunted with a grin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s another gun nut,¡± Hackett commented in exasperation.


    ¡°Ah ha ha, well, I guess you could say that,¡± Luke replied with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Gavon¡¯s marksmanship skill is why he¡¯s here,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t really like guns, myself, but there¡¯s no doubt that learning how to use one can be a useful skill for Chaotics¡­¡±


    ¡°So you are going to teach that here. Good,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°You know, now that you mention it, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask about the details of the curriculum, here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that fatherly side coming out,¡± Hackett teased.


    ¡°Oh shut up, Major.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ smiled in response to Saito and Hackett¡¯s friendly ribbing, and then turned to address the Colonel. ¡°Well, the curriculum here at WCU is different from my own school, so I¡¯m not as familiar with it, but I¡¯d be happy to explain what I know. To start with¡­¡±


    With that, the Dean and CSF-1 continued their discussions into the night, taking advantage of the cool night breeze to enjoy their first night in Compound Tresnon.

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 90: Qualifications

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 90: Qualifications


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Ha! Looking a little tired there, dweeb!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Austin grunted and scowled, barely passing Pierce a glance before responding, ¡°shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°Some tournament attitude,¡± Pierce retorted, his arms crossed as smirked at Austin. ¡°You better get your shit together, dweeb. We¡¯ll never face each other in the tournament if you keep on like this!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Austin snorted in annoyance, but offered little more in reply as he idly surveyed his surroundings. Nary a cloud could be seen in the blue skies above, allowing mid-morning sunlight to shine down on a dusty training field to the north of WCU. The actual campus training grounds were reserved for students who still wanted to get some training in before their qualifying matches; the matches themselves were held a short distance away from the campus, so as to not distract other students. And currently gathered near the field, awaiting their qualifying matches, were the eight Keys: Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy in a group to the left, while Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel stood a little to the right. There weren¡¯t many spectators around, but Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ were busy doing a once-over of the field before starting the day¡¯s matches.


    ¡°¡­Welp,¡± Conrad commented, drawing everyone out of their idle thoughts, ¡°today¡¯s the day, huh.¡±


    ¡°That it is!¡± Sky remarked, ¡°after that practice we got in yesterday, I¡¯m feeling good about today!¡±


    ¡°Practice could have gone better¡­¡± Phoenix muttered as she passed Pierce an annoyed glance, ¡°but, all-in-all, I agree with you, Sky.¡±


    ¡°Hey now,¡± Pierce quickly replied, ¡°it¡¯s not my fault that Mote had to come in here acting like a raging asshole. I came back and trained with everyone after lunch, anyways.¡± He then shot Austin a look. ¡°I even helped the dweeb over here prepare for facing off against Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your help,¡± Austin responded.


    ¡°Sure you didn¡¯t, but you sure as shit needed it.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter now, anyways,¡± Twy stated, her gaze lingering on Kaon¨¦. ¡°¡­Our matches today are against Kaon¨¦, not Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, really? How¡¯d you know that?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°It was posted on the campus bulletin board. I checked it before we came over here.¡±


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know there was a bulletin board¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t even have the presence of mind to check it¡­¡± Phoenix shook her head, as if disappointed with herself.


    ¡°I know you all aren¡¯t morning people, but come on,¡± Pierce retorted, ¡°don¡¯t make me carry your asses! I will if I have to, but I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°How modest of you,¡± Phoenix deadpanned.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Twy commented warily, ¡°if we¡¯re going to face Kaon¨¦¡­ I think we need a plan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sounds like I¡¯ve picked a bad time to interrupt.¡±


    The Keys all stopped talking to turn toward Kaon¨¦, who had just approached them. Unlike the Earthians ¡ª who all wore some manner of athletics ware, in anticipation of a lot of action ¡ª the Dean was wearing her normal outfit, consisting of a dark blue jacket with a shawl wrapped just around her shoulders, as well as a blue half-cloak that attached to her belt and extended down to her boots around her black slacks.


    ¡°She¡¯s not even dressed for physical activity¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, her voice low enough that only Pierce, Conrad, and Kestrel could hear her. ¡°Is she taking us seriously¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to us to show her the error of her ways, then,¡± Pierce replied in kind.


    ¡°Now¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ spoke up, her hands clasped in front of her as she swept her gaze across the two groups. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see everyone showed up on time. You all seem really eager¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a tournament!¡± Sky replied, ¡°and a chance to fight a whole bunch of different Chaotics! That should be exciting for anyone!¡±


    ¡°I suspected you¡¯d say that¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ sighed in resignation before continuing, ¡°anyways, I¡¯ll be the one scoring your qualifying matches today, with Dav¨ªdrius acting as referee. I¡¯m sure you all know what that means?¡±


    ¡°Means that we¡¯ll be fighting you, right?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Use of lethal force is, of course, prohibited; anything of the sort will be an instant disqualification. But, aside from that¡­¡± She swept her gaze across the Keys again, this time with a doubtful frown on her face. ¡°¡­The Annual Chaotic Tournament is an extremely competitive event, and as such, our scoring for the qualifiers is harsh. I just want you all to understand that before we start.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°But ¡®extremely competitive¡¯ is just how I like it!¡± Pierce remarked with a challenging grin. ¡°Bring your worst! We¡¯ll show you that we aren¡¯t just a bunch of novices!¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, alright, then,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. She then turned toward the field again and walked off toward the left half, shouting over her shoulder as she did, ¡°the first team, arrange yourselves on the starting mark over there! Let¡¯s get started!¡±


    ¡°Here we go¡­¡± Conrad said with a resigned sigh. ¡°Well, who¡¯s first?¡±


    ¡°As if you even have to ask!¡± Pierce retorted, already moving onto the field and toward the mark that Kaon¨¦ had indicated. ¡°Let¡¯s show ¡®em how it¡¯s done, guys!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with going second for this,¡± Austin commented dryly.


    ¡°Either way, good luck to the four of you on your match!¡± Twy cheered as Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel followed Pierce¡¯s lead.


    ¡°Yeah, same to you!¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Let¡¯s all give it our all, so that both of our teams can participate in the ACT!¡±


    <hr>


    20 Minutes Later


    ¡°Well, uh¡­ huh. That¡­ sure was something¡­!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen such a one-sided fight,¡± Luke remarked, passing Danielle a glance before looking over to his left. ¡°Uh, that is, I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch,¡± Pierce snorted in derision, a scowl upon his face as he pointedly ignored the spectating gazes of Luke, Mark, Danielle, and Liask ¡ª who had all shown up to watch just as the Keys¡¯ qualifying matches began. And now that the matches were over, the entire group was trudging through the streets back to the WCU campus¡­ with all of the Keys wearing sullen expressions.


    After all, both teams had just failed their qualifying matches.


    ¡°¡­Well,¡± Conrad eventually said, clasping his hands behind his head and looking up at the skies above. ¡°¡­Not like I didn¡¯t expect this result.¡±


    ¡°We really got swept up in the energy of the tournament, huh?¡± Twy replied with a forlorn smile. ¡°But, in hindsight, I suppose it was a little silly to expect us to make it¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make this any easier to swallow,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°At the end of the day, we failed because of our own shortcomings¡­ that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°At least you have the presence of mind to realize that,¡± Mark said from off to the side. ¡°That¡¯s a good first step to improving. Besides, you were up against Kaon¨¦, an experienced Materiatechnic. I don¡¯t think you should blame yourselves too harshly for this outcome.¡±


    ¡°She sure was experienced,¡± Spike responded. ¡°So experienced, she could afford to hold back against us¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, leave it to the martial artist among us to be able to tell that!¡± Sky replied with a smile, though it was clearly forced.


    ¡°Well¡­ this was the first time you all tried out,¡± Liask pointed out, and then passed Pierce a hopeful look. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll do better next time?¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯ll do better next time,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°The problem is that we didn¡¯t do well enough this time.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I mean, she¡¯s got a point,¡± Austin commented. ¡°After all, in all the stories and stuff, the protagonists rarely ever win the first tournament they join. Now that we have that out of the way, though, we¡¯ll totally win next time!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re calling yourself the ¡®protagonist¡¯ now?¡± Pierce snorted. ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from you, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at me,¡± Austin shot back. ¡°I¡¯m not the reason you lost. It¡¯s your own fault that you opened with the most obvious move in the book, and let Kaon¨¦ trap you in a box!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious because it works. Most of the time,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°How the hell was I supposed to know that she could react fast enough to stop a straight-on dash? I¡¯m literally supersonic! Besides, at least I did something. You just floundered around for your whole match!¡±


    ¡°Th-that was, I mean, look, this Imperator stuff is hard, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Alright, y¡¯all¡­¡± Spike muttered, moving to interpose himself between Austin and Pierce. ¡°Our failures are our own to talk about and fix. Yellin¡¯ at each other ain¡¯t gonna help one bit.¡±


    ¡°And, for what it¡¯s worth, I think y¡¯all really did do a decent job,¡± Luke added. ¡°I haven¡¯t had much of a chance to see y¡¯all in action, and now that I have, you¡¯re all better than I expected. You still have room to improve, of course, but you¡¯re making good progress.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Phoenix sighed. ¡°¡¯Better than expected¡¯ still doesn¡¯t mean good. We have a long way to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we all do¡­¡± Liask commented, and then looked over at Pierce and Conrad. ¡°But, hey, like you told me yesterday¡­ when you¡¯re feelin¡¯ bad, food helps. Maybe you could go get lunch?¡±


    ¡°For a friend of Pierce¡¯s, you¡¯re actually pretty reasonable,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you friends with him, too?¡± Danielle questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°Oh shut up, the lot of you,¡± Pierce retorted, and then turned back to Liask. ¡°Either way, it¡¯s still mid-morning. Little early for lunch.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never too early for lunch,¡± Conrad declared. ¡°If you want, just call it brunch.¡±


    ¡°No fuckin¡¯ thanks. But I¡¯m down for hanging out. Anything to get my mind off these stupid qualifiers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna head back to my room¡­¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°If you¡¯re goin¡¯ to play some games, then I¡¯ll tag along,¡± Spike said.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll take it. Twy, Sky, y¡¯all in?¡±


    ¡°Might as well¡­¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°If Spike¡¯s in, then I am, too!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Leave it to the dweeb & co. to spend a nice day like this inside,¡± Pierce observed with a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, let them have their fun,¡± Luke said. ¡°Even on a day like this, we¡¯re still in a desert town, after all. It¡¯ll still get warm later.¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯s gonna get warm today, then you might have a problem when summer comes,¡± Liask pointed out.


    ¡°Heh, well, we¡¯ll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.¡± Luke then turned to give Austin a casual wave. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m gonna go get some shooting practice in. I¡¯ll see you later, Austin, Spike, Sky, Twy.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll go ahead and get out of your hair, as well,¡± Mark commented as he softly grasped Danielle¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I wanted to show Mote and Kate around the city, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like this is where we all split up, then,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Spike replied, nodding toward each of the other groups. ¡°Good matches, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever,¡± Pierce responded dismissively, already walking off down the street away from WCU, more than prepared to try and take his mind off of the events earlier in the morning.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°What a waste of my time¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you complaining for?¡± Kate retorted as she passed Mote an incredulous glance. ¡°You¡¯re the one who suggested watching in the first fucking place.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Mote grunted in annoyance, his gaze turned downward as he and Kate walked the streets of Compound Tresnon. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Earthians, both Mote and Kate had shown up to watch the Keys¡¯ qualifying matches ¡ª albeit from afar, so as to not make their presence known. Now that the matches were over, however, the two had little to do but to walk the dusty, sunlit streets.


    ¡°I really wonder what the fuck compelled you to watch those idiots, anyways,¡± Kate remarked. ¡°We already knew they weren¡¯t shit, it¡¯s not like we had to verify.¡±


    ¡°I had hoped that they¡¯d be better by now,¡± Mote muttered. ¡°They¡¯ve been here for close to two months, now. The whole reason for SERRCom handing them over to the Nimalians was because the Nimalians were supposed to be able to teach them better and faster than us, but I just don¡¯t see that kind of improvement.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re just a bunch of wannabes, so go fucking figure.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the thing. They do ¡®want to be¡¯ good, and they talk a big game ¡ª particularly Pierce. And they have improved since we saw them last. But they¡¯re still making so many amateurish mistakes, and getting in the way of each other instead of properly working together. You saw how Pierce opened with the most predictable move in the book, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯ll grant that he¡¯s fast, faster than I thought, but you don¡¯t need fast reaction times to counter a move as predictable as that. Dean Densalin rightfully punished him by trapping him in a box, leaving Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel to carry the rest of the match themselves ¡ª and Conrad didn¡¯t even do anything! So Phoenix and Kestrel had to win by themselves, which they, of course, failed to do, due to being on the defensive the entire time, which they can¡¯t afford against a massively superior opponent. Not when half of their team is dead weight!¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re really fuckin¡¯ invested in this, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®investment¡¯ to be able to point out their flaws. If anything, it infuriates me that they would be so arrogant as to think that they even had a chance at participating in this tournament. The lack of self-awareness to realize that they wouldn¡¯t even pass the qualifiers ¡ª that is a basic level of ignorance. They should know their own limits by now.¡±


    Kate passed Mote an amused glance. ¡°You¡¯re one to be talking about fucking ¡®self-awareness¡¯, ha! Do you know how fucking often you bite off more than you can chew? Remember when you faced off with Telregina? Or when you decided to take on that Metallitechnic on Sunova almost single-handedly?¡±


    ¡°I knew exactly what I was getting into in both of those situations, and acted accordingly,¡± Mote countered. ¡°You¡¯re the one here who lacks self-awareness.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow, the classic ¡®no u¡¯. What a fucking convincing response.¡± Kate made an exaggerated show of rolling her eyes as she replied, ¡°look, don¡¯t start with this shit with me already, Mote. It isn¡¯t even fucking noon, yet.¡±


    Mote opened his mouth to respond, only to stop himself and scowl. His gaze diverted, he said, ¡°¡­sorry. I didn¡¯t intend to take out my frustrations on you.¡±


    ¡°Huh, an apology? From you? Now that¡¯s fucking rare. I¡¯ll take it, though.¡± Kate then glanced at Mote again. ¡°¡­What¡¯s your deal with the recruits, though? Seems like you can¡¯t make up your fucking mind about them. Back in September and October, you sounded like you wanted nothing to do with them, but as soon as we learned we weren¡¯t responsible for them any more, you started throwing a fucking fit! What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    Mote fell into a prolonged silence, not once meeting Kate¡¯s gaze as the two continued idly walking the streets of Compound Tresnon. After several seconds, he eventually replied, ¡°¡­It¡¯s hard to say. You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m not fond of the idea of having to teach them. They have no manners, no respect, and no discipline. And yet¡­ leaving their training up to the Nimalians makes SERRCom look incompetent, like we don¡¯t know how to train our own Chaotics. Clearly, we do ¡ª look at us. That¡¯s what I¡¯m ¡®throwing a fit¡¯ over. I just want SERRCom to be self-sufficient, and to not lean so heavily on others.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess.¡± Kate simply shrugged in response. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t see the problem. The Nimalians have a lot of cool fucking tech that we could borrow, after all.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the problem, isn¡¯t it? That SERRCom is so far behind everyone else. We¡¯re just playing catch-up all the time. Don¡¯t you want to do more than that? To eventually be equals with the rest of the galaxy, or even better than them?¡±


    ¡°Sure as hell I do, why else do you think I¡¯m sticking around with this shitheap of an organization? Making and researching tech for SERRCom is the best way to beat everyone else. Doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t also acknowledge all the cool shit that everyone else has, that we don¡¯t. And if people like the Nimalians want to give us free fucking help, then who am I to say no?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is free. If someone isn¡¯t making money off of an exchange, then they¡¯re getting something else out of it. The only question with the Nimalians, is what¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty fucking obvious, isn¡¯t it? That Pallan guy with the stupid book and the doomsday prophecy or whatever the fuck. He thinks the recruits are key to saving the galaxy, or some shit. Which is pretty fucking nuts, honestly, but I don¡¯t feel that bad about taking advantage of religious zealots.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but as I understand it, most Nimalians don¡¯t actually believe in those prophecies ¡ª which means that the Deans here must have some other reason for accepting the recruits. If we can¡¯t tell what the reason is, then there¡¯s a good chance that they¡¯re just taking advantage of us. Of SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Mote, that is one hell of an adversarial take. And that should mean a fucking lot, coming from me!¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Eeesh¡­¡± Kate made a show out of shrugging and shaking her head in resignation. ¡°I really don¡¯t care enough about this conversation to argue with your stubborn ass.¡±


    Mote shot Kate an annoyed look. ¡°All you¡¯ve done all morning is complain and argue with me. You had even less of an interest than me in checking up on the recruits, yet you still came. Why are you even here?¡±


    ¡°Well there isn¡¯t exactly anything better to do in this fucking hellhole,¡± Kate retorted, and then gestured around her, at the dreary sand-colored buildings and the layer of sandy dust over everything. ¡°You see this shit? Nothing to do here. I¡¯m still pissed the Colonel dragged us all out here.¡±


    ¡°And so you felt the need to antagonize me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t very well go antagonize the fucking Colonel, now, can I?¡±


    ¡°You certainly didn¡¯t care about antagonizing your superiors a few months ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, before Hamasaki¡¯s stuck-up ass fucking grounded me. Me! An adult! Can you fucking believe that?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, yes, I can.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you smartass, listen here¡­¡±


    With that, Mote and Kate continued taking shots at each other while walking under the bright morning light in Compound Tresnon, content to while away the time in each other¡¯s company.

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 91: A Compounds Security

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 91: A Compound''s Security


    ¡°Ah, Dean Wrikax. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he stepped past Colonel Saito and opened the door to his office. ¡°Let¡¯s get this done.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Saito deadpanned, remaining outside the doorway for just a few moments as he stared incredulously at the Dean¡¯s back. Before he entered the office himself, however, a woman of average height approached, sporting naturally tanned skin, long black hair tied back into a ponytail, and the same white, beige, and brown desert robes as the rest of the Tresnon denizens Saito had seen. The one key difference with this woman, however, were the black gloves she wore that went up just past her wrists.


    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout him,¡± the woman commented quietly as she passed Saito to enter the office herself. ¡°You get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly encouraging,¡± Saito muttered under his breath, though finally stepped into the office himself and closed the door behind him. While this was the first time he had seen the woman sharing the room with him and Dav¨ªdrius, the Colonel nonetheless knew her to be Ralak, WCU¡¯s Head of Combat. When Saito had arranged to meet with Dav¨ªdrius to discuss the Keys and current events, Dav¨ªdrius had insisted on having Ralak present, to help ¡°provide insight.¡± Saito wondered what this insight could be, but with everything he had heard from Captain Travis about the events on Nimalia, he could guess well enough.


    ¡°A¡¯ight¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius took a seat behind his desk, which seemed barely large enough to properly classify as a ¡°desk¡±. The office around it was similarly austere, to the point that Saito wasn¡¯t certain if Dav¨ªdrius ever actually used the room ¡ª but those idle thoughts were pushed away as the Dean continued speaking. ¡°You wanted to talk about the¡­ ¡®Keys¡¯, huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, briefly passing Ralak a glance as she leaned on the side wall before shifting his attention back to Saito, who was standing across the desk from him. ¡°And about the ¡®situation¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Saito replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that things are getting a little wild, lately.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Wild¡¯ is overstatin¡¯ it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded, ¡°¡­but I can¡¯t argue that somethin¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders are definitely up to something,¡± Ralak stated.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°The recruits ran into Bleeders once just a few hours out of here, again over in Rel¨¦diaka¡­ and then again, just recently, in Riverana.¡±


    ¡°You even heard about that one¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Tch. You ¡®bout to try and grill me, just like that other guy did last month?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d certainly like some answers. Without context, it seems like you¡¯re carelessly placing our recruits into danger all over the globe. That said,¡± Saito quickly added, pre-empting Dav¨ªdrius as the Dean opened his mouth to speak, ¡°I know your history, and I¡¯m not about to call the former members of Hero Machina ¡®careless¡¯. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s context ¡ª I just want to hear it. Maybe the recruits are farther along in their training than I expected?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Kaon¨¦ ¡®bout that one,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°She¡¯s the one in charge of teachin¡¯ ¡®em. From what she¡¯s said, they¡¯ve been makin¡¯ decent progress, but still ain¡¯t no where near the level of skill that would be useful in an actual fight.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but the recruits have all already been in a couple of fights before they even arrived on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°So? Newbies get lucky all the time. I sure did, back when I first started out.¡±


    ¡°Let me take over for a second,¡± Ralak interjected, drawing both mens¡¯ attention to her. ¡°I¡¯ve only worked with the recruits directly once, but I¡¯m still the Head of Combat, so I¡¯ve been filled in ¡®bout where they stand. And¡­¡± She passed Saito a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard they only got their Chaotic abilities a few months ago. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°All the facts seem to point that way,¡± the Colonel replied.


    ¡°¡­Well, if that¡¯s true, they¡¯re doin¡¯ much better than expected. I still wouldn¡¯t put them on par with other students the same age as them, but in raw combat ability, most of ¡®em could beat any 1st- or 2nd-year student in a fight. So about on the level of a 3rd-year, if a little below.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very impressive¡­¡±


    ¡°Even 1st-year students here have been usin¡¯ their abilities for seven or eight years,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°And while WCU ain¡¯t as selective as the other Schools of Chaos, it still takes skill and hard work to make it here.¡± He then nodded toward Ralak. ¡°I trust her judgment. If she thinks the Keys are on the same level as 3rd-year students, then they¡¯re on the same level as 3rd-year students. And for all the attitude problems the Keys got, that kinda progress is impressive.¡±


    ¡°You keep calling them ¡®Keys¡¯,¡± Saito interjected. ¡°That term is from those prophecies, right? I heard from the Captain that you weren¡¯t a fan of them. Did that change?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted in irritation. ¡°No. The old man¡¯s prophecies are still just as stupid as ever. Kaon¨¦ was the one who started callin¡¯ ¡®em Keys, and¡­ it just stuck. Don¡¯t really have anythin¡¯ else to call ¡®em by.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s succinct and evocative, at least. I think I like it. That aside¡­¡± Saito glanced between Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak. ¡°If you think the Keys are as skilled as you say, is that why you¡¯ve been putting them in danger?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t intentionally puttin¡¯ anyone in danger,¡± Dav¨ªdrius quickly countered. ¡°Their run-ins with the Bleeders were entirely unexpected¡­ and, to be honest, the main reason I agreed to talk with you today.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Tch. Look, I ain¡¯t the biggest fan of outsiders comin¡¯ in and meddlin¡¯ with my business, not least of all members of a foreign military. That said¡­¡± The Dean momentarily cast his eyes to the side, as if stewing over his thoughts. A moment later, he continued, ¡°I do realize the Keys¡¯ve been gettin¡¯ in more trouble than I¡¯d like, and I¡¯d like to¡­ apologize for that.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the apology, but it ultimately doesn¡¯t mean much if you don¡¯t do anything to change how things stand.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted with a scowl. ¡°Look, the Bleeders ¡ª and to a lesser extent, the Nanocreatures ¡ª are the central threat. Until we deal with that, the Keys¡¯ll never be completely safe ¡ª hell, ain¡¯t no one completely safe, here.¡±


    ¡°I take it that¡¯s why Ralak is here, then?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°To talk about the Bleeder threat?¡±


    ¡°So you know my history, then¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°Sorry, but I heard from Captain Travis. From Luke.¡± The Colonel passed Ralak an apologetic smile before returning to a neutral expression and turning back to face Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Let me ask you a question first, though. If the Keys aren¡¯t safe here, then why not just transfer them elsewhere? There are other Schools of Chaos, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s brow furrowed and he crossed his arms, frustration emanating from his every movement and expression. ¡°WCU ain¡¯t the only one, no,¡± the Dean answered, ¡°but the whole reason the Keys are here an¡¯ not somewhere else¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ªIs because it would be politically inconvenient for them to be somewhere else?¡± Saito finished. When surprise crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face, the Colonel continued, ¡°from what I¡¯ve heard, the Schools of Chaos are supposed to be prestigious, selective institutions. I bet the Keys were placed here instead of elsewhere because, no matter where they go, they¡¯d be accused of displacing Nimalian students ¡ª it¡¯s just that it¡¯s easier to hide the Keys from the general Nimalian public by putting them in Tres¨¦d rather than anywhere else. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Dav¨ªdrius adopted a bitter smile. ¡°You¡¯re more savvy than I expected. But if you knew the answer, then why bother askin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see if we were on the same page,¡± Saito replied with a similar smile. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if Nimalians would actually be that cynical. I must say, for former heroes of the galaxy, following that logic to put the Keys in WCU is a pretty cold, if calculated move.¡±


    ¡°Implyin¡¯ that WCU is worse than elsewhere aside¡­ I agree. Not to mention how fuckin¡¯ ironic it is, that everyone looks down on Tres¨¦d for bein¡¯ wary of outsiders, only for them to force outsiders on us because they don¡¯t want the fuckin¡¯ outsiders¡­ it¡¯s fuckin¡¯ stupid.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you still accepted them,¡± Saito commented. ¡°Despite what you¡¯ve said about outsiders, you still help them out the same as anyone else. That¡¯s commendable, in it¡¯s own way.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius stared incredulously at the Colonel, only to quickly divert his gaze and begin uneasily scratching his beard. ¡°¡­Tch. Not like I had a choice to take ¡®em in.¡±


    Saito chuckled to himself. ¡°Heh. If you insist.¡±


    ¡°Not often someone can put Dav¨ªdrius on the back foot like that,¡± Ralak remarked with a smirk. ¡°But let¡¯s get to the main topic, we¡¯ve wasted enough time.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the Bleeders.¡± Saito¡¯s expression quickly turned stern. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard everything you told Travis, so we don¡¯t need to rehash everything. With the situation being what it is, though ¡ª that is, with the Keys effectively locked to WCU for the time being ¡ª I think it¡¯d be in both of our best interests to put this emergent threat to rest. So if you have plans to deal with the Bleeders, I¡¯d like to hear them, and help out, if I can.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak exchanged a brief glance. ¡°¡­We still don¡¯t know much,¡± Ralak began, ¡°the Bleeders captured in Rel¨¦diaka and Riverana ain¡¯t talked much ¡ª or at least, if they have, we haven¡¯t been told. So we still don¡¯t know where they got their armors from, or how that one idiot in Riverana got past trained security to steal an Ayas.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t even fault Kievkenalis for that one,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented. ¡°He¡¯s been tryin¡¯ to replace the SFC guards with NSD ones for years, now. At least that accident a few days ago should help ¡®im show just how stupid and incompetent the SFC is, heh.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible the SFC was in on it?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°The Ayas are powerful tools, after all. I wouldn¡¯t put it past a PMC to work with criminals to steal one.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, but the accident only happened a few days ago. They¡¯re still lookin¡¯ into it.¡±


    ¡°It would explain how the Bleeders suddenly got powered armor,¡± Ralak pointed out, ¡°but it also seems too sloppy. Like someone wants us to think it¡¯s the SFC.¡±


    Saito passed Ralak a wary glance. ¡°Are the Bleeders smart enough to do that?¡±


    ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say ¡®hell no¡¯, but¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed. ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯s definitely been weird about their activity these past couple months.¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders ain¡¯t a centralized group, you see,¡± Ralak explained to Saito, ¡°usually, ¡®Bleeder¡¯ is just a name that different gangs all across the continent take for themselves to try an¡¯ give themselves some rep. It¡¯s an easy way to tell others where you stand, and what your intentions are: stealin¡¯, rapin¡¯, and pillagin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Hell of a thing to advertise,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, well, the Bleeders work mostly through fear. They don¡¯t have to try as hard to steal from a Compound if their reputation scares the people into just givin¡¯ up their stuff,¡± Ralak commented bitterly. ¡°But what I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to say is that normally, different groups of Bleeders don¡¯t work together. Recently, though, it seems like they are. Like there¡¯s someone behind the scenes, coordinatin¡¯ everythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That would make sense. But, as much as a central leader is a strength, it can also be a weakness,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°If we take out the person that¡¯s holding things together, then their whole operation should fall apart.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied with a nod. ¡°Only problem is, we still ain¡¯t found that person. I¡¯ve heard a couple rumors about some new Chaotic the Bleeders have with ¡®em, known as ¡®Feral¡¯, but I don¡¯t got any idea if they¡¯re the leader or a lackey.¡±


    ¡°Which also makes me worry¡­¡± Ralak muttered. ¡°Most Bleeders are all about gettin¡¯ their name out there, and bein¡¯ recognized. They don¡¯t got the patience or ego to hide.¡± She then passed Dav¨ªdrius an uneasy glance. ¡°I only know one other person who did¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­You ain¡¯t talkin¡¯ about Str¨¦n, are you?¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked incredulously. ¡°That bastard did the opposite of hidin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Only after he first revealed himself. Before that, he pulled a bunch of different groups together without actually puttin¡¯ his name out,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°I would know, because my group was one of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Str¨¦n?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°An old figure from over 20 years ago,¡± Ralak replied with a scowl. ¡°Managed to pull together one of the largest groups of Bleeders in recent history. Almost had enough to threaten even Compound Tresnon¡­ until he died, thanks to Dav¨ªdrius and his friends.¡±


    ¡°Bastard deserved worse,¡± the Dean snarled.


    ¡°Men like him often inspire copy-cats,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°If he was around only two decades ago, then there¡¯s a good chance that whoever¡¯s behind the Bleeders today knew Str¨¦n back then.¡±


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, it still doesn¡¯t get us anywhere,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°It ain¡¯t like we got some kind of comprehensive list of every Bleeder everywhere. Hell, I don¡¯t think such a list even exists of people livin¡¯ in Tresnon, or anywhere in Tres¨¦d. For the time bein¡¯, we can¡¯t focus on that line of thought.¡±


    ¡°What else are you planning to do, then?¡±


    ¡°Shitty as it sounds¡­ not much, for now. We need more info, on where the Bleeders are, and what they¡¯re up to. I¡¯d especially like to know more about this ¡®Feral¡¯ person, but we don¡¯t got any leads on that, right now. These next couple weeks are gonna be a problem on their own, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Spring Break and Hunger¡¯s Bane always bring more people through Compound Tresnon,¡± Ralak answered. ¡°This place might have walls, but there¡¯s still only so much we can do to screen people who come or go. And we can¡¯t just completely bar people from comin¡¯ in, it would go against Tresnon¡¯s established principles¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Saito nodded in understanding. ¡°So a Bleeder Chaotic could enter the city, pretending to be here for the holidays, and then cause trouble once they¡¯re inside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Now¡­ it¡¯s unfortunate that Kaon¨¦ left for the break, but a couple other friends of mine are gonna be visitin¡¯ for Hunger¡¯s Bane. Between them, me, and Ralak, and Selind to lead the Defense Force, we already got plenty of heavy-hitters to watch the place. Not to mention a whole school full of Chaotic students, but I¡¯d really prefer not to drag them into this¡­ best to leave this kind of thing to professionals and experienced folks. That¡¯s where you come in.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. You¡¯d like my squad to help with security?¡±


    ¡°¡­Much as it pains me to ask, yeah. I was gonna ask that Gavon guy, too.¡±


    ¡°Heh. What happened to being wary of outsiders?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Wary¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean ¡®absolute distrust¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°I know competent help when I see it, and it ain¡¯t often that I get folks like you or your Eximius Vir in Compound Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°I see. I have to be upfront with you, though ¡ª my team and I have been working almost nonstop for months, now. The two weeks we have on Nimalia were meant to be, for the most part, a break.¡±


    ¡°The main traffic increase is around Hunger¡¯s Bane, and the couple of days before and after,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°We only really need your help for those days ¡ª or even just for Hunger¡¯s Bane itself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even need y¡¯all to do full-on patrols,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Selind would appreciate it if you took a shift or two on the walls, but ultimately, all I¡¯d like is for you to keep a look out as you spend your time here, and report any suspicious activity immediately. And if you think you can stop it in the moment, then you can try that, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, we are the guests, here. It¡¯d be awfully rude of me to refuse even as little aid as you¡¯re suggesting,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°I¡¯ll let my team know. We¡¯ll keep a look out for any of these Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Same to you. I know you don¡¯t like us Earthians being around, but I appreciate that you at least trust us enough to inform us about the Bleeder threat, and to ask us for help.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t think pretty words are gonna make me think better of you.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect it,¡± Saito remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied dismissively. ¡°That covers everythin¡¯ you wanted to talk about, yeah?¡±


    ¡°That it does. Thanks for your time,¡± Saito responded, turning to leave the office. ¡°I¡¯ll keep in touch about the security issues. But for now, I have a couple other stops to make¡­¡±

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 92: Decompression

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 92: Decompression


    ¡°Happy Birthday!!¡±


    Kestrel stopped in her tracks, her expression stoically blank as she looked down at Pierce and Phoenix, both of whom had just jumped up from their seats to offer the aforementioned birthday well-wishings. After a moment of silence, however ¡ª with Pierce and Phoenix still grinning at Kestrel ¡ª she merely turned around to look behind her.


    ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, it¡¯s your birthday,¡± Conrad insisted, and then nodded through the doorway and into his dorm room ¡ª the room where Pierce and Phoenix were currently standing. ¡°We¡¯re not just going to do nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response and finally moved into the room, with Conrad entering after her and closing the door behind him. As he did, Pierce and Phoenix both relaxed back into their chairs, with Pierce shrugging his shoulders in resignation.


    ¡°I told you she wouldn¡¯t like the attention,¡± he commented, his gaze directed toward Conrad. He then looked back to Kestrel as he adopted a sheepish smirk. ¡°But, hey, Conrad¡¯s kinda right, too. It¡¯s your 21st! You should celebrate!¡±


    Kestrel merely passed Pierce a glance before wordlessly taking a seat across the room from him, on Conrad¡¯s bed.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s sticking around, at least,¡± Phoenix muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for Pierce to hear.


    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± Pierce questioned, keeping his voice similarly low. ¡°You and Conrad can read her better than I can. As far as I can tell, this just got hella awkward.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. And you wonder why you have problems with women.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª? What the hell does that have to do with this? As if you¡¯re any better with men, anyways¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Conrad loudly cleared his throat, though pointedly ignored Pierce and Phoenix as he approached a cabinet on the side of his room. While opening it and rummaging around inside, he announced, ¡°Kestrel, I know you don¡¯t like big parties or lots of attention or anything ¡ª I mean, I don¡¯t, either ¡ª but I still figured we could do something for your birthday. Yours is the first of all of ours to happen while we¡¯re away from Earth, after all.¡±


    ¡°And it is your 21st,¡± Pierce remarked, holding up a translucent golden bottle as he did. ¡°We all know what that means!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t like alcohol,¡± Kestrel asserted.


    ¡°¡­Well, more for me, then,¡± Pierce replied with a shrug as he opened the bottle and began pouring into a small cup to his side.


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s still mid-afternoon,¡± Phoenix remarked incredulously. ¡°Are you really drinking already?¡±


    ¡°Well, I would offer you some, but it¡¯s still a few months too early for that, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°You¡¯re less than a year older than me, you smartass. Give me that bottle.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hah¡­¡± Conrad sighed in resignation as he watched the two vie for control of the bottle. He then glanced over at Kestrel, noting that she was watching Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s antics as well, though with her signature blank expression. After a moment, however, she noticed that Conrad was looking at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Alright, then¡­¡± Conrad replied. He knew Kestrel well; she didn¡¯t mince words, so if she said that something was fine, then she truly did think it was fine. On top of that¡­ Conrad mused, his attention shifting back to Phoenix as she took a shot and attempted to grab the bottle back from Pierce to pour another. We DID lose our qualifying match just earlier today. If a little beer and a birthday celebration is enough to get Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s minds off of that, then it¡¯s all good, I suppose. Still, though¡­ ¡°Uh, Phoenix?¡± he spoke up, drawing both her and Pierce¡¯s attention. ¡°Remember the thing?¡±


    ¡°Remember what¡­? Oh! Right!¡± Phoenix quickly placed her cup on a nearby drawer and shot up from her chair, a pleased grin on her face as she stepped over to the cabinet Conrad was standing in front of. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I almost forgot! Kestrel, we have something for you!¡±


    Kestrel watched cluelessly as Phoenix grabbed a bag out of the cabinet.


    ¡°Oh, is this what the two of you went out for last night?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I wanted to get something, but I needed Phoenix¡¯s help,¡± Conrad replied, watching as Phoenix approached Kestrel and presented the bag to her. ¡°She knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.¡±


    Kestrel wordlessly accepted the bag, placing it in her lap and staring at it for a second before passing Phoenix a glance.


    ¡°Go on, see what¡¯s inside!¡± Phoenix urged, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it!¡±


    At Phoenix¡¯s prompting, Kestrel tentatively opened the bag and peered inside. She then reached her hand inside and pulled out some sort of white and light gray cloth; after pulling it fully out of the bag, she held it up in the air, revealing a large, soft, light gray piece of clothing with conservative white designs along the fringes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shawl!¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Specifically, a summer shawl ¡ª one made to handle the summers here in Tres¨¦d! See, feel it.¡± She stepped up to hold a piece of the fabric between her fingers and gingerly rub it. ¡°Long, firm, and solid enough to protect your arms and torso from the sun ¡ª yet light and soft enough to breath, and not get in the way of your movements. The light colors help reflect light instead of absorb it, but I made sure to get white and light gray specifically, with subdued designs ¡ª I know you like those.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know too much about fashion, myself¡­ I mean, look at me,¡± Conrad commented sheepishly as he gestured at the plain t-shirt and shorts he was wearing. ¡°But I thought a shawl might be something you¡¯d like, Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°So then you grabbed Phoenix and had her do all the work of actually picking it out, huh?¡± Pierce questioned with a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, shush, I enjoyed it,¡± Phoenix retorted, and then turned back to Kestrel. ¡°Well? What do you think?¡±


    After a second of contemplative silence, Kestrel firmly grasped the shawl and draped it around her shoulders. She then spent a few moments adjusting it, before holding her arms out to the side, showing off the article as it draped over her chest and arms, and even covered part of her lap. A few stretches with her arms followed, at which point she turned toward Phoenix and offered a firm nod and a single word: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh! No, thank you!¡± Phoenix practically squealed as she jumped forward to envelope Kestrel in a tight hug. ¡°Thanks so much for indulging my fashion urges, Kestrel! Even though at this point, you¡¯re not the one who needs it¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, I manage my own fashion just fine,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°Well, what can I say? This ¡®fashion¡¯ stuff takes effort,¡± Conrad commented with a shrug. ¡°Still, Kestrel, I¡¯m glad you like it. Hope it was worth having to sit through more of Pierce and Phoenix¡¯s ¡®banter¡¯.¡±


    Kestrel passed Conrad a blank look before glancing to the side. ¡°¡­Heh.¡±


    ¡°Okay, even I can tell that was a laugh,¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°Figures it¡¯s only when Conrad takes a shot at me and Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°One of us certainly deserves it,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°You take shots at us all the time, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you didn¡¯t make it so easy, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I really hope you understand the irony of what you just said.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Conrad chuckled to himself as he took a seat on his bed next to Kestrel. ¡°They never change, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in response, her attention primarily on Pierce and Phoenix as they continued to poke fun at each other. ¡°¡­Thanks,¡± she added quietly.


    Conrad passed her a brief glance before turning back to Pierce and Phoenix himself, a satisfied smile upon his face. ¡°¡­No problem.¡±


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    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Wait, what? No!!¡±


    ¡°Ha! And that¡¯s a win for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon!¡± Austin scowled as he tossed the game controller onto the floor in front of him. ¡°I hit the button to tech, it¡¯s not my fault the game didn¡¯t recognize that. Should¡¯ve been able to last longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Typical Austin,¡± Sky retorted from her position laying on the ground next to Spike, who himself was sitting next to Austin. ¡°Losses are never actually your fault, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, give ¡®im a break,¡± Spike insisted, leaning back as he glanced to the left at his girlfriend, and then to the right, at Austin. ¡°That was a fun match, though.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Course you¡¯d say that, now that you¡¯re two wins ahead of me,¡± Austin grumbled.


    ¡°And I haven¡¯t yet won at all, but you don¡¯t see me complaining,¡± Sky interjected.


    A moment of silence followed as Austin simply stared at Sky, only for him to sigh and divert his gaze a second later. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Spike declared. ¡°These¡¯re just some friendly matches, after all.¡±


    ¡°Matches that would be even more fun if we had four players,¡± Sky remarked, at which point she peered across Austin¡¯s bedroom at Twy, who was sitting away from the others with her back against Austin¡¯s bed. ¡°C¡¯mon, sis! Play with us!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Twy looked up from her sketchpad for a moment, only to return her attention to her pad, with her brow furrowed in concentration. ¡°¡­No thanks. Not right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Still thinkin¡¯ about the qualifiers?¡± Spike questioned.


    A lofty sigh escaped Twy¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­Among other things,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Well, we did lose¡­¡± Austin muttered, and then shrugged. ¡°But, hey, at least there¡¯s next year, right?¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Spike nodded, and then scooted away from Austin¡¯s small gaming setup to turn himself toward the entire room, such that he could see Sky, Twy, and Austin without having to crane his neck. ¡°Now that it¡¯s been a few hours, though, and folks¡¯ve cooled down,¡± he said, ¡°I think we should go over our match. See what we could do better.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, good idea!¡± Sky replied, quickly moving over to Spike and plopping down in his lap before he had a chance to stop her. His hands reflexively moved to grasp her shoulders, but just before he made physical contact he stopped himself and planted his hands on the floor on either side of him. Sky seemingly failed to notice this ¡ª as well as the look of mild annoyance Spike passed her ¡ª as she questioned aloud, ¡°¡­where did we go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say,¡± Austin replied, moving to take a seat at his desk chair as he did. ¡°Kaon¨¦ schooled us pretty hard. I don¡¯t really think it was fair to put us against her, like, how could we have possibly beaten her? She controls fucking matter!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have to beat her to qualify,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°Several teams have qualified against Dav¨ªdrius, but none of them actually beat him in a fight.¡±


    Spike nodded. ¡°Yeah. The teachers don¡¯t expect you to win, they just expect you to not be shit.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t shit,¡± Austin protested.


    ¡°Sorry, but we kinda are,¡± Spike replied with a bitter smile. ¡°Maybe one-on-one, we¡¯re each okay, but as a team? We could use a lotta work. As is, we only actually practiced as a team once ¡ª and that was yesterday.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve worked as a team before, though. Like both of the times we fought EA, or during the infection outbreak in Rel¨¦diaka!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still surprised any of that worked out, personally,¡± Twy said. ¡°I really feel like we had no business making it through those encounters¡­¡±


    ¡°We still won, though, didn¡¯t we?¡± Austin insisted.


    ¡°Well, more like a win, a loss, and a draw,¡± Spike countered. ¡°Remember, when we fought EA in that wasp mech on his Cruiser, the Eximius Vir had to save us. If not for that, we woulda lost.¡±


    ¡°And we didn¡¯t ¡®win¡¯ against the infection outbreak, so much as survived,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°We all still have a long way to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Funny that it¡¯s you saying that,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who stood up to a Chaos State Chaotic?¡±


    Twy paused and passed her sister a wary glance. ¡°¡­Still,¡± she eventually continued, ¡°even then¡­ I could barely hold my own. If not for Dean Yumach¡¯s Chaos Heal, and Nimalian medical technology, I¡¯d still be recovering from a dozen broken bones and bruises all over. And if Phoenix and Kestrel hadn¡¯t shown up, I probably wouldn¡¯t even be around, anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you did survive,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°Against a Chaos State Chaotic, no less! Might¡¯ve only been the first tier, sure, but still, you should give yourself more credit!¡±


    Twy passed Austin an uneasy glance, only to then force a smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I think this shows that Twy ain¡¯t the weak link of our team,¡± Spike declared, ¡°though I bet we all knew that, already.¡±


    ¡°She is the one who came up with our smoke screen combo move!¡± Sky stated.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty basic idea, really¡­¡± Twy responded. ¡°Nothing special¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it works!¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a combo move with someone¡­¡± Austin grumbled.


    ¡°¡¯Combo moves¡¯ ain¡¯t what we should be focusin¡¯ on,¡± Spike refuted. ¡°We needa work on general teamwork, first. Then we can get to the fancy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Like what? What general teamwork do we need to work on?¡±


    ¡°Battlefield awareness. You and Sky especially needa work on this. Half my energy in the match today was spent on stayin¡¯ outta the way of y¡¯all¡¯s wild attacks!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Sky laughed sheepishly. ¡°I guess I do get a little carried away with the fire, huh?¡±


    ¡°I was tryin¡¯ not to hit y¡¯all, anyways,¡± Austin insisted, and then diverted his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ this Imperator stuff is hard to do, and takes a lot of focus¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making progress, at least,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°You did manage to move your sword through the air and make a few purposeful swings with it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, normally you just kinda lob shit through the air,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°I guess being able to swing the sword with your mind is progress from that, huh? Though you looked kinda silly doing it! Do you really need to wave your arms all weird-like when you use those Imperator powers?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s hard,¡± Austin replied. ¡°When I use my Imperator ability on something, and move that thing through the air, it¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s like I¡¯m controlling the object as though it¡¯s my own body, which means I end up moving my actual body, too.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t explain how you can use that power to fly¡­¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t a perfect analogy. Maybe a better way to think about it is like a marionette. You can¡¯t really move the marionette without movin¡¯ your hand, right? Well, my Imperator ability is kinda like that. Supposedly, you can train yourself to use Imperator powers without moving your body along with the object you¡¯re controlling, but, uh¡­ I¡¯m not there yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s step one, then. Can¡¯t work on teamwork if you don¡¯t have a good grasp of your own abilities.¡±


    Austin¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hey, man, I¡¯m not tryin¡¯ to insult you,¡± Spike quickly replied. ¡°Far as I can tell, those two powers you got sound way harder to control and train for than the rest of us. Harder to control than anything Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, or Kestrel have, too. Stands to reason you¡¯d be havin¡¯ a harder time than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°There was that one instructor who¡¯s also an Imperator Psychotechnic,¡± Twy commented. ¡°Ralak, right? Have you tried asking her for more help?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­ not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good place to start, then!¡± Sky exclaimed cheekily.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t you get ahead of yourself,¡± Spike admonished. ¡°You needa train yourself, too. Rein in those fuckin¡¯ firestorms and fireballs, alright? You almost incinerated me today!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯d¡¯ve been fine. You¡¯re super durable, right? You¡¯d¡¯ve been fine!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not test that in the middle of a match.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fair. But, c¡¯mon! I can control fire! What fun is that if I can¡¯t make a big show out of it?!¡±


    ¡°What looks the coolest isn¡¯t always the most effective,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°In fact, it rarely is.¡±


    ¡°Aw, not you, too, sis,¡± Sky pouted.


    ¡°Look, Spike is right. Kaon¨¦ even said as much after the fight. In fact, I remember Dean Tyrion telling you the same way back when we first arrived on Nimalia ¡ª and that was well over a month ago!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it¡­ I¡¯ll practice restraint, or whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least there isn¡¯t a singular weak link in our group, huh?¡± Austin remarked with an uneasy chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really a good way to look at it¡­¡± Twy responded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on it negatively, anyways,¡± Spike insisted. ¡°We¡¯re still new, it¡¯s expected that we got a lot to learn. Just gotta keep practicin¡¯ to get better, like all things. And if either of y¡¯all want help doin¡¯ so, Sky, Austin, feel free to hit me up. I¡¯d be glad to help. You too, Twy.¡±


    ¡°What, are we really assuming that you and sis did perfectly?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously.


    ¡°No one¡¯s perfect,¡± Austin said, ¡°¡­but you can¡¯t really doubt they¡¯re way better than us. I, uh¡­ well, I admit I was focusing a little too hard on controlling my sword to see what Spike or Twy were doin¡¯ during the match¡­ but every other time I¡¯ve seen y¡¯all in action, it looks like you have a pretty good handle on your abilities. Spike, you¡¯ve done martial arts, so you already seem to know how to handle your strength, and how to use shields to block and stuff¡­ and Twy, you¡¯re gettin¡¯ pretty good with that water control. Using it to fly around, to try and trap people¡­ if we were up against Dav¨ªdrius instead of Kaon¨¦, I think the two of y¡¯all might actually have won.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not that good¡­¡± Twy insisted.


    ¡°Yeah, ain¡¯t no way either of us are actin¡¯ fast enough to stop Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Spike declared. ¡°But thanks for the praise, Austin. The fact that you knew enough to say all that means you¡¯re gettin¡¯ better yourself, I think. Not to mention how you don¡¯t complain after our physical trainin¡¯ sessions anymore, ha!¡±


    ¡°Though there¡¯s still room for improvement, for everyone here,¡± Twy stated.


    ¡°Yeah, well that¡¯s obvious,¡± Sky retorted.


    ¡°I still think we have a decent shot at beating Dav¨ªdrius, though,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°With my Simulator powers, I can copy his speed, so I just have to hold him off long enough for one of y¡¯all to lay a trap, or somethin¡¯. It¡¯s totally doable!¡±


    ¡°With a lot more trainin¡¯, sure,¡± Spike replied with a smirk. ¡°But don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. You copy powers and abilities, but not experience, after all.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good goal to shoot for, at least!¡± Sky declared. ¡°It¡¯s always good to have a goal, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take us quite some time to get there,¡± Twy said.


    ¡°We can change our goal later, for now, it¡¯s fine,¡± Spike commented. ¡°But I think we covered everythin¡¯. Let¡¯s all try to get some more trainin¡¯ in!¡±


    ¡°Can it at least wait until after the break? I want to take advantage of an actual break, damn it!¡± Sky complained. ¡°We¡¯ve been so busy ever since we got here, after all!¡±


    ¡°We really have been¡­¡± Twy muttered. ¡°Here¡¯s hoping that things will settle down when the new term starts¡­¡±


    ¡°Well now you¡¯ve gone and jinxed it,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°Things¡¯ll be even worse now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you always say that,¡± Sky replied with a roll of her eyes, only to then catapult herself out of Spike¡¯s lap to reclaim her game controller and her spot in front of Austin¡¯s gaming setup. ¡°But that¡¯s all stuff for future us to worry about! Let¡¯s get back to the game!¡±


    ¡°Well, we do got the rest of the day to burn,¡± Austin remarked as he quickly took up his position alongside Spike, with the three of them starting up the game again ¡ª while Twy returned her attention to her sketchpad. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Austin whooped, ¡°this time, I¡¯m totally gonna kick y¡¯all¡¯s asses¡­!¡±

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 93: Hardened Defenses

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 93: Hardened Defenses


    ¡°Have to say, Colonel, I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re here to help!¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Saito,¡± Saito replied. ¡°You¡¯re not in my command, so no need to use my rank.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll remember that, then, Saito!¡± Selind remarked with a grin as she winked at the Colonel.


    Saito glanced up at Selind before turning his attention forward again. The Tres¨¦dian woman was built similarly to Major Hackett, what with a six foot height, black hair, and an athletic build ¡ª but the similarities stopped there. Selind¡¯s hair was shoulder-length and messy, and her tanned skin put her right in the middle of Saito¡¯s light tone and Hackett¡¯s dark one. She also seemed a little thinner and more lithe, though Selind¡¯s exact build was hard to determine under the baggy white cargo pants and large beige shawl she wore. Nevertheless, Saito knew that, first impressions aside, Selind was far more similar in demeanor and skill to Captain Travis than she was to Hackett ¡ª she constantly walked around with a long-barreled laser sniper strapped to her back, after all.


    ¡°Anyways, I really can¡¯t tell you just how glad I am to have you and your team around,¡± Selind commented, walking side-by-side with Saito down the streets of Compound Tresnon. ¡°With Hunger¡¯s Bane comin¡¯ up, you¡¯ll be a big help!¡±


    ¡°Help that, hopefully, won¡¯t be needed,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Ha, if anything, I think you¡¯re a perfect deterrent!¡± Selind declared. ¡°With all the folks that¡¯ll be in town for Hunger¡¯s Bane, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be fine. Hell, I know from experience that my daughter, Kar¨ªsah, Ralak, and Dav¨ªdrius alone are already more than enough to handle whatever the Bleeders could throw at us. Add in two of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s old friends, a Chaotic from the galaxy¡¯s most renowned PMC, and two battle-hardened military squads from SERRCom, and Tresnon might as well be invincible!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly a lot of power and skill gathered here, but I¡¯d still be careful, if I were you,¡± Saito countered. ¡°There¡¯s always some way that things can go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I know that, I¡¯m just speakin¡¯ a big game. I¡¯m the Head of Defense of Compound Tresnon, after all. Have been for years. You don¡¯t get where I am if you don¡¯t take defense seriously.¡±


    ¡°Is Compound Tresnon particularly important, or something?¡±


    ¡°Tresnon is the biggest, most well-defended of all the Compounds in Tres¨¦d. There are only a couple cities bigger than us: Nock, the old capital of Tres¨¦d before the place fell into lawlessness centuries ago; and a few towns down in Rokres, on the southern peninsula. Nock is way across the continent, though, and the folks of Rokres always keep to themselves, so Compound Tresnon is effectively the biggest, most influential place on this side of the continent.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are located on the shores of a massive lake, so I suppose that makes sense. Are there other lakeside Compounds?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but less than you¡¯d probably think. Water¡¯s a valuable resource, after all, and one of the main things that Bleeders go raidin¡¯ for. It¡¯s hard for new lakeside Compounds to get off the ground with the Bleeders around, so the only lakeside Compounds on Mirage Lake are ones that¡¯ve been here for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, with that kind of risk, I expect the defenses around here must be impressive.¡±


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s the whole reason you wanted to talk with me, innit? To get the lowdown on what our defenses look like.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Saito replied, his attention momentarily drifting toward the Compound walls he could see in the distance, between the buildings of the town. Selind seemed to be leading him away from the outer walls, however, and toward a more central location. ¡°So, where are we going, then? I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d want to show me the walls.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where most of our defenses are, aye, but not all of ¡®em,¡± Selind said. ¡°At the end of the day, physical walls ain¡¯t doin¡¯ much to stop an attack. Just about every Chaotic ever has a way of dealin¡¯ with walls, not to mention what any modern weapon will do to one.¡±


    ¡°True. Even a modern sidearm will blow a concrete wall to shreds.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The walls themselves are more symbolic than anything, at this point. The weapons we got on them, however, aren¡¯t. Likely nothin¡¯ too impressive for a well-outfitted military man like yourself, but we got a few dozen wall-mounted miniguns for emergencies. Enough to give coverage over 90% or so of the desert outside the Compound.¡±


    ¡°A few dozen, eh? How well-maintained are they?¡±


    ¡°Decently well, for hunks of junk we picked up from the dumpin¡¯ grounds. We got a handful of Chaotics around here that can fix up or clean movin¡¯ metal parts, so the guns are always in good condition. It¡¯s the bullets that¡¯re a problem. Makin¡¯ ones to spec with the guns is hard for most Chaotics, apparently, so we have to secure ¡®em the normal way. Which is even harder ¡®cause the guns we¡¯re usin¡¯ are apparently a century old¡­¡±


    ¡°I was about to say ¡ª if the guns are using bullets, then they must be old. All Nimalian equipment nowadays are lasers or plasma weapons, with the sole exception of the Nitak pistol that some NSD soldiers use.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really like to replace those miniguns with lasers, myself ¡ª I know well how effective they are,¡± Selid remarked, gesturing with her thumb at the long-barreled gun strapped to her back. ¡°It¡¯s hard, though. Don¡¯t find many intact laser weapons at the dumpin¡¯ grounds, and the other countries seem really wary about sellin¡¯ laser weapons to anyone in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Well, hopefully that means the Bleeders won¡¯t have any, either.¡±


    ¡°Not sure we can get our hopes up there, Saito. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard how they¡¯ve shown up in Black Suns armor ¡ª with modern sets, at that! Who knows what kinda equipment they got with ¡®em now.¡±


    ¡°That does work vaguely in our favor, however. Kinetic weapons are more effective against energy shielding than laser weaponry, from a raw damage-dealing perspective. All of my team¡¯s weapons are electromagnetic launchers, the Black Suns Officer¡¯s weapon is electromagnetic, and I assume your wall-mounted miniguns are as well, if they use bullets. As long as you have people who know how to accurately man the guns, you should be decently-well prepared.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°My main concern is the size of any potential attacking force. If you have miniguns, of all things, covering over 90% of the desert outside of the walls¡­ just how many attackers do you expect to have to fend off at once?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say¡­¡± Selind finally stopped walking just outside of a large building, her gaze turned out toward the far walls as she let loose a weary sigh. ¡°When Bleeders fully attack a Compound instead of just raidin¡¯ it, they usually do so with around fifty people, maybe five or so of which are Chaotics. That¡¯s more than enough to overrun any smaller Compound. Tresnon is much better defended than the smaller Compounds, though, so I don¡¯t know what kind of force the Bleeders would try to use against us. If we assumed that every Bleeder had powered armor, then¡­ that could be a problem, but it doesn¡¯t seem likely. If only, say, half of ¡®em had armor, then¡­ might take a few hundred of ¡®em to burn through our defenses. Maybe even a few thousand, if we get the shields on in time.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Shields?¡± Saito questioned, ¡°as in, energy shielding?¡±


    ¡°Ayup.¡± Selind nodded in response before turning toward the large building next to them and taking a key out of her pocket. As she inserted it into the doorknob, she remarked, ¡°most Compounds have some kind of energy shielding, but Tresnon is the only one with a full array. One primary generator, and five secondaries. Personally, I¡¯m proud of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I see. So this is one of the secondary generators, then?¡±


    ¡°That it is. It¡¯s off for now, though. Don¡¯t got the power to keep ¡®em on 24/7, while also keepin¡¯ the lights on in the rest of the town. Anyways¡­¡± Selind finally unlocked the door and grabbed hold of the knob. ¡°Figured I¡¯d show you this, first. Hoped you might have¡ª oh, hey.¡±


    With the door now open, Saito and Selind could see clearly into the room beyond. The room itself was a large space, nearly ten meters on a side and just as tall. Concrete covered the floor and walls, coupled with a variety of maintenance equipment and wires, contributing to an overall feel of a garage or mechanic¡¯s shop ¡ª though instead of a car, the center of the room housed a massive electrical generator, with an umbrella of metal panels extending out of the top. A small interface terminal was located on the side of the generator¡­ and standing behind the terminal at that moment were none other than Captain Travis and Researcher MacTavish.


    ¡°Eep¡ª!¡± MacTavish jumped in surprise as the sunlight from outside fell on her, prompting her to whip around and stare at Saito and Selind like a deer in headlights.


    ¡°Oh, Colonel, Selind.¡± Travis acknowledged the two with a casual wave.


    ¡°¡­Travis, MacTavish,¡± Saito addressed them warily as he and Selind stepped into the room, and the latter locked the door behind them. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, Saito, I gave ¡®em permission to be here,¡± Selind remarked, stepping away from the door to address the room with her hands on her hips. ¡°I heard from Luke that Kirstin here has a way with tech, so when she said she wanted to look at our shield generators, how could I say no? Skies know these things could use a proper tune-up, ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Seemed to be in decent shape, to me,¡± Travis remarked, ¡°though I¡¯m not a techie, I guess. Plus, the main power is off¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Selind smiled sheepishly as she looked over at the dormant generator. ¡°Tresnon¡¯s got hydro and solar power, but it still ain¡¯t enough to power the city and the shield array at the same time. So we only turn on the shields when we need ¡®em, or during the monthly tests to make sure they still work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was just about to ask about that. So you do test them regularly?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Aye. We Tres¨¦dians know the value of maintenance ¡ª we have to, when replacements are so hard to come by.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well¡­¡± The Colonel then turned toward MacTavish. ¡°What have you been looking into, with the generators?¡±


    ¡°Uh, j-just some specs, and, um, p-potential improvements¡­¡± the Researcher replied, and then shifted her attention to Selind. ¡°Th-there were a few, actually¡­ y-you have an array, b-but, um, the individual generators are still set t-to make full, uh, shield domes. I-if you change the settings, you can, um, reduce the surface area each generator, um, g-generates, w-which increases shield lifetime, without, um, losing coverage of the city. M-maybe even by triple, here, g-given the layout. A-and also¡ª¡°


    ¡°Whoa, hold on, now,¡± Selind interjected, throwing up her hands in confusion. ¡°I appreciate the tips, really, but, uh, could you write them down? You¡¯re movin¡¯ a little fast for me.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± MacTavish looked down. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine! If you know a way to triple anything related to the shields, then that¡¯s a massive gain! Just be sure to write it down so I can get my folks to go through it all when we got time. And, uh, maybe make your instructions as comprehensive as possible¡­?¡±


    ¡°Uh, r-right.¡± The Researcher nodded before bowing out of the conversation to tend to the terminal again. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Not familiar with energy shields?¡± Travis questioned, turning his attention to Selind.


    ¡°I know how to work a generator well enough,¡± Selind insisted. ¡°Compounds have been usin¡¯ shield generators for long before I was born. Shield arrays are a new thing, though. Tresnon only got this array about¡­ five years ago, maybe? And only ¡®cause Kaon¨¦ made ¡®em on the spot. Man¡­ still wish we could ask her to make more shit, but Dav¨ªdrius refuses to ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡­ that¡¯s the Materiatechnic, right?¡± Saito asked. ¡°If she can make complicated objects like shield generators out of nothing, then that¡¯s an incredibly useful ability. Can you not get her to make you up-to-date weapons and defenses?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Kaon¨¦¡¯s a pacifist, so I hear,¡± Selind replied. ¡°Even during her time with Hero Machina and the NSD, she only used her powers directly against the Nanocreatures. Dav¨ªdrius has said that he doesn¡¯t want to ask her to make weapons, and I don¡¯t want to force her to, either, but, damn. It¡¯d be pretty useful.¡±


    ¡°At least she made you a shield array, huh?¡± Travis commented.


    ¡°Ha, yeah. Though it¡¯s usually my daughter who tunes the things. I bet she even had them all setup properly, and I just accidentally screwed up the configs during one of the last couple tests, ha ha! Oops¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned your daughter before,¡± Saito said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to meet her, as well as this ¡®Kar¨ªsah¡¯ you mentioned, especially if they¡¯re going to be helping with defense.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Saito!¡± Selind responded cheerfully. ¡°Could do Relia good to meet some more outsiders like you. She won¡¯t be around for a few more days, though. Never shows up ¡®til just before Hunger¡¯s Bane¡­¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t here? Where is she, then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I heard about Relia¡­¡± Travis mused, ¡°she¡¯s a friend of Kar¨ªsah¡¯s, right? Wanders the land, or something like that?¡±


    Selind nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. She decided to set foot out into the world about five years ago. She¡¯s been wanderin¡¯ between Compounds ever since, doin¡¯ odd jobs and helpin¡¯ locals out against the Bleeders. Folks in the region call her the Wanderer, heh.¡± She then adopted a forlorn smile as she looked down at the ground. ¡°¡­Wish I could get her to come home more often, but, eh, that¡¯s just how it is¡­ least she¡¯s bein¡¯ helpful and makin¡¯ herself useful.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying she travels alone?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°I thought the lands around here were dangerous. Why else do you have miniguns and shield arrays?¡±


    ¡°They are dangerous,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But Relia can handle the danger. She¡¯s only 21, but she¡¯s still a skilled Chaostechnic. She¡¯s even beat several of the Elite Six in fights, ha!¡±


    ¡°Elite Six?¡±


    ¡°Well, sir, there¡¯s six Schools of Chaos,¡± Travis explained. ¡°As I understand it, ¡®Elite Six¡¯ refers to the most powerful student at each of the schools.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And one of ¡®em¡¯s a Materiatechnic,¡± Selind declared. ¡°And Relia still kicked his ass! Ha ha, oh man, I wish I had been there to see the look on that smug brat¡¯s face¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Saito responded. ¡°Alright, well, it certainly sounds like she can take care of herself, then. I assume the other Chaotics you mentioned are similarly skilled or experienced?¡±


    ¡°That they are.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Well, throw in the power of the Eximius Vir, and this place might as well be invincible!¡± Travis remarked. ¡°Right, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was sayin¡¯ earlier, Luke!¡± Selind replied with a grin. ¡°Nice to see we¡¯re on the same page!¡±


    ¡°Nice to know I have another Travis on my hands,¡± Saito muttered, though he wore an amused smirk as he did.


    ¡°Ah ha, sorry about that, sir,¡± the Captain responded, and then turned to Selind. ¡°But hey, I have my actual sniper rifle with me now. I was gonna go shooting with Gavon this afternoon, you want in?¡±


    ¡°You really think I¡¯m going to miss a chance to see a modern, state-of-the-art electromagnetic sniper rifle? Hell yeah I¡¯m in!¡± Selind exclaimed. ¡°Just let me get Saito here up to speed on Tresnon¡¯s defenses, first.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, making friends here, eh, Travis?¡± Saito passed the Captain an amused look. ¡°Finally found some fellow gun nuts, huh?¡±


    ¡°Suppose you could say that, sir¡­¡± Travis replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°Hope it¡¯s no problem, what with Gavon¡¯s job, and all¡­¡±


    Saito passed Selind a glance, only to then sigh and shake his head. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine, for now. Just follow the OpSec guidelines, and you should be good. Even around Black Suns officers.¡± The Colonel then shifted his attention to MacTavish, who was still standing off to the side in her own little world as she interfaced with the dormant shield unit. ¡°¡­Just don¡¯t forget that dinner with MacTavish that you set up for us.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ thanks, Colonel,¡± Travis responded. ¡°And of course not, I¡¯ll be back before then.¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Selind spoke up as she moved to the entrance to the generator building. ¡°C¡¯mon, Saito. I¡¯ll show you some of the old artillery we have, just in case we need to break a siege, and then I¡¯ll show you the walls. That should cover everything.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª breaking a siege?!¡± Saito echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯ll never happen, it¡¯s just in case,¡± Selind insisted. ¡°Last time the Bleeders actually laid siege to a Compound was decades ago. Still, better to be prepared, I say.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Saito, it¡¯ll be fine! Now!¡± Selind threw open the door and confidently strode out onto the streets, with Saito not far behind her. ¡°Let¡¯s show you what else Compound Tresnon has to offer¡­!¡±

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 94: New Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 94: New Blood


    2 Days Later


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready¡ª!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Pierce blasted forward, leaving behind only a cloud of dust as he instantly crossed the distance between himself and Liask. While sailing through the air, he swung his right foot around, slamming it into Liask¡¯s crossed forearms at supersonic speeds. She bore the blow with a grimace, yet with her locked and braced legs, Pierce¡¯s kick only slid her a few meters across the ground ¡ª rather than launched her clear across the campus.


    Upon seeing Liask standing her ground, a smirk crossed Pierce¡¯s face, as if he was daring her to keep up with him. A second later, he disappeared again, circling around Liask to her blind spot before charging straight at her again. While unable to keep up with Pierce¡¯s incredible speed, Liask was nonetheless able to shift her stance just in time to partially block Pierce¡¯s incoming kick with her upper left arm. She was unable to entirely mitigate the force of the kick this time, however, and as a result she was sent tumbling to the side ¡ª though she maintained her balance well enough to not fall over. After re-establishing her defensive posture, she turned back to face Pierce, who himself was watching from a short distance away to ensure she was alright.


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Pierce smirked, his hands on his hips as he eyed Liask across WCU¡¯s training grounds. ¡°You got a handle on your stance pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°Guess all I needed was some practice,¡± Liask replied, relaxing her posture and returning to a neutral standing position. ¡°All of the other Velocitechnics I¡¯ve trained with didn¡¯t want to go full speed against me, even though I¡¯m a Forcetechnic, so I never had much chance to practice bracin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I blame them.¡±


    Pierce and Liask both glanced to the side, where Conrad, Minilas, and Obra were all standing while they watched the duo train together.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Conrad questioned after noting Pierce and Liask both looking at him. ¡°Wanting to hold back is a legitimate concern. I bet those other guys were just afraid they¡¯d hurt you, or themselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Forcetechnic, though,¡± Liask reiterated.


    ¡°¡­Nah, Conrad has a point,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Not every Velocitechnic is equally fast, and not every Forcetechnic is equally strong or durable. So if you don¡¯t know how much stronger or weaker you are than a potential training partner, then it¡¯s best to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Truly insightful, coming from you,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°Why are you here, then?¡± Obra challenged as he glared at Pierce, with his arms crossed. ¡°Bet you think you¡¯re better than us, huh? Tryin¡¯ to say that what you¡¯re doin¡¯ here is ¡®holdin back¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ sort of,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Look, dude, I wasn¡¯t the one who made me this fast.¡±


    ¡°Either way,¡± Liask quickly interjected, preventing Obra from responding, ¡°thanks for trainin¡¯ with me today, Pierce. Really like the help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, same to you,¡± Pierce said with a grin. ¡°There aren¡¯t many people around here who both want to train with me and can stand up to the kind of blows I can put out.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why that is,¡± Conrad muttered under his breath.


    ¡°I hear you guys¡¯ve gotten into a bunch of fights,¡± Minilas remarked, ignoring Conrad¡¯s idle comment as she addressed him and Pierce with a flat tone. ¡°Really helps you get better as a Chaotic, huh.¡±


    ¡°I missed the one in Riverana, and nothing happened on Sikalia¡­ so I hear,¡± Conrad commented as he shot Pierce a glance.


    ¡°I missed the fight in Anika, too,¡± Pierce said, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Conrad as he replied to Minilas¡¯s question. ¡°But yeah, I¡¯ve been in a few fights. It kind of actually does help to have that kind of experience ¡ª it lets you know what you have to work on to get better.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Obra deadpanned. ¡°You think a fight is just a trainin¡¯ opportunity, huh?¡±


    Pierce passed Obra an annoyed glance, but before he could begin to respond, someone else called out to the group.


    ¡°Hey! You, there!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª? ¡­Oh¡­¡± Liask¡¯s face fell as the whole group turned toward Ralak, who was approaching from the direction of the campus gates. Just as quickly as she frowned, though, Liask forced a smile. ¡°Hi, Ralak. Do you need somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Not much¡­¡± the instructor commented, her stern gaze sweeping quickly across the five students in front of her before refocusing on Liask. ¡°Have you seen Dav¨ªdrius around?¡±


    ¡°Not today,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Who knows where that guy got off to, but he hasn¡¯t been around the training grounds.¡±


    ¡°Not for the past half hour or so, anyways,¡± Conrad added.


    ¡°Someone in trouble?¡± Minilas questioned.


    Ralak passed her an unamused glance before sighing and walking off. ¡°No one¡¯s in trouble,¡± she shouted over her shoulder, ¡°but let me know if you see him.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure¡­?¡± Conrad responded in confusion, watching as the instructor walked off toward the campus buildings. Eventually, he turned back toward the group. ¡°Weird, huh?¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ Ralak Adax, the Head of Combat, right?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°I think I¡¯ve only met her once or twice¡­ hey, Liask.¡± He shifted his attention to the scarred Forctechnic standing nearby. ¡°You ever think about asking her to help you get a training partner?¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe¡­¡± Liask muttered, her attention still focused on the campus buildings ¡ª as were Obra¡¯s and Minilas¡¯s.


    Upon noticing this, as well as the fact that all three were wearing cloudy expressions, Pierce and Conrad exchanged a wary glance. ¡°¡­Something wrong, guys?¡± Pierce questioned, this time raising his voice a little to get their attentions.


    ¡°¡ªOh! Uh, sorry¡­¡± Liask finally turned away from the buildings with a sheepish smile. ¡°What were you sayin¡¯?¡±


    Pierce eyed Liask, and then Minilas and Obra ¡ª even Minilas, who Pierce had by now determined to be unflappable, seemed a little perturbed. ¡°¡­What just happened?¡± Pierce asked, ¡°do you guys just not like Ralak, or something?¡±


    ¡°Pierce¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Heh. Perceptive,¡± Minilas commented with a small smile, only to settle back into a neutral expression, made somewhat more ominous by the unkempt locks of black hair that obscured the right side of her face. ¡°¡­But also not.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, bein¡¯ outsiders,¡± Obra declared.


    ¡°We might not be able to empathize, but we can still sympathize,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°What, is Ralak secretly a raging asshole, or something?¡±


    ¡°¡­I try not to think about it too much, given that she is an instructor now, and Dav¨ªdrius seems to trust her¡­¡± Liask said, ¡°but¡­ Ralak used to be a Bleeder, you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, we¡¯ve heard about that¡­¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°¡­I take it that¡¯s a sticking point, then?¡± Pierce questioned, his tone growing solemn. ¡°That she was part of a gang?¡±


    ¡°A gang that destroyed all of our homes and killed our families,¡± Obra snapped. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly understand how that feels! So to see her walkin¡¯ around like this, just¡­!¡±


    ¡°Obra¡­ you know she¡¯s changed,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be the Head of Combat if she hadn¡¯t. Besides, Dav¨ªdrius has had experience with the Bleeders ¡ª even worse than most of us. So if he¡¯s willin¡¯ to give former Bleeders a chance, then so should we.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who¡¯s just as wary as everyone else,¡± Minilas commented with a hollow smile.


    ¡°Sounds like not everyone is behind this ¡®Bleeder forgiveness¡¯ thing Dav¨ªdrius has going,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± Obra snorted, though adopted a pained expression as he diverted his gaze. ¡°¡­It ain¡¯t all bad. Lotta people in Tresnon used to be Bleeders, includin¡¯ some students. They ain¡¯t bad.¡±


    ¡°¡­But?¡± Conrad prompted after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Ralak is a little different,¡± Minilas said. ¡°She wasn¡¯t just a Bleeder, she lead a whole group. A small one, but a lotta people still knew her ¡ª she even had a nickname. ¡®Willthief¡¯.¡± She then shrugged. ¡°Or so the rumors go, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Minilas!¡± Liask exclaimed in admonishment. ¡°Don¡¯t go spreadin¡¯ rumors!¡±


    ¡°Heh heh¡­¡± Minilas chuckled and flashed a grim smile. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Willthief, huh¡­?¡± Conrad echoed. ¡°Sounds ominous.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°She¡¯s an Imperator Psychotechnic,¡± Obra stated. ¡°She gets complete control over anythin¡¯ she touches ¡ª includin¡¯ people. I¡¯ll leave the rest to your imagination.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter to the person that she is today,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°Ralak¡¯s been the Head of Combat for two years, and an instructor for seven. If she was still secretly with the Bleeders or somethin¡¯, she would¡¯ve done somethin¡¯ by now. And she wasn¡¯t behind any of the groups that attacked any of our homes, either. We just need to get over ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Obra snorted dismissively. ¡°¡­Whatever.¡±


    ¡°Can always trust our little Liask to be that one ray of optimism,¡± Minilas remarked flatly, though with a smile.


    ¡°She does have a point, though,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°Rumors are rumors ¡ª unless you find any proof that substantiates them, they aren¡¯t worth your time. Now, I won¡¯t tell the three of you how to feel about Ralak, or any other former Bleeder, but at least for the time being¡­¡± He shifted his attention to Liask. ¡°I think that break was long enough. You want to continue training?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! If you¡¯re willin¡¯,¡± Liask replied, quickly backing away from the group and adopting a defensive posture. ¡°Hit me with everythin¡¯ you¡¯ve got!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Be careful what you wish for!¡± Pierce retorted with a smirk as he took up position some distance away from Liask, readying himself to continue with her training ¡ª all while Conrad, Minilas, and Obra continued to spectate.


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Damn, Luke! You really are a crack shot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Heh, well¡­ can¡¯t deny that, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°And that gun of yours, too!¡± Selind remarked, heartily slapping Luke on the back as he leaned his black rifle against the ramparts. ¡°An actual current-gen mag sniper¡­ wow!¡±


    ¡°I must admit, it¡¯s more effective than I expected, as well,¡± Gavon remarked from the side.


    Luke responded with a sheepish smile, finally stepping away from the ramparts of Tresnon¡¯s walls to turn and face Selind and Gavon directly. Bright midday sun shone down upon them and the wastelands beyond the walls, clearly illuminating a pile of wreckage nearly two and a half kilometers in the distance that the trio was using as target practice. Gavon still had yet to acquire his own sniper rifle, but the group was more than content to trade Selind¡¯s Lisarin laser sniper and Luke¡¯s Gauss-SR02 sniper rifle amongst themselves.


    ¡°¡­Even so,¡± Luke commented, eying his rifle, ¡°¡­the Gauss-SR02 is only effective out to three and a half kilometers. That¡¯s basically nothing, compared to what the Black Suns have.¡±


    ¡°From a pure range and power perspective, perhaps,¡± Gavon replied, ¡°but you almost never need an entire seven kilometers, I find. Even having to make a shot beyond three is rare. Not to mention the fact that many Black Suns weapons use our cybernetics as a kind of crutch.¡± He held his left arm up toward the sun as he continued, ¡°without an arm like this, using an SR24 can be very difficult, what with having to worry about keeping it steady, dealing with recoil, or various processing power issues. Personally, I think there¡¯s a kind of elegance to a gun that can be handled well even by those with a normal body ¡ª such as anything SERRCom or the NSD uses.¡±


    Luke and Selind both found themselves staring at Gavon¡¯s arm ¡ª despite his claim that it was a prosthetic, it appeared indistinguishable from his organic right arm.


    ¡°¡­So it really is true what they say, huh?¡± Selind remarked. ¡°That all of you Black Suns have a fake arm?¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s certainly one way of putting it,¡± Gavon replied with an amused smile. ¡°But yes. It can be incredibly useful at times, though there are many people in the galaxy who think that cutting off an arm just to replace it with a prosthetic is¡­ poor taste.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Always thought it was fuckin¡¯ weird, myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Dav¨ªdrius!¡± Selind exclaimed as she, Gavon, and Luke all turned to face down the walkway atop the walls, where Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak were approaching.


    ¡°Not a fan of Transhumanism, are we?¡± Gavon questioned, eying Dav¨ªdrius as he stopped just short of the trio already on the walls.


    ¡°I mean, those prosthetics seem useful enough¡­ it¡¯s just fuckin¡¯ weird to lop off a perfectly good arm,¡± the Dean replied, and then shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. ¡°Anyways, that ain¡¯t why I¡¯m here. Selind, I need your help with somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Selind questioned as she grabbed her sniper. ¡°What for?¡±


    A poignant pause followed, with Dav¨ªdrius pursing his lips and glancing between Luke and Gavon. After a second, however, his gaze fell on the Black Suns officer. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a Chaotic, ain¡¯t ya?¡± the Dean asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Gavon replied.


    ¡°Is something wrong¡­?¡± Luke questioned warily.


    ¡°Not really¡­ just bein¡¯ cautious,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. He then glanced back at Ralak.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use hidin¡¯ what we¡¯re doin¡¯,¡± Ralak commented, as if to answer the Dean¡¯s unspoken question. She and Dav¨ªdrius then turned back to the trio as she explained, ¡°earlier today, I heard through some old contacts that some former Bleeders want to seek refuge in Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be here, soon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°I wanted someone to tag along and keep watch while Ralak and I greet ¡®em outside the walls.¡±


    ¡°Ah, more folks usin¡¯ that Reformation Program you set up, eh?¡± Selind said with a smirk, only to quickly frown. ¡°This timin¡¯, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to just let them into Tresnon?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°That depends on what they¡¯re like,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered. ¡°We can¡¯t just up and close our doors to everyone, ¡®specially not this close to Hunger¡¯s Bane. In fact, holidays like this are when most former Bleeders show up at Tresnon ¡ª hell, Ralak here did the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ralak affirmed with a nod. ¡°With the chance that Dav¨ªdrius, Selind, and Tresnon gave me, I was able to turn my whole life around. I don¡¯t want to rob that chance from others. That said¡­¡±


    ¡°Between the events in Rel¨¦diaka and Riverana, the Bleeders are more of a threat than ever before?¡± Gavon finished.


    ¡°¡­You sure know a lot,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded as he eyed Gavon warily.


    ¡°What can I say?¡± The Black Suns officer shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s my job to keep apprised of all potential dangers.¡±


    ¡°And those ¡®dangers¡¯ are the Bleeders themselves,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°Dean, you know better than any of us. Someone is giving the Bleeders info and tech, and they clearly have it out for Tresnon and the outside world. In light of that, doesn¡¯t it sound really convenient that some former Bleeders would want to show up now?¡±


    ¡°I know the stakes,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°But I can¡¯t just say ¡®no¡¯, either. Like I said earlier, it ain¡¯t uncommon for Bleeders to wanna join Tresnon ¡®round this time of the year, so this could easily just be a coincidence. Still, I¡¯m gonna go talk to ¡®em, size ¡®em up. If somethin¡¯ seems off, then the whole deal¡¯s off. But, just in case somethin¡¯ goes really wrong¡­¡± He glanced down at Luke¡¯s rifle, and then over at Selind¡¯s gun. ¡°¡­Luke, Selind, I¡¯d like y¡¯all to stay here and keep watch with those guns of yours. Gavon, I want you with Ralak and me.¡±


    ¡°An appropriate level of caution, I think,¡± Gavon replied.


    ¡°¡­Suppose it works,¡± Luke commented.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s get goin¡¯; the refugees are supposed to be here any minute, now,¡± Ralak declared.


    As Ralak and Dav¨ªdrius turned to leave, Luke found himself eying Ralak with concern. A former Bleeder, vouching for other former Bleeders, at a time like this ¡ª he couldn¡¯t help but feel suspicious, but he also couldn¡¯t bring himself to voice his concern. Dav¨ªdrius and Selind both seemed to trust her, after all.


    ¡°Hey, Luke, catch.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± Startled out of this thoughts, Luke was barely able to react fast enough to catch a small communicator that Gavon had tossed to him.


    ¡°So we can talk while you stay on the walls,¡± Gavon said. ¡°That communicator is connected to a mic in my arm. You¡¯ll be able to hear everything I can hear, and if you talk into the communicator, then I can have your voice go into my ear only, or out on a speaker.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, convenient!¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Gavon replied, glancing to the side as both Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak jumped from the ramparts to the ground outside the walls, using their Chaotic abilities to land gracefully and without harm. The Black Suns officer moved to join them, manipulating the gravity around him to levitate through the air ¡ª though just before he dropped to the ground, he glanced back at Selind and Luke again. ¡°I¡¯m sure the others and I can handle ourselves, but do keep an eye out for us, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Luke replied.


    Gavon simply nodded in response before descending to the ground himself, several meters below. He quickly joined Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak in walking across the sandy wasteland, toward a couple of figures standing a few dozen meters outside of the walls.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Selind quickly grabbed her sighting binoculars and held them up to her face as she stared out at the two figures. ¡°When the hell did they get there?¡±


    ?I told you they were goin¡¯ to arrive soon,? came Ralak¡¯s voice over the communicator in Luke¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Luke muttered, taking up his own rifle and aiming in the general direction of the two newcomers. Using the rifle¡¯s sights, he carefully scoped out the two. One of them appeared to be a woman, while the other was wrapped in white robing so completely that their figure was hard to discern ¡ª even their light-skinned face was partially obscured, their eyes hidden by the shade cast by their oversized hood. The woman, on the other hand, was dressed in the typical beige and off-white desert robes that most Tres¨¦dians wore. Short, scruffy brown hair topped her surprisingly pale head, and on her face were faint age lines indicating she was likely in her 40s. While the robed individual stood still and steady, the woman¡¯s arms were crossed, and her foot tapped the ground impatiently.


    ¡°Nothin¡¯ out of the ordinary just yet¡­¡± Selind muttered to herself, still using her binoculars to watch the meeting.


    Luke passed her a wary glance. ¡°Those heavy robes are normal?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen someone show up like that. Some folks just really don¡¯t like the sun, here.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ?Switching off the broadcast speaker,? came Gavon¡¯s voice, though low, as if he were speaking directly into the mic such that the newcomers couldn¡¯t hear. ?Luke, Selind, I¡¯ll keep the mic on. But if you talk, only I will hear.?


    ¡°Makes sense¡­ don¡¯t want to give away the fact they¡¯re being watched,¡± Luke replied.


    ?Alright!? Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s loud voice cut short all idle conversation. From his position atop the walls, Luke could see that Dav¨ªdrius, Ralak, and Gavon were now standing just a couple meters in front of the two newcomers. ?So,? the Dean continued, ?I hear y¡¯all are former Bleeders.?


    ?Yep! That¡¯s us~!? came a surprisingly cheerful female voice ¡ª Luke¡¯s scope was sharp enough at this close range that he could see the brown-haired woman¡¯s lips moving, so he figured the voice belonged to her. ?Sure took you long enough to greet us!?


    ?Sorry, it¡¯s a busy time of the year,? Dav¨ªdrius replied. ?Got a school to watch, and Hunger¡¯s Bane to prep for¡­ lotta stuff to take care of.?


    ?We appreciate you sparing some time for us, then,? came a husky female voice ¡ª Luke reasoned this must be the robed figure speaking.


    ?So, this is how you greet former Bleeders, huh? All the way outside the walls?? remarked the first woman. There was a brief pause as she tilted her head slightly upwards; from Luke¡¯s perspective, her nostrils seemed to flare, as if she were sniffing. ?¡­I smell uncertainty. Not very welcomin¡¯, are ya??


    ?It¡¯s standard procedure,? Ralak replied. ?Now. How about we start with the introductions??


    ?You¡¯re Ralak,? commented the husky voice. ?With you is Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax, the Sentry.?


    ?Wow, you know my name,? the Dean deadpanned. ?So does half this fuckin¡¯ continent. How ¡®bout your names, huh??


    ?Oh, that¡¯s right! So sorry~!? replied the cheerful voice. ?You can call me Ind! And this here¡ª well, she goes by Shade.?


    ?A pleasure to meet you,? Shade commented, adopting a smile as she did ¡ª though something about the smile caused Luke to recoil away from his scope.


    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Selind muttered, passing Luke a quick glance before returning to her binoculars herself. ¡°But you can¡¯t judge by looks. If we blocked anyone who had a creepy smile or appearance from enterin¡¯ Tresnon, this place would be half empty.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so,¡± Luke responded. She¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t the first time they¡¯ve dealt with taking in former Bleeders. They clearly know how things work around here better than I would, so I should let them take care of this. ¡­Still¡­


    ?Ind and Shade, huh¡­? Dav¨ªdrius mused. ?¡­Alright. Well, this next question is just standard procedure, too: are either of y¡¯all Chaotics??


    ?Just me!? replied Ind. ?I¡¯m a Chaostechnic! Pure Directed type!?


    A brief pause followed. Despite the resolution of his rifle¡¯s scope, Luke couldn¡¯t see what expression Dav¨ªdrius, Ralak, or Gavon were wearing ¡ª their backs were facing the wall.


    ?A Chaostechnic, huh¡­?? Dav¨ªdrius eventually replied. ?And a Directed type, too¡­ well, you ain¡¯t the first. I¡¯m sure we can find work for you.?


    ?Sounds great to me~!?


    ?Before we get to that, though, I¡¯ve got two more questions. One: as part of the Bleeder Reformation Program, we try to overlook what you¡¯ve done in the past, so long as you behave yourselves goin¡¯ forward. That said, I still wanna know just what ties you had to the Bleeders. Could be important to know if someone comes after you.?


    ?Just regular members,? Shade answered. ?No family to hold hostage, either.?


    ?Yeah, we just did the whole raidin¡¯ thing. You know, that all Bleeders do,? Ind replied airily. ?What else do Bleeders even do??


    ¡°What else do they do?¡± Luke questioned to Selind.


    ¡°Some of ¡®em do recon, and the like. Or even manage resources and transportation,¡± Selind replied, and then shrugged. ¡°But she¡¯s pretty much right. Raidin¡¯ is what the Bleeders do, and it¡¯s basically all a normal Bleeder does.¡±


    ?As for our last question,? Ralak spoke, drawing Luke and Selind¡¯s attentions back to the conversation, ?what made you want to leave the Bleeders, and why do you want to join Compound Tresnon??


    ?You¡¯re a former Bleeder yourself, aren¡¯t you¡­ Willthief?? Shade replied. ?You know as well as us why people leave.?


    ?I don¡¯t use that name anymore,? Ralak snapped.


    ?We still wanna hear it from y¡¯all directly,? Dav¨ªdrius insisted.


    ?Wow, really pressin¡¯ us for our motives, huh?? Ind remarked. ?That¡¯s not very nice~. I thought this whole thing was ¡®no-questions-asked¡¯!?


    ?At certain points in the past, sure. But as folks who recently left the Bleeders ¡ª as you claim ¡ª you gotta know that somethin¡¯s up, recently. That¡¯s why I wanna make sure y¡¯all are bein¡¯ sincere. If you are, then great, I¡¯ll give you the same chances I gave other former Bleeders. But if you ain¡¯t, then, well¡­? Even with Davidrius¡¯s back facing the wall, it was easy for Luke to watch the Dean¡¯s right arm drop to his hip ¡ª where a single sheathed sword was attached to his belt. ?¡­I¡¯m sure you get what I mean.?


    ?Well, if you really wanna know¡­? Ind made a show of shrugging. ?All the Bleeders do is raid, and raid, and pillage, and steal. After a while, it just gets borin¡¯. The same sights, the same smells, over and over again, you know??


    ?Or, worded another way,? Shade added, ?we just want to see if there¡¯s more to the world than that. A better way for us to use our skills, that doesn¡¯t just involve chasing our base instincts or desires ¡ª and we figured that a Compound as large and well-connected as Tresnon would be the best place for us to do that.?


    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s new,¡± Selind commented.


    Luke glanced at her in worry. ¡°This is the first time you¡¯ve heard that reason for leaving the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, I¡¯ve heard similar before. Not often, but I have. Most former Bleeders talk about how they regret what they did, but I have heard the ¡®bored¡¯ schtick before. What¡¯s really new here, though, is how well she said it. Most Bleeders don¡¯t talk that good ¡ª hell, most Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t talk that good.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Luke muttered, returning his attention to the meeting in the wasteland.


    ?¡­Interestin¡¯ answers,? Dav¨ªdrius remarked after a moment¡¯s pause. His hand had left his sword by now, and he instead seemed to be crossing his arms. ?¡­Anythin¡¯ else the two of y¡¯all wanna add??


    ?Well, I suppose there is one thing,? Shade commented, a slim smile upon her face. ?If you take us in¡­ we can tell you the location of two active Bleeder outposts.?


    ?But only if you take us in!? Ind declared. ?No forgiveness for us, no info for you~!?


    ?¡­Right,? Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned, and then turned away from the two as he gestured toward Ralak and Gavon. ?Give us a second.?


    Luke kept a watchful eye on Shade and Ind as Dav¨ªdrius, Ralak, and Gavon retreated a few meters closer to the wall.


    ?Turning broadcast mode on,? Gavon declared once the trio was out of earshot of the two former Bleeders. ?Alright, Dean. What now??


    ?¡­Selind, Luke. How did things look to y¡¯all?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned.


    ¡°No surprise they used to be Bleeders, I¡¯ll say that,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have as much experience with this ¡®reformation¡¯ program as the rest of you,¡± Luke eventually replied, still watching Shade and Ind as they began to chat, ¡°¡­but¡­ I really don¡¯t know how I feel about this.¡±


    ?That¡¯s just former Bleeders, for you,? Ralak stated. ?Few people have good social skills after spendin¡¯ time with the Bleeders. Most folks get a lot better after some time away.?


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ?Ralak¡¯s right, but somethin¡¯ about this still seems¡­ off,? Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ?I ain¡¯t too fond of Ind¡¯s flippant attitude.?


    ?Many Chaostechnics adopt that kind of attitude as a defense mechanism against emotional berserk episodes,? Gavon commented. ?Chaostechnics don¡¯t go berserk as often as other Chaotics, but when they do go berserk, the results can be devastating. But it¡¯s difficult to go mad with rage if you don¡¯t take anything seriously.?


    ?Believe me, I know that Chaostechnics are a weird lot.?


    ¡°I feel like I should take offense on behalf of my daughter,¡± Selind interjected cheekily.


    ?Not now, Selind,? Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ?What about their offer of information?? Ralak questioned. ?We currently don¡¯t know anythin¡¯ about what the Bleeders are plannin¡¯. If these two newcomers can really tell us the location of two Bleeder outposts, then we could raid ¡®em and maybe find somethin¡¯ useful.?


    ?I knew you¡¯d say that¡­? Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ?She does raise a valid point,? Gavon stated. ?Information is king. Their offer could be a good chance for you, Dean.?


    ¡°Assuming their information is valid,¡± Luke pointed out.


    ?True, it is a risk¡­ but this entire Bleeder Reformation Program seems to be founded on accepting this kind of risk.?


    ?Now, though¡­?? Dav¨ªdrius grumbled.


    ?Dav¨ªdrius¡­ I know this is a hard decision,? Ralak responded; even from several dozen meters away, Luke could see her place a gloved hand on Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s shoulder as she spoke. ?I don¡¯t want to undersell the importance of Tresnon¡¯s security, but givin¡¯ former Bleeders the opportunity to join Tresnon is¡­ really important, I think. After all, you took the same risk when you accepted me, right? Even after knowin¡¯ everythin¡¯ I did when I was a Bleeder.?


    ?¡­?


    ?¡­If you don¡¯t mind me saying,? Gavon spoke up after Dav¨ªdrius remained quiet. ?Ralak, you¡¯re speaking up for these newcomers a lot. Do you know them??


    ?No, I don¡¯t,? Ralak replied. ?I just know their situation. I was there, once, talkin¡¯ to Dav¨ªdrius and Selind like we¡¯re talkin¡¯ to them. And I know that it¡¯s a little different right now, given whatever the Bleeders are up to. But¡­? She trailed off for a moment, forming a poignant silence before continuing, ?Dav¨ªdrius, if it helps, I¡¯ll watch ¡®em. We can check if their info is valid, and if it is, then I¡¯ll stick with ¡®em, and make sure they reform.?


    ?¡­You really want this, huh?? the Dean commented.


    ?I don¡¯t think you understand how important this program was to me. If you and Selind hadn¡¯t accepted me all those years ago, I¡­ well, I don¡¯t really wanna think about it.?


    ?I have to admit, her words have moved my heart,? Gavon remarked. ?The Black Suns have similar dealings with ex-cons, actually. I¡¯m not one myself, but I¡¯ve worked with reformed criminals before. They were some of the most effective and hardworking soldiers I ever worked with, so the idea certainly works in general¡­ though you do occasionally get someone who fails, or refuses to reform. Ralak, can you acknowledge that risk? Can you accept that your judgment here might be wrong??


    ?I can,? Ralak insisted. ?I¡¯ll take responsibility for these two newcomers.?


    ?Great! Then I¡¯ll lend you a hand,? Gavon declared. ?There¡¯s two newcomers, after all. We can¡¯t leave both of them in the hands of just one person.?


    ¡°Gavon¡­¡± Luke muttered.


    ¡°What a weird outsider,¡± Selind remarked, ¡°but you know, Gavon, I really do like your attitude!¡±


    ?Tch¡­ to think a fuckin¡¯ outsider would get more on board with my own damn program than me¡­? Dav¨ªdrius muttered, and then sighed. ?Alright, then, Ralak, Gavon¡­ I¡¯ll hold you to this promise of yours.?


    ?I¡¯ll do my best to ensure you don¡¯t regret it,? Ralak replied.


    ?Glad to hear you trust me, Dean!? Gavon responded cheerfully.


    ?Yeah, yeah, fuckin¡¯ whatever,? Dav¨ªdrius retorted, the three of them turning back to face the two former Bleeders. The Dean waved them over, at which point they both began to approach.


    ?Finally done talkin¡¯, huh?? Ind commented. ?Took ya long enough!?


    ?I notice you waved us over, instead of coming to us,? Shade said. ?I hope this means what I think it does??


    ?I suppose so,? Dav¨ªdrius remarked, and then jerked his thumbs back at Ralak and Gavon. ?Until we can verify that outpost info of yours, Ralak and Gavon here will be watchin¡¯ y¡¯all. I hope that ain¡¯t a problem.?


    ?Chaperones? Booooriiiiing,? Ind groaned.


    ?But it is, nonetheless, a compromise we can accept,? Shade responded. ?I trust once you¡¯ve verified our intel, we¡¯ll be free to do as we please??


    ?Within reason,? Dav¨ªdrius quickly replied. ?But as long as y¡¯all can behave yourselves, and you can prove you really do know two Bleeder outposts, then, well¡­? The Dean stepped aside, stretching his arm out toward the Compound walls ¡ª an open gesture to which Luke could only respond by lowering his rifle as Dav¨ªdrius finished, ?¡­Welcome to Compound Tresnon.?

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 95: New Encounters

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 95: New Encounters


    2 Days Later


    ¡°Wow, this place is really getting busy, huh?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Mark chuckled in response to Danielle¡¯s observation, watching as she peered out over Tresnon¡¯s Market Street from the elevated entrance. True to her claim, the street was more crowded than ever, boasting the kind of crowds one would expect to see in a shopping center on a weekend, despite being lunchtime on a weekday. Dozens of new stalls filled the sides of the streets, as well as a variety of haphazardly hung banners advertising all manner of cooking ingredients, utensils, and services, all in the name of preparing for the Hunger¡¯s Bane feast in four days.


    ¡°Eugh¡­¡± Kate scowled as she joined Danielle in looking out over Market Street, with Mote approaching just beside her. ¡°It¡¯s so damn crowded¡­¡±


    ¡°Just look at all of these people, going about their lives like normal, even though the threat to this place is greater than ever¡­¡± Mote observed with a frown.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon guys,¡± Mark interjected, ¡°don¡¯t be so down about this. If anything, I think the fact that people feel safe enough to go holiday shopping despite the Bleeder threat is a sign of how secure Tresnon is! They clearly trust the defenses to work, so why shouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°And crowds are always exciting!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°It always means that people are really into something! And today, that something is a feast!¡± She whipped around to face Mote and Kate, her arms pumped in front of her while she grinned and beheld her friends with virtual stars in her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re all here to help Mark find the right ingredients to make his cooking the best ever! Isn¡¯t that exciting?!¡±


    Mote and Kate both stared back at Danielle in bewilderment. After a moment¡¯s pause, the two exchanged a glance, and then sighed in tandem, as if in defeat. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t deny I¡¯m looking forward to Mark¡¯s cooking, after going for so long without,¡± Mote admitted.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to make sure you guys don¡¯t fucking poison yourselves with the wrong ingredients!¡± Kate insisted. ¡°This is a fucking alien planet, after all. You can never be too careful.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I¡¯m glad to hear it, Kate,¡± Mark replied with a smile, and then hefted a few empty bags in his right hand. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to it! That food won¡¯t buy itself!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mark! I didn¡¯t expect to run into you, here!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Mark turned to look off to the side, toward the direction of the incoming female voice. ¡°Oh, Kar¨ªsah! It¡¯s nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°Same to you!¡± Kar¨ªsah cheerfully replied, coming to a stop just short of the Eximius Vir ¡ª with Dav¨ªdrius standing just next to her, his arms crossed and expression foul as he glared out over the crowded Market Street. Kar¨ªsah paid the Dean¡¯s mood no mind as she looked over each of Mote, Kate, and Danielle, before remarking, ¡°the three of you must be Mark¡¯s friends, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, you all haven¡¯t met yet, have you?¡± Mark commented, and then stepped aside as he began gesturing at his friends. ¡°Kar¨ªsah, meet Mote, Kate, and Danielle, of the Eximius Vir. Guys, this is Kar¨ªsah¡­ as well as Dean Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax, of WCU.¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled, ¡°don¡¯t drag me into this¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re our guests, Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Kar¨ªsah admonished as she passed him an annoyed glance. ¡°They¡¯re helpin¡¯ out with Compound Defense, right? You should be a little nicer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­So you¡¯re the Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax I¡¯ve heard so much about?¡± Mote commented, looking the Dean over from head-to-toe, as if sizing him up. Both Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah stood at six feet tall ¡ª making them tall by any conventional standard ¡ª yet they still fell one inch short of Mote¡¯s height. ¡°This isn¡¯t quite what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t,¡± Dav¨ªdrius drawled.


    ¡°Mote, you can¡¯t open with something like that¡­¡± Mark said, ¡°you just met, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m with Mote,¡± Kate declared. ¡°This is one of the idiots who saved the fucking galaxy twenty years ago? Give me a fucking break.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ more outsiders with ego, huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius observed with a scowl. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I put up with this shit.¡±


    ¡°To be clear, I wasn¡¯t suggesting that you were weak, or anything of the like,¡± Mote clarified, while passing Kate an irritated glance. ¡°I¡¯ve heard what you can do, and I don¡¯t doubt your capabilities.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sensin¡¯ one hell of a ¡®but¡¯, there.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, everyone, why are we fighting already?¡± Danielle interjected, moving to plant herself directly between Mote and Dav¨ªdrius as she glanced between them. ¡°A big holiday¡¯s coming up soon! We should be celebrating! Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly,¡± Kar¨ªsah quickly affirmed, only to pass Dav¨ªdrius a cheeky look. ¡°But don¡¯t mind Dav¨ªdrius, he always gets grumpy when he has to deal with crowds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because crowds fuckin¡¯ suck,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, and then looked over at Mote and Kate. ¡°¡­That said, this is a good chance to talk. I¡¯m sure y¡¯all¡¯ve heard of me, but I ain¡¯t heard much of you Eximius Vir, aside from the claims that y¡¯all can use your abilities without Chaos Energy. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    Danielle shrugged. ¡°Dunno. But if I knew, I¡¯d tell you!¡±


    ¡°If we knew, we couldn¡¯t tell him,¡± Mote corrected. ¡°An answer to that question would undoubtedly be confidential.¡±


    ¡°Ah, great, another military stick-up-the-ass¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°Dunno what I expected.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re all even half as powerful as Mark, then I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have no problem with Bleeders, at least,¡± Kar¨ªsah declared. ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone stronger or more durable than him.¡±


    ¡°Half as powerful?!¡± Kate echoed incredulously, ¡°bitch, I¡¯m even more powerful! You should see some of the shit I¡¯ve blown up! I bet I could take out this whole damn city!¡±


    ¡°You better fuckin¡¯ not,¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled.


    ¡°Ah ha¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was just a joke¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Kate does have a habit of choosing her words poorly, I must say,¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°Fuck you, asshole,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°¡­Heh¡­¡± For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, a small smile crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face. ¡°So y¡¯all are harsh with each other, too, huh?¡±


    ¡°It really is interestin¡¯ to see friend groups like this,¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked.


    ¡°The two of you are interesting, too!¡± Danielle replied in kind. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius kinda reminds me of Kate!¡±


    The Dean¡¯s smile immediately flipped into a frown. ¡°Dunno how I feel about that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! Kate is brash, but deep down, she still cares about people, you know?¡±


    ¡°H-hey, what the hell are you sayin¡¯?!¡± Kate interjected.


    ¡°It does make me wonder, though,¡± Mote commented, his gaze lingering on Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah. While the two were of the same height and both had black hair, little else about them was similar. Kar¨ªsah¡¯s shoulder-length hair, light skin, and muscular build contrasted with Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s tanned skin, low ponytail, and leaner build ¡ª not to mention their obvious differences in temperament, and the fact that Dav¨ªdrius appeared to have 20 years on Kar¨ªsah. ¡°¡­Are the two of you actually friends?¡± Mote eventually questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­ sorta, I guess,¡± Kar¨ªsah responded sheepishly. ¡°He¡¯s more like my fa¡ª uh¡­ guardian.¡±


    ¡°First met her a long time ago, just over ten years at this point, I think,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. ¡°Found her wanderin¡¯ the wastelands, all alone, so I took her in. Been livin¡¯ together ever since.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°So she means ¡®guardian¡¯ like ¡®parental guardian¡¯, then?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t a parent,¡± the Dean snapped. ¡°Only thing parents are good for in this shithole is dyin¡¯, or abandonin¡¯ their kid to the wasteland. I got no intentions of bein¡¯ so useless.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Danielle responded with uneasy silence, as did the rest of the Eximius Vir ¡ª even Kar¨ªsah seemed to have adopted a pained expression, her gaze cast down and to the side.


    ¡°¡­Tch. Sorry¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius apologized, bringing an end to the protracted silence. ¡°Guess outsiders like y¡¯all wouldn¡¯t understand. But this is one thing Kar¨ªsah and I ¡ª as well as lots of folks livin¡¯ here in Tresnon ¡ª got in common: our parents are dead, and died while we were kids.¡± He then took a deep breath, though his brow remained furrowed with frustration, and his arms crossed. ¡°¡­So keep that in mind when y¡¯all talk to other Tres¨¦dians.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Mote responded warily.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Actually, we aren¡¯t too different,¡± Danielle declared, and then gestured at herself and the other Eximius Vir. ¡°We¡¯re all orphans, too. I mean¡­ we never knew our parents in the first place, so we didn¡¯t have to see them, uh, die, or anything, but¡­¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius turned his gaze toward Danielle, the frustration on his face soon replaced with contemplation. ¡°Huh. That so¡­?¡± He then shifted his attention to Mote, Kate, and Mark. ¡°¡­I guess that explains why y¡¯all stick together, then.¡±


    ¡°Well, that, and the fact that SERRCom has us by the balls,¡± Kate snorted.


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s the fuckin¡¯ military for you. NSD ain¡¯t much better. Though¡­ how old are y¡¯all, again?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly, actually,¡± Mark said, ¡°but our best guess is around 22, or 23. Early 20s, basically.¡±


    ¡°Early 20s, huh¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius mused.


    ¡°¡­Is something wrong?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned.


    ¡°Well, not really, I don¡¯t think, but¡­¡± The Dean passed a doubtful glance toward the Eximius Vir. ¡°¡­That timeline puts y¡¯all¡¯s parent¡¯s disappearance right around the Nanocreature War¡­¡±


    ¡°I doubt our parents¡¯ disappearance had anything to do with the Nanocreatures,¡± Mote replied. ¡°During the Nanocreature War, only two Earthian planets were attacked, and only during the final part of the war. And neither of them were Earth.¡±


    ¡°Guess that does sound right¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Ha, well, oof¡­ this conversation really took a turn, huh?¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked sheepishly. ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ put all of this behind us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Danielle immediately agreed with an emphatic nod. ¡°A holiday¡¯s coming up! We¡¯re supposed to be celebrating!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Kar¨ªsah affirmed with a smile, and then turned to Mark. ¡°Speakin¡¯ of Hunger¡¯s Bane, are you goin¡¯ to be cookin¡¯ for people?¡±


    ¡°I was planning on making a little something, sure,¡± Mark replied, ¡°though¡­ nothing too big. Only enough for the other Earthians and a couple guests, really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, I was hopin¡¯ you¡¯d help out with the campus dinner.¡±


    ¡°I only really know how to make Earth dishes, and I figured people here wouldn¡¯t be too interested¡­¡±


    ¡°Much as folks here talk shit about outsiders, there ain¡¯t much Tres¨¦dians like more than stealin¡¯ other places¡¯ foods,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly got much variety by ourselves. If you can spice things up, I¡¯m sure folks would appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡± Mark eyed the Dean doubtfully. ¡°¡­Helping with the campus dinner, though¡­?¡±


    ¡°You should do it!¡± Danielle urged. ¡°I can even help! C¡¯mon, it¡¯ll be fun!¡±


    ¡°Before you agree, you should be sure to know just what you¡¯re agreeing to,¡± Mote pointed out, and then turned to Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Exactly what would cooking for the ¡®campus dinner¡¯ entail?¡±


    ¡°You really needa ask? It¡¯s literally just cookin¡¯ for lots of people,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied incredulously. ¡°Just have to make more shit. Takes more time, I guess, but ain¡¯t like it¡¯s complicated, or anythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who never cooks at home¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered.


    ¡°Hey, I have tried. You¡¯re the one who said I couldn¡¯t cook for shit.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any skin in this game,¡± Kate remarked, ¡°but this ¡®campus dinner¡¯ shit sounds exactly like the kind of fucking bullshit Mark would want to help with.¡±


    ¡°That is true¡­¡± Mark mused. ¡°¡­Well, Kar¨ªsah, Dav¨ªdrius, if what you say is true, then¡­ I suppose I can help out, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear!¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a grin. ¡°Me and Dav¨ªdrius were actually just about to get some Hungers¡¯ Bane shoppin¡¯ done. If y¡¯all come along, I can help explain how everything¡¯s gonna go.¡±


    ¡°We were just about to go shopping, too!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ¡°Certainly a convenient coincidence,¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°But a welcome one, nonetheless,¡± Mark said. He passed Kar¨ªsah a smile and a nod before turning toward the entrance to Market Street. ¡°Alright, then, let¡¯s get some shopping done. Kar¨ªsah, lead on!¡±


    ¡°Gladly!¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, leading the group into the crowds, a long day of shopping ahead of them.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Alright, now that¡¯s what I call a productive shooting session.¡±


    ¡°You can say that again, sir,¡± Captain Travis remarked with a self-satisfied smirk as he strode through the outskirts of Compound Tresnon alongside the other members of CSF-1. He then glanced to the side and playfully elbowed Researcher MacTavish, saying, ¡°you¡¯ve really improved, Kirstin. A couple more years of training, and I might even be able to call you a sniper buddy!¡±


    The Researcher glanced back at him, only to quickly break eye contact to stare at the ground underfoot. ¡°¡­R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly improved, that much is true,¡± Major Hackett declared, only to side-eye Travis a second later. ¡°But don¡¯t get her hopes up, Captain. Your sniping skills are, quite frankly, alien. I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ that so?¡± Travis replied with a sheepish laugh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t downplay that freak skill of yours,¡± Saito retorted, ¡°I heard about that shot you took on Sunova, down in the caves. With one bullet, you threaded a whirlwind of metal and one-shot the enemy Chaotic. Even Mote praised the shot ¡ª so you know it was a good one.¡± The Colonel then slowed his pace, his attention drifting off to the side, toward the walls that surrounded Compound Tresnon. ¡°¡­Feels odd to have to go up on the walls if you want to do some shooting, though. I get that the land around here is a wasteland, but it still seems unwise to just fire guns from the top of the wall¡­¡±


    ¡°I assume that¡¯s why there¡¯s dedicated areas of the walls for shooting,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, you get used to it, sir,¡± Travis replied, ¡°it¡¯s really easy to see someone approaching the firing lanes because of how flat it is out there, so there isn¡¯t much danger to bystanders, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly a lot to ¡®get used to¡¯ here,¡± Saito muttered with a shake of his head. ¡°There¡¯s not much to do around here. Even the Relaynet access is so slow as to be practically useless.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± MacTavish affirmed with a weary sigh, while clutching something near her collarbones.


    Noticing the action, Travis passed her a glance, at which point an amused smile crossed his face. ¡°Enjoying that necklace we got you?¡± he questioned cheekily.


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°That was a pretty useful find, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Hackett commented. ¡°A crystal necklace, that could also be used to store an identification key.¡±


    ¡°Even then, it¡¯d be useless if Selind hadn¡¯t agreed to give us access to Tresnon¡¯s defense systems,¡± Saito pointed out, and then looked back at MacTavish. ¡°Which I hear you¡¯ve been taking advantage of a lot, eh?¡±


    The Researcher regarded Saito with a wary stare. ¡°¡­Sh-should I, um, not¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine!¡± Saito replied. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re taking a look ¡ª and that that necklace we got you as a belated birthday present could even be useful in that regard. Given the state of Tresnon, I didn¡¯t think that some of their defense systems would be hidden behind electronic locks¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, if it isn¡¯t Luke and his friends.¡±


    All four members of CSF-1 slowed to a stop, their attention drawn to a light-skinned brunette woman who was approaching down a perpendicular street. Beside her was the now-familiar silver-haired form of Gavon, who offered the Earthians a casual wave before stopping just short of them.


    ¡°Master Captain.¡± Saito acknowledged the Black Suns Officer with a nod before shifting his attention to the woman. ¡°¡­And this is¡­?¡±


    ¡°This would be Ind,¡± Gavon replied.


    ¡°Nice to meet you~!¡± the woman commented cheerfully. She then sniffed the air before looking CSF-1 over head-to-toe. ¡°Oooh, you smell like outsiders¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the former Bleeders that I told you about, sir,¡± Travis muttered, his voice low so as to not be heard by Gavon or Ind. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius let her in two days ago.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Saito responded in kind, and then raised his voice to address the two newcomers. ¡°Ind, eh?¡±


    ¡°I trust Luke¡¯s kept you apprised of the situation?¡± Gavon questioned.


    ¡°That he has¡­¡±


    ¡°Still leaves me to wonder why a Black Suns Officer is chaperoning a former criminal without any local supervision,¡± Hackett pressed.


    ¡°Chaperoning?!¡± Ind echoed indignantly, and then crossed her arms as she glared petulantly at the Major. ¡°I¡¯m not just a guest anymore! I¡¯m a member of Tresnon!¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Travis questioned, though his attention was directed at Gavon.


    The Black Suns Officer responded with a resigned sigh and a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s not much to say. Their tip about the two Bleeder outposts was legitimate. Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak even raided one of the outposts last night and brought back a few captives for questioning.¡±


    ¡°See? I just want to help!¡± Ind remarked; as she did, she slowly inched toward Travis, her eyes on the sniper rifle strapped to his back. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get lots of nice info out of those stupid captives.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito drawled, watching as Travis slowly shifted his rifle to obscure it from the former Bleeder.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you only get this tip two days ago, though?¡± Hackett asked, ¡°and now you¡¯re saying there was a raid just yesterday?¡±


    ¡°The Dean wanted to act fast,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Which is probably why he only took Ralak as back-up, too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it was only the two of them? Taking on an entire outpost?¡±


    ¡°They are Chaotics, Major,¡± Travis pointed out.


    ¡°Rather adept Chaotics, at that, despite what you might think,¡± Gavon asserted.


    ¡°You mean the Sentry and the Willthief? They¡¯re some of the most powerful in Tres¨¦d!¡± Ind exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s part of why I wanted to join Tresnon!¡±


    ¡°Now now, Ind, let¡¯s¡­ tone down the enthusiasm, just a tad,¡± Gavon suggested, and then turned his attention back to Colonel Saito. ¡°Either way¡­ those captives should help us finally get an informational edge. It¡¯s the one upside of the Bleeders¡¯ increased level of organization, lately ¡ª if you find an ¡®in¡¯, then there are more connections to pursue than ever before.¡±


    ¡°Why not just question the Bleeder we have right here?¡± Hackett responded as she stared down Ind ¡ª who merely responded with a toothy grin.


    ¡°We did,¡± Gavon commented, eying Ind himself. ¡°¡­She says she doesn¡¯t know much.¡±


    ¡°Which is true,¡± she quickly insisted, and then shook her head at Gavon. ¡°Some hospitality. Should¡¯ve expected as much from an outsider. Especially since your outsider reek is stronger than most.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still Nimalian, you know. Though I guess that doesn¡¯t mean much to Tres¨¦dians¡­¡± Gavon replied with a sigh.


    ¡°It does raise a question, though,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Why are you watching her, alone? I thought the Dean wasn¡¯t fond of outsiders, and the last I checked, literally everyone standing here right now is an ¡®outsider¡¯, by his standards.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ well, Selind was supposed to be with me, but she apparently trusts me more than Dean Wrikax does.¡± Gavon shrugged. ¡°Which is actually rather annoying. I¡¯m supposed to be showing Ind here the ropes of defense duty, which would be a lot easier if I had the Head of Defense with me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine~!¡± Ind insisted, heartily slapping Gavon on the back ¡ª so heartily, in fact, that he stumbled forward and spluttered. The former Bleeder then shifted her attention to the Earthians. ¡°You guys are gonna be on defense duty, too, right? I can¡¯t wait to see what outsiders like you can do! Maybe I¡¯ll even get to use your weapons, cause a little Chaos~!¡±


    Saito, Hackett, and Travis immediately tensed in response to the almost imperceptible echo in Ind¡¯s voice; even MacTavish noticed the verbal cue, and practically leaped behind Travis. Gavon, however, offered only an annoyed sigh before admonishing, ¡°Ind, what did I tell you about partial invocations?¡±


    ¡°Aaaah, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine~!¡± Ind retorted with a playful grin. ¡°It¡¯s just a little joke between friends~!¡±


    ¡°A joke that you better not pull again, or I swear to the skies, I¡¯ll¡­ tch.¡± Gavon sighed again before passing the Earthians an apologetic glance. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t envy you right now,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°Ha ha, well, I did volunteer to help Ralak with their rehabilitation.¡± The Black Suns Officer then turned to give Ind an admonishing look. ¡°But this is a two-way street. You have to be cooperative with us, Ind, and that means cutting back on the threatening humor. I don¡¯t know what you got away with while you were a Bleeder, but here, you need to have more tact.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it, I get it!¡± Ind replied, bowing her head twice toward Gavon before spinning on her heel and charging off down the street. ¡°Now, c¡¯mon, we¡¯ve been standin¡¯ around for so long! Let¡¯s go see those defenses!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Gavon shouted, quickly reaching his right hand toward Ind as he used his Gravitatechnism to lift her into the air, thereby immobilizing her. As she began struggling while floating, the Black Suns Officer turned toward the Earthians again. ¡°¡­Sorry,¡± he apologized once more, ¡°but it has only been two days, I suppose. Don¡¯t worry, though ¡ª I¡¯ll look after her.¡± He then began walking off himself, allowing Ind to fall to the ground as he shouted, ¡°hey, what did I tell you earlier about running off on your own¡­?¡±


    As Gavon and Ind continued down the street, Saito, Hackett, Travis, and MacTavish couldn¡¯t help but stare after them in a mixture of concern and confusion.


    ¡°¡­Are all former Bleeders like this?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Well, uh, we¡¯ve only met a couple,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Ralak was saying that she wasn¡¯t too different when she first defected, but, uh, it¡¯s kinda hard to imagine her being anything like Ind.¡±


    ¡°W-well, um¡­ studies do show th-that, um, re-rehabilitation can be, um¡­ important,¡± MacTavish timidly pointed out.


    ¡°Sure, sure, I don¡¯t doubt that. But¡­¡± Saito trailed off, still watching the retreating forms of Gavon and Ind before shaking his head and turning around. ¡°Well, Tresnon isn¡¯t our home, and this reformation program has apparently worked for hundreds of Bleeders before. So for now, let¡¯s place our trust in Dean Wrikax and the other Nimalians. We, on the other hand, have some dinner to get.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ fair enough, Colonel. Let¡¯s get some food,¡± Hackett responded with a smirk as she, Travis, and MacTavish all joined Saito in continuing their walk down the streets of Tresnon.

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 96: A Keys Heroes

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 96: Elders'' Advice


    The Next Day


    ¡°Damn, man, you really are keepin¡¯ up¡­¡±


    ¡°Well what¡¯d you expect? I¡¯m literally exactly as strong as you are, right now! I bet I could stalemate you for a whole day!¡±


    ¡°That so?¡± Spike remarked with a challenging smirk. He locked eyes with Austin as the two grasped each other¡¯s hands and pushed against each other, trying their damnedest to force the other backwards across the dusty WCU training grounds ¡ª though with neither giving way. While Spike was significantly stronger than any normal man, Austin¡¯s Simulator Psychotechnism allowed him to copy Spike¡¯s superstrength and prevent him from getting the upper hand¡­ in a contest of raw strength, at least. In terms of martial skill, Austin was still no match for Spike ¡ª a fact the latter readily proved by merely jerking his right hand downward, taking Austin by surprise and forcing him off-balance. Spike immediately took advantage of the opening to force Austin to his knees, and then wrestle him to the ground.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon!¡± Austin scowled as he extricated himself from Spike¡¯s grasp, at which point the two men climbed back to their feet. ¡°I had you, until you pulled that little trick¡­¡±


    ¡°I just moved my hand,¡± Spike retorted. ¡°Raw strength won¡¯t do you much good if you ain¡¯t prepared for somethin¡¯ as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Austin muttered, wiping sand off of his shirt and pants before shifting his attention to the side. The ACT Qualifiers were still ongoing, and as such the training grounds were largely occupied by other students training their abilities. But with the first week of the Qualifiers now passed and over half of the signed-up teams being disqualified, the training grounds were now far less crowded than they had been at the beginning of the week. ¡°Still too crowded for my preference, but¡­¡± Austin muttered to himself, and then shook his head to clear his thoughts.


    ¡°You ready to keep goin¡¯?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°I mean, sure, I guess¡­¡± Austin replied. ¡°Man, though¡­ we¡¯ve been goin¡¯ for about an hour, at this point. I just don¡¯t have your stamina, man.¡±


    ¡°What happened to stalematin¡¯ me for a whole day, huh?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon man, I was joking. Look, I can copy your strength and durability, but I guess I can¡¯t copy your stamina, because my muscles are fucking screaming at me right now.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Spike looked down at his muscular biceps, and then over at Austin¡¯s ¡ª which were significantly less pronounced. ¡°¡­Well, we have been actively trainin¡¯ for an hour, like you said. The fact that you could keep up for this long shows you¡¯ve really improved, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ still have a ways to go, though,¡± Austin muttered, leaning over with his hands on his knees. ¡°Man¡­ it¡¯s really annoying that I gotta train my body to use my powers, neither of which really have anything to do with my body¡­ I wish I just had your muscles and stamina, Spike. This would be so much easier if I did.¡± As soon as the words left his mouth, though, his eyes widened in realization, and an excited grin crossed his face. ¡°Wait! I can get your muscles!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ what? The fuck are you talkin¡¯ about?¡±


    ¡°Dude, Danielle¡¯s in town, right? I just gotta copy her shapeshifting to give myself a fuckin¡¯ sweet bod, like yours!¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I guess,¡± Spike responded, momentarily glancing down at his own muscular body and heavy build. ¡°A body and muscles like these take work and discipline to maintain, though. If you just zap yourself to look like me, but don¡¯t change your workout regimen, then you¡¯ll just lose all the gains.¡±


    ¡°So? That¡¯s exactly what Danielle does, right? She just constantly shapeshifts herself into having a toned body without ever actually workin¡¯ out. So I just need to copy her powers and do the same!¡±


    ¡°She ain¡¯t gonna be around forever, you know. Pretty sure the Eximius Vir leave by the end of next week.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, sure, but getting big muscles is still the hard part, right? Once I have ¡®em, maintaining ¡®em won¡¯t be nearly as hard. Besides, weren¡¯t you the one who originally came up with this idea, back when we first got snapped up by SERRCom?¡±


    ¡°I guess, but that doesn¡¯t change anythin¡¯ else I¡¯ve said, here.¡±


    ¡°Man, c¡¯mon, just roll with it. This¡¯ll help you, too! If I get a body like yours, then I¡¯ll be better able to keep up with you in training!¡±


    ¡°¡­Keep up with me¡­¡± Spike muttered, his gaze drifting down to his right hand. ¡°¡­Guess there really ain¡¯t many folks who can keep up with my strength, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Austin eyed Spike warily. ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯ wrong, dude?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no¡­¡± Spike began, but trailed off. He glanced up at Austin, only to sigh and look up at the cloudless blue skies above.


    ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯ about Sky, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Spike snapped his attention back to Austin. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Austin retorted incredulously. ¡°The two of y¡¯all used to be all over each other. It was almost disgusting to watch. But ever since you learned that you had superstrength, you¡¯ve been keepin¡¯ your hands off her. And if it¡¯s so obvious that even I picked up on it, then you know something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ guess so. But I just¡­ I dunno, man. I don¡¯t wanna hurt her, you know?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, I get that. But you haven¡¯t accidentally crushed anything else, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t get as handsy with anythin¡¯ else as I used to with Sky.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ guess that¡¯s true,¡± Austin conceded.


    ¡°Thankfully, Sky seems patient, but¡­¡± Spike looked down at his hand again, clenching it tightly into a fist. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t leave her waitin¡¯ too much longer. I¡¯m close to gettin¡¯ a proper hang of this strength of mine, but¡­ I ain¡¯t quite there yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi¡­ and you call me pathetic, sometimes,¡± Austin remarked with a sigh.


    ¡°The hell¡¯re you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, dude. You¡¯ve been worried about this for how long? Three months? And when did you ever come to ask me for help?¡±


    ¡°¡­Guess you have a point¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, sure, I know I¡¯m not the most reliable of people, and that I complain a lot. Especially when you bring up your relationship, you lucky bastard. But¡­ I can copy powers. I ain¡¯t gonna get ¡®handsy¡¯ with you, but I¡¯m sure there are other ways to help you properly ¡®get used¡¯ to your strength. I bet I could learn a lot about my own Simulator powers from doin¡¯ that, too!¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh.¡± Spike adopted a resigned smile. ¡°Alright. Guess I¡¯ll have to take you up on that.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Austin remarked. ¡°¡­But let¡¯s wait until I give myself some neat muscles, first! That¡¯ll really even things up.¡±


    ¡°Always with the instant gratification, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not instant gratification, it¡¯s¡­ ¡­well okay, I guess it¡¯s kinda like instant gratification, but c¡¯mon, would you really not do what I want to do, if you were in my position?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Spike admitted, ¡°but now I¡¯m wonderin¡¯ how you haven¡¯t yet tried to copy Kaon¨¦¡¯s powers to make a new PC or somethin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, dude, that¡¯s a GREAT idea!¡± Austin exclaimed as he pounded his fist into his palm. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that?!¡±


    ¡°Probably ¡®cause it takes a lotta work.¡±


    Austin and Spike both looked to the side, where Dav¨ªdrius now approached, with two other individuals in tow ¡ª a man and a woman. Both were light skinned and dark haired, and sported the white, tan, and beige desert robes of Tres¨¦d, but their similarities stopped there. The woman¡¯s shoulder-length hair and confident, quick strides were enough to remind Austin and Spike that they had met her before: she was Rebehka Tchir¨¦on, Dean of the Wanleon-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics in Rel¨¦diaka. Compared to her, the man possessed a much more casual aura, with his hands slotted into his pockets as he sauntered up next to Dav¨ªdrius. A square jaw, short hair, thick eyebrows, and a five o¡¯clock shadow that was on the verge of becoming a proper beard signaled the man¡¯s maturity, easily putting him in the same age bracket as Dav¨ªdrius and Rebehka, while his height put him just about halfway between Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s six feet, and Rebehka¡¯s few inches over five ¡ª making him the second shortest of the five individuals present.


    ¡°I hear Materiatechnism is one of the hardest abilities to simulate, anyways,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, adding to his previous comment as he, Rebehka, and the unknown man stopped just short of Austin and Spike. ¡°Kaon¨¦ only got where she is ¡®cause of decades of hard work. Don¡¯t think you can copy that in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying that,¡± Austin retorted defensively. ¡°¡­Is it really that hard, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say for certain,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s Materiatechnism is unique ¡ª most Materiatechnics have to estimate exactly what region of space they¡¯re manipulating, and specifically how they¡¯re manipulating it, but she just has to point at an object and think about turning it into something else, basically.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I saw her make a car, once,¡± the unknown man pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen another Materiatechnic make a complex machine like that, not all in one go, at least. Kaon¨¦¡¯s really something else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and she went and bailed on us¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°Awww, don¡¯t worry, buddy!¡± the man replied cheekily as he threw his arm around Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Rebehka and I are here for you! We can all drown our single sorrows in alcohol, together!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t say it like that¡­¡± Rebehka muttered.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯ll be fun! You just watch.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± Spike commented uneasily as he eyed the unknown man. ¡°Uh¡­ who¡¯re you?¡±


    ¡°Just an over-curious asshole pokin¡¯ his nose in places it don¡¯t belong,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, though despite his annoyed expression, he made no effort to remove the man¡¯s arm from his shoulders.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Christean¨¦. Christean¨¦ Kolst¨¦n,¡± the man introduced himself, bowing his head slightly toward Austin and Spike. ¡°Nice to finally meet you guys!¡±


    ¡°He was real ass-sore ¡®bout bein¡¯ the last one to meet you Earthians, you see,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained. ¡°Shoulda seen the tantrum he pulled a couple weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Excuse you,¡± Christean¨¦ snorted, withdrawing his arm to pass Dav¨ªdrius a glance of played-up annoyance before looking over at Spike. ¡°You¡¯re Spike? We¡¯ve been in contact, right? It was you who wanted to know about Forcetechnic-based martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ yeah, that¡¯s me,¡± Spike replied. ¡°I got your messages a while ago, but I haven¡¯t had much time to look into the stuff you mentioned¡­ thanks for the tips, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Christean¨¦ replied airily. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been busy. I know I have, with everyone at KCC demanding my attention all the damn time¡­¡±


    ¡°KCC¡­? Wait a minute¡­!¡± Austin¡¯s eyes finally lit up with realization, and then with glee as he beheld Christean¨¦. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re that Christean¨¦? The Hero of Neticen?!¡±


    ¡°Wow. Straight to Neticen, huh?¡± Rebehka commented, amused.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that was just coincidence, that¡¯s all,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°Anyone could¡¯ve fought Morcii over Neticen, I just happened to be the one who got to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you were still the one who did!¡± Austin eagerly responded. ¡°You used the Master Fourth Tier Chaos State, right? And then your fight was so explosive that you literally destroyed the planet! What was that like?!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Uuuuuhhh¡­¡± Christean¨¦ grinned sheepishly. ¡°It was, uh¡­ a fight, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Austin, give the poor man a break,¡± Spike admonished, placing his hand on Austin¡¯s shoulder as if to rein him in. He then passed Christean¨¦ a confused glance. ¡°¡­Though I¡¯m still a little confused about what¡¯s goin¡¯ on, here.¡±


    ¡°Christean¨¦ was one of the members of Hero Machina!¡± Austin exclaimed, ¡°you know, the people who saved the galaxy 20 years ago, at the end of the Nanocreature War? And he¡¯s the one responsible for one of Morcii¡¯s defeats! At Neticen! They blew up a planet!¡±


    ¡°Luckily, no one was on the planet at the time, but it still seems odd to be so excited over its destruction,¡± Rebehka commented. ¡°Neticen used to be the Citan¡¯s Primary Fortress World. Its destruction created a massive hole in the CSA¡¯s defenses and military might, you know. A hole that can still be felt today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really an overrated fight, anyways,¡± Christean¨¦ insisted. ¡°All of the power came from the Ayas, not me. And then Morcii came right back a few months later, anyways¡­ Personally, I prefer to talk about my actual accomplishments. Like being the Dean of the Kolst¨¦n College of Chaotics!¡± He proudly pounded his chest once with his fist. ¡°The jack of all trades of all the Schools of Chaos, and just behind Kev¨¦rin¡¯s stuffy-ass school in terms of training up combat-ready Chaotics. That¡¯s what I call an achievement worth talking about!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re a Dean, right¡­¡± Spike said. ¡°¡­Huh, wait, have we met all of the Deans, then¡­?¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve, at this point,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Me, Kaon¨¦, Rebehka, Christean¨¦, Kev¨¦rin, Kievkenalis¡­ that¡¯s the lot.¡±


    ¡°We really have met all of the living members of Hero Machina¡­ wow!¡± Austin remarked. ¡°This is so cool!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious what y¡¯all are doin¡¯ here,¡± Spike asked. ¡°Uh, not to pry, or anythin¡¯. But ain¡¯t bein¡¯ a Dean a busy job?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even the half of it¡­¡± Rebehka said with a weary sigh.


    ¡°That eager to get away from a certain annoying Knight, huh?¡± Christean¨¦ questioned cheekily.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t remind me¡­ I¡¯d rather not think about her while I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Well, it is the Fall Break! If you want to forget about stuff on this holiday, then I¡¯d be more than happy to help!¡±


    ¡°I thought it was Spring Break?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°Hemispheres,¡± Rebehka answered, and then nodded toward Christean¨¦. ¡°East Nimaliaka is in the northern hemisphere, but Rel¨¦diaka and Tres¨¦d are both in the south.¡±


    ¡°Ah, details, schmetails,¡± Christean¨¦ waved her off before grinning at Austin and Spike. ¡°Still, nice to meet you guys, and nice to see that Dav¨ªdrius really isn¡¯t running you into the ground. Yet, at least!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t even the one teachin¡¯ ¡®em, asshole,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ¡°Regardless, we do have a couple things we need to tend to,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°Austin, Spike, it is nice to see you again. Hopefully, things will go better this time around.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, don¡¯t say that, you¡¯ll just jinx it,¡± Austin responded.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted, and then began walking off, around the training grounds. ¡°Rebehka, Christean¨¦, let¡¯s get this shit over with so we can actually be on break!¡±


    ¡°Aw, what a pain¡­¡± Christean¨¦ muttered, watching Rebehka and Dav¨ªdrius walk off before following suit himself, leaving Austin and Spike alone again in their corner of the training grounds.


    ¡°¡­So that¡¯s Hero Machina, huh¡­¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Yeah! And now, we¡¯ve met all of ¡®em!¡± Austin exclaimed. ¡°Man, maybe coming to Nimalia was worth it, after all!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take you for one to get into celebrity worship.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, dude, they literally saved the entire galaxy! How can you not be excited to meet them?¡±


    Spike simply shook his head in resignation. ¡°If you say so. Our trainin¡¯ flow¡¯s all messed up, now, though. Might as well call it for now.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Austin replied. ¡°We can pick up again tomorrow or somethin¡¯. Surely by then, I¡¯ll have muscles as big as yours!¡±


    ¡°Right. Sure thing, dude,¡± Spike deadpanned, watching Austin retreat from the grounds toward the campus entrance before turning toward the dorms himself, more than ready to look for lunch.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Yo, sis! You in here?¡±


    Twy responded with deadpan silence as she looked up at Sky, who had just barged into her dorm room. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d believe me if I said ¡®no¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! Funny!¡± Sky remarked with a grin, her gaze quickly bouncing around to take stock of Twy¡¯s room. Mid-afternoon sunlight shone through the window, offering some illumination of the impeccably clean room interior. The bed against the wall was cleanly made with pale blue sheets, with a couple of paintings hanging on the wall above it. A small, cheap table, just large enough for two people, stood under the room¡¯s singular window, with a white and blue rug underfoot to cover the stone flooring. Sitting at the table was Twy, with a large piece of paper lying in front of her, bearing the beginning sketch marks of a new artistic piece. ¡°More art, huh?¡± Sky eventually commented, closing the room¡¯s door behind her and then readily taking a seat at the table across from her sister.


    ¡°That was going to be how I spent my afternoon, yes,¡± Twy replied with a sigh. ¡°But I suppose that¡¯s not going to happen, now, is it.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, sis, you don¡¯t hate my company that much,¡± Sky insisted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I hate your company, per se, so much as I often prefer my own.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s that introvert streak. C¡¯mon, when was the last time we even had a chance to hang out?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday? And the day before that? And the day before that?¡±


    ¡°I meant as just the two of us, smartass.¡±


    Twy sighed again, shaking her head in resignation before finally depositing her pencil on the table. Leaning back in her seat, she said, ¡°you don¡¯t usually want to just ¡®hang out¡¯ in the middle of the afternoon, much less on a weekend. Don¡¯t you have anything else you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t ¡®want¡¯ to spend time with my sweet little sis?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the younger of the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, by a whole five minutes,¡± Sky retorted dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything to even do right now, anyways¡­¡±


    Twy nodded in understanding. ¡°Ah, so you were bored.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so bad when you say it like that!¡± Sky exclaimed, ¡°can¡¯t you just accept that I like you and want to spend time with you?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d forgotten how pushy you can be about it. You¡¯ve been ¡®wanting to spend time with me¡¯ less and less ever since you started dating Spike.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ hmph.¡±


    Twy warily eyed her sister, noting that she had turned to pouting. ¡°¡­Everything alright with Spike?¡±


    ¡°It would be, if he¡¯d actually fucking touch me!!¡± Sky remarked, angrily pounding the table with her fist ¡ª and small flames wreathing her arm as she did. As soon as she realized what she had done, she adopted a sheepish look, and diverted her gaze from Twy. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fine,¡± Twy responded uneasily. ¡°So¡­ he still isn¡¯t comfortable with his strength, yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s been, what, three months?¡± Sky¡¯s sheepish frown transformed into a scowl. ¡°I¡¯ve been very patient so far, but I¡¯m a very physical lover, you know!¡±


    ¡°All too well. Still¡­¡± Twy looked down at Sky¡¯s fist, and then at the table where she had pounded it a moment prior. ¡°¡­I think your little outburst just now is exactly the kind of thing Spike is afraid of. It¡¯s easy to lose control of your powers when you¡¯re emotional.¡±


    Sky opened her mouth, as if to argue, only to stop herself and settle into a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­Damn it, I know you¡¯re right, but¡­ three months, sis! Three whole months of this! I don¡¯t know if I can take it anymore!¡±


    ¡°Have you talked to Spike about this?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ recently. I brought it up when we were on Sikalia, but he still seemed uncomfortable, and we¡¯ve been kinda busy since¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point, actually¡­ even if physical touching is off the table, the two of you haven¡¯t really had many opportunities to spend time alone together ever since we came to Nimalia, right? Or even since we got picked up by SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°¡­Now that you mention it, I guess that¡¯s true¡­ when would we have time for that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well, there¡¯s still a week of the break left after Hunger¡¯s Bane. Maybe you can do something, then. Like go on a trip or something.¡±


    ¡°A trip? Where? Are we even allowed to leave Tresnon on our own?¡±


    ¡°Has anyone ever asked?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh.¡± A contemplative look spread across Sky¡¯s face. ¡°¡­I guess not! I¡¯ll have to look into that, then! A trip with Spike¡­ I like that idea!¡± Contemplation then turned to playful annoyance as she remarked, ¡°hey, wait! This is just a ploy to get me away from you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, you caught me,¡± Twy deadpanned.


    ¡°Aw, man¡­¡± Sky released a wary sigh as she scratched her head. ¡°It would figure. Even after I came over to talk to you, you just end up giving me advice¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯ll always be the younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up. It¡¯s not like you never need help, you just never ask for it!¡±


    ¡°Neither do you. I always have to be the one asking you if anything¡¯s wrong. Just like earlier.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah ha ha¡­!¡± Sky laughed sheepishly, and then turned to fully face her sister as her expression turned serious. ¡°But it¡¯s my turn to do that, now!¡±


    Twy responded with a confused stare. ¡°Uh¡­ what¡ª?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been even more withdrawn than usual lately, you know!¡± Sky declared. ¡°This entire past week, you¡¯ve barely talked with me, or Spike, or even Austin! Not after we got disqualified from the ACT, and even before that, you seemed kinda¡­ out of it.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It started right about when we got back from Riverana, actually.¡±


    Almost immediately, Twy¡¯s gaze dropped, as though she had found a new fascination in the paper in front of her ¡ª all while she began to fidget in obvious discomfort. ¡°¡­O-oh, um, really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really,¡± Sky insisted. ¡°I know you got into a fight while we were there. But it seems like everything worked out just fine, and it wasn¡¯t your first fight, either, so there has to be more to it, right? Something that¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know why you¡¯d say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, sis! We¡¯re twins! You can¡¯t hide anything from me! Just like that time a few weeks ago, when you saw right through me, and helped me talk about some of the stuff I was worried about¡­ but this time, the tables are flipped!¡±


    ¡°I think you mean ¡®reversed¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up. And don¡¯t think you can get out of this by being a smartass.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened in Riverana? Or at least¡­ what¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    A long, drawn-out sigh escaped Twy¡¯s lips, during which her eyes remained cast downward. She then shifted her attention to the world seen through her window, and the campus grounds that were busy with mid-afternoon weekend activity. ¡°¡­Heh,¡± she let out a small chuckle with a smile, though it failed to reach her eyes. ¡°¡­It feels weird being on this side of the talk.¡±


    ¡°I knew I was right,¡± Sky responded. ¡°Whatever it is, you can tell me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess. Well, you¡¯ve already heard that I got into a fight, along with Phoenix and Kestrel. And you¡¯ve heard that it was against a Chaos State Chaotic, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The fact that you stood up to that sounds pretty impressive, sis, not gonna lie.¡±


    ¡°Everyone says that, but you didn¡¯t see what condition I was in at the end of the fight. I must¡¯ve had a dozen broken bones, and maybe even a concussion. It was only Kievkenalis¡¯s ¡®Chaos Heal¡¯ ability, coupled with Nimalian medical tech, that got me back to normal in just a day or two. If we were on Earth, then that fight would¡¯ve put me out of commission for months¡­ if not indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Hmm, you were in a cast for a day, weren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And on top of that¡­¡± Twy paused to take another deep breath. ¡°I¡­ I can barely even put into words what I was feeling during the fight itself. I¡¯d never experienced anything like it. Like, obviously I¡¯ve been in fights before, against EA, or those Bleeders we fought when we first got here. Or the infection outbreak in Rel¨¦diaka. But this¡­¡±


    Sky remained respectfully silent as Twy trailed off again, waiting for her sister to find the words to voice her thoughts.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s like¡­¡± Twy continued a few moments later, ¡°¡­that last fight, was the first time I was up against someone all by myself. Until Phoenix and Kestrel showed up, I was alone. There was no one to back me up, to come to my aid, and I was up against someone who was way stronger than me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­That does sound pretty stressful, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. At least in all of our other fights, I could rely on everyone else for help. And that¡¯s not even it. You should¡¯ve seen how much destruction that Chaotic caused! Once they were captured, and I was back up in the city, I looked down at the valley where we had been fighting, and¡­ there were craters everywhere. In the side of the river, the forest, even in the cliff edge under the waterfalls, where the lab had been. But the next day, all of the signs of damage were gone, just like that! Fixed by Chaotics, so I¡¯ve heard. And Dean Yumach seemed to think nothing of it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a good thing that the damage could be fixed so quickly?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but it makes you think, doesn¡¯t it? Just how many other places were subjected to the damage of a Chaotic fight, only to be repaired hours later, and for everyone to continue on as if nothing had happened? Just how common are Chaotic fights, if someone like Dean Yumach can brush it off so easily?¡±


    ¡°I thought he was taking it pretty seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°The fact that security at his lab had been breached, yes. But he didn¡¯t say much about the actual fight.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s just, I¡­¡± Twy began wringing her hands as she fell silent for another moment. ¡°¡­I just don¡¯t know what we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into. Or been dragged into, I guess. Is it really normal, to get into fights like that, where your life is on the line, and¡­ just¡­¡±


    Silence reigned for another few seconds, with Twy staring down at her hands, and Sky keeping a wary eye on her. Eventually, Sky responded, ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been thinking about that, too, actually. Or something similar, anyways.¡± She then held out her right hand, into which she created a docile flame before continuing, ¡°no matter how cool these powers we have are, you can¡¯t really deny that everything that¡¯s happened to us because of them is fucked up. And it doesn¡¯t really sound like things are gonna get easier from here, either¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°But!¡± Sky exclaimed, drawing Twy¡¯s gaze upward to make eye contact for the first time since the subject had been broached. Once she saw that she had her sister¡¯s attention, Sky extinguished her flame and then clapped her hands in front of her, as if pleading for forgiveness while she bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for just assuming that you¡¯d be okay after a fight like that! Next time, I¡¯ll do better!¡±


    Twy responded with a dumbfounded look. ¡°Wha-what? What are you apologizing for¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re all in this together, right? But you still had to go through that fight alone,¡± Sky pointed out, raising her head to look at her sister once again. ¡°Well, I mean, alone until Phoenix and Kestrel showed up, I guess. But it seems like you went through everything after it alone, too ¡ª and that¡¯s what I¡¯m apologizing for. For not seeing that you were stressed out sooner!¡±


    ¡°Sky¡­¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred to be fighting alongside you, too¡­ but it¡¯s a little naive to think that will always be an option, I guess. Which won¡¯t really help much with the whole ¡®facing life or death¡¯ thing in the middle of a fight¡­ but I can at least be someone you can talk to afterward! Or even just lean on! In this world where Chaotics fight all the time, and everyone thinks that¡¯s normal, I can be the one you come to talk to about how fucked up everything really is!¡±


    Silence again dominated the room, though this time with an undercurrent of bemusement, rather than moroseness. And after a couple seconds, Twy couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°¡­Thanks, Sky,¡± she commented softly. ¡°Even after that jumbled explanation I gave, you still back me up¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha, well, I¡¯d be lying if I said I understood everything you said¡­¡± Sky replied with an uneasy laugh. ¡°But I know what it¡¯s like to have a hard time putting your thoughts into words. And I got the general gist of what you said. These fights we¡¯re getting into, they¡¯re getting more dangerous¡­ and the way I see it, the only way through this is to stick together!¡±


    ¡°A truly classic ¡®Sky¡¯ response.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m being serious, here!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. ¡­Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Anything for you, sis!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Twy smiled in response, and then heaved a massive sigh of relief. ¡°¡­Wow. I actually feel a lot better now, having gotten all of that off my chest¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, right?! It¡¯s always great to be able to talk about this stuff. It¡¯s why I¡¯m glad I have a wonderful sister like you, who knows how to get me to talk, even when I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me sound way pushier than I really am¡­¡±


    ¡°Believe me, if anyone knows just how pushy you aren¡¯t, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Somehow, that feels more like an insult, than anything.¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just me saying that you should get out of your shell more! Lean on others more!¡±


    ¡°Like barging into their rooms when they¡¯re spending time by themselves?¡±


    ¡°You know it!¡± Sky replied with a wink and a grin.


    Twy smiled despite herself, all while shaking her head in resignation. ¡°¡­Never change, Sky. Never change.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t planning on it!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Hey, speaking of change, have you seen that new shawl Kestrel¡¯s been wearing recently? I think I wanna get one like that!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, I think I know what you mean. Hmm, well¡­¡±


    Having moved on to lighter topics, the sisters¡¯ conversation continued on, passing under the warm light of a weekend afternoon.

 V1 - A12 - Chapter 97: Elders Advice

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HOLIDAY CALM


    <hr>


    Chapter 97: Elders'' Advice


    The Next Day


    ¡°Chaos Armor.¡±


    Phoenix stood still, looking down at her body as a set of translucent purple armor, reminiscent of medieval plate, encased her skin and clothes. As soon as the armor appeared, she moved to run her fingers over the energy covering her left arm ¡ª only to quickly remember that the armor covered her fingers as well, and thus prevented any direct touch. Nonetheless, the level of physical resistance given by the translucent armor was enough for her to know that, despite being translucent and made of Chaos Energy, it was as hard as metal.


    And sturdier, too, given the kinds of attacks this armor has protected me from, she mused. She then tore her attention from her armor to quickly take stock of her surroundings: an empty plaza on the outskirts of Compound Tresnon, with minimal to no foot traffic, even in the face of Tresnon¡¯s increased holiday business. Content that she was alone, Phoenix began some pre-workout stretches, partially to test the movement restrictions of her Chaos Armor. This wasn¡¯t the first time she had come to this plaza alone to train ¡ª her Chaostechnism required her to verbally call out all of her moves, after all, which wasn¡¯t conducive to training in a group. However, this was one of the first times that she had tested Chaos Armor to any real extent; after her run-in with the Chaos State Chaotic a week prior, Phoenix knew that getting the hang of Armor and her other Defensive abilities would be key to surviving any future battles.


    ¡°This armor isn¡¯t quite as restrictive as I expected¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, ceasing her stretches to inspect her elbows and knees ¡ª which maintained almost their full range of motion, despite the armor that covered them. She then clenched her fists and shifted her attention to a handful of training dummies she had placed across the empty plaza. ¡°Okay¡­ let¡¯s try some target practice.¡±


    The plaza was located adjacent to the massive walls that surrounded Compound Tresnon, and Phoenix quickly ensured that all of the training dummies were secured with the towering wall as their backdrop. She then retreated to the far side of the plaza nearly 50 meters away before turning to face the dummies once more. Each of the six human-sized dummies were placed around five meters apart, though from 50 meters away, they each looked to be difficult targets. Phoenix was undeterred, however, as she reached her right hand out toward the left-most dummy.


    ¡°Chaos Arrow.¡±


    As soon as the words left her mouth, a translucent purple arrow shot out of her hand before tearing into the training dummy a second later, creating a fist-sized hole in its chest. Phoenix spent little time to inspect the damage from afar as she quickly shifted her attention and aim toward the next dummy in the line, declaring, ¡°Chaos Cannon.¡± This time, an orb of energy shot out of her hand, careening through the air so quickly that it nigh-instantly impacted the training dummy and completely tore it to shreds. With a simple nod, Phoenix then moved on to the third dummy, calling out ¡°Chaos Strike¡± to instantly produce a bright streak of purple lightning between her hand and the dummy. The energy of the attack blasted the dummy backwards against the wall, and left it with black char marks, similar to actual lightning. Finally, Phoenix moved on to one more dummy, her hand still outstretched as she uttered, ¡°Chaos Impact.¡± Immediately, a faint purple sheen appeared in the air, as if Phoenix had launched a wave of energy across the plaza; the wave traveled for a long second, growing so faint with distance that Phoenix wasn¡¯t sure if it still existed ¡ª until the dummy she had aimed at was suddenly blasted backwards by a seemingly invisible force, violently slamming into the wall behind it before collapsing to the ground.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± A contemplative look crossed Phoenix¡¯s face as she lowered her hand and began to approach the damaged training dummies to inspect them. Her attention lingered particularly on the first two dummies, the ones she had shot with Chaos Arrow and Chaos Cannon. ¡°¡­Cannon did so much more damage, and the projectile moved so much faster¡­¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°why ever use Arrow, then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Arrow homes.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?!¡± Startled, Phoenix quickly spun around to lay eyes on who had just spoken. The sight that met her was a short, tan-skinned woman casually approaching from across the plaza. She possessed a short and lithe stature, masked somewhat by her desert robing ¡ª which itself had subtle black and purple curving designs embroidered into the fabric. Her puffy black hair extended down just past her shoulders and framed her youthful face, though with steely eyes that belied plenty of experience.


    The newcomer stopped a couple meters short of Phoenix before nodding toward the training dummies. ¡°You were wondering why anyone would use Arrow instead of Cannon, right?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°¡­Uh, yeah,¡± Phoenix responded warily, though her attention remained completely on the woman. ¡°¡­You¡­ we¡¯ve met before, right?¡±


    The woman nodded once. ¡°Right, at Goresan. I hear you¡¯ve been busy, though, so I don¡¯t blame you for forgetting. I¡¯m Relia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! Sorry. I¡¯m Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°I know. Anyways. You¡¯re training, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Training both my aim, and trying to figure out the best moves to use. And¡­¡± Phoenix glanced back at the training dummy that had been obliterated by her Chaos Cannon shot. ¡°¡­It kind of looks like Cannon is the solution to everything.¡±


    ¡°Some people think that, but they¡¯re wrong,¡± Relia declared. She then reached her left hand straight upwards as she turned to look at the leftmost training dummy, at which point she called out, ¡°Chaos Arrow!¡± Once she did, a translucent purple arrow shot directly out of her hand and into the sky above, but it then began to arc through the air before piercing straight through the dummy¡¯s chest, despite having been fired in a completely different direction.


    ¡°¡­Right, okay,¡± Phoenix commented, ¡°I understand that Arrow homes, and I can see how that would be useful, but Cannon moves at the speed of sound by default. That¡¯s fast enough to hit most targets before they have a chance to move out of the way, and it does more damage than Arrow. And you can increase Cannon¡¯s speed even more with keywords!¡±


    ¡°Those are all of Cannon¡¯s strengths, yeah, but there¡¯s still drawbacks. Cannon only goes in a straight line, which makes it predictable. It also can¡¯t deal with cover. Makin¡¯ the projectile faster makes it more devastatin¡¯, but the keywords to do that increase the invocation time, which is time you don¡¯t always have.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Cannon also uses way more Chaos Energy than any other Directed-type ability ¡ª except for Beam, but that one¡¯s weird, anyways. Usin¡¯ Cannon too much in a short period of time will drive you berserk faster than usin¡¯ Arrow.¡±


    ¡°Right, I suppose that¡¯s a risk, too¡­¡±


    ¡°You ¡®suppose¡¯? You¡¯ve never seen someone go berserk, have you?¡±


    An image of the night on Ainminthalus at the beginning of the recent Chaos Quake, and the damage wrought by the berserk Chaotic in the city, briefly came to Phoenix¡¯s mind. ¡°¡­I have, actually.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, sorry for assumin¡¯, then,¡± Relia replied. ¡°But if you have, you should know how dangerous goin¡¯ berserk is. Chaostechnics like us usually don¡¯t go berserk as often as other Chaotics, but it¡¯s still pretty bad when it happens, since a berserk Chaostechnic doesn¡¯t have to invoke their attacks to activate them.¡±


    ¡°What? How does that work?¡±


    Relia shrugged. ¡°The ¡®how¡¯ of anythin¡¯ related to Chaos Energy is beyond me. But I¡¯ve seen plenty in my travels, and the one thing I can tell you is that a berserk Chaostechnic isn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ in your travels, huh? Oh, I remember someone calling you ¡®Wanderer¡¯ back in Goresan¡­ wait!¡± Realization, followed quickly by confusion, crossed Phoenix¡¯s face. ¡°When we left you in Goresan, you were talking like you didn¡¯t want to come back to Compound Tresnon. So why are you here, now? Does Kar¨ªsah know you¡¯re here¡ª?¡±


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    Phoenix and Relia both turned to look to the side of the plaza, where Kar¨ªsah was jogging up to them.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve caught up to me,¡± Relia remarked.


    Kar¨ªsah stopped short of the two other women and placed her hands on her hips, a displeased frown on her face as she looked down at Relia. ¡°Why do you always have to just disappear like that? And after showin¡¯ up in Tresnon unannounced, too! I know you can teleport, but at least tell me where you¡¯re goin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Relia replied with a smirk. ¡°Besides, you know me. I can¡¯t sit around in one spot for long.¡±


    ¡°So you decided to come out here and offer advice to a random stranger?¡± Phoenix questioned with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met you once before, we aren¡¯t complete strangers.¡±


    ¡°This is all expected from Relia, anyways,¡± Kar¨ªsah said. ¡°For better or worse, wanderin¡¯ the world and helpin¡¯ random strangers is kind of her thing.¡±


    Relia passed Kar¨ªsah an annoyed glance. ¡°If more people did it, Tres¨¦d wouldn¡¯t be half the shithole that it is.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but most people can¡¯t make the nomadic lifestyle work like you can.¡±


    ¡°So you really are a wanderer, then?¡± Phoenix questioned, looking at Relia. ¡°I¡¯ve always kind of liked the idea of a nomadic lifestyle, but I don¡¯t think I could actually handle it¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t hard,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°I just travel from Compound to Compound, doin¡¯ odd jobs and offerin¡¯ up my skills in trade for food and a roof over my head. If you can prove you can do the work, then you¡¯d be surprised how many people are willin¡¯ to help you out.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re undersellin¡¯ how well-known you are,¡± Kar¨ªsah countered. ¡°I think everyone in east Tres¨¦d knows of the ¡®Wanderer¡¯ who fights Bleeders and helps out locals. You¡¯ve held off Bleeder raids all on your own, it¡¯s no wonder people would welcome you.¡±


    ¡°Small raids, that were disorganized,¡± Relia quickly corrected. ¡°Besides, I still had to build that reputation.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you can fight off a raid on your own?¡± Phoenix turned to give Relia an impressed look. ¡°Even if they were ¡®small¡¯, as you said, that¡¯s still pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°If you knew how disorganized the Bleeders usually are, then you wouldn¡¯t think so,¡± Relia said. ¡°And if I didn¡¯t have my Overdrive, then I wouldn¡¯t be half as useful as I am¡­¡±


    ¡°The fact that your Overdrive is called ¡®Wanderer¡¯ is pretty appropriate, though!¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ it sounds like there¡¯s a lot I could learn from you, Relia,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°Could I ask you to train with me more?¡±


    Relia stared incredulously at Phoenix, only to sigh and look up at the cloudless skies above. ¡°¡­I guess. I¡¯m only goin¡¯ to be here for a few days, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­I already know the answer, but I¡¯ll ask anyways,¡± Kar¨ªsah said, and then turned to face Relia directly. ¡°Why not stay for longer? Tresnon could really use you, right now¡­¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, you already know the answer,¡± Relia replied, without taking her eyes off of the skies. ¡°Especially nowadays ¡ª if Tresnon needs my help, then there are smaller Compounds that need my help more.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha, yeah, I figured you¡¯d say that¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah responded sheepishly.


    ¡°Hmm, so these are the motivations of the famed ¡®Wanderer¡¯?¡±


    Phoenix, Relia, and Kar¨ªsah all quickly turned their gazes to the right, where they spotted a heavily robed figure standing in the shade on the side of the plaza. The figure¡¯s robes included a oversized hood that cast heavy shade over their eyes, leaving only their pale lower face ¡ª and mouth turned up in a casual smile ¡ª to be seen.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°What the¡ª?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed in surprise, ¡°¡­who are you?¡±


    ¡°And how long have you been there?¡± Relia questioned, her brow ever-so-slightly furrowed as she fixed the newcomer with a level stare.


    ¡°Ever on your guard as well, Wanderer,¡± the figure replied. ¡°But relax. I only just got here.¡±


    Relia responded with wary silence, her expression unmoving. A second later, she declared, ¡°Chaos Negation.¡±


    ¡°My, so distrusting!¡± the robed figure remarked with a shrug, and then began to saunter over to the three women. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you can see now that I¡¯m not hiding anything.¡±


    ¡°Do you know this person¡­?¡± Phoenix questioned in hushed tones, while glancing between Relia and Kar¨ªsah.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Relia muttered.


    ¡°I think I do, actually¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah said, and then raised her voice to address the robed figure. ¡°You¡¯re Shade, right?¡±


    ¡°That is how I introduced myself,¡± Shade replied, stopping a few meters away from Phoenix, Relia, and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Though I think this is first time we¡¯ve met. Kar¨ªsah, correct? I understand that you¡¯re the strongest individual in all of Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am a Forcetechnic¡­¡±


    ¡°Shade¡­? Oh, I see.¡± Relia¡¯s expression hardened, her eyes kept squarely on the robed woman. ¡°You¡¯re the newest member of that¡­ Bleeder Reformation Program, huh?¡±


    Shade nodded once. ¡°Along with my friend, Ind, yes.¡±


    ¡°Bleeder Reformation Program¡­?¡± Phoenix echoed, and then involuntarily grew tense as she eyed Shade. ¡°Wait, so¡­ she¡¯s a Bleeder?¡±


    ¡°Former Bleeder, thank you very much,¡± Shade insisted. She then looked around at the empty plaza and the dusty buildings that surrounded it. ¡°¡­I must say, it truly is a privilege to be able to walk the streets of Tres¨¦d¡¯s most renowned Compound. Though¡­ it is smaller than I expected.¡±


    ¡°As much as the rest of Tres¨¦d builds up Tresnon to be this beacon of hope and civilization, it¡¯s still just a Compound, like all the rest,¡± Relia replied.


    ¡°I suppose it is,¡± Shade responded with a wry smile.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah commented uneasily, and then stepped forward to stand between Shade and the others. ¡°But now that I think about it¡­ aren¡¯t you supposed to have someone watchin¡¯ you?¡±


    ¡°Supposed to, yes.¡±


    The four women shifted their attention to one of streets leading onto the plaza, through which Ralak was approaching with an annoyed look upon her face.


    ¡°Oh, Ralak! I didn¡¯t realize I had left you behind,¡± Shade remarked innocently as Ralak stormed up to her.


    ¡°Cut the shit,¡± Ralak snapped, her arms crossed as she glared at Shade. ¡°¡­I know that your tip paid off, so we decided that you didn¡¯t need permanent supervision. But part of the conditions of former Bleeders joinin¡¯ Tresnon is to meet with another former Bleeder every now and then, to check on your progress. Which is supposed to be me, and it¡¯s supposed to be now.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. The Bleeder Reformation Program has done a lot to help both former Bleeders and Tres¨¦d in general, and it only exists ¡®cause of the patience and generosity of the citizens of Tresnon,¡± Ralak lectured. ¡°But that kind of trust can be broken easily. For the sake of Bleeders who want to leave the gang in the future, and have a way to turn their lives around, we need to make sure that Tresnon doesn¡¯t feel like this reformation program was a mistake ¡ª which means that you need to follow the rules!¡±


    ¡°My, quite the stiff one, are we?¡±


    Ralak held a hand to her brow as she released a frustrated sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t even have to agree entirely with what I¡¯m sayin¡¯, just, keep to your damn word. I don¡¯t want to have to throw you out.¡±


    ¡°Very well, very well. I don¡¯t want to leave, either,¡± Shade commented airily. She then turned around and began walking away. ¡°¡­Though I suppose this ¡®reformation program¡¯ is more effective than I thought. The you of now is so different from the tales I¡¯ve heard about the ¡®Willthief¡¯, after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Ralak started, fury momentarily flashing across her face, but Shade was already off of the plaza and walking down the street. With a frustrated huff, Ralak turned to offer a hurried head bow toward Phoenix, Relia, and Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout her. I¡¯ll try to shape her up.¡± Then, without waiting for a response, she spun around and rushed after Shade. ¡°Oi! Slow the fuck down! We have more to talk about!¡­¡±


    Phoenix, Relia, and Kar¨ªsah were left to stare dumbfounded after Ralak and Shade, watching as the two former Bleeders trudged down the streets and eventually disappeared around a building. The bemused silence was eventually broken by Phoenix adopting an uneasy smile and a small laugh. ¡°Ha¡­ that was¡­ something, huh?¡±


    ¡°Former Bleeders can be some real characters, sometimes¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah remarked with a sigh.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Relia muttered. She then began stretching her arms as she declared, ¡°well, we¡¯ve been standin¡¯ around for long enough. It¡¯s time for me to get goin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You really are restless, huh?¡± Phoenix observed as Relia began walking away, toward a different street than the one Ralak and Shade had disappeared down.


    ¡°Call it what you want,¡± Relia responded dismissively.


    ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed, making to rush after Relia before stopping herself and offering Phoenix a quick head bow. ¡°Sorry if we got in the way of your trainin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Phoenix glanced over at the damaged training dummies before smirking in amusement. ¡°I was training, wasn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t worry though, Relia gave me some good tips.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just like her, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, and then turned back toward Relia ¡ª only to freeze and then sigh in disappointment when Relia was no where to be seen. ¡°Aw, damn it, she teleported again, didn¡¯t she¡­? C¡¯mon, Relia¡­!¡±


    Phoenix simply watched in amusement as Kar¨ªsah began jogging off before turning her attention back to the training dummies, prepared to resume her practice with her Chaostechnic abilities.


    <hr>


    *


    Bright rays of mid-afternoon sunlight shone down on the buildings and streets of Compound Tresnon, casting short shadows that offered respite against the steadily increasing heat. Spring had only just begun, but already Tresnon was beginning to taste the high heats associated with summer ¡ª with little wind to compensate.


    Even so, the temperatures were not yet to the point of being unbearable, and Tresnon was just as busy as ever, particularly with the Hunger¡¯s Bane holiday fast approaching. Most of the town¡¯s denizens walked the streets, however, and remained ignorant or uncaring of any activity upon the walls or rooftops. On one such roof ¡ª atop a three-story tower a few blocks away from the walls ¡ª stood a tall metal pole, with thin, long metal flaps extending up at an angle in every direction. The flaps numbered in the dozens, and were long enough to provide a small amount of shade for the brown-haired technician who sat next to the base of the pole, with her laptop plugged into a small interface.


    In the windless silence of her altitude, Kirstin switched between bouts of rapid typing and stopping to inspect the output on her laptop¡¯s screen. Ever since being introduced to the technology of Compound Tresnon¡¯s defenses a few days ago, she had set about doing her best to improve them ¡ª both because of a restless drive to tinker with something, and because doing so would give her an excuse to be all by herself. Tresnon¡¯s defensive technology presented a particular challenge to her, as well: it was Nimalian, and thus already foreign to her, but it was also unconventional Nimalian technology, having been created on the spot by Kaon¨¦ instead of procured from an established manufacturer. This made most of the references she could find on the Relaynet unhelpful. Luckily, her Earthian-Nimalian hardware adapters still worked with these shield emitters, but figuring out the protocols and intricacies of the hardware and software beyond that was quite the challenge ¡ª made all the more difficult by the lack of proficient technicians among Tresnon¡¯s populace.


    The program that drives the shield array doesn¡¯t even have any kind of access protection¡­ Kirstin mused, and then glanced out over the city. The three-story tower on which she sat was one of the tallest, allowing her to easily see the other handful of towers with similar metal contraptions that dotted the town. And you can access each of the shield emitters directly from the roof¡­ this system isn¡¯t secure at all. At least you can¡¯t remotely access it, I guess¡­


    She then turned her attention back to tinkering with the shield emitter, and her attempts to figure out how best to optimize the systems. Earlier in the week, she had submitted some advice to Selind and Tresnon¡¯s defense technicians about how best to configure the shield array to increase uptime and decrease energy consumption; however, when the defense technicians attempted to implement her advice, they had run into significant difficulty. As such, Kirstin had endeavored to reach the root of the problem herself, and after several days of investigation, she felt that she was on the verge of a breakthrough.


    A sudden, sharp breeze snapped Kirstin out of her thoughts, and drew her attention to the side of the tower ¡ª just in time to spot none other than Kestrel appear from below, as if lofted by some invisible force. Gently, Kestrel touched down on the top of the tower, her attention directed outwards across the city¡­ until she noticed Kirstin. For a moment, the two women locked eyes, Kirstin wearing a startled expression while Kestrel¡¯s face was blank. Kestrel then glanced down at the laptop in Kirstin¡¯s lap and the wire that connected it to the shield emitter; after taking that in, she glanced to the side, toward one of the other shield towers in the distance.


    Seeing this, Kirstin quickly made to reply. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine,¡± she stuttered out, ¡°I¡¯m, um, a-almost done here¡­¡±


    Kestrel looked back to Kirstin. After a moment of silence, she responded with a curt nod, and turned her attention toward the outer walls once more.


    Kirstin remained silent as well, watching Kestrel out the corner of her eye as the silver-haired woman seemed to stand quietly in one place. I wonder what she¡¯s doing¡­? Kirstin thought to herself, only to shake her head and return her gaze to her laptop¡¯s screen. Well, not that it involves me. Let¡¯s finish this up and get out of her way¡­


    Soon, Kirstin¡¯s fingers were flying across the laptop¡¯s keyboard once more. Despite the shield emitters having no access protection, and even having explicit permission from Selind to access the systems, the difficulties of interfacing with the hardware combined with certain obfuscations built into the emitter software had prevented Kirstin from directly accessing the settings ¡ª until just now. Even then, however, she still had to figure out how to alter the settings, and the best parameters to change the settings to. She knew well what her end goal was: to get the six shield emitters in the array to form a single, large dome, rather than a half dozen overlapping smaller ones. The energy consumption of an energy shield generator was proportional to the surface area of the generated shield, after all ¡ª and overlapping shield domes meant that there was wasted surface area, and thus wasted energy. In most settings, the waste would be accepted as redundancy, but in places where energy was at a premium, such as Compound Tresnon, it was best to eliminate such redundancies.


    But, more than that, I also need to make sure the emitters can all remotely communicate with each other, and automatically change their settings on the fly to maintain 100% coverage even if one of the emitters goes down, Kirstin thought to herself, that¡¯s going to be the really hard part, I¡¯m sure. I could write a script to handle that easily enough if these were Earthian shields, or even just regular Nimalian shields, but¡­ hmm¡­ well, it¡¯s no wonder that the Tres¨¦dian technicians were having trouble with this¡­


    As her thoughts stalled ¡ª followed soon by her typing ¡ª Kirstin found herself idly looking out over the dusty city of Tresnon. A soft breeze had picked up, alleviating some of the discomfort from the heat¡ª wait! Kirstin snapped her attention over to Kestrel, who was still standing as still as she had been earlier. This time, however, her robes, as well as the light gray shawl draped around her shoulders, were fluttering in the wind. ¡­She¡¯s an Aerotechnic, right? Kirstin mentally questioned, her gaze remaining on Kestrel¡¯s tall figure. I guess she¡¯s practicing with her powers? I wonder what that¡¯s like. Being able to control air and the wind¡­ it sounds cool, but also difficult, since you can¡¯t really SEE air. ¡­Ah, what am I doing? Focus, Kirstin, focus! The shield array! I need to find the automation settings, or some way to add my own. ¡­IS there a way to do this? There has to be, right? I¡¯m just missing it¡ª oh! She stopped her train of thought, having just found a key piece of information; as if by reflex, she sighed in resignation. ¡°Of course it¡¯s like this¡­¡±


    Almost immediately, a wave of unease crashed over Kirstin, causing her to tense up. For a moment, the sensation left her confused, but then she noticed out the corner of her eye that Kestrel was looking at her. Kirstin¡¯s eyes immediately grew wide as she realized she had just spoken aloud, and she immediately grew flustered. ¡°Uh, um, s-sorry! I-I didn¡¯t mean to b-bother!¡±


    In the face of Kirstin¡¯s frantic comment, Kestrel merely responded with a calm shake of her head. After a moment of contemplative silence, however, she pointed toward Kirstin¡¯s laptop, and then cocked her head.


    ¡°¡­Um¡­?¡± Kirstin eyed Kestrel cluelessly. ¡°¡­Are¡­ a-are you asking what, um, I-I¡¯m doing¡­?¡±


    Kestrel nodded.


    ¡°Oh¡­ um, well¡­¡± Kirstin looked down at her laptop, and then back at Kestrel, at which point she smiled sheepishly. ¡°I-it¡¯s, um, k-kind of boring. Just, um, tinkering with the shield array. And I just, uh, f-found out that the automation controls are, um, well¡­ o-only in the main generator unit. H-half of what I¡¯m doing can¡¯t, um, c-can¡¯t even be done here, ha ha¡­!¡±


    Kestrel¡¯s gaze dropped to the laptop, and then to the wire connecting it to the shield emitter. ¡°¡­Interface with Nimalian tech?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª?¡± Kestrel¡¯s words caught Kirstin off-guard, having been the first time she spoke since appearing atop the tower. After a second of startled silence, however, Kirstin quickly snapped her own attention down to the wire. ¡°Um, y-yeah, we have a-adapters and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Hard to do?¡±


    ¡°Uh, the interfacing¡­? Well, uh, n-normally, not really, but these emitters, um, aren¡¯t standard, so¡­ it¡¯s a little tricky¡­¡±


    Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment, her gaze lingering on the cord before turning her attention back to the outer walls. ¡°¡­Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ th-thanks¡­?¡± Kirstin responded, confounded by Kestrel¡¯s curt replies and comments. Nevertheless, as she looked upon the silver-haired woman¡¯s relaxed standing posture, her long braid and clothing gracefully fluttering in the wind of her own creation, Kirstin couldn¡¯t help but feel a little jealous of Kestrel¡¯s apparent unflappable nature ¡ª as well as the curves of her body, occasionally made evident by the shifts of her clothes in the wind. ¡­Wait, why am I focusing on that?! Come on, Kirstin, focus. The shields, you¡¯re working on the shields¡­ The researcher quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts and began to rapidly gather up the equipment she had with her. With laptop and unplugged wire in hand, she practically jumped to her feet, and flashed a brief, uneasy smile at Kestrel when the Aerotechnic passed her a glance. ¡°I-I¡¯m done here, so, uh¡­ I-I¡¯ll just get out of your way¡­¡±


    Kestrel replied with silence, her face as stoically blank as ever, before turning her attention once more to the outer walls. ¡°¡­You¡¯re no bother,¡± she said.


    ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± Kirstin simply stared back at Kestrel, at a complete loss for words. Eventually, she gathered herself and scurried over to the entrance to the stairs that led to the lower floors of the tower, responding as she did, ¡°i-if you s-say so¡­! Uh, b-bye!¡± Without waiting for any kind of response, or even looking at Kestrel, Kirstin practically flew through the door and down the first flight of steps. Only then did she slow her pace, and take several deep breaths in an attempt to slow her rapid breathing. Ugh¡­ I can¡¯t even handle just one little exchange with a stranger! God, Kirstin, you¡¯re so pathetic¡­! She then stopped for a moment, passing an idle glance up the steps to the door that led out onto the tower¡¯s roof. ¡­Kestrel seemed nice enough, though, I guess¡­ and I guess Saito DID say that the recruits are all my age, right? Maybe I should try to make friends with them¡­ maybe¡­ a-anyways, that¡¯s a thought for another time! The shields, Kirstin, focus! The shields¡­!


    With that, the researcher continued on her way, trying her best to put her recent social interaction out of mind as she focused on completing her modifications to the shields before the end of the day.

 V1 - Arc 13: Hungers Bane - Chapter 98: Day of the Feast

    VOLUME 1 ¡ª NEW WORLD


    ARC 13 ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 98: Day of the Feast


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Sundia, Aldredath 28, 8054 ¡ª


    (Friday, December 23, AD 2129)


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    With a stifled moan, followed by a broad yawn, Pierce slowly awoke amidst rays of morning sunlight. He remained lying in his bed, his eyes slowly tracing the shadows in his stone-wreathed dorm room, shrouded as it was in the faint illumination of the light that managed to get around the closed curtains. Normally, he would have readily thrown off the bed covers and began his morning stretches by now, but the sound of rustling sheets to Pierce¡¯s side drew his attention to the reason for his subdued start.


    ¡°Mngh¡­¡± A young woman with short, dark hair slowly shifted under the bed covers, removing her arm from on top of Pierce¡¯s chest as her eyes fluttered open.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Pierce commented softly, a satisfied smirk upon his face as he looked over at her. ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mornin¡¯¡­¡± she groggily responded. ¡°¡­¡¯s early¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry if I woke you,¡± Pierce replied, and then passed a glance at a clock on his desk. ¡°¡­It¡¯s past ten, though ¡ª and on a holiday, too.¡±


    ¡°Could still use sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair. I guess we did have a long night, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Pierce exchanged an amused glance with the woman beside him before they both sat up, the woman rubbing her eyes while Pierce finally got out of bed. ¡°¡­Guess we did,¡± she commented, her eyes lingering on Pierce¡¯s athletic form, which was easy to see through the v-neck undershirt and boxer briefs he was wearing. ¡°Gotta say¡­ didn¡¯t expect an outsider to be able to keep up with me.¡±


    ¡°I aim to please,¡± Pierce replied with a wink. ¡°Now¡­ how about¡ª¡°


    Pierce¡¯s sentence was abruptly interrupted by loud knocking on his room¡¯s door, followed shortly by a familiar voice. ¡°Hey, Pierce! Wake up, you lazy asshole, you¡¯re late!¡±


    Phoenix¡­ Pierce reflexively scowled in response to hearing his friend¡¯s voice, but he quickly replaced the scowl with a sheepish smile as he turned back to the woman in his room.


    ¡°¡­Your friend?¡± she questioned, while getting out of the bed herself and retrieving her clothes from the back of Pierce¡¯s desk chair.


    ¡°Ha¡­ sorry. I made some plans with my friends today, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be up so early¡­¡±


    ¡°¡¯S fine.¡± She paused to yawn. ¡°¡­Well, guess it¡¯s time for me to leave.¡±


    ¡°Fair. But, hey, last night was pretty fun. I¡¯d be down for doing this again, if you¡¯re up for it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm. Maybe. See ya.¡±


    A second later, the woman fully disappeared from the room, having teleported away. Now alone, Pierce allowed his expression to collapse into an annoyed scowl as he stepped over to the door and threw it open. ¡°What do you want?¡± he demanded, glaring down at Phoenix.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s irritable, today,¡± Phoenix retorted, looking up at Pierce ¡ª and then down at his attire. A grimace momentarily overcame her face, only for her to sigh and shake her head in resignation. ¡°You were with a girl again, weren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°I was, and things were going well, too, until you showed up,¡± Pierce countered. He then took a moment to look Phoenix over, noting that she was already all put together ¡ª her hair done and tied back in her signature high, splayed-out ponytail, while on her body she wore the beige desert robing that was so typical to see in Compound Tresnon, along with the modifications to it that were unique to her: the shirt tied off to expose her toned abs, the cloak folded in half and tied around her waist, and a white jacket to replace the cloak on her upper torso. All-in-all, she was clearly already prepared to face the day ¡ª while Pierce had only just rolled out of bed. ¡°¡­What a fucking day,¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°To think that you¡¯d be ready to go before me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past ten o¡¯clock,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°Even I don¡¯t sleep in this late. We had plans to spend the day with Conrad and Kestrel, anyways, remember? Don¡¯t you tell me you fucking forgot.¡±


    ¡°Me? Forget?¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°Please. I just expected the three of you to hate mornings as much as you usually do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a holiday!¡± Phoenix exclaimed incredulously. ¡°You can¡¯t waste away a holiday by sleeping in!¡±


    ¡°Man, I wish I could¡­¡±


    Pierce and Phoenix both glanced down the hallway, where they spotted Conrad and Kestrel approaching, both wearing the same kind of desert robing as the locals ¡ª though Kestrel had replaced the typical cloak with the light gray shawl that she had been gifted the previous week. ¡°¡­Damn, you guys are ready, too?¡± Pierce remarked in disbelief. ¡°What kind of fucking bizarro world did I wake up in?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t my choice,¡± Conrad countered, his tone deadpan. ¡°Phoenix and Kestrel woke me up¡­¡±


    ¡°Because we knew you¡¯d try to sleep the whole day away if we didn¡¯t step in,¡± Phoenix pointed out.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a feast-based holiday. There isn¡¯t much to do until, you know, the feast,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°¡­Though I guess word on the street is that you¡¯re entitled to more food if you help out with the prep¡­ and I¡¯ll want all the food I can eat at dinner, since no one¡¯s serving lunch today.¡± Conrad released a resigned sigh, only to then adopt an amused smirk as he eyed Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Seeing the two of you arguing, though¡­ you two never change, huh.¡±


    ¡°Slept late?¡± Kestrel questioned, her gaze focused on Pierce, and his disheveled just-out-of-bed appearance.


    ¡°Because he was ¡®busy¡¯ last night, I¡¯m sure,¡± Phoenix drawled.


    ¡°Oh shut up, like I¡¯m the only one here who fucks,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Or are you just jealous that I scored the night before a big holiday?¡±


    ¡°Me? Jealous of you? Don¡¯t kid yourself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, c¡¯mon, guys,¡± Conrad interjected. ¡°The ¡®never change¡¯ thing was a joke. You better not spend the whole day arguing.¡±


    ¡°That depends entirely on a certain someone,¡± Pierce declared, while side-eying Phoenix.


    ¡°I¡¯d say exactly the same,¡± Phoenix countered, her arms crossed.


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Conrad released a weary sigh before shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Well, can¡¯t really expect any more than that from you two, huh? Anyways, Pierce, go ahead and get ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re weirdly eager to go,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Though, I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. After all, if there¡¯s one thing you like more than sleeping, it¡¯s eating, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m a simple guy,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°You and Pierce both,¡± Phoenix said with a resigned sigh, though a slight smile was playing on her face all the same. ¡°Anyways, Conrad¡¯s right, Pierce. Hurry up so we can get going. Today is Hunger¡¯s Bane, after all, and I intend to make the most of it!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Okay, the oven¡¯s set¡­ Danielle, did you take everything out of the fridge?¡±


    ¡°Yup! I got the butter, the turkeys, the broth, and all that other stuff we got.¡±


    ¡°Good, thanks. Looks like we were able to bring enough ingredients from Earth to cook for a couple dozen, but¡­ beyond that, we¡¯ll have to improvise.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, captain! I¡¯m ready to follow your orders!¡±


    Mark chuckled in amusement as he passed a glance toward Danielle, who was saluting him with a giant grin on her face. ¡°¡­Thanks,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°¡­But there¡¯s no need to call me ¡®captain¡¯. We aren¡¯t even on a ship, after all.¡±


    ¡°True, we are in a kitchen,¡± Danielle remarked, rubbing her chin in thought before her expression lightened. ¡°I should call you ¡®chef¡¯, then! Master Chef!¡±


    ¡°If you insist,¡± Mark responded, and then stepped over to the counter in the dorm kitchen that he had so frequently used. Strewn across the counter were several pans, three large uncooked turkeys, a tub of dark golden broth, and a variety of seasonings ¡ª most obtained from Earth. Food items filled half of the kitchen¡¯s small table as well, including three pans of cornbread that Mark had prepared the previous evening and a number of ingredients for stuffing. After taking the sight in, Mark grabbed one of the clean towels he had prepared and began patting dry one of the turkeys. ¡°Alright, Danielle, step one: pat dry the turkeys. Once we do that, we can start stuffing them.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m on it, Master Chef!¡± Danielle exclaimed, readily snatching up another towel and getting to work. The next several minutes passed with Mark and Danielle drying off the turkeys, Mark generously seasoning the insides of the turkeys with salt and pepper, and Danielle following up by stuffing the seasoned cavity with chopped onions and a variety of spices ¡ª all explicitly laid out by Mark. Once the three turkeys were stuffed, Mark let Danielle tie the legs together while he grabbed a kitchen brush and prepared the butter.


    ¡°Oh, now this looks interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mark passed a questioning glance toward one of the two kitchen entrances, where there now stood a woman wrapped in heavy white robes, including an oversized hood that shadowed the top half of her face.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Danielle greeted the newcomer with a pleasant smile. ¡°Can we help you?¡±


    ¡°I was just taking a look around, that¡¯s all,¡± the woman responded cordially. ¡°There are more people cooking in this dorm than I expected, I must say.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that might just be because of me,¡± Mark commented sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m going to need three of these kitchens just to cook all of the food I have prepared, and Kar¨ªsah and some of the Keys volunteered to go around getting them ready ahead of me.¡±


    ¡°I see. Kar¨ªsah, helping outsiders like this? How very industrious of her.¡±


    ¡°She is pretty cool,¡± Danielle remarked, and then cocked her head in confusion. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around before, though. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite alright if you haven¡¯t seen me. People often seem to miss out on my presence¡­¡± The woman smiled, as if amused by something. ¡°Anyways¡­ I suspect you¡¯ll have heard my name, at least. I go by Shade.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we have heard of you,¡± Mark replied, casting a wary glance toward Shade as he began brushing butter over the turkeys. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but are you not supposed to have a chaperone with you?¡±


    ¡°That was done away with when Dav¨ªdrius verified the intel my friend and I so graciously presented to him,¡± Shade declared. ¡°Especially for today, Ind and I are free women.¡±


    ¡°Just in time to enjoy the holiday! Cool!¡± Danielle flashed a grin before gesturing back at the kitchen. ¡°Hey, maybe you want to help out? Hunger¡¯s Bane is all about cooking and eating, after all, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. And I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve ever seen this manner of food preparation before¡­ not around here, at least.¡± Shade¡¯s gaze then shifted to the Earth-based seasonings on the counter. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t recognize most of these things, either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re from Earth,¡± Mark explained. ¡°When I heard that there was an incoming food-focused holiday, I decided to bring some ingredients over from Earth. I thought it might be nice to give the Tres¨¦dians a taste of Earth.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ how very thoughtful, for an outsider.¡±


    Mark frowned in response to Shade¡¯s comment, though he didn¡¯t stop buttering the turkeys as he questioned, ¡°is there something wrong with my idea¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, not at all,¡± Shade replied airily. ¡°You outsiders really do get hung up on the term ¡®outsider¡¯, though, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I guess the people around here do use that word a lot¡­¡± Danielle mused.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s Tres¨¦d for you.¡± Shade made a show of shrugging before glancing between Mark and Danielle. ¡°So the two of you are Earthians, then? Does that make you the new students I¡¯ve heard about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m just a chaperone, for lack of a better word,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°And I¡¯m just here to visit!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Shade nodded along, as if in understanding. ¡°Still, for Earthians to be on Nimalia¡­ that isn¡¯t something you often hear about. You must be special, indeed.¡±


    ¡°¡­You could say that¡­¡± Mark responded warily.


    ¡°The two of us are nothing compared to Mote and Kate, though!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°The two of them managed to fight off Telregina, once! That¡¯s pretty amazing, right?!¡±


    ¡°Danielle!¡± Mark hissed, ¡°that¡¯s supposed to be confidential information¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ oops!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Shade chuckled to herself, a wry smile forming on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know how to keep secrets. Telregina, though¡­ as in, the leader of the Telum-faction Drakkars? That Telregina?¡±


    Danielle uneasily glanced back at Mark, as if she was looking for guidance on how to respond. Mark simply gave off an exasperated sigh and shook his head in resignation. ¡°¡­Well, the cat¡¯s out of the bag, now,¡± he commented, setting his kitchen brush down as he had just finished buttering the final turkey. After doing so, he turned to look at Shade. ¡°Yes¡­ that Telregina. ¡­Aren¡¯t you a former Bleeder, though? I¡¯m surprised that even Bleeders know about the Drakkar faction leaders¡­¡±


    ¡°Nimalia first learned about the Drakkars over a thousand years ago,¡± Shade declared. ¡°Tres¨¦d became a lawless wasteland after that point. So of course tales of the Drakkars and their immortal faction leaders would stick around. To think one of them was beaten, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, not quite,¡± Mark corrected. ¡°We fought her off, but we don¡¯t have any evidence that we killed her, or even slowed her down.¡±


    ¡°Though, I don¡¯t know how she could survive what happened at the¡ª!¡± Danielle began, only to stop herself as Mark stepped up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked down at his hand, and then back at his stern expression, before adopting a sheepish smile herself. ¡°Oops¡­!¡±


    Shade chuckled again as she watched the two. ¡°My, this certainly has been interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Mark responded uneasily, and then turned his attention back to the turkeys. ¡°Anyways¡­ there¡¯s still a lot of cooking to be done, so we need to get focused, again.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Shade, do you wanna help? We could really use it!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll have me,¡± Shade replied with a subdued smirk. ¡°I¡¯m certainly interested in what kind of cuisine Earth has to offer.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well, more hands often makes for easier work,¡± Mark quipped, already preparing to move the buttered turkeys to the cooking pans. ¡°Anyways, as a quick primer, here¡¯s what we¡¯re doing here¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Oh my god, ahahaha! What the fuck did you do?! Aaaahahahahahaha!!!¡±


    ¡°Wha-what? Hey!¡± Austin glared indignantly at Sky as the latter grasped at her chest amidst the throes of uproarious laughter. He then shifted his gaze toward Spike and Twy, who were both staring blankly at him. ¡°C¡¯mon, this is cool, right?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ you look very, um¡­¡± Twy began, an uneasy smile crossing her face as she searched for the words to finish her sentence.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went and actually did it,¡± Spike deadpanned, and then shook his head in resignation. ¡°Though I guess I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Austin snorted in annoyance, glancing toward Sky ¡ª who was still fraught with laughter ¡ª before looking all around himself in frustration, looking for something to take his mind off the embarassment of the current moment. The four friends currently stood within one of the dorm kitchens, working to help prepare the large quantities of food that Mark wanted to cook for the night¡¯s dinner. Sky, Twy, and Spike had been the first down to help, with Austin arriving some time later to show off something that he had recently gained:


    A heavily muscled body.


    The previous night, Austin had finally made good on his declaration three days ago ¡ª while within simulation range of Danielle, he borrowed her Transtechnism to shapeshift his own body and grant himself chiseled abs and massive biceps, among other things. In the end, Austin had achieved exactly what he had been aiming for: a figure not unlike that of Spike¡¯s, that gave him a heavy presence and the impression that he worked out every day with massive weights. His new muscles weren¡¯t even that massive ¡ª so he thought, at least ¡ª but instead of impressing his friends, he had only managed to provoke laughter and incredulous reactions.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­ ha, ha¡­ ¡­oof¡­¡± Sky¡¯s laughter finally subsided as she took a deep breath and returned her attention to Austin, only to reflexively snort in amusement and wipe a tear from her eye. ¡°Man, you really went all-out, huh?¡± she remarked with a grin.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny about this, huh?¡± Austin retorted, glancing down at his own body before jerking a thumb toward Spike. ¡°He has tons of muscle and you like him just fine, why¡¯s it weird when I have them?!¡±


    ¡°Probably ¡®cause you changed literally overnight,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°This kinda shift is¡­ jarring.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°The Austin I know is a lanky shut-in, not a musclehead. But seeing your head on that body is¡­! Pfft!¡± She held a hand over her mouth in an obvious attempt to stifle further laughter.


    ¡°Alright, even I think you¡¯re bein¡¯ a little mean, now,¡± Spike said, passing his girlfriend a reproachful glance before turning back to Austin. ¡°This still seems short-sighted to me, though. You have those muscles now, sure, but are you really gonna start doin¡¯ what it takes to keep ¡®em around?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll just tag along with you whenever you workout,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°You never had the motivation to do that before,¡± Spike countered. ¡°Changin¡¯ your body alone ain¡¯t gonna change your mindset.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Austin insisted, and then glanced over at Twy, who hadn¡¯t spoken a word since her unfinished sentence earlier. ¡°What about you, huh? You gonna make fun of me, too?¡±


    ¡°Uh, n-no, I, uh¡­¡± Twy stuttered out, her eyes dropping down and then back to Austin¡¯s head, as though she were looking him over head-to-toe. A tinge of red appeared on her face as she squirmed uncomfortably, her gaze apparently unable to establish eye-contact with Austin. ¡°It, um¡­ it¡¯s a very¡­ unique look¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ooooohhh?¡± Sky slyly eyed her sister as she sidled up next to her and threw her right arm around Twy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Could it be that you actually like him this way?¡± Sky questioned, her voice just low enough for only Twy to hear.


    ¡°S-Sky!!¡± Twy exclaimed, her face flushing red as she glared at her sister. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not¡­!¡±


    ¡°Aw, man¡­¡± Austin sighed in resignation, his shoulders slumped. ¡°Is muscle-me really that weird¡­?¡±


    ¡°You just called yourself ¡®muscle-me¡¯,¡± Sky retorted, separating from Twy to place her hands on her hips. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re willin¡¯ to put in the work, then I can help you keep this up,¡± Spike declared, ¡°but I ain¡¯t gonna carry you. You need to have that motivation yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯ve only said that, what, a billion times?¡± Austin rolled his eyes. ¡°Look, I can make this work! This is gonna be the new me!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Personally, though, if you¡¯re doin¡¯ this for appearances¡¯ sake, I don¡¯t think this ¡®buff¡¯ look suits you. A runner¡¯s build would give you some athleticism and muscle tone without makin¡¯ you look, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Spike¡¯s right,¡± Sky commented. ¡°Like I said, the Austin I know is a tall, lanky guy! A runner¡¯s build would be a good halfway point between that and just big muscles everywhere.¡± She then shot a smirk and a wink at her sister as she finished, ¡°I¡¯m sure Twy would like that better, too!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Twy glared daggers at Sky for a second before turning to give Austin a more sheepish look. ¡°Well¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it, sheesh. Y¡¯all really don¡¯t like the buff me,¡± Austin replied with a sigh. ¡°A runner¡¯s build, though, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s different from what I¡¯ve got, but I can still help you make it work,¡± Spike declared.


    ¡°And in the meantime, maybe you should just go back to your regular self,¡± Sky suggested. ¡°You know, while you still can.¡±


    ¡°Nah, fuck that!¡± Austin retorted. ¡°I mean, now that I think about it, I think I do agree that a runner¡¯s build would look better on me¡­¡± He then made a show of flexing his arms, showing off the bulging biceps that threatened to shred the now-ill-fitting shirt he was wearing. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just gonna get rid of these muscles! I made ¡®em, so I¡¯m gonna enjoy ¡®em while I have ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°God what a weird fucking sentence.¡±


    ¡°M-maybe we should all just, you know, start helping out with the Hunger¡¯s Bane meal prep¡­?¡± Twy suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, good point.¡± Spike nodded and turned toward the kitchen countertop. ¡°Let¡¯s get goin¡¯. And Austin, be careful, today. You just got those muscles, so try not to accidentally crush anythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Bah, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Austin insisted, following the lead of the other three as they spread out across the kitchen to begin working on meal prep. ¡°I bet these muscles will actually be useful sometime soon, anyways. Just you watch!¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 99: Defenders of the Peace

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 99 - Defenders of the Peace


    ¡°Hello? Kirstin, you in there?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Kirstin shot upright, startled by a loud knocking sound on the door to her room, followed by Luke¡¯s voice. After gathering her bearings, she tentatively called out, ¡°u-um, c-come in¡­¡±


    A second later, the door to the quaint tavern room opened, with Luke striding through. Kirstin eyed him warily as he closed the door behind him and then turned to survey the small space, furnished with only two modest beds and two small dressers to accompany them. Stone flooring, walls, and ceilings rounded out the room, along with two small windows ¡ª over which the curtains were drawn shut, blocking out the mid-afternoon sun.


    Luke¡¯s gaze lingered on the nearest bed for a moment, taking note of a couple of Hackett¡¯s belongings on the dresser, before he shifted his attention to Kirstin ¡ª who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the small space between the side of her bed and the far wall, her head just barely peeking over the bed covers. With an amused smirk, Luke nodded toward her. ¡°Workin¡¯ on something?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Um¡­ y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin briefly glanced down at the laptop in her lap.


    ¡°Not gonna go out and enjoy the holiday?¡±


    A mild grimace appeared on Kirstin¡¯s face, though she didn¡¯t realize she was making the expression until Luke chuckled in response.


    ¡°Suppose I shouldn¡¯t even have asked, huh?¡± Luke remarked, stepping over to one of the room¡¯s windows and peeking behind the curtain to the world outside. The sounds of crowd chatter could be heard through the window, such that Kirstin didn¡¯t need to see to know that the streets of Tresnon were busier than ever. ¡°Kinda interesting how busy things are today,¡± Luke commented as he continued looking out the window. ¡°Hunger¡¯s Bane is supposed to be something like Thanksgiving, right? I guess folks around here just collaborate on the cooking a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡­ i-it is busy, huh¡­¡± Kirstin meekly affirmed.


    Luke passed her a glance before backing away from the window to lean against the wall next to Hackett¡¯s bed, which also put some distance between him and Kirstin. As he did, he said, ¡°I think I probably know the answer to this question, but I figured I¡¯d ask anyways. I¡¯m going to go shooting with Gavon and Selind soon, do you wanna tag along?¡±


    ¡°Sh-shooting¡­?¡± Kirstin echoed, a contemplative look crossing her face ¡ª only for her to suddenly jump as the playful shrieks of children burst through the windows. She quickly recovered from being startled, only to hunch over with her head bowed, her bangs obscuring the troubled expression she was wearing. ¡°¡­M-maybe, um, a-another time¡­¡± she eventually replied in a quiet voice.


    ¡°I figured. I know crowds aren¡¯t your thing,¡± Luke said, and then sighed as he eyed the curtain-covered windows of the small tavern room. ¡°Some more soundproofing here would be nice, too, but, uh¡­ I guess we shouldn¡¯t really expect that from Tresnon, heh.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well.¡± Luke pushed off of the wall and turned toward the door. ¡°Suppose I¡¯ll get out of your hair, then. Just thought I¡¯d check in on you, but you seem to be doing fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­Um¡­!¡±


    The Captain stopped with his hand on the doorknob, and then glanced over his shoulder toward Kirstin ¡ª who had lifted her head just enough to make eye-contact. As soon as their eyes met, however, she quickly diverted her gaze and began to fidget.


    ¡°Am¡­¡± she started, her voice as meek as ever. ¡°¡­Am I¡­ a b-bother¡­?¡±


    ¡°A bother?¡± Luke echoed incredulously, turning away from the door to give Kirstin his full attention. ¡°I can think of a hundred things that bother me more than you do or ever will, Kirstin.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ y-you said you came to, um, ch-check in on me. Th-that¡­ th-the Colonel p-probably told you to, right¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy¡­¡± Luke muttered under his breath, and then sighed deeply before offering Kirstin a reassuring smile. ¡°Listen, the Colonel had nothing to do with me coming here. I just wanted to see how you were doing, myself ¡ª as a friend, not because of my job.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know Tresnon probably isn¡¯t your favorite place to be, given the general lack of tech and amenities around here, but I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been making yourself busy with the shield generators and other defense tech. You fixed up the shield array the other night, right? Something about setting up a more efficient shield dome? Selind really appreciates it, you know.¡±


    ¡°¡­R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be saying it if it wasn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ r-right¡­¡± Kirstin¡¯s posture relaxed slightly, though her gaze remained diverted from Luke¡¯s. ¡°¡­I, um¡­ I-I ran into Kestrel w-when I was, uh, working on the sh-shields, actually¡­ She was, uh, p-practicing her powers, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah?¡± Luke slotted his hands into his pockets as he kept a casual eye on Kirstin. ¡°You talk about anything?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! Fair. Kestrel isn¡¯t exactly the talkative type, is she? Though she also doesn¡¯t seem like the type to mince what few words she does say, or to hide how she feels about someone. So if she stuck around you for long, then maybe she likes you.¡±


    Kirstin¡¯s cheeks promptly flushed a rosy red. ¡°L-likes me?!¡±


    ¡°Uh, not that kind of like,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if she swings that way. Wait, do you swing that way?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± The Researcher stared at Luke for a second, clearly confounded. ¡°Uh¡­ I, um¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I guess that was a pretty insensitive thing to ask,¡± Luke promptly interjected, and then glanced down at his watch as it beeped at him. ¡°Oops. Seems like that¡¯s my cue to leave. Don¡¯t want to leave Gavon and Selind hanging for too long.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ r-right¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, until next time,¡± Luke declared, once again turning toward the door ¡ª though as he did, he was stopped once again.


    ¡°Um¡­!¡± Kirstin quickly spoke up, drawing Luke¡¯s attention back to her. For a moment, she simply fidgeted in place, her eyes turned downward, but after a couple seconds she looked at Luke, briefly making eye-contact as she said, ¡°th-thanks for, um¡­ a-asking me. E-even though I, uh, said no¡­¡±


    An amused smirk appeared on Luke¡¯s face. ¡°Heh. It¡¯s no problem. But, if I recall correctly, you didn¡¯t actually say ¡®no¡¯ ¡ª you said ¡®maybe another time¡¯.¡± The amusement on his face turned playful as he questioned, ¡°you mind if I hold you to that?¡±


    In surprise, Kirstin snapped her gaze to the Captain again, her eyes wide. She then glanced away again, bowing her head such that her bangs obscured much of her face ¡ª but not enough to hide the faintest of smiles from Luke¡¯s view. ¡°Um, I¡­ I guess,¡± she quietly replied.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Luke remarked, and then offered Kirstin a farewell wave as he turned back to the door once more. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, then, Kirstin. Looking forward to it!¡±


    ¡°Uh, y-yeah¡­!¡± Kirstin meekly responded, watching as the Captain finally left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone with her work once more.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Uggghhh, this is so fucking boring¡­¡±


    ¡°Boring though it may be, it¡¯s still our job,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°So stop complaining.¡±


    ¡°You and that goddamn stick up your ass¡­¡± Kate muttered, passing Mote an annoyed glance before returning her attention to the duo¡¯s surroundings. They were both slowly patrolling the walls of Compound Tresnon, allowing them a view of the Compound to their right, and the sprawling, dusty wastelands to their left. Bright, midday sun shone down on them; with nary a cloud in sight to shield against the light, the entire environment had begun heating up, and faint heat shimmers could be seen in the distance. Despite all of this, however, Mote and Kate both still wore their thick green and black uniforms ¡ª though Kate had rolled up her sleeves and undone the top couple buttons of her jacket and undershirt in an attempt to cool herself, much to Mote¡¯s chagrin.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°¡­Still don¡¯t see why we¡¯re out here,¡± Kate complained, her gold and crimson summoned greaves clanking with each lethargic step she took along the top of the wall. ¡°We aren¡¯t even fucking locals! And they want us to stand out here in this fucking heat all day¡­¡±


    Mote eyed Kate, watching her grab the collar of her shirt to fan herself before shaking his head and turning his attention forward. ¡°It isn¡¯t that hot,¡± he countered. ¡°Likely only 80 degrees or so.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Isn¡¯t that hot¡¯ my fucking ass! 80 is hot!¡±


    ¡°Funny, I haven¡¯t seen any of the recruits complain about the heat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking try to say I¡¯m worse than those idiots, you asshole. They¡¯ve had two months to get used to this hellhole, anyways. We just got here!¡±


    ¡°If by ¡®just got here¡¯ you mean ¡®arrived 8 days ago¡¯, then yes, you¡¯re correct.¡±


    ¡°I swear on my goddamn research, I am going to throttle you one day,¡± Kate snapped.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to try,¡± Mote challenged. ¡°But would you please at least stop complaining for now? We¡¯re supposed to be on guard duty.¡±


    ¡°Guard duty, tch,¡± Kate echoed incredulously, turning to glare out over the wasteland as she did. No movement could be seen; the sandy grounds were as still as a painting, and featured no traffic attempting to cross them. ¡°¡­What the hell are we guarding against, huh? Those fucking lame-ass gangsters we heard about?¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders have been a threat to this area for a long time, now. They¡¯ve even been brazen enough to attack Compounds before, just like this one, so I¡¯ve heard. We can¡¯t let our guards down.¡±


    ¡°Fucking please. They¡¯re untrained criminals from a backwards-ass wasteland. No training, no education, and all their equipment is shitty hand-me-downs. The two of us could take all of them down, all on our own. Hell, I bet either of us could handle anything the fucking ¡®Bleeders¡¯ could throw at us, single-handedly!¡±


    ¡°What a flattering assessment,¡± Mote deadpanned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that we need to take our duties seriously. Anything less can and will bite us in the ass.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you are such a fucking downer,¡± Kate retorted with a scowl. ¡°Can you ever not take yourself seriously? Today is a fucking holiday, too! Cut loose for once!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with taking myself seriously?¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°Well, well, if this isn¡¯t a classic.¡±


    Mote and Kate both turned their sour expressions forward, where they spotted Colonel Saito and Major Hackett approaching along the top of the wall, both of them wearing their combat gear and carrying their rifles. ¡°Oh, Colonel,¡± Mote greeted, offering a salute as he did. Upon seeing his reaction, Kate snorted in derision, though she still offered the two officers a nod of acknowledgment.


    ¡°Getting along as well as ever, I see,¡± Saito remarked as he and Hackett stopped in front of Mote and Kate.


    ¡°Why do you keep pairing me with this asshole?¡± Kate complained as she jabbed a finger at Mote. ¡°He¡¯s such a fucking stick-up-the-ass.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s far too loose with the rules,¡± Mote shot back.


    ¡°You¡¯re both right,¡± Saito cut in, drawing Mote and Kate¡¯s attention. ¡°Mote, you really do need to learn to let loose a little. And Kate, you need more respect for the rules than you have.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a middle ground between the two of you where you should really try to meet,¡± Hackett commented.


    Mote and Kate exchanged a glance, only to scowl and look away from each other ¡ª an action they unintentionally performed in unison.


    ¡°Still the same as ever, I see,¡± Saito observed, and then shook his head in resignation. ¡°Anyways, the Major and I are here to relieve the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Fucking finally,¡± Kate remarked, immediately making to jump off the wall to the town below ¡ª but Saito held his hand up, stopping her in place.


    ¡°Now, now, Kate, you know how this goes,¡± the Colonel said. ¡°Let¡¯s get a status report before you actually leave.¡±


    ¡°The status is that absolutely jack shit has happened,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°¡­Vulgarity aside, she¡¯s correct,¡± Mote affirmed. ¡°The wasteland has been quiet all day, and all of the weapon emplacements we passed seem to be in working order.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get the point of any of this,¡± Kate stated. ¡°Why are we so concerned about these fucking ¡®Bleeders¡¯? And why the fuck are we helping on our time off?!¡±


    ¡°Never underestimate an active threat,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Based on our intel, the Bleeders just might be a credible threat to Tresnon,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°They did recently attack another Compound in the region, after all.¡±


    ¡°As I mentioned earlier,¡± Mote declared while side-eying Kate.


    ¡°What-fucking-ever,¡± Kate snapped back. ¡°But these Bleeders are still just common thugs, aren¡¯t they? Some of them might be Chaotics, sure, but it¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you¡¯re helping out,¡± Saito remarked with a smirk, which then transformed into a frown as he began to survey the town of Tresnon. Beige and sand-colored rooftops stretched into the distance, and the streets were alive with the buzz of citizens preparing for the feast at day¡¯s end. ¡°Personally, though¡­ I¡¯m more concerned about threats coming from within the city.¡±


    ¡°Within the city, sir¡­?¡± Mote echoed warily.


    ¡°Is this about that former Bleeder we ran into?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°And her friend,¡± Saito answered. ¡°Ind and Shade are their names, according to Travis.¡±


    ¡°Former Bleeders? What?¡± Kate looked cluelessly between the other three. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°From what I hear, Compound Tresnon has a Bleeder Reformation Program where they take in people who used to be Bleeders and, well¡­ reform them,¡± Saito explained. ¡°They¡¯ve been doing this for years. Supposedly, dozens, if not hundreds of the people living in Tresnon came here under the reformation program ¡ª if so, I don¡¯t doubt the program¡¯s effectiveness. Even so¡­¡±


    Hackett nodded in understanding. ¡°You¡¯re wary of the two newest members of the program?¡±


    ¡°It certainly does seem like convenient timing¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Wait, am I really hearing this correctly?¡± Kate glanced between Mote and Saito. ¡°The locals think the Bleeders are a threat, but they¡¯re still letting recently former criminals join their fucking city? Just like that?!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t from here, so I¡¯m not about to try telling them how to do things,¡± Saito commented, ¡°¡­but, yes, that certainly is how it seems. On top of that, based on what Travis told me, Dav¨ªdrius was wary of them, too. It was another former Bleeder, along with that Black Suns officer, who convinced him otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that they¡¯re in on it?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to go that far,¡± Saito countered. ¡°I don¡¯t know either of them well enough to say. It could really be that they want to assume the best, or that they think they can handle the former Bleeders if they act out. Or, they just think that the two newcomers being plants is too obvious.¡±


    ¡°It sounds fucking obvious,¡± Kate pointed out. ¡°So obvious I almost don¡¯t think it¡¯s true, ¡®cause of how fucking dumb the Bleeders would have to be to think we¡¯d fall for it. But, then again, they are just a bunch of lame-ass criminals¡­¡±


    ¡°It sounds like we have fallen for it, though,¡± Mote countered. ¡°¡¯We¡¯ in the royal sense, that is. The two former Bleeders are in the city already. Obvious plants or not, they¡¯re still here.¡± He then shifted his attention to Saito, a concerned expression upon his face. ¡°Sir, if this is all true, then aren¡¯t the Tres¨¦dians being extremely derelict in their duties to protect this city?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Hackett countered. ¡°On our way here to relieve you, I noticed that the security in the town was increased today, compared to earlier in the week. It¡¯s subtle, but there are guards watching over all the points of defensive interest. The energy shield generators, the armories, the warehouses¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I thought I noticed something along those lines, but I wasn¡¯t certain,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°If you picked up on it too, Major, then it¡¯s likely true. It would seem that Dav¨ªdrius and Selind are taking the threat seriously, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then it sounds like the locals have everything covered,¡± Kate said, ¡°which brings me back to my original question: why the fuck are we here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little favor to Dav¨ªdrius, that¡¯s all,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°Us helping out on the wall patrols means more of their defense force can focus on protecting the city.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if they had someone watching the suspects?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°If they had the foresight to establish guards around all of the city¡¯s defensive equipment, then I¡¯m sure they have some way of keeping an eye on the suspects. Let¡¯s not assume that our hosts are stupid, now. They¡¯ve survived here for quite some time, after all.¡±


    Mote and Kate exchanged a wary glance, but neither of them offered a response, aside from Mote stating, ¡°if you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I do!¡± Saito declared, and then stepped forward to pat the duo on their shoulders. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve held you up here long enough. The Major and I have some patrolling to do; why don¡¯t the two of you go enjoy yourselves? It is a local holiday today, after all.¡±


    ¡°Fucking finally!!¡± Kate wasted little time in catapulting herself from the top of the wall, falling to the ground just over fifteen meters down and easily landing in a roll.


    Mote watched her jog off down the streets and released a weary sigh before saluting Saito once more. ¡°¡­Apologies for her behavior, sir.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t needed. You aren¡¯t responsible for her, anyways,¡± Saito countered. ¡°Now get going! There¡¯s only so much of the day left.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Thank you, sir,¡± Mote replied, and then stepped past Saito and Hackett on his way to the ladders that were the intended way to descend from the walltop, wary of what the rest of the day would bring.

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 100: Traditions of the Wasteland

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 100: Traditions of the Wasteland


    ¡°Luke, there you are! Took you long enough!¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± Luke replied, offering a casual wave toward Gavon and Selind as he approached. Selind was dressed in the typical desert robes of Tresnon, while Luke and Gavon each wore their organization¡¯s respective field uniforms; as always, Selind had her laser sniper strapped to her back ¡ª while Luke and Gavon carried their guns in cases. Luke quickly made note of this as he joined them, at which point the three turned down the street and began walking. ¡°Hope you weren¡¯t waiting too long.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly like we had a hard-and-fast meeting time arranged,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°Selind and I had only just arrived, anyways.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a busy day,¡± Selind commented, glancing idly about at the crowds mingling in the streets. With the sun now well on its way through its march toward the western horizon, the smells and aromas of many different types of dishes were filling the air, as citizens the town over were buckling down on their preparations for the upcoming evening feast. The smell of fish, in particular, seemed to dominate the air ¡ª the nearby Mirage Lake was Tresnon¡¯s largest source of fresh meat, after all ¡ª though the scent didn¡¯t have as much of a foul edge as the fishy smell Luke was familiar with from Earth. Stews and cooked vegetables could also be sensed in the air, offering an aromatic cushion to the fish that ultimately produced a rather appetizing scent, made all the stronger by the fact that none of the three had eaten lunch.


    A low rumble emanated from Luke¡¯s stomach, causing him to grimace and begin rubbing it. ¡°Oof¡­ starting to wish I¡¯d had lunch,¡± he lamented.


    ¡°What, is just a few hours without food too much for you to handle?¡± Gavon taunted.


    ¡°I can handle it, doesn¡¯t mean I want to,¡± Luke retorted. He then glanced over at Selind, and sighed in resignation. ¡°But, on Earth, we have a saying: ¡®when in Rome, do as the Romans do.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I like that attitude!¡± Selind replied with a grin. ¡°Trust me, skippin¡¯ lunch will just make the feast taste that much better!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t just messing with me, right? This is really a Tres¨¦dian tradition¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never lived in Tres¨¦d before, myself, but I have heard of their Hunger¡¯s Bane fasting,¡± Gavon said.


    ¡°Wow, so even outsiders have heard of this tradition?¡± Selind questioned. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be fair, I only heard of it because I did some research on Tres¨¦d before coming here,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Even so, this tradition of fasting during the day just to gorge yourself on food come evening¡­ it sounds rather decadent. I¡¯d have expected it from Tekdec¨¦ or Nimaliaka, but not Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Decadent¡¯?¡± Selind echoed, a clueless look on her face.


    ¡°Uh¡­ think overly luxurious, or self-indulgent,¡± Gavon explained.


    ¡°Put simply, something that rich people do,¡± Luke added.


    ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t see it that way at all,¡± Selind declared. ¡°Time for a history lesson, I guess. I¡¯m sure you know this, Gavon, but Luke, Hunger¡¯s Bane wasn¡¯t originally a Tres¨¦dian holiday.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gavon affirmed as he passed a glance toward Luke. ¡°Hunger¡¯s Bane originated in Nimaliaka, as a harvest festival. It¡¯s autumn up there right now, after all; they¡¯re coming off of a season of growing. Rel¨¦diaka and Tres¨¦d, as nations entirely in the southern hemisphere, have little fundamental basis for celebrating Hunger¡¯s Bane at this time of the year. Rel¨¦diaka only celebrates Hunger¡¯s Bane because they used to be part of the nation of Nimaliaka, and as I understand it, the denizens of Tres¨¦d simply picked up the holiday as an excuse to eat good food.¡±


    ¡°Heh, damn straight,¡± Selind remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°I figured the holiday had global origins, so that explains a lot,¡± Luke commented, ¡°but what about the fasting?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sort of compromise,¡± Selind explained. ¡°You should know us Tres¨¦dians by now; there¡¯s little most of us hate more than outsider influence, and what reeks of outsiders more than one of their holidays? Especially ¡®cause Tres¨¦d never really has any harvests to celebrate, even in our fall. Place is a damned wasteland, after all. So, when Hunger¡¯s Bane was first adopted in Tres¨¦d ¡ª which happened here in Tresnon, in fact, a few generations ago or so ¡ª we put our own touch on it.¡± Selind paused for a moment as her stomach growled, to which she responded with an amused chuckle ¡ª only to then frown and sigh. ¡°¡­Many Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t have the kinda food security that Tresnon has,¡± she continued, ¡°hell, that¡¯s half the reason we have so many former Bleeders here, honestly ¡ª comin¡¯ here is one of the best ways to make sure they have somethin¡¯ to eat for every meal, every day. So to remember that fact, and not get carried away with piggin¡¯ out on food, Tresnon added fasting to the holiday.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it¡­¡± Luke nodded in understanding. ¡°So, by making yourselves hungry, you remind yourselves that not everyone has it as good as you do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°When you put it that way, I suppose I understand,¡± Gavon said. ¡°But ¡ª and excuse my candidness ¡ª if you¡¯re concerned about the food security of others, wouldn¡¯t it be better to send them your excess food, instead of ¡®pigging out¡¯ on it today?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t think we¡¯re just bein¡¯ greedy,¡± Selind countered. ¡°All the Compounds in transport range of Tresnon have enough food to be safe. Not quite as much as us, sure, but we make sure that they have enough. Beyond that, though¡­¡± She released a wary sigh as she turned her attention skyward, taking in the bright blue cloudless skies above. ¡°¡­We don¡¯t got the equipment to transport food more than a few hundred kilometers from here, not in large enough amounts to matter. And even if we did, we don¡¯t even have that much extra food. For dirt¡¯s sake, half the food we have, we only have because of Chaotics. So Compounds outside of Tresnon¡¯s influence still have to go without.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Luke passed her a doubtful look. ¡°Are you saying that Tresnon singlehandedly supplies every other Compound within a few hundred kilometers?¡±


    ¡°We are one of the only Compounds on the side of a lake,¡± Selind pointed out. ¡°¡¯Sides, not like there are a lot of Compounds around, anyways. There¡¯s less than ten within reach of us, and even then, there¡¯s only so much we can do to help ¡®em. Goresan was on the very edge of Tresnon¡¯s reach, and look at what happened to them.¡±


    Luke fell silent for a moment as he recalled the fate of Compound Goresan, as he had heard it from Austin and the other Keys: it fell to a Bleeder attack, and all of its citizens seemingly disappeared into thin air.


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    ¡°¡­My apologies,¡± Gavon eventually spoke up, offering a bowed head toward Selind as the trio continued down the streets of Tresnon. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the extent of your troubles. I didn¡¯t mean to insinuate that you weren¡¯t already doing all that you could for your fellow Tres¨¦dians.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine!¡± Selind remarked, overwriting her dreary expression with another grin as she slapped Gavon on the back. ¡°You sayin¡¯ ¡®sorry¡¯ is more than I can expect from most outsiders. That you even thought to say it means you¡¯re a pretty good guy, in my book.¡±


    ¡°Either that, or a master manipulator,¡± Luke commented with a smirk.


    ¡°You wound me with your accusation!¡± Gavon exclaimed, making a show out of clutching at his chest. ¡°¡­But, having brought that up, I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re so quick to call me ¡®good¡¯, Selind. Many people would hesitate to say that about a member of the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°If I cared so much about organizations and shit, do you think I would be goin¡¯ shootin¡¯ with a SERRCom soldier and a Black Suns officer?¡± Selind questioned. ¡°Or that I would support the Bleeder Reformation Program? C¡¯mon, Gavon, give me some credit. I like to get to know someone before I judge them.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m an officer, too¡­¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s not shortchange poor old Luke, here, either,¡± Gavon remarked.


    ¡°That said, now that you¡¯ve brought up the Bleeders, I have a question,¡± Luke said, turning his attention to Selind. ¡°Those two Bleeders you took in a few days ago¡­ are we really letting them wander the city, unsupervised?¡±


    Selind side-eyed Luke, her expression uncharacteristically blank. She then glanced to and fro, as if taking in the groups of people that they passed on the street, before turning back to Luke and Gavon. ¡°¡­Well, we can¡¯t watch ¡®em forever,¡± she eventually stated, her voice low. ¡°Gavon, you and Ralak have other jobs here, after all.¡±


    ¡°I could still keep an eye on them, if so desired,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°I have training in trailing, after all.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± Selind shook her head. ¡°Even if I trust you, the fact is, you¡¯re still an outsider. Havin¡¯ you watch a former Bleeder ain¡¯t gonna put many locals at ease. Otherwise, as suspicious as the newcomers are, we just don¡¯t have the numbers to keep eyes on ¡®em at all times.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the numbers to watch two people?¡± Luke questioned incredulously.


    ¡°When you put it that way, of course it sounds dumb,¡± Selind countered, ¡°but think about it. That newcomer with the robes ¡ª the one called Shade? She claimed not to have any Chaotic ability, but what that really means is that she might have any Chaotic ability. If she¡¯s tellin¡¯ the truth, great, but if she ain¡¯t, then we can¡¯t exactly plan around that. There¡¯s too many different kinds of Chaotics. So, instead of watchin¡¯ her and potentially losin¡¯ her, we chose to increase security around the key parts of the city. Easier to watch a building than a person who may or may not be a Chaotic, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that difficult to plan around an unknown Chaotic ability?¡±


    ¡°I can personally attest that it is,¡± Gavon stated. ¡°Depending on the Chaotic, they could teleport, run faster than you can see, turn themselves invisible, or even make you forget that you saw them just by touching you ¡ª and those are just examples. You¡¯d have to be prepared to deal with all of those possibilities, unless you have a CENT generator that you can just carry around, at least. And it¡¯s my understanding that Tresnon doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°We only have a couple of portable CENT field generators, and we have to save those for emergency use,¡± Selind said. ¡°We can¡¯t just bring one out ¡®cause we think someone might be a Chaotic. Those things are pretty big and obvious, anyways, despite being portable. Wouldn¡¯t really help with trust building, which is an important part of a former Bleeder¡¯s first few weeks here. To help them actually reform, we need them to trust us, and the best way to do that is to trust them.¡±


    ¡°So, let me get this straight¡­¡± Luke muttered, ¡°here you have two newcomers that you don¡¯t fully trust, but you still have to pretend to trust them, because if they¡¯re actually being sincere, then distrust will drive them away. Right?¡±


    ¡°Them and others, yeah,¡± Selind affirmed, and then sighed. ¡°¡­Well, today¡¯s gone without a hitch so far, so maybe things¡¯ll be fine. If the Bleeders were gonna make a move on Tresnon, today¡¯s when they would do it, when everyone in the city is distracted by fasting and makin¡¯ food.¡±


    ¡°Or tomorrow, when everyone¡¯s recovering from eating a ton of food,¡± Luke suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s an option, too. We¡¯ll have to see.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime,¡± Gavon spoke up, glancing at Selind before nodding toward a small building down the street. ¡°Selind, you mentioned wanting to drop by the armory before we headed up to the walls, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wanted to see if there were any focusin¡¯ crystals around,¡± she replied. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I changed the crystal in my Lisarin, so I wanted to¡­ ¡­wait.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Luke and Gavon stopped in their tracks and glanced back at Selind, who had stopped just short of them as she stared ahead at the armory. The two men exchanged a wary glance, at which point Gavon turned back to look at the armory while Luke questioned, ¡°is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s no one outside,¡± Selind responded quietly, never once taking her attention off of the building¡¯s door as she grabbed her gun off of her back. ¡°There should be a guard.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡± Luke muttered, turning his own attention back to the lonely armory. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a chance that the guard just got distracted?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always a chance, but it¡¯s best to assume the worst,¡± Gavon commented, and then gestured for Luke and Selind to back up as an orb of golden light momentarily enveloped his body before disappearing. ¡°I¡¯ll take point. Both of you, stay behind me.¡±


    ¡°After you,¡± Luke replied, more than happy to cede the leading position to Gavon. He knew well what the golden light meant, after all: Gavon had just activated energy shielding. Given that the Black Suns officer wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, Luke could only assume that Gavon¡¯s cybernetic prosthetics were equipped with an internal shield generator, making him far and away the most well-protected member of the trio of snipers. The fact that he was a Chaotic was merely icing on the cake.


    Silently ¡ª though with surprising grace, so as to not alert the civilians who lingered on the street ¡ª the trio approached the armory entrance. Luke swapped his rifle case to his left hand and drew his sidearm with his right, while Selind gripped her sniper like a massive club, prepared to use it in close-quarters combat ¡ª the two had little choice, given that the armory had no windows and thus little opportunity for sniping. Gavon, for his part, moved with expert steadiness toward the armory door; as he moved, Luke couldn¡¯t help but notice that Gavon¡¯s rifle case had begun floating in the air behind him, freeing both of his hands for the task ahead.


    A minute passed as a tension-filled eternity before Gavon stopped just a couple meters short of the door. He paused for a moment, his left palm held out toward the building, before pointing at the door with his right hand and then holding up a single finger. Following that was a gesture for Luke and Selind to step to the sides, a suggestion that they both promptly followed. As soon as they were clear of the door, Gavon began to levitate, moving to the side himself¡­ and then, the door slammed open outwards. The piercing shriek of snapping metal joints filled the air for but a second as Gavon used his Gravitatechnism to shatter the door¡¯s hinges and rip the metal door out of the doorway, sending it tumbling down the street ¡ª but none of the three stopped to pay the door any heed. As soon as the doorway was clear, Gavon launched himself toward it, followed quickly by Luke and Selind storming the armory.


    Once inside, Luke¡¯s eyes were met with the sight of a dozen shelves, all of them half-filled with a massive variety of weaponry. Guns and melee weapons of all sorts, with barely any copies to be found, lending the room the sort of chaotic, mix-mash atmosphere that could be expected from a people who had to scavenge for weapons. And amongst that chaotic atmosphere was a body laying on the ground¡­ and a certain woman with short, scruffy brown hair, and age lines adorning her face to give her the appearance of being in her 40s.


    It was Ind.


    For but a brief second, Ind locked eyes with Gavon and Luke, but that moment of acknowledgment was the only moment of inaction. Immediately, Ind ducked under Gavon¡¯s outstretched hand, managing to dodge around him and roll towards the exit. ¡°Chaos¡ª!¡± she began to shout, but Selind quickly lunged toward her and slammed her sniper into Ind¡¯s chest, winding the Chaostechnic. Before she could catch her breath, Gavon pinned her to the ground under a field of altered gravity, and Luke grabbed a cloth off of a nearby shelf to gag Ind with.


    ¡°¡­Damn it,¡± Selind swore, a scowl upon her face as she knelt next to the other body in the room, with her fingers on their neck. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Well, then,¡± Gavon remarked, his left palm outstretched toward Ind as she glared back at him, unable to speak around Luke¡¯s makeshift gag. ¡°That certainly answers a lot of our questions, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I hate it when we¡¯re wrong¡­¡± Selind muttered, standing and turning away from the body to glare at Ind before gesturing toward the armory exit. ¡°But we need to lock her up and report this to the Defense Force and Dav¨ªdrius. Now.¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 101: Contaminated Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 101: Contaminated Blood


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°And here we are¡­¡±


    ¡°So this is where Dean Wrikax lives, huh¡­?¡± Luke commented, trailing behind Selind and Gavon as the trio approached an unassuming single-story stone building. Two closed and curtained windows sandwiched the building¡¯s lone door, which was utterly featureless aside from the doorknob. The entire front face of the building consisted of featureless sandy stone; combined with the fact that it was located on one of the side streets on the outskirts of Tresnon, near the northern part of the wall, the home seemed incredibly unremarkable. It was merely another part of the long stretch of buildings on the block, and even shared walls with the two neighboring structures.


    ¡°It¡¯s at least good to know he isn¡¯t enriching himself off of his position, I suppose,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°The place can¡¯t be more than a hundred square meters.¡±


    ¡°Which isn¡¯t bad for one man,¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah live together,¡± Selind said as the trio approached the front door ¡ª at which point they could hear the muffled sounds of jolly shouting from the back. ¡°¡­And they have guests today, too. Oh well, I¡¯m sure they can help. Oi! Dav¨ªdrius!¡± She began pounding on the front door with her fist, generating a series of loud and heavy thumps. ¡°Open up!¡±


    When the muffled shouts and conversations didn¡¯t cease, Luke and Gavon exchanged a wary glance. Selind, however, patiently waited with her hands on her hips ¡ª and sure enough, a second later the door opened, revealing Kar¨ªsah in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh, Selind!¡± she remarked, her eyes lighting up, and then clouding with confusion as they shifted from Selind to the two men behind her. ¡°And you¡¯ve brought guests¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a holiday, after all!¡± Selind replied with a smirk and a wink. She then peered beyond Kar¨ªsah into the abode behind her, dimly lit with fading afternoon light. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius and his two pals must be here, right¡ª?¡±


    ¡°HEY!!¡± came a loud, slurred female voice from somewhere in the back, startling the group still standing at the front door. ¡°Restart, restart! I was¡¯n ready!¡±


    ¡°I gave you a whole ten seconds to setup your ice!¡± replied a male voice with similar volume. ¡°But if you wanna try again, be my guest!¡±


    Kar¨ªsah released an exhausted sigh in response to the shouts, and turned her attention back to Selind. ¡°Yeah¡­ they¡¯re here, alright.¡±


    ¡°More former members of Hero Machina, eh?¡± Gavon remarked, ¡°I look forward to actually getting to meet them.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first to¡¯ve said that tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well look here!¡± Selind exclaimed with a grin as Relia stepped into view, standing just behind Kar¨ªsah. ¡°If it isn¡¯t my most wonderful daughter in the whole universe!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your only daughter,¡± Relia deadpanned.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change how much I love you! C¡¯mere!¡± Selind pushed past Kar¨ªsah and attempted to wrap her arms around Relia, only for the latter to mutter ¡°Chaos Teleport¡± and suddenly appear on the far side of the small entryway. With a pout, Selind turned toward her daughter. ¡°¡­And there¡¯s that ungratefulness I¡¯m so used to. C¡¯mon, Relia! We haven¡¯t had a meaningful conversation in months! And then you don¡¯t even come home, instead you choose to stay with Kar¨ªsah? After all that, the least you could do is give your dear mother a hug!¡±


    ¡°Only if you promise not to complain when I leave again.¡±


    ¡°¡­What about complainin¡¯ before you leave again?¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, relax. I¡¯m jokin¡¯. I¡¯ve long resigned myself to the fact that you refuse to stay in one place for long,¡± Selind said, and then released a long, drawn-out sigh. ¡°¡­Well, at least you look healthy. And so grown up!¡±


    Relia simply rolled her eyes in response.


    ¡°A-anyways¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah spoke up, turning her attention back to Selind, Luke, and Gavon. ¡°Selind, you¡¯re no surprise, but, uh¡­ I didn¡¯t really expect to see either of you, here.¡±


    ¡°True, you¡¯re a model student ¡ª the last to need a home visit,¡± Gavon remarked with a cheeky smirk. ¡°You have some of the best scores in my marksmanship class. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re one of the Elite Six.¡±


    Kar¨ªsah laughed uneasily. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°More to the point,¡± Luke interjected, ¡°if greetings are out of the way, we need to speak with¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯re y¡¯all doin¡¯ here?¡±


    The group all turned toward the back of the short entryway, where Dav¨ªdrius had appeared. His stern gaze was focused on Luke and Gavon, his arms crossed in displeasure.


    ¡°Ah, Dean Wrikax!¡± Gavon offered a casual wave. ¡°A good evening to you!¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head in disbelief before gesturing inward. ¡°You¡¯re with Selind, so I¡¯ll overlook it for now. But pick a damn side of the door to stand on and close it, already, you cool-air-wastin¡¯ motherfuckers!¡±


    ¡°Uh, sorry,¡± Luke reflexively apologized as both he and Gavon finally entered the home, with Kar¨ªsah closing the door behind them. Now inside, Luke could more easily discern the home¡¯s layout; a small entryway with an adjacent closet opened up into a living room, furnished with a simple table and a couple of stiff-looking couches. A couple of small landscape pictures adorned the otherwise bare stone walls, and a handful of small rugs covered the surprisingly cool stone flooring.


    The group quickly filtered into the living room, revealing a third couch that was occupied by a man and a woman, both appearing to be in their late 30s, with the woman crafting a stack of giant ice blocks on the table. Both stopped what they were doing and looked up at the newcomers, at which point the man took a massive swig out of his beer mug and then casually waved. ¡°¡¯Sup?¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Christean¨¦ Kolst¨¦n, I take it?¡± He then shifted his attention to the woman, offering her a polite nod in greeting. ¡°And Rebehka Tchir¨¦on.¡±


    ¡°You know us?¡± Rebehka questioned, her words holding a drunken tilt.


    ¡°Aahhh, of course they know us! Everyone knows us!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked with a self-satisfied grin and the same drunken slur as Rebehka. He then pounded the table in front of him. ¡°C¡¯mon! Have a seat, get a drink!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯? Stop pullin¡¯ people into your drinkin¡¯ in my home,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected.


    ¡°Ah, ah, see, that attitude, buddy. That attitude is why you¡¯re still single.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s pretending to be drunk.¡±


    ¡°Just ¡®cause my Forcetechnic durability also applies to alcohol doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t have fun playin¡¯ around every once in a while!¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! Something you and Dav¨ªdrius can¡¯t do, ha!¡± Rebehka giggled, her face flushed. ¡°Only I can enjoy gettin¡¯ drunk, ha!¡±


    ¡°Why do I even put up with the two of you¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. He then glanced at Kar¨ªsah and Relia as they disappeared into the kitchen, before turning his attention back to Selind, Luke, and Gavon. ¡°And now I got even more guests to deal with¡­ well, dinner¡¯s soon, I guess, so¡ª¡°


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius, we need to talk,¡± Selind declared, her expression turning serious. ¡°We have a Bleeder problem.¡±


    The Dean froze, with even Rebehka and Christean¨¦ coming to focus on Selind with a level of lucidity that hadn¡¯t seemed possible a moment prior. After a second, an irritated scowl crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face. ¡°¡­What kind of problem?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°We encountered one of the newcomers, Ind, rooting around in an armory,¡± Gavon explained. ¡°She had killed the guard to gain entry. When we caught her, it looked like she was looking for something.¡±


    ¡°I had Luke and Gavon here lock her up in the jail,¡± Selind said. ¡°I took a quick look at the armory, and it didn¡¯t look like anythin¡¯ was tampered with¡­ still, she killed a guard to get in.¡±


    ¡°And tried to attack us when we confronted her,¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°¡­Damn it¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius released a frustrated sigh. ¡°Just our fuckin¡¯ luck¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see this coming¡­?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned, re-entering the living room alongside Relia after overhearing the conversational turn. ¡°You told me to look out for them a couple days ago¡­¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Luke spoke up, his attention focused on Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°If you distrusted those former Bleeders this much, then why even let them into the city?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d undermine the reformation program,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°The whole thing works on trust ¡ª faked trust, to be honest. There ain¡¯t many former Bleeders that I trusted right out the gate, but you get pretty far by fakin¡¯ it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a ridiculously cynical opinion, but I guess it¡¯s to be expected from you,¡± Rebehka remarked.


    ¡°As I outlined earlier today, we were prepared for some kind of underhandedness,¡± Selind said, glancing toward Luke. ¡°We just¡­ didn¡¯t expect any move from the Bleeders to be so blatant. Or to catch a Defense Force member by surprise¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you we shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve let any Bleeders in,¡± Relia declared, her arms crossed as she eyed her mother with frustration.


    ¡°And I told you that wasn¡¯t an option,¡± Selind snapped back. ¡°We¡¯ve never suspended the reformation program during Hunger¡¯s Bane, before. Why do so now?¡±


    ¡°Aside from the fact that the Bleeders are more of a threat than ever? You should¡¯ve expected some of ¡®em to try and take advantage of Tresnon¡¯s naivety.¡±


    ¡°You know well enough that the reformation program isn¡¯t naive ¡ª one failure doesn¡¯t mean the whole thing doesn¡¯t work!¡±


    ¡°We expected foul play, anyways,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted, cutting in to break up the argument. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that somethin¡¯ was up from the very start. Hunger¡¯s Bane is usually the time of year when we get the most former Bleeders signin¡¯ up for the reformation program, but this year, we literally got only two: Ind and Shade. Selind and I figured they were up to somethin¡¯ all along, which is why there¡¯s guards posted up everywhere. Though I¡¯ll admit, the fact that their tips paid off lowered my guard a li¡¯l¡­ and I didn¡¯t expect Ind to overpower a Defense Force member so easily¡­¡±


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    ¡°It isn¡¯t uncommon for an organization to fake ¡®selling out¡¯ some of their own, in order to increase the credibility of the agent they¡¯re trying to plant,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it dozens of times in my work with the Black Suns. In fact, if you can convince your mark to non-lethally capture your bait, then you can plant even more agents through the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°Well that sounds familiar,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked as he eyed Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you captured the Bleeders at those two outposts for later interrogation?¡±


    The scowl on Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face deepened even further. ¡°I did¡­¡±


    ¡°That would take a lot of plannin¡¯ and organization on the Bleeders¡¯ part, though¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered. ¡°That isn¡¯t usually how they do things.¡±


    ¡°Not usually, no, but they¡¯ve been up to somethin¡¯ for months, now,¡± Relia said. ¡°Remember Goresan?¡±


    ¡°The raid that happened so quickly and quietly, Tresnon didn¡¯t hear of it until it was already over¡­¡± Selind commented with a frown. ¡°Just what the hell are the Bleeders up to¡­?¡±


    ¡°I hate bein¡¯ in the dark like this¡­ but at least we got a leg up, now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. He paused for a moment, scratching his chin in thought, before glancing up at Selind. ¡°How many people know about Ind¡¯s arrest?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t make an announcement about it, but¡­¡± Selind¡¯s attention shifted to Luke and Gavon, as if asking them to comment.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only so much you can do to hide an arrest when you have to march the perp down the street to jail,¡± Gavon stated with a shrug. ¡°How many people know depends entirely on how quickly rumors spread in this town.¡±


    ¡°Most Tres¨¦dians keep to themselves,¡± Relia said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure arrests aren¡¯t that uncommon during a holiday like this, anyways,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out. ¡°Drunkenness on the streets, people making fools of themselves, all that¡­ I bet people just thought the arrest was along those lines.¡±


    ¡°Bet you know all about making a fool of yourself, huh?¡± Rebehka taunted.


    ¡°Still, we have to be careful,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Arrests ain¡¯t common around here, so word might still spread. And if Shade hears about Ind¡¯s arrest, then who knows what she¡¯ll do. We need to find her before then.¡± He then looked around at everyone in the room. ¡°Anyone know where she is?¡±


    ¡°The last I heard, she was helping Mark and Danielle with their dinner prep, back at the dorms,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°Mark and Danielle¡­ Mark and Danielle¡­¡± Rebehka muttered to herself, and then looked up at Luke. ¡°I¡¯ve met Mark, haven¡¯t I? Big guy, broad shoulders, tan skin?¡±


    Luke nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why, is something wrong¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really know why, but something about him struck me as kinda weird when we first met¡­ like, as a Chaotic,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°I can¡¯t really explain. But if this ¡®Shade¡¯ person is a plant, then maybe she¡¯s trying to, I don¡¯t know¡­ what am I saying?¡±


    ¡°This is why I don¡¯t drink,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give us that, you never warned us that shit could get real the night of the holiday,¡± Christean¨¦ countered, and then turned back toward Luke. ¡°Still, Mark and Danielle are part of SERRCom¡¯s Eximius Vir, right? I¡¯ve actually heard about them, and their high level of power. It might not be a coincidence that a former Bleeder is spending time with them.¡±


    ¡°How would a former Bleeder know about soldiers from Earth, though?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned.


    ¡°Yeah, most people here can¡¯t even speak with us, since¡­ wait¡­¡± Luke trailed off, distressed realization quickly crossing his face as he snapped his attention to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Hold on. The Bleeders. They don¡¯t usually have translation implants, do they?¡±


    ¡°Considerin¡¯ how damn expensive those implants are? And the kinda equipment and knowledge you need to install ¡®em? No, they don¡¯t,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Why are you¡­? Wait, are you sayin¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If the Bleeders aren¡¯t supposed to be able to understand us Earthians, then how is Shade working with Mark and Danielle?¡±


    A moment of stunned silence fell over the group, with everyone¡¯s gazes lingering at first on Luke before shifting to exchange concerned glances.


    ¡°¡­Maybe they have someone with them, acting as a translator?¡± Kar¨ªsah suggested.


    ¡°No¡­ no, now that I think about it¡­¡± Luke passed a glanced toward Gavon. ¡°Remember when you and Ind ran into my team a couple days back? It didn¡¯t occur to me at the time, but Ind once directly responded to something that Hackett said.¡±


    ¡°Did she? Shit¡­¡± Gavon scowled. ¡°I must¡¯ve been too focused on trying to rein in her behavior to notice¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t from Tres¨¦d, either. Why didn¡¯t you think anything was off when she could understand you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Tres¨¦dian, but I am Nimalian. For better or for worse, all of Nimalia speaks the same language: Akian.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been the case for hundreds of years, now,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°Some regions still teach their local language in school, but once both Nimaliaka and Tekdec¨¦ adopted Akian as their official language, it forced everything else into irrelevancy.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ I can¡¯t fuckin¡¯ believe we didn¡¯t catch this¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Ind and Shade have fuckin¡¯ translation implants? How the hell¡­? Are they even Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°More to the point,¡± Selind interjected, ¡°if they have those implants, then it either means that the Bleeders are way more organized than we expected, and likely backed by some bigger organization ¡ª or it means that someone is tryin¡¯ to pretend to be Bleeders. Either way, we¡¯ve severely underestimated them.¡±


    ¡°No shit¡­ damn it.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah stepped over to place a reassuring hand on the Dean¡¯s shoulder, but he didn¡¯t so much as look at her, his brow furrowed and his hand on his chin. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t blame yourself so hard. Taking in former Bleeders has always worked out before, right?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ well, usually, but still,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied with a scowl. ¡°This was the first damn time I ignored my gut when sizin¡¯ up ¡®former¡¯ Bleeders. I thought I was just bein¡¯ too paranoid, with everythin¡¯ that¡¯s been goin¡¯ on recently, but¡­ shit. Now it¡¯s gone and bit me in the ass.¡± He then looked up, brushing Kar¨ªsah¡¯s hand off before addressing Selind. ¡°We need to find Shade, now. Take a group, and a CENT field generator. Never know what she might be hidin¡¯ from us.¡±


    ¡°I think there¡¯s another issue that needs addressing, as well,¡± Gavon commented. ¡°When Ind and Shade first petitioned to join, there was one person with us who decided to vouch for them.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Who, Ralak¡­?¡± Selind questioned, only to turn and give Gavon a reproachful glare. ¡°Ralak¡¯s been with us for years! You can¡¯t seriously be suggestin¡¯ that she¡¯s turned on us, can you?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility we have to consider,¡± Gavon insisted. ¡°Granted, by the same logic, you should be wary of me, as well, since I vouched for Ind and Shade after Ralak. Following that line of thought, I¡¯ll recuse myself from any investigations, and answer any questions you might have¡­ but you need to think about what to do with Ralak. In the very least, I¡¯d advise against telling her about what¡¯s happening right now. She is, after all, a former Bleeder.¡±


    ¡°So? Half this city is former Bleeders!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard Ralak has worked to help the students at WCU? She can¡¯t still be with the Bleeders, I just don¡¯t believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°She don¡¯t have to be with them to be sympathetic,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°Or more likely to listen to former Bleeders than other folks¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you really think she¡¯s that easy to manipulate?¡± Selind countered. ¡°That woman¡¯s got a more solid head on her shoulders than any of us. Besides that, when it comes to immobilizin¡¯ people ¡ª especially Chaotics ¡ª she¡¯s one of the best Tresnon¡¯s got. You really gonna leave her out of this?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Selind an uneasy glance, but offered no words in response.


    ¡°Look, whatever we¡¯re doing, we can¡¯t afford to just stand around, here,¡± Luke insisted. ¡°We know that there¡¯s a security breach, now. What are we doing about it?¡±


    ¡°Man¡¯s got a point,¡± Christean¨¦ said, and then turned to look at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°This is your home. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius looked back at Christean¨¦, his lips pursed, and then shifted his attention back to Selind, Luke, and Gavon. After a moment of thought, he glanced away, but began to speak. ¡°¡­Selind, as I said earlier: get a CENT field generator, pull three people from the Defense Force, and arrest Shade. And¡­¡± He paused for a second to take a deep breath. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t alert Ralak.¡±


    Selind¡¯s expression stiffened, but she quickly replaced it with a forced smile. ¡°Alright, if you say so, Dean.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance that Shade might evade your arrest attempt,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out, standing up from the couch and prompting Rebehka to do the same. He nodded toward Dav¨ªdrius, saying, ¡°the fact that this ¡®Ind¡¯ person acted today means something bigger might be coming, too. We should be on the look-out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go alert my team, as well,¡± Luke added. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready for anything.¡±


    ¡°I can help keep a look-out, too,¡± Relia declared. ¡°Kar¨ªsah as well. Right?¡±


    ¡°Right, of course!¡± Kar¨ªsah affirmed.


    ¡°Well we still need to be subtle about it, don¡¯t go tellin¡¯ the whole damn Compound that we¡¯re on a manhunt,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted, already pushing past the group to approach the front door. ¡°¡­But you¡¯re all right. What¡¯s important is that we nab Shade before anythin¡¯ goes down. The last thing I want is for the Bleeders to ruin fuckin¡¯ Hunger¡¯s Bane, after all, so let¡¯s get goin¡¯!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Oh, hmm¡­ I must say, that does smell good.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?!¡± Danielle exclaimed, excitedly glancing between Shade and Mark as the latter pulled three pans filled with roasted turkeys out of the oven. The beautifully tanned turkeys glistened in the kitchen light, and their well-seasoned aroma filled the room and the connected hallways with a pleasant, mouth-watering scent. Shade and Danielle both eagerly eyed the pans as Mark deposited them on the countertop and set about preparing for the final stages of the cooking process.


    ¡°Ooooh, I can¡¯t wait ¡®til dinner¡­¡± Danielle remarked, inching closer and closer to the sitting meat, her hand steadily stretching toward them ¡ª until Mark lightly rapped her on the wrist.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t done yet,¡± he admonished. ¡°Once dinner starts, then you can have your share. Until then, don¡¯t touch.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of touching,¡± Shade commented, finally shifting her attention away from turkeys to focus on Mark. ¡°You grabbed those pans with your bare hands when you took them out of the oven. Doesn¡¯t that hurt?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a Duratechnic. The heat of the pans is nothing to me,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°Sure must be convenient to not have to worry about oven mitts and all that, though!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ¡°It certainly is useful, I must admit. Anyways¡­¡± Mark took a moment to wash his hands in the kitchen sink before grabbing some aluminum foil that Danielle had created for him earlier in the day, and beginning the process of wrapping each of the turkeys. ¡°It¡¯s sunset now, so dinner should be soon. I believe they¡¯re setting up a bunch of tables in the courtyard, right?¡± He then nodded toward the kitchen table, where a handful of pans of completed stuffing were sitting. ¡°Danielle, Shade, can the two of you start taking those out?¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Danielle remarked, readily grabbing two of the pans, one in each hand.


    Shade, however, began to draw away. ¡°Oh, I would rather not intrude,¡± she commented, ¡°I¡¯m not a student here, after all. And I¡¯m a former Bleeder, at that. I¡¯ve a feeling my presence on this campus wouldn¡¯t be tolerated by many of the students¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, we aren¡¯t students here, either!¡± Danielle replied.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first former Bleeder in Tresnon, anyways,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. Massive dinners like these should always be celebrated with a group!¡±


    A smirk crossed Shade¡¯s visible lower face, accompanied by a slight chuckle. ¡°With a group, you say? Is that why the two of you have been cooking here all by yourselves, today?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we had help!¡± Danielle refuted. ¡°Sky, Twy, and Pierce all helped manage the other kitchens! And their friends, too!¡±


    ¡°And you helped us here,¡± Mark stated, turning to pass Shade a welcoming smile. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about having ¡®earned¡¯ your place here, then I think that worry is unfounded. In the very least, you¡¯ve made some steps in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°You really are amiable people, aren¡¯t you?¡± Shade remarked. ¡°I will say that I enjoyed this opportunity to learn about Earthian cuisine ¡ª you don¡¯t get many chances to do this. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Tres¨¦dians think to stuff seasonings inside of a dead bird, after all! But let me put my reluctance to help another way ¡ª I was just being polite. The reality is that I already have plans tonight, so I¡¯m not available anyways.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the real reason.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can at least help carry some of this stuff out, right?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t want to be such a bother,¡± Shade commented with a playful grin, already backing out of the kitchen. ¡°This food is so foreign to me, after all. I hardly know how to handle it. Best to leave it in your capable hands!¡±


    ¡°What? But it¡¯s just pans¡­¡±


    ¡°Apologies, but I really must be going now. Bye!¡± Shade offered a curt wave before disappearing into the connecting hallway.


    Upon watching her leave, Mark simply sighed and shook his head in resignation. ¡°Of course. Once the food is done and all that¡¯s left is the hauling and clean-up, people suddenly no longer want to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Kinda reminds you of Kate, huh?¡± Danielle remarked as she stepped over to the kitchen table and shapeshifted another pair of arms out of her torso to grab the remaining pans of stuffing. ¡°Anyways, I can carry all of this on my own. It¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Be careful with that,¡± Mark warned, passing a glance toward the four filled pans that Danielle was holding in her four hands. ¡°That¡¯s a day and a half of work, right there¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m a master of balance! This is nothing!¡± Danielle exclaimed, hurrying out of the kitchen as she did. ¡°Woo! Let¡¯s finally get this dinner started!¡­¡±


    Mark sighed again in response to Danielle¡¯s enthusiastic departure, but he couldn¡¯t help but smile to himself all the same. Following that, he returned his attention to wrapping the turkeys, putting all of his focus into making Hunger¡¯s Bane a success.

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 102: The Bane of Feasts

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 102: The Bane of Feasts


    ¡°Night shift again, huh?¡±


    ¡°Someone has to. Only way to keep the whole place safe.¡±


    ¡°True. Guess this is an important job. Still, kinda sad I¡¯m missin¡¯ out on dinner.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. Folks can¡¯t enjoy dinner without power, you know, and we¡¯re the ones makin¡¯ sure the power stays on. Just think of it like givin¡¯ back to Tresnon, for all they¡¯ve done for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± A young man with tanned skin and short dark hair, dressed in desert robes and carrying a small gun, sighed in resignation. He briefly glanced at his conversational partner ¡ª a slightly older woman, with dark skin and no hair, but otherwise dressed the same ¡ª before looking left and right down the hallway they were standing in. Underground as they were, neither sunlight nor moonlight, nor any of the sights or sounds of Compound Tresnon above could reach them. All that could be heard was the steady electrical hum of the massive electrical generator sitting in the room behind them as it provided power to the entire city. The two young individuals stood guard in front of the generator room¡¯s only entrance, bearing their responsibility as members of Tresnon¡¯s Defense Force.


    ¡°That said¡­¡± The woman glanced to and fro as well, attempting to peer down the dim hallway in either direction ¡ª only to see nothing but more hallway. ¡°What¡¯s takin¡¯ Nirka so long? He¡¯s supposed to¡¯ve brought us a CENT generator, by now¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably snuck out to join the feast,¡± the man replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Nirka¡¯s got way more sense than you. An order like this comin¡¯ down from Selind ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ to take lightly, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ wonder what brought that on. You think it¡¯s those two newcomers?¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t any other thing I can think of. Hope it ain¡¯t, though. Those of us who¡¯ve left the Bleeders¡­¡± The woman released a wary sigh as she continued sweeping her gaze across the empty hallways. ¡°We gotta stick together. Just one of us actin¡¯ up can fuck things up for the rest of us. Last thing I want is some ungrateful bastards fuckin¡¯ up all the goodwill we¡¯ve built with the folks of this town.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure, sure,¡± the man responded with a dismissive shrug. ¡°But even if those newcomers did act up, only one of ¡®em¡¯s a Chaotic, right? Both of us are, too, so it ain¡¯t like we¡¯d need a CENT generator to help.¡±


    ¡°My, my, I simply can¡¯t keep quiet in the face of such delicious irony.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Both guards snapped to attention, caught off-guard by the third voice that had suddenly joined their conversation. The man quickly crafted a set of ice armor around his body while the woman began to sweep the hallways with her gun, but no one aside from the two of them could be seen. ¡°¡­Whoever you are,¡± the woman shouted, ¡°show yourself¡ª!¡±


    Instantly and with no warning, the woman¡¯s head snapped sideways, eliciting a nauseating crack that echoed down the hallway. As her newly lifeless body slumped to the ground, the man jumped away, his eyes wide with panic as he began to lift his hand toward his colleague ¡ª only to meet the same fate within seconds.


    The silence that followed was eerily deafening, but didn¡¯t last for long. As if manipulated by an unseen force, the woman¡¯s necklace suddenly snapped off of her neck and flew through the air toward the nearby door. It lingered near a small scanner for a second, after which the scanner emitted a soft beep, followed by the metal clunking sound of the door¡¯s lock being released. Promptly, the door opened on its own¡­ and then the two dead bodies began dragging across the floor, grasped by some invisible entity that sought to hide them.


    Once both bodies were through the door, it closed behind them. Another brief moment of silence followed, accompanied only by the low hum of the massive, two-story tall electrical generator that filled the gymnasium-sized underground space. Thin streaks of rust, scuffs, and other signs of aging and disrepair covered both the generator itself and the walls that housed it, but the generator carried on nonetheless, supplying power to every building within the walls of Compound Tresnon.


    Eventually, the sound of footsteps echoed through the air, as if the person creating them was no longer concerned with hiding their presence. The footsteps followed a metal grating on the ground that constituted a makeshift path up to a series of panels on the side of the generator. Once the footsteps stopped, another moment of silence passed¡­ followed by a certain, heavily-robed figure with an oversized hood that obscured the top half of her face suddenly appearing as if out of thin air.


    ¡°I knew accessing the generator would be easy, but this was too easy,¡± she remarked to no one in particular, a smirk playing on her face as she eyed the two corpses by the door. ¡°My¡­ for being the ¡®shining beacon¡¯ of Tres¨¦d¡¯s future, Tresnon and its leaders leave much to be desired.¡± She shook her head in disappointment before shifting her attention to the panels on the generator, at which point she held her left palm up to the panels. ¡°Now, after a most boring couple of days, let¡¯s make things interesting, shall we¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Alright¡­ there we go. All set!¡±


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Conrad stepped back, taking a deep breath as he looked down at the pans of stuffing he had just placed on the table. ¡°Well, that only took forever¡­¡±


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d still be complaining even after we finish cooking,¡± Pierce retorted, playfully punching Conrad in the shoulder before gesturing out over their surroundings. ¡°But just look, dude! This is what you were looking forward to, right?¡±


    Conrad and Pierce looked out over the courtyard of WCU, draped in lantern light to dispel the evening darkness. Long, rectangular tables were laid out side-by-side, creating four long columns with enough seats and stools to seat the 300 some-odd students of WCU, along with the staff, faculty, and guests. The only other decorations on the otherwise dusty campus grounds were the massive swaths of food that now decked out the tables ¡ª tables that only continued to acquire more and more food as students and faculty alike brought their dishes in preparation for the night¡¯s dinner. Leafy salads sat next to sizzling fish meat, accompanied by seasoned breads and thick soups; no two dishes looked quite the same, making evident the potluck nature of the meal ¡ª affirmed even further as students and faculty alike slowly began to fill the courtyard and talk amongst themselves, awaiting the proper start of dinner to take seats. Even turkeys and stuffing, the dishes that the Keys had spent most of their time helping Mark to make in large quantities, appeared on virtually every table. And yet, despite their Earthian origins, they didn¡¯t appear to be out of place next to the surprising variety of Tres¨¦dian cuisine.


    Conrad sniffed the air, taking in the medley range of smells as he slowly surveyed the courtyard, taking in every dish in sight. Upon noticing this, Pierce snorted in amusement and remarked, ¡°careful, dude, or you¡¯ll start drooling all over yourself.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª?¡± Conrad absentmindedly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, but upon realizing that his hand remained dry, he shot Pierce an annoyed look. ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon. I¡¯m just looking forward to dinner, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°That was abundantly obvious from this morning.¡±


    Pierce and Conrad glanced to the side, where Phoenix and Kestrel were approaching after having deposited a couple of turkeys on the dinner tables. As the two women stopped next to Pierce and Conrad, the latter adopted a sheepish expression. ¡°I wasn¡¯t that into it¡­¡± he insisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you asked ¡®when¡¯s dinner?¡¯ literally a dozen times,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°Fifteen,¡± Kestrel corrected.


    ¡°¡­Well, I had to distract myself somehow,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Cooking isn¡¯t exactly the most exciting thing¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even do any of the actual cooking! That was all me and Phoenix,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Maybe if you had actually given more than a token effort, you wouldn¡¯t have been so bored.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Pierce, this is Conrad we¡¯re talking about,¡± Phoenix remarked as she passed Conrad a teasing look. ¡°I¡¯m sure he needed that nap to prepare for the exhausting trial of partaking in a feast.¡±


    ¡°Hey, my midday nap is an established habit,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°Still,¡± Pierce said, ¡°for someone who likes food so much, you really ought to put more effort into learning how to make it.¡±


    ¡°¡¯More effort¡¯? Blegh,¡± Conrad scoffed. ¡°Wish I could just summon food out of thin air. Isn¡¯t that what Minilas does? That must be nice.¡±


    ¡°It can be.¡±


    The four Earthians glanced off to the side, where Minilas, Liask, and Obra were standing not too far away. Minilas offered a casual wave, a half-eaten sandwich in hand, while Liask and Obra both seemed to only just notice Pierce ¡ª with the former breaking into a grin, while the latter¡¯s expression collapsed into a scowl. Promptly, Liask approached, with Minilas and Obra not too far behind.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Pierce! And Conrad!¡± Liask remarked, stopping next to Phoenix and Kestrel, who stepped aside to open the conversational circle. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there!¡±


    ¡°Here to eat dinner with everyone?¡± Minilas questioned, her voice as flat as ever.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°We even helped out with some of the food.¡±


    ¡°Glad to know you ain¡¯t freeloaders,¡± Obra muttered.


    Phoenix shot Obra an incredulous glance before turning toward Liask and Minilas. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve properly met,¡± she said, ¡°the name¡¯s Phoenix. And this here is Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, you¡¯re Pierce¡¯s friends!¡± Liask replied cheerfully. ¡°I¡¯m Liask. And this is Minilas and Obra.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you around campus,¡± Minilas commented, her mouth slowly turning up into a self-amused smile. ¡°Heard plenty about you, too.¡±


    ¡°Heard?¡­¡± Phoenix echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t listen to her¡­¡± Pierce let out a deep, weary exhale before turning back to Liask. ¡°So this is Hunger¡¯s Bane, huh? Is it always like this?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Liask replied, turning to look out over the food-filled tables in the courtyard. ¡°A big meal, where everyone pitches in¡­ Tresnon has done this for as long as I can remember. One of the only holidays worth lookin¡¯ forward to, I think.¡±


    ¡°Tresnon¡¯s lucky, that it can afford to have Hunger¡¯s Bane be this big thing,¡± Obra declared. ¡°Most Tres¨¦dians ain¡¯t so lucky.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so this really is something only Tresnon does?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°I figured as much¡­¡±


    ¡°Tresnon at least supports the other Compounds in the region, so they can take part, too,¡± Liask quickly pointed out. ¡°But¡­ Obra¡¯s right. The places Tresnon can¡¯t reach are worse off.¡±


    ¡°And some places just don¡¯t care for the holiday,¡± Minilas commented. ¡°Like Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Rokres?¡± Pierce echoed, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Figures you don¡¯t know anythin¡¯ about Tres¨¦d,¡± Obra muttered.


    ¡°Oh, give ¡®em a break, they ain¡¯t from here, after all,¡± Liask chided, and then turned toward Pierce. ¡°Rokres is the only real ¡®nation¡¯ in Tres¨¦d. They¡¯re down south, on the Rokres peninsula. They tend to keep to themselves¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Minilas said, speaking around a mouthful of her sandwich. A moment later, she swallowed, and continued, ¡°it¡¯s pretty boring, really. They ain¡¯t much different from Tresnon¡¯s network of Compounds, but somehow even more stiff and unfriendly.¡±


    ¡°I heard that they have actual, real farmland down there,¡± Liask refuted. ¡°And a denser network of cities, and a higher-tech defense force¡­¡±


    ¡°Meh.¡± Minilas shrugged before stuffing the rest of her sandwich into her mouth. ¡°Not as good as it seems.¡±


    ¡°You say this like you¡¯ve personally been there,¡± Pierce said.


    ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯m from Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s interesting,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°What¡¯s it like, there?¡±


    ¡°Strict. Traditionalist. Very martial. And they hate outsiders,¡± Minilas replied. ¡°Weather¡¯s nice, though. Near the mountains, at least.¡±


    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t undersell good weather,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°It certainly isn¡¯t the best around here¡­¡± Phoenix commented with a sigh. ¡°And it¡¯s only going to get hotter, now, too¡­¡±


    ¡°The fact that you aren¡¯t there now suggests the weather wasn¡¯t enough to keep you, though, huh?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°Why¡¯d you leave?¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Pierce noticed Liask and Obra exchange an uneasy glance. Just as he realized that his question might¡¯ve been insensitive ¡ª especially to a Tres¨¦dian, who didn¡¯t seem to have the luxury of choosing where to live on a whim ¡ª Minilas broke into a bitter smile.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t choose,¡± she said. ¡°I got kidnapped. By Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Pierce replied, himself wearing an uneasy smile as he tried to figure out how to respond.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be ¡®kidnapped¡¯ now, though¡­¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Is there a reason you can¡¯t go back?¡±


    A bitter chuckle escaped Minilas¡¯s lips. ¡°I got kidnapped. Captured. To Rokres, that means I¡¯m useless. Dead weight. They wouldn¡¯t want me back.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Not like I want to go back, anyways. Tresnon is better, weather aside.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tresnon and Rokres aren¡¯t really on good terms, anyways,¡± Liask explained. ¡°The Tresnon Defense Force saved Minilas, as well as other Rokres citizens that were kidnapped by Bleeders¡­ but every time the Defense Force tries to help people go back, Rokres rejects them. So I hear, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ assholes,¡± Obra swore. ¡°They think we¡¯re the outsiders? Tch.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Pierce responded, momentarily glancing at each of Conrad, Phoenix, and Kestrel ¡ª who returned the look uneasily. ¡°So¡­ Bleeders, huh¡­?¡± Pierce commented, shifting his attention back to Minilas. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry if I brought up any bad memories.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can deal with it,¡± Minilas replied airily.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Ah, Pierce! Phoenix! There you are!¡±


    The group turned to look out across the courtyard, where Mark and Danielle were now approaching from around the tables. Mark offered a casual wave of greeting while Danielle skipped up beside him.


    ¡°It looks like everything turned out well,¡± Mark commented, smiling proudly at Pierce and Phoenix. ¡°Good work, everyone! I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make enough servings without all of your help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Pierce replied, relieved at Mark¡¯s unwitting conversational rescue.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how you made so many of those, uh¡­ birds?¡± Liask questioned, glancing toward one of the turkeys before looking back to Mark and Pierce. ¡°Those are birds, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re called Turkeys. They¡¯re from Earth,¡± Mark answered.


    ¡°I can still barely believe that you brought nine of them,¡± Phoenix remarked while shaking her head. ¡°What were you expecting?¡±


    Mark laughed sheepishly. ¡°I may have gotten a little carried away after deciding to help out with the Hunger¡¯s Bane cooking¡­¡±


    ¡°It worked out in the end, though!¡± Danielle exclaimed, ¡°now, even more people are going to get to taste your cooking!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I prepped a lot of it, sure,¡± Mark said. ¡°But ultimately, I only actually cooked a third of everything. It¡¯s Pierce, Phoenix, Sky, and Twy who I have to thank for taking care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± Phoenix countered, ¡°this is the first time I¡¯ve ever handled stuffing. If not for your help and instructions, they would¡¯ve turned out terribly.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I could¡¯ve made up the difference,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Turkeys and ¡®stuffing¡¯, huh?¡± Minilas commented. ¡°So this is what Earth food looks like, then.¡±


    ¡°Some Earth food,¡± Conrad quickly interjected. ¡°This is barely even a peek into all of the foods you can find on Earth.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t often see roast turkey and stuffing outside of a specific holiday, anyways,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°¡­A holiday not too unlike Hunger¡¯s Bane, actually.¡±


    Mark nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. I figured that Thanksgiving and Hunger¡¯s Bane were similar enough that I¡¯d try some Thanksgiving staples.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope they taste as good as they look!¡± Liask remarked.


    ¡°They¡¯ll taste even better. Trust me!¡± Danielle replied.


    ¡°Ours will, at least,¡± Pierce commented, and then snuck a glance to the side as he smirked. ¡°The dweeb¡¯s, though¡­¡±


    Phoenix, Mark, and soon the rest of the group followed Pierce¡¯s gaze to Spike and Sky, who were bringing out their own dishes and setting them down on tables across the courtyard. Austin and Twy trailed behind them, with Austin attempting to carry what was clearly too much for him to handle while Twy attempted to keep some of the pans from falling out of his hands with floating bubbles of water.


    ¡°Ah, there they are,¡± Mark said. ¡°I was beginning to wonder if I¡¯d need to go check on them¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­You might still have to,¡± Phoenix deadpanned as she watched Austin stumble to the side and nearly drop a pan of stuffing, rescued only by Twy¡¯s attentive water manipulation.


    ¡°Why¡¯s Austin stumbling around so much?¡± Conrad questioned, ¡°he never seemed that clumsy, before.¡±


    ¡°Heh. You can¡¯t see it?¡± Pierce replied with a snort. ¡°He got these huge muscles, today, just out of nowhere. It looks hella ridiculous, and it¡¯s clearly throwing him off. How the hell he thought taking a shortcut to massive gains would be a good idea is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that like you wouldn¡¯t take a shortcut if you could, yourself,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Please,¡± Pierce retorted as he flexed his right arm. ¡°This physique of mine comes entirely from hard training and practice. No shortcuts here!¡±


    ¡°¡­Austin, huh?¡± Liask commented, her eyes still lingering on him for a few moments before she turned back to the group. ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen him around the campus, too, but he looked a lot lankier, before. He¡¯s with y¡¯all, right? How¡¯d he get those muscles so fast?¡±


    ¡°I can only think of one answer¡­ he¡¯s a Simulator Psychotechnic, so he must have simulated Danielle¡¯s Transtechnism,¡± Mark replied with a sigh, and then glanced down at Danielle. ¡°Didn¡¯t Saito tell you to not let Austin do that?¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, oops?¡± Danielle responded with a sheepish laugh.


    ¡°It figures that the dweeb would take the shortcut to getting strong,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°¡¯Dweeb¡¯?¡± Minilas echoed, her one visible eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get him started,¡± Phoenix interjected.


    ¡°Especially not before dinner,¡± Conrad quickly added, rubbing his stomach as a low grumble emanted from it. ¡°When does dinner start? It looks like everything¡¯s here¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡¯Scuse me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mark glanced to the side, where Ralak had just approached him and Danielle. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°O-oh! Ralak!¡± Liask exclaimed, as if caught off-guard. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you¡­!¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t comin¡¯ to talk to you,¡± Ralak replied, and turned back to Mark and Danielle. ¡°Heard you two were workin¡¯ with Shade today. That true? If so, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Shade?¡± Phoenix echoed, ¡°wait, she¡¯s the one with all those heavy robes, right? One of the new former Bleeders?¡±


    Obra and Minilas both quickly grew solemn as Liask passed a surprised glance toward Mark. ¡°You were workin¡¯ with a former Bleeder?¡±


    ¡°She claimed that she wanted to see what Earth cuisine was like,¡± Mark replied, and then turned toward Ralak. ¡°Sorry, but she left a short while ago. She said something about having plans, but she didn¡¯t say when or where.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a pain¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°Did you need somethin¡¯ from them?¡± Obra asked, though the tense look on his face belied the innocence of his question.


    Ralak passed him an unamused glance. ¡°Don¡¯t be thinkin¡¯ anythin¡¯ nasty,¡± she chided. ¡°I just wanted to introduce Shade and Ind to what¡¯s probably the first real Hunger¡¯s Bane dinner of their lives. This kinda thing leaves an impression. But if they ran off¡­ damn it, what¡¯re they doin¡¯¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know that, as well.¡±


    The group shifted their attention once more as Major Hackett jogged up to them, her gaze quickly sweeping across the group before fixing on Mark and Danielle.


    ¡°Man, even more people showin¡¯ up to talk?¡± Conrad complained, ¡°I just want to eat dinner¡­¡±


    ¡°Seconded,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°So much attitude, for just one question,¡± Ralak commented, a disapproving expression on her face as she eyed Conrad and Minilas. She then turned to face Hackett, asking, ¡°you lookin¡¯ for Shade and Ind, too? What for?¡±


    The Major passed Ralak a glance, her expression unreadable. Following that was a sigh and a shake of her head. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have the time to chat,¡± Hackett stated. ¡°Mark, Danielle, something important came up. I need the two of you to come with me¡ª¡°


    Hackett¡¯s words were cut off by the rumbling and thundering echoes of a distant explosion, accompanied by all of the lights in the courtyard suddenly shutting off, plunging the area into darkness ¡ª lit only by the fading dusk. Confused shouts soon began to fill the air as students and faculty alike attempted to discern what had just happened.


    ¡°We just lost power?!¡± Pierce exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of the last time Tresnon lost power¡­¡± Liask commented uneasily. ¡°What¡¯s goin¡¯ on¡­?¡±


    ¡°Shit, it actually happened¡­¡± Hackett scowled as Danielle quickly acted to shapeshift into a handful of lamplights to illuminate the courtyard. She then drew her pistol and prepared to head towards the distant explosion, muttering to herself, ¡°so¡­ we really are under attack¡­!¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 103: Roiling Blood

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 103: Roiling Blood


    ¡°Wha¡ª what the hell is going on?!¡±


    ¡°Are we under attack?!¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously, glancing at Major Hackett before suddenly shifting her attention back to the city beyond the campus grounds, and the domes of reddish energy that appeared in the distance. ¡°Are¡ª are those Chaostechnic Blasts?!¡±


    ¡°Just what do you know about what¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡± Ralak pressed, her attention focused on Major Hackett. ¡°You sure seemed to know a lot, just now.¡±


    ¡°This have somethin¡¯ to do with those former Bleeders you were askin¡¯ about?¡± Obra added.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time to talk about that, right now,¡± Hackett countered, irritation and frustration both crossing her face as she glanced back at Ralak. She then looked to Mark and Danielle, who were both already preparing to follow her ¡ª but before she could say anything further, Relia appeared out of thin air next to the group.


    Without missing a beat, Relia locked eyes with Mark. ¡°I was told you and your friend can use your powers in a CENT field, is that right?¡±


    ¡°We can,¡± Mark replied, ¡°how can we help?¡±


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!¡±


    The group paused for just a moment as Austin, Spike, Sky, and Twy ran up to them, worried confusion writ across their faces as the sounds of distant fighting began to fill the air. ¡°Are we under attack?!¡± Austin reiterated, glancing between Hackett, Relia, and Ralak with panic. ¡°By who?!¡±


    ¡°And can we help?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on right now, either,¡± Pierce shot back, and then turned impatiently toward Relia. ¡°Though I bet you know. Spill it!¡±


    Relia passed Pierce an annoyed glance before looking back at Mark, Danielle, and Hackett. ¡°When the power went out, so did the CENT fields at the jail,¡± Relia explained. ¡°The Bleeders that Dav¨ªdrius captured a few days ago are gettin¡¯ loose. I can use Negation to slow ¡®em down, but I could use some help.¡±


    ¡°If it means defending the town, then of course¡ª!¡± Sky began to exclaim, only to be cut off.


    ¡°You all need to stay here,¡± Ralak insisted. She glanced at Relia, Mark, Danielle and Hackett before continuing, ¡°Relia, and you three¡­ outsiders, I¡¯m gonna trust that y¡¯all know what you¡¯re doin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for saying so, but we¡¯re burning time, here,¡± Hackett declared, and then impatiently gestured for Mark, Danielle, and Relia to follow as she began rushing toward the campus gates. ¡°You three, on me! Go, go, go!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t forget us¡ª!¡± Pierce shouted, beginning to run off after them ¡ª but Ralak physically interposed herself in front of him, stopping his advance.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what¡¯s goin¡¯ on, myself, but leave this to the pros,¡± she insisted. As she spoke, she glanced back over the courtyard, a scowl forming on her face as several of the other students began making their way toward the campus gates as well. Quickly, she slammed the bare skin of her forearms together and began to lift into the air, all while shouting down at the group. ¡°You students ain¡¯t ready for combat, yet! I need everyone to stay put, and not get in the way!¡±


    ¡°What?! C¡¯mon!!¡± Sky responded indignantly, but her cry fell on deaf ears; Ralak had already flown off toward the campus gates, where she quickly convened with a few other instructors to placate the students amidst the confused chaos that had overtaken the campus. ¡°What¡¯s with that?!¡± Sky pouted, turning back toward the group with a frustrated look on her face. ¡°We can totally help, here¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can,¡± Obra drawled, drawing the Keys¡¯ attention to him. ¡°I bet you outsiders think you can solve all our problems, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Who¡¯re you?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Who we are doesn¡¯t matter right now,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°Ralak told us to stay put, so we should listen! Without knowin¡¯ what¡¯s goin¡¯ on out there, who knows what could happen if we tried to help?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like Ralak said. We might just get in the way,¡± Conrad added.


    ¡°You guys are being way too cautious,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°That chick with the fluffy hair told us what¡¯s going on ¡ª captured Bleeders are free in the city! And guess what ¡ª we¡¯ve fought Bleeders before!¡±


    ¡°That ¡®chick with the fluffy hair¡¯ has a name,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°Even with what Relia told us, though, we still don¡¯t know everything. Like what took out the power in the first place? Who did that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d bet two sandwiches it has somethin¡¯ to do with those ¡®Ind¡¯ or ¡®Shade¡¯ people,¡± Minilas commented.


    ¡°So more Bleeders, whatever,¡± Pierce remarked dismissively. He then shifted his attention to look at Phoenix, and then at Spike and Sky. ¡°We can totally help out, here. We were able to help back in Rel¨¦diaka, weren¡¯t we? And we have a lot more skill now than way back then!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Help¡¯¡­¡± Kestrel echoed flatly.


    ¡°Yeah, we didn¡¯t exactly do much to ¡®help¡¯ back then,¡± Phoenix pointed out.


    ¡°What did y¡¯all even do?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°if I remember right, you guys just ran off in the middle of the outbreak. The four of us were stuck in the middle of the campus, fighting off weird animals!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Look, the details don¡¯t matter right now,¡± Pierce insisted, his gaze turning on Phoenix, Kestrel, and Twy. ¡°Didn¡¯t the three of you go toe-to-toe with a Chaos State Chaotic just a week or two ago? You can totally handle this! And all of our past experience aside, we¡¯re currently living in this city. And it¡¯s under attack! Are you really going to just stand around while that happens?¡± He paused for a moment as the thundering rumble of another distant explosion filled the air. ¡°¡­The sooner we help end this, the less damage the city will take, and the sooner things get back to normal. And that means the sooner we get to dinner, Conrad.¡±


    ¡°Aw, man, you¡¯re really trying to drag me into this¡­¡± Conrad responded in exasperation.


    ¡°Shortsighted as it might seem¡­ Pierce has got a point,¡± Spike said. ¡°If we¡¯re able to help defend the city, then we should help defend the city. It¡¯s only right.¡±


    ¡°What about the part where Ralak told us to stay put?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°Look, as much as we argue, once this idiot here gets an idea into his head, nothing will stop him from going through with it,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Damn it, Pierce, you can be so fucking careless. Someone will have to make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed, and it might as well be me ¡ª I still have to win our little competition, after all.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if getting one up on Pierce is the game, then I¡¯m in,¡± Austin quickly added as the threw Pierce an annoyed glare. ¡°Besides, if we¡¯re ever gonna beat EA, then we have to be able to handle at least somethin¡¯ like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s the attitude, dweeb,¡± Pierce replied with a taunting smirk. ¡°Though I guess you might also be looking for an excuse to use those hella stupid-looking new muscles you have, huh?¡±


    ¡°What?! C¡¯mon, they aren¡¯t¡ª¡°


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how quickly people have figured out how to pull your strings, Austin,¡± Twy commented with a sigh. ¡°This is still a terrible idea, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ you ignorant outsiders are gonna learn for yourselves why the Bleeders are such a threat,¡± Obra countered. ¡°There¡¯s a reason those bastards have been around for so long.¡±


    ¡°They are dangerous¡­ be careful, Pierce, everyone,¡± Liask warned. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here¡­ you know, help protect the place, if it gets attacked¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Protect the place,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°Well I won¡¯t force you to come along, or anything. Do as you like,¡± Pierce replied, then turned toward the campus gates and crouched down, prepared to launch himself through the air. ¡°But for the rest of us ¡ª let¡¯s go kick some Bleeder ass!!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Ahahahahaha!!! Chaos Blast! Chaos Blast!! CHAOS BLAST!!!¡±


    Three massive domes of reddish energy exploded in quick succession, carving out three 50-meter craters into the streets of Compound Tresnon as Ind blasted her way across the town, cackling maniacally the whole way. In the evening darkness, reinforced by Tresnon¡¯s newfound lack of power, it was nigh impossible for Ind to see exactly where she was, or where she was going ¡ª but she didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Chaos Explosion!¡± she shouted, detonating the ground beneath her feet to launch herself forward and through the air, toward the center of Compound Tresnon. Once airborne, she declared into the wind once more: ¡°Chaos BLAST!!¡± The 50-meter explosion of energy that followed obliterated half the block to her side, sending a cacophony of collapsing stone and distressed screams echoing down the street, compounding with the confused shouting that already filled the air. As Ind caught herself on the ground, she paused to look back at the devastation, lit by flames¡­ and break into a bloodthirsty grin and maniacal giggling.


    Her laughter was cut short, however, as a sudden blow to her crotch launched her skyward. A sheet of golden energy flashed over her lower body, giving away the existence of the energy shield that protected her from direct harm ¡ª and then the shield flared up again, this time around her head as a hammer flew in from no where and knocked her across the skies over Tresnon. Unable to right herself, she tumbled through the air before slamming into the dusty grounds outside of the Compound walls, where she quickly jumped back to her feet¡­ just in time to see Dav¨ªdrius land on the ground a mere dozen meters away.


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± The Dean scowled as he glared at Ind, and her obviously intact body, despite the two heavy blows she had just taken ¡ª as well as the lack of any visible armor on her body. ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ energy shields? Where the hell did you get those?¡±


    ¡°Oooooh? Wouldn¡¯t you like to know~,¡± Ind replied, her tone filled with airy levity ¡ª which clashed heavily with her crouched stance and curled fingers, reminiscent of a feral beast prepared to lash out at its surroundings. ¡°You¡¯re pretty good, though, to catch up to me so fast!¡±


    ¡°Cut the shit¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled, momentarily glancing to the side as Christean¨¦ landed just a couple meters away. The Forcetechnic immediately readjusted his grip on the elastic tether in his hands, connected to a weighty hammer on one end, and a body harness on the other.


    ¡°So, this is her, huh?¡± Christean¨¦ questioned as he began to rapidly whirl the tethered hammer around in a vertical circle, as if preparing to launch it at any second. ¡°Energy shields, too, huh? That¡¯s sure something.¡±


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t one of the Sentry¡¯s old friends!¡± Ind exclaimed, her grin growing only wider as Rebehka alighted on the ground near Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦. ¡°And another! Wow! You really know how to roll out the welcome~!¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius, Christean¨¦,¡± Rebehka commented, drawing the two¡¯s attention before tossing each of them a small broach.


    ¡°¡­Huh. Emergency shields, eh? You sure came prepared,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked as he attached the broach to the collar of his shirt and activated the energy shield in a flash of golden light.


    ¡°You¡¯re really still bringin¡¯ these with you every time you visit?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, though nonetheless attached his own broach to his collar as well. ¡°Tres¨¦d ain¡¯t that dangerous. Usually¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I was clearly right to do so this time, wasn¡¯t I?¡± Rebehka shot back, at which point she turned her attention toward Ind ¡ª only to stumble slightly and grimace. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Looks like someone was enjoyin¡¯ themselves tonight~,¡± Ind taunted. ¡°I can really smell the alcohol! You sure you wanna try fightin¡¯ while drunk? Though I guess it can be fun~!¡±


    ¡°The fact that you aren¡¯t laid out on the ground, passed out, is surprising on its own,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked as he passed Rebehka an amused smirk. ¡°Just how frequently do you drink if your tolerance is this high?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I¡­ don¡¯t need this from you,¡± Rebehka shot back, a hand held up to her head in pain.


    ¡°Why the hell are we even talkin¡¯ about this?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius exclaimed incredulously. He then gestured toward Ind, his finger outstretched toward her as he demanded, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re plannin¡¯, but if you know what¡¯s good for you, then stand down now.¡±


    ¡°Aw, how cute~!¡± Ind remarked. ¡°You really do think you can take me on!¡±


    ¡°¡­You can¡¯t be serious. I¡¯m a Velocitechnic, the type of Chaotic best suited for takin¡¯ on Chaostechnics like you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think~.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius paused uneasily, his head cocked in confusion. ¡°¡­Have I met you before this week? Somethin¡¯ about you seems familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehehehehe, who knows~?¡± Ind cracked a malicious grin as she eyed each of the three Deans. ¡°The fact that you haven¡¯t attacked yet sure says a lot, though~! I can really smell the fear in the air! The uncertainty~! You weren¡¯t expectin¡¯ this kinda thing from us stupid ol¡¯ Bleeders, were ya?! Bet you thought you were safe in your li¡¯l Compound there, didn¡¯t ya?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Dav¨ªdrius?¡± Christean¨¦ questioned, glancing toward his friend as if prompting for some kind of declaration.


    ¡°I was hopin¡¯ it wouldn¡¯t come to this¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Ah, damn it. Must¡¯ve gotten softer than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°If we can get her farther away from the city¡­ then I can use my Overdrive without crippling the defenses,¡± Rebehka commented.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try!¡± Ind exclaimed. ¡°But how ¡®bout we stop with the words and get to the fun part, huh?!¡± With little warning, she spread her arms wide, glaring at Dav¨ªdrius with a maniacal grin as she shouted at the top of her lungs, ¡°Overdrive: CHAOS!!¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 104: Ferocious Disruptions

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 104: Ferocious Disruptions


    ¡°They¡¯re over there.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Mark replied, his gaze focused on the fire-lit streets ahead of him as he bounded from rooftop to rooftop, using his superstrength to quickly cross Tresnon. Riding on his back was Relia, along for the ride to guide him to the jailbroken Bleeders; he had sent Danielle to deal with the lack of power and create a new power generator if necessary, and according to Relia, Kar¨ªsah had gone ahead to help Dav¨ªdrius and his friends, while Tresnon¡¯s Defense Force was busy regrouping and ensuring the safety of the rest of the Compound. As such, Mark and Relia were the only two left to confront the twelve Bleeders that now rampaged through the dark streets of Tresnon¡­ but in Mark¡¯s eyes, the two of them were all they needed.


    ¡°If I recall right,¡± Relia commented as Mark stopped for a second on the corner of a rooftop, ¡°of all the captured Bleeders, only eight are Chaotics. Two Pyrotechnics, a Velocitechnic, a Transtechnic, a Geotechnic, an Aerotechnic, a Hydrotechnic, and an Electrotechnic.¡±


    ¡°Eight, huh¡­?¡± Mark muttered, surveying the fires that rose from a couple blocks over. He then crouched down before launching himself through the air toward the fires in question. ¡°Well, at least they¡¯re all basic types. I¡¯ll be fine, but are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve been outnumbered,¡± Relia declared, ¡°and it sure won¡¯t be the last.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you on that,¡± Mark responded. ¡°So the plan is to get them all in one location so you can negate them and capture them, right?¡±


    ¡°Either that, or kill them. I¡¯ll trust you to get it done either way, outsider. Now¡­ let¡¯s get started. Overdrive: Wanderer,¡± Relia spoke, her words softly echoing to indicate the activation of her Overdrive as she and Mark descended upon the street aflame. Then, a second later, and without saying anything further, Relia simply disappeared from Mark¡¯s back.


    ¡°What¡ª?¡± Mark began, but quickly shook off his surprise. She¡¯s a Movement-type Chaostechnic, right? If so, I bet her Overdrive lets her use her abilities without calling them, or something. Either way¡­! He refocused his attention on the ground below, throwing out his fist to punch the dirt as he landed to create an explosion of sand and a rumbling thunder. Before the dust cloud could begin to settle, Mark quickly took stock of his surroundings: based on the sounds of chaos and destruction, seven of the Bleeders were to his right, and five to his left ¡ª with five or six of them wielding guns. Did they steal those, or did the Transtechnic create them¡­? Ultimately, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll go after the seven, first!


    A fierce blast of wind swept the dust cloud away, revealing Mark to his fiery surroundings. The stone buildings of Tresnon didn¡¯t burn easily, but many of the exterior furnishings were crafted from wood or other organic materials ¡ª and at present, flames consumed the furnishings all along the block. Mark didn¡¯t have any time to marvel, however, as a blast of lightning struck him right in the chest. With nary a grunt nor a flinch, he snapped his attention toward his attacker, who locked eyes with an amazed expression.


    ¡°Enemy Chaotic!¡± they immediately shouted, drawing the attention of their nearby comrades, but Mark didn¡¯t wait for them to react further. Summoning his giant green and silver halberd, he lunged forward, charging across the street and ignoring several fireballs and lightning strikes as he approached the Bleeder Electrotechnic. With a powerful swing, he brought his halberd down overhead ¡ª but the Electrotechnic managed to dodge at the last second, allowing the weapon to slam into and crack the ground. Fierce currents of wind then began to lift Mark into the air, only to stop a second later as he spotted Relia rocketing into one of the other Bleeder Chaotics and launching them down the street. While the aerial attack hadn¡¯t lasted for long, though, it was still enough to create an opening for the Bleeders, which their Velocitechnic exploited to dash up to Mark and roundhouse kick him into the wall. With a grunt, Mark managed to weather the blow and shift the shaft of his halberd to block another kick, only to be slammed by another high-speed attack that he couldn¡¯t predict ¡ª followed immediately by a bath of fire and a shower of lasers.


    None of that was enough to phase Mark and his incredible durability, however. Amid the rain of attacks, he lunged forward in an attempt to grab the Velocitechnic, who appeared to be surprised that Mark was still alive. The Bleeder still managed to dodge out of Mark¡¯s grasp with their superior reflexes and then run off, allowing Mark to charge toward the two nearest gun-toting Bleeders. They continued shooting him for a couple seconds, but after realizing that their lasers were ineffective, they quickly began to backpedal ¡ª while another individual inserted themselves between Mark and the gunmen. Undeterred, Mark continued charging forward, his fist raised to deliver a punch¡­ only for yet another unseen individual to suddenly slam into the Bleeder, sending them rolling haphazardly across the street.


    ¡°Ha, looks like I got here just in time!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? Pierce?!¡± Mark exclaimed incredulously, eying the blond-haired Velocitechnic who had just arrived on the scene. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°Helping out, obviously,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°We just need to kick some Bleeder ass, right? Sounds easy to me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª!¡± Mark attempted to refute, but Pierce had already disappeared, leaving only a small dust cloud in his place. With an annoyed sigh, Mark returned his attention to the battle, taking a blast of flames to the shoulder before leaping to the end of the street, hoping to begin corralling the Bleeders in the other direction. A sudden explosion of flames down the street briefly drew his attention, only to spot Pierce emerging from the fire, pursued by the Bleeder Velocitechnic.


    As soon as he was clear of the flames, Pierce kicked off of the ground perpendicular to his direction of travel to launch himself at a nearby building ¡ª and then rebound off of it straight toward the Bleeder Velocitechnic, bowling the both of them across the street. Both Velocitechnics leaped back to their feet a mere half-second later, and then called out in unison, ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡± The briefest of silences followed as they stared at each other in surprise, but Pierce quickly broke into a taunting smirk.


    ¡°An Overdrive-using Velocitechnic to test my speed against?¡± he remarked, ¡°now this is gonna be fun!¡±


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re an outsider, huh?¡± the Bleeder retorted, ¡°what-fuckin¡¯-ever. You can burn like the rest of this city!¡±


    ¡°Keep your flames to yourself!!¡±


    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Pierce and the Bleeder both looked skyward, just in time to spot Spike careening toward the ground with his fist outstretched. The two Velocitechnics quickly dove away, just in time for Spike to slam into the dirt with a thundering rumble, impacting with so much force that he cratered and cracked the ground for nearly a dozen meters around. Pierce immediately took advantage of the dust cloud raised by Spike¡¯s entrance to dash at the Bleeder Velocitechnic and punt them down the street toward Mark, at which point he stopped to give Spike an incredulous look. ¡°The hell was that? I totally had him on my own!¡±


    ¡°Sure you did¡­¡± Spike muttered as he fabricated a shield in his left hand and began rolling his right shoulder, preparing for combat.


    ¡°Anyways, sure took you long enough to catch up! Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Twy wanted to stay behind¡­ and I don¡¯t remember seein¡¯ Conrad. The others¡¯re on their way.¡±


    ¡°Figures that Conrad would dip out¡ª!¡± Pierce began, only for a wave of fire to begin rolling down the street toward him and Spike. The latter quickly interposed himself between Pierce and the flames, using his shield to protect them both ¡ª only for the shield to be knocked away as the Bleeder Velocitechnic reappeared on the scene. Instantly, Pierce lunged for the Velocitechnic, only for them to evade and run off; without even a second thought, Pierce gave chase, leaving Spike alone to deal with the other Bleeders as another wave of flames came his way.


    With an annoyed sigh, Spike seized upon his bountiful strength to leap high into the air, easily clearing the waves of fire to come down on top of two of the Bleeders. He fabricated two tower shields ¡ª one in each hand ¡ª and used them to deflect the hail of laser fire that came his way before he crashed back to the ground in another cloud of dust. As the sand was clearing, Spike quickly fabricated a small disc-shaped shield and hurled it toward where he had last seen the gun-weilding Bleeder, hoping to put them out of commission before more backup could arrive. Before he could follow up, a pillar of stone suddenly manifested in the ground beneath his feet and launched him skyward, where fast-flowing winds held him aloft and began attempting to rob him of air. With no solid footholds to push off of, Spike found himself immobilized; undeterred, he quickly scanned his surroundings for the offending Aerotechnic, soon spotting them hovering in the air over the burning streets a few dozen meters away. While struggling against the air currents and the lack of air in his lungs, Spike fabricated a massive shield and then hurled it haphazardly at the Bleeder, only for them to deftly dodge out of the way, allowing the shield to careen through the air past them¡­


    ¡­Only for Austin to rocket through the air himself, his hand outstretched to tag the flying shield. After touching it, he stopped himself in the air and then made a heavy throwing motion with his arms, at which point the shield zipped around ¡ª as if manipulated by an invisible force ¡ª to slam into the Bleeder Aerotechnic¡¯s back. Caught off-guard, the Bleeder was sent tumbling to the ground ¡ª as was Spike, the air currents all around him dissipating. He eagerly gasped in a deep breath before catching himself on the ground below, offering Austin a curt nod of acknowledgment before bounding toward the downed Aerotechnic to try and lock them down for good.


    Austin lingered for but a moment to keep an eye on Spike before turning his attention to the situation at large. Down the street, Mark and Pierce were actively engaged in combat with a handful of the Bleeders, while on the other end, Relia seemed to be fighting several more all on her own. Is she really fine on her own? Austin questioned mentally, but before he could even think to aid her, the sound of rushing water reached his ears. Quickly, he whipped around ¡ª just in time to spot a torrential jet of water shooting straight at him. With a distressed yelp, he managed to fly out of the way just in time for the jet to not puncture him, at which point he quickly made some distance¡­ only to tumble to the ground a second later. Damn it, trying to fly in the dark, all while watching out for attacks and shit¡­ this is hard! Nevertheless, he soon rolled over and climbed back to his feet, just in time to see another jet of water shooting out toward him. Reflexively, he slammed his empty palm into the building wall just next to him, and then seized upon the constituent stone with his Imperator powers to yank a horizontal column out of the wall and block the jet of the water.


    But the column of stone didn¡¯t last for long ¡ª the high pressure of the water jet quickly eroded away at the rock, and then a second later, the column began moving without any kind of input from Austin. He quickly realized that he had likely lost control of the rocks to the Geotechnic who had launched Spike into the air earlier, at which point Austin clapped his hands together and attempted to fly away, only for a tendril of water to lash out and grab him by his ankle. Caught off-guard, he was sent tumbling back to the ground, unable to recover as a giant wave of water rushed upon him.


    Yet, before it could reach him, the water suddenly detonated into a massive cloud of steam. The steam blasted past Austin and down the street, yet to his surprise, the tiny droplets of water that now filled the air didn¡¯t feel hot enough to hurt or burn. Flames soon appeared around him, carving through the steam to disperse it and reveal Sky standing just in front of him, her attention directed toward the Bleeder Hydrotechnic.


    ¡°Just leave this one to me!¡± she exclaimed, passing Austin a quick glance and a grin before enveloping her fists in flames. ¡°Thanks to training with sis, I think I know well how to deal with water-users!¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­!¡± Austin replied, clapping his hands again before lifting into the air and flying off to confront the other Bleeders. A jet of water shot after him, but Sky quickly cut it off with a similar jet of flames, drawing the Hydrotechnic¡¯s attention to herself. She then blasted herself into the air with an explosion of flames underfoot, dodging around another jet of water before sending a gout of flames toward the Bleeder. They quickly shielded themselves with a wall of water, but Sky simply focused on the wall and rapidly superheated it, detonating it in another steam explosion. Then, using her high heat resistance thanks to being a Pyrotechnic, Sky dove into the cloud of steam and began firing off blasts of flames in all directions, hoping to catch the Hydrotechnic off guard.


    While amidst the steam, however, Sky noticed it beginning to coalesce around her into a bubble of water. Immediately, she released an omni-directional blast of flames and then exploded the ground beneath her feet, rocketing her skyward and out of the grasp of the enclosing water. Once airborne, she lit jets of flames under her feet to remain in the air while raining fireballs down on top of the Bleeder Hydrotechnic, but mid-firestorm, her flames suddenly stopped listening to her. They curled back through the air, joining with the water under her to create yet another steam explosion, but this one entirely outside of Sky¡¯s desire. Someone¡¯s controlling my flames? Who?! she questioned impatiently, but had little time to think as the steam cloud surrounded her¡­ and yet, failed to reach her.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Fierce winds picked up around Sky, blowing away the steam before collecting it again in a whirlwind around the Bleeder Hydrotechnic. They stared at the steam in confusion, their arm outstretched, as if attempting to manipulate the water droplets all around them ¡ª yet the winds were strong enough to prevent such control. And then, a second later:


    ¡°Chaos Strike!!¡±


    A purple streak of lightning lashed out over Sky¡¯s shoulder, striking the swirling cloud of water and causing a cascade of further electrical strikes that shocked the Hydrotechnic within. As they collapsed to the ground, Sky alighted on the dirt below and turned to face Kestrel and Phoenix, who were running up to her.


    ¡°Good save!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°It was still too close for my liking,¡± Phoenix muttered, and then swept her gaze up and down the street. The large flames that had consumed it earlier were beginning to die off, but the sounds of battle still filled the air, making evident the continued resistance of the Bleeders. ¡°¡­It¡¯s worse here than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Really? I was actually expecting a lot worse,¡± Sky replied. ¡°But it looks like all of the fighting is only on this street! That¡¯s good, right?¡±


    Phoenix passed Sky a doubtful look, but then her attention was drawn to her left as Relia appeared out of thin air. The Tres¨¦dian glared impatiently at each of Sky, Phoenix, and Kestrel, demanding, ¡°what are you all doin¡¯ here?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ helping?¡± Sky responded.


    ¡°Some help,¡± Relia countered. ¡°Mark and I had a plan, but y¡¯all have made a real mess of that!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed indignantly. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to help protect this place!¡±


    ¡°And the best way to do that would¡¯ve been to stay at the school, like Ralak said,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°But if you¡¯re gonna insist on gettin¡¯ in our way, then at least be useful with it. Get all of the Bleeders in one spot. I don¡¯t care how, just do it!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡ª?¡± Sky began to reply, but Relia had disappeared before the word had completely left her mouth. The Pyrotechnic then turned to give Kestrel and Phoenix a sheepish look. ¡°¡­Guess we pissed her off, huh?¡±


    ¡°How ungrateful¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, ¡°but¡­ she is the experienced one, here. If she has a plan, we should follow it.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Kestrel grunted in affirmation, though her gaze was directed elsewhere as she began lifting into the air. ¡°¡­Incoming.¡±


    ¡°Right, guess we can¡¯t just stand around!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°You back up the west end of the street, Kestrel and I will take the east,¡± Phoenix quickly ordered, to which Sky responded with a nod. As the three women parted ways, Phoenix muttered to herself, ¡°Chaos Armor¡­ alright. Time to fight again¡­!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Chaos! Chaos!! CHAOS!!!¡±


    Amid cackling laughter, Ind¡¯s shouts echoed across the scarred wasteland, followed each time by cacophonous explosions of energy accompanied by a wild and unpredictable outburst of every single standalone Directed-type Chaostechnic ability at once: Arrow, Cannon, Impact, and Strike. The barrage of projectiles rained down on the sandy wasteland, forcing each of Dav¨ªdrius, Christean¨¦, and Rebehka to stay on the defensive as they attempted to find an opening through Ind¡¯s fast-paced attacks.


    ¡°Fucking Chaostechnics¡­!¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore under his breath, deftly weaving through red arrows and lightning alike with his superspeed. Normally, a Chaostechnic would have to call out the full name of an ability to activate it, which also precluded using multiple abilities simultaneously. Ind¡¯s Overdrive, however, seemed to remove that restriction: every time she uttered the word ¡°Chaos¡±, every single one of her Chaostechnic abilities activated, aside from the handful that required special setup. On the one hand, this meant that Dav¨ªdrius now knew the full extent of Ind¡¯s abilities, and that she had indeed lied about what abilities she could use ¡ª as she now flaunted both the single-target projectiles that filled the Directed ability type, as well as the ability to craft weapons out of Chaos Energy that was the Weapon ability type. This allowed him and the other Deans to more easily predict what she could do.


    On the other hand, Ind merely needed to say a single word to create a 50-meter crater, and rain destruction upon another several dozen meters beyond that range.


    ¡°Chaos! Ahahahahahaha!!! CHAOS!!¡± Ind giggled maniacally as she blasted herself through the air, her energy shields constantly flaring as she used the shockwaves generated by her Explosive abilities to traverse the newly pock-marked battlefield. With no particular target in mind, she merely set to riddle the wasteland with craters, and attempt to blast away the closest enemy she could see ¡ª which in that moment, as Ind caught herself on the ground at the edge of a crater, turned out to be Rebehka. Immediately, the Cryotechnic created a massive wall of ice between her and Ind, all while filling the air with intensely sharp icicles that she launched at the rampant Bleeder. Ind merely charged at the ice-wall head-on, allowing her energy shielding to absorb the hits from the icicles as she shouted out, ¡°CHAOS!¡±


    The ensuing blast nigh-instantly obliterated all of the ice Rebehka had managed to summon, as well as launched her through the air; Ind quickly made to pursue by detonating the ground underfoot, but just before she could say another word, a truly incredible force to the back of her head dropped her to the ground. Taking advantage of the opening that he had created for himself, Christean¨¦ gripped the tether of his hammer and began whirling it around at high speeds, with just enough tether length let out to allow the hammer¡¯s head to repeatedly and rapidly slam into Ind¡¯s backside. Golden light and the sound of energetic static filled the air as the Bleeder¡¯s energy shields flared up to protect her from Christean¨¦¡¯s assault that forced her against the ground, and even began to create cracks in the dirt as the heavy blows drove her into the sand ¡ª but Ind managed to recover, using the persistent sound of static to hide her voice as she muttered, ¡°Chaos.¡±


    Yet another blast of red energy cratered the land outside of Tresnon, flinging Christean¨¦ haphazardly through the air toward the Compound¡¯s walls. While his emergency shields protected him from direct harm ¡ª as well as the series of reddish lightning and arrows that struck him while in the air ¡ª he was unable to catch himself, rolling to a painful stop against the stony walls. The sound of cackling soon drew his attention skyward, where he noticed Ind careening toward him, with long razor-like claws of Chaos Energy on each of her fingers ¡ª but Dav¨ªdrius intercepted her mid-air with a mach-speed kick, rocketing her back across the wasteland and away from Tresnon¡¯s walls. As soon as the Velocitechnic Dean touched down on the ground, he spun on his heel and sped off toward Ind¡¯s new landing location, engaging her in a high-stakes game of tag where he attempted to floor her before she could speak, and she attempted to drive him off by declaring the one, singular word that she needed.


    While Dav¨ªdrius and Ind faced off nearly half a kilometer outside of Tresnon, Rebehka quickly reconvened with Christean¨¦ and helped him back to his feet. ¡°You alright?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯ll take more than that to take me out of commission,¡± Christean¨¦ retorted with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you. Aren¡¯t you drunk?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t drink that much,¡± Rebehka countered, only to grimace as the momentary lull in the fighting allowed her to realize that her head was throbbing. ¡°¡­Look, there¡¯s more important things at stake than my hangover, right now.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Christean¨¦ replied, his expression turning serious as he looked out over the two domes of red energy that suddenly appeared in the distance. ¡°¡­That Overdrive of hers is a real pain in the ass, isn¡¯t it? Just one word to use every Chaostechnic ability in the book. Really makes you wish Kevken was here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, he isn¡¯t. I¡¯m more concerned about how she hasn¡¯t gone Berserk, yet. She must be going through Chaos Energy like crazy, using all of her abilities like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to beat her up before she does go Berserk. Simple.¡±


    Rebehka passed Christean¨¦ a doubtful glance. ¡°Are you really taking this seriously? You haven¡¯t even used your Overdrive yet, while Dav¨ªdrius has!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t, either,¡± Christean¨¦ shot back. ¡°Besides, the instant-crush effect on activation of Omni Crush isn¡¯t super effective on someone with shields, so I¡¯m saving it for a better time.¡± He then took hold of his hammer¡¯s tether to begin whirling it through the air. ¡°Now, we can¡¯t leave this all up to Dav¨ªdrius. The fight¡¯s coming back to us, now, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Rebehka scowled in frustration as she and Christean¨¦ spied Dav¨ªdrius and Ind, both sailing through the air after being launched by one of the Bleeder¡¯s explosive blasts. Just as Dav¨ªdrius landed in a rough tumble, Christean¨¦ released his hammer straight toward Ind, using the incredible momentum he created with his superstrength to yank himself through the air and slam his fist into Ind¡¯s face, launching her away from Tresnon¡¯s walls again. Christean¨¦ himself continued sailing through the air, virtually chasing after the Bleeder as she impacted the ground with a thundering rumble ¡ª only for a massive dome of energy to explode out of her, and launch Christean¨¦ directly upwards, while the accompanying rain of projectiles forced Rebehka and Dav¨ªdrius back. Through the reddish veil of Chaos Energy, Christean¨¦ quickly lost track of Ind ¡ª though he spotted her a half-second later as she rocketed up through the air toward him, having used the detonation of Chaos Explosion underfoot that occurred simultaneously with the red energy explosion of Chaos Blast to launch herself skyward, all while holding a spear constructed of red energy outstretched toward Christean¨¦.


    As both he and Ind were airborne, Christean¨¦ had few options to dodge, so he instead yanked on the tether of his hammer to swing it around and slam it into Ind a split second before she could hit him, launching her away into the wasteland beyond. The Forcetechnic then began whirling his hammer around in midair, using his superstrength to create a massive amount of momentum that he then transferred into rapid forward movement by releasing his hammer toward the Bleeder. Just after he launched himself, Rebehka froze the air around Ind, creating a massive spire of ice that Christean¨¦ slammed into, instantly shattering it and arresting him of his forward momentum ¡ª which allowed him to drop down on top of Ind. She quickly opened her mouth to speak, but Dav¨ªdrius appeared behind her in that instant and dealt a fierce kick to her back, flinging her straight at Christean¨¦ ¡ª who readily grabbed her by the neck and chokeslammed her into the ground so hard that he cracked and cratered the earth, the force of the blow great enough to flare up the entirety of Ind¡¯s energy shields and completely cover her in a sheet of golden light.


    ¡°Urk¡­! ¡­Cha¡ª!¡±


    Before Ind could complete the word, Dav¨ªdrius dove in between her and Christean¨¦, kicked the latter clear, and then dashed off himself, all just in time to avoid a massive pillar of ice that Rebehka dropped on top of the Bleeder. Ind immediately obliterated the ice pillar with another call of ¡°Chaos!¡±, simultaneously using the call to blast herself into the air and shower the world around her in all manner of reddish projectiles ¡ª but Dav¨ªdrius managed to weave between them and leap through the air toward Ind, bringing his foot around mid-air to spike her back to the ground, where Rebehka again encased her in a tomb of ice. Christean¨¦ appeared on the scene a split-second later, having launched himself with his hammer to slam into the ice tomb and blast Ind through the air; before she had even close to a chance to catch her bearings, Dav¨ªdrius had caught up to her and kicked her right back to Christean¨¦, who swung his hammer over head with the perfect timing to slam Ind to the ground once more. Then, as another pillar of ice appeared over Ind, the Forcetechnic Dean shouted aloud, ¡°Overdrive: Omni Crush!¡±


    Instantly, the ice pillar slammed into the ground as if brought down by an incredible invisible force, pressing Ind deep into the sandy dirt and shattering the pillar into thousands of tiny, impossibly sharp shards ¡ª shards that Rebehka quickly manipulated to hone in on Ind at high speed. The Bleeder¡¯s shields remained active, but the onslaught of icy daggers were still as good as a hail of bullets in forcing the shields to eat through their remaining energy¡­ though even once Rebehka had shredded her ice daggers into a fine mist, Ind¡¯s shield remained intact.


    The Bleeder herself, however, failed to recover nearly as quickly as she had prior. In fact, she remained exactly as she was, half-buried in the ground as she slowly began cackling to herself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so funny,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, coming to stand over Ind with his foot on her shielded throat. ¡°But if you¡¯re willin¡¯ to surrender now, then maybe we¡¯ll go easy on you when it comes time for punishment.¡±


    ¡°Surrender? Hehehehe, now isn¡¯t that funny~¡± Ind replied, her tone delirious. ¡°You¡­ really have gone soft, Sentry~.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ stupid titles¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered to himself, casting a brief side glance at Christean¨¦ as the latter approached. ¡°Seems like you don¡¯t got any more fight left in you, though,¡± the Velocitechnic spoke up, again addressing Ind. ¡°Else you woulda blasted us away with another ¡®Chaos¡¯, wouldn¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°Not that we wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with it,¡± Christean¨¦ commented.


    Ind simply giggled in response, a gleeful grin on her face as she locked eyes with Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Hehe¡­ blasting people is pretty fun~.¡±


    ¡°You explosion-usin¡¯ maniac¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, glaring at Ind ¡ª until his eyes suddenly widened with realization. ¡°Wait. Powerful Chaotic, uses explosions in combat¡­ you! Are you Feral?¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow! So you¡¯ve heard that name, huh~?¡±


    ¡°Feral? What?¡± Christean¨¦ glanced at Dav¨ªdrius in confusion. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Over a month ago, Compound Goresan was raided by Bleeders. Think I told you about that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained, his glare still focused on Ind. ¡°I heard from one of the survivors that the Bleeders had a new, powerful Chaotic with ¡®em, one who could cause big explosions. And now here we are, with an annoying-as-fuck yet undeniably powerful Chaostechnic, who likes nothin¡¯ more than scarrin¡¯ the land with Chaos Blast.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Goresan, I remember that place!¡± Ind remarked. ¡°That was fun! First time I really got to cut loose in a while~!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s lip curled in anger. ¡°So you do call yourself Feral? Tch. So the new leader of the Bleeders calls themselves a fuckin¡¯ animal, huh? Can¡¯t make this shit up¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! You think I¡¯m the leader? If only!¡± Ind replied. ¡°And you¡¯re wrong on the other thing, too! Everybody underestimates the name ¡®Feral¡¯, like they think it¡¯s just about how I fight. I guess my Overdrive is pretty ferocious~. But that ain¡¯t really it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡ª? Wait¡­!¡± Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ both backed away as a reddish aura slowly began to form around Ind¡¯s body.


    ¡°See, my Overdrive is just the start! The¡­ introduction!¡± Ind exclaimed, her face contorting with discomfort as the aura began to solidify around her, all while she slowly began climbing to her feet. ¡°They don¡¯t just¡­ call me Feral. It¡¯s not somethin¡¯ I embrace. It¡¯s¡­ who I am!¡± Now standing once again, albeit hunched over like a wild beast, the Bleeder snapped her maniacal grin toward Dav¨ªdrius, just as the red aura began to solidify over it. ¡°I¡­ AM feral! RaaaAAAGGGH!!!¡±


    As soon as her face became obscured behind the solid red aura that now encased her entire body, Dav¨ªdrius dashed to the side, grabbing Christean¨¦ and running off just before a massive dome of Chaos Energy blasted another crater in the ground. Dav¨ªdrius was able to get clear just in time to not be launched, and continued running for another hundred meters or so before releasing Christean¨¦.


    ¡°What is she doing¡­?¡± Rebehka questioned as she ran up to the two men, only for the silhouetted form of Ind to suddenly leap up to the lip of the crater created by the recent Blast. ¡°Did she¡­ did she intentionally go Berserk?!¡±


    ¡°And we still haven¡¯t beaten through her shields¡­ damn it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Leave it to the Bleeders to have insane battle plans¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, it was inevitable with that crazy Overdrive of hers,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°And now, she doesn¡¯t even have to say anything at all to use any of her abilities¡­ man, what a pain.¡± He then shot Dav¨ªdrius an annoyed glance. ¡°You really find ways to get involved with all kinds of dangerous people, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah, shut the hell up! What we need to do is still the same!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back, crouching down in preparation to launch himself back into battle ¡ª just as the Berserk Ind charged forward. ¡°Stop the Bleeders from doin¡¯ harm to Tresnon, at all costs! Now c¡¯mon! Let¡¯s go!¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 105: Bleeding Chaos I

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 105: Bleeding Chaos I


    ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!¡±


    Two purple projectiles rocketed out of Phoenix¡¯s outstretched hand, flying through the air at the speed of sound to impact and shatter the stone construct that the Bleeder Geotechnic was hiding behind. As the shattered rocks began falling around them, the Geotechnic seized control and then launched the debris through the air toward Phoenix like a rocky shotgun. The pellets ricocheted off of the translucent purple armor encasing Phoenix¡¯s body, but the force from the blow staggered her nonetheless, allowing the Geotechnic to craft two massive spears out of stone and charge toward her.


    However, their charge was soon slowed by the appearance of strong winds, giving Phoenix enough time to recover and shout ¡°Chaos Impact¡± to launch the Geotechnic back. As they tumbled along the ground, Kestrel swooped down to gather the Bleeder in a cushion of air and then slam them into a nearby wall, followed swiftly by Phoenix calling out ¡°Chaos Impact!¡± once more. Before the wall of force could impact the Geotechnic, however, they had manipulated the stone wall to launch themselves away from it ¡ª only to be suddenly grabbed by Spike, who slammed the Bleeder against the wall again just hard enough to knock them out.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Phoenix shouted in acknowledgment, but had little time to say more as a sudden blow to her chest rocketed her down the street. While her Chaos Armor protected her, she nonetheless was sent tumbling painfully, barely able to recover as she spotted the Bleeder Velocitechnic appear above her¡­ and Pierce show up a mere split-second later, his foot slamming into the Bleeder¡¯s back to launch them away from Phoenix. Without even speaking a word to each other, Pierce reached down to grab Phoenix¡¯s hand and yanked her to her feet, at which point he sped off again in pursuit of the Bleeder Velocitechnic while Phoenix turned back toward the rest of the street.


    Despite the simplicity of Relia¡¯s plan to gather the Bleeders in one spot, the Keys, Mark, and Relia had had little luck in actually carrying out the plan. The fight remained largely contained to the same street in which it had started ¡ª a street that was now scarred, cracked, and aflame from the attacks of Chaotics ¡ª but Phoenix had stopped hearing shouts from confused citizens for quite some time now. I¡¯ll just hope that means that everyone managed to evacuate¡­she thought bitterly. It¡¯s good that the fight hasn¡¯t moved much, but I don¡¯t know how much more of this we can handle¡ª!


    Her thoughts were interrupted by a wave of flames rolling her way. Quickly refocusing on the battle, Phoenix turned on her heel and dashed the other way, just as Sky rocketed over her head and seized control of the moving flames for just the second she needed to wink them out of existence. The two Bleeder Pyrotechnics that were now exposed in the lack of their flames soon turned their attentions toward Sky, lashing out with gouts and whips of flames that Sky just barely managed to evade through a series of panicked yet well-timed blasts of fire under her hands and feet. Sky¡¯s defensive stance created an opening that Spike immediately seized upon, taking advantage of the Bleeder Pyrotechnics¡¯ diverted focus to charge straight at them. They soon noticed his approach, and one of them began to shift their attention to face him, at which point he fabricated a large shield to protect him from any incoming flames.


    Instead of flames, however, Spike found himself blasted backward by a thundering lightning strike. Sky immediately flew down to him, both to check on him and take cover behind his shield as the Bleeder Electrotechnic ran up to their Pyrotechnic comrades while firing another lightning strike at Spike and Sky. The strike blasted the shield out of Sky¡¯s hands and slammed her against the building to her side, where she let out a pained yelp before collapsing in a pile on the ground. Before the Electrotechnic could follow up with another strike, Spike had lunged in front of Sky¡¯s body with another fabricated shield to protect them ¡ª though he was forced to repeatedly fabricate shield after shield as the Bleeder Electrotechnic simply blasted them to pieces, and the two Pyrotechnics locked Spike down with their searing flames.


    That is, until Mark slammed into the ground just behind the Electrotechnic, bringing his halberd around in a giant swing in an attempt to floor the three Bleeders. All three barely managed to dodge out of the way of his blade, with the Electrotechnic releasing a burst of shocking electricity that flung Mark¡¯s weapon out of his grasp. Undeterred, he simply lunged forward, his hands outstretched in an attempt to grab two of the Bleeders. The Pyrotechnics managed to distance themselves with blasts of fire, and the Electrotechnic narrowly dodged around Mark¡¯s hand ¡ª only to fall into Spike¡¯s waiting grasp, who had eagerly rejoined the battle after covering Sky¡¯s unconscious form with a handful of shields.


    Before Spike could do anything else, however, the Electrotechnic channeled a fierce level of voltage through their body to give him a painful shock and force him away, at which point the Bleeder attempted to dash away from Mark and Spike. A mere two steps into their dash, however, Austin swooped down from above and tagged the Bleeder in the back, at which point he alighted on the ground and attempted to freeze the Electrotechnic¡¯s movements with his Imperator powers. Indeed, the Electrotechnic froze in place, allowing Spike to lunge for them ¡ª but Austin was unable to prevent them from generating another blast of powerful electricity, halting Spike in his tracks and blasting Austin across the street. While Spike continued attempting to press the attack against the Electrotechinc, and Mark pursued one of the Pyrotechnics, the other managed to escape the both of them to go after Austin, their flames closing in on him from every direction.


    However, in moving to attack Austin, the Pyrotechnic had closed to within his Simulation radius ¡ª thereby granting him a Pyrotechnic-level of resistance to heat and flames. As he simply ignored the fire around him, Austin lunged toward the Pyrotechnic, summoning his claymore into his hands to swing it toward his opponent. The Bleeder quickly moved to evade, but Austin¡¯s blade closed on them too quickly ¡ª so quickly, in fact, that Austin fumbled his balance and stumbled to the side. What the¡ª? Oh, fuck, I swung too hard! He momentarily glanced at his massive biceps as he put a couple meters between himself and the Pyrotechnic. I haven¡¯t had a chance to get used to this strength yet, damn¡ª!


    Mid-thought, a fierce blow to his side launched Austin through the air down the street, where he came tumbling painfully to the ground. He was quickly able to jump back to his feet, however, at which point he noticed Pierce standing near him with an impatient look on his face ¡ª followed immediately by the Bleeder Velocitechnic dashing toward them. Austin quickly realized that the Bleeder must have been the one to kick him down the street, and made to dive out of the way of the Velocitechnic as Pierce lunged forward to intercept them, bringing his foot around to kick the Bleeder¡¯s side and blast them into the buildings across the street. Not to be shown up, Austin quickly ran after the Bleeder to try and knock them out, but the Velocitechnic had already recovered and leaped back to their feet.


    While Austin was close enough to simulate the Bleeder¡¯s increased speed and reflexes, his overall unfamiliarity with the sensation of superspeed still allowed the Velocitechnic to attack faster than he could react and launch him down the street again, back to the rest of the battle. This time, Austin felt a cushion of air break his fall and deposit him back on his feet, all while Spike moved to shield him from rolling flames ¡ª but before Austin could truly regain his bearings, a streak of lightning from his left struck his side and blasted him into a nearby building. As he was just barely close enough to Spike to simulate his increased durability at the moment of the lightning strike, Austin narrowly escaped a quick death by electrocution ¡ª but slamming into the wall was enough to take him out, leaving him to drop to the ground much like Sky a minute prior.


    ¡°¡­Raaaagh!! Damn it! YOU!!¡± Spike roared, his focus honing in on the Bleeder Electrotechnic as he charged straight at them. The Bleeder struck him twice with lightning ¡ª and the Bleeder Pyrotechnics attempted to stall his charge with flames ¡ª but he ignored both the voltage and the heat as he ran forward with a narrow-minded focus. Mark quickly stepped in to distract the Pyrotechnics, leaving the Electrotechnic alone to deal with Spike¡­ to which the Bleeder responded by attempting to put distance between themselves and the charging Forcetechnic, all while continuing to blast him with lightning strike after lightning strike. Before they could move far, however, Phoenix intercepted them, carried by Kestrel¡¯s winds as she shouted out ¡°Chaos Impact¡± to stun the Electrotechnic and halt their retreat. Kestrel then suspended the Bleeder in the air with fierce winds, also taking the opportunity to trap the two Pyrotechnics while Spike closed to within a meter of the Electrotechnic, his right arm drawn back in preparation to deliver a devastating punch.


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    But before his fist could connect, the Bleeder Aerotechnic swooped in to blast Kestrel away with a gust of wind and then take over the air cushions that trapped the other three Bleeders. Mark immediately leaped into the air, the superstrength in his legs allowing him to quickly close the aerial distance between himself and the Aerotechnic, only for the Bleeder Velocitechnic to intercept him mid-air and spike him back to the ground. Pierce appeared an instant later to spike the Velocitechnic in much the same manner, forcing the Bleeder into a haphazard roll across the ground that Spike attempted to stop, but was prevented from doing so by the Bleeder Aerotechnic sweeping the Velocitechnic back to his feet and allowing him to dash off.


    As Pierce ran off after the Velocitechnic again and Spike whipped around to glare at the Electrotechnic, Mark quickly turned his attention back to the Aerotechnic ¡ª just in time to see Relia rocket through the air and slam into the Bleeder, launching them down the street and into one of the adjacent buildings. Having defeated and killed the Bleeder Transtechnic entirely on her own, Relia was now free to take part in the greater fight, which she did with high speed as she took advantage of her Overdrive to wordlessly invoke Chaos Slam, sending her careening through the air straight toward the Bleeder Aerotechnic once more. The Aerotechnic barely managed to create a cushion of air before Relia slammed into them, with Relia shielded from the forces of the impact by pure virtue of being the one to invoke it, and Aerotechnic shielded by their haphazard wind cushion.


    Immediately, the Bleeder took to the air, almost disappearing into the nighttime skies ¡ª but Relia instantly appeared in the air above them, having wordlessly invoked Chaos Teleport before reaching her hand down and toward the Aerotechnic. ¡°Chaos Impact,¡± she muttered, creating a wall of nigh-invisible force that impacted the Bleeder and flung them groundward. Just before they hit the ground, the Bleeder managed to slow their descent with more aerial manipulation, and then surrounded themselves in another air cushion just in time to shield against Relia using Chaos Slam again. On the rebound from her deflected attack, Relia merely pursed her lips before quickly stretching her right hand to her right, and then skyward, and then to her left, each time calling out, ¡°Chaos Arrow.¡± Each time she uttered the words, an arrow constructed of purple energy shot out of her fingertips before curving through the air toward the Aerotechnic, resulting in three arrows converging on the Bleeder¡¯s location from three different directions: the left, right, and up.


    With only one way to dodge, the Aerotechnic lunged backwards ¡ª but with their attention divided between Relia¡¯s arrows and Relia herself, the Bleeder was left open, and Relia immediately seized on that opening. One wordless invocation of Chaos Slam later, and Relia had slammed into the Bleeder to launch them down the street toward the main battle, with her Chaos Arrows still in pursuit. The Aerotechnic attempted to recover, but soon found themselves about to fall into the middle of the shocking dispute between Spike and the Electrotechnic. In attempting to dodge around the flying lightning, the Aerotechnic was unable to evade Relia¡¯s Arrows, each of them finding their mark on the Bleeder¡¯s body and piercing through their left arm, lower torso, and right leg. With a yelp of pain, the Bleeder collapsed to one knee¡­ only for Relia to suddenly appear next to them with her right palm held down and at their head. ¡°Chaos Impact,¡± she muttered, mercilessly slamming the Bleeder to the ground with enough force to kill them in an instant.


    Now that the Bleeder Aerotechnic was out of commission, Relia teleported out of the way of the ongoing fighting and to the roof of a nearby building. ¡°Hey, you!¡± she shouted, her attention on Kestrel, ¡°Aerotechnic! Your Bleeder counterpart is down. Grab the rest!¡±


    Kestrel passed Relia a wordless glance, and then looked downward, at the unmoving body of the Bleeder Aerotechnic. A second later, she shot up into the air before manipulating the winds around the still-standing Electrotechnic and the two Pyrotechnics, holding all three aloft and rendering them unable to move.


    ¡°Chaos Armor,¡± Phoenix declared to renew the purple material covering her body, and then shouted, ¡°Pierce, wherever the hell you are, it¡¯s time to¡ª!¡±


    Before she could finish her thought, the Bleeder Velocitechnic appeared in the air over the other three Bleeders, as if launched there by some massive blow. Kestrel quickly caught them with a cushion of air, grouping the four close together and just a few meters off of the ground. The Electrotechnic and both Pyrotechnics quickly attempted to down Kestrel, firing lightning strikes and fireballs alike at her, but Spike managed to intercept all of them with thrown shields ¡ª giving Relia enough time to teleport just above one of the Pyrotechnics and use their floating form as a platform to stand on. Before the Pyrotechnic could react, she muttered, ¡°Chaos Negation.¡±


    As soon as the words left her mouth, the winds holding the Bleeders aloft ceased, as did the fireballs and lightning strikes. Immediately, the four fell to the ground below, with Relia using the Pyrotechnic she was standing on to break her fall. She immediately jumped away to make some distance, but remained close enough to the Bleeders to keep all of them within the range of negated Chaos Energy that she had just created. And then, as the four began to recover, Mark bounded onto the scene and dealt knockout blows to all four, laying them out flat and unconscious ¡ª and finally bringing an end to the chaotic battle that had consumed the street.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Pierce remarked, having just appeared next to Phoenix as he watched the conclusion of the fight. ¡°That¡¯s some teamwork, huh?¡±


    ¡°I guess it worked out in the end,¡± Mark commented, looking down at the unconscious Bleeders at his feet before shifting his gaze to the side ¡ª where both Austin and Sky laid unconscious, as well. ¡°¡­But things could have gone a lot worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fuckin¡¯ say¡­¡± Spike muttered with a scowl as he knelt down next to his friends. With two fingers, he quickly checked their pulses before standing up and turning to face the rest of the group. ¡°They ain¡¯t dead, but¡­¡±


    ¡°This is why you should¡¯ve listened to Ralak,¡± Relia cut in, an impatient expression upon her face. ¡°You aren¡¯t skilled or experienced enough to handle this kinda fight. You should¡¯ve left it to me and Mark.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that ungrateful attitude, again,¡± Phoenix replied with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t be fucking serious,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°We helped out here a ton! Don¡¯t tell me the two of you wanted to fight, what, eight Chaotics? All on your own?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve handled worse,¡± Relia insisted.


    ¡°And honestly, so have I,¡± Mark added. He turned to face Spike, Phoenix, and Pierce, as well as Kestrel, who had just alighted next to them; while he didn¡¯t wear impatience or frustration on his face in the same way that Relia did, it was still clear that Mark felt distressed about the situation. ¡°Look¡­ I realize that you all wanted to help, but the reality is, you all could very well have died here. A fight like this between Chaotics, with no one wearing any energy shielding, is incredibly dangerous. Did you even think about that before joining the fight?¡±


    Pierce and Phoenix shared an uneasy glance, while Spike responded with a dissatisfied grunt. Kestrel eyed the other three with a blank look on her face, and then perked up and shifted her attention to the left as Liask landed on the ground with a roll. Obra followed soon after, creating a series of translucent barriers in the air like stairs to descend to the street.


    ¡°And what are you two doin¡¯ here?¡± Relia questioned, her hands on her hips as she fixed Liask and Obra with a stare.


    ¡°If you were coming to join the fight, you¡¯re a little late,¡± Pierce remarked, though his tone was somewhat deflated compared to earlier.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± Liask replied, her head whipping back and forth to look down both directions of the street. She then focused on the pile of unconscious Bleeders before saying, ¡°it¡¯s just ¡ª well, I thought it¡¯d be a long shot, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut to the chase,¡± Obra interjected, and then turned to face Relia directly. ¡°We can¡¯t find Minilas ¡ª one of our friends. She just disappeared.¡±


    ¡°One of your friends is missing?¡± Mark echoed in alarm. ¡°You mean the girl I saw you with earlier, with the long black hair? She isn¡¯t here¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it, someone else ran off? Just what the hell is Dav¨ªdrius teachin¡¯ y¡¯all¡­¡± Relia shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°Minilas isn¡¯t the kind to just run off, though,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°I thought y¡¯all might know somethin¡¯, since you were fightin¡¯ the Bleeders, and this all happened around the same time that these Bleeders attacked, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± Relia replied, and released a wary sigh. She then turned toward Mark. ¡°Hey¡­ Mark, right? Can you get these Bleeders together and tied up? I¡¯ll go look for this missing friend of theirs.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can handle things here,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°What about us? We can help¡ª!¡± Pierce started, but Relia quickly cut him off.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve helped plenty enough,¡± she countered. ¡°I¡¯ll acknowledge that you did help here, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯re in over your heads. Just go back to the school ¡ª Mark and I can handle the rest from here.¡± Then, without waiting for any kind of response, she simply disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce snorted as he glared at where Relia had been standing a moment prior.


    ¡°It¡¯s frustratin¡¯¡­ but she¡¯s got a point,¡± Spike pointed out, reaching down to grab and hoist both Austin and Sky onto his shoulders before turning toward the rest of the group. ¡°At the very least, we gotta make sure that Austin and Sky are alright.¡±


    ¡°Spike¡¯s right. They might be concussed, or worse,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°You need to get medical attention for them ASAP.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t think that we don¡¯t wanna help, either,¡± Obra declared, his attention focused on Pierce. ¡°It¡¯s our friend who¡¯s missin¡¯! But we also know our limits.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get the fucking point, already,¡± Pierce shot back, already turning around to face in the direction of the WCU campus. ¡°Let¡¯s just get going. Damn¡­ some fucking holiday this has turned out to be, huh?¡±

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 106: Bleeding Chaos II

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 106: Bleeding Chaos II


    The shrill sound of shattering ice and the thunderous rumbling of cracking earth filled the air just outside the walls of Compound Tresnon, signaling the ongoing fight in the wastelands. With the sun now far below the horizon, only starlight and the dim moon were left to illuminate the crater-filled lands, and the fierce combat that raged above them.


    Another massive dome of red energy appeared, adding to the already pock-marked ground as Ind, swathed in the Chaos Energy cloak of the Berserk State, launched herself forward. With a bestial snarl, she lashed out at Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ both as they approached, using the claws constructed of Chaos Energy on her hands to stave off Christean¨¦ as Dav¨ªdrius dashed around her to kick her into the air. Rebehka immediately encased the airborne Bleeder in ice, only for the makeshift prison to be obliterated a second later by yet another Chaos Blast, invoked without Ind having to speak at all.


    ¡°I forgot how fucking annoying it is to fight Berserk Chaostechnics,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked with an annoyed scowl, all while attempting to dodge around the hail of arrows and mach-speed projectiles that the Berserker rained down on him. The onslaught left him with no opening to begin whirling his hammer, making it impossible for him to easily flee as Ind dropped back to the ground and lunged toward him ¡ª only to be interrupted by Dav¨ªdrius launching the Berserker across the wastelands with a high-speed roundhouse kick. Before Ind had even touched the ground, however, she detonated the air behind her with Chaos Explosion, sending her rocketing back towards the two Deans. Christean¨¦ quickly began whirling his hammer and Dav¨ªdrius lunged forward to intercept, but a half-second later, another Chaos Blast exploded out from the Berserker¡¯s body, launching Christean¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius out of the way. Ind continued to sail through the air, eventually landing in a rough roll near to the walls¡­ and Rebehka.


    Immediately, the Cryotechnic launched herself away with a makeshift springboard of ice, while simultaneously creating a massive ice hammer in the air next to the Berserker to knock her in the opposite direction. The Bleeder simply lunged for the hammer, however, digging her claws into the frozen object to prevent herself from being flung away ¡ª and then followed with a point-blank Chaos Cannon, immediately shattering the ice hammer into a cloud of shards. As Ind then lunged through the cloud of ice, Rebehka quickly coalesced the ice around the Bleeder¡¯s body to lock her down, only for another Chaos Blast to annihilate the imprisoning ice ¡ª as well as part of Tresnon¡¯s walls.


    In the aftermath of the Chaos Blast, the Berserk Bleeder began to fall into the resulting crater. But before she fell too far, she detonated the air under her to launch her toward Rebehka ¡ª only for Dav¨ªdrius to appear overhead a split-second later and spike her to the ground with an aerial kick. Christean¨¦ quickly followed, leaping over the crater¡¯s edge while whirling his hammer before releasing it straight toward the Berserker, launching him down towards her and impacting with an incredible thundering crack. Even through the cloak of Chaos Energy, however, the energy shields that protected Ind could be seen flaring up, indicating that they still had plenty of shield charge left.


    In the second that Christean¨¦ took to note this fact, Ind lashed out at him, her Chaos Claws raking across his own shields and forcing him back. She quickly jumped back to her feet, snarling the whole time as she made to lunge at him ¡ª only to suddenly stop and snap her head to the side, as if something in the far distance had just caught her attention. Before she could move, Dav¨ªdrius rocketed down from above, landing just next to her and then whipping his heel around overhead to slam it down onto her back, blasting her into the ground. Christean¨¦ made to follow with another hammer blow, but the Bleeder interrupted his attack with another Chaos Explosion, knocking Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ both against the side of the crater and launching herself high into the air ¡ª where Rebehka created a massive pillar of ice to slam her back into the crater. But just before the ice could connect, Ind invoked another Chaos Blast, obliterating the ice and giving her an opening to launch herself across the skies again with Chaos Explosion, this time straight toward the hole in Tresnon¡¯s walls.


    ¡°Shit¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled, immediately leaping after the Berserker to give chase ¡ª and then momentarily locking up in surprise as Kar¨ªsah bounded out of the walls and slammed her fist into Ind¡¯s face, sending the Berserker careening through the air over the wastelands. Christean¨¦ quickly gave chase, whirling his hammer before releasing it in Ind¡¯s direction, all while Rebehka attempted to fill the hole in the wall with massive chunks of ice.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally here!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed, passing Dav¨ªdrius a glance before crouching down in preparation to leap toward Ind¡¯s location. ¡°Is it just her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just the one ¡ª and she¡¯s Berserk,¡± Dav¨ªdrius explained as he stepped in front of Kar¨ªsah, as if to block her from moving further into the wastelands. ¡°This ain¡¯t your fight!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kar¨ªsah stared incredulously at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Why? I live here, too! Besides, you¡¯re here, riskin¡¯ yourself¡ª¡°


    ¡°I got shields,¡± Dav¨ªdrius cut in, pounding on his chest just hard enough to cause his shielding to flare up. ¡°That protects me from those Chaostechnic attacks of hers. But you know that those attacks ignore the durability that you and I have as Introtechnics ¡ª if you go out there without shields, and she Blasts you, you¡¯re fuckin¡¯ dead!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª!¡± Kar¨ªsah started, indignation writ across her face, but she quickly stopped herself. ¡°¡­Then what do I do? I can¡¯t just let y¡¯all handle this alone!¡±


    ¡°Agh, figures you¡¯d pick a time like this to be stubborn¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, momentarily glancing out into the wastelands as two domes of red energy appeared in the distance. He crouched down, preparing to leap as he said to Kar¨ªsah, ¡°look, if you wanna help, then keep your distance and just throw shit. Ask Rebehka to make you ice rocks or somethin¡¯. But keep your distance! If you fuckin¡¯ die here, then I¡¯ll murder your ass!¡±


    As soon as he finished his thought, Dav¨ªdrius launched himself through the air, just in time to intercept Ind and knock her into a nearby crater. Before he could land, however, the Berserker had already launched herself back into the air, leaving Dav¨ªdrius to glare after her helplessly ¡ª he couldn¡¯t kick off of thin air, after all. Just as Ind launched herself back toward the walls with another Chaos Explosion, however, Christean¨¦ rocketed through the air and swung his hammer down on top of her, blasting her into the ground below.


    By then, Dav¨ªdrius had landed on the ground and was now able to respond, allowing him to speed across the cratered grounds to reach the Bleeder and kick her into a nearby crater, which was swiftly followed by Rebehka creating a mass of ice over the crater and allowing it to fall into place, with the intention of crushing Ind under its weight. Yet another Chaos Blast immediately foiled that plan, annihilating the ice and deepening the crater as the Berserker launched herself back into the air, clearing the lip of the crater and focusing on Tresnon¡¯s walls.


    But before she could launch herself again, a massive chunk of ice flew through the air and knocked her backwards. Kar¨ªsah followed by throwing another two chunks of ice, her strength allowing her to throw the massive chunks as hard as bullets and score two more hits on the Berserk Bleeder. Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ both seized on the opening to slam the Berserker with their own attacks, but her shields remained active, allowing her to immediately respond with another Chaos Explosion to launch herself back into the air. Dav¨ªdrius leaped after her, whipping his foot around to spike her back to the ground, but she instead Chaos Blasted him away and then launched herself forward. Christean¨¦ intercepted her this time, having used his hammer to launch himself through the air toward her and then bring his hammer down on top of her, but she unexpectedly responded by firing a Chaos Cannon at the hammer head ¡ª causing it to reverse its swing direction, whipping around and under to slam into the Berserker¡¯s underside and fling her skyward.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Christean¨¦ exclaimed in disbelief, rapidly whirling his hammer again in preparation to pursue the Bleeder. ¡°She¡¯s Berserk, isn¡¯t she? What the hell is with these tactical reactions?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to ask her later ¡ª if she survives!¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, and then leaped into the air to reach Ind. He reached her in the blink of an eye, and swung his lower body around to spike her to the ground again ¡ª but a sudden burst of light momentarily stunned him. Quickly, he snapped his attention to the source of the light, finding in that moment that all of the lights in Tresnon had come back on, dispelling the nighttime darkness that had engulfed the town. ¡°Who fixed¡­?¡± he began to wonder, but movement in the corner of his eye brought him back to the immediate present. As he began to fall through the air next to Ind, he reached out to grab her arm and attempt to simply throw her at the ground, but as he did, she lashed out at him with claws of Chaos Energy. That single attack knocked the two away from each other¡­ and then, with the rotational momentum that she had gained, the Bleeder swung her right arm through the air toward Tresnon ¡ª and created dozens of arrows and projectiles that honed in on the newly lit town.


    Dav¨ªdrius was powerless to do anything about the projectiles in that moment, as he and Ind both were still falling through the air. It was Christean¨¦ who appeared in the air a second later to slam the Berserker groundward, distracting her from the massive chunk of ice that Rebehka created near the walls and held suspended in the air. Kar¨ªsah then lunged at the ice chunk and delivered an incredible punch to its underside, directed upward, shattering it and creating a flak-like spread of ice shards across the sky that successfully intercepted a number of the Chaos projectiles. The defense wasn¡¯t enough to block all of the projectiles, however, and the reminder found their mark against the buildings and streets of Tresnon below ¡ª including two of the shield emitters.


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    ¡°Shit!¡± Dav¨ªdrius reflexively exclaimed, eying the distant exploding emitters before whipping his attention back to the Berserk Bleeder. A thundering explosion could be heard as Ind launched herself into the air once more, but this time, her movements were more lethargic than before. In frustration and anger, Dav¨ªdrius bounded after her and spiked her back to the ground, where Christean¨¦ was ready and waiting to slam her again with his hammer, embedding her into the dirt. A split-second later, Dav¨ªdrius appeared over her to slam his foot into her stomach, further entrenching her. After that, Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ both reflexively braced themselves against the Berserker¡¯s inevitable response, but when none came, they both stared down at her¡­ and the veil of Chaos Energy around her that was gradually fading away.


    ¡°¡­Ngh¡­ ah ha¡­ oof.¡± Ind grimaced in pain, her face no longer obscured as she glared up at the two Deans. ¡°Wow¡­ you stopped my Berserk State, and killed my shields¡­ you¡¯ve gotten a lot better, Sentry. Though I guess it wasn¡¯t just you, huh~?¡±


    ¡°Killed your shields, huh?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, mercilessly stomping the Bleeder¡¯s palm to check. Sure enough, no plane of golden light appeared to block his foot from crushing her hand, resulting in the sound of cracking plastic and a couple of electrical sparks. ¡°¡­What the hell?¡± he muttered, removing his foot to stare down at Ind¡¯s destroyed hand in confusion ¡ª and the obviously artificial components that made it up.


    ¡°Your arm¡¯s a prosthetic?¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°¡­Well, I guess that explains what was generating your shields, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha¡­ oops. I guess the jig is up~,¡± Ind replied deliriously. ¡°You really weren¡¯t supposed to learn this part~.¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you get this?¡± Dav¨ªdrius pressed, kicking at the mangled electronic components in her hand. ¡°There¡¯s no way in hell the Bleeders found a fucking shield-generatin¡¯ prosthetic arm in the dumpin¡¯ grounds, or had access to people who knew how to install one!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I wonder~.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± The Velocitechnic glared down at her, before shifting his attention to the side as Rebehka and Kar¨ªsah cautiously approached. ¡°Listen, you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snarled, turning his attention back to Ind, ¡°if you say the word ¡®Chaos¡¯, then you¡¯re fuckin¡¯ dead. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Is she no longer Berserk?¡± Rebehka questioned from afar.


    ¡°Not anymore, no,¡± Christean¨¦ replied, ¡°and get this, she has a cybernetic arm!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Kar¨ªsah responded in surprise. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Black Suns thing?¡±


    ¡°Black Suns¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered to himself, still glaring at Ind ¡ª who continued to grin back at him. While her body remained still, and her breath seemed ragged, she still possessed a distinctly maniacal glint in her eye.


    ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, don¡¯t tell me the Black Suns are involved here, too!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius, Christean¨¦, Rebehka, and Kar¨ªsah all turned to look behind them, where Kate, Mark, and Relia were quickly approaching. Kate stopped just short of the group, but upon seeing the downed Ind, Relia quickly lunged forward and called out, ¡°Chaos Negation.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, you really don¡¯t trust me, huh~?¡± Ind remarked, while Mark moved to pick her up and restrain her with one arm and Relia continued to stand over her.


    ¡°Relia¡­ good that you¡¯re here,¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented, and then shifted his attention to Mark and Kate. ¡°But what the hell¡¯re y¡¯all doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Oh come the fuck on, we¡¯re here to help, and this is the thanks we get?¡± Kate retorted, and then slowly surveyed the scarred wastelands with a scowl. ¡°Man, and I even missed out on one hell of a fight¡­ this fucking sucks!¡±


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for this, Kate,¡± Mark chided. ¡°Now tell them what you told me and Relia.¡±


    ¡°Did somethin¡¯ happen?¡± Kar¨ªsah questioned warily. ¡°Uh, aside from all of the fightin¡¯¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess you could say that,¡± Kate remarked dismissively. ¡°After the power went out, Mote, Danielle, and I went to fix up the generator to make sure your shitty defenses would still work. And sure enough, it looked like someone had blown the ever-living fuck out of the control panel and fucked up the dynamos. Looked like you¡¯d need to replace the whole generator, so Mote¡¯s the one supplying power, right now.¡±


    ¡°Sure, thanks, but it ain¡¯t a surprise the generator was sabotaged,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied.


    ¡°Well no shit, but that¡¯s not the part that¡¯s important,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°What¡¯s important is that we saw some random chick there dressed in a bunch of heavy robes. She took one look at us, turned invisible, and gave us the fucking slip! That bitch¡­¡±


    Ind began giggling to herself. ¡°Yep! That¡¯s Shade, for ya~!¡±


    ¡°So they were both bad, after all¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered.


    ¡°Fucking¡­ damn it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore, his brow furrowed in frustration.


    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up, though,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out. ¡°If this ¡®Shade¡¯ person really is a Visitechnic, like you¡¯re suggesting, then why was she visible to start with? Did she want us to discover her?¡±


    ¡°That ain¡¯t the only thing that ain¡¯t makin¡¯ any sense, here,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, turning his irate gaze back to Ind. ¡°Just what the hell are the Bleeders playin¡¯ at, huh? What the hell are y¡¯all tryin¡¯ to accomplish?¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe¡­ that¡¯d be obvious,¡± Ind replied, ¡°well¡­ if you remembered me, anyways~!¡±


    ¡°Remember you? What the hell are you¡­?¡± Dav¨ªdrius trailed off uneasily as he stared hard at Ind, at her pale face, and her short brown hair. Little about her appearance was remarkable or unique in any way, but as the Velocitechnic considered her maliciously affable attitude and explosive Chaotic ability, realization crossed his face ¡ª followed immediately by confused fury. ¡°You!¡± he shouted, ¡°you¡¯re¡ª you¡¯re that fucking Chaostechnic I fought 20 years ago!¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha!! You finally got it!!¡±


    ¡°How the hell?! Kev¨¦rin and Siyuak¨¦n said you were dead!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Rebehka passed Dav¨ªdrius a confused look. ¡°I don¡¯t remember her¡­¡±


    ¡°It was before you and Christean¨¦ joined the team,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, his foul glare still focused on Ind as she hung limply from Mark¡¯s hand. ¡°It was back when Kev¨¦rin and Kaon¨¦ were tryin¡¯ to recruit me, actually. I told ¡®em that I¡¯d only join Hero Machina if they helped me kill the leader of the Bleeders at the time, and while we were huntin¡¯ him down¡­ I ran into this bitch right here.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t do so well against me that time~.¡± Ind remarked.


    ¡°You may¡¯ve beaten me, but accordin¡¯ to Kev¨¦rin, Siyuak¨¦n should¡¯ve shocked y¡¯all to death¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°How the hell are you alive? And if you¡¯re here¡­ then¡­ don¡¯t fucking tell me¡­!¡±


    Ind broke out into maniacal laughter, so loud and uproarious that she startled everyone present. ¡°Now you¡¯re gettin¡¯ it!¡± she remarked, still grinning as broadly as before, though she now bore a significantly more murderous aura. ¡°You just don¡¯t know how to follow through, Sentry! You can¡¯t do shit by yourself! Everything you do, you get help from outsiders! Outsiders then, outsiders now, outsiders here, outsiders there, outsiders everywhere! You think Tres¨¦d¡¯s just gonna sit around and let you fuck everythin¡¯ up, let you hand everythin¡¯ over to fuckin¡¯ outsiders? Well the Bleeders have had enough, and now that I¡¯m back, as well as a¡­ certain someone, we¡¯ll be gettin¡¯ our revenge! We¡¯ll show you to bring so many fuckin¡¯ outsiders to Tres¨¦d!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, like you ain¡¯t gettin¡¯ help from outsiders yourself,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°That arm of yours, those shields, the armor all those other Bleeders were wearin¡¯ ¡ª ain¡¯t no way y¡¯all''re gettin¡¯ those without outside help. So where the hell do you get off, tryin¡¯ to claim I¡¯m the one in the wrong?!¡±


    ¡°We get stuff, but not people. We still do everythin¡¯ ourselves. You can¡¯t say that, though~.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ fucking¡­!¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled, too blinded by fury to do anything but continue his argument with Ind. As he did, Christean¨¦ and Rebehka exchanged an awkward glance, Relia continued to cautiously watch Ind, and Mark looked back at Kate ¡ª who herself was squinting into the distance, as if she had spotted something.


    ¡°¡­What the hell?¡± she muttered, and then raised her voice to address the group. ¡°Hey, is there a fucking army over there?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned incredulously, as everyone turned to look in the direction that Kate was pointing ¡ª but just as they did, a sudden, massive blow to the back of his neck slammed Mark into the ground. Caught off guard, he accidentally released Ind, who was flung through the air to tumble to the ground some distance away as the sound of a gunshot finally rang through the air. A massively deformed bullet falling to the ground a couple meters away from Mark was enough to indicate what had just happened: he had been shot by a heavy hypersonic round.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted in the direction of the gunshot, his hammer already whirling in preparation to attack.


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ you really let your guard down, huh~?¡± Ind remarked, drawing everyone¡¯s attention back to her ¡ª just in time for Shade to appear next to her, a massive rifle strapped to her back as she slapped a small broach onto Ind¡¯s chest, thereby activating a new energy shield to protect her. Dav¨ªdrius immediately lunged toward the duo, dealing two high-speed kicks to launch them across the wasteland, but before he could pursue, he spotted several dozen lights in the distance ¡ª several dozen that soon grew to well over a hundred once he paused to count.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a raid,¡± Relia muttered.


    ¡°And we lost that Bleeder, too,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out with a scowl. ¡°She was the closest thing we had to a lead!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ sorry about that¡­¡± Mark muttered as he slowly picked himself up off of the ground, gingerly rubbing the area where he had been shot ¡ª that nonetheless showed no sign of injury. ¡°I was caught off-guard¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but how about this: we won¡¯t need a captive if we just stop the raid right now¡ª!¡± Kate started, only to be interrupted by a voice over her communicator.


    ?That¡¯s a negative, pull back!? ordered Saito¡¯s voice. ?We need to regroup, now!?


    ¡°What? But¡ª!¡±


    ?That¡¯s not it. You¡¯re with the Dean, right? Selind needs a word with him.?


    ¡°Dirt help me, Selind, this had better be fucking worth it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snarled, ¡°this night went from bad to worse already, so unless the sky is fucking falling, you better have a damn good reason to pull us back, when we¡¯re already close enough to mount an attack!¡±


    ?An attack? The seven of you, against an army? Sure, I¡¯ll wait to see how well that turns out,? Selind retorted. ?Two of Tresnon¡¯s shield emitters are down, anyways. The Compound is in too bad a shape to go around provokin¡¯ Bleeders, right now.?


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, fuckin¡¯¡­ damn it, cut to the chase. What is it?!¡±


    ?That ¡®army¡¯ approachin¡¯ us is all Bleeders, and they¡¯re bein¡¯ led by¡­ well, uh, by someone I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see again.?


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it. Don¡¯t you fucking say it.¡±


    ?Wish I didn¡¯t have to, but it¡¯s what¡¯s happenin¡¯. This man leadin¡¯ the Bleeders¡­ he claims to be Str¨¦n. The very same your friends supposedly killed 20 years ago.?

 V1 - A13 - Chapter 107: Old Grudges

    NEW WORLD ¡ª HUNGER''S BANE


    <hr>


    Chapter 107: Old Grudges


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius!¡±


    Selind rushed along the top of Tresnon¡¯s walls, followed closely by Saito and Hackett as she met up with Dav¨ªdrius, who had just landed atop the wall in a roll. On the wall behind him landed Christean¨¦, Rebehka, Relia, Kar¨ªsah, and Mark carrying Kate; pensive silence fell over the group, all of them warily watching the dark horizon ¡ª and the sea of lights that blanketed it.


    Dav¨ªdrius was the first to turn away from the sight, his gaze falling on Saito and Hackett before shifting to Selind. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± he questioned, his voice low.


    ¡°Not gonna lie, things could be a lot better,¡± Selind replied, gesturing for Dav¨ªdrius and every else to follow as she turned to lead them back along the wall. ¡°But at the same time, it could be a lot worse. Those Bleeders you and Ralak captured from those outposts, who freed themselves during the blackout ¡ª they wrecked Ral Street pretty badly, but Relia and the Earthians stopped ¡®em short of that. The real problem is that we lost the main power generator, and two of the shield emitters. I¡¯m not confident we¡¯d be able to stand up to a siege, not without casualties.¡±


    ¡°Is a siege a possibility?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Normally, I¡¯d say no¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius said with a scowl, ¡°but the Bleeders have been beatin¡¯ every one of my expectations, lately, so who¡¯s to fuckin¡¯ say¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if it does come to that, the Eximius Vir should have us covered,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Danielle is working on replacing the shield emitters as we speak. She won¡¯t be able to replace the power generator, but for now, Mote can generate more than enough power to power the city and its defenses. It¡¯s sub-optimal, but things aren¡¯t quite as bad as they might look, defensively speaking.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s gaze lingered on Saito, his expression unreadable. It was Christean¨¦ who spoke up next, remarking, ¡°so, we¡¯re even getting help from the Earthians, huh?¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time for this,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped.


    Christean¨¦ smiled sheepishly. ¡°Right, sorry, sorry.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is something wrong?¡± Saito questioned.


    Dav¨ªdrius didn¡¯t respond, instead moving to the front of the group as they arrived at a wider section of the wall, featuring a large spotlight. Standing next to the spotlight was Luke, peering out over the horizon with a pair of binoculars; when he noticed the group approaching him, he lowered the binoculars to pass them a nod.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± Selind asked, while Dav¨ªdrius grabbed the binoculars from Luke.


    ¡°Honestly? Not as bad as I¡¯d thought,¡± Luke replied. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a few thousand of ¡®em, but they¡¯re just using fake lights as a trick. In actuality, I only count a hundred of them on this side, and Gavon says there¡¯s another hundred approaching from the north, but none to the west. That said, they do have some vehicles with them, and it even looks like they have some beam jammers, too¡­ so there¡¯s no easy way out with Danielle just turning into a Frigate, or something.¡±


    ¡°Beam jammers?¡± Hackett echoed incredulously. ¡°Where the hell did they get those?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, like that¡¯s a problem,¡± Kate snorted in derision. ¡°There¡¯s only 200 of the bastards. I could handle that in my sleep!¡±


    ¡°We might be stronger than typical Chaotics, but we aren¡¯t invulnerable,¡± Mark countered. ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away.¡±


    ¡°200 Bleeders, though¡­? That¡¯s a lot in one place,¡± Kar¨ªsah commented, her expression filled with concern. ¡°Most raids I¡¯ve heard of only have 50 or less¡­¡±


    ¡°More like a couple dozen,¡± Relia corrected. ¡°A 200-person raid, for the Bleeders, is really somethin¡¯¡­ they must really have it out for Tresnon.¡±


    Rebehka passed Relia and Kar¨ªsah a wary glance before turning toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°¡­Is this more than we can handle?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how you mean,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, still looking through the binoculars. A second later, he finally put them down, his brow furrowed in frustration. ¡°Tresnon has a Defense Force for a reason. There¡¯s only 200 of the Bleeders¡­ but with that said, they do have vehicles and artillery, too¡­ and if those are really beam jammers, then who knows what the hell else they¡¯ve got¡­¡±


    ¡°If Tresnon¡¯s power and shields hadn¡¯t been sabotaged, then I¡¯d say we could handle this easily,¡± Selind said. ¡°As is, though¡­ well, as Dav¨ªdrius said, we have a Defense Force for a reason ¡ª and I¡¯ve trained ¡®em for situations just like this. Even if the Bleeders have tricks up their sleeves, there¡¯s no doubt in my mind that we¡¯d beat them... the only problem is that they¡¯d be able to do a lot of damage and kill a lot of innocent people before we did.¡±


    A poignant pause fell over the group, each of them taking in Selind¡¯s statement in silence. As Luke reclaimed the binoculars and returned to surveying the Bleeders outside the walls, Saito turned back to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Here¡¯s a question,¡± the Colonel started, ¡°and it might not be a nice one, but it bears asking. You have an entire school of Chaotics here, right? Do they outnumber the Bleeders?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius and Selind both gave Saito surprised looks; the Dean¡¯s expression rapidly collapsed into a scowl as he replied, ¡°the students ain¡¯t ready for a live combat situation, not like this. We can¡¯t just throw ¡®em into an army-scale fight ¡ª even against the Bleeders, they¡¯d be as good as dead!¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t that weak!¡± Kar¨ªsah argued. ¡°I bet any 5th- or 6th-year could pull their weight! Besides, weren¡¯t you 20 when you did all of your Hero Machina stuff? Well, most of the 5th-years are 20 or older. Some of the 4th-years, too!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got you, there,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted in frustration. ¡°¡­Still a worst case scenario.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a better scenario?¡± Hackett pressed.


    ¡°Keep in mind, we only have to stall long enough for Danielle to replace the shield emitters,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°She has to do it piece-by-piece, but it¡¯s still possible. Shouldn¡¯t take longer than an hour, if that.¡±


    ¡°Great, so we¡¯re just gonna fucking wait, then?¡± Kate complained.


    ¡°If it¡¯s our best option, then we should do it,¡± Kar¨ªsah declared. ¡°But, how do we stall against the Bleeders for an hour¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s probably blasphemy to say this in present company,¡± Selind replied, and then held up a communicator toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°But we could talk to ¡®em.¡±


    The Dean glared down at the communicator in her hands. ¡°¡­You wanna talk to ¡®em?¡±


    ¡°He sure seemed to wanna talk to you.¡±


    ¡°¡¯He¡¯?¡± Kar¨ªsah echoed, ¡°¡­do you mean that Str¨¦n person¡­?¡±


    ¡°Hey, whoa there, buddy!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked, his eyes on Dav¨ªdrius as the latter¡¯s expression contorted into a foul look of fury. ¡°I¡¯m probably not the best person to say this, but let¡¯s keep a level head, here.¡±


    ¡°Try sayin¡¯ that again once you hear about all the shit Str¨¦n pulled two decades ago,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡± Mark spoke up, glancing uneasily between Dav¨ªdrius and Selind, ¡°what did he do?¡±


    ¡°Str¨¦n was the closest thing to a ¡®leader¡¯ that the Bleeders have had in generations,¡± Selind replied. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ difficult to describe how much more ruthless the Bleeders got while he was in charge. Those fuckers have always raided and pillaged, but with Str¨¦n, it got to an extra level of cruel. Playin¡¯ with helpless folks before killin¡¯ in cold blood, straight-up torture, even just goin¡¯ out of their way to turn raids into a sport. All that on top of raids gettin¡¯ more effective, and frequent. Hell, before Str¨¦n, the Bleeders would just raid a Compound and then leave them alone. But when he was in charge, they would actually burn entire Compounds to the ground.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the half of it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius added. ¡°Y¡¯all had it fuckin¡¯ nice here in Tresnon. You never had to experience that shit first-hand. But I¡ª ¡­¡± He trailed off for a moment, his lips pursed and gaze diverted as he fought past the obvious fury that had overtaken his body. ¡°¡­I ain¡¯t gonna bore y¡¯all with a long story, here, but long story short, it¡¯s all Str¨¦n¡¯s fuckin¡¯ fault that I had to kill my own damn best friend, after already losin¡¯ a dozen people from my home Compound. A Compound that doesn¡¯t even exist anymore, ¡®cause of the fuckin¡¯ Bleeders!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Mark responded, unable to come up with any better response. Even Kate shifted uncomfortably, glancing around at everything except for Dav¨ªdrius in her unease.


    ¡°And I ain¡¯t the only one to have a story like that, either,¡± Dav¨ªdrius continued. ¡°Plenty of folks across Tres¨¦d were terrorized by Str¨¦n and his Bleeders. Hell, even this fucking raid is just a terror tactic! Fucking¡­ argh!¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Rebehka muttered, her hand placed on his shoulder in an effort to reassure him. ¡°¡­We¡¯re in this together, right now. We can handle whatever he throws at us.¡±


    ¡°I bet that¡¯s easy to say as an outsider, isn¡¯t it?¡± Relia retorted.


    ¡°Relia!¡± Selind immediately admonished, ¡°this is not the time for that attitude!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to say, sure, but ultimately, she¡¯s right,¡± Christean¨¦ admitted. ¡°We don¡¯t know what it¡¯s been like to live in Tres¨¦d, under the threat of the Bleeders. I¡¯m not about to say that dealing with them is easy, or simple.¡± He then glanced toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°But we are here, right now, and we¡¯re willing to help. If this Str¨¦n bastard thinks he can pull the same shit now that he did 20 years ago, then I¡¯ll be right there with you when you tear him a new one.¡±


    ¡°And damn do I wanna tear him a new one¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. He paused for a moment to take a deep breath, and then snatched the communicator out of Selind¡¯s hands. ¡°Alright, well. Time to see if it really is that motherfucker on the other side¡­¡± Impatiently, he smashed his hand onto the communicator¡¯s activation button, opening it up to the two-way comms line it was already connected to. ¡°Alright, you motherfuckers!¡± Dav¨ªdrius announced, directing his speech into the communicator¡¯s mic as he glared out over the nighttime wastelands. ¡°Who the hell am I talkin¡¯ to?¡±


    ?Puahahahaha!!? A deep guffaw emerged over the connection, to which both Dav¨ªdrius and Selind responded with frustrated scowls. A moment later, the laughing ceased, followed by a deep, gruff voice. ?You really ain¡¯t changed one bit, eh, ¡®Guardian¡¯? Or should I say, ¡®Sentry¡¯, now??


    ¡°Str¨¦n¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled, ¡°¡­you crusty dirt-damned bastard. Don¡¯t even have the decency to die when you¡¯re supposed to, huh?¡±


    ?Puahahaha! Well, ¡®course not! Can¡¯t just up and leave Tres¨¦d in the hands of a li¡¯l pussy like you, now, can I??


    ¡°Hell of a thing to say, for a dead man.¡±


    ?You wanna get mad at someone for me still bein¡¯ alive, get mad at your friends. They¡¯re the ones who didn¡¯t follow through. Though I guess teamin¡¯ up with outsiders was the only way you could even get that far, huh? You didn¡¯t even manage to beat Feral back then, didja? Ain¡¯t no way you woulda been able to kill me on your own.?


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°So that really is Ind¡¯s ¡®real¡¯ name, huh? Feral? She fights like a fuckin¡¯ animal, I¡¯ll give her that.¡±


    ?Puahaha! She¡¯ll be glad to hear it!?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will. Now get to the point. What the hell are you doin¡¯ here, Str¨¦n? Tryin¡¯ to lead a raid on fucking Tresnon, of all places? Did you honestly think that would work?¡±


    ?Cute! You still think all that posturin¡¯ is worth somethin¡¯! But I think we both know that tonight has shattered Tresnon¡¯s reputation as an unbreakable fortress. Or maybe it¡¯s just ¡®cause you¡¯ve gone soft? Ain¡¯t no way I woulda been able to sneak two Bleeders in 20 years ago! Puahahahaha!?


    ¡°This guy is a real asshole,¡± Kate muttered, her voice low enough to not be picked up by the communicator. ¡°Why can¡¯t we just kick his ass, huh?¡±


    ¡°If we could do that without endangering the Compound, then I¡¯m sure Dav¨ªdrius would¡¯ve been the first to suggest it,¡± Saito responded in kind. ¡°Try to hold your tongue for now, and let the Dean handle this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, you bastard,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snarled, ignoring Kate and Saito¡¯s side conversation as he continued to address Str¨¦n. ¡°Sabotage aside, all the idiots who got in ain¡¯t a threat anymore. Ind ¡ª I¡¯m sorry, Feral ¡ª and Shade bailed, but that just means they ain¡¯t comin¡¯ back in. You lost your advantage. There¡¯s no reason for y¡¯all to stick around!¡±


    ?Sure, it¡¯d be a fair fight now. But sometimes a drag-out, knock-out brawl is fun! I¡¯m sure you remember our first fight. I know I sure had a lot of fun! Guess I might¡¯ve knocked you around too much for you to remember though, huh? Puahaha!!?


    A furious growl escaped Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s throat, his teeth grinding together. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± he eventually questioned. ¡°Why¡¯re you back? Why¡¯re you attackin¡¯ Tresnon? Is this really about that ¡®outsider¡¯ shit you Bleeders¡¯ve been spoutin¡¯ off about these past few months?¡±


    ?¡¯Course it is! Outsiders are what¡¯s bringin¡¯ Tres¨¦d down, after all! Tres¨¦dians are the only ones who have the right to decide how we Tres¨¦dians live! After all, we¡¯re the only ones who know what it¡¯s like to live here, all the sufferin¡¯, all the bullshit we have to put up with. It¡¯s our problem. But you¡¯d bring in a bunch of outsiders to ruin how things are!?


    ¡°Because things fucking suck,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ?Ain¡¯t surprised you¡¯d say that. You been spendin¡¯ too much time with them outsiders, gotten too used to the high life! Ha! Bet it¡¯s real nice, bein¡¯ surrounded by outsiders like that, ain¡¯t it??


    ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± Rebehka glanced uneasily at everyone present; of the eleven individuals in the group atop the wall, only four were actually from Tres¨¦d ¡ª and five of the rest weren¡¯t even Nimalian.


    ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted as he looked over the group himself before turning back to glare at the horizon. ¡°You talk big, but it¡¯s all shit. You Bleeders alone are the biggest reason why Tres¨¦d is a shithole! If you cleaned up your act and actually helped out, then I wouldn¡¯t need to ask outsiders for help! But instead, you just want to raid, rape, pillage, steal shit that ain¡¯t yours, and then complain all damn day about ¡®outsiders ruining everything¡¯, even though you¡¯re takin¡¯ help from outsiders yourselves! ¡®Cause I know you sure as shit wouldn¡¯t have powered armor and prosthetics and all that other shit otherwise!¡±


    ?Puuaahahahahaha!!!? Str¨¦n¡¯s bellowing laugh echoed loud and hard for several seconds. ?Guess you got me, whelp! You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t give a damn about helpin¡¯ people! But you know what I do give a damn about? Strength! Power! Pathetic shit like helpin¡¯ people ain¡¯t the way you get stronger ¡ª people who can¡¯t even help themselves are there to be crushed, used, exploited. That¡¯s what¡¯s so perfect about the Tres¨¦d of today ¡ª this shithole of a wasteland makes strong people, people who can fight, defend themselves, and take what they want for themselves! We Bleeders just weed out the weak, the undeservin¡¯, and we do it while showin¡¯ the world the proper way to live: by takin¡¯ what you want! With force!?


    ¡°What a fucked up way to live¡­¡±


    ?You say that, but you¡¯re livin¡¯ it too. I know what that li¡¯l school of yours is about. I know what you teamin¡¯ up with outsiders is about, too. You need power, you want power, and that¡¯s why you get all those powerful idiots together in one place.?


    ¡°The hell are you¡ª?¡±


    ?Don¡¯t even try to say I¡¯m wrong, whelp. Bandin¡¯ together to protect each other, that¡¯s power. You teachin¡¯ kids how to defend themselves in this wasteland, that¡¯s power. But your power¡¯s been fucked by outsiders, and I¡¯m here to prove it by showin¡¯ just how weak you really are!?


    ¡°¡­Is this really stalling?¡± Hackett questioned warily.


    ¡°Str¨¦n ain¡¯t the kinda guy you can reason with,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, covering the communicator¡¯s mic as he did. ¡°Gettin¡¯ him talkin¡¯ about his motives is the only way to delay, but you can¡¯t negotiate with him. If he wants somethin¡¯, he¡¯ll use force to get it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh, Colonel, Dean¡­¡± Luke spoke up, still peering through his binoculars as he locked onto one area in the distance. ¡°¡­They¡¯re rolling up the big guns. It looks like they¡¯re preparing to attack¡­!¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Selind swore, frantically looking back across the city. ¡°If they were to shell us now¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything¡¯s okay!¡±


    Following her exclamation, Danielle landed on the wall just next to Kate, before whipping around and giving Saito and Dav¨ªdrius a thumbs up. As she did, a golden shimmer appeared in the air outside of the Compound¡¯s walls, forming a massive dome over the city before dissipating into thin air.


    ¡°You got the shields up!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Danielle affirmed. ¡°Mote¡¯s still busy powering the city, but I¡¯m here and ready to help!¡±


    ¡°Then it sounds like things are looking up!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°The day you tear Str¨¦n a new asshole might be sooner than you thought, Dav¨ªdrius!¡±


    The Velocitechnic offered his friend a bitter smile, but before he could make to respond, Str¨¦n¡¯s guffawing appeared over the communicator once more. Confused and incredulous expressions appeared on the faces of everyone atop the wall, while Dav¨ªdrius finally unmuted the communicator and began to speak again. ¡°¡­The hell¡¯s so funny, huh?¡±


    ?You were just playin¡¯ for time, weren¡¯t ya?? Str¨¦n replied. ?I expected this, though. Shade told me there was a Transtechnic outsider in Tresnon. From Earth, too, huh? Where do you get these fuckin¡¯ outsiders??


    ¡°If you expected this, then why the hell are you stickin¡¯ around? Our shields are back, our power¡¯s back. There¡¯s nothin¡¯ stoppin¡¯ us from just killin¡¯ you all with the wall turrets from behind the safety of our shields. In fact, I think I¡¯ll give that order now¡ª¡°


    ?Bold words, but I wouldn¡¯t do that, if I were you. Not if you value your precious students the way you seem to.?


    ¡°You¡­ the hell¡¯re you sayin¡¯?¡±


    ?Whaddya think, whelp? But if you can¡¯t put two an¡¯ two together, then I¡¯ll lay it out. Hey, Feral, Shade, why don¡¯t y¡¯all come show off what you got for me??


    A cold chill descended over the walltop group as Feral¡¯s cackling appeared. ?Ehehe, you really slipped up, Sentry~!?


    ?Indeed. Infiltrating and exfiltrating Tresnon was much easier than I expected,? came Shade¡¯s voice. ?So easy, in fact, that I was able to bring something with me. Go ahead and speak to them, child. We won¡¯t bite.?


    A brief second passed, but that one moment seemed to stretch for minutes. Eventually, one voice broke the silence, the deadpan voice of a young woman, uttering quietly over the comms, ?¡­s-sorry, everyone¡­?


    ¡°Minilas!!¡± Kar¨ªsah exclaimed, her eyes wide with alarm. ¡°They got Minilas?!¡±


    ¡°Liask did say that her friend went missing¡­¡± Mark said. ¡°So, then¡­ the Bleeders kidnapped her? But how¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trick, either¡­¡± Luke muttered, still peering through his binoculars. ¡°They have a young woman with them, alright, and she looks a lot like one of the students I¡¯ve seen around here¡­¡±


    ?Anyways, you get the picture now, don¡¯t ya?? came Str¨¦n¡¯s gruff voice once more. ?How d¡¯ya feel now, O great an¡¯ wonderful Sentry??


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled, his grip on the communicator tightening into a vice as he snarled through clenched teeth, ¡°if you harm her, or any of my students, then I will find you, and I will kill you, very¡­ very slowly, and very, very painfully.¡±


    ?Now that¡¯s the attitude I wanna hear! Use your anger, and take things! By force! But unfortunately for both of us, that won¡¯t be happenin¡¯ tonight.?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you even think about leavin¡¯ here with her, you fucking bastard!¡±


    ?An¡¯ what¡¯re you gonna do? Come out here and fight me? You¡¯re fast, sure, but you know we got powered armor, now. You really think you can kill me, faster than my lackeys can kill your li¡¯l student??


    ¡°¡­!¡±


    ?Don¡¯t get me wrong, I was really lookin¡¯ forward to finally gettin¡¯ a chance to bash your pathetic li¡¯l face into the dirt¡­ but I guess I just don¡¯t got enough power yet. Enough strength. And you don¡¯t got enough to stop me from leavin¡¯, either. So we¡¯ll call this a draw.?


    ¡°What?!¡± Kate passed Saito an impatient glance. ¡°We can¡¯t just let him leave!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Danielle affirmed, ¡°we can go after them!¡±


    ¡°He has a hostage, we have no choice,¡± Saito countered, and then shifted his attention to Selind and Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°¡­Unless you decide otherwise.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t sacrifice Minilas!¡± Kar¨ªsah interjected, ¡°if she¡¯s alive, then we can still save her. But if we go out there now, then they¡¯ll kill her!¡±


    ¡°That might be for the best,¡± Relia commented. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what Bleeders do to hostages. Not every hostage, granted, but the odds of that girl makin¡¯ it out of this alright ain¡¯t exactly high.¡±


    ¡°Even a slight chance is better than nothing,¡± Selind insisted. ¡°When did you get so cynical, Relia? You can¡¯t just throw away a life, like this!¡±


    ¡°And what about all of the lives those Bleeders will ruin if we let them get away?¡± Relia countered. ¡°Unlike you, mom, I don¡¯t just sit in one place. I¡¯ve actually seen Tres¨¦d from every angle, and I know how dangerous the Bleeders are.¡±


    Selind¡¯s nostrils flared in a flash of anger, but she quickly clenched her fist and pursed her lips in an effort to suppress the fury that had overcome her. ¡°¡­Do you really think your father was the first person I lost to the Bleeders?¡± she responded, her voice low. ¡°You¡¯re a smart girl, Relia, but this is one time that you don¡¯t know what the hell you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about.¡± She then turned to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°How do you wanna play this?¡±


    ¡°It looks like they¡¯re already packin¡¯ up to leave,¡± Luke said, still watching the horizon. ¡°If we¡¯re going to fight, we should do it now. ¡­Though I kinda think sacrificing a hostage is messed up¡­¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll still be behind you, Dav¨ªdrius, whatever you pick,¡± Christean¨¦ insisted. ¡°I know this is a tough choice, so I won¡¯t judge you either way. This is your home, after all.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Christean¨¦ an uneasy glance, before locking eyes with Selind, and then Relia, and finally Kar¨ªsah, where his gaze lingered for a moment. He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed in thought¡­ only to scowl a second later and bring the communicator back to his lips. ¡°¡­Str¨¦n.¡±


    A second passed before the eventual response. ?You still there?? came Str¨¦n¡¯s gruff voice. ?What, you actually thinkin¡¯ of sacrificin¡¯ your student to come get me? Finally grow some balls, huh??


    ¡°Big words, for someone who needed a hostage to make sure you could leave alive,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°I only got one thing to say to you, Str¨¦n: the next time we meet, it will be the last.¡±


    ?Puahahaha! I¡¯d like nothin¡¯ more, you pathetic whelp! ¡®Til next we meet!?


    ¡°¡¯Til next time¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered through clenched teeth while glaring at the distant horizon. The lights from the Bleeders had begun to shift and move, and some of them already seemed to be growing dim with distance.


    ¡°¡­Well, Captain?¡± Saito eventually prompted, breaking the silence that briefly fell over the group. ¡°Are they leaving?¡±


    ¡°Sure looks like it, sir,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I think it¡¯s over¡­¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Relia commented. ¡°But who knows when they¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°But this was still the right decision,¡± Kar¨ªsah insisted, moving over to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s side to place her hand on his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s between you and Str¨¦n, but¡­ like Christean¨¦ said, we all got your back.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius glanced down at her hand, and then up at her face, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he grunted dismissively and shook her off, turning around to storm off along the wall. ¡°Selind!¡± he shouted over his shoulder, ¡°get someone to watch those fuckers as they retreat. Make sure they don¡¯t lay a hand on my student!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Selind replied, but by the time her short reply had left her mouth, Dav¨ªdrius had disappeared from the walltop, using his superspeed to launch himself over the city of Tresnon. Upon noticing this, Selind released a deep sigh, and then forced a smile as she turned to address the rest of the group. ¡°Well¡­ all things considered, I guess that went better than most of us expected. And we really couldn¡¯t have done it without all of y¡¯all¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°After that conversation we just heard, I can¡¯t help but think that you¡¯d be better off if we weren¡¯t here in the first place¡­¡± Mark muttered.


    ¡°Ahhh, don¡¯t pay Str¨¦n any mind. The Bleeders have always been self-servin¡¯ hypocrites; that bastard is only usin¡¯ ¡®outsiders¡¯ as an excuse to get that ¡®power¡¯ he wants so dearly. I, for one, welcome all of y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked, rubbing his stomach as a loud growl emanated from it. ¡°¡­Well, everyone. Crisis averted, mostly. Let¡¯s go see if dinner¡¯s still on, shall we?¡±


    ¡°What? Dinner? Just like that¡­?¡± Mark questioned incredulously as Christean¨¦ and Rebehka both leaped off of the wall, using their respective Chaotic abilities to break their falls on the ground below.


    ¡°Attacks like this¡­ oof. It¡¯s been quite a while since I was involved in active defense, but, uh, that¡¯s Tres¨¦d, for you,¡± Selind replied, still maintaining a smile as she guided Relia and Kar¨ªsah along the wall ¡ª though Relia promptly disappeared a moment later after muttering ¡°Chaos Teleport.¡±


    ¡°¡­Captain, Major, keep a watch here on the wall. If those Bleeders try to pull a feint, or something, then I want to hear immediately,¡± Colonel Saito ordered, and then turned to face Mark. ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t a pretty situation, I know. But it¡¯s one we have to deal with. And in my experience, pigging out on food is one of the best ways to work through stress!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a great way to get fat,¡± Kate muttered.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Saito rolled his eyes before beginning to walk down the wall top, gesturing for Mark, Danielle, and Kate to follow. ¡°But we can¡¯t dwell on this right now. You can¡¯t lose yourself to the spiral of depression. We failed to save that one student tonight, yes, but we were still able to protect the entire Compound. Just think about it that way, and try to enjoy the rest of your night¡­ as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so, sir,¡± Mark replied, his idle gaze cast out over the city of Tresnon, and the unnervingly tranquil evening quiet that blanketed it. Despite the battles that had taken place within the walls earlier, the Compound almost looked safe and unspoiled¡­ but the Bleeder attack had done much to harm the image of Tresnon¡¯s impenetrable defenses. Indeed, Compound Tresnon was safe ¡ª for now. But for how long that would last, remained a mystery.


    <hr>


    And yet, despite the Return of the corruption,


    A bleeding enemy appears ¡ª with an eruption


    They steal the attention of the heroes and the Keys


    Distracting them from true threats with ease.


    The Keys must now learn, to defeat this disruption.


    End of Volume 1 - New World

 Volume 2: Old Threats - Arc 1: Relationships of Nimalia - Chapter 1: Forced Leave

    Volume 2: Old Threats


    Blood and metal, though different,


    They both seek to conquer


    Taking advantage of all who are ignorant


    To their surprising levels of power.


    Both threats may survive, to live for yet longer


    Lest the Keys and the Chosen grow ever stronger.


    <hr>


    ARC 1 ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    Chapter 1: Forced Leave


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Mondia, Aldredath 29, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°And this is why I said that joining the fight was a terrible idea!¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon, sis,¡± Sky airily refuted, ¡°it all worked out in the end, right? We¡¯re all alive and fine!¡±


    ¡°You say, while stuck in a cast!¡± Twy countered irately.


    In response, all Sky could do was laugh nervously ¡ª and then wince from the pain that shot through her ribs. True enough, the hotheaded Pyrotechnic was bound in tight bandages around her ribcage, while her left arm was encased in a cast. Her fall in the fight the previous night had also left her concussed; it was only thanks to advanced Nimalian first aid that she was able to join her sister, Spike, and Austin in Spike¡¯s room merely a day later.


    ¡°Listen, Sky¡­¡± Spike commented, sitting at the foot of his bed as he eyed his girlfriend, who herself was laid out on his bed. ¡°Twy¡¯s right on this one. What we did was foolish.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re gonna lecture us after joinin¡¯ in yourself, huh?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°You came out of that fight just as injured as Sky was!¡± Twy exclaimed incredulously, ¡°the only reason you¡¯re fine right now is because Danielle was around for you to copy her shapeshifting!¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± Austin grunted, but couldn¡¯t muster any other response. Indeed, while both he and Sky had taken knockout blows during the previous night¡¯s fighting, Austin currently sported none of the casts nor bandages that Sky was wearing. In fact, as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his overall appearance looked identical to how he did before Hunger¡¯s Bane ¡ª including a notable lack of his fabricated muscles. As Twy said, Austin had made use of his Simulator powers to copy Danielle¡¯s Transtechnism and shapeshift into an uninjured version of himself, and in the process, he had taken the liberty of removing his ill-gotten muscular gains. To him, they had done little more than get in the way.


    ¡°Just goes to show how much we still got to learn, huh?¡± Spike said as he glanced between Sky and Austin. ¡°Gettin¡¯ knocked out in the middle of a big fight, like that¡­ y¡¯all really are lucky that¡¯s all that happened to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you aren¡¯t part of the problem, too!¡± Twy immediately countered. ¡°I heard everything that happened from Mark and Phoenix. When Austin and Sky went down, you lost your head, didn¡¯t you? Even after seeing what carelessness gets you in a fight?!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t careless!¡± Sky refuted.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, c¡¯mon! We were tryin¡¯ our best!¡± Austin complained.


    ¡°No, no¡­ again¡­ Twy¡¯s right,¡± Spike muttered, and then released a hefty sigh. With a serious expression, he looked Twy in the eye and declared, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Twy, for bein¡¯ so careless. We all are. Right?¡±


    Sky and Austin both were silent for a second, but after an expectant glance from Spike, they both relented. ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry, sis¡­¡± Sky reluctantly said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to make you worry so much¡­¡± Austin commented. ¡°But, uh¡­ why are you worryin¡¯ so much? You weren¡¯t even there¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you really not understand?!¡± Twy responded incredulously. ¡°Two of my closest friends ¡ª one of them my twin sister! ¡ª almost died fighting a fight that you shouldn¡¯t have been in! The first time I saw the both of you after the fight last night, you were both unconscious! For a second, I really, honestly thought y¡¯all had died!!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°And I, I just¡­¡± Twy took a deep breath, leaning back in the desk chair she was sitting in to collect her thoughts before continuing, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, I guess I was the one who decided to stay back. Even with everything that happened, the three of you at least rushed to the town¡¯s aid, but I¡ª¡°


    ¡°A¡¯ight, I¡¯mma stop you right there,¡± Spike interjected, drawing Twy¡¯s surprised attention. ¡°Don¡¯t start with the guilt. You were right from the very start, we had no business involvin¡¯ ourselves in the Compound¡¯s defense. They have a Defense Force for a reason, and, hell, Mark and Relia were already on the Bleeders before even Pierce got there. All we did was get in the way, slow things down, and get injured along the way. So don¡¯t think like this is your fault, Twy. It¡¯s ours.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said, ¡®if we¡¯re able to help defend the city, then we should help defend the city¡¯?¡± Sky questioned.


    Spike released a frustrated sigh. ¡°¡­I was wrong,¡± he admitted. ¡°I thought we were ready to help. Clearly, we weren¡¯t. Our skills ain¡¯t yet up to par, and the Bleeders are more dangerous than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Austin exhaled deeply in resignation. ¡°After what happened last night, that¡¯s sure hard to argue¡­¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ promise me you all won¡¯t needlessly endanger yourselves, again?¡± Twy glanced first at Sky, and then Spike, and then Austin, where her gaze lingered for a second before she turned to look down at her own hands. ¡°I know that, one day, we¡¯ll be expected to fight against¡­ something. But until then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess this all got really serious, really suddenly, huh?¡± Sky commented with an uneasy chuckle ¡ª only to quickly stop and wince. ¡°¡­We¡¯ve been in a few fights before,¡± she eventually continued, ¡°but, uh¡­ this time really did seem different, somehow¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time we had to fight on home turf, against opponents who actually wanted us dead,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°EA never seemed to actually wanna kill us, and when there was that infection outbreak in Rel¨¦diaka, we at least had energy shields. The only other time we fought Bleeders was at that one deserted Compound, but that was in a place we¡¯d never been to. Defending there didn¡¯t have the same kinda desperation that you feel when your home is attacked, like it was last night¡­¡±


    ¡°Home, huh?¡± Austin echoed with a bitter smile. ¡°I guess this place is our home now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    A moment of tense silence filled the air of Spike¡¯s room, as each of the four friends mulled over their words. It was Sky who eventually broke the silence with a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°Man, I just wanted to see all the sights Nimalia has,¡± she complained, ¡°there¡¯s still a lot of cool stuff we haven¡¯t seen, like the mountains in Nimaliaka, or that massive inland sea in East Nimaliaka, but instead we have to deal with all of this attack stuff¡­ I wish we could just have a normal vacation¡­¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t goin¡¯ anywhere soon with those casts,¡± Spike countered.


    ¡°They said that Kaon¨¦¡¯s supposed to be coming back in a day or two to shore up the defenses here, and that she¡¯s bringing some medical equipment with her. With that, I¡¯ll be as good as new and ready to travel in no time!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°In no time? Really?¡± Spike responded incredulously.


    ¡°I actually wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Twy replied. ¡°I know firsthand just how effective Nimalian medical technology is. You¡¯ll still need to take it easy afterward, Sky, but traveling might not be out of the question.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but then the question is whether or not Luke or the Deans will let us travel,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°After that attack¡­ I¡¯d bet travel in and out of the Compound is locked down.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡±


    The four friends turned to look at the door to Spike¡¯s room, through which Luke had just poked his head. He offered a casual wave before nodding toward Sky. ¡°You feeling okay?¡± he asked.


    ¡°As okay as someone in a bunch of casts can be,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You need somethin¡¯ from me?¡± Spike questioned, his attention directed toward Luke.


    ¡°Not¡­ ¡®need¡¯, per se, but it does have to do what what y¡¯all were just talking about,¡± Luke replied, opening the door enough to properly step in ¡ª only to then stop himself and pass Spike a sheepish glance. ¡°Ah, sorry. Mind if I come in?¡±


    ¡°You already have,¡± Austin deadpanned.


    ¡°If it¡¯s about travel, then give us what you got!¡± Sky exclaimed, using her good arm to prop herself up against the wall at the head of Spike¡¯s bed. ¡°¡­It is about travel, right?¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± Luke replied as he shut the bedroom door behind him. ¡°Going back to what you just said, Austin ¡ª well, most travel in and out of the Compound has indeed been locked down, but the Deans are making exceptions for important guests. And the Colonel managed to include you guys on that list.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡± Twy questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Probably leveraged last night¡¯s attack,¡± Luke responded candidly. ¡°SERRCom sent you guys here to train ¡ª not to get gravely wounded or die, after all. I think the Colonel wants you guys to leave the Compound until Dean Wrikax can be sure it¡¯s secure again.¡±


    ¡°¡­How long will that take?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°According to the Dean, no longer than a week,¡± Luke answered. ¡°¡­Honestly, I¡¯m a little skeptical of that, but if Dean Densalin is coming back like everyone¡¯s saying she is, then it might work out.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Everyone at the med center was really looking forward to her coming back, too,¡± Sky said. ¡°Is she really that powerful?¡±


    ¡°Well, she can make literally anything she wants out of fuckin¡¯ thin air, practically, so I guess so,¡± Austin pointed out.


    ¡°Either way, going back to my point,¡± Luke commented, ¡°y¡¯all have the rest of the week to travel wherever on Nimalia you¡¯d like. Assuming it¡¯s a safe place, that is.¡±


    ¡°And with chaperones tagging along¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s the best part,¡± Luke replied with a smirk. ¡°I convinced the Colonel to let you guys go on vacation without any of CSF-1 or the Eximius Vir breathing down your necks.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­ really?!¡± Sky exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°How did you convince him?¡± Twy questioned in disbelief.


    ¡°It actually wasn¡¯t that hard, but don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s ultimately my job,¡± Luke commented.


    ¡°Well, I guess travel really is on the table, then,¡± Spike remarked as he passed Sky a glance. ¡°You got a specific place in mind?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, do I!¡± Sky replied with a grin. ¡°Too many places! We need to visit them all while we can!!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, now, remember that you¡¯ll need to take it easy, even if you get all fixed up tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, this is about the response I expected,¡± Luke said with a chuckle. He then nodded toward Austin and Twy before opening the room¡¯s door to leave. ¡°Anyways, I gotta go tell the others this news, too. If there¡¯s somewhere you want to go, be sure to be ready by tomorrow or the day after, since that¡¯s when all the transports are leaving. Otherwise¡­¡± He offered a casual wave in parting as he finally stepped through the door. ¡°Go have some proper fun on this Spring Break!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Well¡­ a lot¡¯s happened, huh?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Pierce grumbled, throwing Conrad an annoyed glance as the two aimlessly wandered the streets of Compound Tresnon. ¡°What are you even complaining about?¡± Pierce continued, ¡°you didn¡¯t even help with the fight last night!¡±


    ¡°Not like I would¡¯ve helped much, anyways,¡± Conrad replied, his hands slotted into his pockets and his posture relaxed. ¡°All I can do is turn invisible and mute sounds, you know? Or make really loud sounds, I guess, but it¡¯s hard to stop that from affecting both friend and foe.¡±


    ¡°I know from experience that you can turn other people invisible, too. That would¡¯ve been hella useful.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm. Guess so. Still, you guys really didn¡¯t have any business getting involved. Ralak told you to stay put, and look what ignoring her got us? Austin and Sky, knocked out¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on them, not me. I¡¯m fine,¡± Pierce insisted, though he conspicuously avoided making eye contact with Conrad. ¡°Plus,¡± Pierce added, ¡°Ralak¡¯s a former Bleeder, too. Maybe she was in on this all along.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny to hear, from the guy who defended her in front of Liask just a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, man. You¡¯ve been a little out of it ever since last night¡¯s fight, and learning that Minilas, well, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Conrad shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I guess I¡¯m saying that you really need that vacation that we were just told to go on.¡±


    Pierce didn¡¯t respond, his gaze idly sweeping across the surrounding streets ¡ª the streets that were abnormally thin of people.


    Conrad watched his friend for a second, and then released a lofty sigh. ¡°¡­You know Minilas getting kidnapped wasn¡¯t your fault, right?¡±


    ¡°When did I ever say that it was?¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°Look, man, something¡¯s clearly bothering you¡ª¡°


    ¡°There isn¡¯t,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°And if there was, I wouldn¡¯t want to talk about it right now, anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fair enough,¡± Conrad relented. ¡°What about the vacation, then? Are you thinking of going anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where I want to go, exactly¡­¡± Pierce replied, and then shot Conrad a knowing glance. ¡°But don¡¯t act like I¡¯m going to let you stay here on your own. You¡¯re coming with me, you lazy fuck.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s anything I can say to change your mind.¡±


    ¡°Not if your plan is to stay here and nap for a whole week.¡±


    ¡°What if it was just to nap for half the week?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, pal. Someone has to make sure you have an exciting college life, and it sure as hell isn¡¯t going to be you,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk. ¡°But seriously, man. There has to be somewhere you want to see.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Conrad turned his gaze upwards, staring up at the cloudless blue skies above. After a couple seconds of pondering, he said, ¡°well, Phoenix and Kestrel said they want to go to Rel¨¦diaka¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®no¡¯ from me,¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°That whole city-in-the-trees thing is cool in concept, but in the end, it just feels like you¡¯re living in a massive cavern. I hate that. I need to see the sky.¡±


    ¡°I guess I see where you¡¯re coming from. Phoenix said something about wanting to learn more about the ¡®metallic infection¡¯, anyways, which just sounds like a bunch of lectures or research¡­¡±


    ¡°Figures that¡¯s the reason you wouldn¡¯t go with them.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s one place that¡¯s off the list, at least,¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°Yeah, one continent of, what, six?¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°We can take Tres¨¦d off the list, too, so I guess we¡¯re down to four. Four entire continents. ¡­Well, we¡¯ve already been to two of them, so I guess¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Conrad interrupted, waiting for Pierce to glance his way before nodding toward a group of three people down the block. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Liask¡­?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Pierce squinted in the direction Conrad had indicated, only for a scowl to quickly cross his face. ¡°Yeah¡­ and it looks like she¡¯s with Obra and Ralak.¡±


    ¡°Obra? And Ralak?¡± Conrad echoed warily, ¡°¡­what¡¯s Ralak doing with the two of them?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one with the sound powers?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°can¡¯t you just eavesdrop on them?¡±


    ¡°How do you know I can do that?¡±


    ¡°Phoenix told me.¡±


    ¡°How¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Kestrel told her, duh.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± Conrad sighed. ¡°¡­Starting to wish I hadn¡¯t done that. But even then, eavesdropping on people who can easily see us is a little, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Figures you¡¯d chicken out. Let¡¯s just go over there, then.¡±


    ¡°What? But that¡¯s¡ª!¡± Conrad began to protest, but Pierce had already begun walking toward the trio. With another wary sigh, Conrad resigned himself to Pierce¡¯s whims and soon followed along. I hope this isn¡¯t a mistake¡­ judging by the faces Liask and Obra are making, it doesn¡¯t exactly look like they¡¯re having a fun conversation¡­


    By the time Conrad had finished the thought, he and Pierce had reached earshot of the trio down the street ¡ª just in time for Ralak to give a curt nod and turn away, walking off down the street in the direction opposite from where Pierce and Conrad were approaching. Liask and Obra turned to watch her leave, a conversational silence overtaking them.


    ¡°Hey, Liask.¡±


    It was Pierce¡¯s words that broke the silence, and turned both Liask and Obra¡¯s attentions around. As soon as they saw Pierce, Liask smiled, and Obra scowled ¡ª though both of their expressions seemed muted compared to before, as if they were tired, or otherwise distracted.


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± Obra muttered as Pierce and Conrad stopped just in front of the two Tres¨¦dians. ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Relax, we¡¯re just taking a walk. We only saw you guys by chance.¡± Pierce replied, and then passed Liask a glance. ¡°¡­Including Ralak.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­¡± Liask responded weakly; she still maintained her smile, but just barely, as her gaze dropped to stare at the ground.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it, that¡¯s cool,¡± Conrad quickly said.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine. It¡­ kinda involves you, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Liask,¡± Obra muttered warningly, ¡°ain¡¯t no need to involve these outsiders.¡±


    ¡°They might be outsiders, but they still came to our defense last night!¡± Liask countered, turning to look Obra in the eye. ¡°That¡¯s more than either of us can say!¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, technically, it¡¯s more than I can say, too¡­¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°What was Ralak talking to you guys about?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°She¡­ apologized,¡± Liask answered. ¡°She said that she¡¯s the reason the Bleeders got inside the Compound¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Bleeders¡­¡± Obra muttered under his breath. ¡°Still don¡¯t know why she¡¯s walkin¡¯ around free. Apology my ass, for all we know, Ralak could¡¯ve intentionally¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Obra, stop,¡± Liask interrupted. ¡°If Ralak was bad¡­ she wouldn¡¯t be here. And I don¡¯t see why she¡¯d apologize to us.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Obra crossed his arms and scowled. ¡°¡­What¡¯s any of this got to do with these outsiders, though, huh? Minilas is our friend. And they aren¡¯t the ones who took her.¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± Liask trailed off as she turned to look at Pierce, and then Conrad.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like where this is going,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°But I think I can guess,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°You guys want to go get Minilas back. Right?¡±


    Liask and Obra exchanged a glance; Obra followed with an exasperated sigh and throwing his hands up in resignation. ¡°Fine, whatever. Do what you want,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°¡­Right. So,¡± Liask turned back to Pierce and Conrad. ¡°You¡¯re right. Obra and I want to go get Minilas back. But we got a couple problems doin¡¯ that.¡±


    ¡°For one, we ain¡¯t even supposed to leave the Compound,¡± Obra stated. ¡°The Dean told all us students that we¡¯re supposed to stay put. And me or Liask don¡¯t have abilities that would let us sneak out.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Conrad muttered, all while Pierce passed him a knowing look.


    ¡°See, I knew your powers would come in handy sometime,¡± Pierce commented.


    ¡°But there¡¯s still another problem,¡± Liask quickly pointed out. ¡°Which is¡­ we don¡¯t even know where to look.¡±


    ¡°What? The Bleeders brought a whole fucking army with them last night,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°There has to be plenty of trails we can follow.¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders are smarter than to leave trails behind,¡± Obra replied. ¡°And what few are left behind, the Defense Force is already lookin¡¯ at. If we go after those, then we¡¯ll get caught.¡±


    ¡°If the Bleeders are already being tracked, then maybe we should all just sit back and let the professionals do their jobs,¡± Conrad suggested.


    ¡°Sometimes that¡¯s smart, but other times, you just need to take things into your own hands,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that exactly what got you and everyone else into trouble last night?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me who got injured. Or Phoenix, or Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, Conrad, think of it this way,¡± Pierce asserted as he threw his arm around Conrad¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You can turn people invisible, and make them completely silent. However you think about it, that makes you basically impossible to catch. As long as you¡¯re around, trouble just won¡¯t find us.¡±


    ¡°As much as I hate to admit it¡­¡± Obra commented with a scowl, ¡°¡­your abilities would help us out. A lot.¡±


    ¡°But we still can¡¯t really go anywhere if we don¡¯t know where to go,¡± Liask pointed out. ¡°We still need some kinda lead¡­ something, anything¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one I can think of,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°It¡¯s a place I wanted to check out, anyways. Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Rokres?¡± Liask echoed incredulously.


    ¡°You wanna go to Rokres?!¡± Obra exclaimed, ¡°are you crazy? You¡¯re outsiders! Rokres hates outsiders!¡±


    ¡°So does most of Tres¨¦d, it seems,¡± Pierce pointed out.


    ¡°Maybe, but Rokres is on a whole different level. Even Liask and me would be outsiders, to them. Why do you wanna go there?!¡±


    ¡°Two reasons. One, Minilas is originally from there, right? I know she said they wouldn¡¯t want her back, but there¡¯s still a chance ¡ª however slim ¡ª that they might know something about her.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very likely¡­¡± Liask muttered.


    ¡°Maybe, but that¡¯s not the most important reason I¡¯m interested in Rokres,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°You said that they¡¯re denser and more advanced than Tresnon, right? If that¡¯s the case, then they might have some way to track Bleeders that people here don¡¯t have access to.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re denser and more advanced, then that means it¡¯ll be harder to sneak in, too,¡± Conrad interjected.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re only denser and more advanced compared to Compound Tresnon,¡± Liask commented. ¡°They¡¯re still behind the rest of Nimalia. So I hear, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Still, though. Rokres?¡± Obra shook his head in disbelief. ¡°¡­You sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Your incredulous reactions just make me want to go even more! Besides, do you have any other suggestions for tracking down Minilas?¡±


    Liask and Obra exchanged a wary glance. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s better than nothin¡¯, I guess,¡± Liask conceded. ¡°And if we got Conrad¡¯s invisibility with us¡­ should make things a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re, uh¡­ really making me the center point of this plan, huh¡­¡± Conrad observed uneasily.


    ¡°Hey, I told you I wouldn¡¯t let you be a lazy ass this week,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°If you¡¯re really worried, then we can grab some personal shields from the Defense Force. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll need to be gone for long, so the shields would hardly be missed.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re worried about a fight, then, well, don¡¯t be. Between me, Liask, and Obra, we could totally cover you.¡± Pierce turned to look at each of Liask and Obra. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really been in many fights¡­ but I am confident in my strength,¡± Liask replied.


    ¡°And my barriers are pretty strong,¡± Obra declared.


    ¡°See? You¡¯re good,¡± Pierce insisted, while patting Conrad on the shoulder. ¡°C¡¯mon, man. If anything, do it for Minilas. You seemed to like her.¡±


    Conrad shot Pierce an annoyed glance, only to release a resigned sigh a second later. ¡°¡­Fine,¡± he conceded. ¡°Hard to say ¡®no¡¯ to that. But at least, let¡¯s¡­ get this over with before I can change my mind.¡±


    ¡°We can leave tomorrow evening,¡± Liask suggested. ¡°Most of the Compound will be busy with the transports coming and going. We can take advantage of that to leave without anyone noticing us.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Pierce replied with a firm nod. ¡°Tomorrow evening, then!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re actually doin¡¯ this, huh¡­¡± Obra muttered while shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°Hope I don¡¯t regret this¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks a ton for helping us out, though!¡± Liask remarked, and then glanced down the street. ¡°¡­Ah, there¡¯s a couple things we need to take care of before tomorrow, huh. Let¡¯s go, Obra. I¡¯ll see you later, Pierce!¡±


    ¡°Same to you!¡± Pierce shouted after Liask and Obra as the duo walked off. He then turned to Conrad and offered a wink. ¡°C¡¯mon! It¡¯ll be great!¡±


    ¡°Urgh¡­ can¡¯t believe I let you talk me into this, after what happened last night¡­¡± Conrad muttered as he and Pierce began walking off in the other direction, leaving behind only the quiet streets and alleys of Compound Tresnon¡­ and a short, tan-skinned woman with puffy black hair who carefully peeked out onto the main street. Her steely eyes watched Pierce and Conrad leave, and then shifted in the direction of Liask and Obra, at which point she took a deep, weary breath.


    ¡°Those fools¡­¡± she muttered to herself, only to shake her head in resignation and utter under her breath ¡°Chaos Teleport.¡± In the next instant, she was gone, leaving the street well and truly empty.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 2: Leaving (for) Safety

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 2: Leaving (for) Safety


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Oh¡­ Colonel Saito, wasn¡¯t it? And Captain Travis?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Saito and Travis turned away the gate in front of them to look down the road, where Dav¨ªdrius, Rebehka, and Christean¨¦ were approaching. With Rebehka was a single suitcase, mirroring the fact that Saito also carried one ¡ª after all, they were all standing just outside of Compound Tresnon¡¯s tiny airport. Even as the early morning sun began its slow march upwards through the sky, a couple of transport craft were warming up their engines in preparation to travel elsewhere on Nimalia; Major Hackett, Mote, Mark, Danielle, and Kate had all already boarded.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the Deans,¡± Travis remarked as the three Nimalians stopped short of the two Earthian officers. The Captain then glanced down at Rebehka¡¯s suitcase. ¡°Leaving already?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Already¡¯? I¡¯ve been here for five days,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°If not for everything that happened on Hunger¡¯s Bane, I¡¯d have left yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry ¡®bout that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled.


    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon, it¡¯s not your fault,¡± Christean¨¦ insisted as he heartily slapped Dav¨ªdrius on the back. ¡°You should know better than to blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°But while we¡¯re on the subject,¡± Saito interjected, and then paused for a moment to look out over the rest of Compound Tresnon. Parts of the Compound walls could be seen from the airport gates, and on top of them, the Colonel could spot the silhouettes of patrolling Defense Force members. ¡°What, exactly, are your plans for re-securing this city?¡±


    ¡°Straight to business¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, his voice carrying with it the tinge of grogginess that results from a lack of sleep. ¡°¡­Guess I can¡¯t blame you, though.¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦ arrived just a couple hours ago,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°She¡¯s already replaced the damaged power generator, and should be working on the shield generators about now.¡±


    ¡°Her powers sure are useful,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°Though she takes ¡®em too seriously. She didn¡¯t even come with us to see you off!¡±


    ¡°I can hardly blame her, given the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius nodded absentmindedly, and then turned towards Saito. ¡°Now that Kaon¨¦¡¯s back in town, our defense will be at full strength in no time. And they should stay that way as long as she¡¯s around.¡±


    ¡°What about the fact that Bleeders got past those defenses?¡± Saito pressed.


    ¡°Eugh¡­¡± The Tres¨¦dian Dean groaned in frustration. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like it, but we¡¯ll have to stop acceptin¡¯ folks into the reformation program for the time bein¡¯. Until we can deal with Str¨¦n, and his two lackeys¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the Bleeders who are already in the program? Are they not a risk?¡±


    ¡°No, they ain¡¯t,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, this time with an irate firmness in his voice. ¡°Selind and the Defense Force went over everyone who was involved in the attack, and of them, the only Reformation Program members were Shade and Feral. Hell, the two guards Shade killed on her way to sabotagin¡¯ the power generator were former Bleeders. So don¡¯t you go thinkin¡¯ that the former Bleeders who were already here are the problem.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you insist,¡± Saito responded.


    ¡°Ah, well, I hate to press a sore topic, but, uh¡­¡± Travis smiled uneasily as he looked at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°I take it that means you¡¯ve investigated Ralak, too¡­?¡±


    ¡°As much as we could. She¡¯s clean,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered, and then released a lofty sigh. ¡°Seems like she¡¯s blamin¡¯ herself for this attack, too¡­ damn it, should never have doubted her to start with¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say in hindsight, but I think you made the correct decision in the moment,¡± Christean¨¦ countered. ¡°All we knew before the attack was that the two Bleeders you recently let in were bad. And from what I hear, Ralak vouched for them, right? So it only makes sense to doubt her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but she wasn¡¯t the only one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Gavon was there, too¡­¡± Travis muttered.


    ¡°The Black Suns Officer? He vouched for the Bleeders?¡± Saito glanced between Travis and Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°How¡¯s he play into all this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible to say,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Some of the Bleeders we ran into abroad ¡ª and some of the Bleeders who showed up with Str¨¦n, too ¡ª they had Black Suns powered armor, there¡¯s no doubt about that. But that doesn¡¯t mean that the Suns are behind this. There¡¯s any number of ways the Bleeders could¡¯ve gotten that armor. But still¡­¡±


    ¡°That Bleeder we fought had a prosthetic, didn¡¯t she?¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°I know the Suns make liberal use of cybernetic limbs. Is there a connection there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but¡­ I had Kaon¨¦ look at the pieces of the prosthetic that were left behind from me crushin¡¯ Feral¡¯s hand, but Kaon¨¦ said that those pieces weren¡¯t enough to tell who made the thing. Somethin¡¯ about the materials bein¡¯ pretty common to any cybernetic prosthetic on the market¡­¡±


    ¡°How many people sell cybernetic prosthetics in this galaxy?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Are you kidding? There¡¯s tons of companies,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for military-grade prosthetics, then there¡¯s only a handful, with the Suns being one of them. But that¡¯s still several orgs we¡¯d need to investigate.¡±


    ¡°And if those prosthetics are openly sold on the galactic market, then finding the manufacturer might not give you the whole picture,¡± Saito commented.


    ¡°But the mere fact that Feral had one still gives us a lead,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°A hardened prosthetic, that looks and feels just like a real arm, that also had internal energy shielding ¡ª that¡¯s some damn advanced tech. You¡¯d never find a piece of tech that advanced at any of the Dumpin¡¯ Grounds. The only way the Bleeders got one of those is if someone gave it to ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention, you can¡¯t just slap one of those things onto your shoulder and call it a day,¡± Christean¨¦ added. ¡°You need advanced facilities, resources, and knowledge to install a prosthetic that advanced. I sincerely doubt the Bleeders have access to any of that.¡±


    ¡°So you think that the Bleeders are being backed by a larger, more advanced organization, then?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°Do you have any idea who?¡±


    ¡°I got a couple¡­ but it¡¯s all speculation, for now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Still, we know more now than we did before the attack. The Bleeders are sloppy ¡ª each time they make a move, they give us more information. If they keep this up, we won¡¯t even have to do any investigatin¡¯ ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Being passive never wins you any wars.¡±


    ¡°Relax, that was a joke. Of course I ain¡¯t gonna just sit on my ass while the Bleeders are out there fuckin¡¯ shit up. And what we know now is finally enough to launch some real investigations of our own. We know Str¨¦n¡¯s back and leadin¡¯ the Bleeders, we know he¡¯s got two Chaotics named Shade and Feral who seem to be his seconds in command, we know they got prosthetics, and we know they got outside help.¡±


    ¡°And that they have a hostage¡­¡± Travis added.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s expression rapidly soured. ¡°¡­But she won¡¯t be with the Bleeders for long. I can guarantee that.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll help out as much as I can, for the rest of the week,¡± Christean¨¦ readily replied, and then passed a wistful glance toward the transport craft sitting within the airport. ¡°Still, it really sucks that we¡¯re losing so much talent, all at once¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah ha¡­ sorry about that,¡± Rebehka apologized with a sheepish laugh. ¡°But this summit I¡¯m going to is too important. I can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Summit?¡± Saito passed her an inquisitive glance. ¡°Are you going to the same summit we are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d heard that there would be SERRCom representatives there¡­ so that¡¯ll be you?¡± Rebehka then looked down at Saito¡¯s suitcase. ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s why we¡¯re leaving at the same time, then.¡±


    ¡°Damn military summits,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°Could¡¯ve really used your help around here¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you know how it is.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going, then will the summit have something to do with the, uh¡­ metallic infection?¡± Travis questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯ll definitely be part of it,¡± Rebehka answered, and then looked over both her shoulders, as if investigating her surroundings. After determining that no one aside from the three Deans and two SERRCom Officers was present, she turned back to Saito and lowered her voice, saying, ¡°I also heard that some of the discussions will involve the CSA, somehow¡­ and not in a way related to the infection.¡±


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t about the infection, then there¡¯s only a couple other things that it could be¡­ and none of them are good,¡± Saito responded in kind.


    ¡°And while y¡¯all are off talkin¡¯ to diplomats in some boardroom, I¡¯ll just be here¡­ fightin¡¯ crooked gangsters,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, buddy, you¡¯ll have me to help!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked with a cheeky grin.


    ¡°Yeah, until the end of the week.¡±


    ¡°Well, hate to say it, but that¡¯s all I can spare. I¡¯ll be needed back at KCC once the new semester starts.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Colonel Saito eyed Dav¨ªdrius for a moment. ¡°¡­If you¡¯re lacking in manpower, then I can have the Eximius Vir stay here for the remainder of the week. They won¡¯t be needed for the summit, anyways.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my complainin¡¯, you and your¡­ ¡®Eximius Vir¡¯ have already done plenty for Tresnon. If not for y¡¯all, well¡­¡± The Dean paused for a moment, only to release a deep sigh and pass Saito a resigned smile. ¡°Hate to say it, but if not for y¡¯all, then the Bleeder army probably would¡¯ve actually attacked. And a lot more people would be dead right now.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s this?!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked in feigned awe. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius? Thanking a bunch of outsiders?!¡± He then turned to grin at Saito. ¡°You better remember this, Colonel, it doesn¡¯t happen often!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut the hell up.¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Saito responded with a smirk. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be honest, we had our own interests, here. But I¡¯m glad we could help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°Still, y¡¯all ain¡¯t gonna be around for forever, so I can¡¯t use y¡¯all as a crutch.¡±


    ¡°You say, as you use Kaon¨¦ as a crutch,¡± Rebehka teased.


    ¡°Hey, she volunteered to come back early,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°¡¯Sides, as long as she¡¯s around, we barely even need anyone else.¡±


    ¡°So she really is that powerful, then?¡± Travis questioned. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, she doesn¡¯t really seem like the fighting type, to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s because she isn¡¯t!¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°She hates fighting. But being able to conjure up matter out of basically no where is useful for more than just fighting.¡±


    ¡°And even in a fight, Kaon¨¦¡¯s Overdrive is very powerful,¡± Rebehka stated. ¡°It wasn¡¯t so useful during the Nanocreature War¡­ but against opponents like the Bleeders, it¡¯s the perfect counter.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her Overdrive?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°¡¯Conflict¡¯s Judge¡¯. When she activates it, all weapons within ten kilometers of her permanently break. And while her Overdrive is active, all killing or aggressive intent within five kilometers of her is strongly inhibited.¡±


    ¡°And the Bleeders are practically driven by aggression and killing intent,¡± Dav¨ªdrius added.


    ¡°I suppose that does sound rather powerful,¡± Saito commented.


    ¡°And a little concerning. My rifle¡¯s a weapon, too, you know¡­¡± Travis muttered.


    ¡°Well you¡¯re in luck,¡± Christean¨¦ responded cheekily. ¡°¡¯Cause Kaon¨¦ can just make you a new one! The magic of Materiatechnism!¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ kinda wish I had more folks to back her up, so she didn¡¯t feel like she needed to help,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Especially durin¡¯ this break. She¡¯s supposed to be with her family, right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Rebehka responded uneasily.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What, do you not have families of your¡­?¡± Travis began to ask, but trailed off when he noticed the rapidly souring expression on Rebehka¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha!!¡± Christean¨¦ laughed aloud as he threw his arms around Rebehka and Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys! We¡¯re the only family we need!¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he shoved Christean¨¦ away.


    ¡°¡­Kaon¨¦ and Kev¨¦rin both have spouses and kids,¡± Rebehka eventually explained, ¡°and Kevken has a boyfriend, but¡­¡± She then forced a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve just been, uh, rather busy, of late, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯ve been busy? Oi,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected, ¡°I ain¡¯t ever had a girlfriend in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s because you¡¯re too busy,¡± Christean¨¦ replied with a smirk.


    ¡°Heh,¡± Saito chuckled in amusement as he watched Dav¨ªdrius glare at Christean¨¦. The Colonel then stooped over to pick up his suitcase and took a deep breath before saying, ¡°well, speaking of being busy, I do have somewhere I need to be.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right!¡± Rebehka quickly readjusted her grip on her own suitcase before turning to give Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ each a farewell hug. ¡°I really am sorry to be leaving the two of you to deal with this,¡± she said, flashing them both a smile before beginning to rush off toward the transports, ¡°but this summit really is important! If I get the chance, I¡¯ll come back to help out, I promise!¡±


    ¡°¡­Unfortunately, I can¡¯t say the same,¡± Saito stated as he watched Rebehka disappear into the airport, before turning back to address Travis, Dav¨ªdrius, and Christean¨¦. ¡°In a few days, the Eximius Vir and CSF-1 will have to return to Earth. Captain, you and Mark will be on your own again after that.¡±


    ¡°Got it, sir,¡± Travis replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell SERRCom is up to these days, but, uh¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius scratched his head uneasily. ¡°¡­Wish you the best of luck, Colonel. As outsiders go, you ain¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯ll take that as a compliment,¡± Saito replied with a smile. He then nodded toward Travis. ¡°Captain. Keep watch of MacTavish and the recruits for me while the Major and I are out.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, what am I, a babysitter?¡± Travis responded, though he was smiling all the same. ¡°Guess it¡¯s better than whatever you¡¯ll be doing at the summit, though, Colonel. I sure don¡¯t envy you! Good luck with that!¡±


    ¡°Tch. Hopefully, I won¡¯t need it,¡± Saito responded, and then finally turned to enter the airport himself, prepared to move on to his next task as the ever-busy leader of CSF-1.


    <hr>


    *


    A low electrical hum permeated a dimly lit control room, illuminated primarily by a handful of computer monitors and a large power generator seen through a window. The generator itself bore no markings of age; its metal components shone as brilliantly as a freshly polished car, despite the underground room in which it stood appearing much like a dirty, musty old garage.


    From her lone seat within the control room, Kirstin looked down upon the brand new generator in thought. Barely an hour ago, Kaon¨¦ had created the generator on the spot to bolster Compound Tresnon¡¯s power grid. Tresnon¡¯s power outage during the Bleeder attack two days ago had been caused by the sabotage of a single power generator, after all ¡ª that is, the Compound¡¯s only power generator. Seeing this glaring weakness, Kaon¨¦ ¡ª with Kirstin¡¯s assistance ¡ª decided to replace the destroyed generator with a more efficient version, as well as augment the power grid with solar power. The new generator was easier to refuel and maintain, while the solar panels leveraged Tresnon¡¯s sunny climate to create a distributed power grid that was resilient to attack. Kaon¨¦, being a Materiatechnic, was largely focused on creating the power components themselves, while Kirstin worked on dealing with the programmatic side of the new power grid: ensuring the generators could distribute the electrical load evenly, ensuring that the load could be quickly and automatically rebalanced in the event that one or two of the generators suddenly went offline, and other such issues.


    As she thought about the work laid out in front of her, Kirstin released a deep, weary sigh. While she was familiar enough with electrical systems to tinker with and improve upon them, she was no electrical engineer, and dealing with Compound Tresnon¡¯s new power grid was quite the task to tackle ¡ª even more so considering that Kirstin would have to return to Earth in five days with the rest of CSF-1. Nevertheless, she resolved herself to get as much work done as she could, and so quickly returned to typing away on her laptop, which itself was hooked into the systems that drove the power generator in the adjacent room.


    No sooner had she gotten back to work, however, than the load clunk of a lock unlocking echoed through the control room. Startled, Kirstin¡¯s attention snapped to the control room¡¯s entrance, where Selind appeared, her signature sniper strapped to her back.


    Upon entering, Selind quickly scanned the control room; when she spotted Kirstin, she offered a casual wave. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± she remarked, letting the control room door close behind her. ¡°Have you seen Kaon¨¦ around?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin stared blankly at Selind before suddenly looking away, her attention refocusing on her laptop. ¡°Y-you, um, missed her. A-an hour ago¡­¡±


    ¡°An hour? Damn, that woman moves fast¡­¡± Selind let out a resigned sigh. ¡°Not that I¡¯m complainin¡¯ that she¡¯s helpin¡¯ so much, but she really needs to look out for herself, too.¡±


    ¡°I-I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°And that goes for you, too.¡±


    Kirstin looked up at Selind again, this time in confusion. ¡°W-what¡­?¡±


    ¡°You heard me,¡± Selind replied, her arms crossed as she looked down at Kirstin with an amused smirk. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been workin¡¯ your ass off, tinkerin¡¯ and improvin¡¯ our energy shields, and now our power systems, too. Now, I¡¯m not one to turn my nose up at helpful outsiders, but the fact still is that you don¡¯t live here. Don¡¯t feel like you need to work so hard for us.¡±


    ¡°¡­O-oh¡­¡± Kirstin¡¯s gaze fell again, and her shoulders drooped. ¡°Am¡­ a-am I not, um, h-helping¡­?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you kiddin¡¯?!¡± Selind exclaimed incredulously, ¡°¡¯course you¡¯re helpin¡¯! That thing you did with the shields last week was a big help. I mean, it didn¡¯t really help much during the attack, but that ain¡¯t your fault, that was a power generation thing. And now you¡¯re here, helpin¡¯ out with exactly that. If the folks on the Defense Force were even half as smart and hard-workin¡¯ as you, then Tresnon would¡¯ve caught up with Tekdec¨¦¡¯s tech by now!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not, um, th-that smart¡­¡±


    ¡°I hear smart people say that all the time. Look, I¡¯m just sayin¡¯, you¡¯re a big help around here. Just, it seems like helpin¡¯ is all you¡¯ve been doin¡¯. Take some time for yourself every now and then. I mean, those Earthian kids are goin¡¯ on trips all over Nimalia, seems like ¡ª you should give that a try. Not many people get that chance.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ I dunno¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh. There¡¯s really no where on Nimalia you find interestin¡¯? Hell, if you don¡¯t want to go anywhere, I could still show you around Tresnon¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Kirstin started, but trailed off as a thought crossed her mind. She then snapped her attention down to her laptop and began quickly shifting through the various open windows to find a specific piece of information. ¡°A-actually, there, um, m-might be a place¡­¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Selind remarked, while watching the Researcher with a bemused expression. ¡°What¡¯s the place?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure, a-actually. I, um¡­¡± Kirstin trailed off uneasily; from where Selind stood, she couldn¡¯t see the actual screen of Kirstin¡¯s laptop ¡ª the screen that now featured a world map of Nimalia, with two horizontal red lines across the northern and southern hemispheres. I can¡¯t tell her that these lines were derived from the Dreadnought coordinate cache, Kirstin thought to herself, but¡­ I can still ask her if the lines cross anything significant, right? Maybe she¡¯ll know something that will help me get to the bottom of these coordinates¡­


    ¡°¡­You need help, there?¡± Selind prompted after a few seconds of silence.


    ¡°Oh¡­ n-no. Uh, w-well, yes,¡± Kirstin replied, briefly glancing up at Selind before looking down at her laptop again. She then turned the device around on her lap, showing the screen to Selind ¡ª who then approached to take a look. ¡°I, um, I-I¡¯m doing some, uh¡­ research, and, well¡­ d-do you know if th-there¡¯s anything, um, sig-significant under either of, um, these lines?¡±


    ¡°What do we have here¡­ a world map of Nimalia, huh?¡± Selind mused as she inspected the screen. She then frowned. ¡°Uh¡­ now, I could draw you a map of Tres¨¦d blindfolded, but when it comes to the rest of Nimalia, I¡¯m, uh¡­ not so good at geography.¡±


    Kirstin¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh¡­ s-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Though, hold on¡ª¡° Selind added, holding her hand out to stop Kirstin from turning her laptop around again. The Tres¨¦dian then leaned over to squint at the map. ¡°¡­Huh. Well, I still don¡¯t know much about Nimalian geography, but I can see two things, at least. The top line ¡ª what¡¯s that, north? ¡ª looks like it barely misses the Hazard Islands. And the bottom line crosses right over the Fog Islands. Both those places have tons of stories about ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°R-really? L-like what?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Hazard Islands are supposed to be super hazardous, or somethin¡¯. Apparently Dav¨ªdrius went there, once. Supposedly, the place is filled with all kinds of wildlife that could even hurt and kill Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Whoa¡­ r-really?¡±


    ¡°So I heard. Though I also heard that the NSD bombed the place to hell twenty years ago, or somethin¡¯, so I dunno if any of that wildlife is still alive.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ w-well¡­ what about, um, th-the Fog Islands¡­?¡±


    ¡°That one¡¯s a real mystery,¡± Selind remarked, finally standing up straight again and taking a step back. ¡°Never been there, myself¡­ and neither have most people, from what I hear. Supposedly, the place is always heavily fogged up ¡ª like, always always. One hundred percent of the time. And everyone who¡¯s gone there says it¡¯s super easy to get lost. Most people who go never even come back, and the ones who do say that their navigation equipment went haywire, and their trackin¡¯ devices shut down. Some of ¡®em even claim that they walked a perfectly straight line into the fog, never turnin¡¯ at any point, and yet, ended up right back where they started.¡±


    ¡°¡­R-really¡­?¡± Kirstin turned her laptop back around to face her as she stared down at the small cluster of islands in the middle of the Aod¨¦ Ocean, south of Riverana and Tekdec¨¦, and southeast of Tres¨¦d. ¡°S-sounds like, um¡­ th-the B-Bermuda Triangle¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh. So Earth has a place like the Fog Islands?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ th-those are just, um, stories. The, uh, Bermuda Triangle d-doesn¡¯t actually, um, have any special e-effects, or anything¡­ i-it¡¯s all just myths.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Selind shrugged. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say for sure that the Fog Island stories ain¡¯t myth, either. You¡¯d have to ask someone who knows more about geography. Or history. I dunno, someone smarter than me.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ s-still, um¡­ th-thanks.¡± Kirstin briefly made eye contact with Selind ¡ª just long enough to offer a meek smile ¡ª before snapping her gaze back to her laptop. ¡°You helped, um, a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Selind replied, eying Kirstin warily. ¡°¡­Kind of a shame, though. I thought you were actually lookin¡¯ to go someplace, but that question was just about more work stuff, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin fidgeted uneasily. ¡°Is¡­ i-is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really, but¡­ you really are one of those people who works all the time, ain¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ ¡­I guess¡­¡±


    Selind sighed and shrugged again. ¡°Well, I guess if you like workin¡¯, then I won¡¯t tell you to stop. And even if you¡¯re only workin¡¯ on our power systems to satisfy yourself, you¡¯re still helpin¡¯ us in the end, and I¡¯m more than happy to get help from outsiders.¡±


    Kirstin warily eyed Selind. ¡°¡­O-outsiders¡­¡± she echoed meekly.


    ¡°Ha ha, oops, hope I didn¡¯t offend,¡± Selind replied. ¡°With how the word¡¯s used in Tres¨¦d, guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that some outsiders would think we use it like an insult. Uh, well, ¡®cause some folks do use it like an insult¡­ still, I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Not really one for conversation, are ya? One of those Earthian kids is the same way. The one with the silver hair. Is that a common thing on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Kirstin fidgeted uneasily, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment. ¡°I-I, um¡­ w-well¡­ ¡­I-I¡ª¡°


    ¡°Alright, alright, I think I get the picture,¡± Selind commented with a sheepish smile. ¡°Probably shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve asked. Hell, I¡¯m probably just gettin¡¯ in your way, ain¡¯t I? I¡¯ll just show myself out.¡± She turned around and opened the door to the control room; as she stepped out, she glanced at Kirstin over her shoulder and said, ¡°keep up the good work! But also, take a break every now and then! It¡¯s good for you!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­!¡± Kirstin meekly tried to speak up, but before she had a chance to finish her thought, Selind had left ¡ª and the control room door had closed and locked behind her. The Researcher stared dejectedly at the door for a few moments, but then she slapped her cheeks and shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts before returning her attention to her laptop. She still had plenty of work to do, after all, and it wasn¡¯t about to do itself.


    <hr>


    *


    Late afternoon twilight blanketed the cloudless skies over Compound Tresnon¡¯s tiny airport, and the mere handful of small aircraft resting within it. One large hangar stood on the far side of the airport, sporting an empty interior; Tresnon¡¯s only real transport aircraft had been involved in flying passengers and goods into and out of the Compound all day long, and was currently out. All that was left were a handful of two- or three-seater aircrafts, barely large enough to squeeze more than that number into.


    And yet, Pierce, Conrad, Liask, and Obra were about to attempt to do so, anyways.


    ¡°What the¡­ but it¡¯s so small¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to work,¡± Pierce responded quietly to Conrad¡¯s complaint, quickly looking left and right as he approached one of the three-seaters. While the vehicle was stowed out in the open, nary a guard was in sight, allowing Pierce to approach while outside of Conrad¡¯s protective veil of invisibility.


    ¡°Somethin¡¯ don¡¯t seem right, though,¡± Obra muttered, his hand on Conrad¡¯s shoulder so as to make himself invisible. ¡°Where¡¯s the guards¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re all distracted with watchin¡¯ the walls,¡± Liask suggested, her hand on Conrad¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°If we assume everyone inside the Compound is good, then another attack¡¯s more likely to come from outside the walls, instead of inside.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t what we¡¯re about to do proof that they need to watch the airport, though?¡± Conrad questioned, maintaining the constant aura of invisibility over himself, Obra, and Liask while he watched Pierce inspect the opening latch of the aircraft.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Pierce countered, reaching into his pocket to pull out a set of keys and begin trying each of them on the vehicle¡¯s lock. ¡°Tresnon has an energy shield protecting it, right? Well, energy shields are usually only one way. Leaving Tresnon¡¯s shield should be hella easier than trying to enter it. Even if the Bleeders had an invisible plane, if they flew into the shield, it¡¯d be like they hit a brick wall.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you explain those keys bein¡¯ left out in the control tower?¡± Obra questioned. ¡°Or why there weren¡¯t even any guards there?¡±


    Pierce shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I¡¯m not in charge of the guards, here. Maybe they just suck.¡±


    Obra bristled at Pierce¡¯s words, though his expression was lost under Conrad¡¯s invisibility. And before he could speak up, Pierce had found the matching key and opened the aircraft¡¯s door.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡± he exclaimed as he leaped into the pilot seat. ¡°One plane to Rokres, here we go!¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Conrad uneasily eyed the craft as Liask and Obra began to climb in. ¡°This¡¯ll be the biggest and loudest thing I¡¯ve masked or muted, yet. I don¡¯t know how effectively I can do it. And even if I hide our takeoff, won¡¯t someone notice there¡¯s a plane missing?¡±


    ¡°By the time we¡¯re in the middle of takeoff, it¡¯ll be too late to stop us,¡± Pierce replied, and then jerked his head toward Obra. ¡°Mr. Barriers here can stop any anti-aircraft fire. We¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°I suddenly feel a lot less confident about this,¡± Obra muttered, and then winced when Liask dropped herself into his lap. With a scowl, he remarked, ¡°hey, what the hell?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but there¡¯s only three seats, here,¡± Liask replied as Conrad finally climbed into the last remaining seat and closed the vehicle¡¯s door behind him. ¡°And I can¡¯t sit in Pierce¡¯s lap, he¡¯s driving.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª why the hell are you driving?!¡± Obra exclaimed, his irate gaze turned toward Pierce.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯d sit on my lap if I wasn¡¯t piloting?¡± Pierce questioned, his own attention on Liask through one of the rear-view mirrors.


    ¡°And these are the guys I decided to go to a hostile land with,¡± Conrad deadpanned, with his hand held against the craft¡¯s hull.


    ¡°¡­Ahem. Well, either way.¡± Pierce quickly began going through the motions of activating the craft, its dashboard lights slowly flickering on and its engines powering up ¡ª though muted to silence by Conrad. ¡°I¡¯ve actually had experience with piloting a civilian spacecraft,¡± Pierce went on to explain, ¡°so I figure I¡¯m the most qualified to handle flying this thing.¡±


    ¡°Since when are spacecraft planes?¡± Obra challenged.


    ¡°Do you have experience with anything closer?¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re more similar than you¡¯d think. All the aircraft I¡¯ve seen on Nimalia take off and land vertically, and even have antigrav and inertial dampeners. Hell, most of them even go all the way up into the stratosphere!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool and all, but why do we even need the plane at all?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Fort Rokres, the main and closest city of Rokres, is several hundred kilometers to the south, across Mirage Lake,¡± Liask explained. ¡°If we drove, it would take forever. Not to mention how easy it is to get lost out in the wastes¡­¡±


    ¡°I could run there easily all on my own, but I can¡¯t carry all three of you,¡± Pierce added as he began flipping switches on the dashboard and adding power to the engines. ¡°So suck it up, this is our best option if we want to be there and back in just a couple days.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Obra¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°Just know that the only reason I¡¯m willin¡¯ to put up with this is ¡®cause our friend is missin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And if there¡¯s a trail to find in Rokres, then we¡¯ll find it,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯m not just here for shits and giggles. I want to find Minilas just as much as you do.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that, Pierce,¡± Liask replied, preempting a response from Obra.


    ¡°Ever the altruist,¡± Conrad deadpanned as Pierce finally took hold of the aircraft¡¯s control yoke and began lifting the vehicle into the air, all while the craft was invisible and muted. ¡°Now let¡¯s just hope that things go as smoothly as you seem to think they will¡­¡±

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 3: The Sights and Bounds of Nimalia

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 3: The Sights and Bounds of Nimalia


    ¡°Oh wow! I¡¯d almost forgotten what a comfortable bed felt like!¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch it,¡± Spike admonished, looking on with concern as Sky threw herself onto a large hotel-room bed and began rolling around in it. ¡°You¡¯re still injured, watch the casts!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be a spoilsport.¡± Sky stopped and sat up to pout in Spike¡¯s direction, and then began waving around her left arm. While it was still bound in a cast, the plaster that she had worn the previous day had been replaced with a high tech sort of exoskeleton. ¡°This new cast is supposed to heal me within a couple days, and my chest barely hurts anymore. I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Spike eyed her doubtfully. ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®still¡¯ me! C¡¯mon, we¡¯re on vacation now!¡± Sky bounced off of the bed and skipped over to the room¡¯s window, declaring, ¡°I mean, just look at this!¡±


    At the behest of his girlfriend, Spike turned his attention to the lone hotel room window. The room itself was modestly sized and decorated ¡ª no different from a hotel room on Earth, really ¡ª with the sole exception of the view-port window, which completely dominated the exterior wall. And through the window appeared the towering, snow-capped Nimal Mountains to the south and west, the massive Akian Sea to the east, and the sprawling city of Nimaliaka Central filling the space in between. Skyscrapers of all manner of design filled out the city¡¯s skyline; some of them towering chunks of glass and metal, similar to many skyscrapers found on Earth, while others bore more natural contours, appearing as though they were the trunk of a branchless tree or an artistically organized stack of boulders. Most of the buildings were wreathed with greenery every five to ten floors, a fact that was obvious even from many kilometers away. And then, in contrast with the natural building contours were colored floating dots that zipped through the sky ¡ª dots that indicated a city full of life and traffic as the citizenry went about their afternoon business.


    From the hotel¡¯s position in the foothills northwest of the core of Nimaliaka Central, Spike could see far more of the city than when he had first arrived in the city¡¯s Gateport two months prior ¡ª after all, Nimaliaka Central¡¯s Gateport was located in the southern part of the city, in the downtown area. The lush greenery and breathtaking mountains were of especially stark contrast to the bland, flat, beige wastelands that surrounded Compound Tresnon; when he thought of that, Spike realized that he couldn¡¯t hold Sky¡¯s excitement against her. The vista before them simply was too impressive to ignore.


    ¡°See, I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± Sky teased in response to Spike¡¯s silence.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± he replied dismissively, finally stepping up next to her to join her in admiring the afternoon view. ¡°Sure is impressive¡­ still gotta wonder why this place is called ¡®Nimaliaka Central¡¯, though. Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ central about it. Hell, it¡¯s right on the coast!¡±


    ¡°Names don¡¯t always make the most sense, you know,¡± Sky retorted, and then lit a small flame on the tip of her right index finger. ¡°I mean, c¡¯mon, my name is ¡®Sky¡¯ but my power is fire, instead of air, or flying, or something. So complaining about names seems silly.¡± She then snuffed the flame and passed her boyfriend a knowing glance. ¡°Right, Spike?¡±


    ¡°Hey, my parents gave me that name, ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ I can do about it,¡± Spike replied defensively.


    ¡°You could make like your sister and go by your middle name.¡±


    ¡°¡­Think that ship¡¯s sailed by now. ¡®Sides, my Dad¡¯s name is Darius. Imagine how confusin¡¯ it¡¯d be if I used that name, too.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. You don¡¯t really seem like a ¡®Darius¡¯ to me, anyways,¡± Sky remarked, and then wrapped her right arm around Spike¡¯s left and sidled up next to him. ¡°¡­Though you sure aren¡¯t very ¡®Spiky¡¯, either!¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi¡­¡± Spike passed Sky an annoyed look, but when she offered him a toothy grin, he couldn¡¯t help but smile back. ¡°¡­Well,¡± he said, turning his attention back to the world outside ¡ª and then to the lone bed. ¡°¡­It might be afternoon, here, but it¡¯s gotta be nighttime in Tresnon by now. And I¡¯m tired as shit.¡±


    ¡°What? But that¡¯s¡­!¡± Sky trailed off as a yawn overcame her. ¡°¡­Okay, fine, good point. But tomorrow!¡± She jumped away from Spike and jabbed her right finger into his chest, all while looking him straight in the eye. ¡°Tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, we¡¯re making the most of our time here, you got that? This is the first time the two of us have gotten to vacation alone in, like, ever! And in such a beautiful place, too!¡±


    Spike chuckled to himself as he gently pushed Sky¡¯s hand aside. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Still a shame that Austin and Twy didn¡¯t come along, but make no mistake, I¡¯m still lookin¡¯ forward to this.¡±


    ¡°You know, we can still be friends with them without bringing them everywhere with us.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Fair enough. Now if only they¡¯d do somethin¡¯ with each other¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, talk about it! Austin isn¡¯t even going with Twy anywhere, he¡¯s just staying back at Tresnon! How lame.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s Austin for ya. The man likes his alone time.¡±


    ¡°And Twy¡¯s too willing to let him have it. They¡¯ll never get anywhere like this!¡±


    Spike responded with a resigned shrug as he took a seat on the side of the bed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but we decided a long time ago that we¡¯d let this play out organically. They¡¯ll come around one day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to doubt,¡± Sky replied as she plopped down next to Spike. ¡°¡­But enough about those two! C¡¯mon, it¡¯s just the two of us! Let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Really¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Starting tomorrow.¡± Spike yawned again, and then let himself fall backwards on the bed. ¡°For now, though. Sleep.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, you tease!¡± Sky retorted, but nonetheless moved to close the blinds and begin preparing for bed herself. ¡°Fine, then. But starting tomorrow, we¡¯re gonna have the times of our lives, I guarantee it!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Wow¡­ this place really is just as amazing as the first time we were here.¡±


    ¡°Amazing, sure. But also kinda dreary¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, passing an aside glance toward Twy and Kestrel before turning to face the view in front of them: the massive, towering trees of Rel¨¦diaka¡¯s Giant¡¯s Forest, and the sprawling city of L¨¦dia built within. Despite a bright afternoon sun shining down through nigh-cloudless skies, the city of L¨¦dia was bathed in the cool shade cast by the wide-reaching forest canopy. Small specks of blue sky could be seen through the leaves here and there, but for the most part, green leaves and brown branches dominated the area above.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel quietly looked up at the canopy and then removed her hat, her eyes closed, as if taking in the cool, shaded air. ¡°¡­Nice.¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± Twy affirmed, glancing up at Kestrel before finally backing away from the railing overlooking the city of L¨¦dia. ¡°We should probably get going, though. We¡¯re still right outside of the airport¡­¡±


    ¡°We did only just get here,¡± Phoenix pointed out, and then hoisted her lone bag. ¡°Guess we should go ahead and check-in at the hotel, though. And tomorrow, we can see about meeting with Rebehka. The sooner we get that business out of the way, the sooner we can focus on actually vacationing!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Twy muttered as she followed Phoenix and Kestrel down the pathway away from the airport. A contemplative, yet apprehensive look crossed Twy¡¯s face ¡ª she, Phoenix, and Kestrel weren¡¯t solely in L¨¦dia to travel, after all. In light of the flurry of events over the past two months ¡ª between fighting the Bleeders multiple times, witnessing the power of the Chaos State firsthand, and experiencing a Nanocreature outbreak ¡ª the three had decided to use this time to seek out additional information on all of these threats. Asking one of the Deans seemed, to them, to be the easiest way to get this information, and Dean Rebehka Tchir¨¦on seemed both the least busy (as they knew she had left Compound Tresnon that morning) as well as the most approachable. Such was the reason they now found themselves in the city of L¨¦dia, the location of Rebehka¡¯s Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics.


    ¡°Now the only question is if there¡¯s actually anything new to learn,¡± Phoenix wondered aloud, drawing Kestrel and Twy¡¯s attention. ¡°Rebehka¡¯s lesson on the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ last time seemed pretty comprehensive.¡± She turned to look at each of Kestrel and Twy. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s anything more she could tell us?¡±


    ¡°There might be,¡± Twy replied. ¡°One thing I¡¯ve noticed with all the Deans is how reluctant they are to talk about their days as Hero Machina. I mean, that could totally just be because they¡¯re tired of doing so over and over again, but¡­ I kind of wonder if there isn¡¯t something more, there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, good point. They were involved in the Nanocreature War, weren¡¯t they?¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°And still, all we really know is the official story. That they fought the leader of the Nanocreatures twice, once at Neticen ¡ª which was destroyed ¡ª and then once more after that.¡±


    ¡°And who knows how accurate the official story is,¡± Twy commented as the trio reached the bottom of a long winding path and entered the streets of L¨¦dia proper. ¡°I remember the last time we were here, there was that Dra¡¯kis woman who kept arguing with Rebehka about it. If there¡¯s something more there, then it might be relevant to us, since we¡¯re supposedly meant to fight the Nanocreatures again one day.¡±


    ¡°I think you mean, ¡®metallic infection¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± Phoenix whipped around in surprise, staring wide-eyed at the man who had suddenly appeared behind the trio. After eying his brown bangs and short, tied-low ponytail, however, a look of recognition appeared on her face. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you the guy who led us on a tour the first time we were here?¡±


    ¡°¡­Li¨¦hdan?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°Ah, so you guys remember me!¡± Li¨¦hdan replied with a grin as the three women turned around fully to face him. He looked each of them in the eye as he remarked, ¡°it¡¯s been a month! Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you guys so soon.¡±


    ¡°A month?!¡± Twy responded incredulously, ¡°¡­oh my god, it really has only been a month since we were last here, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Time flies when you¡¯re busy, after all¡­¡± Phoenix said with a sigh. She then turned to look at Li¨¦hdan, who stood with a casual ¡ª if somewhat slouched ¡ª posture as he fiddled with something in his right hand. ¡°What are you doing here, though?¡± she questioned. ¡°Did you know we were coming?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you, specifically, were coming,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied. ¡°I just saw that there was a transport inbound from Tres¨¦d. I was kinda hoping it was Kar¨ªsah. Haven¡¯t seen her in a while.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re after Kar¨ªsah, I¡¯m pretty sure her eyes are elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li¨¦hdan passed Phoenix a clueless look, only for realization to quickly wash over his face. He then smirked and returned to fiddling with his hand. ¡°Oh, you mean Relia. Yeah, I know about that. And so do you guys, huh? Has there been any development there?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s pretty obvious to tell whenever they¡¯re in the same place,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°But I don¡¯t think they¡¯re together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, figures. Kar¨ªsah¡¯s always been kinda passive. I keep telling her that if she wants something to happen, she¡¯s gotta go for it, but, uh¡­¡± Li¨¦hdan shrugged. ¡°Only so much you can do.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, yeah¡­¡± Twy responded uneasily.


    ¡°What¡¯re you guys doing here, though?¡± Li¨¦hdan questioned, while flicking a small purple object into the air and teleporting it back into his hands over and over again. ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like any of the others are with you. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Did something happen¡¯,¡± Phoenix scoffed.


    ¡°Bleeder attack,¡± Kestrel stated bluntly.


    ¡°What? No shit?¡± Li¨¦hdan stopped flicking the small bead to stare at Kestrel in surprise. ¡°¡­Where? Don¡¯t tell me they attacked Compound Tresnon?¡±


    ¡°They did¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°¡­Huh. That¡¯s somethin¡¯. And so you¡¯re here now since it¡¯s safer here?¡±


    ¡°Something like that¡­¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Well, we also wanted to meet with Rebehka. Or, uh, Dean Tchir¨¦on,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°We wanted to ask her a few things¡­¡±


    ¡°She was in Tresnon, wasn¡¯t she?¡± Li¨¦hdan questioned as he resumed flicking the bead into the air. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask her, then?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t really think to, until after the Bleeder attack,¡± Twy replied. ¡°And she was busy after that, for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Something something ¡®the attack made everything feel real¡¯ or something, am I right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being awfully cavalier about this,¡± Phoenix retorted, an annoyed look on her face and her hands on her hips. She then eyed the bead that Li¨¦hdan kept toying with. ¡°And what the hell are you doing with that? What even is that¡ª? Wait a minute¡­!¡± She stopped and reached up to grab the long, thin braid that draped down in front of her shoulder ¡ª and the purple beads she used to adorn it. The same purple beads as the one Li¨¦hdan was flicking around.


    Upon noticing Phoenix examining her hair, Li¨¦hdan broke into a grin. ¡°Finally noticed, huh?¡±


    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Phoenix snapped her attention to him, her brow furrowed in both confusion and frustration. ¡°How did you¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to say this?¡± Li¨¦hdan replied as he flicked the bead into the air one final time ¡ª and then teleported it out of the air and back onto Phoenix¡¯s braid. ¡°I can teleport stuff.¡±


    ¡°And apparently, you¡¯re also a klepto¡­¡± Phoenix muttered as she re-examined her thin, beaded braid, carefully counting up the beads.


    ¡°Hey, hey, I don¡¯t steal stuff,¡± Li¨¦hdan quickly refuted. ¡°It was just a harmless little prank, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Twy¡¯s own expression fell as she recalled the prank Li¨¦hdan had pulled on her and Austin. ¡°I forgot that was your thing¡­¡±


    Li¨¦hdan glanced between Twy and Phoenix¡¯s disapproving stares before responding with a shrug. ¡°Sheesh. You guys really need to learn to take a joke.¡±


    ¡°To get back to the reason that we¡¯re here¡­¡± Twy commented, ¡°has Rebehka returned, yet? I know she left Tresnon this morning, but we couldn¡¯t get on the same transport as her.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. ¡®Cause she wasn¡¯t coming back here, she was going elsewhere,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied.


    ¡°Elsewhere? What?¡± Phoenix echoed in disbelief. ¡°Where else would she go?¡±


    ¡°Tekdec¨¦,¡± Li¨¦hdan answered. ¡°Specifically, Telsinoka, I think. She has some meetings with some NSD bigwigs that she has to go to. She didn¡¯t tell me why, but it¡¯s easy enough to guess. Still, she won¡¯t be back here ¡®til the 32nd, at the earliest.¡±


    ¡°Really?! Damn it¡­¡± Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what, two days from now? And you aren¡¯t even sure if she¡¯ll be back by then¡­ argh. And here I was hoping we could meet with her, and then get the hell out of this depressing forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Phoenix¡­!¡± Twy muttered, passing Li¨¦hdan a nervous glance.


    Li¨¦hdan, however, responded with an amused chuckle. ¡°Ha! No worries,¡± he remarked, ¡°I hear visitors complain about the lack of sunlight all the time. Besides, I¡¯ve heard that you guys have been doing a lot of travel. I¡¯m sure you already know a couple of the other hot spots on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°The Anika Falls¡­¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been there?¡± Li¨¦hdan glanced up at her. ¡°They are pretty cool, I agree. Though if you¡¯ve been there, I take it you¡¯ve met Maeshi, too?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about YCUR¡¯s member of the Elite Six, then no,¡± Phoenix answered. ¡°Though we did end up fighting a Chaos State Chaotic¡­¡±


    ¡°What? No shit? ¡­Wait, that was you guys?!¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked incredulously. ¡°All I¡¯d heard was that there was a Chaos State fight. I just assumed it was Kievkenalis, or Maeshi! But you guys did that? Damn. That¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, all we really did was barely hold on until Kievkenalis could save us¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s still something. I¡¯ve never even fought someone in the Chaos State, personally,¡± Li¨¦hdan commented. ¡°Honestly, I think the last time a Chaos State fight happened was the Nanocreature War! Huh. This sounds like quite the story, you guys mind shar¡ª?¡±


    ¡°LIEEEEHDAAAAN!!¡±


    ¡°Uh oh.¡± The Nimalian Spacetechnic glanced over his shoulder, at a group of three individuals running down the street a couple blocks away. ¡°Wow, they found me quick.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ who found you?¡± Phoenix questioned in confusion.


    ¡°My teammates for the ACT,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied airily. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be practicing for next week¡¯s Bracket Placements, but that¡¯s boring. We¡¯ve already made it in, so who cares where in the bracket we are? All that¡¯s at stake is a single by, that¡¯s nothing. So I¡¯m here, instead.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°They found me, though, so I guess I have to go now. Talk to you guys later,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked with a quick wave, only to disappear into thin air ¡ª and immediately reappear next to one of the students that was running after him. Even from a block away, Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel could see him briefly exchange words with one of the students, and then again disappear, followed by the three students looking at each other in exasperation and turning back the way they came.


    ¡°¡­Well, he¡¯s, uh¡­ quite the guy, huh?¡± Twy commented uneasily.


    ¡°Skipping out on practice because it¡¯s ¡®boring¡¯¡­ how unreliable,¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Good with his ability,¡± Kestrel stated, while looking down at Phoenix¡¯s beaded braid.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give him that, but that doesn¡¯t excuse him ditching his teammates,¡± Phoenix countered, and then released a weary sigh as she hefted her bag and began to lead the trio down the street again. ¡°At least he¡¯s out of our hair, now. C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s go find our hotel¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    The soft clacking of the joysticks on a gaming controller hitting their rim filled Austin¡¯s dorm room at WCU as he leaned forward in his chair, his gaze intensely focused on the screen of his laptop before him. Twilight shone through his room¡¯s lone window, adding a furthered sense of solitude to the fact that Austin was now the only one of the Earthian recruits still in Compound Tresnon ¡ª a fact that he very much enjoyed.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon¡­! Alright! Finally!¡± Austin remarked, a satisfied grin crossing his face as he dealt the final blow to the boss he had been fighting. With a relieved sigh, he sat back in his chair and watched as the game transitioned into the next cutscene, where the main character was promptly thrown back by the boss who appeared to be not even slightly damaged. ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon!¡± Austin muttered. ¡°The boss wasn¡¯t that hard! Stupid cutscene bullshit¡­¡±


    He continued to watch the cutscene in annoyed silence; when it wrapped up a minute later and dumped him back into the overworld, he quickly paused and saved the game ¡ª at which point he set the controller down on his desk and stood up from his chair. After a quick stretch, he stepped over to his room¡¯s window to look out upon the grounds of WCU; even in the darkening twilight, he could see a handful of students practicing with their abilities on the practice fields, presumably preparing for the next stage of the Annual Chaotic Tournament. Wish we had qualified, Austin though bitterly. ¡­But, oh well. There¡¯s always next year. Not to mention¡­ I guess we really, really weren¡¯t ready, this time¡­


    His thoughts drifted to the Bleeder attack on the compound two nights ago. In the moment, he had been eager to go fight the Bleeders, due in part to Pierce¡¯s taunting ¡ª but all he had gotten out of the fight itself was a concussion and a few broken bones. I¡¯m damn lucky that Danielle was around, or I¡¯d be in a cast, just like Sky¡­ Austin thought to himself. I should never have gotten involved. Hell, it not for this conscription bullshit, I wouldn¡¯t have even been here for the attack! ¡­But¡­ I guess no one here really volunteered for the attack, either. I mean, no one ever volunteers to have their home attacked by raiders, duh. This is just something that the Tres¨¦dians have to deal with, through no fault of their own¡­


    A knock on his bedroom door stirred Austin out of his thoughts. ¡°Who is it¡­?¡± he called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s your uncle,¡± came Luke¡¯s voice. ¡°Just wanted to ask you something real quick.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. Come in.¡±


    Luke promptly opened the door, peeking his head in ¡ª at first his attention was on Austin¡¯s desk, but then he quickly shifted his gaze over to where Austin was actually standing, in front of his window. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re not playing your game?¡± Luke questioned as he stepped into the room.


    ¡°Just takin¡¯ a break,¡± Austin replied, turning around to look at his uncle straight-on.


    ¡°A break, huh?¡± Luke remarked as he casually leaned against the wall across the room from Austin. ¡°¡­You really do enjoy being all by yourself, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve known me for my entire life. Are you really surprised?¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°Heh. Good point. Still, you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to go anywhere? See anything?¡±


    ¡°We travel enough as part of our classes. I just want some time to enjoy the remainder of the fall break before next term starts.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I hear y¡¯all are going to have actual assignments and tests and such next term, too.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ don¡¯t remind me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Luke briefly chuckled to himself. ¡°Anyways, as to why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m fixin¡¯ to go shooting with Selind and Gavon, and I figured I¡¯d see if you wanted to tag along.¡±


    ¡°Shooting? Really?¡± Austin replied incredulously. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you do that, like, a lot?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what can I say. I like shooting guns. And it isn¡¯t often that I run into people like Gavon or Selind, who also like shooting.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a professional soldier?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that doesn¡¯t mean everyone I work with likes to go to a gun range in their free time. And most of them aren¡¯t marksmen, like I am. Selind and Gavon, though, are.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m not really interested.¡±


    ¡°Figured you¡¯d say that¡­¡± Luke replied with a sigh. ¡°What if we did something else? It¡¯s been quite a while since we last hung out, you know.¡±


    Austin regarded his uncle with surprise, only to idly look away a moment later. ¡°¡­Guess so, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Though I fully get if you don¡¯t want to,¡± Luke quickly added. ¡°You¡¯ve, uh, been through quite a lot, lately¡­ and I know where you stand on the whole, uh, issue of you being here¡­ sorry, I¡¯m just gonna go. Sorry for bothering you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Austin looked back to Luke in surprise again as the latter began to step out of the room. ¡°Wait, hold on!¡±


    Luke paused halfway out the door, and half-turned to look at his nephew. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± he questioned tentatively.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯¡­¡± Austin responded, his gaze drifting away from Luke once more. ¡°After all these attacks, and everythin¡¯, it¡¯s like¡­ well, like things just get more and more real. First it was Goresan ¡ª after that, I really thought things couldn¡¯t get much worse. But then there was that infection outbreak in Rel¨¦diaka, and then, uh¡­ what happened on Sikalia¡­ and now, that Bleeder attack two days ago. And, like¡­ of course, if I hadn¡¯t been conscripted, then none of that would¡¯ve happened. So I still don¡¯t like that. But, like¡­ ah, what am I saying¡­¡±


    Luke quietly stepped back into Austin¡¯s room, softly closing the door behind him before taking up his casual lean on the wall once more. His attention remained entirely on his nephew, waiting for Austin to collect his thoughts.


    ¡°I think what I¡¯m trying to say, is¡­¡± Austin eventually continued, ¡°¡­I¡¯m still mad about the conscription thing ¡ª that part is total bullshit. And I don¡¯t know if I buy into this whole prophecy thing, either. But I can¡¯t really blame you for that. Right? And you¡¯ve made some goods points while we were here, too. Especially back on Sikalia. It¡¯s my own fault that I let Pierce get to me so much¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, hold on, Pierce shares the blame for what happened, there,¡± Luke quickly interjected. ¡°You¡¯re right that you shouldn¡¯t have risen to his provocations, but at the same time, I don¡¯t know if I would¡¯ve done any differently, in your shoes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me asking, what brought on this bout of introspection?¡±


    ¡°The attack two days ago. That¡¯s probably obvious, heh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true.¡± Luke slotted his hands into his pockets as he eyed Austin, and the dusky window behind him. ¡°So what was it about the attack that made you stop and think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ two things, I guess. The first, is¡­ when I got involved, that wasn¡¯t because anyone told me to. I mean, yeah, I think I let myself get riled up by Pierce, again¡­ but at the end of the day, I was there because I decided to be. And I ended up getting my ass kicked. Hell, I could¡¯ve died! But I don¡¯t really have anyone to blame for that but myself.¡±


    Austin trailed off again, but Luke remained silent, waiting for his nephew to continue.


    ¡°¡­And the second thing, is¡­¡± Austin took a deep breath, his gaze focused on his feet. ¡°When I think about that attack, it¡¯s like¡­ well, the people here in Tresnon didn¡¯t volunteer to get attacked, you know? They were just forced to deal with a situation that they didn¡¯t want to deal with. But, aside from throwing insults at the Bleeders ¡ª and rightly so ¡ª I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard any of the Tres¨¦dians say that they don¡¯t want to be here. And that¡¯s got me thinkin¡¯, like¡­ maybe I¡¯m just using this conscription thing as a shield, too much. ¡®Cause me getting conscripted by SERRCom is a far cry from my home being attacked, you know? So complaining about it now just seems, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I think I get what you¡¯re saying,¡± Luke eventually commented. ¡°And I appreciate that you have the maturity to realize that, Austin. But don¡¯t swing too far in the other direction.¡±


    Austin regarded his uncle with confusion. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°What I mean, is¡­ ultimately, your conscription is bullshit,¡± Luke declared. ¡°And just because the Tres¨¦dians have problems of their own doesn¡¯t invalidate yours. Their problems are bigger, sure, but don¡¯t feel like you don¡¯t have the right to worry about yourself because of that. If everybody followed that logic, then no one could complain, ever, since someone always has it worse.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Having perspective is good, and I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve realized that your own actions can be foolish, sometimes,¡± Luke continued. ¡°But don¡¯t use that to convince yourself that your current position is okay. If you ever get the chance to go back to having a normal life, to get the hell out of SERRCom, I¡¯d be more than happy to see you do it.¡±


    ¡°Feels weird, hearing that from you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, yeah¡­¡± Luke chuckled uneasily. ¡°I know I¡¯ve been¡­ a little wishy washy when it comes to your conscription. But I do want you to know that I wish there was more I could do to help. For the most part, I agree with you ¡ª you shouldn¡¯t have been conscripted.¡±


    ¡°For the most part?¡±


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s definitely some concerns to be had over people suddenly getting superpowers, and the fact that those same people can potentially go berserk with them¡­ I just think that there has to be a better way to manage that than shoving every Chaotic into a military.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that berserk stuff is kinda¡­¡± Austin uneasily looked down at his hand, and then released a weary sigh. ¡°¡­Well, I can¡¯t deny that I still wish I wasn¡¯t here, that I hadn¡¯t gotten powers, or any of that¡­ and I¡¯d really rather not get involved in any actual military¡­¡±


    ¡°Totally fair,¡± Luke replied. ¡°At least you still have a year here ¡ª at least a year ¡ª before SERRCom will want to put you on any missions. If you¡¯re lucky, your situation will change by then. And if you¡¯re really lucky, nothing bad will even happen before then!¡±


    ¡°What amazing optimism,¡± Austin deadpanned. ¡°And now that you¡¯ve pointed it out, all kinds of bad shit is gonna happen, anyways.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s the Austin that we all know and love,¡± Luke remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Austin rolled his eyes. ¡°¡­I just figure I should probably stick with things until EA is dealt with, at least.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that is a problem, isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    ¡°Has SERRCom not heard anything more about EA?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of. Which could mean anything, really ¡ª he could be biding his time, preparing for galactic conquest; or he could be dead in a ditch, somewhere. We really don¡¯t know. All I know is that he seems to have found a way to whip a ton of robots and a Cruiser out of his ass. If that¡¯s scalable to a whole army ¡ª or worse, a navy ¡ª then he could be a real problem, soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I need to get a hang of my powers soon, then, huh?¡±


    Luke chuckled as he watched Austin summon his claymore and stare down at it. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have motivation, but don¡¯t get carried away,¡± Luke said. ¡°Remember what happened on Sikalia, and two nights ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Austin then side-eyed his uncle. ¡°I¡¯m kinda surprised you haven¡¯t tried to lecture me about joining the fight against the Bleeders¡­¡±


    ¡°You seem to have thought about it enough on your own, I don¡¯t see how me goin¡¯ on about it would help,¡± Luke replied. ¡°¡­I should probably still talk to the others, though.¡±


    ¡°Either way¡­ thanks for stopping by.¡± Austin took a deep breath of relief. ¡°It felt good to get all that off my chest.¡±


    ¡°And I appreciate you trustin¡¯ me enough to let me listen. But I¡¯m getting the impression that you¡¯d like me to leave, now, so if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not supposed to call that kind of thing out! Read the room.¡±


    ¡°And miss out on a chance to tease my nephew?¡± Luke replied with a smirk and a wink, already halfway out of Austin¡¯s room. ¡°Still,¡± he finished, ¡°if you ever change your mind, I¡¯m sure Gavon and Selind would be glad to have you around!¡±


    ¡°Oh, piss off,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to be properly alone like this in forever, I¡¯m not about to let it go to waste.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Go figure. See ya later, then, Austin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. See ya later,¡± Austin replied in kind, watching his uncle leave his room and shut the door behind him. Austin then readily grabbed his gaming controller and plopped down into his desk chair, more than ready to spend the rest of his evening gaming away.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 4: Ousiders Arrival

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 4: Outsiders'' Arrival


    The Next Day


    ¡°Wow! This is pretty good!!¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± Mark replied with a smile, watching Danielle take a large bite out of the sky-blue colored ice cream on a stick. He then took a modest bite out of his own ice cream before remarking, ¡°I guess wherever you go, something like ice cream is a constant, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s damn good at beatin¡¯ the heat, that¡¯s for sure!¡± Kate exclaimed, and then took a bite of ice cream herself ¡ª though in so sloppy a manner that she smeared cream over the sides of her mouth.


    Mote eyed his three friends warily, noting how they each readily consumed the frozen snack in their hands; for his part, he was content to slowly lick away, savoring the sweet yet salty flavor of ¡°Nikosa¡± flavor ice cream ¡ª the Nimalian equivalent of Vanilla, in terms of their ¡°default¡± flavor of ice cream. The flavor itself was merely okay in Mote¡¯s opinion, but what mattered more to him was cooling down, as the air all around carried an uncomfortable ¡ª yet not quite unbearable ¡ª level of warmth. It was the kind of fall-time warmth that was cool enough to signal the waning of summer, yet warm enough to discourage any kind of layering clothes, made all the worse by the group¡¯s relative proximity to the equator of Nimalia. They weren¡¯t currently in Compound Tresnon, after all; the Eximius Vir had traveled with Colonel Saito and Major Hackett the previous day, and currently stood within the city of Telsinoka ¡ª the capital city of the continent-nation of Tekdec¨¦, Nimalia¡¯s most technologically advanced nation.


    As Mote looked out over his surroundings, Tekdec¨¦¡¯s technological advancement was obvious. The city of Telsinoka stood in the plains just north of Tekdec¨¦¡¯s equatorial jungle, and had taken advantage of the sprawling flatlands to construct a truly massive metropolis. Standing at the center of the urban sprawl was a skyscraper of immense proportions, reaching nearly three kilometers into the sky and easily towering over the rest of the city. The buildings in its immediate vicinity were ¡°only¡± one kilometer tall, but even they appeared small when compared to the magnificent gleaming glass skyscraper known as the Center of Tekdec¨¦, due to hosting all of the facilities for Tekdec¨¦¡¯s government ¡ª as well as for the government of the entire Nimalian Union.


    Surrounding the Center of Tekdec¨¦ was a glass jungle of shorter skyscrapers for a kilometer around, forming a hexagon around the central towering spire. Surrounding that hexagon of buildings was a massive hexagonal reservoir of water, itself nearly two kilometers across as it stored enough water to support the entire metropolis. Six large bridges connected the central hexagon of buildings to the far side of the reservoir, each bridge located at the vertices of the hexagons; on the outer points of the hexagonal reservoir, right where each of the six bridges reached land, were small clusters of three skyscrapers, each nearly two and a half kilometers tall ¡ª making for a total of 18 such towers. Each individual cluster of skyscrapers were connected by a number of skybridges, allowing people to walk from one tower in a cluster to another without having to go all the way down to the ground, while also granting an impressive view of the city below.


    The Eximius Vir currently stood atop one of the highest skybridges in the southern cluster, allowing Mote to look down upon the rest of the city through the windows that spanned from the floor to the ceiling of the skybridge. Billowing cumulus clouds occasionally obscured his view of the ground below, but from what he could see, the land all along the edge of the reservoir between the tower clusters was occupied by grand parks filled with greenery. And then, just half a kilometer back from the reservoir, the urban sprawl started up again, at first featuring kilometer-tall skyscrapers that formed a virtual wall all around the reservoir parks, and then slowly tapering down the farther away from the center of the metropolis you went. However, the taper was so slow, and the sprawl so grand, that even when over two kilometers above the ground, Mote could tell that the metropolis of Telsinoka extended to the horizon in all directions.


    While he appreciated having the time to admire the view, though, Mote couldn¡¯t help but feel restless. Ultimately, there was no reason for the Eximius Vir to be in Telsinoka ¡ª Saito and Hackett were present only to attend the NSD military summit, and the Eximius Vir weren¡¯t allowed to attend. Their presence here, in the end, was just to vacation, a fact made even more obvious as Mote noted that he and the others were out of uniform ¡ª a first in quite a while. Replacing the green with black-trimming uniform on Mote was a navy blue t-shirt and jeans. The other Eximius Vir dressed just as casually, with Mark sporting a long-sleeved baseball shirt with a white chest and green sleeves, accompanied by a pair of shorts; Danielle wearing a white tube top and black sweatpants, exposing her toned midriff and her signature metallic right arm; and Kate wearing an ill-fitting crimson tank top with a low collar and baggy camo cargo pants with comically large pockets, her messy blond hair still tied back and partially covered by her signature red bandanna.


    Mote¡¯s attention lingered on his friends for a moment. He couldn¡¯t help but shake the feeling that they were all out of place, but he couldn¡¯t quite place why ¡ª the crowds of people around them sported all manner of dress, all kinds of colors, and vast variances in height, hair color, skin color, and style. It was simply impossible to come up with a single unifying descriptor for the Tekdec¨¦nian populace; among the visual chaos, the Eximius Vir fit right in. Even their taller-than-average heights didn¡¯t stand out all that much against the crowd. And yet, despite that, Mote couldn¡¯t bring himself to truly relax ¡ª being out of his uniform simply didn¡¯t feel right to him.


    ¡°You alright, Mote?¡±


    The Electrotechnic glanced toward Mark, who was currently looking at him with a concerned expression. With an inaudible sigh, Mote returned to looking out over Telsinoka, still leaning on the massive glass windows of the skybridge. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine,¡± Mote eventually replied.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Danielle eyed his unfinished ice cream. ¡°You still have so much left!¡±


    ¡°Just because I like to take my time with things doesn¡¯t mean that there¡¯s something wrong with me,¡± Mote countered impatiently.


    ¡°Christ, Mote, do you really need to be so fuckin¡¯ deliberate about everything?¡± Kate remarked, leaning with her back against the windows as she finished off her ice cream. ¡°Just let loose once in a damn while!¡±


    Mote glanced her way, just in time to see some of her ice cream fall off the stick and into her cleavage ¡ª where she readily shoved her fingers and scooped up what remained into her mouth. He promptly scowled. ¡°I¡¯d rather be slow and deliberate than loose and a mess.¡±


    ¡°Oh piss off,¡± Kate retorted, inspecting her now-empty stick for a second before grabbing the front of her shirt to begin fanning herself. ¡°Just let me enjoy myself every now and then, you uptight asshole.¡±


    ¡°I think you could still learn some decorum. Just look at your shirt!¡±


    ¡°What? Do my boobs intimidate you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant and you know it,¡± Mote snapped. While Kate¡¯s form was certainly surprisingly curvaceous, the true meaning of Mote¡¯s statement was obvious: Kate¡¯s tank top was stained all over from her using it like a rag every time she wore it, including today.


    ¡°¡­Hate to say it, but Mote kind of has a point,¡± Mark commented with a sheepish smile. He then produced a napkin from one of his pockets and handed it to Kate, saying, ¡°I get wanting to dress how you like, but wiping food on your shirt is a little much.¡±


    ¡°Fine then, I won¡¯t use my shirt,¡± Kate snorted, ignoring Mark¡¯s napkin to instead wipe her ice cream stick clean on her pants.


    Mote released an exasperated sigh. ¡°You¡ª!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, guys!¡± Danielle interjected, jumping in between Mote and Kate and quickly looking between them. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be having fun! I mean, this is the first time we¡¯ve had some time to ourselves ¡ª all four of us! ¡ª and we get to use it to wander the capital city of an alien planet! Let¡¯s enjoy ourselves!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Mark quickly added. ¡°Today, and the next few days, we don¡¯t have any responsibilities. It really is just us. We should take advantage of this as much as we can.¡±


    Mote and Kate both stared at Mark for a second, only to then exchange a glance.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mote apologized.


    ¡°Oh, shit, I didn¡¯t expect to hear that!¡± Kate remarked in surprise. ¡°What the hell¡¯s been going on with you, Mote? Seriously. Usually I¡¯m the one starting the arguments, not you!¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± The Electrotechnic looked away, his attention diverted to a passing cloud below. He watched it slowly float by for a second before continuing, ¡°it¡¯s just¡­ everything that¡¯s been happening recently is just¡ª¡°


    ¡°No!¡± Danielle shoved her way in between Mote and the window so she could stare him in the eye as she proclaimed loudly, ¡°today is for free time. Free. Time! Don¡¯t think about work!¡±


    Mote responded only with a bewildered stare, followed by uneasily glancing to his left and right ¡ª taking note of the odd stares Danielle was drawing. ¡°Alright, alright, fine. Just¡­ not so loud,¡± he insisted.


    Danielle¡¯s mouth instantly curved up into a grin. ¡°Good!¡± she exclaimed, and then withdrew from Mote just as quickly as she had jumped in.


    ¡°No work talk, though, huh?¡± Kate mused with a frown. ¡°Not even complainin¡¯ about¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I said, no work!¡± Danielle declared. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it, don¡¯t think about it! Come on! Is it really so hard to relax for you guys?!¡±


    Kate and Mote exchanged another glance, and then sighed in tandem.


    ¡°Alright, fuckin¡¯¡­ you win, Danielle,¡± Kate replied, a defeated smile on her face.


    ¡°So¡­ free time, then, hmm?¡± Mote questioned, finally returning to slowly working his way through his ice cream. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°We could just keep doing what we¡¯ve been doing,¡± Mark suggested. ¡°We¡¯ve been out all morning, but we¡¯ve still only seen one of the Sina cluster towers. There¡¯s still the other two towers, or even the other clusters.¡±


    ¡°Urban exploration, huh?¡± Kate commented absentmindedly. ¡°I dunno. What the hell is there even to see?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?! There¡¯s tons!¡± Danielle exclaimed, and then produced a brochure from her back pocket. ¡°There¡¯s parks, museums, shops of all kinds¡­ they even have something called a ¡®vieh¡¯, which I think is an interactive, 3D movie! And that¡¯s just the start of what¡¯s here! You name it, they have it!¡±


    ¡°A quiet place to read?¡± Mote suggested.


    ¡°Somewhere to tinker with tech?¡± Kate interjected. ¡°Or to blow stuff up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon!¡± Danielle pouted. ¡°That¡¯s just what you guys usually do in your free time! How can we read or tinker in a group, anyways?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Mote shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t have any other ideas, though.¡±


    ¡°Ever the fuckin¡¯ stick in the mud, huh?¡± Kate remarked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear you offering any better ideas.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ ¡­does fighting count as work stuff?¡±


    ¡°I could get behind some training, actually¡ª¡°


    ¡°Training counts as work!¡± Danielle insisted.


    Kate responded with an exaggerated shrug. ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­ okay, then. I¡¯m out of ideas.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Danielle looked between Mote and Kate in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯re out of ideas already?! But there¡¯s so much to do!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how they are, Danielle,¡± Mark pointed out, and then eyed Mote and Kate with a friendly smile. ¡°We could try doing something that we did when we were young.¡±


    Mote and Kate exchanged another glance ¡ª this one of confusion ¡ª before turning back to Mark. ¡°¡­What?¡± Mote questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Well, the parks down there look pretty big, and open,¡± Mark commented as he looked down at the greenery that bordered the hexagonal reservoir on all sides. ¡°They don¡¯t look too busy, either ¡ª at least, not from up here. So I was thinking that we could go down there, maybe play some tag, or something.¡±


    ¡°Tag?!¡± Kate scoffed.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t kids, anymore,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be a kid to enjoy some tag,¡± Mark countered. ¡°The way I see it, we have a nice day, here. A little warm, sure, but it should be cooler by the water. And we just had some ice cream. I think some kind of physical activity is exactly what we could use, right now ¡ª if not tag, then we could just take a walk. And once we¡¯ve tired ourselves out, maybe we can try that vieh that Danielle mentioned. A movie sounds nice.¡±


    ¡°Tag sounds like a lot of fun, to me!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Followed by the vieh, too, that¡¯s a great idea! I¡¯m in!¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw, fuck it. If Danielle¡¯s in, then I guess I am, too,¡± Kate eventually conceded.


    ¡°And I suppose I could¡­ watch,¡± Mote reluctantly added.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough of a commitment, for me,¡± Mark replied with a smile, and then began leading the group down the skybridge, toward the closest tower. ¡°Now, c¡¯mon ¡ª it¡¯s like Danielle said. Let¡¯s see that we take advantage of these vacation days as much as we can!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Ugh¡­ is this really needed?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Pierce snapped, in response to Obra¡¯s complaint. ¡°You think I like this, either?¡±


    ¡°Or me¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Why are y¡¯all complainin¡¯?¡± Liask grumbled, ¡°but be quiet! We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Pierce passed Liask an impatient glance ¡ª or at least, he passed a glance toward about where he estimated Liask to be, as all four of the Chaotics were currently invisible. To support the fact that Conrad could only turn someone invisible if they were touching him, he was currently riding on Liask¡¯s back, while holding hands with Pierce and Obra. The three men ¡ª Pierce and Obra, especially ¡ª had voiced a number of complaints about the arrangement since they first started walking a couple hours ago, but the necessity of keeping their presences hidden was obvious in the face of their surroundings. Instead of the typical sandy beige wastelands that Tres¨¦d was known for, the group currently trudged over flat grasslands, softly lit by post-twilight moonlight and extending as far as the eye could see in every direction. On the southern horizon appeared the beginnings of low foothills, but just north of that, barely a kilometer away from the group¡¯s current position, stood a walled city with imposing fortifications, not unlike those of Compound Tresnon ¡ª though significantly heavier and also featuring a number of guard towers and a tall, castle-like structure in the center. Overall, the city looked much like a fort, making it live up to its name of Fort Rokres.


    ¡°I¡¯d still like to know why we couldn¡¯t just fly in¡­¡± Conrad complained.


    ¡°As I said before¡­ Fort Rokres has an energy shield, just like Compound Tresnon,¡± Liask explained, her tone bearing the tired annoyance of someone who¡¯s had to explain something over and over again. ¡°Flyin¡¯ into that thing would¡¯ve been like flyin¡¯ into a stone wall.¡±


    ¡°And even if we were able to get in, where the hell would we land?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°Sure, the place might have an airport, but we¡¯d still have to explain where the hell our aircraft came from.¡±


    ¡°Your landin¡¯ woulda drawn a bunch of attention, anyways,¡± Obra muttered.


    ¡°Hey, I landed just fine.¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Liask commented, ¡°it was a little¡­ rocky¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t very steady on the way here, either,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°My flying skills are perfectly serviceable. I got us all here in one piece, didn¡¯t I? And sure, the landing was rough, but you know what they say: a good landing is one you can walk away from, while a great landing is one where you can use the craft again. By that measure, my landing was perfect!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Conrad sighed wearily. ¡°Still. Did we really need to walk this whole way, though?¡±


    ¡°The hell are you talkin¡¯ about?¡± Obra snapped, ¡°you ain¡¯t done any walkin¡¯ at all!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve still had to sit here and maintain this invisibility for hours.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you haven¡¯t had a chance to nap,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been practicing keeping your invisibility going while you¡¯re sleeping, Conrad. You can totally keep it up for hours and hours on end.¡±


    ¡°If you knew about that, I clearly wasn¡¯t doing well enough¡­¡± Conrad grumbled.


    ¡°Alright, y¡¯all¡­ really?¡± Liask finally interjected again, ¡°we¡¯re here for Minilas, remember? She has it way worse than any of us, right now. So stop complainin¡¯ so much.¡±


    A brief moment of awkward silence followed Liask¡¯s statement. Eventually, Conrad released a weary sigh. ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologized. ¡°I¡¯ll just¡­ keep quiet.¡±


    ¡°We should probably all keep quiet at this point,¡± Obra muttered, his voice lowered as he eyed the close walls of Fort Rokres. ¡°Who knows if they can hear us¡­¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. Not as long as Conrad is here,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Gee, thanks for the confidence,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Still, Obra is right,¡± Liask said. ¡°Especially y¡¯all, Pierce, Conrad. Don¡¯t forget y¡¯all ain¡¯t speakin¡¯ the local language. Obra and I can understand you ¡®cause we have those translation implants, but as far as I know, no one in Rokres has the implants. To them, you¡¯ll just be speakin¡¯ gibberish.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than that,¡± Obra pointed out. ¡°Since y¡¯all ain¡¯t speakin¡¯ Akian, the Rokresians will know immediately that y¡¯all are outsiders if you say literally anythin¡¯. Even Liask and I gotta be careful; they could tell we ain¡¯t around here just from our accents.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are outsiders,¡± Conrad pointed out. ¡°I get most Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t like outsiders, but it¡¯s never been that much of a problem, before¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Liask countered. ¡°You¡¯ve spent most of your time in Compound Tresnon, which is the most open of all the Compounds in Tres¨¦d. Most Compounds wouldn¡¯t even let you inside their walls, since you ain¡¯t Nimalian. And Rokres, well¡­¡±


    ¡°They capture or kill outsiders on sight,¡± Obra stated bluntly.


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Pierce replied uneasily.


    ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you say that earlier?!¡± Conrad questioned irately.


    ¡°Why did you think I wanted to wait ¡®til night to approach Fort Rokres, and do so invisibly?¡± Liask retorted.


    ¡°I thought you were just being super careful! Not that we were putting our lives on the line!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s too late to turn back, now,¡± Pierce declared as the group closed to within a kilometer of Fort Rokres. ¡°Look, all we need to do is sneak in, see if they know anything about the Bleeders or Minilas¡¯s location, and then sneak back out. We shouldn¡¯t be in there for any longer than a day, and even if things go tits up, we¡¯re Chaotics! We can easily bail out.¡±


    ¡°I wish I was so confident¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re gettin¡¯ close!¡± Obra hissed. ¡°Y¡¯all really should shut up! This is where the serious part starts.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to¡ª¡­!¡± Pierce started, but suddenly stopped as he stared blankly at Obra ¡ª the now very visible Obra. He immediately snapped his attention to where he expected Conrad to be, only to find that he was still invisible. ¡°The hell are you doing?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me!¡± Conrad quickly refuted, ¡°I didn¡¯t stop doing the invisible thing!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Obra glanced back toward Conrad, and then down at his body, at which point his eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Shit¡­ it¡¯s gotta be CENT fields!¡± Liask exclaimed, ¡°Obra, everyone, get back¡ª!¡±


    Before anyone could react to Liask, however, three tiny objects suddenly sprung into the air around them ¡ª followed by a blinding flash of light, a painfully deafening screech¡­ and the blackness of unconsciousness.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 5: Developing Threats

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 5: Developing Threats


    ¡°Oh! Colonel¡­ Saito, was it? It¡¯s good to see you, again.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, Ms. Tchir¨¦on,¡± Saito replied with a cordial nod as he and Major Hackett stepped into a small meeting room.


    ¡°I, um¡­ prefer ¡®Dean¡¯ Tchir¨¦on,¡± Rebehka corrected.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Kev¨¦rin let loose an amused scoff from his seat next to Rebehka. ¡°Self-conscious, much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need this from you¡­¡± Rebehka grumbled.


    Saito momentarily eyed the two Deans, taking note of their clean and well-kept uniforms ¡ª an earth green with black trimming pantsuit for Rebehka, and a black and gray uniform with white trimming, accompanied by a black scarf, for Kev¨¦rin. As if to compliment the Deans¡¯ formal appearances, Saito and Hackett both were dressed in navy blue suits with black ties, as was SERRCom¡¯s official formal uniform; both officers also wore navy blue berets which ¡ª while not a mandated part of the uniform ¡ª was an allowed deviation, as both were members of a special ops team.


    As Hackett took a seat around the small meeting room table, Saito briefly scanned the room. The oblong table was constructed of sturdy glass, and was surrounded by no more than a dozen black office chairs. Austere carpeting covered the ground and a couple of potted plants were placed near the room¡¯s lone entrance, but distracting from those measly decorations was a massive one-way window on the east side of the room overlooking the city of Telsinoka. From Saito¡¯s guess, the meeting room must have been nearly two kilometers above the ground level, as he was staring near-even with the towering skyscraper clusters at the vertices of Telsinoka¡¯s reservoir. A bustling, massive city sprawled out before him, its skyline filled with the rapidly moving dots that were distant hovercars, each one of its inhabitants unaware of the military summit currently taking place in Telsinoka¡¯s tallest tower.


    ¡°The Commander will arrive soon, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Saito glanced over at Kev¨¦rin, noting that the Dean was looking at him through the corner of his eye. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve formally met,¡± the Colonel eventually remarked, moving over to Kev¨¦rin¡¯s side to extend a hand. ¡°I¡¯m Colonel Kaji Saito, leader of SERRCom¡¯s Chaotic Support Fireteam.¡±


    ¡°Dean Kev¨¦rin Tyrion,¡± Kev¨¦rin cordially replied, balling his right hand into a fist and holding the back of his hand up to Saito¡¯s palm. As soon as he did, both men looked down at their hands, as if unsure how to proceed.


    ¡°Nimalians often greet each other by holding the backs of our fists together,¡± Rebehka explained, an amused smile playing on her face.


    ¡°I see,¡± Saito responded, quickly balling his own hand into a fist and tapping the back of Kev¨¦rin¡¯s hand with his own. ¡°Sorry about that. We Earthians usually open with shaking hands.¡±


    ¡°A glowing example for SERRCom, sir,¡± Hackett quipped from across the table.


    ¡°Can it, Major.¡± Saito passed Hackett an unamused glance, and then turned to look at Rebehka. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve properly met you, either. Though I¡¯ve heard of you from Captain Travis.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, then,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about you, aside from your name¡­¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to say,¡± Saito commented as he moved around the table to sit next to Hackett, across from Kev¨¦rin and Rebehka. ¡°I trained the Eximius Vir, SERRCom¡¯s first Chaotics, and I lead the fireteam that supports them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, sir,¡± Hackett stated. ¡°Out of everyone in SERRCom, I¡¯m sure you know the most about Chaotics. And there aren¡¯t many other Colonels that General Lead trusts more than you.¡±


    ¡°The most about fighting Chaotics, perhaps,¡± Saito corrected. ¡°And the trust part is debatable.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to have a SERRCom representative here regardless,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°What we¡¯ll be covering here affects you just as much as us¡­¡±


    Saito glanced left and right, taking note of the fact that he, Hackett, Rebehka, and Kev¨¦rin were currently the only people in the room. ¡°¡­Who else is attending this summit?¡± he questioned, ¡°the NSD Commander, and¡­?¡±


    ¡°Assistant Commander Byrake will be here, as well,¡± Kev¨¦rin pointed out.


    ¡°Only six people?¡± Hackett passed Saito a wary glance before looking back to the Nimalian Deans. ¡°I expected more than that at a summit.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rebehka and Kev¨¦rin exchanged an uneasy look before Rebehka continued, ¡°the¡­ actual summit has already been going for a few days, and is supposed to be a week¡¯s worth of meetings and discussions.¡±


    ¡°SERRCom was only invited to this one,¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Rebehka replied uneasily. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask the Commander about that.¡±


    ¡°SERRCom was only invited to one meeting, out of an entire week¡¯s worth?¡± Hackett questioned incredulously. ¡°What¡¯s even the point, then?¡±


    ¡°I do apologize, but this is all we could manage.¡±


    Everyone currently in the room quickly stood as two more individuals entered, a man and a woman. Both wore dark green jackets with black lining, covered in part by a brown faux leather sash, as well as gray pants with dark green chaps and black steel-toed boots ¡ª the official uniform of the Nimalian Systems Defense, better known as the NSD. Both also wore dark green waist cloaks with black trim, an aspect of the uniform reserved for commissioned officers; on top of that, the man wore a silver cape, and the woman a silver scarf.


    From there, however, their appearances starkly diverged. The man was of average height and build, with a dark complexion and short black hair. His angular face exacerbated his already serious expression and stiff posture; on the other hand, the woman¡¯s posture was much more laid back as she nearly slouched into the chair next to the head of the table. Her slender build, pale skin, and long blond hair, tied into a low ponytail, served as a further contrast to the man standing beside her.


    ¡°Commander, Assistant Commander,¡± Kev¨¦rin remarked, nodding at the man and the woman in turn.


    ¡°Deans Tyrion and Tchir¨¦on,¡± the man responded in kind, and then turned to look at Saito and Hackett. He held his right fist out as he declared, ¡°welcome, Earthians. I¡¯m Carpisalis Komman, the Commander of the NSD.¡±


    ¡°Colonel Kaji Saito, of SERRCom,¡± Saito replied, this time readily and smoothly performing the Nimalian fist-bump greeting. He then drew back and gestured toward Hackett. ¡°And this is Major Hackett.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, sir, ma¡¯am.¡± Hackett saluted at each of Commander Komman and the woman next to him.


    ¡°No need to be so formal,¡± the woman remarked. ¡°We¡¯re all friends, here.¡±


    ¡°¡­And this is Assistant Commander Lindsalleon Byrake,¡± the Commander commented with a sigh. ¡°Head of the GIA and UIA. That is, the Galactic Intelligence Agency and the Union Intelligence Agency.¡±


    ¡°You can call me the Head of Intel. Or Spymaster, if you¡¯re feeling creative,¡± Byrake declared with a smirk.


    ¡°Alright, then¡­ Spymaster Byrake,¡± Saito replied while returning the expression. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. Though¡­¡± He then turned to face Komman as everyone took their seat at the table. ¡°If I might ask, what did you mean when you walked in? Something about this being all you could manage?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Komman took a deep breath before answering, ¡°¡­to be candid, this summit was largely the CSA¡¯s idea, and they weren¡¯t interested in inviting SERRCom. However, Sidont¨¦ Demerin wanted to keep you apprised; hence this meeting.¡±


    ¡°Sidont¨¦ Demerin? You mean Erikon Demerin?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Yes, elected Sidont¨¦ of the Nimalian Union.¡± Komman nodded. ¡°He can be¡­ cavalier, with the information he divulges to our allies. But I happen to agree with him this time.¡±


    ¡°Why does the CSA want to shut us out?¡± Saito pressed. ¡°That sounds like a serious matter on its own.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a couple reasons,¡± Byrake replied. ¡°One, they just don¡¯t think that you¡¯re relevant. After all, SERRCom has the smallest navy and territory of all the galactic nations, by far. But more importantly than that¡­¡± She took a moment to straighten her posture, her casual smirk lessening into a more serious expression. ¡°We have reports of some¡­ ¡®EA¡¯ who may or may not be connected to SERRCom, who¡¯s been causing a bit of trouble in the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Saito muttered. Didn¡¯t think EA would come up during this meeting, but I suppose I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised by anything, at this point¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the NSD¡¯s understanding that EA is an enemy of SERRCom,¡± Komman asserted. ¡°The CSA, however, is less trusting.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s more, they find it suspicious that you have Chaotics who can fully ignore CENT fields and Dead Space,¡± Byrake pointed out. ¡°And, frankly, so do I. Especially after Earth has gone for so long without any Chaotics at all¡­¡±


    How do they know the Eximius Vir can use their powers in Dead Space? Saito questioned mentally, while keeping a straight face externally. Did the Black Suns already leak that info? Damn. I suppose we can assume that secret is out of the bag¡­ ¡°¡­I can understand your concerns,¡± the Colonel eventually replied, ¡°but, believe it or not, we¡¯re just in the dark about that as you.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t mean to question SERRCom¡¯s intentions or motives,¡± Commander Komman declared while throwing an annoyed glance toward Byrake. ¡°Far be it for me to judge a military for having secrets, whether they know it or not. Discussing your Eximius Vir is not the point of this meeting, anyways ¡ª but before we start, I would like to be clear.¡± He paused to look each of Saito, Hackett, Rebehka, and Kev¨¦rin in the eyes. ¡°All information shared in this meeting is considered to have the highest level of classification. Colonel, Major, I trust you to disclose this information to your superiors as necessary, and that SERRCom will handle it responsibly. Deans ¡ª I know that certain pieces of NSD military intel has a habit of leaking to the Schools of Chaos¡­ but the information shared today cannot be part of that. Of your fellow Deans, only Kaon¨¦ Densalin and Kievkenalis Yumach have been authorized to know what you¡¯ll learn here.¡±


    ¡°Not Christean¨¦ or Dav¨ªdrius?¡± Rebehka pressed.


    ¡°I meant what I said,¡± Komman declared.


    Saito carefully watched Rebehka and the Commander; the former was wearing a scowl of disapproval, while the latter had already diverted his attention, seemingly focused on some sort of invisible text ¡ª no doubt an AR overlay of some kind.


    ¡°As for the meeting itself,¡± the Commander continued, ¡°there are four topics of discussion to cover. The Drakkars, the situation in Taizen space, this ¡®EA¡¯, and the resurgent metallic infection. We¡¯ll save the Taizen discussion for last; let¡¯s cover the others quickly, first.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with EA, then,¡± Byrake asserted, her attention turning to the two SERRCom officers. ¡°Our intel says that this¡­ ¡®Elite Austin¡¯ is actually a clone of one Austin Travis¡­ a recently recruited Chaotic in SERRCom.¡± She then glanced at the Deans. ¡°And currently, one of the Earthian students at WCU. Deans, were you aware of this?¡±


    ¡°This is the first I¡¯ve heard anything about any EA,¡± Rebehka replied with a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some details from Archon¨¦ Culana, actually,¡± Kev¨¦rin stated. ¡°The Archon¨¦, of course, claims that EA has something to do with those prophecies of his.¡±


    ¡°Archon¨¦ Culana¡­¡± Komman muttered warily.


    ¡°The old man really never lets up with that book of his,¡± Byrake remarked.


    ¡°Am I to take it that you don¡¯t believe in Culana¡¯s prophecies?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Byrake replied. ¡°Carpisalis here, like any good Riveranian, believes in the Oraculm more than he lets on!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Commander Komman,¡± the Commander quickly asserted. ¡°And I merely appreciate that Archon¨¦ Culana¡¯s supposed ¡®prophecies¡¯ achieve better predictive odds than pure chance. Never have I said that they are guaranteed to come true, nor even necessarily contain actionable information. Either way¡­¡± He turned back toward Saito. ¡°What can SERRCom tell us about EA?¡±


    ¡°Likely not anything more than you already know,¡± Saito answered. ¡°He revealed himself just a few months ago; prior to that, we didn¡¯t even know that he existed ¡ª or even if he existed at all before that time. He can¡¯t possibly have built any of his ships or robots in SERRCom territory, either. Wherever his resources are coming from, they¡¯re outside of our grip.¡±


    ¡°That lines up with what I¡¯ve been hearing,¡± Byrake replied. ¡°By our reports, EA¡¯s been hassling the Big 3 out in the uncolonized Perseus Arm, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°Big 3?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°The big three PMCs: Black Suns, Chaos Knights, and Light Keepers. The only PMCs large enough to really care about. Anyways, after EA¡¯s escapades on Earth, he seems to be staying out of national space.¡±


    ¡°But our reports also suggest that he is gathering materiel much faster than a single actor should be able to,¡± Komman declared. ¡°Colonel, EA seems to be primarily an Earth threat. Do you think SERRCom will be able to contain him?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve chased him off twice,¡± Saito said, ¡°and we¡¯re trying our best to track him down, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say any more than that.¡±


    ¡°This might be a silly question,¡± Rebehka spoke up, ¡°but if this EA person really is a clone of Austin, then have you tried asking Austin what EA will do?¡±


    ¡°Austin seems to think that all he and EA have in common is their appearance,¡± Hackett stated.


    ¡°And even if there¡¯s more, there isn¡¯t exactly much foundation to form any speculation on,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°According to the recruits, EA¡¯s own stated motives aren¡¯t even consistent. We¡¯ll need to learn more about him before we can form plans to take him down.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Colonel,¡± Komman replied with a firm nod. ¡°The NSD will keep tabs on EA, but so long as he remains in the uncolonized arm, we¡¯ll leave him for SERRCom to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Commander,¡± Saito replied in kind.


    ¡°Second on the agenda is the Drakkars.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve recently received a handful of reports on them from the CSA,¡± Byrake commented, and then exchanged a glance with Komman. ¡°¡­The CSA wanted to keep this information under wraps, but Sidont¨¦ Demerin thinks otherwise.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ generous of him,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Demerin has been making friendly overtures toward us, but to be perfectly honest, I didn¡¯t expect confidential info from the CSA.¡±


    ¡°Even I can see that the Union stands to gain from being on good terms with SERRCom,¡± Komman declared. ¡°You may have the smallest navy, but you¡¯re expanding quickly, and each of your ships are capable.¡±


    ¡°The GIA even assigned you a Tonnage Ratio of 1 just earlier this year,¡± Byrake announced with a smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ¡®Tonnage Ratio¡¯?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a short-hand we use to describe how dangerous or effective another military is. It describes, on average, how many tons of NSD warships you would need to match a single ton of the opposing force. For example, the Drakkars come in at around 4.5, and the Riaxen at 3.6.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that, basically, you would need four and a half NSD Battleships just to counter a single Drakkar Battleship?¡±


    ¡°On average,¡± Komman reiterated. ¡°The Tonnage Ratio is a heuristic meant to aid in the threat analysis of full militaries or fleet-on-fleet combat. It means less and less the smaller the scale you¡¯re looking at, and can be exacerbated or mitigated depending on the circumstances of specific engagements.¡±


    ¡°Are the Drakkars and the Riaxen really that tough?¡± Kev¨¦rin questioned incredulously. ¡°I mean, I knew they were dangerous. But four and a half of our ships to beat just one Drakkar ship? Or three and a half to beat a Riaxen¡­?¡±


    ¡°Remember that space combat is a different beast from ground combat,¡± Byrake said. ¡°You¡¯ve fought the Drakkars and Riaxen both, but ground combat is far from the Drakkars¡¯ strength. Their true power is in their fleets. Same for the Riaxen ¡ª and that¡¯s not even the worst of it. Remember, the size of the Riaxen fleets dwarfs that of the entire CSA. And they have more Deathnoughts than the rest of the galaxy, combined!¡±


    ¡°Deathnoughts that could single-handedly destroy any Nimalian fleet,¡± Komman stated.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin responded uneasily. ¡°¡­Right, I knew that, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°The Riaxen are not to be underestimated,¡± Komman said. ¡°The Syraus are our greatest allies in dealing with the Riaxen. Syraus ships may not be as powerful as Riaxen ships, but they are still by far the best at keeping the Riaxen contained.¡±


    ¡°How powerful are Syraus ships? Compared to everyone else?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Going back to Tonnage Ratios, the Syraus come in at 3.3, the Siions around 2.2, Citans around 2.1, Dra¡¯kis around 1.75¡­¡± Byrake rattled off. ¡°And ¡ª like I said ¡ª SERRCom, around 1. Considering you were 0.7 just ten years ago, that¡¯s a big improvement!¡±


    ¡°Is it really alright to be sharing this information?¡±


    ¡°It is, at the end of the day, only one heuristic of many ¡ª and a simplistic one, at that,¡± Komman stated. ¡°It describes information that is readily apparent to any of the militaries involved. I don¡¯t consider it a secret.¡±


    ¡°Still, SERRCom¡¯s development rate when it comes to spacecraft tech is amazing,¡± Byrake declared. ¡°Really lucky you have that Genesis Battlecruiser, huh?¡±


    ¡°And, as I understand it, SERRCom¡¯s explosive fleet growth over the past ten years was due to us lending you our foundries,¡± Kev¨¦rin pointed out.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°In exchange for Subspace Drives, yes,¡± Saito quickly replied.


    ¡°We don¡¯t mean to suggest that SERRCom is incapable of improving itself on its own,¡± Commander Komman commented, passing Kev¨¦rin an annoyed look as he did. ¡°And while our deal to exchange Subspace Drives for foundry time has been winding down, we do very much appreciate what you¡¯ve given us.¡±


    ¡°As do we. But, if I may be so bold, I rather doubt you agreed to that deal purely out of the kindness of your hearts.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, seen right through us, huh?¡± Byrake responded with a smirk.


    ¡°It is true that a stronger and closer SERRCom can benefit the Nimalian Union¡­ though it¡¯s my hope that this arrangement isn¡¯t one-sided,¡± Komman said. ¡°Regardless, we¡¯ve digressed from the main point: the Drakkars. CSA reports say that there has been some increased activity in Drakkar space, particularly in Telum and Prolatio territory. Drakkar communications suggest that Telregina has developed something of a grudge against Earthians¡­ are you at liberty to explain, Colonel?¡±


    So she really did survive¡­ Saito mused, and then turned to address the Commander. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I can give you the full details, Commander, but I¡¯ll at least inform you that SERRCom did have a run-in with Telregina a couple months ago. We even hit her fleet with a Drive Bomb. I had hoped that would be the end of her, but, well¡­¡±


    ¡°The Drakkar Faction Leaders are immortal,¡± Rebehka pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯d heard, but there¡¯s nothing like seeing it first-hand.¡±


    ¡°You used a Drive Bomb, though, hmm¡­¡± Komman eyed Saito warily. ¡°I hope you understand my trepidation at hearing that the galaxy¡¯s leading manufacturer of Subspace Drives is willing to use them as weapons of mass destruction.¡±


    ¡°It was a decision of last resort, I assure you,¡± Saito insisted.


    ¡°And still, you decided to use one.¡±


    ¡°I admit that Drive Bombs are devastating, but we¡¯ve only used one ¡ª and on the Drakkars, at that. I¡¯m also not aware of any treaties that we¡¯re violating by using one. Hell, SERRCom isn¡¯t even a signatory to any CSA military treaties in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more curious about what was so important that you Drive Bombed a Drakkar fleet as a ¡®matter of last resort¡¯,¡± Byrake questioned. ¡°By our intel, none of your worlds were under attack. So what else could it be, I wonder¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s classified,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Then we won¡¯t press any further,¡± Komman declared while side-eying Byrake. ¡°Your reasons for using it aside, it¡¯s very understandable that Telregina would develop a grudge after getting Drive Bombed. Be wary, Colonel. The Telum Drakkars are far from the strongest faction, but Telregina is easily the most temperamental of all the Faction Leaders. SERRCom should be on guard for a reprisal. On top of that¡­¡± Komman passed Saito a level glance. ¡°¡­Historically, the Drakkars have chosen to avoid using weapons of mass destruction purely because they believe that doing so is a waste ¡ª after all, every human killed is a human that they can¡¯t steal their precious ¡®Ciei¡¯ from. But the Drakkars have had Subspace Drives for a long, long time, and they are more than capable of using Drive Bombs themselves, if so provoked. I urge you to keep that in mind the next time you consider using a Drive Bomb against them.¡±


    ¡°¡­Duly noted. Thanks for the heads-up.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then we can move on to the third part of the agenda: the metallic infection.¡± This time, Komman turned to face Rebehka. ¡°It¡¯s my understanding that you recently held an information session for SERRCom and its new recruits?¡±


    ¡°That I did,¡± Rebehka responded. ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t an issue.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. The infection¡¯s existence is hardly a secret, as much as the CSA might wish that it was.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be becoming more of a problem, recently,¡± Hackett remarked. ¡°Do we know why? I thought the situation was contained twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°So did we¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin grumbled.


    ¡°To put it simply¡­ we don¡¯t know,¡± Rebehka answered with a sheepish shrug. ¡°The CSA has yet to completely remove the infection from the Transpace Worlds that fell during the Nanocreature War, but it wasn¡¯t until a year ago that their efforts slowed, and infection incidents began to increase across the galaxy. And things sped up a little after the recent Chaos Quake ¡ª but nothing that I know of can explain the initial surge.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much more than you do, either. However¡­¡± Byrake admitted, and then hoisted a large brown bag onto the table. She stood up and opened the bag as she continued, ¡°Given what happened the last time the metallic infection got out of control, it¡¯s in everyone¡¯s best interests to make sure that it doesn¡¯t. And to that end, the NSD has decided to let SERRCom in on some new tech that we developed.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Rebehka eagerly leaned forward as the Spymaster began pulling small, disk-shaped devices out of the bag. ¡°Are these¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Infection Capture Devices, that¡¯s right,¡± Byrake answered. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dean, the NSD hasn¡¯t forgotten about your help in developing this tech. There¡¯s a shipment of the things on its way to your Academy as we speak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, to explain what these do¡­¡± Byrake grabbed one of the palm-sized disks and held it up toward Saito, her finger hovering over a small button in the center. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s basically all in the name. Press this button here, and then slap the device on some object or creature. It will immediately project a containment shield around the object, and then scan it for infection nanites, alerting you if it detects a positive. It also shields itself, to prevent any nanites from taking over its machinery.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Saito commented as he grabbed one of the disks himself and began looking it over. ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°They look like tiny frisbees,¡± Hackett remarked. ¡°Are they meant to be thrown?¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Byrake replied. ¡°After all, getting close to someone who¡¯s infected is generally a bad idea. We¡¯re working on some kind of launcher that can fire them with better precision than just, you know, throwing it, but we figured that preparing the capture devices themselves was more immediately pressing.¡±


    ¡°This will help immensely with the study efforts at the Academy,¡± Rebehka declared. ¡°Thank you for developing these, Byrake. We¡¯ll put them to good use.¡±


    ¡°As will we,¡± Saito affirmed. ¡°Icing someone will certainly be easier than whatever we could do before!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡¯Icing¡¯, sir?¡± Hackett questioned in confusion.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re called Infection Capture Devices, right?¡± The Colonel glanced at Byrake and Komman. ¡°That abbreviates to ICD. In English, if you squint, you could read that as ¡®iced¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see.¡±


    ¡°D,¡± Saito quipped, only to elicit an exasperated look from Hackett.


    ¡°Aw, the puns don¡¯t work in Akian¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin replied with a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad they don¡¯t,¡± Rebehka retorted.


    ¡°¡­Well, so long as SERRCom uses them effectively, you can call them whatever you¡¯d like,¡± Komman replied, though the fact that he was pinching the bridge of his nose was lost on no one. He then shifted his hands to clasp them on the table as he addressed Saito once more, ¡°and given what we know about the metallic infection, Colonel ¡ª that is, that it seems to be driven by a malicious intelligence ¡ª I would caution against SERRCom being too careless in fighting it.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We¡¯re already on the same page, there,¡± Saito responded.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Also, just as a quick reminder,¡± Rebehka piped in, her attention on Saito and Hackett. ¡°Nanocreature nanites can wear down energy shields over time ¡ª much like how you could eventually wear down shields just by punching them, but on a smaller scale, and somehow more effective. In short, those capture devices aren¡¯t long term solutions; don¡¯t expect them to last more than a day or two on a single charge, if that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the heads-up,¡± Saito replied as he took the brown bag of ICDs from Byrake.


    ¡°Now, with that out of the way,¡± Commander Komman remarked, ¡°let¡¯s get to the final part of today¡¯s agenda: the situation in Taizen space.¡± He then looked over at Saito and Hackett. ¡°I trust you understand the basics of the Taizen Millennia War?¡±


    ¡°That the Syraus Protectorate and Riaxen Federation are two halves of an old empire, and have been at war with each other out in the Outer Arm for over a thousand years?¡± Saito replied. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re aware.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Komman nodded. ¡°The Riaxen have stated on many occasions that they would like to expand into and conquer the rest of the galaxy, but fortunately for us, the Syraus have them trapped at the end of the Outer Arm. Unfortunately for us, Syraus space is only one Transpace jump from Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Tyrnaus Transpace was destroyed twenty years ago,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°It was, but that just makes things worse,¡± Byrake answered, her expression grim. ¡°If you¡¯ll recall, when we were talking about Tonnage Ratios, I mentioned that the Syraus have a lower ratio than the Riaxen. It¡¯s slight, but it¡¯s still a difference.¡±


    ¡°Before the Tyrnaus Transpace was destroyed, the Syraus Protectorate was engaged in fairly heavy and frequent trade with both Nimalia and the CSA,¡± Komman explained. ¡°That trade was enough to offset the relative weakness of their fleets, compared to the isolated Riaxen. But ever since the Transpace was destroyed, trade has become much more difficult.¡±


    ¡°Because the Syraus don¡¯t have Subspace Drives,¡± Saito surmised.


    Komman nodded. ¡°Exactly. The fact that neither Taizen nation has developed Subspace Drives of their own is useful ¡ª it¡¯s the only thing keeping the Riaxen trapped at the end of the Outer Arm, since all that separates them from the rest of the galaxy is their Syraus neighbors, and Dead Space. A further boon is that the Riaxen, long ago, destroyed all of their Interstellar Gates ¡ª presumably to prevent Syraus incursions into their space, but it also prevents them from leaving. And while the Syraus still have Interstellar Gates of their own that they can use for trade, it still remains that the volume of trade allowed by the Gate network pales in comparison to what you can transport by ship.


    ¡°Since the Syraus fleet is heavily dependent on Chaos Drives for FTL travel, they now have to travel for 45 days, just to reach Nimalia from Tyrnaus ¡ª and that¡¯s one way. More importantly, it also means that Tyrnaus ¡ª the capital world of the Syraus Protectorate ¡ª is a 35 day trip from the nearest Syraus Transpace, which means that any Tyrnaus-based fleets or foundries are now, effectively, 35 days farther away from the Syraus-Riaxen front lines. Now, neither time frame is insurmountable, but it does severely undermine the Syraus ability to respond to Riaxen attacks, request aid, or adapt their trade requests to their situation.¡±


    ¡°And even then, most of the rest of the galaxy still relies on Chaos Drives, too,¡± Byrake pointed out. ¡°Subspace Drives have started to take, but even we only have a couple of fleets that have been fully retrofitted. It¡¯ll take a couple decades more before all of our ships can be outfitted with Subspace Drives.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯ll take us at least that long to even make that many Drives¡­¡± Saito mused.


    ¡°Yes¡­ which is why we have a problem,¡± Komman stated. ¡°¡­Over the past year, we¡¯ve been getting reports of small Riaxen scouting parties appearing on the outskirts of Union space.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the Riaxen aren¡¯t contained, anymore?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Not quite¡­ from the nearest Transpace, the Riaxen still have to travel nearly 30 thousand light years just to bypass Syraus territory, and then another 23 thousand on top of that to reach the Nimalia system,¡± Komman stated. ¡°That¡¯s 105 days of travel, one-way. It¡¯s doable, but not for a prolonged invasion. If the Riaxen wanted to mount an effective attack on Nimalia, they would need a beachhead on the opposite side of Syraus space, first.¡±


    ¡°And I take it you think that them doing so is a credible threat?¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes. It¡¯s no secret that the Syraus have slowly started losing ground to the Riaxen ever since the destruction of the Tyrnaus Transpace. And these Riaxen scouting parties show that the Riaxen are growing bold.¡±


    ¡°The NSD has been quietly amassing forces in this solar system ¡ª the Nimalia system ¡ª just in case the worst happens,¡± Byrake declared, and then side-eyed Kev¨¦rin. ¡°¡­Though I hear that rumors of our fleet build-up have reached a certain School of Chaos.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why I¡¯m here¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin grumbled.


    ¡°The spacecraft lessons that the NSD supplies to the Tyrion Institute of Chaotics are provided under the strict expectation that any insights gained into NSD fleet doctrine and activity are kept under wraps.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve spoken to Kines about this, believe me,¡± Kev¨¦rin insisted. ¡°But can you honestly expect to keep a fleet build-up in the home system of the Nimalian Union a secret?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if civilians know that our ships are here, I only care if they know why the ships are here. The last thing we need is a panic over potential Riaxen aggression.¡±


    ¡°If the Riaxen are testing your border security, then a little panic might be warranted,¡± Saito challenged. ¡°But more importantly, why are they only testing Nimalia? Earth is about as far from Tyrnaus as Nimalia is, but I haven¡¯t heard any reports of the Riaxen testing our borders.¡±


    ¡°Likely because there isn¡¯t a Transpace anywhere in SERRCom territory,¡± Komman pointed out. ¡°The Riaxen want access to a Transpace ¡ª that would greatly accelerate their expansion into the rest of the galaxy. As it stands, the Nimalia Transpace and the Novakin Transpace are the only real options for the Riaxen.¡±


    ¡°Novakin is even closer to Tyrnaus than Nimalia is,¡± Rebehka stated. ¡°Why haven¡¯t the Riaxen tried for there?¡±


    ¡°Syraus intelligence suggests that the Riaxen don¡¯t even know the Novakin Transpace exists,¡± Byrake said. ¡°Remember, the Novakin Transpace could never connect to Tyrnaus ¡ª only to Nimalia, and another Transpace farther down the Perseus arm. The Nimalia Transpace is the one that connected the Outer Arm to the Perseus Arm.¡±


    ¡°So the Riaxen don¡¯t have any intel on the Transpace network beyond Tyrnaus¡¯s immediate neighbor?¡± Saito questioned incredulously.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the Syraus claim.¡±


    ¡°Even so, the CSA has begun fortifying the Novakin Transpace,¡± Komman said. ¡°However, given how far it is from their space via Transpace Route, they¡¯ve had to do so with their Subspace Drive-fitted fleets ¡ª of which, they don¡¯t have many.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like the CSA doesn¡¯t just cut through our space whenever they like,¡± Byrake countered. ¡°They even have a staging station around the Nimalia Transpace, and they have an entire fleet here of their own.¡±


    ¡°The CSA has a fleet in Nimalian space?¡± Hackett echoed in surprise.


    ¡°They see the Riaxen as just that much of a threat, do they?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°The Union government has allowed the CSA to station a fleet, here. But more to the point, Riaxen ships are powerful, and numerous,¡± Komman pointed out. ¡°The Riaxen, pound-for-pound, aren¡¯t as dangerous as the Drakkars, but they also don¡¯t have an infighting problem, like the Drakkars do. And the last thing the Siions want is the Drakkars pressing them on one direction, and the Riaxen bearing down on another.¡±


    ¡°And if Nimalia were to fall to the Riaxen, I¡¯m sure Earth wouldn¡¯t be far behind¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll warn my superiors. What are the actual odds that the Riaxen will manage to establish a beachhead beyond Syraus space, though?¡±


    ¡°The Perseus Arm is largely uncolonized,¡± Byrake replied. ¡°The Big 3 have unofficially claimed many of the Perseus Transpaces, but there¡¯s still a ton of empty space that the Riaxen could try to claim. And for all their talk, none of the PMCs are any good at fleet actions ¡ª which is what the Riaxen excel at. I doubt any of them would be able to defend against a Riaxen incursion for long. We¡¯ll have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°If expansion is all the Riaxen want¡­ then why don¡¯t we just let them into the Perseus Arm?¡± Hackett questioned. ¡°It would take them thousands of years to colonize the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°That may have been a viable solution a thousand years ago, before the Riaxen were so extreme. But it isn¡¯t now,¡± Komman countered. ¡°The Riaxen, despite calling themselves a Federation, have long been a fascist autocracy. Long have they talked of their inherent superiority to the other galactic nations. Their entire ideology is driven by the idea that the galaxy belongs to them, and them alone ¡ª simply allowing them to expand would fuel that ideology and create much bigger problems down the line.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Assistant Commander Byrake forward the reports on Riaxen scouts to SERRCom. I only request that you keep this information classified. We don¡¯t know if the Riaxen are monitoring public channels, after all.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Commander,¡± Saito replied. ¡°And I thank you on behalf of SERRCom for sharing this information with us.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Komman nodded. ¡°Now, with that out of the way, I do believe this meeting has come to a close.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wanted to ask something,¡± Kev¨¦rin quickly interjected. ¡°Consider this an official request to the NSD.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m listening,¡± the Commander responded.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin glanced at Rebehka, and then at Saito and Hackett, before turning back to face Komman. ¡°I wasn¡¯t there, myself. But I heard that, recently, there was a Bleeder attack on Compound Tresnon.¡±


    Komman¡¯s expression hardened while Byrake replied, ¡°yeah, we¡¯ve heard that, too. What of it?¡±


    ¡°What of it?¡± Saito echoed incredulously. ¡°Respectfully, SERRCom has recruits there ¡ª recruits that are there at the behest of the Nimalians.¡±


    ¡°A deal that you made with Archon¨¦ Pallan Culana of Riverana¡­ not the Nimalian Union,¡± Komman countered.


    ¡°¡­What happened to wanting a stronger, closer SERRCom?¡±


    ¡°I understand your frustrations, Colonel,¡± Komman replied, ¡°¡­but it wasn¡¯t the NSD who decided to place your recruits in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I have to call bullshit,¡± Kev¨¦rin interjected irately. ¡°The NSD has been breathing down my neck for ages to tighten the reins on the Schools of Chaos. And don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed how any NSD-sponsored advertisements for our schools emphasize the ¡®prestigious¡¯ and ¡®exclusive¡¯ aspects ¡ª and conspicuously omit WCU from the list of schools. SERRCom¡¯s recruits would have been publicly rejected at any other school, due entirely to the cultural perception that the NSD created!¡±


    ¡°Those are quite the accusations you¡¯re throwing out, there,¡± Byrake remarked airily. ¡°Especially since you Deans are the ones who decided to cap enrollment at your schools. Do you really stand by what you¡¯ve said, Dean Tyrion? Even after all the NSD has done for you?¡±


    ¡°Fat lot you¡¯ve done for Dav¨ªdrius, and Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°The handful of times we¡¯ve extended our help to Tres¨¦dians, they¡¯ve rejected us.¡±


    ¡°Because of your heavy-handed deals. Don¡¯t play coy with me. I¡¯ve heard from Dav¨ªdrius; in exchange for your help, you¡¯ve ¡®asked¡¯ the Tres¨¦dians to give you their land, and submit to your rule.¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡± Saito questioned, his attention focused entirely on Komman.


    ¡°It is,¡± Komman stated confidently. ¡°And I see no reason to deny it. I¡¯m sure SERRCom would agree that help is rarely offered freely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the Bleeders, myself,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Their largest attack force numbered in the mere hundreds. An energy shield coming online was enough to drive them off! Don¡¯t tell me that an organization as powerful as the NSD couldn¡¯t deal with them like the trivial threat that they are!¡±


    ¡°I see you feel strongly about this, Colonel. I assume, then, that SERRCom has eliminated all organized crime on Earth?¡±


    Colonel Saito responded only with silence, unable to offer an affirmative reply.


    ¡°Well, what about the fact that the Bleeders attacked the Academy, and YCUR?¡± Rebehka questioned, distracting from the awkward silence. ¡°Their actions have directly led to an infection outbreak and the theft of a Chaos Ayas! Surely they should be dangerous enough now for the NSD to intervene?¡±


    ¡°Your Academy currently has a contract with the Chaos Knights,¡± Byrake countered. ¡°And YCUR has one with the SFC. The NSD has a policy of not interfering with legitimate PMC contracts; you should know this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold the Chaos Knights contract against me. Archon¨¦ Ledkia was the one who signed it!¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you should take this up with him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really leaving it at that?¡± Kev¨¦rin challenged. ¡°You press us and our schools to conform to your standards, and insist on taking all of our Chaotics as soon as they graduate. And in exchange¡ª!¡±


    ¡°And in exchange, we offer spacecraft lessons and arrange for trips off-world. Trips that can be surprisingly difficult to arrange for young Chaotics,¡± Byrake interrupted. ¡°We hold up our end of the bargain.¡±


    ¡°And if it¡¯s the Chaotic Conscription Mandate that you take issue with, then you¡¯ll need to speak with Sidont¨¦ Demerin, and the Union Li¨¦pen,¡± Komman declared. ¡°The NSD is merely following Union law, in that regard.¡±


    ¡°¡­So you really won¡¯t do anything about the Bleeders, then?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°We have every confidence that they are a contained threat,¡± Komman asserted. ¡°That they were able to reach Rel¨¦diaka and Riverana is concerning, but their plots were still foiled, and the respective nations are looking into the matter. Until the Bleeders become an interplanetary threat, or the nations of Nimalia request our help, it won¡¯t be the NSD¡¯s place to intervene. And besides, Colonel, it is as you said, yourself: Compound Tresnon succeeded in driving off the Bleeders with minimal outside assistance. I¡¯m confident that they will continue to be able to do so.¡±


    ¡°And if your non-intervention results in the death or injury of SERRCom personnel?¡±


    ¡°If SERRCom really wishes to hold the NSD responsible for a deal that we had no say in, then, well¡­ such is galactic relations. But if you do, we will remember it.¡± Komman looked Saito steadily in the eye. ¡°Is this what you mean to do, Colonel?¡±


    Saito returned the stare, his expression blank. But eventually, he had to respond. ¡°¡­No.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Komman nodded. ¡°I¡¯m glad you see reason, Colonel, and I hope SERRCom¡¯s dealing with Archon¨¦ Culana will prove more fruitful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°But, given how you feel on the matter, I won¡¯t overlook it completely. SERRCom officially has the NSD¡¯s approval to handle the Bleeders in Tres¨¦d ¡ª specifically Tres¨¦d ¡ª as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re making deals on behalf of Dav¨ªdrius and the Tres¨¦dians, huh?¡± Kev¨¦rin remarked bitterly.


    ¡°Whether or not the Tres¨¦dians reject SERRCom¡¯s help ¡ª as they have with the NSD, repeatedly ¡ª is a separate matter,¡± Commander Komman declared. ¡°I¡¯m merely granting SERRCom permission to approach Tres¨¦dian airspace with your own Frigates, or deploy your own troops into Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Your ¡®permission¡¯ is much appreciated,¡± Saito replied with a forced smile.


    ¡°Now, if this matter with the Bleeders is done with¡­¡± Komman passed Kev¨¦rin and Rebehka a glance; when neither responded, he stood up from his chair. ¡°¡­Good. Colonel Saito, Major Hackett, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope SERRCom appreciates the information we¡¯ve shared today, and the technology we¡¯ve offered. In the meantime, Assistant Commander Byrake and I have other matters to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the pain of being Spymaster,¡± Byrake lamented, though nonetheless stood up from her own seat and followed Commander Komman out of the room. Just before leaving, she stopped to offer a quickly salute toward Saito. ¡°I like your passion, Colonel!¡± she remarked, ¡°just¡­ maybe, next time be more careful with it.¡±


    And with that, she left the room.


    A stiff silence followed, as those left in the room stared after the two NSD Commanders. Eventually, Kev¨¦rin released a pent-up sigh of frustration. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he muttered, ¡°the hell am I supposed to tell Dav¨ªdrius, now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Are your interactions with the NSD always like this?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Not always, no,¡± Rebehka responded warily, ¡°but certainly more often than I¡¯d like¡­¡±


    ¡°We saved the entire fucking galaxy, and still the NSD tries to pressure us to do their bidding¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin sighed warily, and then looked over at the Colonel. ¡°Still, I appreciate you trying to get a word in for us. I only hope I didn¡¯t accidentally make SERRCom look foolish¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha ha!¡± Saito chuckled bitterly, finally rising from his chair ¡ª prompting the others to do similarly. ¡°No, I share some of that blame. There¡¯s a reason I don¡¯t like being sent on diplomatic missions¡­¡±


    ¡°That said¡­¡± Hackett eyed the two Deans warily. ¡°Is it really true? SERRCom¡¯s deal to place the recruits in your Schools of Chaos has nothing to do with the NSD?¡±


    ¡°That was news to me, too, really,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°I thought the NSD had to be involved, since SERRCom was sending their personnel directly to Nimalia.¡± She then turned to Kev¨¦rin. ¡°Just what kind of deal did you and Kaon¨¦ make with Archon¨¦ Culana?¡±


    ¡°One that I hoped would reduce our reliance on NSD funding, and secure the Archon¨¦¡¯s support for Kaon¨¦¡¯s anti-conscription lobbying efforts,¡± Kev¨¦rin answered. ¡°¡­I just didn¡¯t expect it to backfire like this¡­¡±


    ¡°You asked Culana to support the anti-conscription efforts? Have you heard the man talk about how he handles those prophecies of his?!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­ but an Archon¨¦ is still an Archon¨¦¡­¡±


    ¡°To be perfectly candid¡­ I¡¯ll have to bring this up to my superiors,¡± Saito commented. ¡°It sounds like circumstances have changed, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I totally understand¡­¡± Kev¨¦rin replied uneasily. ¡°Allow me to apologize for the danger we¡¯ve put your recruits into.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Well, maybe it¡¯ll do them good to see real combat, every now and then. And even if SERRCom does decide to rework our deal, it¡¯ll take a while before that decision comes down the chain, so things will continue as they are for a while yet.¡±


    ¡°And if you need someone to tell Dav¨ªdrius that the NSD won¡¯t help, again, then I or Christean¨¦ can do that,¡± Rebehka offered. ¡°We¡¯re used to his temperamental side.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± Kev¨¦rin grumbled, and then bid Saito and Hackett a farewell wave as he began to leave the room. ¡°Anyways¡­ Rebehka and I have another meeting to attend with the NSD about the Schools of Chaos. If you¡¯ll excuse us.¡±


    ¡°After you,¡± Saito remarked as the two Deans left the room. He then released a sigh and glanced back at Hackett.


    ¡°¡­That was¡­ quite the meeting, huh, sir?¡± she questioned uneasily.


    ¡°¡­It certainly was, Major,¡± the Colonel replied as the two officers finally left the meeting room themselves. ¡°It certainly was¡­¡±

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 6: Outsiders Fate

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 6: Outsiders'' Fate


    ¡°Ugh¡­ what the¡­ what the hell¡­?¡±


    Gradually, Pierce¡¯s eyes fluttered open, accompanied by a pained groan escaping his throat. A dull pounding filled his head, causing him to reflexively reach up and begin massaging his forehead. Damn¡­ feels like I just spent a full night drinking¡­


    ¡°Pierce? You awake?¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­ Liask¡­?¡± Upon hearing a friendly voice, Pierce forced himself to sit up, an action that took surprisingly considerable effort. He squinted in pain, and also in an attempt to shield his eyes from any light ¡ª but as he did, he realized that his surroundings were already dark. And the ground beneath him felt rather¡­ rough. Curious, he reached down to get a better feel of the material he was sitting on. What the¡­ is this¡­ hay?


    ¡°They sure got you good, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut it¡­¡± Pierce muttered, this time responding to Obra¡¯s voice. He then made to continue responding, only to stop himself as he finally got a look at what little was present in his surroundings: a dark room, lit only by tiny slits in the wall that let in small rays of faint streetlight. The room itself seemed comfortably large, practically the size of a decent lounge ¡ª but the ground was entirely covered in a thick, hay-like material, and the room was partitioned into several smaller areas by series of vertical metal bars¡­ not unlike a jail cell.


    And Pierce was entirely trapped in one.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± he exclaimed incredulously, leaping to his feet to grab at the bars in anger. ¡°The hell is this?!¡±


    ¡°The hell do you think this is?¡± Obra retorted. ¡°We were captured.¡±


    Pierce snapped his attention to his left, where he could see Liask and Obra in their own cells, separated by more metal bars. He then turned back to the bars in front of him, a furious scowl on his face. Without another word, he drew back his foot and then slammed it forward, hoping to smash the bars with a Mach-speed kick ¡ª only to painfully stub his toes instead, the bar unharmed.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s a CENT field,¡± Liask commented flatly while Pierce grabbed his foot and fell on his bottom on pain. ¡°We can¡¯t use our abilities in here¡­¡±


    ¡°Should be obvious,¡± Obra commented with a derisive snort. ¡°Even Tresnon has CENT fields on the jails. How else are you gonna jail a Chaotic?¡±


    ¡°Why are we even jailed in the first place?¡± Pierce snapped, ¡°where the hell are we, who captured us? And¡­¡± He stopped to sniff the air, and then grimaced at the smell of human refuse that filled the air. Quickly, he scanned his cell, and the ones adjacent ¡ª only to find no plumbing facilities in sight. ¡°Oh, fucking disgusting!¡± he remarked, ¡°what kind of fucking conditions are these? Even Tresnon has toilets!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s Rokres, for you,¡± Liask lamented.


    ¡°I told you that Rokres don¡¯t like outsiders,¡± Obra pointed out.


    ¡°Is that where we are? Inside the fort?¡± Pierce quickly moved over to one of the tiny slits in the outer wall of his cell, attempting to peer out into the world beyond ¡ª only to see nothing but a blank stone wall across a small street. ¡°¡­Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve never listened to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t pin this on me,¡± Pierce countered as he glared at Obra, who was already glaring back. ¡°You¡¯re the one who exposed us!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one runnin¡¯ the invisibility,¡± Obra snapped back. ¡°That was your friend. And the fact that he ain¡¯t here is real convenient, I gotta say.¡±


    Pierce quickly scanned the jail; sure enough, only himself, Liask, and Obra seemed to be present. Turning back to address Obra, Pierce replied, ¡°if you¡¯re trying to say that Conrad ditched us, or sold us out, then you couldn¡¯t be more wrong. The guy¡¯s way too lazy to have done either of those things.¡±


    ¡°Then why ain¡¯t he here with us, huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, I was knocked out! Maybe he was able to save himself. The last thing I remember before waking up in here was a bright light and a loud sound, Conrad should be able to block both of those things.¡±


    ¡°So he did ditch us, then?¡±


    ¡°Conrad isn¡¯t a flake, asshole. Just because he isn¡¯t in here doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s abandoned us. I bet he¡¯s out there right now, looking for a way to spring us out of here!¡±


    ¡°And exactly how is he gonna do that, huh? Sounds like ¡®effort¡¯ to me, and if there¡¯s one thing I know about your pal, ¡®effort¡¯ is the one thing he doesn¡¯t like. Even you, yourself called him lazy!¡±


    By that point, Pierce and Obra both had stood up to face each other as they argued, but before Pierce could offer a reply, the loud thunk of a lock unlocking echoed through the jail. A second later, a thick door at the far end of the jail swung open, allowing a view of the street outside bathed in nighttime darkness. A tall, broad-shouldered man standing in the doorway prevented Pierce from getting a good look outside, however, and the man soon stepped into the jail and closed the door behind him ¡ª ending the brief glance of the outside world. With a scowl, Pierce shifted his attention to the man himself, who wore a thick gray overcoat and had oily black mid-length curly hair that framed his ebony face and thick black beard. As he steadily approached the three occupied cells, his expression seemed dour and humorless, and his posture had him towering over even Pierce.


    The man stopped just in front of the three occupied cells, his gaze slowly drifting across the three captives. Pierce and Obra both stepped forward to the front of their cells to glare back at him, while Liask remained sitting on the hay-covered floor.


    ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ outsiders, huh,¡± the man eventually commented, his voice a deep, dull growl. ¡°Younger ones, too¡­ y¡¯all Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Obra snapped. ¡°We came here to find Bleeders so we could kick their asses!¡±


    The man glanced toward Obra, his head barely moving. ¡°You sayin¡¯ we got Bleeders ¡®round here?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I dunno. Do you?¡±


    The man stared silently at Obra for several seconds before grunting once. ¡°¡­Y¡¯all know why you¡¯re in here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Pierce snapped. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. We were way outside of your stupid city when you attacked us.¡±


    Another couple seconds of silence followed as the man shifted his stoic gaze to Pierce, accompanied by Liask lightly facepalming.


    ¡°Pierce¡­¡± she muttered.


    ¡°What¡ª? ¡­Oh.¡± Sheepish realization washed over Pierce¡¯s face as he realized his mistake: speaking in front of a Rokresian.


    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t know what dirt-speakin¡¯ language that is, but it sure ain¡¯t Akian,¡± the man stated. ¡°Who the hell are you? Where¡¯d you come from?¡±


    ¡°Ignore that guy, he¡¯s an asshole,¡± Obra insisted. ¡°We¡¯re Tres¨¦dian, though, through an¡¯ through.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Tres¨¦dian¡¯ could mean anythin¡¯,¡± the man countered, his gaze turning to Obra and Liask. ¡°Now where are y¡¯all from, and why were you sneakin¡¯ up on Fort Rokres?¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t¡­ sneaking, we¡ª¡°


    ¡°Explain why you were approachin¡¯ under cover of invisibility, then.¡±


    So they know that much, Pierce mused as he silently watched Obra flounder for an answer. Do they know Conrad was with us, then? Or do they think it was just the three of us¡­?


    ¡°We were just¡­ bein¡¯ careful,¡± Liask spoke up. ¡°You know how dangerous the wastelands are. We just, uh¡­ didn¡¯t wanna draw Bleeder attention.¡±


    ¡°There you go, mentionin¡¯ Bleeders again¡­¡± The man shook his head. ¡°Look. Rokres ain¡¯t the wastelands. We actually have our shit together, here, and that means that the Bleeders¡¯ve been dealt with. We don¡¯t sit and let them fester, or try stupidly to turn them, like I¡¯ve heard the Sentry and Ghost of Light are doin¡¯.¡±


    Sentry? Does he mean Dav¨ªdrius? Pierce mentally questioned, so even the people in Rokres use that title, huh? But what about the ¡®Ghost of Light¡¯, who¡¯s that? Selind? What¡¯s with all these epithets, anyways? Do Tres¨¦dians just really like this shit?


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t try an¡¯ act like the Bleeders are our problem,¡± Obra snapped.


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve been gettin¡¯ stronger, recently,¡± Liask added. ¡°You¡¯ve heard that, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one askin¡¯ the questions, here, outsiders,¡± the man countered. ¡°Now. There anyone else who came here with y¡¯all?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡ª¡° Liask began to say.


    ¡°No!¡± Pierce quickly interjected.


    Liask turned toward Pierce in surprise, while the man merely glanced his way. A brief moment of silence passed before the man looked back to Liask and said, ¡°so there¡¯s someone else, then?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ n-no¡ª I mean, I was about to say, ¡®yes, we¡¯re everyone¡¯!¡± Liask stuttered out.


    ¡°¡­Uh huh,¡± the man responded, deadpan. He then glanced at Pierce again, but still addressed Liask as he asked, ¡°so you can understand this man, here?¡±


    ¡°¡­Um¡­¡± Liask exchanged an uneasy glance with Pierce. ¡°¡­I-I¡­ w-well, I, uh, just learned his language, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± The man questioned to Obra.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°¡­Yeah, same,¡± Obra replied stiffly.


    ¡°You took the time to learn the language of an outsider you called an asshole?¡±


    ¡°¡­Y-¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The man took a slow, deep breath. ¡°¡­Sounds like y¡¯all need some more time before you decide to be cooperative.¡±


    ¡°Oh piss off,¡± Pierce snapped irately; he knew the man couldn¡¯t understand him, but he couldn¡¯t help voicing his welling frustration regardless. ¡°We didn¡¯t even do anything wrong! At the damn least, get us some fucking running water in here, you disgusting bastards!¡±


    ¡°You sure like the sound of your voice, huh, dirt-speaker?¡± the man replied. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll only warn you once: keep that mouth of yours shut. You¡¯re already in way more trouble than your two friends here.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°But y¡¯all ain¡¯t goin¡¯ anywhere anytime soon, either,¡± the man continued, ignoring Pierce as he turned toward Liask and Obra again. ¡°Until you give me some real answers, you¡¯re stayin¡¯ in here to rot like the untrustworthy outsiders you are.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t do that¡ª!¡± Obra started, only to be fixed by the man¡¯s stare.


    ¡°We damn well can,¡± he responded flatly, and then turned around to begin leaving the jail. ¡°Y¡¯all really didn¡¯t know what y¡¯all were gettin¡¯ into, did ya?¡± he shouted over his shoulder as he opened the door, and then stopped for just a moment to glance back at the trio. ¡°Well, you¡¯re about to learn. Welcome to Rokres, outsiders. I hope you rot.¡±


    And with that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Pierce, Liask, and Obra once again alone in the jail.


    <hr>


    *


    The darkness of night swamped the city of Fort Rokres, pierced only by street lighting. A soft breeze rolled through the surrounding grasslands and over the city walls, providing a comfortably cool atmosphere to the citizens wrapping up their day. Stonework pathways, bounded in some spots by loosely-kept grass, wound through sturdy buildings constructed of gray stone and wood, organized into neat rows and separated into discrete districts. The town¡¯s overall architectural style appeared vaguely similar to that of medieval Europe, even featuring a tall, castle-like structure in the center. And, above all else, Fort Rokres felt far less dusty and far more busy than Compound Tresnon ever had.


    However, any further details that distinguished Fort Rokres from Compound Tresnon were completely lost on the lone Earthian who wandered the Fort¡¯s streets, his form hidden and muted from those around him as he warily watched the waning evening crowds from a back alley.


    ¡­At least there don¡¯t seem to be any CENT fields within the city, Conrad mused as he looked down at his hand ¡ª or where it would be if he weren¡¯t currently invisible. ¡­Damn it all. How did I even get involved in all this¡­


    In his tired irritation, Conrad¡¯s mind briefly flashed back to the moment he was separated from Pierce, Liask, and Obra. Right when Obra was exposed and Liask warned the group about CENT fields, Conrad recalled seeing three tiny objects leap into the air around them ¡ª followed immediately by a bright flash of light and a loud sound. The instant that he perceived either, however, he had ¡ª completely by reflex, as far as he could tell ¡ª muted the sound to silence before it reached his ears, and taken advantage of his invisibility to let the light simply pass through his body, effectively blinding himself without actually overloading his vision. Conrad had long suspected that such a thing was possible, as turning himself completely invisible should mean that no light was able to reach his eyes; the fact that it did anyway was something that he chalked up to the oddity of Chaos Energy, and he had often wondered if he could use that knowledge to blind himself at will.


    In the moment of the flashbang, however, Conrad wasn¡¯t sure just how long the light and sound would last, or how much time he had to evade detection. He could feel Liask reeling ¡ª he was riding on her back, after all ¡ª but as she collapsed to the ground, he quickly jumped off of her and backed off before allowing himself to see again. Before him, Pierce, Liask, and Obra were all laid out on the ground, unconscious, and a truck was already on its way over from Fort Rokres¡¯s front gates. Conrad knew that he wasn¡¯t strong enough to drag all three downed Chaotics by himself, and he wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take for them to come to, so he ultimately decided to wait for the truck to approach¡­ and sneak onto its back as the guards loaded in Pierce, Liask, and Obra¡¯s unconscious bodies. Hidden in the back of the truck, Conrad was able to cross the CENT fields without anyone laying eyes on him; by the time the truck entered Fort Rokres itself, he was invisible again.


    From there, the truck had taken Pierce, Liask, and Obra to some kind of jail. Conrad stuck around just long enough to memorize its location and try to figure out how to open the jails himself, but upon learning that the jail was covered in more CENT fields ¡ª and that the guards had driven off with the keys to the cells ¡ª Conrad had resigned himself to simply walking the streets of Rokres, whiling away the time until he could come up with some kind of plan to spring out his friends.


    Should probably find a change of clothes, and somewhere to stay the night, at least¡­ he thought to himself. While he had brought a change of clothes with him, he had ultimately left the articles in the aircraft that the group had used to reach Rokres, which was outside of the city and across an unknown number of CENT fields. Getting there would be far too risky, and not worth it besides; the only clothes Conrad had packed were his typical gray t-shirt and jean shorts, which he now realized would stand out far too much against the green, brown, and white robes that the people of Rokres preferred to wear. If he wanted to blend in without using his invisibility, then he would have to obtain some robes of his own¡­ and with no money on him that Rokres would accept, his only option was to steal a set.


    Which shouldn¡¯t be too hard, given that people can¡¯t even see or hear me, but still¡­ can¡¯t say I¡¯m thrilled about this. At least my hair¡¯s a dark brown. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a single blond person around here, Pierce would¡¯ve stood out like a sore thumb¡­ Conrad carefully looked left and right down the busy street in front of him, and then backed down the dark alley he was in toward a smaller, less busy side street that he had found earlier. This whole situation is fucked, though. Man, I knew I should¡¯ve pushed back harder against Pierce¡­ maybe now that he¡¯s been captured once, he¡¯ll be more careful in the future. ¡­Then again, we were already captured once by EA, weren¡¯t we? And that didn¡¯t change Pierce¡¯s behavior at all. Guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­ Aw, man, I thought going with Phoenix and Kestrel would¡¯ve been too boring, but now I regret not tagging along¡­


    ¡°Chief Kores! There you are! I needa word!¡±


    Startled, Conrad glanced down the side street he had just stopped on. Down the block, he could see a tall, slender man in brown robing and with short black hair jog up to a shorter woman, who herself had a long black ponytail and was wearing green. The man¡¯s back was to Conrad, so he couldn¡¯t see his face, but the woman wore a sternly stoic expression as she turned to address the man who approached her. They then began speaking in normal tones, such that Conrad couldn¡¯t hear from down the block ¡ª by normal means, that is. So that woman is a Chief, huh? Conrad mused as he began following the two individuals down the street at a safe distance. If she¡¯s a leader around here, then maybe she knows something. Time to listen in.


    As he continued to follow the pair, Conrad deftly manipulated the sound waves in the air, allowing himself to eavesdrop on the man and the woman without amplifying their voices enough to be heard by anyone else.


    ¡°¡­urge you to reconsider,¡± came the man¡¯s voice, carrying a firm yet somewhat exasperated tone. ¡°Their deal was very generous.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re outsiders,¡± replied the woman ¡ª or Chief Kores, as the man had called her.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s an outsider ¡®round here,¡± the man countered. ¡°This is a big world we live in. Rokres needs to adapt.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Adapt¡¯, Dodre?¡± Kores scoffed. ¡°If Rokres followed the whims of you and those other sand-lickers, then we¡¯d fall to the level of those dirt-eating Compounds in no time.¡±


    Eesh. Conrad found himself cringing in response to Kores¡¯ sharp tongue. The words she used sounded benign enough, but her tone while using them suggested to Conrad that they were strong slurs against the Tres¨¦dians living in the wastelands.


    ¡°You should watch your tongue, Kores,¡± the man ¡ª Dodre ¡ª snapped. ¡°Insultin¡¯ the people you work with on a regular basis ain¡¯t a good way to stay Chief.¡±


    ¡°I insult you only as much as you insult Rokres¡¯s traditions.¡±


    ¡°The outsiders¡¯ deal aligns perfectly well with our traditions. More than those entitled bastards at the NSD.¡±


    ¡°Explain how givin¡¯ up any of our lands benefits us.¡±


    ¡°The outsiders, these SFC people, they never mentioned the quality of land they¡¯re lookin¡¯ for. So we don¡¯t need to give up the good land. There¡¯s plenty of drylands on the west side of the peninsula that we have no use for!¡±


    SFC? There¡¯s that name, again, Conrad mused. Those are the guys who run security over in Riverana, right? And I remember seeing a couple of them meet with Dav¨ªdrius a month or two ago. What are they doing in Tres¨¦d¡­?


    ¡°Giving up any of our lands is the first step to losin¡¯ all of our lands,¡± Kores declared, bringing Conrad¡¯s attention back to the conversation. ¡°The moment we show outsiders we¡¯re willin¡¯ to make deals like this, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they¡¯ve carved up Rokres and polluted what precious little greenery still exists on this skies-forsaken continent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous argument,¡± Dodre countered. ¡°We¡¯re the ones who decide what deals go through! We won¡¯t reach the worst-case scenario, because we can just say ¡®no¡¯ before we get there!¡±


    ¡°Right. Which is why I¡¯m sayin¡¯ ¡®no¡¯ right now.¡±


    ¡°Listen to yourself. Do you fear the outsiders, Kores? Is that why you won¡¯t deal with them?¡±


    ¡°I should be askin¡¯ you that. Half the deal of the outsiders you petition for so heavily is that they ¡®guard¡¯ our own territory! Do you think Rokres has lost the ability to protect itself?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a question we should be askin¡¯ ourselves! You¡¯ve heard the stories. The Bleeders are gettin¡¯ stronger. They¡¯re back to raidin¡¯ Compounds, like they did twenty years ago. And once all the Compounds are gone, who¡¯s next? Rokres is all that¡¯s left!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggestin¡¯ we fear the Bleeders? Of all outsiders, they¡¯re the most worthless! I will not stoop to the level of suggestin¡¯ Rokres cannot defend itself from Bleeders. Why, just earlier today, the Negation Line around this city stopped some intruders. They went down immediately. What makes you think the Bleeders could get past that?¡±


    Negation Line? Intruders¡­? She must be talking about us. Conrad briefly quickened his pace to close the distance a little between himself and the two arguing Rokresians.


    ¡°Todays intruders were pathetic. They seemed to not know anything about the Negation Line,¡± Dodre responded to Kores¡¯ argument. ¡°What¡¯s most concerning about them is that one of them has light hair. I¡¯ve seen no Tres¨¦dian like that.¡±


    ¡°Olres thinks the light-haired one is from outside Nimalia,¡± Kores commented. ¡°He spoke a language that wasn¡¯t our own. And the two with him seemed to understand him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying they have that translation technology? The tech that Tresnon has?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Olres thinks they¡¯re from Tresnon. You know what this means, right? Not only has Tresnon attempted to invade our territory, but they did so unsuccessfully, through minimal effort of our own. And Tresnon is supposed to be the most advanced of all the Compounds, the one that stands tall against the Bleeders. If even those dirt-eaters can¡¯t pierce Rokres¡¯s defenses, then why think that anyone else can?¡±


    It was a lot easier than you¡¯d think¡­ Conrad mused. Still, they¡¯ve already figured out that Pierce and the others are from Tresnon. That¡¯s not good. Or maybe it is! Maybe they¡¯ll contact Tresnon, and then everything will sort itself out, that way!


    ¡°You must be jokin¡¯,¡± Dodre replied. ¡°I agree it¡¯s likely the intruders were from Tresnon, but you¡¯ve heard about that school they got there. They¡¯ve been sappin¡¯ up all the young Chaotics from across the lands. I bet those intruders were just students, and if so, we shouldn¡¯t use ¡®em to judge the abilities of other outsiders.¡±


    ¡°You think too highly of outsiders. If any of them were as clever or as smart as anyone from Rokres, then they could have reformed the old nation of Tres¨¦d by now. But they haven¡¯t. Rokres is the last bastion of true civilization on this skies-damned continent, Dodre, and I simply will not allow any outsider influence to poison us.¡±


    ¡°¡­So you say, Chief. But the number of people who agree with me is growin¡¯ by the day. Rokres is bein¡¯ held back by people like you, by people who refuse to admit that some outsiders may actually have somethin¡¯ to offer us. And if you don¡¯t realize that soon enough, then you won¡¯t be Chief for long!¡±


    ¡°I believe those words about as much as I believe that any of you sand-lickers have the gall to actually attack me. Rokres stands strong because it stands alone. Those are my last words on this subject. Be on your way, Dodre. I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you today.¡±


    At that, Dodre stopped following Chief Kores, allowing her to continue forward and finally step out onto the main street that the side street was leading up to. From his position behind Dodre, Conrad couldn¡¯t tell what kind of expression the Rokresian was making, but from the conversation he had just overheard, he could guess well enough.


    Sounds like Rokres has its own problems, Conrad mused as he dipped into another back alley that ran parallel to the main street. ¡­I don¡¯t know if knowing that helps me at all, but it¡¯s interesting, I guess. Maybe I could find someone like that Dodre guy, who isn¡¯t AS hostile to outsiders, and convince them to let Pierce and the others go. ¡­Aw, man, but then I¡¯d have to go out and actually find the person, and talk to them, and somehow convince them that I¡¯m an okay person, all while I can¡¯t even speak their language. Great. Just great. A deep, exasperated breath escaped Conrad¡¯s lips. ¡­Well. Can¡¯t really do anything right now. Let¡¯s go get those clothes, and find a place to sleep tonight. Once I¡¯ve done that, it¡¯s time to figure out how the hell I¡¯m going to pull Pierce¡¯s ass out of the fire. He had better thank me, after this¡­

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 7: Extraordinary Normalcy

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 7: Extraordinary Normalcy


    The Next Day


    ¡°Sorry, say that again? You want to what?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ go see a vieh?¡± Danielle uneasily looked at the rest of the Eximius Vir before turning back to Saito. ¡°Or are you asking what a vieh is?¡±


    ¡°No, I know that part. It¡¯s some kind of holographic TV or something,¡± Saito replied, and then took a bite out of the meat-filled pastry that was his breakfast. While chewing, he glanced around at the table before him: Hackett sat to his left, and Mote to his right, while Kate, Danielle, and Mark sat across from them. All four of the Eximius Vir were dressed just as casually as they had been the previous day, and the two officers had exchanged their uniforms for casual outfits as well: a black baseball cap, purple t-shirt, and jeans for Hackett; and a black leather jacket with jeans for Saito. Further contributing to the casual atmosphere was the soft clinking of dinnerware and muffled conversation of a small breakfast diner, allowing the Earthians to eat their first meal of the day in relative peace while overlooking the vast skyline of Telsinoka.


    After idly looking out the window for a second, Saito swallowed his food and returned his attention to Danielle, remarking, ¡°the four of you went to see a vieh yesterday, didn¡¯t you? Why do you want to do it again today?¡±


    ¡°What else is there to do?¡± Mote questioned.


    ¡°What¡ª what else?!¡± Saito responded incredulously, stopping just short of taking another bite of his pastry. He then lowered his hand as he passed Hackett an exasperated glance, who responded with a resigned shrug of her shoulders. The Colonel then turned back to the Eximius Vir, commenting, ¡°you all realize we¡¯re on an alien planet right now, right? The Homeworld of the Nimalian Union ¡ª hell, this city is the capital city of Nimalia¡¯s most technologically advanced nation, and the seat of the Union government! Just think of all there is to see, here! And you want to just go watch a movie, instead?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a ¡®vieh¡¯, not a movie,¡± Kate snarked.


    ¡°Truly the most meaningful of distinctions,¡± Hackett replied dryly.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand your point, sir,¡± Mote said while giving Saito an uncertain look. ¡°We¡¯re just visitors, not tourists.¡±


    ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe you said that with a straight face,¡± Saito responded. ¡°Look, Mote. Our duties on Nimalia are over. We don¡¯t need to go back to Tresnon ¡ª for the time being, at least ¡ª and the Major and I don¡¯t have any meetings to attend, here. We have three whole days to spend in this city before we have to return to Earth.¡±


    ¡°¡­So?¡±


    ¡°So we should take advantage of that! Immerse ourselves in an alien culture while we still have the chance!¡±


    ¡°But we did that yesterday¡­¡± Danielle replied warily.


    Saito stared at Danielle incredulously. ¡°By seeing a single ¡®vieh¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°We were a little aimless, yesterday¡­¡± Mark admitted.


    ¡°You have to be kidding me,¡± the Colonel responded, looking at each of Mote, Kate, Danielle, and Mark before turning to elbow Hackett. ¡°Major, what we have here is an emergency.¡±


    ¡°I can see that, sir,¡± Hackett replied with a smirk, though her eyes seemed to be elsewhere ¡ª distracted by an AR display that only she could see. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking up local events or sights-to-see while you were talking.¡±


    ¡°Really? We¡¯re actually gonna do the whole fucking tourist thing?¡± Kate questioned.


    ¡°We absolutely are,¡± Saito declared. ¡°Damn. Just how little free time do you all get that you can¡¯t even imagine being a tourist?! ¡­Don¡¯t answer that,¡± he quickly amended as everyone at the table gave him a level stare. ¡°Still. Hackett, I think we fucked up somewhere back when we were training and taking care of them.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Hackett drawled.


    ¡°You did perfectly well, taking care of us when we were young,¡± Mote refuted. ¡°We¡¯re only as strong as we are today due to your training.¡±


    ¡°If all you got out of the last twelve years of your life was ¡®training¡¯ then I fucked up even worse than I thought!¡± Saito exclaimed, and then turned towards Hackett again. ¡°Forget emergency, this is a crisis! Major! What did you find?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a few spots we could visit,¡± she replied. ¡°But today, Aldredath 32nd, seems to be special for the Nimalians. For them, it¡¯s the ¡®Memorial of Dependence¡¯ ¡ª the anniversary of the beginning of the first Chaos Energy Quake.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ the one from before we were born?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°The very same. The Quake of ¡®88. Even I barely remember it.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Quake started in July? It¡¯s only December, right now¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on a different planet,¡± Mark explained. ¡°Nimalia¡¯s year is five days shorter than Earth¡¯s, so our calendars don¡¯t align, and yearly events for them happen more frequently than yearly events on Earth.¡±


    ¡°The anniversary of the first Chaos Quake, though¡­¡± Mote muttered. ¡°¡­What¡¯s significant about it?¡±


    ¡°The Quake was a life-changing event for many people,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°On Earth, it mostly manifested as a chain of devastating natural disasters, but everywhere else in the galaxy, it was arguably worse. The galaxy runs on Chaos Energy, after all, so suddenly having to go for a year without ¡ª with no warning ¡ª was a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be why it¡¯s called the Memorial of Dependence,¡± Hackett added. ¡°The Nimalians use today to remember everyone who died during the Quake, as well as think on the fact that our modern galaxy is so heavily dependent on a resource that we barely understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s somber,¡± Mark observed. ¡°I almost feel that enjoying ourselves today in the face of that would be disrespectful¡­¡±


    ¡°Not any more than Americans who open up the grill on Memorial Day.¡±


    ¡°The fact that today is a Nimalian holiday is even more reason to go out, not less,¡± Saito declared. ¡°If they respect their own holiday as much as Hackett¡¯s description suggests, then we¡¯re sure to learn even more about them.¡± The Colonel then swept his gaze across the Eximius Vir again. ¡°Come on, you all need to learn to think like tourists! It¡¯s never disrespectful to want to learn about another culture! In fact, you guys can even take part ¡ª for today only, I bar the four of you from using your Chaotic abilities!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Mote and Kate exclaimed in unison.


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit!¡± Kate immediately added.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a neat idea, actually,¡± Mark commented. ¡°It¡¯s a way for us to partake in the Nimalians¡¯ own holiday.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who can¡¯t turn his powers off.¡±


    ¡°Relax, Kate. You shouldn¡¯t be blowing anything up today, anyways,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Just don¡¯t think about work, and you¡¯re good to go!¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± Kate countered.


    ¡°Too bad, Lieutenant! Today is vacation day! You guys can do whatever you want tomorrow and the day after, but today, we¡¯re going exploring!¡± Saito then stood up, prompting Hackett and Mote beside him to do the same. ¡°Major! Give me, oh, the top four or five things to see in Telsinoka! Everyone else, let¡¯s get going! We have a whole day to burn!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°It really is true¡­ most of Nimalia¡¯s nations are ruled by monarchs.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t quite that simple,¡± Mark refuted, passing Mote a quick glance before looking up at the display in front of them, featuring an annotated map of the world of Nimalia. ¡°Nimaliaka, East Nimaliaka, Rel¨¦diaka, and Riverana all have Archon¨¦s, but their level of power and influence in each nation is drastically different.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mote merely grunted in response as he focused on reading one of the notes on the display in front of him. He was surrounded on all sides by various displays, many featuring maps, models of government buildings, or depictions of old and current rulers of Nimalian nations. Such was the Museum of Nimalian Political History, located in the bottom floors of the Center of Tekdec¨¦ ¡ª the massive skyscraper standing in the center of Telsinoka.


    ¡°Uuuuggggh¡­¡± Kate groaned in abject boredom, her hands in her pockets as she glanced impatiently between Mote and the map display. She then passed Major Hackett an irritated look. ¡°Really? A fucking museum?¡±


    ¡°Reviews say that this museum has a pretty comprehensive catalog of all of Nimalia¡¯s different forms of government and ruling leaders,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°And I, for one, appreciate this diversion,¡± Mote interjected, glancing toward Kate out the side of his eye before returning his attention to the display. ¡°Museums are important and valuable institutions, particularly for learning. I regret not thinking of visiting here, myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Figures that you, the fucking bookworm, would say that,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°The information here is still pretty interesting, I¡¯d say,¡± Mark commented, and then pointed up at the continent-nation of Tekdec¨¦ on the world map. ¡°For example, while Tekdec¨¦ is the only Nimalian nation not ruled by a monarch, it¡¯s still long been the most technologically advanced. I think that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get it,¡± Danielle replied.


    ¡°Something something ¡®democracy good, monarchy bad¡¯,¡± Kate snarked.


    ¡°Unironically, yes,¡± Mote insisted as he passed Kate a disapproving look. ¡°The circumstances of one¡¯s birth is hardly enough of a qualification for¡­ well, anything. It¡¯s your own abilities, your own skills that matter ¡ª not what¡¯s in your blood.¡±


    ¡°My, I¡¯m so surprised to hear that you think that!¡± Saito quipped.


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious, here¡­¡±


    ¡°The fact that you think ¡®democracy¡¯ is the same thing as ¡®meritocracy¡¯ is a pretty fucking serious issue,¡± Kate deadpanned.


    ¡°Ideally, they should be the same,¡± Mote shot back.


    ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re basically saying that Tekdec¨¦ is a democracy, then?¡± Danielle questioned, glancing cluelessly between Mark and Mote. ¡°Like America?¡±


    ¡°There are more forms of democracy than what the United States uses,¡± Saito quickly pointed out. ¡°Hell, technically, the Emperor of Japan is still our head of state, but they can¡¯t actually do anything; the role is entirely ceremonial. The part of our government that matters is elected.¡±


    ¡°That said, Tekdec¨¦¡¯s government does bear some striking similarities to the U.S.¡¯s,¡± Mark commented. ¡°The biggest difference seems to be that their Sidont¨¦ ¡ª the elected head of state, basically their president ¡ª has full control over the military at all times, including the ability to declare wars.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a lot of power¡­¡± Hackett mused.


    ¡°I think the rest of Nimalia knows that. When they created the Nimalian Union nine years ago, they split control of the NSD between the Union Sidont¨¦ and the Li¨¦pen.¡±


    ¡°Li¨¦pen¡­?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Nimalian proper noun for a powerful elected legislature,¡± Mote explained. ¡°Think Congress, or Parliament.¡±


    ¡°And how long has that worked out for them?¡± Kate challenged.


    ¡°The Union has only existed for nine years, it¡¯s too early to say.¡±


    ¡°Tekdec¨¦¡¯s government, however, seems to have existed for over a thousand years¡­¡± Mark commented. ¡°Apparently, shortly after the Nimalians opened their Transpace and discovered FTL travel, there were a series of unification wars and deals that created the continent-nations that we know today ¡ª that¡¯s when the nation of Tekdec¨¦ was formed, and it¡¯s existed ever since. Tekdec¨¦ was effectively founded in Nimalian year 6915¡­ for reference, the current Nimalian year is 8054.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ when was 6915, for us?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Around year 1007,¡± Kate replied idly.


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°Earth is the newest member of the galactic community,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°And before us, the Nimalians were the newest. So you can imagine just how old the Syraus, or the CSA are!¡±


    ¡°Over a thousand years since their unification wars, though¡­ have the nations of Nimalia really not changed at all in that time?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± Mote replied. ¡°East Nimaliaka and Rel¨¦diaka both were part of Nimaliaka after the unification wars¡­ they only got their independence several hundred years later, in 7352 and 7395, respectively.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still quite some time ago¡­¡±


    ¡°And a baffling move, to me. They replaced the government of Nimaliaka with something inferior,¡± Mote declared. ¡°Nimaliaka may have an Archon¨¦, but they have an elected Sidont¨¦, as well, and either one is legally able to depose the other with a super-majority vote of the legislature and the sacrifice of their own position. So there¡¯s recourse for the average Nimaliakian citizen to remove an Archon¨¦ they don¡¯t like. East Nimaliaka and Rel¨¦diaka, however, modeled their governments after Riverana ¡ª a parliamentary monarchy with a powerful Archon¨¦ and a Li¨¦pen. I don¡¯t understand why their citizens would throw away their rights, like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Likely has less to do with ¡®rights¡¯ and more with the fact that Rel¨¦diakian and East Nimaliakian culture is too different from Nimaliaka for them all to be ruled by one federal government,¡± Mark responded. ¡°Just look ¡ª all three nations are the size of continents! I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a Rel¨¦diakian down in L¨¦dia felt that a government based in Nimaliaka Central didn¡¯t represent them. They aren¡¯t even in the same hemisphere!¡±


    ¡°For Rel¨¦diaka, perhaps, but what about East Nimaliaka? If their culture truly was that distinct from Nimaliaka, then surely they¡¯d have picked a different name. I just don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Surprised to hear you, of all people, care so much about fucking democracy,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°You love authority!¡±


    ¡°Just because I understand and appreciate the value of the chain of command in a military doesn¡¯t mean that I want to live under an autocrat,¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°It¡¯s all the same, with SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°That aside¡­¡± Saito muttered, having stepped up to the display himself to take a closer look at the notations around Riverana. ¡°¡­It says here that the Riveranian Archon¨¦ is considered to be the most powerful of all Nimalian Archon¨¦s. But Archon¨¦ Culana is always going on about how little power he has¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a caveat, there,¡± Mark readily explained. ¡°Riverana¡¯s Archon¨¦ has full and final say over the government¡¯s activities, but they don¡¯t actually control the military. In fact, by Riverana¡¯s own constitution, their government can¡¯t have a standing military ¡ª an amendment added after they got rid of a tyrannical Archon¨¦ over a thousand years ago. Instead, Riverana contracts its military activities out to a private military contractor, and that PMC answers entirely to Riverana¡¯s Li¨¦pen. So while in theory, Riverana¡¯s Archon¨¦ has full say over the government, in practice, the elected legislature and the military they contracted can just ignore the Archon¨¦ ¡ª and there isn¡¯t anything the Archon¨¦ can do about it.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like it would cause problems at all,¡± Kate remarked sarcastically.


    ¡°Truly a bizarre decision, to constitutionally outsource their military to a PMC,¡± Mote said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the Nimalians, sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand any of this¡­¡± Danielle muttered, and then gestured toward the beige continent that was Tres¨¦d on the world map. ¡°What about Tres¨¦d? The map here doesn¡¯t really say anything about them¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there actually isn¡¯t much on Tres¨¦d at all, in this museum¡­¡± Mark commented. ¡°What little I could find earlier said that Tres¨¦d used to be a valid continental government after the unification wars, something like a confederation of city-states with a weak federal government. But their lack of resources left them poor, and the vastness of the wastelands made them an attractive hideout for international and interstellar smugglers and criminals. Between the rise of crime and the lack of resources, the federal government of Tres¨¦d collapsed in 7519¡­ over five hundred years ago. And since Tres¨¦d has so little of value to offer, the other Nimalian nations simply didn¡¯t bother to try propping the government up¡­ Many of the Compounds that exist today are remnants of the city-states that used to rule the continent.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re saying the entire fucking continent was a wasteland before the government collapsed?¡± Kate responded incredulously.


    ¡°From what I could piece together, yeah. Nothing in this museum explained when Tres¨¦d became a wasteland, or if it was always like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly hard to find anything on the Relaynet, as well,¡± Hackett added, her eyes zipping back and forth as she read text off her AR display. ¡°As far as I can tell, it seems like Tres¨¦d has always been a wasteland.¡±


    ¡°Weird¡­¡± Danielle replied. ¡°¡­That is weird, right?¡±


    ¡°We are on an alien planet,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Maybe things just work differently on Nimalia. Besides, it isn¡¯t like Earth doesn¡¯t have a continent-sized desert of its own. Just look at Australia!¡±


    ¡°Australia is smaller than Tres¨¦d,¡± Mote countered, ¡°and has much more life. Tres¨¦d, meanwhile, seems to be truly a continent-sized desert wasteland, with little life or water outside of the two lakes. It certainly seems odd, to me.¡±


    ¡°What seems odd to me is how much you all are thinking about that shithole,¡± Kate retorted, turning to look incredulously at each of the other Earthians. ¡°Maybe this shitty museum has really gotten to you guys, huh? Fuckin¡¯ hell.¡±


    ¡°Just because you don¡¯t enjoy it here doesn¡¯t mean that no one can,¡± Mote argued.


    ¡°No, but we have been here for nearly an hour,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°As much as I enjoy the occasional museum visit, myself, I¡¯m starting to get restless, too. We still have more places to visit, after all.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re leaving?! Fucking finally!¡± Kate exclaimed as the Colonel turned and began leading the group away from the display. ¡°I was bored out of my fucking mind in here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d think that the Intellitechnic among us would be most interested in learning new things,¡± Mote challenged.


    ¡°When those things are interesting, sure. Fucking politics isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ignorant. Politics is very¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Alright, now, let¡¯s cool it off,¡± Saito interjected, only to pass Hackett a knowing smirk. ¡°¡­You know, actually, I think I know just the place for the two of you to work out your differences. Major?¡±


    ¡°I know just what you mean, sir,¡± Hackett replied as she took the lead. ¡°Everyone, follow me!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Ha HA! Suck it, fuckwad!¡±


    ¡°That win was entirely luck,¡± Mote retorted with a scowl. ¡°If this was anything like real flight, then that shortcut should¡¯ve worked.¡±


    ¡°Which one of us has spent the most time working on SERRCom equipment? And thus knows the most about spacecraft flight profiles? Hmm??¡± Kate passed Mote a smug grin. ¡°Just suck it up, you fuckin¡¯ lost.¡±


    Mote responded only with an annoyed grunt as he turned back to face the tiny arcade simulator in front of him, featuring a harness and joystick setup not dissimilar from that found in fightercraft and other small space-capable vehicles. All around him were a handful of other such harnesses, all gathered under a colorful orange sign reading ¡°Solar Space Racers¡± ¡ª one of the many games present in Telsinoka¡¯s Prime Union Arcade, considered to be the largest and most advanced arcade on Nimalia. With massive hidden servers, the Prime Union Arcade¡¯s primary selling point was the ability to render lifelike graphical scenes and transmit those graphics to arcade-goers¡¯ AR implants with latency so low that the human mind couldn¡¯t detect it, allowing for far more detailed scenes and games than a typical AR implant could render on its own. The Eximius Vir didn¡¯t have AR implants, so they had to make due with loaner AR glasses from the arcades; Saito and Hackett, on the other hand, were freely able to connect to the arcade¡¯s graphical servers for the full experience.


    ¡°¡­Urgh,¡± Saito grimaced as he pulled away from one of the harnesses next to Mote, taking a second to disconnect his AR implants from the arcade¡¯s servers. ¡°That is some incredible tech, there¡¯s no doubt about that¡­¡± the Colonel commented while eying the harness uneasily, his voice raised to be heard over the general crowd noise of the arcade, ¡°but there¡¯s something supremely disorienting about seeing yourself flying a fightercraft through space at breakneck speeds, and yet feeling your body just sitting comfortably in an unmoving chair¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought it was a lot of fun!¡± Danielle remarked from the harness next to Kate.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think that¡­ but I¡¯m with the Colonel,¡± Hackett responded as she removed herself from the setup as well. ¡°It¡¯s weird, I¡¯ve never had problems with spacecraft movement before, even though all the spacecraft we¡¯ve been on have inertial dampeners¡­¡±


    ¡°SERRCom¡¯s inertial dampeners ¡ª the ones by ship windows, anyways ¡ª don¡¯t actually cancel out all g-forces, by design,¡± Kate readily explained. ¡°We leave behind just enough g-force so you can feel the ship move and not have your brain throw a fucking fit, but not enough to actually make you go splat.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring,¡± Saito deadpanned.


    ¡°It should be. The Nimalians don¡¯t even leave any of the momentum behind, they zero it all out! That shit is fucking sickening.¡±


    ¡°Explains why the seats don¡¯t move at all, then, I guess,¡± Hackett commented while patting the padded seats. As arcade equipment went, the seat didn¡¯t look cheap at all ¡ª it was cushioned all over, and even offered lumbar support. Carefully aligned and calibrated energy shielding completely cleaned each seat after use, allowing them to maintain a pristine state even after a day of heavy use by the public.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°It seems that we¡¯re done here, though¡­¡± Mark said as he stood up from his harness. ¡°Are there any other games that¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Kate interjected, and then elbowed Mote while offering him a challenging smirk. ¡°I¡¯ve only won the one race! To really get the fucking win against this asshole, I need one more victory!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already lost to me once ¡ª don¡¯t get mad when you lose again,¡± Mote replied as he re-gripped the joystick.


    ¡°Hey, I want in, too!¡± Danielle quickly grasped her joystick, ready to join the race. ¡°This stuff is really fun! Flying through space like this¡­ I should turn into fightercraft more often!¡±


    ¡°If a mission ever calls for it,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Hey, what happened to not thinking about work?¡± Kate retorted, passing Saito and Danielle both an annoyed look. ¡°Now, any of you other assholes joining this race?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t refer to your superior officers as ¡®assholes¡¯,¡± Mote admonished.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, fuckin¡¯, whatever. Are you guys in, or what?¡±


    ¡°No thanks. We¡¯ll¡­ watch,¡± Hackett answered wearily.


    ¡°As will I,¡± Mark replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never really been all that good at these games¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw,¡± Danielle responded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark,¡± Mote asserted, ¡°I¡¯ll win this next one for you.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit! I¡¯m about to turn you into a planet-sized smear!¡± Kate declared. ¡°Eat my fusion torch exhaust!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Good luck, both of you¡­¡± Mark commented, watching Mote and Kate with bemused amusement as they started up another race.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Mote! It¡¯ll be fun!¡±


    ¡°Fun for you, and Kate, I¡¯m sure,¡± Mote responded flatly, passing a quick glance toward Kate before turning back to Danielle. ¡°But my answer is the same as yesterday: no, I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Just leave the boring bastard alone, Danielle,¡± Kate insisted as she readily stripped down to her crimson underwear. ¡°We can enjoy the water just fine without him!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Danielle¡¯s attention lingered on Mote for a second, only for him to gesture toward the water¡¯s edge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in the shade,¡± he insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Go enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. If you say so,¡± Danielle replied reluctantly, but then turned around to chase after Kate into the cool waters of Telsinoka¡¯s reservoirs, joining a number of Tekdec¨¦nians enjoying themselves in the water under the warm midday sun.


    Mote watched the two run off before sitting down on the grassy ground and resting his back against one of the trees in Telsinoka¡¯s southwestern Reservoir Park. Large, old-growth trees with vast branch networks offered expansive shade from the sun, as well as enough of a cover from the surrounding skyscrapers that Mote could almost believe that the park was located in a small suburb. The one obvious visual aspect of the city that remained was the massive reservoir of water not too far from where Mote was sitting, and the line of shining metal and glass buildings that could be seen across the water. In shallow waters themselves were what Mote guessed to be hundreds of people enjoying the water; while Telsinoka¡¯s reservoir¡¯s primary purpose was to store and serve water to the city, certain segments of the reservoir had been purposely designed for swimming, with shallower bottoms and protective gratings to prevent hapless swimmers from getting sucked into the deeper end of the reservoir ¡ª where the actual water pipes serving the city were connected.


    ¡°Mm¡­ this is actually pretty good!¡±


    Mote glanced to the side, where he spied Saito, Hackett, and Mark sitting at a nearby park table. On the table were Kate¡¯s discarded clothes and a number of brown bags containing the group¡¯s lunches; Saito was readily digging into his own, which appeared to be a fried meat patty wrapped in a sturdy, crunchy leaf, not too visually dissimilar from lettuce.


    Upon seeing this, Mote grabbed his own bag and opened it up to peer inside. He found the same meal as Saito¡¯s, accompanied by a bottle of water and package of some kind of silver paste in a long tube that was cool to the touch. With a wary frown, Mote grabbed the wrapped meat and stared at it for a second, contemplating whether or not he really wanted to eat it.


    ¡°Go on, Mote. I think you¡¯ll like it!¡±


    Mote glanced toward the table again, only to find that Saito was looking right at him. ¡°¡­Are you sure?¡± he questioned warily.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s good!¡± the Colonel readily replied, and then took another large bite out of the leaf-wrapped meat. After chewing and swallowing, he remarked, ¡°the meat tastes kinda like¡­ hmm, what is it¡­¡±


    ¡°Chicken, sir?¡± Hackett asked with an amused smirk.


    ¡°No. Tastes like beef, actually,¡± Saito responded. ¡°The leaf itself is a little flavorless, but it adds a good, solid texture. And then there¡¯s some kind of sauce in here¡­ eh, I¡¯m not too good at describing flavors, but it¡¯s kind of sweet and spicy.¡±


    ¡°The leaf wrap holds everything together much better than I expected, I must admit,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Almost like a tortilla¡­ but with the texture profile somewhere between lettuce and tomato. Actually, now that I say that¡­¡± Mark passed Mote a glance. ¡°This¡­ ¡®Leaf-Wrap¡¯, as it¡¯s called, is actually a little similar to a taco, or a burrito. I know you like those.¡±


    Mote eyed Mark warily, but then returned his attention to the Leaf-Wrap in his hands. He held it up to his nose and took a quick sniff; a fresh, beef-like smell reached his nostrils ¡ª a safe enough smell, in his book. With nothing else to it, he finally took a bite, chewing slowly to investigate the taste¡­ and after a second, he offered a slight nod of approval. ¡°I have to admit¡­ it isn¡¯t bad,¡± he remarked after swallowing. ¡°It could do with being a little spicier, though.¡±


    ¡°If it were up to you, everything would rank over 20 thousand on the Scoville scale,¡± Saito retorted. ¡°Sometimes, Mote, the best way to spice things up is to not use any spice at all!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Even just a little salt and pepper can¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oi, oi, don¡¯t take me so literally!¡± the Colonel shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°It really is a good thing we decided to take it easy today, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hackett said, glancing between Mote and Mark as she did. ¡°You both really need to rest.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Taking it easy¡¯ would be spending the day inside, reading a good book,¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°Ah, classic Mote,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join Kate and Danielle in the water? I think it could do you some good.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe if I had brought a swimsuit.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh. Figures you¡¯d say that. Oh well, I won¡¯t force you. Still, though¡­¡± The Colonel shifted his attention to the waters, which were filled like a popular beach during summer break. He then remarked, ¡°there sure are a lot of people in the water. Isn¡¯t today supposed to be a weekday, on the Nimalian calendar?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Tekdec¨¦nians like to take a dip during their lunch break,¡± Hackett suggested.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because of the Fall Break,¡± Mark answered. ¡°If regular schools follow the same schedule as the Schools of Chaos, then students won¡¯t have any classes until the beginning of next week.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why all the swimmers looked so damn young¡­¡± Saito muttered.


    ¡°Feeling old, sir?¡± Hackett cheekily prodded.


    ¡°Please. I¡¯m not even 50.¡±


    ¡°You will be next year, though.¡±


    ¡°Oi¡­ don¡¯t remind me.¡±


    Mote blankly watched the two officers banter before shifting his attention back to the reservoir. A few dozen meters back from the waters as he was, he couldn¡¯t quite pick out Kate or Danielle from the crowd. ¡°¡­So everyone in the water is around our age, then? Now I¡¯m concerned¡­¡±


    ¡°Mote? Showing concern for Kate? Damn, hell must have frozen over when we weren¡¯t looking!¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned for Kate, she¡¯s more than capable of handling herself. Danielle, as well. I¡¯m more concerned about anyone who accidentally pisses her off¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax, Mote. Kate may be brash, but she still has more restraint than you seem to think¡ª¡°


    The Colonel¡¯s words were interrupted as a massive burst of water exploded from the side of the swimmable part of the reservoir, followed swiftly by excited shouts from the crowd. As the water settled, Mote turned to give Saito a level stare; the Colonel responded only with a sigh.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sir,¡± Hackett declared as she stood up from the bench, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please¡­¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Well¡­ at least it looks like no one was hurt?¡± Mark commented with a hopeful smile as Hackett left to check on Kate and Danielle.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mote muttered in reply, taking another bite out of his Leaf-Wrap as he attempted to put the situation in the reservoir out of mind and focus on relaxing under the peaceful tree shade.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Aw, look at this one! It¡¯s so cute!!¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmm, you¡¯re right,¡± Mark replied with a smile as he watched Danielle grab a white summer dress off of a nearby rack and hold it up to her body. Silver frills lined the ruffled bottom hem, while silver fishnet covered the upper chest and the right sleeve. After watching Danielle pose with the dress into a mirror, Mark added, ¡°I think it would look good on you, Danielle. It¡¯s a good pick.¡±


    ¡°The asymmetry on the sleeve is certainly an interesting touch¡­¡± Hackett mused, stepping up to the dress rack to take a look at the dresses herself. ¡°Hmm¡­ they come in the right sizes, too. Maybe I should get one.¡±


    ¡°You wear dresses?¡± Kate questioned incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you in one.¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve seen me at my wedding,¡± the Major replied with a wink, and then turned back to the dress rack. ¡°But no, I was thinking about getting one for my wife¡­ she likes fashion and dresses a lot more than I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s certainly plenty of fashion to see here!¡± Saito exclaimed as he swept his gaze across the vast clothing store the group now found themselves in. Stretching from wall to wall, covering as much space as a typical department store on Earth ¡ª not including the additional four floors above ¡ª were all manner of clothing for all manner of occasion and style. Mens¡¯, womens¡¯; childrens¡¯, adults¡¯; casual, formal; summer, winter; the store seemed to have it all, even further subdivided by nation or world of origin.


    The Earthians presently found themselves in the clearance corner. While few of the price tags throughout the store appeared too expensive at first glance, it nonetheless remained that Earthian currency was worth significantly less than those used in the Nimalian Union. And given that the group was working with a budget granted by SERRCom ¡ª an inherently Earthian organization ¡ª their latitude for extraneous spending was slim at best. Even so, Danielle had insisted on checking the store out, and Saito was more than happy to let her browse¡­ much to Kate and Mote¡¯s chagrin.


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t fuckin¡¯ believe we¡¯re wasting time in a damn clothing store,¡± Kate muttered, sitting on a bench off to the side, with Mote just beside her. ¡°This shit¡¯s boring as fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°Agreed¡­¡± Mote added with a bored sigh. ¡°At least Danielle seems to like it. I don¡¯t know how, but she does¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s a freak of nature,¡± Kate snorted. ¡°Why does she even want to buy this shit? Can¡¯t she just fucking shapeshift herself into wearing a new outfit?¡±


    ¡°Just let her have her fun¡­¡±


    ¡°What about my fun, huh?¡±


    ¡°Your idea of ¡®fun¡¯ is setting off a firecracker in the middle of a crowded pool,¡± Mote retorted. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder the Colonel isn¡¯t listening to you. You even ignored his suggestion to not use your powers, today.¡±


    ¡°Bitch please, that was a stupid rule from the start,¡± Kate declared. ¡°Besides, I was perfectly careful with that firecracker! It was a fucking shape charge, okay? And a safe distance from other people, too! There was zero shrapnel risk, zero shockwave risk! No one got hurt¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Kate!!¡±


    Kate and Mote both looked up to see Danielle skip over to them, dress in tow. While still holding it in her hands, she looked down at Kate with a massive grin as she continued, ¡°hey, you should get one of these dresses, too! Then we could match¡ª no, wait! You should get one of the black ones, then we could have a whole theme going!¡±


    ¡°Blegh.¡± Kate made a face. ¡°I¡¯d sooner run around in the nude than wear that girly shit.¡±


    ¡°Truly, the very picture of decorum,¡± Mote commented flatly.


    ¡°Oh shut up, asshole. Actually¡­¡± Kate elbowed Mote as she addressed Danielle, ¡°hey, if you can get this stick-in-the-mud bastard here to wear a dress, then I¡¯ll wear one, too!¡±


    ¡°Not happening,¡± Mote immediately refuted.


    ¡°Welp, there you have it.¡± Kate made a show out of shrugging, just as Mark, Saito, and Hackett approached. ¡°Sorry, Danielle. No dresses.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Danielle pouted. ¡°But¡­ what if it¡¯s just once?¡±


    ¡°What did we miss?¡± Saito questioned, glancing between Danielle and Kate.


    ¡°Danielle¡¯s trying to get us to wear dresses,¡± Kate replied.


    ¡°And naturally, I said ¡®no¡¯,¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even consider it, huh?¡± Mark responded with a resigned smile.


    ¡°Of course not. Why would I? I¡¯m not a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°You hardly need to be a woman to enjoy dresses, or skirts. Hell, the Scotts wear kilts, don¡¯t they? That¡¯s pretty skirt-like,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t knock it ¡®til you try it. It¡¯s actually kind of nice, how liberated your legs feel while wearing a dress.¡±


    A moment of silence came over the group as they all passed the Colonel level stares.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I was in college.¡±


    ¡°You sure are full of surprises, sir,¡± Hackett remarked cheekily.


    ¡°Well, even so¡­ there are still some dress-like clothing articles around here that even Nimalian men wear,¡± Mark commented, slowly sweeping his gaze across the vast store. ¡°Maybe you should try out one of those waist-cloaks, Mote, Kate. Maybe you¡¯d like them.¡±


    ¡°You mean those things that look like someone took a fucking skirt, cut out the front part, and called it a fuckin¡¯ day?¡± Kate snorted.


    ¡°Hey, they look cool!¡± Danielle refuted. ¡°I wear one all the time!¡±


    ¡°As part of your uniform, yeah.¡±


    ¡°But I like it, too¡­¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you get away with that uniform of yours,¡± Mote pointed out as he looked over at Danielle. ¡°Mark, Kate, and I all have the standard uniform ¡ª green jacket, collared white undershirt, gray pants, green chaps. So why does no one complain when you walk around in basically a sports bra?¡±


    ¡°The jacket and the shirt just get in the way when I transform into something¡­¡± Danielle answered.


    ¡°And your pants don¡¯t? You still wear those.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all of your outfits specially tailored?¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°If I recall correctly, the Eximius Vir uniform was actually given to us by the NSD. It¡¯s a modified version of their combat uniform, made to enhance a Chaotic¡¯s combat abilities by¡­ infusing Chaos Energy into the fabric, or something. Right, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the core of it,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Which is why you guys sport green and black, instead of the SERRCom blue. And it¡¯s also true that the Chaos Energy infusion can¡¯t seem to be replicated by Transtechnic shapeshifting.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Danielle fuckin¡¯ destroyed her uniform as soon as she got it,¡± Kate deadpanned, while staring straight at Danielle.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ yep!¡± Danielle laughed sheepishly.


    ¡°You could still make a new uniform that looks like ours,¡± Mote pointed out.


    ¡°Believe me, Mote, I tried getting her to remember,¡± Saito commented with a resigned sigh. ¡°But, in light of the good work she and the Eximius Vir have done for SERRCom, I got permission from the General to, ah, look the other way when it comes to Danielle¡¯s uniform.¡±


    ¡°See! It¡¯s perfectly fine!¡± Danielle declared.


    ¡°What?! I want an outfit exemption, too!¡± Kate exclaimed.


    ¡°Get back to me when you can go a year without getting into any trouble,¡± Saito countered.


    ¡°Tch¡­ ungrateful bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that where the idea for Danielle¡¯s waist cloak came from, then?¡± Mark questioned, turning to glance between Saito and Danielle. ¡°Since our uniforms were already Nimalian in design?¡±


    ¡°It was Hackett¡¯s idea, actually,¡± Saito replied, ¡°but I think you got it right.¡±


    ¡°The Nimalians do seem to like adding flowing parts to their outfits,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°The waist-cloak is a ubiquitous example, but there are others. Nimaliakian style seems to include a lot of shawls, capes, or cloaks, and Tekdec¨¦nian style has a lot of scarves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I think I could get behind, personally,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°Personally, I think all this talk about goddamn fashion is fucking exhausting,¡± Kate said.


    ¡°For someone who shit-talks fashion so much, you certainly have a dedicated style of your own,¡± Hackett remarked while gesturing toward Kate¡¯s red bandanna, covering her blond hair.


    ¡°¡­Meh. It keeps my hair out of my eyes.¡±


    ¡°The hair that, I should note,¡± Hackett replied while glancing at the black hair atop Mote, Mark, and Danielle¡¯s heads, ¡°you dye regularly.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Kate passed Hackett the stink-eye. ¡°You trying to say something?¡±


    ¡°If only you put even half the effort you put into your hair into keeping your clothes clean¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Hair dye nowadays takes an entire thirty fucking minutes once every half year to apply, that¡¯s nothing!¡± Kate shot back. ¡°Like you have any right to talk, you fucking t-shirt and jeans wearing lame-o loser.¡±


    ¡°At least mine are clean,¡± Mote retorted. ¡°If you had gone swimming while wearing that tank top, you would¡¯ve contaminated the entire reservoir!¡±


    ¡°Now now, lovebirds, let¡¯s not argue in public,¡± Saito remarked cheekily, drawing irate glares from both Mote and Kate.


    ¡°We are not¡ª!¡± they both began to respond, but stopped as soon as they realized they were speaking in unison and settled on glaring at each other.


    ¡°¡­Well, we have spent nearly an hour, here,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°I suppose we shouldn¡¯t blame people for being bored if they aren¡¯t interested in clothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Aw, but I still wanna look around some more!¡± Danielle insisted. ¡°We can¡¯t leave until I find the dress I wanna get!¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯d better get to it,¡± Saito declared, prompting Danielle to race back to the clothing racks. He watched her go before turning back to the others and sighing in resignation. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have promised to buy her something¡­¡±


    ¡°So we can blame you for wasting our time, here?¡± Kate questioned.


    ¡°¡ª! ¡­¡± Mote opened his mouth to comment, only to close it without saying anything as he simply eyed Saito.


    ¡°Oof! Mote didn¡¯t even reprimand Kate for that!¡± Saito remarked while placing his hand over his heart and feigning great injury. ¡°Never have I seen a stronger condemnation of my actions!¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯d just like to know when we¡¯re going to leave¡­ sir,¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t worry, Mote, Kate. We won¡¯t spend much longer, here,¡± the Colonel insisted. ¡°Once Danielle¡¯s picked something out, then we can leave. And I think that today¡¯s final stop should interest all of you¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Alright, I gotta admit¡­ that was pretty fucking cool.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it?!¡± Danielle exclaimed excitedly, practically skipping in her steps as she led the group down a long walkway, her previous attire replaced by the white and silver dress Saito had bought her earlier. ¡°The way they were flying around was awesome!¡±


    ¡°The way they incorporated the environment around them was particularly impressive,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Flying so low to the ground that tall trees and the crevices of the mountains became intentional obstacles¡­ it¡¯s creative use of the terrain. I¡¯ve never seen any aircraft fly that low on Earth, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Because Earth is over a fucking century behind the rest of the galaxy, that¡¯s why,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Those aircraft we watched definitely had energy shielding, you could see it when they collided. Still, the turning radius and accelerative power on those things were something else ¡ª especially for not using any Chaos Energy! Damn! Even you have to be impressed by a show like that, huh, Mote?¡±


    ¡°The energy shielding dramatically lowers the stakes,¡± Mote countered. ¡°¡­But I can at least appreciate the skill required of the pilots. The shields may have been a protective cushion, but the fact that we rarely saw any flare-ups shows that the pilots know how to handle their craft well.¡±


    ¡°I wanna see something like that again, some day!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Maybe even on Earth! That¡¯d be so cool!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get there, one day, I¡¯m sure,¡± Saito replied, smiling in satisfaction as he looked at each of the Eximius Vir, taking note of the fact that they all seemed to have enjoyed themselves ¡ª even Mote was smiling. After all, the group had just finished watching a special exhibition race of the Tekdec¨¦nian Aerospace Grand Prix, a sport dedicated to dozens of pilots and their highly customized aircraft racing through and around landmarks on the continent of Tekdec¨¦. Today¡¯s race was a circuit through the equatorial jungle surrounding Tekdec¨¦¡¯s Cedec¨¦ Mountains, located just north of the equator and several hundred kilometers due south of Telsinoka and featuring dense vegetation, towering mountain peaks, and a handful of plants that appeared to be invasive cross-breeds of the local jungle flora and Rel¨¦diaka¡¯s massive sky-scraping trees.


    Normally, the Tekdec¨¦nian Aerospace Grand Prix ¡ª often shortened to just ¡°Air GP¡± by the locals ¡ª was a showcase of all of Nimalia¡¯s latest and greatest aircraft-related technologies, and as such made frequent use of energy shielding, inertial dampeners, and anti-gravity. Such technology allowed for fantastically inhuman feats of flying and maneuverability, but today¡¯s race was different; in accordance with the Memorial of Dependence, none of the racers had used any Chaos Energy. With significantly weaker shielding and no anti-gravity or inertial dampening, the flying looked much more similar to that of Earth¡¯s air-breathing fighter jets ¡ª but the Nimalians were still able to showcase the superiority of their engines and flight technology by performing dozens of breathtaking aerial maneuvers through the landscape, pulling turns that would have sheered any Earthian aircraft in half, and skimming closer to the ground, rocky cliffs, and foliage than any sane pilot without energy shields would ever consider. The end result was a magnificent display, one which the Earthians had gotten to witness through specially recorded cameras and simulation technology that let them see the race through their AR displays as a proper virtual reality experience.


    Three hours had passed in the blink of an eye, and now, as late afternoon light shone upon Telsinoka, the Earthians were in high spirits and prepared to round out their day.


    ¡°It really was quite interesting,¡± Mark commented as the group stepped onto one of the skybridges linking the towers of Tekdec¨¦ together. ¡°I¡¯m not usually one for races, but the Air GP sucked me in more than I expected¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because you Americans poisoned the well with NASCAR,¡± Saito quipped, stopping along the massive window of the skybridge to look out over the city of Telsinoka below. ¡°If you watch any other kind of race, you¡¯ll understand how neat it can really get.¡±


    ¡°And adding a third dimension certainly spices things up,¡± Hackett added as she and the rest of the group stopped next to Saito.


    ¡°It definitely raises the skill requirement,¡± Mote replied. ¡°And the racers were flying with weaker sensors, and no inertial tech. To maintain form as well as they all did, and not crash¡­ I suppose it is rather admirable.¡±


    ¡°Sure, they fucking shot themselves in the foot with that ¡®no Chaos Energy¡¯ rule, but it was still fucking tech that saved their asses at the end of the day,¡± Kate refuted. ¡°No amount of piloting skill is going to stop a plane from sheering in half; that¡¯s all materials science, bitch! And did you see how quickly they could throttle up to full speed after a maneuver?! Damn, I wish SERRCom¡¯s shit was even half as good!¡±


    ¡°That may be so, but it still takes skill to know the limits of your craft, to know how far you can push it without it breaking,¡± Mote pointed out.


    ¡°I just thought it was all really cool! Like, in general!¡± Danielle exclaimed, ¡°I don¡¯t really know about all that technical stuff, I just liked watching them fly! Like that part near the end, when the lead plane was going over the mountain peak toward the checkpoint in the air, only for that black and gold plane to zoom up from beneath and get the checkpoint first and then do a big loop and shoot down along the slopes!¡±


    ¡°It definitely was an impressive use of the terrain,¡± Mark said. ¡°There was a deep, but narrow crevice in the side of the mountain peak. The black and gold one dove down into the crevice to gain speed before sharply pulling up to pass the leader. If you weren¡¯t looking, it was easy to miss.¡±


    ¡°Which is another thing that¡¯s pretty fucking cool ¡ª how they set up the spectator system!¡± Kate remarked. ¡°Combining a bunch of tiny-ass hovering drones over the entire damn race area with high-tech simulators and graphics rendering to let you watch from any fucking angle that you wanted, in real-time! And they¡¯re using this shit as recreational tech!¡±


    ¡°It did seem fairly similar to piloting the Raenaros,¡± Mote commented. ¡°It would certainly be nice for SERRCom to be able to reproduce that.¡±


    ¡°Bitch please, we can do that! It¡¯s just, you know¡­ really fucking expensive.¡±


    ¡°You all sure seem to have enjoyed yourselves,¡± Saito finally spoke up again, drawing the attention of the Eximius Vir. Mote and Kate quickly diverted their gazes, as if embarrassed, while Danielle bounced up and down in excitement.


    ¡°It was really fun!¡± she declared, ¡°and not just the race, either. All of today was! Thanks for taking us out!¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Mark affirmed with a nod. ¡°I have to admit, if it was just me, I probably would have done a little grocery shopping and called it a day. But thanks to you, Colonel, Major, we got to see a little more of Tekdec¨¦.¡±


    ¡°As long as you had fun, that¡¯s good enough for me,¡± Hackett replied with a smile.


    ¡°Thanks especially to your quick research,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re the one who looked up all of our stops today, Major. I have to say, good work on that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter me, sir. I just looked up a list of spots to visit on the Relaynet, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than we had thought to do,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°So it was,¡± Saito said, and then passed a knowing glance toward Mote and Kate. ¡°Now, to get the verdict from our resident contrarians. What did you think of today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡ª!¡± Mote began to reply, only to realize the flaw in his response and stop, settling into a disgruntled scowl.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty fuckin¡¯ bad at showing appreciation, you know,¡± Kate declared as she smirked at Mote.


    ¡°You¡¯ve a ways to go in that regard, as well,¡± Mote shot back, and then turned to face Saito. ¡°¡­I still think today was¡­ frivolous, but I won¡¯t deny that some parts were¡­ interesting.¡±


    The Colonel chuckled in response. ¡°Coming from you, that might as well be a glowing recommendation,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Personally, I still would¡¯ve preferred going to a parts shop or somewhere I can blow shit up,¡± Kate commented, ¡°but if I had to do stupid tourist shit, then I guess today was the least stupid shit of all.¡±


    ¡°Awww!¡± Danielle cooed as she skipped over to Mote and Kate and tightly hugged them, catching them both by surprise. ¡°I knew you guys would come around!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut the fuck up,¡± Kate retorted, though her cheeks were tinged a slight red. She then shoved Danielle off of her and crossed her arms, declaring, ¡°I still hold that boring-ass clothing stop against you, you know.¡±


    ¡°Certainly would¡¯ve preferred to skip that, myself¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°You both said you liked my dress once I put it on, though!¡± Danielle protested.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ sorry, Danielle. Being overly blunt is just too much of who Mote and Kate are,¡± Mark stated with a grin.


    ¡°And even then, they can¡¯t be honest with themselves, sometimes,¡± Saito commented cheekily.


    ¡°What? Why the hell am I being grouped with this bastard?!¡± Kate exclaimed.


    ¡°Yes, I fail to see what similarities we share,¡± Mote asserted.


    ¡°Maybe one day, you¡¯ll see,¡± Mark replied, and then shifted his gaze to look out the skybridge windows. Golden-orange light bathed the shiny, metallic city, heralding the closing of yet another day; as he observed this, Mark couldn¡¯t help but release a deep sigh. ¡°But after today¡­ everything¡¯s going back to normal, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, you still have two more days before we pack up and leave,¡± Saito replied, joining Mark and looking out over the city. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I broke the bank a little today, so you¡¯ll have to make do with more mundane activities tomorrow and the day after. After that, though¡­ yes. It¡¯s back to work.¡±


    ¡°Back to work¡­¡± Mote muttered idly.


    ¡°Yep. Mark, you¡¯ll be returning to Tresnon to keep watching over the recruits with Travis, but the rest of us are headed back to Earth for more of the daily grind. Isn¡¯t it great?¡±


    ¡°Already, huh¡­?¡± Danielle sighed dejectedly. ¡°It feels like we got barely any vacation¡­¡±


    ¡°And what little we did get sucked,¡± Kate declared. ¡°We spent half our time here in a shitty desert wasteland, and even got involved in fighting off a fucking invasion. Sure doesn¡¯t sound like a ¡®vacation¡¯ to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with you, there,¡± Hackett commented as she passed Saito a glance. ¡°It¡¯s ultimately the fate of a spec ops team like ours to be worked to the bone, but still. Colonel, do you think we¡¯ll be getting an actual break anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s the thing,¡± Saito replied with a bitter smile. ¡°In the General¡¯s eyes, I think this was supposed to be our break.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re shitting me,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°Well, we did just spend a day as tourists in a foreign land; it¡¯s hard to argue that that¡¯s not a break. But don¡¯t worry, all. I¡¯ll talk to the General. Still¡­¡± Saito sighed warily. ¡°¡­You can¡¯t deny that things are starting to pick up around here, and I¡¯m not just talking about Nimalia. Our future is likely to get a lot busier before things get any lighter.¡±


    ¡°That sucks¡­¡± Danielle muttered.


    ¡°It may, but at the end of the day, it¡¯s our job to handle the dangerous tasks we¡¯ve been given,¡± Mote declared.


    ¡°But until then, we still have a couple of days to relax,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°Not to mention the rest of today. How about we close things out with dinner?¡±


    ¡°You know just how to speak my language, Mark!¡± Saito responded with a grin. He finally pushed away from the skybridge window and began walking down its length, with the rest of the group following suit. ¡°Never fear, everyone. We¡¯ll get more days like this in future ¡ª of that, I can guarantee. But for now¡­ to dinner!¡±

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 8: Outsiders Discussion

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 8: Outsiders'' Discussion


    ¡°We could try digging our way out.¡±


    ¡°With what? Our hands? On stone?¡±


    ¡°The ground is dirt. Depending on how deep the wall goes, we could dig under it.¡±


    ¡°And how are you gonna hide all the dirt you¡¯re diggin¡¯ up, huh?¡±


    ¡°Dude, there¡¯s fucking straw everywhere. Hiding dirt and a hole would be hella easy.¡±


    ¡°How fast can you dig a hole? Can you do it ¡®fore we starve?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡­¡± Pierce glared across Liask¡¯s cell right at Obra as he replied irately, ¡°alright, you come up with a solution, then!¡±


    ¡°My solution would¡¯ve been ¡®never get caught in the first place¡¯,¡± Obra shot back.


    ¡°And yet, you did. Unless you¡¯re trying to say you got caught on purpose?¡± Pierce challenged.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Liask finally interjected, holding up her hands to look warily at each of Pierce and Obra. ¡°¡­Our situation is bad enough already without the two of y¡¯all arguin¡¯ with each other.¡±


    ¡°What else is there to do?¡± Obra questioned, ¡°we¡¯re all stuck in fucking jail cells, here. They¡¯ve given us water, but no food, yet. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Rokres wants to starve us out, and if so, we don¡¯t got much time to do anythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m over here, proposing solutions,¡± Pierce countered.


    ¡°Come up with a good one an¡¯ I won¡¯t shoot it down,¡± Obra snapped.


    ¡°There has to be a more productive way of doin¡¯ this¡­¡± Liask muttered, and then passed Pierce a glance. ¡°What about your friend? Do you think there¡¯s a chance he¡¯d be able to help?¡±


    ¡°His friend¡¯s useless,¡± Obra declared.


    ¡°Conrad may act like he¡¯s useless, but if you spent time with him, you¡¯d find that he¡¯s surprisingly dependable,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°If there¡¯s a way for him to help, he¡¯ll find it, eventually. The only question is if there really is a way to help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lotta faith in a guy who complained the whole time we were travellin¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°So? Conrad complains all the time. What matters is that, when it comes down to the wire, he pulls through. You just watch, if we don¡¯t get ourselves out of here on our own, it¡¯ll be because Conrad found a way to save our asses.¡±


    ¡°I hope so¡­¡± Liask commented, and then shifted her attention to the jail door as a loud thunk reverberated through the open space. ¡°¡­But let¡¯s stop talkin¡¯ about this for now.¡±


    The trio fell silent, all of their attentions falling on the door just in time for it to open up. On the other side of the door appeared the same broad-shouldered jailer that had spoken to the group the previous day, as well as supplied them with water that evening. After opening the door, the man slowly surveyed the entire jail, before taking a step forward.


    ¡°¡­I knew outsiders always lie,¡± the man muttered. ¡°We found your fourth. Have fun gettin¡¯ your stories straight now, ¡®cause the real questions begin tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What? Seriously?!¡± Pierce reflexively exclaimed, and then turned to glare at the man as he gestured for someone to step into the jail. ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell, Conrad, you had one jo¡ª!¡±


    Halfway through Pierce¡¯s condemnation, a second individual stepped through the door, with their hands and feet manacled together. White robing swathed them head-to-toe, including an over-sized hood that obscured her eyes ¡ª allowing her to pass a slight smirk toward the three captives.


    ¡°Oops. Apologies for getting captured,¡± she commented, deadpan, as the jailer shut the door behind her.


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Pierce immediately leaped to his feet, ¡°you¡¯re not Conrad, you¡¯re¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shade¡­¡± Liask muttered.


    ¡°One of the Bleeders who betrayed Tresnon!¡± Obra growled as the jailer opened up an empty jail cell and guided Shade into it. ¡°What the hell are you doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°So Compound Tresnon really is workin¡¯ with Bleeders now, is that it?¡± the jailer questioned, passing Obra a glance.


    ¡°What?! No!¡±


    ¡°More importantly, she ain¡¯t with us!¡± Liask insisted, watching as the jailer relieved Shade of her manacles before locking the cell door. ¡°She¡¯s a Bleeder!¡±


    ¡°Oh, how cruel, abandoning one of your cherished friends like that,¡± Shade cooed.


    ¡°All you outsiders talk too dirt-damned much,¡± the jailer retorted, first looking at Shade before turning back to the initial trio. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can fool us again. Rokres is on to you outsiders. So I¡¯d suggest you ask your friend here what the hell she was doin¡¯, tryin¡¯ to take the life of Chief Kores ¡ª and do it fast. ¡®Cause it looks like some executions are in order real soon.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be¡ª?!¡± Pierce started, but the jailer had already left the jail and slammed the door shut after him. ¡°The hell is going on?¡± he questioned to no one in particular, and then shifted his frustrated glare to Shade. ¡°And what the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize a fellow citizen of Compound Tresnon?¡± Shade responded innocently.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Obra retorted, ¡°I know damn well that you helped the Bleeders during the Hunger¡¯s Bane attack! Don¡¯t you fucking weasel out of this one!¡±


    ¡°My, you certainly are riled up. Touched a nerve, have I?¡±


    ¡°More importantly, what about Minilas?¡± Liask pressed. ¡°I know the Bleeders took her! And I heard from Dav¨ªdrius that the one who did had to¡¯ve been you, a Visitechnic! So where is she?¡±


    ¡°Minilas¡­?¡± Shade passed Liask a glance; though her eyes were hidden, her mouth was enough to convey her cluelessness ¡ª followed quickly by a grin of recognition. ¡°Oh, you must mean that girl that I captured from the WCU campus? I really must say, for a school so full of Chaotics, you¡¯re woefully lacking in any kind of anti-Chaotic countermeasures.¡±


    ¡°Answer the damn question,¡± Obra growled.


    ¡°My, so impatient. We¡¯re all in jail now, aren¡¯t we? We have all the time in the world!¡±


    ¡°Until that guy comes back to execute us all for somethin¡¯ that you did!¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°and who the hell is Chief Kores?¡±


    ¡°Chief Kores is the leader of all of Rokres¡­¡± Liask answered warily, and then shifted her attention back to Shade. ¡°But what you¡¯re doin¡¯ here can wait, just tell us about Minilas! At least tell us she¡¯s okay!¡±


    ¡°Youth these days¡­¡± Shade hung her head and offered a weary shrug before turning towards Liask again. ¡°But if you insist, I can at least tell you that ¡ª the last I heard, at least ¡ª your friend is doing fine.¡± The Bleeder then broke into an unnerving grin. ¡°And if she continues to behave herself, then I¡¯m sure that Str¨¦n and Feral might just leave her that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡­!¡± Obra snarled, his lip curling in utter disgust, ¡°you backstabbing, dirt-damned bitch!¡±


    ¡°Why did you take her?!¡± Liask demanded, ¡°why? What did Minilas ever do to you?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what she didn¡¯t do that made her easy pickings: fight back,¡± Shade replied. ¡°In this wasteland of yours, the weak get eaten. That is Str¨¦n¡¯s entire philosophy, after all. I¡¯m merely facilitating it.¡±


    ¡°And what does that have to do with Rokres?¡± Pierce questioned. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Shade offered a coy smile in response. ¡°You would like so dearly to know, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Why act all cagey? You¡¯re stuck in here, just like us, now. You can¡¯t use your Chaotic ability to escape. Your plan clearly failed, so why not just tell us what happened?¡±


    The Bleeder continued smiling, but offered no further reply.


    ¡°Fucking Bleeders¡­¡± Obra growled.


    ¡°It sounded like you¡¯re after this Chief Kores person,¡± Pierce continued, still looking at Shade as he attempted to get any kind of response out of her. ¡°Why? Do Bleeders do assassinations, now? After what happened a few days ago, I thought you guys were a lot less subtle than that.¡±


    Shade remained silent.


    ¡°You got anything to say for yourself?¡± Obra prompted impatiently.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± Liask doubtfully glanced between Pierce and Obra. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think talkin¡¯ to her is gonna be helpful, at this point.¡±


    ¡°How else are we gonna figure out what she¡¯s doin¡¯ here?¡± Obra questioned.


    ¡°How cold,¡± Shade replied. ¡°Am I really of no conversational value, aside from what I know?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pierce snapped, and then passed Obra and Liask a glance. ¡°¡­Seems like Liask is right, Obra. I doubt we¡¯re going to get anything else out of her.¡±


    ¡°I could share some wonderful stories about other people I¡¯ve kidnapped,¡± Shade replied.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Obra snapped, and then turned his back on the rest of the jail in a huff. ¡°Fucking¡­ great. And now Rokres thinks we¡¯re with the fucking Bleeders! What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°It is lookin¡¯ pretty bad for us¡­¡± Liask admitted. ¡°Pierce, I hope your friend really can pull through, like you think.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s possible, he¡¯ll find a way. I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Pierce insisted, only to return to sitting down upon the straw-covered dirt as he muttered under his breath, ¡°c¡¯mon, you lazy bastard, don¡¯t let me down¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Alright¡­ what now¡­?¡±


    With his hands in his pockets and his body covered by a recently acquired set of robes and desert cloak, Conrad casually strolled down the main street of Fort Rokres. Having found a set of clothes to steal the previous night, Conrad now perfectly blended in with the locals; all he needed to do to avoid rousing suspicion was to not talk to other people. And with his new ability to blend in came greater latitude in exploring the Fort ¡ª after all, even when he was invisible, he was still physical, meaning that he had to avoid busy areas where he could bump into people. Now that the entire town was open to him, he was busy trying to get a lay of the land, and think up some manner of plan for freeing Pierce, Liask, and Obra.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Conrad found himself sighing in exasperation. Damn it¡­ what the hell do I do, now? I know where Pierce and the others are being kept, but it¡¯s covered in CENT fields. Maybe if I sabotaged the power system, or something¡­? What the hell are you talking about, Conrad, like you even know how to do that. Where do they even generate power, around here?


    He idly began looking around himself, at the surrounding buildings and the city walls beyond. There was no obvious power-generating structure as far as he could see, though as he looked, he was soon overcome by a yawn. The previous night had been rough ¡ª Fort Rokres didn¡¯t have much in the way of hostels or taverns, and even if it did, Conrad didn¡¯t have any local currency on him. As a result, he had been forced to take refuge in an empty stable stall, where he eeked out a starkly uncomfortably night¡¯s sleep.


    Good thing I¡¯ve honed my ability to sleep anywhere, Conrad thought bitterly, but damn if that hay bed wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. At least I was able to sneak into one of the public baths to clean up this morning, but¡­ aw, man, I really just want a warm shower and a nice bed¡­


    As he mentally complained about his conditions, he found himself looking to the sky. Bright midday sun shone down on the streets of Rokres, blocked occasionally by billowing, fluffy white clouds. A soft, cool breeze swept through the city, helping to mitigate the stark sunlight; even the crowded main street wasn¡¯t too dense, such that Conrad easily had enough space to himself to stretch his arms. ¡­Alright, I need to stop complaining, he mentally berated himself, Pierce, Liask, and Obra have it so much worse right now. Come on, Conrad. There¡¯s gotta be SOMETHING you can do. Right¡­?


    Upon drawing a blank for nearly a minute, Conrad released another sigh and began to casually observe his surroundings, hoping to find something to offer a solution ¡ª or even just to distract him. A painful rumbling in his stomach then prompted him to focus on finding something to eat, as he hadn¡¯t eaten at all since before the group had their fateful run-in with Rokres¡¯s security. As soon as he began looking, however, he realized that he didn¡¯t have any money to buy food, nor even a way of communicating with the Rokresians in their own language. With another dejected sigh, he attempted to put his own hunger out of mind and focus on the issue at hand¡­ at least, until a peculiar set of robes caught his eye. A set of beige desert robes, not unlike those of many of the Rokres citizens, albeit with subtle purple and black designs interwoven into the fabric.


    As soon as he noted the clothes, Conrad surreptitiously looked to the person¡¯s face ¡ª finding a short young woman with naturally tan skin, dark fluffy hair, and steely eyes. Is that¡ª? Conrad began to wonder, only to reflexively avert his gaze when the woman made eye-contact with him. He still watched her out the corner of his eye, however, noting that her attention seemed to linger on him for a second before she ducked into a nearby tavern. Was that¡­ Relia? Conrad wondered to himself, that was her name, right? But I thought she was in Tresnon. What¡¯s she doing here? He stopped at the side of the street, uneasily looking both ways over the surrounding crowd before shrugging in resignation. Well, she¡¯s at least a familiar face. That¡¯s as close to an ¡®out¡¯ as I¡¯m going to find wandering these streets. Let¡¯s just hope she remembers me, and doesn¡¯t mind talking¡­


    With that, Conrad casually made his way to the other side of the street before tentatively stepping into the tavern that Relia had disappeared into. A small ding rang through the empty space as the door opened, but none of the patrons sitting at any of the tables paid Conrad any mind. The tavern interior was only dimly lit, besides; the walls had no windows ¡ª a common trait of Rokresian buildings ¡ª and instead featured periodic small vertical slits that let outside light in. A couple of dim lights rounded out the tavern¡¯s lighting, giving the place an oddly dusky feel despite it currently being midday.


    As the entrance door closed behind him, Conrad swept his eyes across the open area, eventually finding Relia sitting at a small table in the back with her back to the door. Trying his best to appear as casual as he could, Conrad slowly walked over to her table. ¡°¡­Uh¡­¡± he started, his voice low as he stepped up next to her, ¡°are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Sit down,¡± Relia stated, nodding toward the seat next to her as she did. ¡°And be careful how loudly you talk.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± Conrad muttered as he carefully sat down in the seat next to Relia. He then glanced her way. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about people hearing me, though, then I can just make it so they, uh¡­ can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re an Audiotechnic, too¡­ that¡¯s good. But still. Be careful; you¡¯ve been foolish enough already.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Conrad nervously laughed. ¡°So you know what happened¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I expected to happen,¡± Relia replied, matter-of-factly.


    ¡°You expected this? What¡­? I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re doing here. Did you follow us?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°What? Why? When? And why didn¡¯t they capture you?¡±


    ¡°I overheard your conversation on Market Street back in Compound Tresnon,¡± Relia explained. ¡°I haven¡¯t talked much with that hotheaded friend of yours, but I knew y¡¯all would get into trouble by comin¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Conrad smiled sheepishly. ¡°Well¡­ you sure aren¡¯t wrong. Why did you¡ª?¡±


    Relia held up her hand in front of Conrad, as if gesturing for him to be quiet, just as a tan-skinned man with dark hair approached the table with two bowls in hand. Wordlessly, he set the steaming bowls down on the table in front of Relia and Conrad before leaving to return to the kitchen.


    Conrad watched the waiter leave before turning to look down at the bowl in front of him, and the thick, golden stew contained within. He then glanced toward Relia as she grabbed the spoon in her own bowl and began eating. ¡°¡­You expected me to follow you, huh?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a choice, did you?¡± Relia replied.


    ¡°¡­Guess not,¡± Conrad admitted as he grabbed his own spoon and readily began eating the stew. ¡°Thanks for the food, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need it. We have a lot to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but you still haven¡¯t explained how you weren¡¯t captured.¡±


    ¡°For one, I didn¡¯t try to sneak into Fort Rokres, of all places,¡± Relia commented, passing Conrad an aside glance before returning to her food. ¡°If you had approached normally, they would¡¯ve just turned you away at the gates, rather than capture you.¡±


    ¡°Good point¡­ still, Pierce was pretty dead-set on making it into the city¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why he¡¯s a fool. And you are, too, for following him into this mess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. So why did they let you in, then?¡±


    ¡°A couple years ago, I helped out a small travelin¡¯ party of Rokresian shepherds. They were bein¡¯ threatened by the Bleeders, and I chased ¡®em off. To thank me, Rokres gave me ¡®visitor¡¯ status, allowing me to enter their cities¡­ as long as I don¡¯t stick around for too long.¡±


    ¡°Cities? There¡¯s more than one?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The nation of Rokres is a federation of city-states throughout the Rokres peninsula. They¡¯re not too unlike the Compounds, really, but Rokres as a whole is much more isolated, and they have a tighter central government.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess¡­ is one of their leaders someone named ¡®Chief Kores¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve been doin¡¯ some lookin¡¯ around of your own. Kores is the head of the entire federation, yeah, and Fort Rokres is effectively the seat of government.¡±


    ¡°A whole nation, huh¡­ for some reason, I thought all of Tres¨¦d was just a bunch of cities and unclaimed land¡­¡±


    ¡°It might as well be. Rokres claims the entire peninsula, but the truth is they can barely enforce their borders beyond a few dozen kilometers outside of each city. Bleeders are more of a problem here than they like to admit.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Though I didn¡¯t actually expect to see one, here¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Conrad glanced toward Relia in alarm. ¡°The Bleeders are here? Since when?!¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t hear?¡± Relia side-eyed him as she took another spoonful of her stew. ¡°This morning, they caught a Bleeder tryin¡¯ to kill Chief Kores. And it wasn¡¯t just any Bleeder¡­ it was Shade, one of the two who my idiot mom and Dav¨ªdrius let into Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ Shade was the one with the robes and everything, right?¡±


    ¡°And invisibility, from what Dav¨ªdrius told me.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ well, they caught her, right? So she shouldn¡¯t be a problem any more.¡±


    ¡°She might not be a problem to Rokres, but she¡¯s definitely a problem to you and your friends. You understand? Since she was caught around the same time as your friends, Rokres thinks your friends are Bleeders, now.¡±


    Conrad stared at Relia in disbelief. ¡°¡­Aw, fuck¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So we¡¯re on the clock,¡± Relia replied.


    ¡°You helped Rokres before, right? Maybe if you tell them this is all just a misunderstanding, then¡ª¡°


    ¡°I tried talkin¡¯ to Olres. He wouldn¡¯t listen. He even threatened to lock me up¡­ remember, I¡¯m still an outsider, to them. This kind of mix-up ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ they¡¯d listen to me on.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ what¡¯s your plan? Didn¡¯t you follow us to help us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re expectin¡¯ me to do all the work, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Conrad trailed off uneasily. ¡°I¡­ ¡­well¡­¡±


    ¡°You Earthians¡­ why do y¡¯all seem to think you can always choose whether or not to get involved with somethin¡¯?¡± Relia passed Conrad a frustrated glance. ¡°Sometimes, when you get sucked into somethin¡¯, you have to deal with it yourself. Especially if it¡¯s a situation you got yourself into.¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t really argue with that, I guess.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t think I¡¯m goin¡¯ to just leave you to deal with this all by yourself. I expect you to pull your weight, of course, but I¡¯m a little to blame, here, too¡­¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡±


    Relia glanced at Conrad again, only to sigh and lean back in her chair. ¡°¡­When I first heard your friend talkin¡¯ about goin¡¯ to Rokres, I figured I¡¯d just let y¡¯all get that far on your own, so you can finally see for yourselves how things are in Tres¨¦d ¡ª without havin¡¯ someone to cushion your fall. After all, if even gettin¡¯ yourselves involved in a Bleeder attack on Compound Tresnon wasn¡¯t enough to knock some sense into y¡¯all, then I¡¯d hoped that spendin¡¯ a couple nights in Rokres¡¯s shitty jail, wonderin¡¯ if you would ever actually be free again, would set you straight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uh, really¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°If that was all that had happened, you would¡¯ve been fine. I would¡¯ve had to burn a bridge or two to get y¡¯all out of jail, but I¡¯m not super attached to Rokres, anyways. But then, Shade showed up.¡±


    ¡°And now Rokres thinks we¡¯re Bleeders¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. And if I had just stopped y¡¯all from even leavin¡¯¡­¡± Relia took a deep breath. ¡°¡­Well, at least you escaped capture. We can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Invisibility, sound muting, and Chaos abilities, huh? I guess we could make that work. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard for me to mute your call-outs, so no one actually hears your attacks.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh. You catch on quick. Quicker than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s pretty simple, really.¡± Conrad then set his spoon down in his now-empty bowl; Relia still had over half of her stew to work through, but Conrad had sped through his to satiate his hunger. With no more food, he briefly surveyed the tavern, finding few other patrons before turning his attention back to Relia. ¡°So¡­ what now? Rokres is probably on high alert now, right? You know, if they think there are Bleeders around. So maybe we should lay low, for a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°You underestimate Rokresian pride,¡± Relia countered. ¡°To them, their defenses worked. They stopped the Bleeders. I have no doubt their leaders think there¡¯s nothing else that needs to be done. I bet they haven¡¯t even increased security around the jail; Rokres is really proud of that anti-Chaotic jail they have.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, at least it¡¯ll be easier to survey the place.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that time. Remember what I said? Rokres caught Shade tryin¡¯ to kill Chief Kores ¡ª the leader of Rokres ¡ª and they think your friends are with Shade.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°And Rokres deals swift and harsh punishments to who they see as hostile outsiders. If we don¡¯t do anythin¡¯, they¡¯ll execute your friends along with Shade by Isdia¡¯s end.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Conrad muttered wearily. Today¡¯s Windia¡­ that means Isdia is in two days. Shit, we only have two days?! ¡°What do we do, then?¡± he questioned, his voice taking on a frantic tone.


    ¡°We work quick,¡± Relia replied. ¡°Escapin¡¯ the city will be the hard part, but once we¡¯ve broken your friends out, they¡¯ll be able to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ really willing to help us break out, though? It sounds like you¡¯re about to put your reputation on the line, all just to save some people you barely know¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said¡­ I didn¡¯t warn y¡¯all of the dangers of comin¡¯ here, even though I could¡¯ve. So part of this is on me. But even if it wasn¡¯t, keepin¡¯ good standing with Rokres ain¡¯t worth three innocent lives ¡ª foolish lives, but innocent all the same. Regardless, we can talk more about this after your friends are free.¡±


    ¡°Right, right, sorry. Okay. So, a break-out plan, hmm¡­¡±


    With that, Conrad and Relia continued quietly plotting in the back of the tavern, attempting to work out some kind of plan to free Pierce, Liask, and Obra from Rokres¡¯s proud grip.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 9: Advancing Relationships

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 9: Advancing Relationships


    ¡°Luke! Hey, Uncle Luke! You in there?¡±


    Austin paused for a moment, listening for any kind of response before knocking on the door in front of him once more. Even after that, though, there remained no reply. ¡°Sheesh¡­ where¡¯d he go?¡± Austin muttered to himself as he idly glanced left and right; he currently stood in the first-floor hallway of the WCU dorms, waiting impatiently outside of Luke¡¯s room.


    With a weary sigh, Austin finally turned away from the door to head back to his own room ¡ª only to stop as Luke¡¯s door creaked open. ¡°Damn, sure took you a while¡ª¡° Austin began to say, only to freeze in surprise as he noted who was peering through the cracked door at him: not Luke, but a short young woman with pale skin and brown bangs with a messy ponytail. ¡°¡­Um¡­¡± Austin stared at her in confusion, and then in recognition. ¡°Wait¡­ you¡¯re one of Luke¡¯s coworkers, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ y-yeah¡­¡± came Kirstin¡¯s awkward reply. ¡°I¡¯m, um, o-on CSF-1¡­¡±


    ¡°Kirstin, right?¡± Austin then looked past Kirstin and into Luke¡¯s room, where he could see an extra laptop open on top of the bed. ¡°¡­What¡¯re you doin¡¯ in my Uncle¡¯s room?¡±


    ¡°I-it, um, i-it¡¯s quieter around here th-than, uh¡­ th-the tavern,¡± Kirstin responded meekly, her gaze diverted from Austin¡¯s. ¡°S-so, um, w-well¡­ L-Luke let me, uh, use his room¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Huh. I take it Luke isn¡¯t here, then?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ it isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Austin replied, warily eying Kirstin as she herself refused to make eye-contact. ¡°Do you know when he¡¯ll be back?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no¡­ s-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Why¡¯re you apologizing?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ s-sor¡ª¡°


    ¡°You know what, forget I asked,¡± Austin quickly interjected, making to turn away from the door. ¡°I¡¯ll just, uh, come back later.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Kirstin mumbled in response, watching Austin take a few steps away. As he stopped in front of the door to his own room, however, Kirstin recalled something Saito had told her a few months ago:


    <blockquote>


    Or maybe you could talk to the new recruits; they¡¯re all your age, I figure you¡¯ll get along fine.


    </blockquote>


    ¡°¡­Um! W-wait!¡± Kirstin called out, opening Luke¡¯s door just enough to squeeze out into the hallway.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin passed her a confused look. ¡°¡­Did you need somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°N-no, but, um¡­¡± The Researcher fidgeted uneasily before stiffly extending her hand in front of her, toward Austin. ¡°H-hi! I-I¡¯m Kirstin!¡±


    Austin continued staring at her in confusion, his gaze switching between her outstretched hand and her face. He then approached her, taking her hand in a handshake ¡ª one of the limpest that he had ever experienced, in fact. ¡°Uh¡­ hi,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m Austin.¡±


    ¡°R-right! I-I, um, knew that.¡±


    ¡°¡­And I already knew your name,¡± Austin responded, withdrawing his hand from Kirstin¡¯s.


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Kirstin¡¯s shoulders slumped, her gaze diverted. ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    Austin watched her uneasily, unsure of what to make of her. ¡°¡­Did you want something from me?¡± he asked again.


    ¡°Uh, w-well, no, I just¡­ um¡­¡± Kirstin fidgeted uneasily. ¡°Th-the¡­ w-weather! It¡¯s, um¡­ hot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah. We are in a desert.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ right¡­ ¡­um¡­ p-pretty dry, too¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Hey, look, I don¡¯t really know what¡¯s goin¡¯ on, but don¡¯t feel like you have to force yourself to make small talk.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Kirstin responded, her shoulders slumping again.


    Austin remained silent for a second, still watching her. She¡¯s¡­ really awkward, huh? he thought to himself, and Luke works with her? Man, I¡¯m not sure how he does it. Is she trying to make friends with me, or something? What do I even do, here¡­? Hmm, it seemed like she had her laptop out, right? Maybe there¡¯s something there. ¡°So¡­ I noticed you had a laptop, out,¡± Austin remarked, drawing Kirstin¡¯s attention as he took charge of the conversation. ¡°Lookin¡¯ at anything interesting? Find anything cool on the Relaynet?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kirstin glanced away. ¡°J-just work¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Well, then¡­¡±


    ¡°R-relaynet is, um, r-really slow out here, a-anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh. Yeah, it really is, isn¡¯t it? I guess that makes sense, since we¡¯re practically in the middle of nowhere, but having slow-as-shit Internet and Relaynet is still a real pain, you know?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin nodded in agreement, the faintest of smiles crossing her face.


    ¡°Personally, I miss Earth¡¯s Internet¡­ Nimalia¡¯s seems really tame, by comparison. Like there isn¡¯t as much stuff on it.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s all, um¡­ AR.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is that really it? That¡¯s the reason I can¡¯t find anything on my laptop? Well that¡¯s a pain¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you can still, uh, see the Relaynet boards, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but those are all just message and image boards, you know? The latency on the Relaynet is too high for anything else.¡±


    ¡°B-because it, um, spans th-the entire galaxy¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know that. Something about the different nodes having to use the Gates and the Transpaces to update each other. It still means that it could take hours or days to get a response from somebody, or to see someone¡¯s response. That¡¯s so slow!¡±


    ¡°T-true¡­ b-but seeing how, um, o-other people in the galaxy interact is, uh¡­ k-kinda fun¡­¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ I never really thought about that. I¡¯ve never tried looking at any of the non-Earthian boards, aside from checking out some of the Nimalian ones when we first got here. The Nimalians are real flowery on those things.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, but¡­ I-I like how, um, n-nice they are¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess they were, now that I think about it¡­ it all seemed so insincere, coming from Earth¡¯s Internet. Hell, even now it kind of does. The Tres¨¦dians aren¡¯t really ¡®nice¡¯ all the time.¡±


    ¡°Th-they¡¯re probably not, um, o-on the Relaynet, either¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! Yeah, true. I guess the Nimalian boards are filled with Nimaliakians and Tekdec¨¦nians or something. Would explain how much they talk about nature and touring and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d run into someone else who liked checking out the Relaynet, though. Most of my friends don¡¯t really care about it. What¡¯s your ID?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Kirstin stared at Austin, wide-eyed. ¡°M-my what?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ ID. Your Relaynet ID,¡± Austin reiterated, a frown overtaking him as he noticed Kirstin¡¯s uneasy response. ¡°Uh¡­ if you don¡¯t want to share, that¡¯s fine, too.¡±


    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s, um, i-it¡¯s fine,¡± Kirstin quickly responded. ¡°I, uh, I-I just h-haven¡¯t, um¡ª m-my ID is, uh¡ª¡°


    ¡°Well, this is a pair I didn¡¯t expect to see!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Luke! There you are!¡± Austin remarked, half-turning to be able to see both Kirstin and Luke, who approached from down the hallway. ¡°Where were you?¡±


    ¡°Just a quick meeting with Selind and Gavon,¡± Luke replied, stopping just short of Austin. He then glanced between his nephew and Kirstin, an amused smirk upon his face. ¡°And what do we have here, eh? You making a new friend, Kirstin?¡±


    ¡°U-um, w-well¡­¡± Kirstin responded uneasily, her gaze diverted as she fidgeted in place.


    ¡°We were talkin¡¯ about the Relaynet just now,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°The Relaynet, huh? Heh. Makes sense,¡± Luke commented. ¡°Should¡¯ve known the two of you would find common ground, there.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin replied sheepishly.


    ¡°Anyways¡­ Austin, you said you were lookin¡¯ for me? What for?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to see if you were free, really,¡± Austin answered. ¡°Thought I might take you up on the ¡®hang-out¡¯ offer.¡±


    Luke grinned, immediately reaching out to ruffle Austin¡¯s hair. ¡°Alright! Finally comin¡¯ around, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± Austin retorted as he batted away Luke¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore! Hell, I¡¯m taller than you are!¡±


    ¡°Only just barely. Anyways, I have plans to spend the afternoon at the range with Gavon, but I have a few hours free, right now. We could grab lunch, it¡¯s about that time.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°And what about you, Kirstin?¡± Luke glanced her way. ¡°You in?¡±


    Kirstin looked uneasily between Luke and Austin. ¡°Um¡­ I¡­ I-I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Austin questioned.


    The Researcher¡¯s gaze lingered on Austin for a second, only to suddenly divert her attention to the ground as she fiddled with her fingers. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ is it¡­ r-really okay?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Kirstin, I wouldn¡¯t be asking you if it wasn¡¯t,¡± Luke replied.


    ¡°¡­O-okay, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! Fantastic!¡± Luke nodded resolutely, smiling as turned to begin leading Austin and Kirstin down the hallway to the dorm exit. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some grub, then!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Aaaah¡­ finally! To be out and about like this, again¡­ it feels so good!¡±


    ¡°That it does,¡± Spike replied, watching with a smile as Sky navigated the narrow rocky trail ahead of them. ¡°Don¡¯t get a lot of opportunities to go hikin¡¯ in Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, it¡¯s all just flat desert over there,¡± Sky replied, ducking around a tree branch before stumbling out onto a slightly wider path. She paused for a moment to make sure that Spike was keeping up with her, at which point she turned back around and began maneuvering up the steep rocky trails. ¡°Here, though¡­ I knew there¡¯d be some proper hiking in Nimaliaka, based on how huge the mountains looked from the city!¡±


    ¡°Hey, we went hikin¡¯ back on Sikalia, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Sure, and that was cool, too, with the big tree and the rock pillars and all. But it was no mountain trail!¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ fair.¡±


    A few moments passed in silence as the couple continued making their way up the mountain trail, surrounded by cliff faces and trees on both sides. The two had been hiking for nearly two hours now, with the sun about halfway through its morning march. Both carried with them backpacks with water and lunch. The pack¡¯s extra weight was practically meaningless to Spike and his supernatural strength, and as he carefully eyed his girlfriend, he noted that she seemed to be faring just as well as he ¡ª if not better. I guess all that physical training back at Tresnon is paying off for the others, Spike thought to himself. Not that Sky ever had trouble hiking before, but I expected her to be having a harder time, with that arm¡­


    His attention fell on Sky¡¯s right arm, which still bore the cast from days prior. The way Sky was moving, it seemed as though she didn¡¯t even remember she had an injury, despite having to rely entirely on her left hand for balance and to clear debris. When the two arrived at the trails earlier that morning, Spike had suggested taking an easier path for the sake of Sky¡¯s safety, but she had insisted that she would be fine ¡ª and that they should take the hard path that brought them as close to the summit as possible. At the time, he had his doubts, but watching Sky move now¡­ Guess she really is fine, huh. Spike mused. This must be thanks to that Nimalia medical tech, or something, right?


    ¡°Ugh¡­ the peak¡¯s still so far away!¡±


    Spike turned to look farther upwards, at where Sky was looking. While the cliff faces that surrounded them were beginning to fall away, the absolute peak of the mountains adjacent to Nimaliaka Central were still quite a ways away.


    Turning back to his girlfriend, Spike replied, ¡°well, yeah. You read the brochures, right? The peaks around here are as tall as Mount Rainier. We¡¯d need multiple days to hike up there.¡± He then looked back to the peak, noting the snow that covered it ¡ª as well as the slopes a fair way down. ¡°¡­Not to mention how cold it¡¯ll be up there.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, I¡¯m a Pyrotechnic, and you¡¯re a Forcetechnic,¡± Sky countered. ¡°If anyone can stand up to the cold, it¡¯s us!¡±


    ¡°I dunno if Forcetechnic durability applies to temperature¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out, right?¡±


    Spike passed Sky an incredulous look, having just now caught up to her. ¡°¡­We ain¡¯t out here for a multi-day hike,¡± he stated. ¡°The plan all along was to go as high as we could by noon, then take one of the splits to hike back to the city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Sky turned eastward. Bits and pieces of the city of Nimaliaka Central could be seen to the east, but most of the valley and the sea beyond was blocked by hills and trees. ¡°I wanted to be able to see the city. The way these trails are going, it seems like we¡¯ll have to be here for more than a day to get that!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll remember that for next time. But until your arm is fully recovered, we¡¯re not stayin¡¯ out here any longer than a day.¡±


    ¡°Aw, spoilsport.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just lookin¡¯ out for your health. The last thing you want is for your arm to break, again.¡±


    ¡°I guess. ¡­But¡­¡±


    Spike glanced at Sky again, noting that a look of awe-filled realization had filled her face. Tentatively, he questioned, ¡°¡­what?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± She met his eyes with a mischievous grin. ¡°We do both have ways to get to the peak, today, without having to worry about my arm!¡±


    ¡°What¡­? Oh, c¡¯mon¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Last one to the top has to give the other a back massage!¡± Sky declared as she dashed forward, reaching a part of the trail sufficiently separated from the tree line. As soon as she did, she leaped into the air ¡ª and then blasted the ground beneath her feet, launching herself skyward, where she began propelling herself through the air towards the mountain peaks with jets of flame.


    ¡°You¡ª! ¡­Well, I can¡¯t lose now,¡± Spike muttered to himself while crouching down ¡ª and then, with his boundless strength, leaped upwards in an incredible arc. In that one leap, he easily cleared a couple hundred meters of terrain before crashing down to the ground again, where he readily launched himself into the air once more in pursuit of Sky up the slopes of the mountain.


    *


    ¡°¡­Oof! Hoo¡­ there we go¡­¡±


    With a few deep breaths, Spike was able to even out his heart rate and stand up straight again. The race up the slopes had turned out to be easier than Spike expected, at first; while he knew that he was capable of massive leaps, he had never really attempted to see just how far he could jump, or how much ground he could cover by doing so repeatedly. His strength indeed served him well there, but what he soon realized was just how much he had underestimated the distance to travel. The peaks west of Nimaliaka Central were over 2700 meters above sea level, after all, and that was just the vertical distance to cover.


    In the end, after nearly an hour of endless jumping and intermittent resting, Spike had indeed finally made it to the highest peak. Now at the top of the mountain, he found himself surrounded by snow and cold air ¡ª yet, Spike felt just fine.


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon! You weren¡¯t supposed to beat me!!¡±


    At the sound of Sky¡¯s shouting, Spike turned around, just in time to see her flying up behind him. With one final blast of flames, she rocketed herself up to cover the last few meters and land on the ground next to Spike ¡ª where she then stumbled, clearly off-balance. ¡°Hey, careful!¡± Spike quickly called out, reflexively reaching out to catch Sky before she fell over.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ oops,¡± she laughed uneasily, ¡°guess that took more out of me than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°You really are reckless¡­¡± Spike muttered as he carefully sat her down on the ground and brushed her off. ¡°You sure you¡¯re fine? Is your arm okay?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry, I just¡­ need to catch my breath.¡± Sky clutched at her chest while taking deep breaths.


    ¡°At least you¡¯re fine now, but remember that we still gotta go down. Bet you didn¡¯t even think about that before you started this race, huh?¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything about that, either. Besides¡­ just look! This view was definitely worth it!¡±


    Spike turned to look east, in the direction that Sky was excitedly gesturing. From their massively elevated positions they could see the towering mountain range than ran to the north and south, the rolling foothills to the east, the sparkling blue waters against which the hills terminated¡­ and the sprawling majesty of Nimaliaka Central amongst them all. Only from this height did the true span of the massive city become apparent; it blanketed the many dozens of foothills that stretched between the mountains and the coast. Far to the south, Spike could see the mountain range curve eastward and eventually meet the coast itself ¡ª and nestled right up to the mountains was the southern part of Nimaliaka Central. It was only to the north, where the foothills running parallel to the mountains disappeared over the horizon, that the city seemed to taper off.


    While Nimaliaka Central had countless skyscrapers to speak of, it stood unique among large Nimalian cities in that only a handful of its towers reached above one kilometer in height. Of those number, only one reached two kilometers, a massive block of shimmering glass, wreathed in the faint telltale signs of open greenery every few floors. Tiny colored dots occasionally shone in the distance, flying through the air between all of the city¡¯s skyscrapers like colored flies, sometimes masked by the billowing white of slowly drifting clouds that had formed over the eastern sea. As if in defiance of the flying cars, speedy trains could be seen rushing along the ground in between buildings and down specialized corridors, transporting countless passengers in a sprawling mass transit network ¡ª and at the end of that network was a massive facility to the south, nestled into a narrow valley between two particularly tall foothills. The facility¡¯s gleaming windows shone brightly in the late morning sunlight; it was too far away for Spike to make out any details aside from its size, but he could still tell enough to know that it was Nimalia¡¯s Gateport, the center of the planet¡¯s Interstellar Transportation. The vast variety of aircraft that landed and took off from the facility, taking interstellar passengers to destinations all across the planet, was enough to tell that.


    As his gaze slowly swept across the view in front of him, taking in the shining city, the surrounding mountains, and the endless blue waters to the east, Spike couldn¡¯t help but smile. Nimaliaka Central wasn¡¯t home, but the city filled with greenery and surrounded by snow-topped mountains felt oddly comforting to behold regardless.


    ¡°¡­Wow. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you smile that big in months!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spike looked down at Sky, who was now standing close by as she looked up at him.


    ¡°Figures you didn¡¯t notice,¡± she replied with a smirk, and turned to look out over the city herself. ¡°¡­You never were much good at watching out for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can handle myself just fine.¡±


    ¡°Physically, sure. But that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. You¡¯ve been kinda cagey ever since SERRCom picked us up, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡­¡± Spike began, but faltered when Sky passed him a concerned look. ¡°¡­Is this about the touching, again?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to talk about that, too, but that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Sky replied. ¡°C¡¯mon, Spike. This whole time we¡¯ve been with SERRCom, I feel like you haven¡¯t complained at all. Definitely not as much as me, or Austin, or even Twy. Certainly not as much as Pierce or Phoenix. You¡¯ve just kinda been¡­ there, rolling with the punches.¡± She paused, a frown on her face as she attempted to sort out the rest of her thoughts; a second later, she turned to face Spike fully as she said, ¡°for a while, I didn¡¯t really think much of it. But then that Bleeder attack happened. I remember what you said before we all went to fight the Bleeders¡­ ¡®If we¡¯re able to help defend the city, then we should help defend the city. It¡¯s only right.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Guess I did say that¡­¡± Spike muttered with a sheepish smile. ¡°But I took it back the next day. We weren¡¯t ready to help out in a fight that big.¡±


    ¡°No, but that¡¯s just the post-adrenaline-rush clarity speaking! In the moment, you wanted to go help. You thought it was your duty to help. At the time, I didn¡¯t really think much, ¡®cause, well¡­ I was all caught up in the moment, too. But I realized something later¡­ you¡¯ve been doing this all along, haven¡¯t you? Putting everyone else ahead of yourself. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t ever complain, or why you were so quick to apologize to Twy when she got mad at us for fighting!¡±


    ¡°Well, Twy was right.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but that¡¯s not the point. Look.¡± Sky grabbed Spike¡¯s hand, clasping it with her left hand as she looked up straight into his eyes. ¡°Just think about it. I¡¯m right, right? This comes down to that whole thing with you refusing to touch me, too! I know you¡¯re holding back, but you think that if you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll hurt me¡­ so you hold back anyways, because you think it¡¯s for the best. Because you¡¯re trying to protect me. That¡¯s the way you¡¯ve always been.¡±


    Spike¡¯s expression clouded; he left his hand limply in Sky¡¯s own, but he diverted his gaze, idly looking out upon the vast city below. ¡°¡­What¡¯re you tryin¡¯ to say, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s alright to live a little, you know? You don¡¯t have to think about everyone else, all the time! Sometimes, if you feel like complaining¡­ just do it! Sometimes, if you want to do something¡­ just, fucking do it!¡±


    ¡°But if I¡ª¡°


    ¡°You won¡¯t hurt me,¡± Sky insisted. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot more comfortable with your own strength, you know? I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve noticed it, but I have. I mean, just now, when I landed on the peak and almost fell over ¡ª you caught me before even thinking twice.¡±


    Spike stared at her, dumbfounded. ¡°¡­Oh. Huh. Guess I did¡­¡±


    ¡°And while I wasn¡¯t conscious for it, I know you carried me and Austin back to the campus after that fight with the Bleeders. Twy told me,¡± Sky continued.


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°See? When it actually matters, when it comes down to your reflexes and doing what you really want in the moment ¡ª when that happens, you¡¯re perfectly fine with touching me! And you haven¡¯t hurt me yet, despite those moments being the ones you¡¯re so afraid of!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ two instances don¡¯t make a trend.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it figures you¡¯d be like that¡­¡± Sky muttered with a scowl, making to pull away from Spike.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Spike quickly replied, softly grasping Sky¡¯s hand before it left his own. She looked down at his hand in surprise, and then back up at him, at which point he continued, ¡°¡­I think I get what you¡¯re sayin¡¯. You took a while to get there, but I think I get it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know I tend to ramble¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what I like about you, how you always say what¡¯s on your mind. You don¡¯t hold anythin¡¯ back. And¡­ I think I needed that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡± Sky promptly straighted up her back and adopted a proud smile. ¡°Well, I do try my best¡ª¡°


    ¡°But this is a two-way street,¡± Spike interjected, staring Sky in the eye with a serious expression on his face. ¡°I appreciate that you want me to care more about myself. And I think you¡¯re right, I could probably stand to do more of that¡­ but half the reason I worry so much about your safety is because of how reckless you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡ª¡­!¡± Sky began to retort, but trailed off after Spike nodded toward her casted right arm. She fidgeted uneasily, suddenly unable to meet Spike¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­Okay¡­ I guess you have a point.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s make a promise. Right here, right now,¡± Spike insisted, releasing Sky¡¯s hand to instead gently push her chin up, so their eyes could meet again. ¡°If you promise to work on that reckless streak of yours¡­ then I promise I¡¯ll get better about lookin¡¯ out for myself. And, um¡­ ¡®doing what I want¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve already made some good progress,¡± Sky remarked, a pleased smile on her face as she leaned into Spike¡¯s hand like a cat seeking pets.


    ¡°Sky¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry. Ahem¡­¡± Sky withdrew from Spike and quickly cleared her throat before looking him in the eye once more. ¡°¡­You drive a hard bargain, but I promise!¡±


    ¡°A hard bargain?¡± Spike echoed incredulously. ¡°Replies like those don¡¯t exactly fill me with confidence¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! Anyways, I promised. Do you?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ of course I do. Now you better stick to your half, got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Sky exclaimed as she dove forward to tightly hug Spike with her one good arm.


    ¡°Oi¡­¡± Spike regarded her with exasperation, only to sigh in resignation and begin lightly stroking her back. ¡°Look¡­ I¡¯m willin¡¯ to acknowledge that I can handle my strength better than I thought, but don¡¯t think we can just go from 0 to 100 immediately.¡±


    Sky eyed him mischievously. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you need a little ¡®warm up¡¯, is that it?¡±


    ¡°That can be taken at least three different ways, and the fact that I honestly can¡¯t tell which one you meant concerns me.¡±


    ¡°What if I meant them all, hmm~?¡±


    ¡°Oi, oi, oi¡­ what am I gonna do with you?¡±


    ¡°Love me to bits?¡±


    ¡°¡­You really are unrelenting.¡±


    ¡°I know! And you love me for it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Spike chuckled to himself, looking down at Sky with a smile before they both turned to look out upon the vast mountaintop view before them. ¡°¡­That I do, Sky. That I do¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Ah¡­ here¡¯s to a nice evening after a relaxing day out!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Luke happily replied, clinging his beer mug against Gavon¡¯s before the two took deep swigs of their drinks. They then set their drinks down on the counter in front of them, their postures relaxed as they enjoyed the chill evening atmosphere of one of Compound Tresnon¡¯s bars.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Tres¨¦dian Ale is every bit as bitter as I remember,¡± Gavon remarked with a grimace.


    ¡°It certainly does seem pretty bitter,¡± Luke responded as he eyed the golden-brown liquid in his mug. ¡°A little on the strong side, too¡­ but then again, why bother drinkin¡¯ beer if you don¡¯t want to get drunk, I always say.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Personally, I¡¯m more of a whiskey person, but there isn¡¯t much of that around here¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess the hardness of life around here also extends to the Tres¨¦dians¡¯ palettes, heh.¡±


    ¡°Suppose so. Most Tres¨¦dian food seems decently flavorful, though.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Luke commented, and then passed Gavon a glance as the officer took another deep swig out of his mug. ¡°¡­Stressed, much?¡±


    ¡°A little, I¡¯ll admit¡­¡± Gavon replied, his voice low. His gaze briefly swept across the rest of the bar, and the handful of Tres¨¦dians enjoying themselves there.


    Upon seeing this, Luke released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­This about the Bleeder attack?¡±


    ¡°In part. I was responsible for the two Bleeders who we let in, after all. For them to be able to run amok, under my watch¡­ I really underestimated them.¡±


    ¡°It seems like everyone did. Selind said that the Defense Force was on alert the day of Hunger¡¯s Bane, after all, and even then, they were caught by surprise. Just goes to show that the Bleeders are a bigger threat than anyone expected.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Tres¨¦dians do at least seem to be taking this seriously¡­ Dav¨ªdrius and Selind both have been leading Defense Force raids on any Bleeder encampments they can find. They haven¡¯t yet found Str¨¦n, Feral, or Shade, though. Or any of their more advanced equipment¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Luke muttered wearily. ¡°I offered to help out on one of the raids, but Selind just told me to stay here and keep watch of the Compound¡­¡±


    ¡°She told me the same,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°As casually as she acts, she does seem to take her job seriously. Still, to be left out like this¡­ I suspect the Dean distrusts me, now. If I were him, I absolutely would.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man!¡± Luke patted Gavon on the back. ¡°Give yourself more credit. You were important to stoppin¡¯ the Bleeders, too. After all, if it had just been me and Selind who found Feral in that armory, then we¡¯d both be dead, right now!¡±


    ¡°I suppose. But it still remains that I¡¯m with the Black Suns, and much of the armor the Bleeders have appears to be Black Suns models. I would be very surprised if the Black Suns themselves were behind the Bleeders, but I can¡¯t deny that the link would look suspicious to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, Black Suns armors are available for commercial purchase, right? Anyone could¡¯ve bought some and handed them over to the Bleeders. I¡¯m sure Dav¨ªdrius and Selind know that.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­ I guess if they truly didn¡¯t trust me, they¡¯d have thrown me out, by now.¡± Gavon chuckled bitterly to himself. ¡°Still. It¡¯s the same situation now as with SERRCom. I want to improve Black Suns relations with the members of the galaxy, I want to show them the good we can do ¡ª but it¡¯s so hard when the Suns¡¯ own policies result in their resources being used against the people of this galaxy. Even if only indirectly.¡±


    Luke wordlessly watched Gavon take another drink from his mug.


    ¡°¡­But, I guess that¡¯s on me for joining a PMC, huh?¡± Gavon continued with a resigned smile. ¡°Ha¡­ this damned galaxy, of ours.¡±


    ¡°You thinkin¡¯ about quitting?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°No. ¡­Not seriously,¡± Gavon responded. ¡°Chaotics ¡ª well, Nimalian and CSA Chaotics, at least ¡ª are mandated by law to be in a military. So for me, it¡¯s either the NSD, or some PMC¡­ and the NSD would never have let me help out in Tres¨¦d. Can¡¯t say I really agree with how the Knights do things, either, and the Keepers are too passive, for my liking. At the end of the day, Sector 1 of the Black Suns is where I belong¡­ I just hope we can rescue the organization from itself.¡±


    ¡°What about smaller PMCs?¡± Luke suggested, ¡°I don¡¯t know many, but maybe the RPF, or the SFC?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Gavon loudly scoffed. ¡°The RPF is a shell of its former self, barely limping along after its over-sized interstellar arm was absorbed by the NSD. Besides, for a group that called themselves the ¡®Riverana Protection Force¡¯ to expand so heavily into interstellar activities¡­ I know most Riveranians had a high opinion of the RPF, but that kind of scope-creep expansion leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And don¡¯t even get me started on the SFC¡­ those third-rate fools survive only on funding from the Riveranian government. They can¡¯t set competent standards for themselves to save their lives.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose they do seem kinda incompetent,¡± Luke responded, thinking back to the SFC¡¯s failure to protect the Chaos Ayas in Riverana.


    ¡°Bunch of war profiteers, too¡­¡± Gavon grumbled. ¡°I won¡¯t say the Black Suns are completely guilt-free of that, but the SFC is just so disgustingly blatant. Just yesterday, I saw two SFC officers approach Dav¨ªdrius about a security contract. They thought he¡¯d jump at the chance after that Bleeder attack, but, ha! Oh, how wrong they were¡­¡±


    Luke eyed Gavon again, watching as the Black Suns officer just stared down into his mug. ¡°¡­Sounds like you have it rough,¡± he eventually commented, unsure of what else to say.


    ¡°Oh, damn, I¡¯m complaining, aren¡¯t I?¡± Gavon offered Luke an apologetic smile. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s kinda¡­ well, sorry if this sounds ignorant, but it¡¯s kind of eye-opening to really hear just how few options Chaotics have for competent employment¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. It¡¯s hard. But with far less than one percent of the galaxy being Chaotics, well¡­ the majority just doesn¡¯t care. It doesn¡¯t affect them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to say that I dislike the Black Suns, though. Or, well, I do dislike parts of the Black Suns¡­ but I like my job just fine. I like Sector 1 just fine¡­¡±


    Unsure of what to say, Luke simply resorted to offering Gavon another reassuring pat on the back. ¡°¡­You¡¯re not the only one with complaints about your job,¡± Luke eventually commented. ¡°Not sure if any of mine would stack up against yours, though. Since I¡¯m not a Chaotic, and, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. All the complaining¡¯s been one-sided, so far. After all, part of the point of drinking with friends is commiserating over miserable jobs, right?¡±


    Luke smiled in amusement. ¡°Heh, fair enough. Still, I don¡¯t actually have that many complaints about my job¡­ the first I can think of is basically the same as your situation. You know, with the new recruits that SERRCom conscripted.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. SERRCom chose to follow in the footsteps of all the other militaries in this galaxy¡­ I¡¯m disappointed, but I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    ¡°Makes it all the harder to argue against the conscription, too, since everyone does it. And now my nephew and his friends are getting thrown into danger because of it.¡±


    ¡°It really is a cruel place, this galaxy of ours¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Luke muttered, and then released a dejected sigh before taking a drink out of his own mug.


    Gavon eyed the Captain for a moment, waiting for Luke to place his mug back on the counter before asking, ¡°if you don¡¯t mind a subject change¡­ one of those recruits is your nephew, right? Austin, I believe. What¡¯s the relation, exactly? He doesn¡¯t seem too much younger than you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the son of my older brother,¡± Luke replied. ¡°There¡¯s a ten year gap between us.¡±


    ¡°Between you and your brother, or you and Austin?¡±


    ¡°Austin. There¡¯s a bigger gap between me and my brother, heh.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re a youngest brother, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Yep¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any siblings, myself¡­ I¡¯ve always wondered what it was like.¡±


    ¡°Not sure I could tell you. I have three older brothers, but the youngest one is still 10 years older than me. I might as well have been an only child, growing up.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess we¡¯re alike, in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re also both marksmen,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°So that makes two things we¡¯re alike in.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re both stuck here in Tres¨¦d, tryin¡¯ to help out some people who see us outsiders¡­ so that makes three things,¡± Gavon added, a slightly drunken slur beginning to take to his words.


    ¡°And we¡¯re both military men, with complaints about how the galaxy treats Chaotics¡­ uh, though I¡¯m not one, myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, that still counts as four. Let¡¯s try for five¡­¡± Gavon side-eyed Luke. ¡°Hmm¡­ you single?¡±


    Luke replied with a sheepish laugh. ¡°Unfortunately, yep. Have been for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°Then that makes for similarity number five.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re single, too, then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Most Chaotics are. Hard to find someone who can really understand you, given the unique positions we find ourselves in¡­¡±


    ¡°What about a relationship with another Chaotic?¡±


    ¡°It can work, but¡­ ¡®s hard,¡± Gavon grumbled. ¡°There aren¡¯t too many Chaotics, after all. Only one in every 40 thousand Nimalians is a Chaotic, after all. Less than that for the Citans, Siions, and Syraus. Sure, being in the Black Suns means I still meet and work with plenty of Chaotics, but the pool is still¡­ limited.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you saying that you¡¯re fine with a non-Nimalian partner?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t really want kids.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. And neither do I, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, six things!¡± Gavon remarked, clinking his now-empty beer mug against Luke¡¯s. ¡°We¡¯re more alike than I thought!¡±


    ¡°Does seem that way,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Gotta say¡­ I never really expected to be getting along with a Black Suns officer. Hell, we only just met a month and a half ago, or so¡­¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, you meet someone, and things just kinda click,¡± Gavon said. ¡°It¡¯s rare, but it happens. All that¡¯s left then, is to take what you have and try to run with it, see if it flies.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah, suppose so¡­¡± Luke responded with a slight nod. He passed Gavon a quick glance before going to take another drink ¡ª and then perform a double-take, his eyes wide. ¡°Wait, hold on¡­ are you¡­ flirting with me?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, finally noticed, eh?¡± Gavon remarked with a smirk, only to frown a second later. ¡°Or maybe I was just bein¡¯ too subtle¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ w-with me, though? You, and me? I, uh¡­ I dunno¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured. I just saw a shot, and I took it, like any good marksman. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Well, hold on, I¡¯m¡­¡± Luke trailed off, his gaze diverting to the remaining golden brown liquid in his mug. A second later, he found himself chuckling sheepishly. ¡°¡­Sorry. I¡¯m just not used to being propositioned, heh.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Does that mean you¡¯re interested?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes and no. I mean, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interested, it¡¯s just¡­ well, to put it plainly, we¡¯re officers in two different, non-allied militaries, you know? Militaries that have recently clashed, at that¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember, officially, the Suns you faced on Sunova were a rogue element,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°¡­But even so, I can see where you¡¯re coming from.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Luke nodded. ¡°With how things are between SERRCom and the Black Suns, at the moment, I¡¯m¡­ I wonder if a relationship is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Fair. If it helps, several of my colleagues are involved in cross-military relationships.¡±


    ¡°Really? Isn¡¯t that a security concern¡­?¡±


    ¡°No more so than when a couple works for two different, competing companies, I¡¯d say. Remember that, small clashes aside, most of the militaries in our galaxy are allied. We don¡¯t fight each other. We mostly fight Drakkars, Riaxen, or criminal outfits.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re at least entertaining the thought. I was afraid you¡¯d shoot me down right out of the gate.¡±


    ¡°You do seem like a pretty nice, straight-forward guy, I¡¯ll say that, but¡­¡± Luke pursed his lips, mulling over his thoughts for several seconds before looking toward Gavon again. ¡°¡­I would like to get to know you better, Gavon. But, for a relationship¡­ I need to think about that one.¡±


    ¡°Perfectly understandable. You¡¯ve raised a fair concern, after all,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°And regardless of whichever way you decide, I hope that we can keep developing this friendship ¡ª both between us, and between our respective organizations.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ same. Not every day I get to go shooting with someone of my skill level, heh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly one thing I like about you. But, having said all of that¡­¡± Gavon stood up from his seat and passed Luke a nod. ¡°I think I need some fresh air after that drink, so I¡¯m off for a walk. I¡¯ll talk to you later, Luke.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ see ya later, Gavon,¡± Luke responded, watching the Nimalian leave the bar before he turned back to his own drink, preoccupied by his thoughts on his conversation with Gavon.


    <hr>


    *


    An unnerving nighttime quiet ¡ª punctuated only by loud snoring ¡ª permeated the air within the Fort Rokres jail house. Utter darkness accompanied the sounds, allowing Pierce to just barely imagine that he was at home, or in his bed at WCU¡­ if not for the physically irritating straw that he laid upon, and the foul stench of urea and feces that hung in the air. Pierce had taken to clogging his nose with part of his shirt in an effort to avoid the smell, and while it had worked the previous night, now Pierce found himself suffering from a dry mouth and hunger pangs.


    Attempting to put his misery out of mind, Pierce rolled over and tried his best to fall asleep ¡ª until Liask loudly snored once more, echoed by Obra¡¯s own. ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Pierce muttered, sitting up in frustration to glare over at the two sleeping Tres¨¦dians. ¡°How the hell are you guys¡ª?¡± he began to question, only for his attention to drift; the jail house had no artificial lighting indoors, but despite that, Pierce could see a flashing light coming from one of the other cells.


    From Shade¡¯s cell.


    ¡°The fuck are you doing?¡± Pierce hissed, turning to try and get a better look at Shade. While the light was faint, it was enough for him to see that the Bleeder was hunched over near the imprisoning jail cell bars, with her left hand held open toward one of the bars. In fact, on a closer look, it appeared that the light he was seeing was actually a small blowtorch, firing out of her palm to cut into the metal bars of the jail. ¡°The hell?! You have a fucking blowtorch in your hand?!¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Shade replied, just as she finished cutting through one of the bars ¡ª it began to fall, but she quickly caught it and gently set it down next to her. ¡°¡­So you were awake,¡± she then commented as she moved her hand to another bar and began cutting through it with her palm blowtorch. ¡°I¡¯m impressed, outsider. I legitimately thought you were asleep.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ Liask! Obra!¡± Pierce shouted, kicking at the bars imprisoning him in an attempt to create some noise. ¡°Guys! Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath,¡± Shade replied, still casually cutting into the jail bars as Liask and Obra continued snoring away. ¡°I hear that Tres¨¦dians tend to sleep heavily. Especially the ones that snore.¡±


    ¡°Are you even Tres¨¦dian, yourself?¡± Pierce countered, watching as Shade removed yet another bar and moved to cut through one more. ¡°Your vocabulary seems a lot better than most Tres¨¦dians I¡¯ve met, and more importantly than that, you have a damn blowtorch in your hand¡­ that means it¡¯s a prosthetic, right? Since when could the Bleeders afford that?¡±


    Shade chuckled to herself. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know? But I must say, that line of thinking is certainly very useful to us. As is your presence, here!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Pierce responded incredulously.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± She finished cutting through another bar, gently setting it on the ground with the rest before deftly maneuvering her lithe frame through the new opening she had created. Now free of her cell, she turned to look at Pierce once more; in the darkness, he couldn¡¯t see her face, but he could swear that she was grinning. ¡°The plan all along was to kill Chief Kores, but once I heard that you outsiders were here¡­ well, let¡¯s just say that the opportunity to pin the death of Rokres¡¯s leader on Compound Tresnon and the Earthians is an opportunity that I can¡¯t ignore!¡±


    ¡°What¡­? Wait!¡± Pierce shouted as Shade moved over to the jail house door to begin fiddling with the lock. ¡°Your plan won¡¯t work!¡± he insisted, ¡°seriously! You just told us the entire plot! We can warn Rokres, you know!¡±


    ¡°And you expect them to believe you? Ha ha ha!¡± Shade laughed to herself as she successfully picked the lock and swung the door open. ¡°They can try to stop me, but they won¡¯t succeed. The important part is who they think did the deed, and on that, they¡¯ll never believe it was Bleeders. After all¡­ Bleeders can¡¯t afford high-tech prosthetics!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡±


    ¡°I must say, nameless Earthian¡­ for your role in furthering Str¨¦n¡¯s plans, you have our utmost gratitude!¡±


    ¡°What?! No! Hey! HEY!!¡± Pierce shouted after her, but just as soon as she had finished her sentence, she had disappeared through the door, slamming it shut behind her. ¡°Fucking¡­!¡± he muttered to himself, left alone in his jail to glare after Shade¡­ and contemplate just what the next day would bring.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 10: Outsiders Freedom

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 10: Outsiders'' Freedom


    The Next Day


    Cloudy skies obscured the mid-morning sun, bathing the entirety of Fort Rokres in dreary shade. A cool breeze swept through the streets as the Rokresian people went about their business, swathed in their colorful robes to protect themselves from the wind and the sun that would inevitably break through the morning cloud cover. To most, it was a day like any other; few had any reason to believe that anything was amiss, allowing Conrad and Relia to part ways with the main street and duck into a side alley without arousing suspicion.


    Once free from the crowd, a yawn overtook Conrad, which he readily leaned into while stretching. He then passed Relia a groggy glance. ¡°We really need to be this early, huh?¡± he questioned, while taking care to mute his voice beyond a meter away.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t early,¡± Relia responded as she led the duo down the alley. ¡°If you think this is early, then you really are an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Man, where are all the peoples who actually like to wake up late? There¡¯s gotta be at least some culture like that in this galaxy¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Your friends¡¯ lives on are the line, here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Sorry.¡± Conrad lightly slapped his cheeks in an effort to energize himself before extending a hand toward Relia. ¡°Well¡­ we should probably start being invisible now, right?¡±


    Relia looked down at his hand, and then back to his eyes, her expression doubtful.


    ¡°What? C¡¯mon.¡± Conrad nodded toward his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t make you invisible if I¡¯m not touching you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Chaostechnic. It shouldn¡¯t be possible for you to turn me invisible.¡±


    Wordlessly, Conrad reached over to place his hand on Relia¡¯s shoulder ¡ª at which point, they both turned invisible.


    ¡°¡­But how?¡± Relia questioned incredulously, ¡°Chaostechnics should be¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Immune to Direct Manipulation or something like that, right? Look, I dunno,¡± Conrad replied with a shrug, though the movement was lost in his invisibility. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some ¡®Key¡¯ thing. But it works out for us.¡±


    ¡°True. We should get movin¡¯, anyways. The jailkeeper will be passin¡¯ by the Chaotic jail soon.¡±


    ¡°He always does his rounds in the morning, then?¡± Conrad asked as Relia led the now-invisible duo out onto a side street.


    ¡°From what I know, yes,¡± Relia replied. ¡°Rokres treats its captives like shit. Their jailkeeper drops off water in the mornin¡¯, and then leaves them alone for the rest of the day. So once Olres is through here, we¡¯ll have all day to free your friends¡­ assumin¡¯ things go well for us.¡±


    ¡°Olres?¡±


    ¡°The name of the jailkeeper. In fact, that¡¯s him right over there.¡±


    Conrad couldn¡¯t see where Relia was looking or gesturing ¡ª they were invisible, after all ¡ª but the low traffic on the side street allowed him to quickly survey the few individuals who were present. Of them, a particular pair of men stood out to Conrad. They walked a couple dozen meters ahead of Conrad and Relia; one of the men had a massive stature, with a tall height, broad shoulders, and oily black mid-length hair, accompanied by a thick gray overcoat. The other man walking beside him was much more slender, with brown robes that Conrad recognized.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve seen that guy, before,¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Who, Olres?¡±


    ¡°No. Assuming Olres is the big guy, I¡¯m talking about the one walking next to him. I think his name was Dodre.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Relia went silent for a second. ¡°¡­That is Dodre. What¡¯s he doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Is he not supposed to be here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Kon¨¦ ¡ª the leader of one of the city-states of Rokres. All of the Kon¨¦s answer to Chief Kores, but the last I heard, he and the Chief didn¡¯t see eye-to-eye on¡­ well, anything.¡±


    ¡°That lines up with what I heard two days ago¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Explain.¡±


    ¡°While lookin¡¯ for a place to get some local clothes and sleep, I ran into Dodre and Kores. They argued with each other over how Rokres treats outsiders before Kores left.¡±


    ¡°And Dodre is still here? What¡¯s goin¡¯ on¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s find out,¡± Conrad remarked. As he and Relia followed behind Dodre and Olres, Conrad deftly manipulated the sound waves in the air to allow him and Relia to eavesdrop on the two Rokresians¡¯ conversation ¡ª just as he had done two days prior.


    ¡°¡­going to be fine,¡± came the slender man¡¯s ¡ª Dodre¡¯s ¡ª firm voice. ¡°I just want to talk to them, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You want to talk to the outsiders? Hmph,¡± replied Olres, with a deep, gravelly tone. ¡°This is why no one here likes you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what the people of Fort Rokres think of me. The rest of Rokres is startin¡¯ to come to their senses, and that¡¯s good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Senses? You want to talk to some fuckin¡¯ Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°I still have my doubts that they¡¯re all Bleeders. After all, you said that the Wanderer tried to vouch for them.¡±


    ¡°The Wanderer¡¯s an outsider. She¡¯s as untrustworthy as all the rest; her words don¡¯t mean shit. For all we know, she could be a Bleeder, now.¡±


    ¡°How unreasonable¡­¡± Dodre muttered while shaking his head. ¡°Regardless of their identities, I still want to hear of the events in the rest of Tres¨¦d. Rokres is woefully under-informed in that regard, due to Fort Rokres¡¯s hostility toward outsiders¡­¡±


    ¡°Well Olres sounds pretty unreasonable¡­¡± Conrad commented.


    ¡°The stubborn bastard¡¯s always been that way,¡± Relia replied.


    ¡°Sounds like they might not have heard that Tresnon was attacked, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Too bad tellin¡¯ them about that now will just seem like an excuse.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Conrad responded, turning his attention back to eavesdropping.


    ¡°The only good outsider is one who¡¯s outside our walls,¡± Olres declared, in response to Dodre¡¯s statement. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Kores ain¡¯t thrown you in jail yet.¡±


    ¡°Boneheaded as she is, she at least knows not to overstep her bounds,¡± Dodre retorted. ¡°Wrongfully detaining a Kon¨¦ like me would be the death of Rokres as we know it. Even more so, if she tried to do so during a Kon¨¦ Summit.¡±


    ¡°She should jail you and all the other Kon¨¦s who agree with you, I say. Better to nip the problem in the bud¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you aren¡¯t a Kon¨¦ yourself. You¡¯d bring us ruin sooner than those outsiders you despise so much.¡±


    ¡°You tryin¡¯ to say I¡¯m worse than outsiders? You better watch yourself. I only got so much patience.¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± Dodre drawled as the two finally approached the jail. ¡°Now let¡¯s get this talk over with so we don¡¯t have to spend any more time together. I have to prepare for today¡¯s summit, anyways.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s a Kon¨¦ Summit, today¡­¡± Relia muttered as she watched Olres fiddle with some keys in his pocket. ¡°That explains why Dodre¡¯s here¡­ what terrible timin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Rokres often likes to make examples out of outsiders whenever there¡¯s a Kon¨¦ Summit. If that meetin¡¯ is today, then we have less time than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ well, that Dodre guy seems kinda reasonable. Why don¡¯t we try talking to him?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t Dodre we need to convince, it¡¯s Olres,¡± Relia replied. ¡°And there¡¯s no way Olres will listen to us. You heard him, earlier.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Conrad frowned, but continued to watch from afar as Olres moved over to the jail door to insert his key. However, the jailkeeper paused for a second before withdrawing his keys and stepping back.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± Dodre asked.


    ¡°¡­Door¡¯s already unlocked,¡± Olres replied. ¡°You got your gun?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Kon¨¦ promptly produced a small pistol from under his robes. ¡°¡­Has someone broken in?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. But watch yourself¡­¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t you, was it?¡± Relia questioned to Conrad.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I was about to ask if it was you,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t us who broke in, or out, then¡­¡±


    A brief moment of uneasy silence passed between the two as they watched Olres and Dodre carefully approach the jail door. ¡°¡­Damn it, we can¡¯t risk it,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°Olres is too trigger happy. Do you have a weapon?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no¡ª well, actually, yes,¡± Conrad replied as he summoned his glaive into his free hand. ¡°Some kind of polearm¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I hope you know how to use it. We¡¯re goin¡¯ in.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Chaos Teleport!¡±


    Before Conrad could react, his position suddenly changed from a few dozen meters away to standing directly behind Olres. Startled, he was barely able to act before Relia drew away from him, coming visible as she raised a small pistol into the air and slammed the butt of it down on Dodre¡¯s head. The Rokresian crumpled to the ground, prompting Olres to begin turning around to address the noise; quickly, Conrad moved his glaive around to bring the butt of the weapon down on Olres, just as Relia had done to Dodre. But in his haste ¡ª as well as his clumsiness with a weapon he hadn¡¯t trained with ¡ª he was able to do little better than stagger Olres.


    ¡°The hell¡­?!¡± the Rokresian growled, eying Conrad¡¯s invisible position with confusion before snapping his gaze to Relia. ¡°¡­You¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Chaos Teleport,¡± Relia whispered, disappearing from her location just as Olres shot at her and appearing behind the large man¡¯s back. He quickly spun around, his pistol at the ready, but Relia preempted him by lashing out with her foot and nailing Olres in the groin. Stunned, he collapsed to one knee, at which point Conrad hit him on the head again with his glaive. This time, the jailkeeper collapsed to the ground, unconscious.


    ¡°Should¡¯ve expected you to be a rookie¡­¡± Relia muttered as she stooped down to rummage through Olres¡¯s pockets.


    ¡°Hey, look, I was caught off-guard!¡± Conrad hissed, himself still invisible as he looked to and fro. While the side street had minimal traffic, ¡®minimal¡¯ was a far cry from none ¡ª and a handful of Rokresians were looking right at Relia. ¡°Hey, everyone can see you!¡±


    ¡°Better than letting Olres shoot your friends,¡± Relia shot back as she stood up, the jailkeeper¡¯s keyring in hand. ¡°I¡¯d hoped to do this more subtly, but that¡¯s not always an option!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Conrad groaned in displeasure as he followed Relia through the unlocked jail house door ¡ª at which point he became visible again, a sign of the jail¡¯s active CENT fields. Reflexively, he closed the door behind him, and as he did, a particular foul stench reached his nostrils. ¡°Oh, god! Urgh¡ª!¡± He grimaced and wretched. ¡°What is that¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Conrad?! Damn, you sure took your time!¡±


    Hearing his name called out, Conrad quickly looked up. Relia was already thumbing through the keys on Olres¡¯s keyring as she approached three of the cells in the back of the jail ¡ª the three cells hosting Pierce, Liask, and Obra, all three of them now standing and eagerly watching Conrad and Relia.


    ¡°Ha ha! See, Obra, I fucking told you!¡± Pierce whooped. ¡°Conrad would never leave us behind!¡±


    ¡°Would¡¯ve preferred I didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± Conrad muttered as he approached, still holding his glaive in his right hand as he pinched his nose close with his left. ¡°But what the hell is that smell?¡±


    ¡°Literal piss and shit. It¡¯s fucking disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Rokres really doesn¡¯t care for outsiders,¡± Relia asserted, finally finding the key to open Liask¡¯s cell before moving over to Obra¡¯s. ¡°But we need to hurry up. We don¡¯t have time to chat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Liask acknowledged as she readily stepped out of her cell. ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re the Wanderer, right? What are you doin¡¯ here?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, no time to chat,¡± Relia insisted as she opened up Obra¡¯s cell and then moved over to Pierce¡¯s. ¡°Once we¡¯re out of the city, then we can talk.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fuckin¡¯ wait to get outta here¡­¡± Obra muttered, eagerly pushing out of his cell and moving over to the jail exit. ¡°So, uh. What is the plan to get outta here? The CENT fields are still up.¡±


    ¡°The field only extends as far as the door,¡± Relia explained, stepping back to allow Pierce out of his cell before rushing back to the jail entrance. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Now¡ª¡±


    With a loud bang, the jail house door slammed open, stunning Obra as Olres charged into the room. As soon as he spotted Relia, he raised his gun and opened fire, blasting the ground with a laser as Relia just barely managed to dodge out of the way. But in the cramped quarters of the small jail house, she was little able to evade more than that, allowing Olres to quickly take aim again ¡ª only for Pierce to lunge forward and grab the jailkeeper¡¯s gun arm, preventing him again from hitting his target. In a CENT field, however, Pierce had none of his superspeed to aid him, so Olres was able to quickly shake him off ¡ª and then punch Obra aside as the Tres¨¦dian attempted to grab him. In that opening, Liask charged forward, slamming into Olres from his side and bowling the both of them back into the streets beyond.


    Now free of the jail¡¯s CENT field, Liask readily leaped away from Olres, who himself was already recovering from her charge. Before he was able to stand up fully, however, Conrad hit him over the head again with the butt of his glaive, stunning Olres long enough for Obra to escape outside and pin the Rokresian down with barriers. Pierce quickly relieved Olres of his gun, only to then find himself dodging laser fire from a handful of guards charging down the street. With a scowl, Obra turned to put up barriers to block the weapons fire, but in so doing, his barriers trapping Olres weakened enough for the jailkeeper to force his way out of them. ¡°You damn outsiders¡­!¡± he snarled, lunging for Obra ¡ª only for Relia to appear by his side and mutter, ¡°Chaos Control.¡±


    The Rokresian¡¯s lunge immediately stopped; in fact, the man seemed to be frozen mid-lunge, though his eyes could still move to glare at Relia. Such was Control, the Chaos ability that let Sabotage-type Chaostechnics like Relia temporarily seize control of another person¡¯s movements. But Relia spared Olres barely another thought, ignoring his glare as she turned to the rest of the group and barked out, ¡°you, Velocitechnic! Get your friend and the girl out of here! I¡¯ll meet you outside the walls!¡±


    ¡°What? No, we can¡¯t leave yet, Shade is¡ª!¡± Pierce began to protest, but Relia cut him off.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re sayin¡¯, we can talk about outside the walls!¡± she insisted, casting a side glance toward Obra as he struggled to maintain his barriers against the increasing laser fire assault. ¡°But we need to get out of here, now!¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­! Fine!¡± With an impatient scowl, Pierce sped over to Liask and scooped her up into his arms before jumping over to Conrad. ¡°Get on!¡±


    ¡°Why is everyone always giving me piggy-back rides?¡± Conrad complained, but nonetheless climbed onto Pierce¡¯s back and immediately rendered the trio invisible.


    ¡°Suck it up. We¡¯re out of here!¡± Pierce shouted, taking a second to adjust his footing on the street before using his bountiful Velocitechnic acceleration to leap high into the air, easily clearing the buildings of Fort Rokres. As soon as he landed on the roof of one, he leaped off it again, launching himself over the city and the bounding walls with a single jump before crashing to a stop on the grasslands outside.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Relia muttered as she suddenly appeared in the air next to Pierce, with Obra in tow. ¡°Now, we just need to get past the Negation Line¡ª¡°


    ¡°Wait!¡± Pierce interjected, carefully setting Liask on the ground and shaking off Conrad before approaching Relia. ¡°There¡¯s still a big problem, here!¡±


    ¡°Like the defenses we still haven¡¯t passed?¡± Relia retorted.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± Liask insisted, worriedly glancing between Relia and Conrad. ¡°We were in that jail with a Bleeder¡ª¡°


    ¡°I know. Shade, right?¡±


    ¡°If you know they captured Shade, then do you also know that she broke herself out?¡± Pierce challenged.


    ¡°It would explain why she wasn¡¯t there,¡± Relia replied. ¡°But what of it?¡±


    ¡°I caught her when she was breaking out,¡± Pierce said. ¡°She was using a blowtorch in her palm! But more importantly than that, she told me that her plan was to kill Chief Kores ¡ª and then pin the blame on Tresnon and SERRCom!¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Relia scowled.


    ¡°I thought Rokres thought we were Bleeders,¡± Obra pointed out.


    ¡°When I overheard them talking two days ago, they seemed to think you weren¡¯t,¡± Conrad mused, ¡°but that was before they caught Shade, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ that actually makes it worse,¡± Relia muttered. ¡°If Shade has a prosthetic, and she makes that known to Rokres, then they¡¯ll assume she¡¯s anythin¡¯ but a Bleeder. Rokres is too proud to assume that the Bleeders have access to advanced tech. But they¡¯ve also connected her to you three ¡ª a wrong connection, but they made it all the same. So if they think you three are from Compound Tresnon, then it¡¯s only natural they¡¯d think that Shade is, too.¡±


    ¡°Which means that anythin¡¯ Shade does, they¡¯ll blame on us,¡± Liask said. ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen!¡±


    ¡°So? Why should we care?¡± Obra challenged, ¡°Rokres has treated us like absolute shit. Hell, I still fucking smell like shit. And it ain¡¯t like Compound Tresnon was on good terms with Rokres, anyways. So why the hell should it matter to us if the Bleeders do anythin¡¯ to ¡®em?¡±


    ¡°That attitude is exactly what¡¯s bringin¡¯ down Tres¨¦d,¡± Relia countered. ¡°Lettin¡¯ someone else suffer just ¡®cause they were mean to you does nothin¡¯ but keep everyone down.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Obra passed Relia an incredulous look. ¡°What¡¯re you talkin¡¯ about? You¡¯re the Wanderer, right? Wasn¡¯t the reason you left Tresnon ¡®cause they started that whole Bleeder reformation thing? ¡®Cause at this point, I think you were right¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t mistake my motives for somethin¡¯ so petty,¡± Relia snapped. ¡°I have my own issues with the reformation program, but at least Tresnon is tryin¡¯ to make Tres¨¦d a better place. The real reason I travel Tres¨¦d is to deal with situations exactly like this one: situations where people are in trouble, whether they know it or not, and need help.¡±


    ¡°I guess that explains why you helped us¡­¡± Liask muttered. ¡°Thanks for that¡­¡±


    ¡°But I still don¡¯t get it,¡± Obra pressed. ¡°You just attacked some Rokresians! They¡¯ll definitely think you¡¯re against them, now. So why go back and help them?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the right thing to do,¡± Relia declared.


    ¡°Besides, Shade is a Bleeder,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°Do you really want to just sit back and let the Bleeders do whatever they want, Obra?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not super clear what it is they want,¡± Conrad commented. ¡°You said she wants to kill Kores? But how¡­? Oh, shit!¡±


    ¡°The Kon¨¦ Summit!¡± Relia exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s later today!¡±


    ¡°The what¡­?¡± Pierce questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°¡¯Kon¨¦¡¯ is what the Rokresians call the leaders of their cities¡­¡± Liask answered warily. ¡°And if there¡¯s a summit today¡­ does that mean all the Kon¨¦s are in Fort Rokres, right now?¡±


    ¡°Which means that Shade might be able to kill the entire Rokres leadership in one go¡­¡± Pierce scowled.


    ¡°But she was already caught, once,¡± Obra pointed out. ¡°Why do we think she can do it a second time?¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ the more I think about it, the more I think Shade must¡¯ve let herself get captured,¡± Relia explained. ¡°The timin¡¯ is too convenient. This soon after the Bleeders attacked Tresnon, she¡¯s already in Rokres? She must¡¯ve known about the Kon¨¦ Summit, and rushed here immediately after the raid on Tresnon to assassinate the Rokresian Kon¨¦s. But then she heard that some outsiders were captured.¡±


    ¡°¡­And she took that opportunity to link us to her!¡± Liask remarked.


    ¡°She knew she could break herself out of jail, so she wasn¡¯t ever in any actual danger¡­¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°So the whole thing was just an act to pin her assassinations on Tresnon? That bitch. That devious bitch!¡±


    ¡°No way¡­ did she seriously play us like that?!¡± Obra exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°And it never would¡¯ve happened if we didn¡¯t try to sneak out of Tresnon to visit Rokres¡­¡± Liask lamented.


    Relia passed Liask a wary glance, only to return her attention to the rest of the group. ¡°Why we¡¯re all here ain¡¯t important, right now. Y¡¯all were certainly fools to come here, but¡­ we can talk about that later. For now, we need to stop Shade from killin¡¯ off Rokres¡¯s leadership. I¡¯m stayin¡¯ back, at least. Who else is helpin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°I refuse to let that Bleeder bitch pull one over us!¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯m in, too,¡± Liask added.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ I don¡¯t like it, I don¡¯t like it at all,¡± Obra growled, ¡°but, fuck it. Even if it¡¯s only to fuck over the Bleeders, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Relia replied with a nod, at which point her gaze ¡ª as well as everyone else¡¯s ¡ª fell on Conrad. ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw, man¡­¡± Conrad groaned. ¡°Man¡­ I didn¡¯t even want to come here, in the first place¡­ but I guess I still did, huh?¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, Shade is a Visitechnic, just like you,¡± Relia said. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not sure if we can do this without you.¡±


    ¡°No one knows how to lay low quite like you do, after all,¡± Pierce remarked with a smirk as he went to throw his arm around Conrad¡¯s shoulders ¡ª only for the latter to recoil away.


    ¡°I never said I¡¯d leave you guys behind, but¡­¡± Conrad scrunched up his nose as he looked over each of Pierce, Liask, and Obra, noting that all three were dirty and unkempt from spending two days in jail. ¡°¡­Before we do anything, you guys really need a wash.¡±


    ¡°And a meal¡­¡± Obra grumbled as a loud rumble emanated from his stomach.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we have time for a meal, but gettin¡¯ rid of y¡¯all¡¯s smell is definitely important, if we want to be sneakin¡¯ around¡­¡± Relia commented. ¡°Alright. Then we can do that, real quick. But after that, we need to make a plan. I won¡¯t let the Bleeders get away with killin¡¯ the leadership of an entire nation ¡ª we won¡¯t let Shade get away!¡±

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 11: Duel of the Hero and the Knight

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 11: Duel of the Hero and the Knight


    ¡°Man¡­ you guys really are serious about meeting with the Dean, huh?¡±


    ¡°Did you think we weren¡¯t?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Oh, I knew you guys were serious, in general,¡± Li¨¦hdan replied, ¡°but I kinda hoped the whole ¡®visiting the Dean¡¯ thing was just a cover for a trip.¡±


    ¡°Figures you would say that¡­¡± Twy responded with a sigh. She, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Li¨¦hdan all were currently standing on the top level of the tree city of L¨¦dia, having just met to head down to the WTAC campus on the forest floor. The Academy¡¯s campus was closed to visitors during the Fall Break, so the three Earthians had sought out Li¨¦hdan¡¯s help to get them in ¡ª and, much to their surprise, he had obliged.


    ¡°¡­Still,¡± the Rel¨¦diakian said with a frown, his posture casually slouched as he looked at each of the three women. ¡°¡­You guys really want to waste a break day at the school? Why not just hang around L¨¦dia?¡±


    ¡°We have been,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°And while the night life ¡ª and the company ¡ª has been better than I expected, that still isn¡¯t what I came here for.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a party type? Really?¡± Li¨¦hdan regarded Phoenix with surprise. ¡°A serious person, like you?¡±


    ¡°Just because I know what I want and won¡¯t take any shit doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how to let loose every now and then,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°I¡¯d bet I could drink you under the table, at least!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Li¨¦hdan remarked, and then glanced toward Twy and Kestrel. ¡°And what about you two?¡±


    ¡°We just went sight-seeing,¡± Twy replied, with Kestrel offering a nod of affirmation. She then turned her gaze upwards at the sprawling forest canopy and the gigantic tree trunks that supported it as she continued, ¡°the sights here, in L¨¦dia¡­ they¡¯re unlike anything I¡¯ve seen anywhere else. And there are a lot of nice painting spots¡­¡±


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°What is?¡± Li¨¦hdan questioned as he looked up at her. ¡°The trees, or the paintings?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡±


    ¡°H-hey,¡± Twy responded sheepishly, ¡°I never actually said I did any painting¡­¡±


    ¡°No, but I saw you drop by that art supplies store when we first arrived,¡± Phoenix pointed out with a smirk. ¡°Just own it, girl! Especially if Kestrel¡¯s praising you ¡ª that¡¯s when you know you¡¯re good!¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ at least you guys did enjoy yourselves, it looks like,¡± Li¨¦hdan said with a shrug. ¡°Nice to know you know how to relax. I can go ahead and take you to the Dean now, but, uh¡­ her mood might not be the best, right now.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Hmm, well¡­¡± Li¨¦hdan glanced to one side, and then shrugged again. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll see. See you guys later.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡ª?!¡± Phoenix began to respond, but just as quickly she found herself ¡ª along with Twy and Kestrel ¡ª suddenly standing on the dark campus grounds of WTAC instead of the shady, but still daylit surface of L¨¦dia. ¡°¡­Ooooh, he really gets on my nerves!¡±


    ¡°Very skilled¡­¡± Kestrel observed.


    ¡°He certainly is, if he can teleport us from topside down to here without even looking,¡± Twy agreed. ¡°¡­But a warning still would¡¯ve been nice.¡±


    ¡°As well as a proper explanation of what he meant by that ¡®mood¡¯ comment,¡± Phoenix replied with a scowl. ¡°He better not have dumped us down here at a bad time¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Fighting¡­¡± Kestrel interrupted, her attention directed elsewhere.


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Twy questioned, and then looked in the same direction as Kestrel. ¡°¡­Wait, yeah. I hear something, like¡­ thunder.¡±


    ¡°And ice.¡±


    ¡°The ice would be Rebehka,¡± Phoenix pointed out, ¡°but if she¡¯s fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope there isn¡¯t another outbreak, right now¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°If there was, we¡¯d be hearing alarms. The fighting must be something else. C¡¯mon!¡± Phoenix began jogging off toward the sounds of combat. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out! She might need our help!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    Fierce lightning strikes brilliantly lit the entire gym as they blasted massive chunks of ice to pieces, rapidly cutting away at the thick protective dome fabricated barely two seconds earlier. A Dra¡¯kis woman ¡ª so noted from her three-segmented legs and four-fingered hands ¡ª zig-zagged her way toward the dome to evade incoming ice projectiles while continually blasting at it with lightning. While the fact that her legs resembled a tilted ¡®N¡¯ when resting made her seem clumsy, in action, the raw power in her legs allowed her to bound across the gym with greater speed and precision than the ¡°normal¡± legged members of the galaxy. Taking advantage of this power, she pressed onward, lashing out at the ice dome with lightning strike after lightning strike while lunging toward the main opening she had created ¡ª only for a massive spear of ice to nail her in her chest. A plane of brilliant golden energy flared up, preventing the spear from actually piercing her skin, but the force still sent her rolling backwards as a light-skinned, dark-haired Nimalian woman leaped out of the ice dome to continue raining ice weapons upon her opponent.


    As the two women duked it out, another three watched on from the sidelines, having followed the sounds of Chaotic combat into one of WTAC¡¯s practice gyms. Energy shielding protected the gym and its surroundings from damage, allowing the two Chaotics to go at each other with such ferocity that they still hadn¡¯t noticed the three onlookers.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Twy muttered uneasily, ¡°should¡­ should we say something?¡±


    ¡°That is Rebehka¡­¡± Phoenix commented, eying the Nimalian Dean as she formed another dome of ice around herself. Phoenix then shifted her attention to the Dra¡¯kis woman, taking note of her light skin and light blond hair that was shaved on the sides of her head, but long and straight enough on the top and in back to be tied into a thick waist-length braid. ¡°And that Dra¡¯kis woman¡­ we¡¯ve met her before, right?¡±


    ¡°Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis,¡± Kestrel said. ¡°¡­Of the Chaos Knights.¡±


    ¡°Right. I remember that she and Rebehka didn¡¯t seem to see eye-to-eye¡­¡±


    ¡°And now they¡¯re fighting,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°Is this¡­ shouldn¡¯t we stop them?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Phoenix looked to the two sparring Chaotics again, noting that both were wearing fingerless gloves, sports bras, and gym pants ¡ª Nil¡¯kin¡¯s styled in the crimson and purple livery of the Chaos Knights, while Rebehka wore a more subdued combination of earth brown and nature green. ¡°¡­They¡¯re both in workout outfits,¡± Phoenix eventually stated. ¡°I think this really is just sparring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s awfully fierce, for sparring¡­¡± Twy muttered as she continued watching the fighting herself.


    The thunderous echo of shattering ice promptly filled the gym, cutting off further conversation as a once-massive spire of ice collapsed into pieces. Nil¡¯kin, having just blasted it apart, lunged through the resulting shower of ice to get the drop on Rebehka ¡ª who quickly fashioned a chestplate out of ice just in time to be struck by lightning and flung backwards. Nil¡¯kin pressed the assault, but as Rebehka rolled along the ground, she seized control of the hundreds of ice shards in the air and forced them to rapidly coalesce on Nil¡¯kin¡¯s position, trapping the Dra¡¯kis Electrotechnic under a pile of ice. In that brief respite, Rebehka jumped back to her feet and crafted a massive hammer of ice to swing down on the snow pile that trapped Nil¡¯kin, but the Dra¡¯kis blasted the pile apart and then rolled to the side just in time to miss being smashed by the hammer; instead, it slammed against the floor, generating an incredible energy shielding flare up that covered nearly half the gym¡¯s floor.


    Twy and Phoenix both jumped in surprise at the massive flare-up, but neither Nil¡¯kin nor Rebehka seemed to pay it any mind. As the ice hammer fell to pieces under the force of its own attack, Rebehka fabricated a massive wall of ice between herself and Nil¡¯kin ¡ª which the latter promptly blasted through with fierce lightning strikes. But in the time it took her to do so, Rebehka had formed a dozen floating spears of ice to launch at the Dra¡¯kis, only for Nil¡¯kin to fire off a fierce blast of lightning that chained between each of the spears before reaching Rebehka and launching her against the far wall ¡ª just as the ice spears slammed into Nil¡¯kin and threw her in the opposite direction. Each woman hit the walls hard, generating the loud static noise and brilliant golden glow of an energy shield flare up both over their own bodies and over the gym¡¯s walls. They both dropped to their knees, momentarily stunned¡­ and in that moment, a sharp ping echoed through the gym, accompanied by golden static fuzz sweeping across both Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin ¡ª the sign that both of their personal shields had been overloaded.


    ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Rebehka grunted with exertion as she pulled herself back to her feet, her attention still on Nil¡¯kin. ¡°¡­That really all you have?¡± she taunted with a raised voice, ¡°I¡¯ve fought more skilled students than you!¡±


    ¡°Bold words, for one who lost their shields at the same time as me,¡± Nil¡¯kin shot back, though she wore on her face a dangerous grin, and her fists were balled. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who could use improvement! Half those moves were all show, no substance!¡±


    ¡°How amusing, to hear that from an Electrotechnic, of all people.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Nil¡¯kin scoffed, wiping her sweat-covered brow with the back of her hand. ¡°¡­I can keep going all day, Dean. But I¡¯ll let up, for your sake. Wouldn¡¯t want to have you lose in front of visitors, now, would we?¡±


    ¡°For ¡®my¡¯ sake, I¡¯m sure,¡± Rebehka drawled, finally relaxing her stance as she willed away all of the ice that remained in the gym. After taking a deep breath, she finally turned her attention toward Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel. ¡°¡­What are you three doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we just had a few questions for you,¡± Phoenix replied.


    ¡°But, um¡­ if you¡¯re busy, then we can come back at another time,¡± Twy quickly added.


    ¡°No¡­ we could use a break,¡± Rebehka stated, passing a quick glance toward Nil¡¯kin before walking off of the main floor to join the Earthians on the sidelines.


    ¡°We have been dueling all morning,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared as she joined the group on the sidelines.


    ¡°Wait¡­ all morning?!¡± Twy responded incredulously, watching as the Dra¡¯kis readily grabbed a large water bottle and began taking large gulps out of it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rebehka affirmed with a nod. ¡°Whenever we have a disagreement that we can¡¯t resolve with words, we come here to fight it out.¡±


    ¡°A catharsis technique I¡¯ve picked up from my Siion colleagues,¡± Nil¡¯kin asserted. ¡°Usually, it works. And yet, whenever I¡¯m fighting you, Dean, I can¡¯t help but get even more riled up¡­ ha! It¡¯s the one thing I actually enjoy doing with you!¡±


    ¡°Trust me¡­ the feeling isn¡¯t mutual,¡± Rebehka retorted. She then turned back to face the Earthians. ¡°So. What did you need?¡±


    Twy and Phoenix exchanged a wary glance. ¡°¡­We wanted to ask some more things about the, uh¡­ metallic infection,¡± Twy said.


    ¡°I already gave you a lecture on everything we know,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Is there something else SERRCom wanted¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not for SERRCom,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Yes, we were curious on our own,¡± Twy added, and then passed a doubtful glance toward Nil¡¯kin. ¡°Mostly about, um¡­ the Nanocreature War. And Hero Machina¡¯s role in it.¡±


    At this, Nil¡¯kin loudly scoffed; Rebehka merely passed her an annoyed look before sighing in resignation. ¡°¡­This has something to do with Archon¨¦ Culana¡¯s prophecies, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Rebehka questioned.


    ¡°Supposedly, we¡¯re supposed to finish what Hero Machina couldn¡¯t,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°I still don¡¯t know how I feel about this ¡®Key¡¯ thing, but if we¡¯re going to be in this for the long haul, then I¡¯d really like to know exactly what kind of mess we¡¯re getting into.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Rebehka took another deep breath before looking over the three. ¡°¡­Why me, though? You could ask Dav¨ªdrius, or Christean¨¦ ¡ª they¡¯re still back in Tres¨¦d. I heard Kaon¨¦ went back, too.¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s busy shoring up Tresnon¡¯s defenses,¡± Twy explained, ¡°and we¡¯ve never really met Christean¨¦. As for Dav¨ªdrius, well, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot easier to approach than he is,¡± Phoenix stated bluntly.


    A small smile of amusement appeared on Rebehka¡¯s face. ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°And I have to ask¡­¡± Twy added, ¡°well, it seems like you and the other Deans always avoid the topic of your old exploits as Hero Machina. Is there a reason for that¡­?¡±


    ¡°I assume it¡¯s because they¡¯ve grown tired of the rest of the galaxy calling their story for the bullshit that it is,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared.


    ¡°There is nothing ¡®bullshit¡¯ about what we did back then!¡± Rebehka shot back. ¡°You weren¡¯t even there! How would you know the truth of the matter?¡±


    ¡°Exactly ¡ª no one was there. No one except the members of Hero Machina,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied. ¡°A very convenient ending to the war, I must say.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe the official story¡­?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°The ¡®official story¡¯ is ridiculous on its own,¡± Nil¡¯kin asserted. ¡°But what the Dean here claims is the ¡®real¡¯ story is even worse.¡±


    ¡°The official story isn¡¯t the real one?¡± Phoenix looked to Rebehka in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The Dean sighed again, this time in exasperation. ¡°¡­What do you three know about the Nanocreature War?¡± she eventually questioned, ¡°how much of the story do you know?¡±


    ¡°It began 20 years ago¡­ when Morcii revealed himself as the leader of what we now know as the Nanocreatures,¡± Twy responded. ¡°He immediately waged war on the CSA, and managed to take almost all of their Transpace Worlds in a single month. The initial invasion ended with the Battle of Neticen, where Christean¨¦ used the Chaos State to kill Morcii.¡±


    ¡°But then, three months later, Morcii returned,¡± Phoenix added. ¡°His Nanocreatures led a targeted strike on every planet that had a Chaos Ayas, allowing him to claim all but one of them. With the last Ayas, Hero Machina ¡ª you ¡ª went to confront Morcii on the Nanocreature Homeworld, where you killed him for good. Or at least¡­ what you thought was ¡®for good¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And you can see the problems with that story already, can¡¯t you?¡± Nil¡¯kin insisted. ¡°The Nanocreature Homeworld¡­ pah! As if killing Morcii in a particular location would be any more effective than destroying him over Neticen! And you expect me to believe that Hero Machina ¡ª with only a single Ayas ¡ª managed to best the leader of the Nanocreatures, who had all of the other eight? It doesn¡¯t make a single bit of sense.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Because the official, public story was shortened, sanitized. It removed all of the parts that made the overarching story make sense, just because the NSD didn¡¯t think the galaxy would accept our word that those things happened.¡±


    ¡°And they were right ¡ª what you claim to have happened is even more absurd. Really, Dean. When you are going to come out with the real story?¡±


    Rebehka responded only by shooting Nil¡¯kin an irate glare.


    ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ the official story really is missing some pieces, isn¡¯t it?¡± Twy commented. ¡°The last time we were here, you said something about your friend, Siyuak¨¦n, being involved¡­ but you don¡¯t hear her name in the official story, at all.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°And Prior Arc¨¢n¡­¡± Kestrel said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Pallan mentioned something about a ¡®Prior Arc¨¢n¡¯ when we met with him in Riverana,¡± Phoenix stated. ¡°I didn¡¯t think much of it at the time, but that¡¯s missing from the official story, too. Who¡¯s Prior Arc¨¢n?¡±


    ¡°Siyuak¨¦n¡­ and Arc¨¢n¡­¡± Rebehka muttered. ¡°¡­Well, first of all, ¡®Prior¡¯ is a title. And the Priors are a set of, um¡­ well, it¡¯s hard to explain exactly what they are. Just think of them like they¡¯re the ¡®minds¡¯ behind the Chaos Ayas. There¡¯s one Prior for each Ayas, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Arc¨¢n¡¯ is the name of one of the Ayas, isn¡¯t it? And the name of Austin¡¯s sword, too,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°So they¡¯re all connected?¡±


    Rebehka nodded. ¡°Right. A Prior, an Ayas, and an Ayas Weapon ¡ª they come in threes, and all go by the same name. And Arc¨¢n was the Prior that we ¡ª uh, that Hero Machina discovered a month or so before the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°Something that you Nimalians hid from the rest of the galaxy until the end of the war, might I add,¡± Nil¡¯kin interjected.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even know his importance, until then,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you disbelieve the existence of the Priors altogether!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough reports to know that Priors ¡ª or least, AI-like entities calling themselves Priors ¡ª actually exist. It¡¯s everything else about them that I doubt.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve heard much about them¡­¡± Phoenix commented.


    ¡°There¡¯s only as many Priors as there are Ayas,¡± Rebehka pointed out, ¡°and to my knowledge, most of them haven¡¯t been found, yet. I¡¯d bet that they¡¯re hiding out on their Platforms.¡±


    ¡°And here we go¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin threw her arms into the air as she rolled her eyes. ¡°The Platforms again. Right. Very credible!¡±


    ¡°The Platforms are real,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve been there. Only once, sure, but I saw the galactic disk myself. We were outside of the galaxy, for sure.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but by your own admission, you saw only a hologram of the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but what¡¯s a Platform?¡± Phoenix questioned in confusion.


    ¡°The Platforms are massive space stations orbiting the galaxy beyond its edge,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°There¡¯s one for each Prior, for each Ayas. The one I¡¯ve been to ¡ª the Arc¨¢n Platform ¡ª it was the size of a moon, and not a small one. And according to Arc¨¢n, the Syn Platform is even larger than that.¡±


    ¡°Which raises the question: why can¡¯t we detect them, hmm?¡± Nil¡¯kin pressed.


    ¡°The Prior Platforms have incredibly advanced technology,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°Arc¨¢n¡¯s platform alone could instantly disable any of our fleets. It had the power to instantly teleport me and the rest of Hero Machina to a location across the galaxy! These are massive structures that are linked to the Chaos Ayas themselves, I don¡¯t doubt for a second that they would be able to avoid detection by our sensors. All it would take is the kind of cloaking system that SERRCom has on that one Battlecruiser of theirs.¡±


    ¡°And I trust you¡¯ve seen all of this amazing technology in action?¡±


    ¡°I mentioned the cross-galaxy teleport, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Right. And the rest?¡±


    Rebehka faltered for a moment. ¡°Well¡­ no, I didn¡¯t see them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been there, though, right?¡± Twy questioned, ¡°why can¡¯t you go back?¡±


    ¡°Supposedly, the coordinates are blocked,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied with a derisive snort.


    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®supposedly¡¯ about it,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°I remember the Gate coordinate that Arc¨¢n supplied us to reach his Platform. And I know that there was an Interstellar Gate there. And dialing the coordinate even establishes a Gate connection! Matter and energy transmission is blocked from the other side, sure, but the fact is that the coordinate works!¡±


    ¡°You know, the interesting thing about Gate coordinates is that they correspond to an actual galactic grid,¡± Nil¡¯kin pointed out. ¡°With a set of Gate coords, you can map out exactly where in the galaxy that Gate should be. And the coordinate you¡¯ve given for this ¡®Platform¡¯ corresponds to an empty location outside the galaxy. CSA scouting ships have been there ¡ª there¡¯s nothing. Absolutely nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Look, I don¡¯t know what to tell you,¡± Rebehka eventually responded, her tone filled with frustration. ¡°The Platform exists. I know it does. I was there. We all were!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust the rest of Hero Machina any more than I do you.¡±


    ¡°Um, this ¡®Platform¡¯ aside¡­¡± Twy interjected uneasily, ¡°what, uh, do the Priors have to do with the Nanocreature War¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Sorry,¡± Rebehka replied, passing Nil¡¯kin an annoyed look before turning back to the Earthians. ¡°¡­You girls know about the Chaos State, right?¡±


    ¡°You could certainly say that,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°Hmm¡­? Oh, right, you fought a Chaos State Chaotic a couple weeks ago, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯d heard about that from Kevken.¡±


    ¡°An impressive feat for novices, I must admit,¡± Nil¡¯kin added.


    ¡°Uh, thanks¡­?¡± Twy responded uneasily.


    ¡°Since you fought a Chaotic using the Chaos State, you three must know its power,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°Even at just the First Tier, the Chaos State is a powerful game-changer. But, believe it or not, the Chaos State isn¡¯t the only state of enhanced power that a Chaotic can use.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you talking about Overdrives?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°No. Well, I suppose you could view Overdrives like a weaker version of the Chaos State¡­ but that¡¯s not what I was talking about,¡± Rebehka refuted. ¡°Remember how I said that the Priors and the Ayas are linked? Well, it turns out, you can also use a Prior to boost your power, like how you use the Ayas in the Chaos State. It¡¯s called the Prior State, and involves a temporary merging of your mind with the Prior¡¯s. According to Arc¨¢n, the base-level Prior State is supposed to be as powerful as the Second Tier Chaos State, and after seeing it in action, I think I can agree.¡±


    ¡°Though no one else in the galaxy has witnessed this ¡®Prior State¡¯,¡± Nil¡¯kin interjected. ¡°No one can reproduce your claims.¡±


    ¡°Because no one can find the Priors,¡± Rebehka retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where Arc¨¢n is, let alone any of the others.¡±


    ¡°Wait, weren¡¯t you working with Arc¨¢n?¡± Twy pointed out, ¡°how do you not know where he is?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ hold on. I¡¯ll get to that in a second,¡± the Dean responded, massaging her brow in exasperation. She then took a few moments to collect her thoughts before continuing, ¡°anyways¡­ the Prior State is just one piece of the picture, I¡¯ll come back to it in a second. The more important piece is Siyuak¨¦n Wanl¨¦on¡­ an old friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°The friend of yours that betrayed the galaxy?¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t have a choice!¡± Rebehka snapped, this time whirling around to glare at the Dra¡¯kis directly. ¡°She was corrupted! Her body¡¯s movements were no longer hers¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ an infection that she suffered from for several months before finally succumbing, supposedly. An infection that you were aware of, for most of that time.¡± Nil¡¯kin turned to match Rebehka¡¯s glare. ¡°You do realize just how astoundingly foolish it was to allow your friend to wander the galaxy while corrupted? She must have been shedding nanites everywhere. It¡¯s a damn wonder that she didn¡¯t spread the Nanocreatures to everything she touched!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, hold on, what?¡± Phoenix questioned, looking confusedly between Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Are you saying that Siyuak¨¦n was corrupted for a while, but no one knew it? I thought if you were corrupted ¡ª or infected ¡ª you lost control of yourself?¡±


    ¡°¡­In the early phases of the infection, it can be mitigated.¡± Rebehka finally tore her attention from Nil¡¯kin to address the Earthians again. ¡°Especially when Morcii isn¡¯t around to enforce his will. Siyuak¨¦n was an Electrotechnic, too, which allowed her to periodically overload the nanites in her body. It wasn¡¯t enough to destroy them all, but she was able to delay the infection¡¯s spread across her body for a long time ¡ª during which she was still in control of herself. She didn¡¯t lose control until¡­ until after Morcii appeared.¡±


    ¡°At which point she flipped, and started corrupting worlds for the Nanocreatures,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°A pawn she may have been, but she still directly led to the loss of dozens of lesser worlds while the CSA focused its fleets on defending the Transpace Worlds!¡±


    ¡°Morcii forced those worlds to fall, not Siyuak¨¦n!¡± Rebehka snapped. ¡°She was corrupted, she couldn¡¯t control what she was doing! Do you really think she would have chosen to attack those worlds of her own volition?!¡±


    ¡°I think that allowing herself to live so long with the infection ¡ª and you allowing her to ignore it! ¡ª is what directly led to that situation,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered. ¡°If you had purged her as soon as she showed symptoms, then the Nanocreature War wouldn¡¯t have been nearly as one-sided as it was!¡±


    ¡°At that time, we had no way of knowing that the metallic infection would turn into the Nanocreature threat! Did you really want me to kill my best friend, just because she was infected with what we thought at the time was only a disease?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rewrite history. We knew full well that the ¡®metallic infection¡¯ was actually self-replicating nanomachines by that point in time. And you, yourself, as a member of Hero Machina, had fought against multiple Critical Infection incidents! You had to have known the end result of allowing your friend to live!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Rebehka snarled, her brow furrowed with rage as the air around her rapidly cooled. In response, Nil¡¯kin assumed a battle stance, sparks beginning to wreath her arms ¡ª but before either woman could do anything else, Kestrel silently stepped forward, her hands extended toward the Dean and the Major. In her hunched over battle-ready stance, even the normally over-six-feet-tall Nil¡¯kin stood shorter than Kestrel, contributing to the Aerotechnic¡¯s imposing stature.


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± A second later, the sparks around Nil¡¯kin¡¯s arms ceased and she drew into a more neutral stance¡­ only for her to then shake her head, her lips pursed in frustration as she turned to stomp out of the gym. ¡°Your foolishness would ¡ª no, has already ruined the galaxy, Tchir¨¦on!¡± the Dra¡¯kis shouted over her shoulder as she left, ¡°and for the sake of us all, you Earthians had better remember that!¡±


    Rebehka watched as Nil¡¯kin stormed off, her own brow furrowed and her arms crossed. Once the Dra¡¯kis was out of sight, Rebehka took a deep breath, her eyes closed as she attempted to calm herself. ¡°¡­Sorry,¡± she eventually apologized, glancing up at Kestrel with a sheepish smile. ¡°The Major and I tend to¡­ rile each other up, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I can see¡­¡± Twy responded uneasily.


    ¡°And she seems like a bitch, yeah, but¡­ it kind of sounds like she had a point,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°It sounds like your friend went around with a dangerous infection, not telling anyone she came across¡­ that seems hella reckless.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t deny that we made foolish decisions,¡± Rebehka admitted. ¡°And under no circumstances would I allow an infected person to walk around freely now, given what we all know about the infection and the Nanocreatures. But back then, it actually worked out for us.¡±


    ¡°But I thought your friend was corrupted¡­?¡± Twy questioned in confusion.


    Rebehka nodded. ¡°She was, yes. And as much as I hate to admit¡­ the Major was right about Morcii using Siyuak¨¦n to help conquer a handful of worlds during the Nanocreature War. That¡¯s why her role in ending the war is cut out of the official story ¡ª because all the CSA knows of her, is the ¡®her¡¯ that enabled the Nanocreatures during the war.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fucked up,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°It is¡­ especially since Siyuak¨¦n is the one who saved us all.¡±


    ¡°How¡­?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Siyuak¨¦n was corrupted by the Nanocreatures ¡ª and deeply so,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°From what I recall¡­ at least half of her entire body, by volume, had been replaced by Nanocreature nanites. But despite that, on the night that Morcii launched his surprise invasion that claimed most of the Ayas¡­ Siyuak¨¦n managed to break free of his control.¡±


    ¡°That does sound convenient¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°I can understand the incredulity, but it does make sense,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°At the start of that attack, the Nanocreatures didn¡¯t have any of the Ayas ¡ª they had lost them all after the Battle of Neticen. So Morcii couldn¡¯t control nearly as many Nanocreatures as he could during the main part of the war; I suspect that he was testing the limits of his control by attacking nine different planets at once. It was due to that weakened control that Siyuak¨¦n was able to break free, and before Morcii was actually able to claim any of the Ayas, we had fled to the Arc¨¢n Platform ¡ª where the Prior Arc¨¢n was able to shield Siyuak¨¦n from Morcii¡¯s influence.¡±


    ¡°So this is where the Prior comes into the story, then?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°Right. Going back to the Prior State¡­ according to Arc¨¢n, not just anyone can use it. Most Chaotics would die if they tried to activate the Prior State. But ¡ª again, according to Arc¨¢n ¡ª Morcii¡¯s existence was based on the Priors, and since Siyuak¨¦n had spent so long corrupted, she had developed a sort of ¡®connection¡¯ to the Priors that no other Chaotic could have. That connection allowed her to activate the Prior State with Arc¨¢n, which also suppressed her corruption.¡±


    ¡°But Morcii had already claimed eight of the Ayas by that point, right?¡± Phoenix pointed out, ¡°If the Prior State is only as powerful as the Second Tier Chaos State, and you only had one other Ayas with you¡­ how did you beat Morcii?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s a catch, there. Yet another thing that the official story omits,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°You see¡­ Morcii isn¡¯t actually the main threat. He, along with the Nanocreatures, were created by someone else ¡ª Ikirom, the leader of the Morikai. Apparently, the Morikai were an enemy of the Aldredas, and used the Nanocreatures to fight them. But Ikirom was too powerful for the Aldredas to put down for good, so they used the Chaos Ayas to seal Ikirom and the Morikai away, instead.¡±


    ¡°How powerful is ¡®too powerful¡¯¡­?¡± Twy questioned warily.


    ¡°Very. Ikirom is a Realitechnic¡­ a Chaotic with the ability to warp reality itself.¡±


    ¡°Well that escalated quickly¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Fortunately, he¡¯s still a Chaotic, so his reality-warping is limited by Chaos Energy ¡ª and he doesn¡¯t seem to be able to break the Ayas Seal himself,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°Morcii¡¯s ultimate goal is to claim all of the Chaos Ayas so that he can undo the seal, and free Ikirom and the Morikai to ravage the galaxy again.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s a threat even more dangerous than the Nanocreatures that we have to worry about?! Great¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this related to how you were able to beat Morcii, then¡­?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Rebehka replied with a nod. ¡°You see¡­ Morcii wasn¡¯t using the Ayas to strengthen himself. He was actually using them to undo the seal. And he even succeeded, at least in part; I, and the rest of Hero Machina, saw Ikirom himself appear before our eyes. For some reason, though, Morcii wasn¡¯t able to fully undo the seal, so Ikirom¡¯s powers were limited¡­ allowing Siyuak¨¦n, using the Prior State, to stave him off for long enough for the rest of us to seal him away again.¡±


    ¡°That must have been one hell of a fight to watch!¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­ we couldn¡¯t,¡± Rebehka admitted. ¡°Ikirom shoved the rest of us into¡­ I don¡¯t know, pocket dimensions of some sort, or something. I couldn¡¯t see or hear anything while Siyuak¨¦n was fighting him. It wasn¡¯t until Kevken realized that Chaos Reset would undo Ikirom¡¯s reality warping that we were able to break free and reseal him, and by that point, the fight between him and Siyuak¨¦n was already over.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Morcii during all this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ remember, I couldn¡¯t see or hear anything, or even feel anything. But after resealing Ikirom, I and everyone else were able to claim several of the Ayas and use them to activate the Chaos State. In the end, Morcii was only able to recover two of the Ayas, and had to use those two to fight all seven of us ¡ª Siyuak¨¦n in the Prior State, and everyone else in the First Tier Chaos State. After a tough fight, we defeated him, and then Siyuak¨¦n used a special ability of the Prior State called a ¡®Link Drive¡¯ to, supposedly, sever Morcii¡¯s consciousness from the, ah¡­ ¡®material realm¡¯, as Arc¨¢n put it.¡±


    ¡°Sever his consciousness from¡­ from the what?¡± Twy echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s hard to explain,¡± Rebehka responded with a sheepish smile. ¡°I said earlier that the Priors are¡­ weird, right? Apparently, they don¡¯t actually need a physical form to live. And when a Link Drive is used on a living being, it supposedly forces them into that same sort of dissociated state, where they don¡¯t have a physical form anymore¡­ and therefore, can¡¯t affect the physical realm anymore.¡±


    ¡°That just sounds like Morcii is still alive!¡± Phoenix exclaimed.


    ¡°I know, it does¡­ but removing his ability to control the Nanocreatures or otherwise interact with matter at all should still have been the same as killing him,¡± Rebehka insisted. ¡°He isn¡¯t a Prior¡­ he was based on one, according to Arc¨¢n, but that doesn¡¯t mean that he is one¡­ he shouldn¡¯t be able to come back. Shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°And yet, the Nanocreatures are making a resurgence¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s¡­ worrying,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°If Morcii really is gone for good, then what remains of the Nanocreatures should be manageable. They were only truly dangerous under Morcii¡¯s control; without him, they¡¯re just a dangerous infection. They can¡¯t even infect other creatures through the air without Morcii. But¡­ if Morcii somehow found a way to come back¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Then the Nanocreature War wasn¡¯t as final as we all hoped that it was,¡± Phoenix finished.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rebehka responded with a nod. ¡°Now, as much as I hate Nil¡¯kin¡¯s utter disbelief of the truth¡­ the fact is, even I doubt some of the things that Arc¨¢n told us. For most of the time we knew him, he acted cagey with his knowledge, and even lied to us about how much he knew ¡ª supposedly because he was afraid of the Nanocreatures getting his knowledge. And after Siyuak¨¦n used Arc¨¢n¡¯s Link Drive on Morcii, her Prior State ended, and Arc¨¢n disappeared to¡­ well, I don¡¯t really know where. We haven¡¯t heard from him since, so we can¡¯t ask him more about what he knows.¡±


    ¡°So all we have to go on are Pallan¡¯s prophecies, then¡­?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°Right. Like I said earlier, I¡¯ve never been one to put much faith in the Oraculm. But¡­¡± Rebehka looked doubtfully at each of the Earthian Chaotics. ¡°¡­You Keys really can do things that no Chaotic should be able to do ¡ª such as summoning an Ayas Weapon without holding an Ayas. There¡¯s no denying that you¡¯re special. And if you are¡­ it may just be true that you can finish what we couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You realize that¡¯s a tall fucking order, right?¡± Phoenix responded incredulously, ¡°you just told us about a lot of powerful shit that apparently no one else knows about, including some evil sealed-in-a-can reality warping maniac who¡¯s even more dangerous than the Nanocreatures ¡ª which, themselves, are by far the most dangerous threat this galaxy has ever seen! And you want us to fight that?!¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s asking a lot. And I fully understand not wanting to be a part of this mess¡­¡± The Dean paused for a moment, looking down in contemplation before returning her gaze to Twy, and then Phoenix, and then Kestrel. ¡°¡­It was us, Hero Machina, who started everything. In a roundabout way, you might even be able to blame us for the Nanocreatures claiming enough Ayas to start the Nanocreature War ¡ª since we failed to find all of the Ayas before the Nanocreatures could. And while we thought we had ended the war¡­ even that seems to be getting undone.¡± She laughed sheepishly, though it was obvious that her laughter was directed at herself. ¡°To think¡­ even after Siyuak¨¦n¡¯s sacrifice, the Nanocreatures might come back¡­ we really didn¡¯t do anything at all, did we? Just pushed back the inevitable by a mere 20 years¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess I can see why you and the other Deans don¡¯t like to talk about the war¡­¡± Twy responded quietly.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Rebehka slapped her cheeks and then shook herself off. ¡°No, I¡¯m just being miserable, right now. Don¡¯t worry, you three. Even if we ¡ª Hero Machina ¡ª weren¡¯t actually able to stop the Nanocreatures in the end¡­ we¡¯ll help you succeed where we didn¡¯t. You won¡¯t have to face the Nanocreatures alone. Be it them, Morcii, or Ikirom¡­ we¡¯ll prepare you to face them to the best of our ability, and when the time comes, we¡¯ll fight them alongside you, too.¡± The Dean¡¯s gaze then drifted off, as if staring at something in the distance. ¡°¡­Anything less would be a disservice to Siyuak¨¦n¡¯s sacrifice.¡±


    Phoenix and Twy exchanged an uneasy glance, only for them both to look up at Kestrel as the latter placed her hands on each of their shoulders.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. I probably said too much, today,¡± Rebehka commented, smiling sheepishly after watching the three Earthians¡¯ response. ¡°I know that most of what I said might be hard to swallow, especially since there¡¯s no proof for any of it¡­ damn it, I should¡¯ve asked the others if it was fine to divulge this much¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ thanks for telling us,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°I¡¯d rather you be upfront than cagey, like Pallan is.¡±


    ¡°Ha, true, the Archon¨¦ certainly doesn¡¯t like sharing information he doesn¡¯t think you need to know¡­ it¡¯s really quite aggravating, sometimes. Like he¡¯s looking down on you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it! That¡¯s exactly how I feel when he talks to us.¡±


    ¡°But if everything the Dean just said is true¡­¡± Twy muttered, ¡°¡­maybe Pallan is right¡­¡±


    An uneasy silence fell over the group, none of them able to come up with a response to Twy¡¯s voiced thought. Eventually, however, Rebehka took a deep breath and began winding her shoulder. ¡°¡­Well,¡± she said, ¡°I won¡¯t claim to know what you all are going through, with the Oraculm, and suddenly going to school on Nimalia, and all that¡­ but if you ever feel like you need to talk about anything, feel free to let me know. I may not be in charge of teaching you, like Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ are, but I can still make time for you when I can.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯d be willing to do that? For us, a bunch of outsiders?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°¡¯Outsiders¡¯¡­? You really have been spending a lot of time in Tres¨¦d,¡± Rebehka remarked. ¡°But yes, of course I can. It¡¯s the least I can do after dropping such a bombshell of a story on you, today, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly one way of calling it¡­¡± Phoenix responded.


    ¡°True¡­ tell you all what, it¡¯s about lunchtime, right? Let me wash up real quick and change my clothes, and I¡¯ll treat you all to lunch. Think of it as thanks for hearing me out¡­¡± Rebehka then passed a glanced toward Kestrel. ¡°¡­And for diffusing the thing with Nil¡¯kin. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ lunch is good,¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t very well say ¡®no¡¯ if Kestrel¡¯s in,¡± Phoenix said with a resigned sigh. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what to think about everything you just told us¡­¡±


    ¡°But at least a meal might help us think,¡± Twy pointed out, and then offered Rebehka a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that, too.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. I¡¯ll meet you three outside!¡± Rebehka replied cheerfully, and then began heading out herself, leaving Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel to ready themselves for lunch ¡ª and to mull over all they had just learned.

 V2 - A1 - Chapter 12: Outsiders Plan

    OLD THREATS ¡ª RELATIONSHIPS OF NIMALIA


    <hr>


    Chapter 12: Outsiders'' Plan


    ¡°Alright¡­ looks like everyone¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°And hella uncomfortable¡­¡± Pierce muttered as he scratched his back under the new earth brown cloak he was wearing. ¡°This cloth is so irritating¡­¡±


    ¡°Rokres¡¯s clothes do seem a little coarse¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°But it¡¯s all we have access to, so suck it up,¡± Relia countered, impatiently eying Pierce and Conrad before glancing to the side at Liask and Obra, who were also now dressed in the cloaks of Rokres. Only about an hour had passed since the group¡¯s escape from the jail, and in that time, Pierce, Liask, and Obra had managed to sneak a quick wash in Rokres¡¯s public baths, with the help of Conrad¡¯s invisibility to evade detection. Following that, they nabbed a set of clean local clothes for the trio before ditching their old clothes outside the walls ¡ª now, they reconvened atop the roof of one of Fort Rokres¡¯s buildings to plan out their attempt to stop Shade¡¯s assassinations.


    While standing on the roof, Obra uneasily looked over the edge, down at the streets three floors below. ¡°¡­We sure no one¡¯ll see us up here?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°I can make sure that no one hears us,¡± Conrad replied, ¡°but I can only make you invisible if I¡¯m touching you.¡±


    ¡°Which means you need to stop lookin¡¯ over the edge,¡± Liask asserted as she grabbed Obra¡¯s arm and pulled him closer to the center. He passed her an annoyed look in response, but otherwise settled with sitting down with the rest of the group.


    Relia, however, turned to look at Conrad with doubt. ¡°¡­Do you really need to be touchin¡¯ someone to make them invisible?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°I thought Visitechnics weren¡¯t limited by what they could touch, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Conrad¡¯s capable of more, and just hasn¡¯t tried,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, I¡¯ve tried. I¡¯m trying right now!¡± Conrad countered; as he did, parts of Pierce¡¯s torso seemed to flicker out of view, but never completely, and never for long. ¡°¡­Oh. Huh.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t need to be touchin¡¯ all along? The fuck?!¡± Obra exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°H-hey, I only just figured out I could do this¡­¡± Conrad responded sheepishly.


    ¡°And it looks like you still need more trainin¡¯, too,¡± Relia mused. ¡°So we can¡¯t count on it for now.¡±


    Liask turned toward Relia, her expression solemn. ¡°Do you have a plan, then¡­?¡±


    Relia returned the look, only to take a deep breath and shake her head. ¡°Let¡¯s figure out what we know, first,¡± she said. ¡°From what we know, there¡¯s only one Bleeder in the city: Shade. And from what I¡¯ve heard from Dav¨ªdrius, she¡¯s like Conrad here: a Visitechnic, possibly also an Audiotechnic.¡±


    ¡°Invisibility and sound-muting, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good combination for subterfuge, I¡¯ll give her that,¡± Pierce remarked, ¡°but even if she knows how to make someone invisible from afar, she couldn¡¯t have been doing so while she was in jail.¡±


    Relia nodded. ¡°Right. So I don¡¯t think she brought anyone with her. I haven¡¯t heard or seen anything that would suggest that Str¨¦n or Feral are around, either. Neither of them seem the type for subterfuge, anyways¡­ We should still be careful, but I think we can assume Shade¡¯s actin¡¯ alone.¡±


    ¡°What about CENT fields, though?¡± Pierce questioned, ¡°we¡¯re assuming that Shade is going to target this Kon¨¦ Summit, right? Won¡¯t they protect their meeting place with CENT fields?¡±


    ¡°That CENT stuff is pretty rare in Tres¨¦d,¡± Obra pointed out.


    ¡°Obra¡¯s right,¡± Relia affirmed. ¡°Rokres might be more well-off than the Compounds, but this is still Tres¨¦d. No one here can afford much, and Rokres wasted all of their CENT fields on their precious Negation Line. The jail is the only place in the city that has CENT tech.¡±


    ¡°Portable CENT generators are a thing, right?¡± Conrad asked, ¡°do they not even have any of those?¡±


    ¡°No. Not that I know of, anyways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very secure,¡± Pierce said.


    ¡°No, but no one in Tres¨¦d can afford to be secure 100% of the time,¡± Relia countered. ¡°If we could, the Bleeders wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ still.¡± Pierce glanced between Relia and Conrad. ¡°When you guys broke us out, you weren¡¯t exactly quiet about it. I mean, I¡¯m glad you saved our asses ¡ª but the people here have to be planning around that.¡±


    ¡°Shade, too, probably,¡± Liask pointed out.


    ¡°To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Relia replied. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before, and I¡¯ll say it again: the Rokres people are proud, overly so. The last they saw of us, we had fled the walls. I even scouted a bit while you three were washin¡¯ up ¡ª sure enough, Rokres sent patrols outside the walls¡­ but there are none in the city. They think they¡¯ve scared us off, that we wouldn¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°Are you really saying that we won¡¯t have to deal with increased security for this summit of theirs?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    ¡°I am. Why did you think I volunteered to come back? I know the Rokresians too well to think they¡¯d handle this situation responsibly.¡±


    ¡°As expected of the Wanderer!¡± Liask remarked. ¡°You really do know a lot about Tres¨¦d!¡±


    Relia passed Liask a quick glance before turning to the rest of the group. ¡°¡­Anyways. Rokres won¡¯t be expectin¡¯ us, and they won¡¯t be expectin¡¯ Shade. The Kon¨¦ Summit will very likely be¡­¡± She paused to turn her attention to the castle in the middle of the fort, its two towers standing taller than the entire rest of the town. ¡°¡­In there. I¡¯ve never been inside the towers myself, but I¡¯ve heard enough to know that meetin¡¯s like the Kon¨¦ Summit are held at the top of one of ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°How easy would it be to sneak in?¡± Pierce asked.


    ¡°For a lone Visitechnic, not hard. Still risky, of course, but I¡¯d bet on Shade bein¡¯ practiced enough to sneak in on her own.¡± Relia glanced doubtfully toward Conrad. ¡°You, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d really rather not go in alone¡­¡± Conrad replied with an uneasily laugh.


    ¡°Feels like that wouldn¡¯t be a good idea, anyways¡­¡± Pierce mused. ¡°Shade has a cybernetic prosthetic, I¡¯ve seen her use it. That means she might have other tech with her, too, maybe even a bomb ¡ª and if a bomb goes off in there while you¡¯re alone, Conrad, then you¡¯re toast. You need me or Liask in there to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Why would he be there alone?¡± Obra questioned, ¡°or even while the summit is happenin¡¯?¡±


    Pierce passed Obra an incredulous glance. ¡°How else are we going to stop an assassination, aside from actually being there to protect the targets?¡±


    ¡°What if the bomb¡¯s already planted?¡± Liask suggested, ¡°or, I dunno, what if Shade poisons their food? She might not have to be around for the actual meetin¡¯ to do the job¡­¡±


    ¡°Rokresians don¡¯t eat during meetin¡¯s,¡± Relia replied. ¡°But more than that¡­ if Shade¡¯s plan really is to link her assassinations to Compound Tresnon, then she¡¯ll want to make it as obvious as possible that she¡¯s the one killin¡¯ ¡®em ¡ª and she¡¯ll likely use tech to do it, tech that the Bleeders wouldn¡¯t usually have. That would solidify the link to Tresnon, in Rokres¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°So we really are gonna have to be in that room, then, huh¡­¡± Conrad lamented.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we have you here for!¡± Pierce remarked as he heartily slapped Conrad on the back. ¡°They¡¯ll never know we¡¯re there as long as you¡¯re hiding us!¡±


    ¡°But that means we won¡¯t be able to see Shade, either, if she¡¯s hiding in there with us.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but it¡¯s like Relia said: Shade will want Rokres to know it was her who killed their leaders. So she¡¯ll probably make herself visible before she strikes ¡ª and in that second, I can kick her ass!¡± Pierce declared. ¡°I am a Velocitechnic, after all!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it might actually be better for you to be outside the room,¡± Relia said.


    ¡°What? Why?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re assumin¡¯ that Shade is actin¡¯ alone, but we don¡¯t actually know for sure if that¡¯s the case,¡± Relia explained. ¡°She might still have outside help. If so, we need someone outside to watch the meetin¡¯ place, someone who can react fast enough to stop a threat as it appears. And if you¡¯re inside the room, you won¡¯t be able to see anythin¡¯ comin¡¯ from outside.¡±


    Pierce frowned, his hand on his chin in thought. ¡°You do have a point¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Pierce, I¡¯ll keep your friend safe for you,¡± Liask declared.


    ¡°Why do I need someone to protect me, again?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°I mean, not that I¡¯m complaining about having someone in there with me, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for if there¡¯s a bomb, dumbass,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Or even if Shade tries to use her palm blowtorch on you. As long as you¡¯re touching someone like me or Liask, you inherit our durability, so Shade wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°What about me, though?¡± Obra pressed, ¡°how do I figure into all this?¡±


    ¡°How many barriers can you make? And how far away from you?¡± Relia asked.


    ¡°Only a few, but I can make ¡®em real strong. You saw me blockin¡¯ those lasers, earlier,¡± Obra replied. ¡°¡­But about the farthest I can make a barrier is maybe a few dozen meters¡­¡±


    ¡°That should be enough. Those towers, and all the rooms in them, have lots of open-air windows for ventilation,¡± Relia explained, ¡°but they could also be used by an attacker to slip in. If we can find a place outside of the meetin¡¯ room, but still in the tower for you and Pierce to hide¡­ then you can block up those windows. Not completely, we still need the air, but enough to prevent anyone from enterin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I can do that.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Pierce mused, ¡°Obra has the windows, I¡¯m watching the room entrance for suspicious people, and if Shade makes it into the room anyways, then Conrad and Liask are hiding inside to stop her¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be outside, with you two,¡± Relia commented as she nodded toward Pierce and Obra. ¡°I can teleport in and out of the room as needed, I can even use Negation to trap Shade if it¡¯s necessary. But if I do, the Rokresians will see me¡­ so Liask, Conrad, I¡¯m trustin¡¯ y¡¯all to only call for my help if you really need it.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Liask replied with a firm nod.


    ¡°Aw, man, it really is just gonna be the two of us, huh¡­¡± Conrad commented with a resigned sigh.


    ¡°Just think of this as us recognizing the true value of your abilities!¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°You might not be of much help in a straight fight, but stealthy and counter-espionage type stuff is exactly where you¡¯re useful. It¡¯s why you¡¯re the center point of the plan!¡±


    ¡°Wow. No pressure, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Sorry. If it helps, just think of this like a contest to prove who¡¯s the better Visitechnic: you, or that bitch Shade. My bet¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°Thinking of everything like a contest is only something that you or Phoenix do¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still true that this plan kinda depends on you,¡± Relia pointed out as she eyed Conrad warily. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up for this?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I even wanted to come to Rokres in the first place,¡± Conrad complained, only to offer a resigned shrug a moment later. ¡°I don¡¯t like any part of this, but I can¡¯t really just say ¡®no¡¯ at this point, either¡­¡±


    Relia stared doubtfully at Conrad for several seconds. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s all we¡¯ve got, right now,¡± she eventually said with a sigh, and then looked over the rest of the group. ¡°But that summit is comin¡¯ up soon. We need to get inside and scope the place out real quick before we get into position.¡±


    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s do this!¡± Pierce declared, as the group prepared for Relia to teleport them into the castle towers ¡ª where their plan to stop the Rokres assassinations would finally begin.


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ¡°You find anything?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ nothin¡¯ seems wrong¡­¡± Liask muttered in reply, her uneasy gaze sweeping over the austere stone room in front of her. Circular stone walls gave rise to a surprisingly small meeting room, with a sturdy round wooden table standing in the center, surrounded by ten chairs. A blue rug separated the table and the chairs from the hard stone floor, but the rug didn¡¯t extend all the way to the walls. Aside from those furnishings, the only other points of visual interest were the single door and the two open windows across the room from the door, providing a view of Fort Rokres below ¡ª and the grasslands surrounding it.


    ¡°¡­There really isn¡¯t anything in here, huh,¡± Conrad mused, his hand clasped with Liask¡¯s so as to ensure they both remained invisible while sneaking around the room. ¡°Is this even where the meeting will¡ª?¡±


    In the middle of Conrad¡¯s question, the lone door creaked open. Conrad could feel Liask jump in surprise, but he was easily able to keep them both hidden as people began to enter the room. Entering first was the short, stoic form of Chief Kores, and behind her was the slender frame of Dodre. Those were the only people that Conrad recognized, however; following Dodre was another woman, with dark skin and short dreadlocks, while the last individual to enter the room was a bald, short man with a stout frame and light complexion.


    Conrad watched the last man loudly close the door behind him before the four moved to take seats around the table, evenly spaced from each other. The woman with dreadlocks stepped uncomfortably close as she took the seat right next to Conrad; he gently yet urgently yanked on Liask¡¯s hand to indicate that she should follow him as he quietly made some distance, pressing up against one of the room¡¯s walls.


    ¡°There¡¯s only four¡­¡± Liask whispered once the duo had come to a stop. ¡°Why¡¯s there only four¡­?¡±


    ¡°Should there be more?¡± Conrad questioned, while ensuring that no one but he and Liask could hear their hushed conversation.


    ¡°Rokres has more cities than this. Not a lot, but more than three. But there¡¯s only three Kon¨¦s here, and the Chief¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, hey, that just means that if we fuck this up and they all die, Shade still won¡¯t get all of the Rokres leaders, right?¡±


    In the silence that followed, Conrad could sense that Liask was passing him a disapproving stare. Before either of them could continue the conversation, however, Chief Kores began to speak.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Kon¨¦ Dodre,¡± she called out.


    ¡°Present to uphold the will of Okre, and the will of Rokres!¡± Dodre declared.


    ¡°Kon¨¦ Misa.¡±


    ¡°Present to uphold the will of Tardre, and the will of Rokres,¡± replied the woman with dreadlocks.


    ¡°Kon¨¦ Garkam.¡±


    ¡°Present to uphold the will of Uldres, and the will of Rokres,¡± remarked the bald, stout man.


    ¡°And I, Chief Kores, present to uphold the will of Rokres,¡± Kores finished, sagely bowing her head as she did. ¡°This meeting of the Ah Kon¨¦s will now commence.¡±


    ¡°Ah Kon¨¦s?¡± Conrad questioned to Liask.


    ¡°I dunno, first I¡¯ve heard that¡­¡± Liask replied. ¡°Maybe these are the most important Kon¨¦s, or somethin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to keep a look-out, then. Seen any signs of Shade, yet?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not drag this meetin¡¯ on any longer than we need to,¡± Garkam loudly declared, cutting short Conrad and Liask¡¯s conversation as he looked between the other three sitting at the table. ¡°We all know why we¡¯re here. This is about those damn outsiders, innit?¡±


    ¡°The Stealth & Force Corps, I believe they called themselves,¡± Misa responded, her tone low.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll all recall, their offer was to bolster our defenses, in exchange for land,¡± Dodre stated. ¡°Note that they never detailed what land they wanted. I think there are many ways to make this deal in favor of the Rokres people.¡±


    ¡°You still speak in favor of the outsiders?¡± Kores retorted with a scowl. ¡°Even after they attacked you just earlier today?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Garkam and Misa both turned to look at Dodre.


    ¡°Outsiders? In Fort Rokres?!¡± Garkam exclaimed, ¡°what the hell happened?!¡±


    ¡°Two days ago, we caught a handful of Chaotics attemptin¡¯ to sneak their way into the town,¡± Kores explained. ¡°They were jailed. The next day, we found their fourth ¡ª an outsider claimin¡¯ to be a Bleeder. She was jailed, as well, after tryin¡¯ and failin¡¯ to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Why is this the first we¡¯ve heard of this?¡± Misa questioned.


    ¡°The threat was contained. Until this mornin¡¯.¡± The Chief passed Dodre a glance. ¡°Dodre, you explain.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dodre scowled. ¡°¡­I was goin¡¯ with the jailer to speak with the outsiders. To see if I could learn anythin¡¯, or if everythin¡¯ might¡¯ve been a misunderstandin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°The outsider tried to kill me,¡± Kores declared.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Dodre snapped, ¡°¡­when we got to the jail, the jailer said the door was already unlocked. But then, before we could check it out, we were attacked. I don¡¯t remember anythin¡¯ after that¡­¡±


    ¡°Because you went down in one blow, like the spineless fool that you are,¡± Kores retorted before turning to address Garkam and Misa. ¡°The ¡®jailer¡¯ ¡ª Olres ¡ª told me that it was the Wanderer who attacked him, and broke the other outsiders out of jail.¡±


    ¡°The Wanderer?¡± Misa echoed incredulously. ¡°On the side of the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen to the Chief?¡± Garkam replied. ¡°She said the outsider claimed to be a Bleeder. And if the Wanderer¡¯s with ¡®em, then I¡¯d bet they actually aren¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°The Wanderer¡­¡± Conrad muttered, ¡°that¡¯s Relia, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Liask answered. ¡°She¡¯s known all around Tres¨¦d for fightin¡¯ the Bleeders. I guess even Rokres knows her for that, too¡­¡±


    ¡°There still must be some explanation, or misunderstandin¡¯,¡± Dodre insisted, completely unaware of the muted exchange between the two invisible Chaotics. ¡°Why would the Wanderer attack us? She¡¯s helped us before.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe the Compounds have finally grown some balls and are lookin¡¯ to try takin¡¯ over Rokres!¡± Garkam countered. ¡°Always said it was only a matter of time!¡±


    ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no secret that Compound Tresnon has been expandin¡¯ their reach over the past couple decades,¡± Misa pointed out. ¡°With the kind of questionable decisions the Sentry and the Ghost of Light have been makin¡¯, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Compounds turned on us, soon.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Kores declared, ¡°this is a growin¡¯ risk that we need to address sooner, rather than later.¡±


    ¡°I still think this is an absurd claim ¡ª we should be worryin¡¯ about the Bleeders, not the Compounds!¡± Dodre retorted. ¡°But either way, you¡¯ve admitted it yourself ¡ª there¡¯s a growin¡¯ risk to Rokres. So why not take up the SFC on their deal? With their help, we¡¯d crush any who oppose us!¡±


    ¡°And grow dependent on outsiders in the process,¡± Kores growled.


    ¡°I hold no fondness for outsiders, either, but Dodre has a point,¡± Garkam asserted. ¡°Those SFC have amazin¡¯ tech on ¡®em. Worst case scenario, we make a deal with ¡®em, let ¡®em in to guard our cities, and then we just take their stuff and kick ¡®em out! Bah ha ha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡± Misa replied. ¡°We¡¯ve done well on our own, so far. We could use more tools and weapons, for sure, but I think we need a better idea of what¡¯s threatenin¡¯ Rokres before we make a deal¡­¡±


    ¡°What?! You and your damn wishy-washy ¡®let¡¯s wait and see¡¯ attitude will be the doom of us! Rokres didn¡¯t get where it is today by bein¡¯ passive! Why, my father himself¡­!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sounds like they don¡¯t agree on much,¡± Conrad deadpanned as Kores and the three Kon¨¦s launched into a heated argument.


    ¡°I¡¯d heard somethin¡¯ like that, but I didn¡¯t think the disagreements would be so heavy,¡± Liask replied quietly. ¡°Still¡­ Relia¡¯s right. Three of ¡®em think Shade¡¯s with us, with Compound Tresnon. That¡¯s a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re thinking about making a deal with the SFC, too¡­¡± Conrad mused. ¡°What does the SFC even want in Tres¨¦d¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but don¡¯t forget the original reason for us bein¡¯ here,¡± Liask responded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any signs of Shade, yet. Have you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Conrad said, his gaze sweeping across the room. Aside from the four Rokresian leaders, the room appeared much the same as when Conrad and Liask had first entered. The empty chairs were undisturbed, and the sturdy wood table stood exactly as it was, with nothing under it, save for a small metal box attached to the middle of its underside. ¡°¡­Wait!¡± Conrad¡¯s attention fixated on the small box. ¡°That box¡­ was that there, before?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Attached to the bottom of the table, in the middle. Do you see it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ huh, yeah, I think so. I¡­ don¡¯t remember if it was there, before. I don¡¯t think it was¡­¡±


    ¡°You think Shade planted it while we weren¡¯t looking? Which would mean she¡¯s in here, with us¡­¡±


    ¡°We expected that part. But if that box is Shade¡¯s tech, then it could be a bomb, or somethin¡¯. We need to deal with it. Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Careful¡­!¡± Conrad muttered, dropping his voice to a barely audible whisper as Liask slowly moved toward the table, carefully maneuvering herself between two empty chairs to crawl under the table ¡ª all while keeping her hand linked with Conrad. Due to the size of the table as well as needing to maintain physical proximity to Liask, Conrad found himself getting dragged right up to the chairs; while the two directly adjacent to him were empty, Dodre occupied the next seat over to the right, and Misa sat in the next one over to the left. While both Kon¨¦s were occupied by the discussion at hand, they were still less than a meter away from Conrad, and he couldn¡¯t help but stiffly and uneasily watch them while focusing intently on muting any sounds Liask might accidentally generate.


    ¡°¡­Got it!¡± Liask whispered as she grabbed the metal box and yanked it off of the table. Conrad could sense her beginning to back out, so he backed away from the chairs himself, his breath caught in his throat as he anxiously awaited Liask to join him. As she was invisible, he had no way of seeing what position she was in, after all ¡ª as a precautionary measure, he increased the size of his muting envelope to include the two chairs Liask had crawled between, just in case she accidentally hit one of them.


    Several seconds passed in this tense state, with Conrad too highly focused on Liask to register anything the Kon¨¦s were saying. Eventually, Liask spoke up once more. ¡°¡­Alright,¡± she muttered, her voice coming from the side of Conrad ¡ª away from the table. He rapidly backed up to the wall again as she continued, ¡°so¡­ I have the box, it¡¯s in my hands. But, uh¡­ I can¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯m making us invisible¡­¡± Conrad responded uneasily.


    ¡°I know, but if I can¡¯t see it, then I can¡¯t tell what it is. I dunno what it is.¡±


    ¡°Why not just¡­ crush it? You¡¯re super strong, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but if it¡¯s a bomb, won¡¯t that just set it off?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the kind of bomb, I think¡­¡± Conrad mused.


    ¡°You think?¡± Liask responded incredulously, ¡°this isn¡¯t a risk we can take, then¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Everyone, quiet.¡±


    Conrad and Liask immediately froze in place in response to Chief Kores¡¯s command. Garkam and Dodre both made to argue, but Kores preempted them by standing from her seat, her gaze sweeping across the room, as if looking for something.


    ¡°¡­Did she hear us?!¡± Liask questioned with a whisper.


    ¡°I¡ª she shouldn¡¯t have¡ª!¡± Conrad responded, only to be cut off again by Kores.


    ¡°¡­Can you three hear that?¡± the Chief asked.


    Dodre, Garkam, and Misa all exchanged confused looks before Garkam remarked, ¡°uh¡­ hear what?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Kores eyed Garkam warily. ¡°It¡¯s quiet in here¡­ too quiet.¡±


    ¡°¡­I think the Chief is on to somethin¡¯,¡± Misa said as she began looking around the room. ¡°Garkam¡¯s voice usually echoes a ton in this room.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that loud!¡± Garkam retorted, almost shouting.


    ¡°I did think you were bein¡¯ a little quieter than usual, today¡­¡± Dodre muttered. ¡°But what does this mean¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s watchin¡¯ us,¡± Kores declared. ¡°Remember, one of the outsiders was a Visitechnic and an Audiotechnic. They could be here right now¡­ outsiders, if you can hear us, show yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Ah, shit, shit¡­!¡± Conrad muttered in a panic as the three Kon¨¦s stood up from their seats, while Chief Kores began slowly walking around the room, investigating every empty space.


    ¡°Your sound-mutin¡¯ is too effective!¡± Liask hissed as the duo began moving around the room, giving a wide berth to Dodre as they passed him. ¡°You needa stop doin¡¯ that!¡±


    ¡°And what if we accidentally make a sound and give ourselves away?!¡±


    ¡°We already have!¡± Liask retorted. ¡°We needa get them to drop suspicion!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­!¡± Conrad scowled in frustration, watching as Kores continued to slowly inspect the room ¡ª and Misa joined her. ¡°Shit¡­ fine! I¡¯ll stop the muting¡ª!¡±


    ¡°My, you really are a novice, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡ª?¡± Conrad spluttered, surprised to hear a new female voice beside him ¡ª just as he stumbled into an object that he couldn¡¯t see. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but look at the air in front of him in confusion, but a second later, he realized what had just happened¡­ just in time to take a sudden blow to his face. ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± he yelped in pain as he tumbled back under the force of the blow.


    ¡°What? Conrad?!¡± Liask questioned as she felt Conrad¡¯s position change via their linked hands. ¡°What happened¡ª?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Shade¡ª!¡± Conrad retorted, just as the chair next to Garkam seemed to begin levitating.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Garkam exclaimed upon noticing the chair ¡ª only to then crumple to the ground as the chair crashed down on his head.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Chief Kores snarled as she turned toward where Garkam had just been standing. ¡°Outsider! Show yourself!¡±


    Entirely by coincidence, right as the words left Kores¡¯s mouth, Liask appeared at the side of the room ¡ª having just let go of Conrad in order to lunge over the table at the invisible individual still holding the wooden chair. As soon as Liask appeared, all of the Rokresians turned to look at her, but she ignored their gazes as she made a swipe at the air in an attempt to grab Shade ¡ª but the invisible Bleeder dropped the chair as soon as she spotted Liask, leaving her position unknown.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re one of the outsiders that was jailed!¡± Dodre exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°What are you doin¡¯ here?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ real sorry about this!¡± Liask replied as she desperately began waving her arms through the air around her. ¡°But there¡¯s an assassin here! She wants to kill y¡¯all!¡±


    ¡°How convenient, that you would come up with this excuse after we detected your presence,¡± Kores retorted.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not an excuse! I¡¯m bein¡¯ serious¡­!¡±


    While Liask attempted simultaneously to fend off the Kon¨¦s and locate Shade, Conrad slowly crept his way around the table, maintaining his invisibility the entire time. Silently, he summoned his glaive out of thin air and began using it to check the area in front of him for invisible objects. Shade shouldn¡¯t know that I have this thing, he thought to himself, so there¡¯s no way she can plan around it, right? I just need to find her¡ª!


    In the middle of his thoughts, he felt the pole of his glaive collide with something that didn¡¯t seem to be there. Immediately, he lunged forward in an effort to tackle whatever it was, only to be kicked away again. As he staggered back, he tightly gripped his glaive and attempted to keep the blade end out in front of him, in the hopes of preventing Shade from attacking him again ¡ª but instead, a lone hand appeared in the air next to Misa, as if disembodied, while a small opening appeared on its palm.


    As soon as he spotted the hand, Conrad thrust his glaive toward it. He had never used his glaive ¡ª or any polearm ¡ª before, let alone in a combat situation, and he couldn¡¯t see exactly where his weapon was, either; he was keeping it invisible, after all. So he had no real idea if his awkward thrust was on the mark¡­ until he felt the blade rebound off of some solid object, and the disembodied hand shift to the side just as it fired a small flame, barely missing Misa¡¯s head. Instantly, Liask lunged toward the hand¡¯s location; it soon winked out of existence, but Conrad quickly thrust his glaive again, once more hitting and staggering the invisible individual before dismissing his weapon to prevent himself from accidentally stabbing Liask. The Forcetechnic, for her part, simply bowled into the wall, completely unaware of the brief struggle Conrad had just had ¡ª but as Liask recovered from her charge, a triumphant grin appeared on her face. ¡°I have her¡ª!¡±


    Just as soon as Liask began to speak, an entire disembodied arm appeared in her hand ¡ª with sparks flying out of the detached shoulder. Parts of the arm¡¯s skin peeled off to reveal bare metal and plastic as the arm fell limply in Liask¡¯s hands, no longer attached to any body.


    ¡°What¡ª what¡¯s goin¡¯ on?!¡± Dodre exclaimed in confusion as he stared at Liask and the arm now in her hand. ¡°What¡ª why are you holdin¡¯ an arm?!¡±


    ¡°Who even are you?¡± Misa questioned as she made space between herself and Liask.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Liask insisted, reaching out with her free hand to try and grab Misa. ¡°The Bleeder is still here, be careful¡ª!¡±


    Liask was once again interrupted, but this time, by a loud BANG as the arm in her hands detonated. The explosion launched her through the wall behind her, where she smashed through the stone and began to fall to the ground outside. A cacophony of crumbling stone filled the room; Conrad himself stumbled backwards from the explosion, as did Kores, who had been approaching Liask. While they were sent tumbling back, however, neither Conrad nor Kores seemed too injured by the blast; Liask seemed to have borne the brunt of it, but she was no longer in the room, having been launched out if it.


    Conrad quickly stumbled back to his feet and rushed over to the hole in the wall that Liask and the explosion had created, his glaive out once again to try and catch Shade¡­ but when he reached the damaged wall, there was nothing for him to find.


    ¡°Chaos Negation!¡±


    Conrad¡¯s invisibility immediately wore off, prompting him to turn toward the center of the room, where Relia was now standing on the table. He quickly surveyed the room, hoping to see any sign of Shade, but all he saw was himself, Relia, and the four Rokresians.


    ¡°¡­Wanderer,¡± Chief Kores growled, glaring at Relia as Dodre and Misa moved to carry Garkam¡¯s unconscious ¡ª though recovering ¡ª form out of the meeting room. ¡°It would figure that you¡¯re involved in all of this!¡±


    ¡°If Rokres was sane with their security and judicial systems, then I wouldn¡¯t have to be,¡± Relia retorted, and then snapped her attention to Conrad. ¡°Did you get Shade?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Conrad muttered. ¡°If she¡¯s not here, then¡­ she¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that act will fool me,¡± Kores declared. ¡°I know the ways of outsiders. This plot of yours is a ploy to try and make me trust you, since you can claim that you stopped an assassin. But I see through you.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Conrad responded incredulously.


    The Chief eyed him with utter disdain before turning back to Relia. ¡°And you have a dirt-speaking outsider with you, too. Olres was right. Who¡¯s your companion, and what do you intend with Rokres?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t ¡®intend¡¯ anything,¡± Relia retorted. ¡°Listen, Chief ¡ª well, I know you won¡¯t, but I¡¯ll say it anyways. The Bleeders are the ones behind this. It was a Bleeder who just tried to kill you, and it was this ¡®dirt-speaking outsider¡¯ who just tried to save your life!¡±


    ¡°While eavesdroppin¡¯ on our meetin¡¯, too?¡± Kores snorted. ¡°How convenient.¡±


    Relia sighed in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m bein¡¯ serious. The threat isn¡¯t gone. The Bleeder is still out there, still invisible!¡±


    ¡°Wanderer¡­?¡±


    Relia, Kores, and Conrad all turned toward the room¡¯s lone door, through which Dodre had just re-entered. He eyed Relia and Conrad uneasily. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing here?¡± he questioned. ¡°I thought¡­? Even after all Rokres has done for you, you¡¯d turn on us? That easily?¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­ you aren¡¯t listenin¡¯! You Rokres Kon¨¦s never listen!¡± Relia snapped. ¡°There¡¯s been no betrayal, here ¡ª just me tryin¡¯ to save y¡¯all from your own pride!¡±


    ¡°You could easily have just warned us,¡± Kores argued.


    ¡°I tried,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°Ask your dumb oaf of a jailkeeper!¡±


    ¡°That much is true¡­¡± Dodre muttered.


    ¡°Utter nonsense,¡± Kores declared. ¡°If Olres rejected your warnin¡¯, then it was clearly flawed. And you chose to follow that warnin¡¯ by attackin¡¯ him, and breaking into our jail¡­ Rokres won¡¯t forget this, Wanderer. The Compounds¡¯ plots against us have been foiled, and by your own incompetence, at that! Pah! You couldn¡¯t succeed in killin¡¯ even one of us!¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known it would turn out like this¡­¡± Relia muttered to herself. ¡°¡­Chaos¡­ Teleport.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can escape us so easily!¡± Kores shouted, watching as Relia teleported to Conrad¡¯s side and grabbed his arm. ¡°You¡¯re no longer welcome in Rokres, Wanderer! And tell all your outsider friends that Rokres will not take this grave offense laying down!¡±


    Relia responded only with a frustrated glare before muttering once more, ¡°Chaos Teleport.¡±


    Instantly, Conrad¡¯s surroundings switched from the gray stone of the smoking meeting room to the grassy flatlands just outside of the walls of Fort Rokres. Before he could say anything, Relia had teleported away again ¡ª and then teleported Liask, Pierce, and Obra to Conrad¡¯s side, one-by-one.


    ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Obra yelped in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah, what the hell?!¡± Pierce exclaimed, turning to look at Conrad and Liask in confusion. ¡°What was that explosion? Was anyone hurt? Did we get Shade?!¡±


    Conrad and Liask exchanged wary glances. Conrad then released a resigned sigh as he casually sat down on the ground while Liask said, ¡°that explosion was¡­ uh, I think it was Shade¡¯s arm¡­¡±


    ¡°Her arm blew up? What?!¡± Obra responded incredulously.


    ¡°If it was a prosthetic, then it totally could¡¯ve had some kind of self-destruct, or suicide-bomb, or something¡­¡± Pierce mused. ¡°Does this mean she¡¯s dead, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think so,¡± Liask admitted. ¡°She¡­ I was able to grab her by her arm, but I think she detached it from her shoulder before it exploded¡­¡±


    ¡°And she wasn¡¯t left in the room when Relia showed up,¡± Conrad stated flatly. ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a body. I think she escaped through the hole the explosion created¡­¡±


    ¡°Then she could still be alive?¡± Obra questioned, ¡°she¡¯s still in there?! Then what are we doin¡¯? Are we gonna let this Bleeder bitch pull this off?!¡±


    ¡°She already has.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Pierce, Obra, Liask, and Conrad all turned to look at Relia, who herself was staring up at the castle towers in the middle of Fort Rokres. From their position outside the walls, they could just barely see the hole in the top of one of the towers created by Shade¡¯s exploding arm.


    ¡°Just think about it,¡± Relia said, glancing first at Obra and then the rest. ¡°Even if her plan really was originally to kill Chief Kores and the other Kon¨¦s¡­ what she has now is even better. Rokres¡¯s leadership is convinced that the ¡®Compounds¡¯ attacked them, not the Bleeders. And since Rokres sees Compound Tresnon as the ¡®leader¡¯ of the Compounds, even though it isn¡¯t, well¡­ the Bleeders just made things a lot more difficult for Tresnon. Damn¡­ she really played us.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Pierce swore, and then turned to look at Conrad and Liask. ¡°What the fuck happened in there?!¡±


    ¡°We failed¡­¡± Conrad remarked, laying down on the ground to look up at the billowing clouds above. ¡°That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯ve made an enemy of Rokres? Seriously¡­?!¡± Obra glared irately at Pierce. ¡°This is all your fault! If you hadn¡¯t suggested we come here, then¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Like you¡¯re any less at fault!¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°You came along with us, you didn¡¯t even try to stop us! This is as much your fault as mine!¡±


    ¡°We can figure out ¡®fault¡¯ later,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°The Rokresians have always been absurdly stubborn, anyways. I¡¯m not convinced any of us even needed to be here for the Bleeders to convince Rokres that the Compounds are against them. But either way¡­¡± She looked to her left, where one of the fort¡¯s gates was opening. ¡°¡­We need to get out of here, now.¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Pierce scowled as Relia grabbed Obra and teleported away. ¡°Shit¡­ what do we do now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Beats me, man¡­¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°The Bleeders¡­ are a lot more effective than I thought¡­¡± Liask lamented.


    ¡°Hmph. You don¡¯t say,¡± Pierce muttered, only to then fall silent as the three contemplated the day¡¯s events¡­ and just what they could mean for the future of the Compounds of Tres¨¦d.

 V2 - Arc 2: A New Term - Chapter 13: Outsiders Declarations

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 2 ¡ª A NEW TERM


    <hr>


    Chapter 13: Outsiders'' Declarations


    4 Days Later


    ¡ª Sundia, Colyath 1, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Aw, man¡­ back in class, again¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m with you, man¡­¡± Conrad groaned, his head on his desk as he looked over at Austin. ¡°It¡¯s been a whole month since we last had an actual class. I just wanna sleep¡­¡±


    Twy passed the two an amused glance before shaking her head. ¡°Honestly. Y¡¯all are such slackers¡­¡±


    ¡°We had a few classes the week before the break, anyways,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been an entire month.¡±


    ¡°We had a few, sure, but it was still a light load,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Most of the other students were studying or taking their finals that week, so the Deans were busy.¡±


    ¡°And the week before that, we were on Sikalia!¡± Sky exclaimed; notably, the cast she had sported the previous week was now gone, and she moved her body as though she had never been injured in the first place. ¡°That really was a month ago, though, huh? Wow, time sure flies!¡±


    ¡°Given everythin¡¯ that¡¯s happened in that month, it feels like it¡¯s been a lot longer¡­¡± Spike muttered groggily.


    ¡°Yeah, if you think about it, we¡¯ve been on Nimalia for barely two months,¡± Austin remarked. ¡°What the hell, why did things get so busy¡­?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s hoping everything calms down,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    Pierce passed Conrad an uneasy glance, but before he could say anything, Kaon¨¦ finally entered the WCU classroom. She looked over each of the Earthians present ¡ª Austin, Spike, Sky, Twy, Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel ¡ª before stepping up to the teaching desk at the front of the room. ¡°I see that everyone¡¯s here. Good!¡± she said, beaming a welcoming smile all the while. ¡°How was everyone¡¯s break? Uh¡ª aside from the, you know¡­ the attack, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about you,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come back early to clean up the mess? If I were you, I¡¯d be complaining that my vacation was cut short.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t deny that it was, shall we say¡­ disappointing,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded with an uneasy laugh. ¡°I do miss my husband, and my children¡­ but I travel for business a lot, anyways. The situation with you, the ¡®Keys¡¯, is exceptional, besides. As are the circumstances with the Bleeders here in Tres¨¦d¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on, you¡¯re leaving your family behind to teach us?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Like I said, the circumstances here are exceptional,¡± Kaon¨¦ reiterated. ¡°And I don¡¯t mean to spend all of today talking about myself, either. What about the rest of you ¡ª how did you spend your time, last week? I understand you were encouraged to travel?¡±


    ¡°Encouraged to, sure, but not all of us did,¡± Spike said with a smirk as he shot Austin a glance.


    ¡°Hey, I got permission from Uncle Luke to stay behind,¡± Austin shot back. ¡°I thought it was great, personally. Haven¡¯t had a full week all to myself in ages!¡±


    ¡°Well, at least Spike and I went to see the sights of Nimaliaka,¡± Sky declared. ¡°The peaks there are beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you went to see the Nimal Mountains? I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Did you go see Mount Liask, or just the mountains near to Nimaliaka Central?¡±


    ¡°¡®Liask¡¯¡­?¡± Pierce interjected in confusion.


    ¡°Yes. Mount Liask is the tallest mountain on the planet. The sights you can see from the top of it are breathtaking¡­ Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t see that peak, though,¡± Spike said. ¡°Given that Sky here was injured, I thought it¡¯d be best to stick near to the city.¡±


    ¡°Still a pretty good view, though!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°You went hiking in that cast?¡± Twy questioned, and then sighed in resignation. ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. I just visited L¨¦dia, though, with Phoenix and Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard from Rebehka that the three of you talked to her¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded.


    ¡°Then you know what she told us, I assume? Is it all really true?¡±


    The Dean nodded solemnly. ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult to believe, but yes, it¡¯s all true.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Austin passed Twy a clueless look. ¡°What¡¯d she tell you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later¡­¡± Twy replied. ¡°But aside from that¡­ I just spent my time in L¨¦dia at the parks, painting. It¡¯s actually pretty peaceful, out there.¡±


    Kestrel nodded in affirmation. ¡°Good views¡­ and paintings.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not supposed to look at them until I¡¯m finished,¡± Twy quickly responded, her face flushing red in embarrassment.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s sis, for ya!¡± Sky remarked with a grin.


    ¡°So you spent the time hangin¡¯ out with Twy, then?¡± Conrad questioned, turning to look at Kestrel; she responded only with a curt nod. With that, Conrad glanced toward Phoenix. ¡°What were you doing, then¡ª? Wait¡­ let me guess. Something to do with you and Pierce¡¯s stupid contest, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­¡± Pierce muttered with a scowl.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go to L¨¦dia for the contest, I went because I wanted to speak to Rebehka ¡ª enjoying the sights and the people was secondary,¡± Phoenix declared, only to pass Pierce a smug look. ¡°But I did enjoy myself, I can tell you that much. What about you, Pierce? I heard you didn¡¯t even leave Tres¨¦d. Have any luck?¡±


    ¡°We had shit luck,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°You were with him, too?¡± Austin asked, and then looked between Pierce and Conrad in confusion. ¡°Wait¡­ y¡¯all didn¡¯t leave Tres¨¦d? But I never saw either of you at the dorms¡­ where¡¯d you go?¡±


    ¡°¡­Where we went doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Pierce responded.


    ¡°Except for the part where it really kinda does,¡± Conrad added.


    ¡°Is this something we should be concerned about¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned uneasily.


    ¡°¡­Relia should¡¯ve talked to Dav¨ªdrius about it already,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound ominous at all¡­¡± Austin said.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve already talked to Dav¨ªdrius, then I suppose there isn¡¯t much more to it¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ commented. ¡°I just hope you¡¯re being careful.¡±


    Pierce and Conrad exchanged a blank look before both looked away, neither making eye-contact with Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°¡­Alright, then,¡± the Dean continued, carefully eying the both of them before clapping her hands and smiling at the rest of the class. ¡°With that out of the way, I¡¯d like to conclude today¡¯s introduction by wishing you all a happy new year! After all, I understand it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Day, on the Earth calendar.¡±


    ¡°What? Today¡¯s New Year¡¯s?!¡± Sky exclaimed incredulously, ¡°what¡ª what?! Where¡¯d the time go?!¡±


    ¡°Aw, we missed Christmas¡­?¡± Austin groaned. ¡°Just how long have we been gone¡­?¡±


    ¡°Since October 24th,¡± Kestrel replied.


    Austin passed her a brief glance. ¡°Uh¡­ thanks.¡±


    ¡°I wondered if you all might¡¯ve been losing track of the Earth calendar,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked with an amused smile. ¡°I thought I¡¯d take today to remind you. It seemed especially appropriate given that today is the start of the fall¡ª well, spring term, for Tres¨¦d. Today, you begin your classes here at WCU in earnest!¡±


    ¡°Our classes before weren¡¯t ¡®in earnest¡¯?¡± Conrad questioned flatly.


    ¡°Well, no. You came to WCU over a month into the previous term, and you were new Chaotics, at that. We spent most of the time getting you up to speed with the basics. But now¡­ ah, do any of you have AR implants?¡±


    ¡°We have the RTV translation implants,¡± Twy answered, ¡°but no AR, I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much. Still, it¡¯s good that you have the RTV implants ¡ª because I don¡¯t know your Earthian language, ha ha!¡± Kaon¨¦ smiled and then gestured with her left hand. ¡°Anyways, for this term¡¯s materials¡­¡±


    ¡°¡ªWhoa! What the¡­?!¡± Austin exclaimed in surprise as several thick books appeared, as if out of thin air, atop his desk ¡ª as well as the desks of everyone else.


    ¡°What¡¯re these¡­¡± Pierce muttered as he grabbed one of the books and began flipping through it. ¡°Wait¡­ this is a physics textbook!¡±


    ¡°Chem, bio, math, history¡­ creative arts¡­ aw, man¡­¡± Conrad groaned.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡± Sky remarked incredulously, ¡°why¡¯re we learning normal stuff? I thought we were here for a Chaotic education?!¡±


    ¡°What, did you think that all Schools of Chaos students spend every hour of every day training their abilities?¡± Kaon¨¦ shook her head. ¡°Training is certainly a big part of our curriculum, but the Schools of Chaos are colleges. A general education is important! Much of what you learn in ¡®normal¡¯ classes can be applied to Chaotic abilities, anyways. And now that a new term is starting ¡ª and also given the fact that you all were college students on Earth, if I heard correctly ¡ª I figured that now would be a good time to transition you all to the normal curriculum!¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d never have to deal with this shit, again¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s right, though,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°Most Chaotic abilities can influence physical forces, or could benefit from knowing some chem or bio ¡ª or materials science, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree!¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked, and then fabricated another textbook into her own hands that mirrored one of the books on the Keys¡¯ desks. ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have all day, so let¡¯s begin today¡¯s class. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll start with something light.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Light¡¯ for you is still some real complicated shit.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked as the Tres¨¦dian Dean stepped into the classroom. She then passed him an amused smirk. ¡°Surely you aren¡¯t just mad that some of your students are better than you at the sciences?¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Shut up. I get other folks to teach that shit for a reason,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled, his gaze sweeping across the room before coming to rest on Pierce and Conrad.


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Conrad muttered under his breath.


    ¡°You¡­ need something?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°I need more than ¡®somethin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted as he gestured for the two to follow him. ¡°C¡¯mon, you two. We needa talk.¡±


    ¡°Is this urgent?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned, ¡°I¡¯d rather not interrupt the first day of class¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯d rather not, either,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied, only to release a frustrated sigh. ¡°¡­But yeah. This is urgent.¡±


    ¡°Pierce, just what the hell did you do last week?¡± Phoenix admonished as Pierce and Conrad both stood up to move toward the classroom¡¯s exit.


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Pierce snapped.


    ¡°If only things actually turn out that way,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted and then turned to leave the classroom, with Pierce and Conrad in tow. ¡°Hopefully, this won¡¯t take long,¡± he shouted over his shoulder to Kaon¨¦, ¡°go ahead with the class! And as for the two of you¡­¡± Once outside of the classroom, and the door shut, Dav¨ªdrius eyed the two Earthians. ¡°¡­We just got a Rokres ¡®delegation¡¯ at the Compound gates. Y¡¯all happen to know anythin¡¯ about that?¡±


    Pierce and Conrad exchanged an uneasy look.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s what I figured.¡± Dav¨ªdrius shook his head and continued walking once more. ¡°I¡¯d heard somethin¡¯ from Relia, but I get the impression she left a few things out. Once we get your two friends¡­ we¡¯re gettin¡¯ to the bottom of this.¡±


    <hr>


    15 Minutes Later


    ¡°¡­You fuckin¡¯ idiots.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, Dav¨ªdrius!¡± Selind remarked as she elbowed the Dean in his side, ¡°this sounds like exactly the kinda shit you would¡¯ve gotten into when you were their age!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius passed her an annoyed scowl before turning back to face Pierce, Conrad, Liask, and Obra. The six were currently standing in Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s office at WCU, with the Dean and Selind standing behind his desk while the four students stood across from him. They had just finished relaying the events of their stint in Fort Rokres, including the reaction of Chief Kores just before they left¡­ and upon hearing the story, Dav¨ªdrius appeared less than pleased.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡± he grumbled in disbelief. ¡°Relia told me the key details, but I didn¡¯t think shit was that bad¡­ just what the hell were y¡¯all thinkin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°We saved their lives, you know,¡± Pierce countered irately. ¡°Just because they aren¡¯t grateful for that doesn¡¯t change anything!¡±


    ¡°We just wanted to find a lead on where the Bleeders took Minilas, anyways,¡± Obra insisted. ¡°She¡¯s our friend, you know! Do you expect us to sit around and do nothin¡¯?!¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius released a frustrated sigh as he massaged his brow. ¡°Look¡­ I get it. You¡¯re frustrated the Bleeders got one on you. Trust me, I know how that feels.¡± He then moved his hand to look at the students again. ¡°But that don¡¯t change the fact that what you did in Rokres is beyond foolish.¡±


    ¡°Cut them some slack,¡± Selind said. ¡°You know you would¡¯ve done the same, in their shoes. Hell, you practically did!¡±


    ¡°Just ¡®cause I was an idiot when I was younger doesn¡¯t mean I should let the idiots of today go unchallenged,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s like no one¡¯s paying attention to the part where we saved people¡¯s lives!¡± Pierce exclaimed. ¡°Does that really not count for anything?!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t even in the room,¡± Obra countered.


    ¡°Neither were you,¡± Pierce shot back, ¡°but we were still there, ready to help!¡±


    ¡°Alright, cut it out,¡± Dav¨ªdrius demanded. ¡°Look. I appreciate the way y¡¯all felt, or are feelin¡¯. I get that you want to find your friend, rescue her from the Bleeders. I really do. But that don¡¯t change the fact that you left the Compound without permission mere days after a Bleeder assault, and then tried to sneak into Fort Rokres! The place that¡¯s most hostile to outsiders out of all of Tres¨¦d! Why the hell did you think that Rokres would know anythin¡¯ about the Bleeders, anyways?!¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Pierce questioned as Conrad, Liask, and Obra all turned to stare at him. ¡°C¡¯mon, you guys were the ones who said that Rokres was ¡®more advanced¡¯ than the rest of Tres¨¦d! And Minilas is supposed to be from there, too, right? In the absence of any other leads, Rokres seemed like a pretty good place to start.¡±


    ¡°You dumbasses¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered while shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°If you wanted to help, you should¡¯ve just come to the fuckin¡¯ Defense Force!¡±


    The four students responded with uneasy silence.


    ¡°¡­You know, that makes a lot of sense,¡± Conrad eventually said.


    ¡°Sorry we didn¡¯t think of that¡­¡± Liask apologized sheepishly.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fuckin¡¯¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed again, this time of exasperation. ¡°¡­I can overlook some level of stupidity, but when you¡¯re bringing fuckin¡¯ Ah Kon¨¦s of Rokres to my desk, I just can¡¯t ignore it. Liask, Obra¡­ we¡¯ll be talkin¡¯ about what you did more this afternoon. And you Earthians, I¡¯ll be mentionin¡¯ this to Luke. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take whatever punishments he deems necessary.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair,¡± Obra complained.


    ¡°Life ain¡¯t fair,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°By most accounts, I¡¯m goin¡¯ fuckin¡¯ light on y¡¯all. I have an Ah Kon¨¦ in this Compound right now, claiming that ¡®agents of Compound Tresnon¡¯ plotted a fuckin¡¯ assassination!¡±


    ¡°You know we didn¡¯t do that!¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Y¡¯all are dumb, but you sure ain¡¯t that dumb. The fact still is, though, that Rokres thinks you are. And that¡¯s a damn pain-in-the-ass to deal with.¡±


    ¡°To be perfectly honest, I doubt whether the kids were there or not would change that,¡± Selind declared. ¡°You know Rokres as well as I do, Dav¨ªdrius, and they¡¯ve always been distrustful of us. If that Bleeder, Shade, already had plans in Fort Rokres¡­ then I¡¯d be willin¡¯ to bet that if the kids or Relia hadn¡¯t been there, then Rokres¡¯s Chief and Ah Kon¨¦s would actually be dead, and they¡¯d still be blamin¡¯ us for it.¡±


    ¡°What is an ¡®Ah Kon¨¦¡¯?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°Sounds kinda like ¡®Archon¨¦¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably connected,¡± Selind replied. ¡°It¡¯s the same kind of bloodline leadership role. I bet Ah Kon¨¦ is just a corrupted-over-time version of Archon¨¦¡­ the lesser Kon¨¦s over there are Ro Kon¨¦s instead, though, and I dunno where the ¡®Ro¡¯ comes from.¡±


    ¡°Titles aside,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected, ¡°¡­you do got a point, Selind, about Shade¡¯s plans in Rokres. That fuckin¡¯ invisible bitch¡­ if I ever lay eyes on her, she¡¯s done for.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s invisible, then you can¡¯t lay your eyes on her, now can you?¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up. More importantly, this whole thing is a result of Bleeder meddlin¡¯, again¡­ how the hell did they know when Rokres would be havin¡¯ a Kon¨¦ Summit? Even we barely know when those things happen.¡±


    ¡°So you acknowledge that the Bleeders are the real culprits, here?¡± Pierce challenged, ¡°and still, you want to punish us?¡±


    ¡°Have you been listenin¡¯?¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, ¡°your punishment is for leavin¡¯ the Compound without permission and then tryin¡¯ to sneak into Fort Rokres. None of that has anythin¡¯ to do with the Bleeders. What comes after that, though¡­ damn. I trust Relia, and as dumb as you four are, I can at least tell your intentions were in the right place¡­ but I doubt Rokres will believe any of that. Especially if they refuse to believe that Shade is a Bleeder, or that the Bleeders have any advanced tech at all¡­ Fucking Bleeders¡­¡±


    The room fell into silence again, with Dav¨ªdrius massaging his brow once more as Pierce, Conrad, Liask, and Obra exchanged uneasy glances. Selind stood off to the side, an exasperated look on her face as she looked between Dav¨ªdrius and the students; she then opened her mouth to speak, only for the door to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s office to slam open, revealing two individuals: a bald, short man with a stout frame and light complexion, accompanied by a slightly taller light-skinned woman with dark hair.


    ¡°Garkam¡ª?¡± Selind questioned in surprise as she eyed the man.


    ¡°There you are, Sentry!¡± Garkam bellowed, a furious expression on his face as he pointed dramatically at Dav¨ªdrius. His attention then shifted to Conrad and Liask, at which point irate recollection crossed his face. ¡°That¡¯s them! Detain them!¡±


    In that instant, the woman with Garkam zipped over to Conrad and Liask, grabbing their arms and forcing them to the floor in the blink of an eye. Immediately after that, however, Dav¨ªdrius leaped over his desk and kicked the woman into the wall, where he pinned her down ¡ª while Selind readily grabbed her gun off her back and trained it on Garkam.


    ¡°The fuck do you think you¡¯re doin¡¯?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius roared.


    ¡°I should ask you that, Sentry!¡± Garkam shouted, glaring at Selind down the barrel of her gun before looking at Dav¨ªdrius out the corner of his eye. ¡°You¡¯re protectin¡¯ criminals, here! Though I guess I shouldn¡¯t expect any less, of Compound Tresnon!¡±


    ¡°And you think the best way to handle this is to storm into our city and start grabbin¡¯ just whoever you damn well please?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°You try that in any other Compound, and you¡¯d get fuckin¡¯ shot!¡±


    ¡°Might still happen in this one, dependin¡¯ on your attitude,¡± Selind remarked, her aim steady. While her laser sniper obviously wasn¡¯t intended to be used in close-quarters, she still carefully watched Garkam ¡ª who had stepped too far into the office to have any nearby cover.


    ¡°You¡­ wretched outsiders,¡± Garkam snarled. ¡°I knew this day would come, that you¡¯d turn on Rokres!¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t ¡®turned¡¯ on anybody!¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped. ¡°The only enemy we¡¯ve got is the Bleeders. I won¡¯t deny that my students did some dumb shit in Rokres, but don¡¯t you for a second think that either us or them are behind this assassination attempt! That was the Bleeders!¡±


    ¡°Ha! And since when do Bleeders have advanced cybernetic prosthetics, hmm? Answer me that!¡±


    ¡°If Rokres paid even the slightest bit of attention to the shit goin¡¯ on outside your borders, then you¡¯d know that the Bleeders are stockpilin¡¯ advanced tech! Hell, even Str¨¦n is back! Bet you didn¡¯t know that, did you?¡±


    ¡°Str¨¦n¡­?¡± Garkam echoed, only to scoff. ¡°Pah. That fool was only ever a threat to the Compounds. He tried a raid on Fort Rokres, sure, but we foiled him, just as we foiled you!¡±


    ¡°Glad to know Rokres hasn¡¯t lost any of its self-confidence,¡± Selind replied coolly. ¡°Now¡­ do you plan to stand down, Garkam? Or is today the day I get to shoot my first Ah Kon¨¦?¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± The Rokresian Ah Kon¨¦ growled as he glared at Selind, but remained rooted to his spot. To his side, Dav¨ªdrius still pinned the Rokresian Velocitechnic to the ground, while Pierce, Conrad, Liask, and Obra had readily retreated to the side of the room, out of Selind¡¯s line of fire. The only audible interruptions to the tense silence were the sounds of rapid footsteps, ending with Ralak dashing up to the open office door and then stopping to look at the scene in front of her.


    ¡°Ralak, there you are¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ didn¡¯t mean to let them out of my sight,¡± Ralak apologized as she tapped the side of the Rokresian Velocitechnic¡¯s head with her bare forearm. Dav¨ªdrius then pulled away from the woman, but she remained frozen in place by Ralak¡¯s Imperator Psychotechnism. Ralak then eyed Garkam warily. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell us they had a Velocitechnic with ¡®em¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would we trust you with that info?¡± Garkam countered. ¡°You already basically declared war on Rokres! I was sent here as a generous show of trust on Rokres¡¯s behalf, and if you would just hand over the ones responsible for this mess, then we can put all of this behind us, peacefully!¡±


    ¡°Rokres? Generous?¡± Selind snorted in disbelief.


    ¡°¡­Hmph. And even after all this, the Wanderer isn¡¯t even here¡­¡± Garkam muttered. ¡°You coverin¡¯ for her, too, Sentry? Ghost of Light?¡±


    ¡°Now there¡¯s a title I ain¡¯t heard in a while!¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°Relia left Tresnon yesterday, we don¡¯t know where the hell she is now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t need to ¡®cover¡¯ for her, anyways. She ain¡¯t done anythin¡¯ wrong, and even if she did, she¡¯s well able to handle herself.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine. I figured you stubborn outsiders wouldn¡¯t change your minds.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re calling us stubborn?!¡± Pierce remarked incredulously.


    Garkam passed Pierce a doubtful glance before looking at Dav¨ªdrius again. ¡°And you got dirt-speakers here, too. Can barely believe it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of your bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped, having moved back to behind his desk as he glared at the Ah Kon¨¦. ¡°Garkam, believe it or not, it wasn¡¯t Compound Tresnon who attacked you. It was the Bleeders. And these four,¡± he gestured at Pierce, Conrad, Liask, and Obra, ¡°dumbasses they may be, still saved your ass!¡±


    ¡°That¡ª!¡±


    ¡°But if you refuse to believe that, then, fuckin¡¯, so be it. But I ain¡¯t about to hand ¡®em over either, not when you¡¯re gonna try killin¡¯ ¡®em for somethin¡¯ they didn¡¯t do. So you got two choices: you walk out of here on your own, with none of Tresnon¡¯s people¡­ or you don¡¯t walk out of here at all.¡±


    Garkam glared at Dav¨ªdrius and Selind. ¡°¡­Hmph. You¡¯ve really fallen, Sentry, Ghost of Light. Even Rokres once appreciated the threat you two were to the Bleeders¡­ and now, you let them walk all over you, even usin¡¯ their names to cover your own misdeeds!¡±


    ¡°One more chance, Garkam,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snarled; to his side, Selind gently placed her finger on the trigger of her gun.


    A deep growl escaped Garkam¡¯s throat, but he said nothing more. Instead, he whipped around on his heel and charged out of the office in a huff. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this, all of you!¡± he shouted once in the hallway, ¡°Rokres won¡¯t take this challenge lying down! Compound Tresnon may be the biggest Compound, but you¡¯re still nothin¡¯ to Rokres!¡±


    Following his shouts were only the echoing sounds of stomping as the Ah Kon¨¦ continued down the hallways; as he did, Ralak stepped out of the room to watch him, all while manipulating the Rokresian Velocitechnic to walk behind her. She then glanced toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°¡­Sorry, again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ agh¡­¡± The Dean released an exasperated sigh. ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault, Ralak. None of this is.¡±


    ¡°¡­If you say so. Should I see them out, then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with her,¡± Selind declared as she replaced her gun on her back. ¡°You know, make sure the Defense Force knows that the Rokresians are¡­ ¡®hostile visitors¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°Make sure Garkam and his escorts know that if they try anythin¡¯, we will take ¡®em out¡­ and don¡¯t be afraid to follow up on that threat, either.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Selind replied as she exited the room after Ralak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the ¡®Ghost of Light¡¯ will keep ¡®em straight. Heh. Can¡¯t believe people still call me that¡­¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, watching the women leave. He then glanced to the side, at the students that remained.


    ¡°¡­Well, that sure was something, huh?¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ very sorry,¡± Liask apologized to Dav¨ªdrius, ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t realize how badly we fucked up¡­¡±


    Pierce and Obra both passed Liask uneasy glances, but neither said anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ ¡­well, it ain¡¯t ¡®fine¡¯, but I can¡¯t hold y¡¯all completely accountable for Rokres¡¯s bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°And I ain¡¯t about to just roll over to the demands of those stubborn dumbasses, either.¡±


    ¡°And yet, it sounds like the Compounds have another enemy, now¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°An enemy that I¡¯ll ask the four of you to stop involvin¡¯ yourselves in,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°You especially, Pierce. Remember this as an example of what happens if you do shit without thinkin¡¯. Yet another example, in your case.¡±


    Pierce opened his mouth to respond, only to think better of it and resort to scowling.


    ¡°With that outta the way¡­ Liask, Obra, I wanna see the two of you in here once your afternoon classes are over. Otherwise¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius took a seat at his desk and gestured for the door, to which the four students readily began filing out of the room. ¡°Y¡¯all should get back to your classes. I don¡¯t need anythin¡¯ else from y¡¯all, for now.¡±

 V2 - A2 - Chapter 14: Earthly Desires

    OLD THREATS ¡ª A NEW TERM


    <hr>


    Chapter 14: Earthly Desires


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Monday, January 2, AD 2130 ¡ª


    The soft clacking of keys on a keyboard once more filled the research offices aboard the space station Opportunity, as Kirstin went about her early-morning research tasks. She, as well as the rest of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir (except Mark and Luke) had returned to Earth three days ago, and Kirstin was eager to get back into the office ¡ª even on the day after New Year¡¯s. During her time in Compound Tresnon, her access to SERRCom data had been extremely limited, so only now was she able to return to the full breadth of her research options.


    Among those options were analyzing the coordinates from the Aldredian Dreadnought, and of those coordinates, Kirstin was most interested in the one pointing at Earth. Nearly two months had passed since Scott told her to focus on the non-Homeworld coordinates, but Saito¡¯s story about SERRCom¡¯s ownership of Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate still echoed in her mind. Kirstin hoped to get to the bottom of Saito¡¯s odd story, but she only felt comfortable doing so while Scott was out ¡ª and for a workaholic like him, there were few such opportunities. Knowing her father, and his penchant for drinking on holidays, Kirstin knew that New Year¡¯s Day and the day after would be her best chance to get in some work without having to worry about him seeing. And so here she was, readily working at the bright and early hour of 7 in the morning.


    The Earth Gate, the Earth Gate¡­ she thought to herself as she dug through collections of data and files from decades ago, just why is it so odd? I know that the Gate was originally found in a cave in Colorado, and was moved to New York City two or three decades ago¡­ but all the information on the Gate before that point is so difficult to access! Why is this all so classified? I don¡¯t understand what there is to hide¡­


    The Researcher continued searching through the files, only to continually come across massive blackout bars or access permission errors. It truly seemed that all information pertaining to the Interstellar Gate from before its relocation to New York had been classified to the highest level; if she wanted to access any of it, she would need Director-level permissions. And as cavalier as Dad can be, he isn¡¯t likely to just hand those over¡­ Kirstin mused, is this a dead end? No, it can¡¯t be¡­ the more I look at all this, the more it seems like Colonel Saito had a point. This is all too suspicious! There HAS to be something here, but where¡ª?


    She paused for a second, her eyes stopping on a particular record. It appeared to be an official announcement bulletin, intended for SERRCom High Command. Its classification level had been dropped over the years; it was still classified, but now even Kirstin had the permissions to see it. On first glance, nothing about it seemed special: it merely announced the coordinate of Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate, so that it could be provided to other planets and communities in the galaxy to dial Earth. The announcement was so mundane, in fact, that Kirstin had nearly skipped it¡­ if not for a peculiar choice of words that caught her eye.


    ¡°Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate coordinate is ¡®now¡¯ this¡­¡± she mentally read. ¡­¡±Now¡±? That implies that the coordinate used to be different¡­ right? Otherwise they¡¯d just say ¡°Earth¡¯s Interstellar Gate coordinate is this¡±. But that can¡¯t be right. Gate coordinates are determined by a relatively static galactic grid. Changing a Gate¡¯s coordinate is the same as changing its physical location in the galaxy. But Earth¡¯s Gate has been on Earth all along¡­ right? And I know Earth itself certainly hasn¡¯t moved. Not enough to change coordinates, at least. What¡¯s going on¡­? This, this can¡¯t be right. Maybe I¡¯m just reading into it too much. It¡¯s only the one word. But¡­ but¡­ hmm¡ª


    The sound of the office door whooshing open jolted Kirstin out of her thoughts. In a panic, she closed out of all of the windows and terminals she had been using to look into the Earth coordinate ¡ª given just how heavily the matter had been buried, she didn¡¯t want to be caught digging into it.


    ¡°Oh, Kirstin! I¡¯m surprised to see you here, already!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­ S-Sarah¡­¡± Kirstin responded. She sighed of relief, but still remained tense; Sarah didn¡¯t have a Director-level position like Scott, but she was close enough all the same.


    ¡°Just that eager to get back to work, are we?¡± Sarah questioned with a cheeky smirk as she crossed the office, coffee cup in hand, to stop in front of Kirstin¡¯s desk. ¡°You do know how early it is, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Though I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be getting on your case about it. After all, I am here myself! At least you aren¡¯t Scott, I doubt we¡¯ll see him until this afternoon. I swear, he¡¯s the only person I know who gets so bloody drunk on New Year¡¯s Day itself. Doesn¡¯t he know you¡¯re supposed to do that on New Year¡¯s Eve? Honestly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s him, for you¡­¡±


    Sarah passed Kirstin a wordless glance before silently sighing and changing the subject. ¡°Well, this is the first I¡¯ve seen you since you returned from Nimalia. How was the trip?¡±


    ¡°I-it was¡­ okay¡­¡± Kirstin responded meekly.


    ¡°I see. Do anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­ n-not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? I heard that CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir got wrapped up in an attack over there.¡± Sarah adopted a playful grin as she remarked, ¡°have you been with CSF-1 for long enough that even an attack isn¡¯t ¡®interesting¡¯ to you?¡±


    Kirstin looked up at Sarah in confused distress. ¡°Uh, n-no, I, I just, um¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, relax, I¡¯m just teasing you. You really are different from¡­ er, well.¡± Sarah cleared her throat, as if realizing that she shouldn¡¯t continue her thought. She then walked over to her desk across the office as she remarked, ¡°well, that aside, I do feel I owe you an apology. Both for myself, and for that bloody dunce Scott.¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡± Kirstin questioned, warily eying Sarah as she retrieved something from her desk and returned to Kirstin¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not realising this earlier, but¡­ happy 21st birthday!¡± Sarah said as she handed a card to Kirstin.


    Kirstin responded only with dumbfounded silence. She stared at the card for a second, and then glanced up at Sarah, as if unsure if the latter was being serious.


    ¡°Go on, take it,¡± Sarah urged. ¡°Your birthday was on the 15th, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ y-yeah¡­¡± Kirstin replied, slowly taking the card off of Sarah and looking it over. The card itself appeared to be a cheesy Hallmark birthday card, but Kirstin couldn¡¯t help but notice the predominantly silver color ¡ª her favorite color. And on the inside were the signatures and well-wishings of both Sarah and Scott. A small smile began to appear on her face, only for her expression to return to confusion as she looked up at Sarah. ¡°Uh¡­ h-how did you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am friends with your father,¡± Sarah remarked with a smirk. ¡°That aside, back when you and CSF-1 learned that you¡¯d be spending the last couple weeks of the year on Nimalia¡­ I recall you trying to convince Scott to let you stay here, or find a way to get him to come with you. I thought it was a little odd, but the ¡®why¡¯ occurred to me once you were gone. You wanted to spend your birthday with him, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The red of embarrassment filled Kirstin¡¯s face as she averted her eyes and tried to hide behind her bangs. ¡°U-um¡­ w-well, that¡¯s¡­ y-you know¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, Kirstin. It¡¯s hardly unusual to want to spend time with your family,¡± Sarah replied. ¡°Even I returned home for Christmas, and I don¡¯t even celebrate the bloody holiday. At least I can celebrate my birthday around the same time¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Kirstin looked up at Sarah again. ¡°¡­Your b-birthday is, um, o-on Christmas¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, not on Christmas, but it might as well be,¡± Sarah remarked. ¡°Mine¡¯s the 21st ¡ª the solstice. Just about a week after yours, in fact!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ b-but three years, um, earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, true, I am older than you, but not by that much. I¡¯m still closer in age to you than I am to Scott, by far.¡±


    ¡°And yet, y-you¡¯re, um¡­ a S-Senior Researcher¡­¡±


    ¡°A position you¡¯ll soon hold, I¡¯m sure. You have just as much promise as I do. Hell, you even go out into the bloody field with CSF-1! I know I¡¯d never be cut out for that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sarah eyed Kirstin as the latter refused to make eye-contact, instead fiddling with the card in her hands. With a wary sigh, Sarah took a sip of her coffee and then said, ¡°if I may change the subject for a moment, and if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ just when was the last time you spent a holiday or a birthday with Scott?¡±


    Kirstin glanced up at Sarah again, only to then look into the distance, as if in thought. Eventually, however, she shrunk down into her chair. ¡°¡­A while ago¡­¡±


    ¡°I feared as much¡­¡± Sarah replied. ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to get a clear answer on that from Scott. For all the years I¡¯ve worked with him, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him visit home. Scotland, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ w-well, me and, um, m-my mom moved to¡­ uh, A-America after the, um¡­ y-you know¡­¡±


    Sarah sighed again. ¡°Right¡­ it would figure. It explains your accent being different from his, too. But, well¡­ I suppose it isn¡¯t really my place to say this, as it should really be that bloody dunce who tells you how he feels. But Scott really does think about you a lot, you know. You don¡¯t know how many times he¡¯s spoken of you to me during the years before you joined SERRCom ¡ª or even just how proud he seemed when he learned you were joining. I don¡¯t doubt that he still loves you, as a father should¡­ he¡¯s just convinced himself that he doesn¡¯t have a place in your life anymore. I think that¡¯s all it is.¡±


    Kirstin eyed Sarah before averting her eyes again. ¡°S-so¡­ he r-really does, um¡­ spend his time w-with you, i-instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Inst¡ª?¡± Sarah began to echo, only to stop herself, recognition washing over her features. She watched Kirstin carefully for a second, as the younger Researcher finally put the card to the side and attempted to distract herself with work. ¡°¡­I see,¡± Sarah eventually said. ¡°¡­I think I understand how you feel, now, Kirstin.¡±


    The Researcher responded only with a quick glance before returning her attention to the computer screen in front of her.


    ¡°Right¡­ well.¡± Sarah awkwardly retreated from Kirstin¡¯s desk to take a seat at her own. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ leave you to work, then, Kirstin. ¡­But if you¡¯ll allow one final useless interjection¡­ I do think you should speak to Scott. If you just tell him how you feel, I¡¯m certain he¡¯d come around.¡±


    ¡°¡¯J-just tell him¡¯, right¡­¡± Kirstin muttered under her breath, far too softly for Sarah to hear. She then returned to work, shifting her focus to the other Dreadnought coordinates in an effort to distract herself from everything else.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°I really don¡¯t see why I have to keep doing this.¡±


    ¡°For the billionth fucking time, you¡¯re the only person who can even turn the damn thing on,¡± Kate replied in exasperation as she began hooking cables up between Mote¡¯s Aldredian Armor and a nearby computer.


    ¡°We¡¯ve had this armor for months, now,¡± Mote pointed out, turning to give Kate an impatient stare as he sat in a chair while wearing the armor. ¡°Have you really not figured out a way to activate the armor without me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just really hard?¡± Danielle suggested as she watched Mote and Kate while laying on top of a nearby table, her chin in her hands and her feet idly kicking like a bored child. ¡°This is advanced tech, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Kate declared. ¡°This shit is super advanced compared to anything this galaxy has seen before! Even when the armor is active, it¡¯s a real pain in the ass to try and peek into its systems. Whoever designed this thing really didn¡¯t want people fucking around with it.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you an Intellitechnic?¡± Mote questioned. ¡°I thought solving these kinds of problems was supposed to be easy for someone like you.¡±


    Kate glared at Mote. ¡°You callin¡¯ me dumb?¡±


    Mote looked back at her before sighing and relaxing his head against the headrest of his seat, to look up at the ceiling of a research lab aboard the space station Opportunity. ¡°¡­No. No, I didn¡¯t mean to. But if even you¡¯re having a hard time cracking the armor¡¯s secrets¡­ I suppose it really is just that advanced.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you this whole fucking time. God.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time SERRCom¡¯s found advanced tech, though, right?¡± Danielle pointed out, ¡°like the Genesis! But we still managed to figure out how its tech worked and build our own versions, right?¡±


    ¡°Even Genesis is fucking child¡¯s play compared to this armor, or even that Corvette,¡± Kate replied as she began typing away on her computer. ¡°And even then, we haven¡¯t actually figured out most of Genesis¡¯s most important systems. Our reverse-engineered Subspace Drives are slower than Genesis¡¯s, our reverse-engineered beaming systems are less accurate, our reverse-engineered Chaos Cannons are too big to mount on any of our existing ships, our reverse-engineered energy shielding is less efficient¡­ and we still haven¡¯t figured out how to replicate the fucking ACS at all!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°And this armor is even more advanced than that,¡± Kate declared. ¡°If I ever meet the fucker who made it, I¡¯d shake their hand on the good engineering job, and then sock them with the other hand for making my life so fucking difficult! Especially with this god damn gene-locking bullshit.¡±


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    ¡°Agreed¡­¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°Oh relax, all you have to do is sit there. You could even take a nap. I¡¯m the one doing all the fucking work.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do naps. And there¡¯s nothing I dislike more than just sitting around, doing nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°We could talk!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°And distract Kate? You¡¯ll just make this take longer¡­¡± Mote replied.


    ¡°Bitch please, I can talk and work at the same time with no problem,¡± Kate retorted as she stared at the screen in front of her. ¡°¡­But talk is boring, anyways.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, guys, don¡¯t be like that!¡± Danielle insisted. ¡°We could talk about our trip to Nimalia! I really liked it, there, and I really want to go back at some point and see more of the sights! Like those massive trees that Mark told us about!¡±


    ¡°¡­I must admit, the trees did intrigue me¡­¡± Mote responded.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a bunch of tree houses strung together to make a city, so fucking what?¡± Kate snorted. ¡°Our last ¡®trip¡¯ to Nimalia was really just more fucking work disguised as a vacation. Don¡¯t talk to me about going back unless we can get some actual fucking time off to do what we want to do!¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Danielle agreed with a frown. ¡°And having to deal with that attack, too¡­ who were the attackers, again? The¡­ Bloods, or something?¡±


    ¡°Bleeders,¡± Mote corrected with a scowl. ¡°I would have liked to destroy the whole lot of the lawless bastards, but I was too busy powering the shield, at the time¡­¡±


    ¡°What a fuckin¡¯ shithole,¡± Kate said. ¡°And we¡¯re leaving the newbies there, too, huh? Well, maybe it¡¯ll actually do those useless assholes some good to see danger every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk so badly about Tresnon!¡± Danielle exclaimed, ¡°they¡¯re just doing their best with what they have, after all! It seems like no one else on Nimalia wants to help them¡­ I kinda wanted to stick around and help out¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you really blame Nimalia? Tres¨¦d is a fucking wasteland shithole. There¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still people, there! And those people deserve help!¡±


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m more concerned that the Bleeders had access to technology more advanced than what you¡¯d typically find in those parts of the world,¡± Mote pointed out. ¡°According to the Colonel, it¡¯s far from common for lowlife criminal gangs like the Bleeders to get their hands on personal energy shielding, or cybernetic prosthetics. There¡¯s clearly something more, there¡­ hopefully, the Nimalians can handle it on their own.¡±


    ¡°Even if they can¡¯t, we¡¯re liable to be too fuckin¡¯ busy with our own shit to help, if the past few months are any indication,¡± Kate grumbled.


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°But maybe once it¡¯s all over, we can go back to Nimalia for a real vacation!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Like that one day when Saito and Hackett took us all over the city!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, that was so boring¡­¡± Kate replied.


    ¡°And a waste of time¡­¡± Mote affirmed.


    ¡°You guys say that, but I know you had fun! Admit it!¡± Danielle countered. ¡°Especially that race at the end! I think you two got more into than anyone else!¡±


    Mote and Kate exchanged a brief glance before sighing in tandem.


    ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t argue with that¡­¡± Mote admitted.


    ¡°Look, I like what I like, so what,¡± Kate added defensively.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s a bad thing, it¡¯s a good thing!¡± Danielle replied with a grin. ¡°Maybe next time, we can see about joining the race ourselves!¡±


    ¡°As long as Kate isn¡¯t piloting,¡± Mote said.


    ¡°Oh fuckin¡¯ bullshit, I¡¯m the best pilot out of everyone here!¡± Kate declared. ¡°Who, out of all of us, designs fucking spacecraft? That¡¯s right, me! Don¡¯t forget that I beat you at that racing game, too!¡±


    ¡°That was a fluke. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s done the most piloting recently, anyways.¡±


    ¡°The fucking Corvette doesn¡¯t count, that thing is basically a neural interface. I¡¯m talking about real fucking piloting, with a harness and a stick and everything. And on that, I¡¯m way better than you!¡±


    ¡°You only beat me by one point.¡±


    ¡°A one-point victory is still a victory, you fucking sore-ass loser.¡±


    ¡°You guys really liked that game, huh?¡± Danielle remarked, ¡°how many times did you race each other? Ten? Twenty?¡±


    ¡°It was only¡­ thirteen times¡­¡± Mote refuted, quickly losing steam halfway through his sentence once he realized how much time he had spent on the game.


    ¡°¡­Hmph¡­¡± Kate responded in kind, her attention re-focused on her work as the slightest tinge of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks. ¡°¡­Well, so we like games, so fucking what? That¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°See, I knew you guys had fun,¡± Danielle replied with a cheeky grin.


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡± Mote responded with a resigned sigh. ¡°I suppose I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to going back, in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°If only things would actually fucking calm down in the future,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°I just want to do some damn research, but all these fucking missions keep getting in the way¡­¡±


    ¡°We both know that you like fighting too much to really think that.¡±


    ¡°Like I¡¯ve even had a chance to fight on any of our recent missions. If you can find me a real fight, then I¡¯ll stop complaining!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just fight each other?¡± Danielle suggested as she glanced between Mote and Kate. ¡°Mote, you like training, right? And Kate, Mote¡¯s one of the few people you don¡¯t have to hold back against!¡±


    ¡°The Colonel¡¯s barred us from sparring with each other¡­¡± Mote lamented.


    ¡°Something about ¡®too much collateral damage¡¯,¡± Kate affirmed with a snort of disbelief.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I guess you guys are just that powerful, huh?¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°Just once, I want to fight someone who¡¯ll give me a real run for my money,¡± Kate declared. ¡°Like that no-faced bitch back at the shipyard! I couldn¡¯t go all-out back then ¡®cause I thought there was still a chance to save the fucking Dreadnought¡­ but next time, ooooh next time! I¡¯ll smash her non-existent face in!¡±


    ¡°Be careful what you wish for,¡± Mote warned, ¡°as you might just get it.¡±


    ¡°No shit, dumbass. That¡¯s why I¡¯m wishing for it!¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Telregina, though, I want to hear about how you guys fought her, again!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s such a cool story!¡±


    ¡°But we didn¡¯t really beat her,¡± Mote countered.


    ¡°So? It¡¯s still a cool fight! And it¡¯s a way to keep passing the time, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose it is. Fair enough,¡± Mote admitted with a resigned sigh, and then began to regale Danielle with the story of his and Kate¡¯s encounter with Telregina aboard the Aldredian Dreadnought, whiling away the hours as Kate continued her study of the Aldredian Armor.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°It certainly seems that your trip to Nimalia was an¡­ eventful one, Colonel, Major.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Saito replied, passing a quick unamused glance toward Hackett before turning forward again. Both superior officers of CSF-1 were sitting across the desk from General Matthew Lead in his office on the space station Opportunity.


    ¡°There was a lot to take in while reading your report,¡± Lead remarked, his hands clasped on his desk in front of him as he looked Saito steadily in the eye. ¡°The Bleeder attack on Compound Tresnon, the build up of NSD and CSA forces in the Nimalia solar system in response to Riaxen scouting parties, crumbs of information regarding EA¡¯s activity, the news that Telregina is still alive, these new ¡®Infection Capture Devices¡¯, and also the news that the NSD has no intentions of getting involved in Tres¨¦d¡­¡± The General took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, Colonel. I thought I was sending you on a straight-forward two-week visit to Nimalia, but it would seem I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how things go in our line of work, sir,¡± Hackett stated.


    ¡°And while I would still like some proper leave, the things we¡¯ve learned aren¡¯t things that can be ignored,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°I take it you called us here today to discuss them, General?¡±


    ¡°To an extent,¡± Lead replied. ¡°There isn¡¯t much to say regarding EA or the Drakkars. We know now, due to the NSD, that EA seems to be interfering in the operations of the Black Suns, Chaos Knights, and Light Keepers ¡ª and that even the Nimalians think that he is accruing resources and materiel faster than one man should be able to. But we still don¡¯t have any leads on his actual base of operations, or his logistics chain, and until we have that, we can¡¯t do anything. And the Drakkars¡­ well, I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that SERRCom is in no position to lead a pre-emptive strike on the Drakkars, especially if Telregina survived a Drive Bomb. We¡¯ll monitor CSA reports on their chatter, but that¡¯s all we can do for now.¡±


    ¡°And the Riaxen issue?¡±


    ¡°A concerning one, but there isn¡¯t anything for CSF-1 or the Eximius Vir to do, there. I¡¯ve put Commander Markovic in charge of coordinating SERRCom¡¯s naval response with the NSD in the face of potential Riaxen aggression¡­ but that¡¯s all I can say at the moment. The other matters, however, are much more pertinent to your activities.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°The Infection Capture Devices, or ICDs as the ETAA has taken to calling them, will be very useful in any confrontations with the metallic infection ¡ª and since you ran into the infection while investigating one of the Dreadnought coordinates, it stands to reason that you might run into them again. From here on out, CSF-1 should bring several ICDs with you on your missions. And if you ever successfully capture an infected specimen and can safely transport it to Eana, then the ETAA would love to begin studying it. We need to learn as much as we can about the infection if we plan to fight it.¡±


    ¡°You want us to bring one back alive, sir?¡± Hackett questioned incredulously.


    ¡°I understand there¡¯s risk involved,¡± Lead replied. ¡°Which is why I want to emphasize that you should only do so if you can be confident that the infection will never breach its containment shields. The actual infection research will not take place on Eana, either. I¡¯m not a fool; I won¡¯t risk SERRCom¡¯s Primary Fortress World for studying the infection. Does that alleviate your concerns, Major?¡±


    ¡°¡­It does well enough.¡±


    ¡°I take it we¡¯re to continue investigating the Dreadnought coordinates, then?¡± Saito asked.


    Lead nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the plan ¡ª and actually the main reason I¡¯ve called for the two of you. The ETAA has decided on the next coordinate it wants investigated, and as per my earlier decision, CSF-1 will investigate alongside Genesis and Origin. To the best of our knowledge, there¡¯s no Interstellar Gate at this coordinate, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone interfering in your search¡­ but as always, remain vigilant.¡±


    ¡°Is that all we know about the coordinate?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s around 50 thousand light years away, somewhere in the uncolonized Perseus Arm,¡± Lead answered. ¡°Since you¡¯ll have Origin with you, expect a six-day trip, one way.¡±


    ¡°Both Genesis and Origin¡­ should we be expecting trouble, sir?¡± Saito asked.


    ¡°The two ships usually travel together; they¡¯re the Flagship Strike Group, after all,¡± Lead pointed out. ¡°Besides that, we are talking about the uncolonized arm. The only reports we¡¯ve received from out there are the ones from the NSD about EA¡¯s activities. In the absence of more information, caution is certainly warranted.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°Two days from now ¡ª on Wednesday, the 4th.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fast turnaround,¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°Well, there are a lot of coordinates to work though,¡± Saito replied, and then turned his attention back to the General with a solemn look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll forward me further details on the mission later today as usual, General, so if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to address the elephant in the room.¡±


    ¡°You mean to ask about the recruits, and Compound Tresnon?¡± Lead responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, exactly. I¡¯ve told you everything that¡¯s happened, there. Do we plan to do anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Well, in a word¡­ No.¡±


    Saito and Hackett exchanged a wary glance.


    ¡°¡­If you¡¯ll excuse me for asking, sir,¡± Saito replied, looking back to the General. ¡°Why? I think it¡¯s fair to say that the recruits are in more danger than we expected.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fair to say that very little of what has happened on Nimalia is as we expected,¡± Lead declared. ¡°But I understand your concern, Colonel, and out of respect for that, I¡¯ll outline my thinking. There are several key matters in play, here: one, that the Deans of the Schools of Chaos feel pressured to put non-Nimalian students in the one school farthest from the public eye; two, that the NSD is so hands-off with Tres¨¦d that they¡¯re willing to grant even SERRCom permission to interfere as we see fit; three, that our deal to have the recruits train on Nimalia was with Archon¨¦ Culana, rather than the Nimalian Union; and four, that the Black Suns have one of their own at Compound Tresnon. If only one or two of these were true, then I would push for a renegotiation, or withdraw from the deal entirety. But as it is¡­ I think there is a way to work this to the advantage of both SERRCom and the recruits.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll state this outright: it is in SERRCom¡¯s best interests that the recruits become capable Chaotics as quickly as possible. The threats to us and Earth have exploded in number and severity over the past few months, and it is only a matter of time before we will have to face them head-on. If we withdraw the recruits from Nimalia and train them ourselves ¡ª do you think you will be able to make them ready for Chaotic combat within just a year or two, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ difficult to say.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And I¡¯m well aware of the recruits¡¯ resistance to their own conscription. They are much less likely to want to learn if they¡¯re with us, rather than on Nimalia. However, if they¡¯re to train on Nimalia, then it seems that WCU and Compound Tresnon is the only viable location for them to do so ¡ª which, as you¡¯ve explained to me, is not a very secure city. That does bear concern, but there are two mitigating factors: the fact that a Black Suns officer is present, and the fact that Dean Densalin herself has seen fit to teach the recruits directly.¡±


    ¡°We have heard that Dean Densalin is a powerful Chaotic¡­¡± Hackett said warily. ¡°I suppose the place would be a lot safer while she¡¯s around¡­¡±


    The General nodded. ¡°I agree. And, believe it or not, I met her, once. Long, long ago¡­ but I did. She still seemed unsure of herself at the time, but even then, I couldn¡¯t doubt her Chaotic power. If she¡¯s grown even half as much as I¡¯ve heard, then I have no doubt that she¡¯ll go to great lengths to keep both the recruits and Compound Tresnon safe.¡±


    ¡°And the Black Suns officer?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Gavon Sav¨¦nos is Sector 1,¡± Lead stated. ¡°You told me earlier about how he warned you about a potential schism between Sectors 1 and 2; I¡¯ve had the EIIC look into this, and most of what Sav¨¦nos has said seems to be true. Much of it reflects SERRCom¡¯s own attitude toward the Black Suns, besides; Sector 1 has a long and respectable history, while Sector 2¡­ well, not quite so much. As such, I believe Sav¨¦nos himself is trustworthy. Additionally, his presence in Compound Tresnon indicates that Sector 1 places at least some value on the city. While he remains there, there is little doubt in my mind that Sector 1 is monitoring the situation. Should things get bad, they may well intervene themselves; it fits their M.O.¡±


    ¡°Are we really betting on the goodwill of a PMC to protect our own from harm?¡±


    ¡°While the Black Suns as a whole have a questionable past, Sector 1 is ¡ª in my studied opinion ¡ª fairly trustworthy. The NSD¡¯s refusal to involve themselves in Tres¨¦d¡¯s matters makes it more likely for the Black Suns to intercede, as they won¡¯t have to bother with NSD bureaucracy and would be able to curry favor with the locals. Furthermore¡­ the NSD has given us explicit permission to land our own ships in Tres¨¦d as we see fit.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but I still don¡¯t see how we or the recruits stand to benefit from any of this.¡±


    ¡°It all comes down to the recruits. I¡¯ve explained how they aren¡¯t in quite as much danger as you might think; especially since Compound Tresnon was recently attacked, they¡¯ll be on alert for any additional raids. This is a perfect opportunity for the recruits to get real-world Chaotic experience while still having skilled and powerful Chaotics to watch over them and prevent true harm from befalling them. And while the recruits are in Compound Tresnon¡­ I must cynically admit that it gives SERRCom a good excuse to leave a Frigate or two in the region.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are we intending to spy on the Nimalians?¡± Hackett questioned incredulously.


    Lead passed her a level glance. ¡°I said nothing of ¡®spying¡¯, Major.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we really are sending a Frigate, then I suppose we could just scan for the Bleeders and bomb the hell out of them, ourselves¡­¡± Saito mused.


    ¡°That¡¯s one option. It¡¯s one that won¡¯t be available for some time, however. Our navy is currently stretched to its limits with the current patrol burden, that being watching for both EA and Drakkar incursions into our space, while still guarding against any metallic infection outbreaks¡­ we won¡¯t be able to spare a Frigate for the immediate future. Perhaps not even for several months.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long time¡­¡±


    ¡°Given the situation, I think it¡¯s more than manageable. Between Dean Densalin, Dean Wrikax, and the Black Suns, Compound Tresnon¡¯s safety in the immediate future is secured. I¡¯ll have the EIIC look into how the Bleeders obtained their tech, but aside from that, I do not believe SERRCom needs to do any more at the moment.¡±


    Saito and Hackett exchanged another glance before the Colonel released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­Alright, sir. I¡¯ll trust your word on this.¡±


    Lead nodded sagely. ¡°Thank you, Saito. It may seem that I¡¯m being callous to the recruits, but I do believe that this is the best course of action for them, especially considering SERRCom¡¯s current burdens. And speaking of the present, I do believe the two of you have a mission to prepare for.¡±


    ¡°That we do¡­¡± Saito replied as he and Hackett began to stand up from their chairs. ¡°And so, we all just go back to normal, like the past couple weeks never happened¡­ eh, sir?¡±


    ¡°It may seem that way upfront, but trust me, Saito. SERRCom knows what it¡¯s doing,¡± the General replied as he stood as well, offering a quick salute to the Colonel and Major that they promptly reciprocated. ¡°Good luck out there, Colonel, Major. You¡¯re dismissed.¡±

 V2 - A2 - Chapter 15: A New Years Plans

    OLD THREATS ¡ª A NEW TERM


    <hr>


    Chapter 15: A New Year''s Plans


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Watedia, Colyath 4, 8054 ¡ª


    A serene quiet blanketed the dawnlit market street of Compound Tresnon, interspersed with the sounds of crashing waves from the adjacent Mirage Lakefront and merchants beginning to set up their stalls for a new day. The typical crowds were no where to be seen, giving Pierce free reign to jog down the street and take in the early morning sights. Now halfway through the first week of the new school term, Pierce¡¯s life was beginning to settle back down to normal ¡ª and with that, he sought to re-establish his morning runs. Between all the events of the past month ¡ª the trip to Sikalia and Riverana, training for (and failing at) the ACT qualifiers, Hunger¡¯s Bane and the Bleeder attack, and his ill-fated trip to Rokres ¡ª Pierce¡¯s habitual morning runs had fallen by the wayside.


    No better time to think than when out for a run, he thought to himself, enjoying the cool early-morning air as he looked out over the sprawling waters of Mirage Lake. And with everything that¡¯s happened recently¡­ there sure is a lot to think about.


    His time in Rokres in particular came to mind. When he initially suggested the trip to Rokres, his intentions had been good: he simply wanted to find a lead on where the Bleeders took Minilas, for the sake of Liask and Obra. He couldn¡¯t deny that part of his motivations involved a desire to ¡°get back¡± at the Bleeders, but even that didn¡¯t seem like a wholly terrible objective to him, given the reputation of the Bleeders in Tres¨¦d. And yet, despite starting out on the trip with good intentions, the end result had been anything but ¡ª and even worse, he never even learned anything about Minilas¡¯s location.


    And now, an entire literal nation is mad at Tresnon¡­ Pierce frowned to himself as he continued running down market street, eventually slowing down to take a detour through the Lakefront boardwalk. Granted, the Rokresians didn¡¯t seem very interested in listening to reason. Dav¨ªdrius didn¡¯t even seem mad about that part, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t feel too bad, but still. I just want to fucking help out around here, use my speed to save people, kick some ass, and take names. Why has that been so hard to do?


    ¡°Hey, Pierce!¡±


    While jogging along the boardwalk, Pierce glanced to his right, toward some of the piers over the lake. Standing at the end of one of them was none other than Liask, dressed in light workout clothing as she waved at Pierce. Upon seeing her, he slowed down some more, taking the turn at the pier to approach. ¡°Early-morning workouts again, huh?¡± Pierce remarked as he closed the distance.


    ¡°Just more of the usual,¡± Liask replied, her hands on her hips. ¡°Kinda surprised I haven¡¯t seen you around more, though. Last time I saw you durin¡¯ my mornin¡¯ workout was¡­ over a month ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Pierce offered a sheepish smile as he finally came to a stop next to Liask. ¡°I meant to make this a routine, but, uh¡­ a lot of stuff happened, last month.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ you went on that trip to Skialia, didn¡¯t you? And then there were Finals, and trainin¡¯ for the ACT, and then, uh¡­ everythin¡¯ that happened over the break¡­¡±


    Pierce noticed Liask divert her gaze, at which point he sighed in resignation. Turning to look out over the lake, he remarked, ¡°yeah, we really fucked things up at Rokres, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ kinda did, didn¡¯t we,¡± Liask admitted as she turned to gaze out over the waters as well. ¡°Shoulda put more thought into our plan¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even learn anything about what we originally set out to learn¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t learn much about Minilas, no, but we still learned somethin¡¯ about the Bleeders, right? That¡¯s still useful. And, at the end of the day, we did save those Kon¨¦s, even if they don¡¯t wanna admit it.¡±


    Pierce chuckled bitterly. ¡°Maybe, but that was still all you and Conrad. And Relia too, I guess. Obra and I were basically just dead weight the entire trip.¡±


    Liask passed Pierce an uneasy glance before returning her attention to the waters. ¡°¡­Did you get in trouble with the other Earthians?¡± she eventually questioned.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pierce groaned. ¡°Nothing too bad. I just got a talking to, and my monthly stipend got slashed for this month¡­ honestly, I¡¯m surprised this is the first time SERRCom decided to bring down the hammer. I thought I¡¯d be in trouble after Sikalia, but¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened on Sikalia?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ nothing. Nothing happened. Forget I said anything.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you? I know the Dean wanted to talk to you and Obra. Did you guys get in much trouble?¡±


    ¡°We have to stay behind for an extra study hall three days a week¡­ and help clean some of the Defense Force armories¡­¡±


    ¡°Detention and community service, basically, huh? Sounds like Conrad and I got out light, then¡­¡±


    The two trailed off, silently watching the waters of Mirage Lake in the ever-growing light of dawn. Several moments of silence passed in this way, with Pierce uncertain of how to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Hey, Pierce¡­ can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked over at Liask, noting that she was staring at him with unease. ¡°Uh¡­ sure?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing, ¡°¡­you seem a lot more serious when you talk with me, compared to how I¡¯ve heard you talk to others. And, uh¡­ well, I¡¯ll just ask. You aren¡¯t just spendin¡¯ time with me ¡®cause you feel guilty about Trenon¡­ are you?¡±


    Pierce pursed his lips as a dull throb ran through his lower torso. ¡°¡­No.¡± He then returned to looking out over the lake. ¡°If I was going to base how I interacted with you on any guilt over your brother, then I¡¯d be avoiding you, not talking to you.¡±


    ¡°And you volunteerin¡¯ to go with us to Rokres?¡±


    ¡°That had nothing to do with Trenon. I really wanted to help, that¡¯s all. But, to be perfectly honest¡­¡± Pierce side-eyed Liask. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while, myself. You¡­ really don¡¯t blame me for Trenon¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± Liask replied, her eyes widening as she passed Pierce a look as though she were surprised he could even suggest as much. ¡°I told you that before, didn¡¯t I? What happened wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm. If you say so. But¡­ you aren¡¯t trying to force yourself to be friendly with me, are you? Just because of Trenon?¡±


    ¡°No! ¡­Well¡­¡± Liask trailed off, falling silent for a few seconds. Eventually, she said, ¡°I told you about how Trenon wrote to me about you and Phoenix, right? So I felt like I kinda knew the two of you, even if only a little, before I actually met either of you. And then, I heard that Trenon died while tryin¡¯ to protect you¡ª¡°


    ¡°He didn¡¯t ¡®try¡¯. He did protect us,¡± Pierce insisted.


    Liask regarded Pierce with surprise, only for a bitter smile to then cross her face. ¡°Yeah¡­ guess so. But I guess what I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to say, is¡­ the reason I like talkin¡¯ with you is ¡®cause I get to learn more about the kinda people my brother was willin¡¯ to sacrifice himself for. And the more I learn, the more I think I can appreciate Trenon¡­¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t disappointed?¡± Pierce questioned with a bitter smirk, ¡°that he¡¯d sacrifice himself for someone like me?¡±


    ¡°No. I mean¡­ I do wish Trenon was still alive.¡± Liask took a deep breath; as Pierce watched her, he noticed that she was softly stroking the scar across her mouth. ¡°And you and Phoenix¡­ ¡­well, I guess if I¡¯m honest, you do kinda do some dumb things¡­¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first to have told me that,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°And I doubt you¡¯ll be the last.¡±


    ¡°Ha, probably not. But at the end of the day, you¡¯re still a good person, you know? You went off to fight the Bleeders during Hunger¡¯s Bane, even though I stayed back¡­ and you volunteered to help Obra and I find Minilas.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but we didn¡¯t learn anything about her, in the end.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we didn¡¯t know how things would end up when we started. What mattered then was that you wanted to help.¡±


    Pierce remained silent, unsure exactly of how to respond. Eventually, he just said, ¡°you know¡­ you¡¯re a weirdly optimistic person. Most people would be mad at me, right now, for getting us all into trouble at Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Tres¨¦d has enough misery all on its own, no use lettin¡¯ it drag you down,¡± Liask replied. ¡°¡­That¡¯s what Trenon would always say.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh. Guess that does sound like him.¡±


    ¡°Do you have problems with your friends, though? You seem to talk to me easily enough, but Conrad always seemed kinda¡­ uneasy, back in Rokres. And I¡¯ve heard, um¡­ ¡®things¡¯ about you and Phoenix, or those other Earthian students¡­¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see eye-to-eye with people, sometimes. That¡¯s all,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°And unlike most people, I don¡¯t just sweep those disagreements under the rug ¡ª I address them head-on. And that creates friction.¡±


    ¡°Friction¡­ like a ¡®relationship contest¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Pierce pulled a face. ¡°That was¡­ look, Phoenix and I have these kinds of competitions all the time. It¡¯s the only way to stay on our toes, to really show which of us is better.¡±


    Liask passed Pierce an amused look. ¡°By¡­ dating?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look, the question was, ¡®which of us is more dateable?¡¯ And the only way to get an answer to that is to, you know, date people.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®winning¡¯, then? Phoenix, right?¡±


    ¡°What? How do you know?! Has our little contest turned into that much of a rumor around here?!¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, you are outsiders. People ¡®round here may not talk to you much, but they do pay a lot of attention to you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Look, I¡¯ll win, in the end. I took a whole month off, sure, but now that a new term is starting, I¡¯m a whole new man!¡±


    ¡°So you say, but all the girls just think you¡¯re lookin¡¯ for, uh¡­ ¡®fun nights¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s a nice plus ¡ª I mean, look, you have to start somewhere, right? You can¡¯t win a dating contest by not fucking dating anyone.¡±


    ¡°And how do you win?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ ¡­I guess the win condition isn¡¯t well-defined. But if I could find someone to date for a month, at least, I bet Phoenix would finally agree that I won.¡±


    ¡°Why a month?¡±


    ¡°Uh, you know¡­ just an arbitrary length, ha ha,¡± Pierce replied with a sheepish chuckle. Man, I can¡¯t just admit that I¡¯ve never dated someone for longer than that¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Liask looked down, as if in thought. ¡°What if¡­ I helped?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Pierce briefly glanced at Liask before turning to look out over the lake once more ¡ª and then snapping his attention back to Liask. ¡°Wait, hold on. What?¡±


    ¡°I-I mean, to win the contest, Phoenix just needs to think you¡¯re dating someone, right?¡± Liask replied, ¡°well, you know. I could help. By, uh ¡ª by pretending to be your girlfriend. That¡¯d work, right?¡±


    ¡°Pretending, huh¡­?¡± Pierce echoed. ¡®Pretending¡¯ my ass. She¡¯s actually asking me out right now, isn¡¯t she? But¡­ He paused, still in thought, as he looked out over the lake once more ¡ª the lake now well-lit by a sun just risen. ¡­She said earlier that she doesn¡¯t blame me for Trenon¡¯s death, and I think she really meant that. But still¡­ I feel like the only reason we¡¯re even talking right now is because he¡¯s fucking dead. She did say that Trenon wrote about us, so there¡¯s a decent chance she¡¯d try to get to know me even if Trenon was still alive, but¡­ damn it, what the hell even is this situation? I¡¯m the reason your brother is fucking dead, Liask, why are you trying to DATE me, of all things?! I don¡¯t understand you at all! This feels so wrong. ¡­But if it¡¯s only for a month, to end this stupid contest¡­ I suppose that wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Then we can stop ¡®pretending¡¯ to date, which means I won¡¯t have to break up with her, for real¡­ Damn, this sounds so bad. But she DID suggest it herself, so¡­


    ¡°¡­It was a bad idea after all, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What? No, wait,¡± Pierce quickly interjected, drawing Liask¡¯s attention back to himself. ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was a bad idea, I was just thinking about if, um¡­ if, uh¡­ ¡­if Phoenix would fall for it, yeah!¡±


    Liask looked at Pierce doubtfully. ¡°¡­Really? Uh¡­ would she?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d have to be pretty convincing, I¡¯ll admit,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Going on dates, holding hands, kissing, se¡ª well¡­ spending nights together, at least.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI see,¡± Liask responded, fidgeting in place. ¡°Earthians get intimate a lot faster than Tres¨¦dians do, huh¡­ but I stand by my word! I¡¯ll help you win! It¡¯s the least I can do, considerin¡¯ all you¡¯ve done for me!¡±


    What HAVE I done for her¡­? Pierce mentally questioned as he regarded Liask with a forced smile. Just what¡¯s going through her mind? Maybe she actually is just volunteering to pretend, here, out of some weird-ass sense of feeling indebted? But why?! Shit, now I want to go through with this, just to try and see what the hell she¡¯s thinking¡­ ¡°Well¡­ I guess we can start today, then,¡± Pierce eventually declared. ¡°We can grab lunch. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah! Sounds good!¡± Liask replied, and then adopted a playful smirk. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be buyin¡¯, huh? Since your allowance got cut.¡±


    ¡°Aw, man¡­ don¡¯t remind me,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be kinda hard to go on dates durin¡¯ the week, anyways, due to extra study hall and cleanin¡¯ the armories¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess we do need to work around that¡­ but hey, all that matters is putting on a convincing show, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yep! That¡¯s right!¡±


    Pierce and Liask continued standing on the edge of the pier, awkwardly smiling at each other in what felt like deafening silence. Eventually, Pierce cleared his throat and turned to begin walking down the pier. ¡°¡­Anyways,¡± he remarked, ¡°we¡¯ve been standing around and talking for a while, now. Let¡¯s get back to our workouts. Time rests for no one, and all that, you know.¡±


    ¡°True! Well¡­ see you at lunch, then!¡± Liask shouted as Pierce began jogging down the pier, leaving her to continue her morning exercises in solitude.


    <hr>


    That Afternoon


    ¡°Alright! The inaugural meeting of the Creators¡¯ Day Planning Committee now officially commences!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Inaugural¡¯?¡± Twy echoed as she passed her sister an incredulous glance. ¡°¡­¡¯Committee¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°I see someone is invested in this process,¡± Phoenix remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, sis, it¡¯s all in good fun!¡± Sky declared as she threw her arm around Twy¡¯s shoulder. She then glanced at each of Phoenix and Kestrel, who joined the twins in sitting upon the floor rug in Sky¡¯s dorm room at WCU. Afternoon sunlight shone through the lone window, offering bright illumination of the modestly decorated room ¡ª and the mess within. While the central part of Sky¡¯s room and her bed were cleared in preparation for the meeting she was now holding, there still remained a pile of dirty clothes in the corner, and her desk was covered in haphazard piles of papers and textbooks.


    ¡°Anyways!¡± Sky exclaimed, finally releasing Twy to look eagerly at everyone. ¡°Creators¡¯ Day is in, like, a month and a half, at this point ¡ª and since we all agreed to work on something together, we should really start now!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like this was your idea,¡± Twy countered. ¡°Remember, Phoenix had to remind you that this was even happening.¡±


    ¡°Shush, you. You can¡¯t blame me for forgetting, anyways. There¡¯s been too much going on, lately!¡±


    ¡°Classes¡­¡± Kestrel muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, that!¡± Sky emphatically thrust her index finger toward Kestrel. ¡°Can you believe it? We have fucking homework, now! And the classes are so long! And so boring! Where¡¯d all our free time go?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like Kaon¨¦ said, WCU is still a college,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m glad that the classes here cover non-Chaotic material. I don¡¯t want this Chaotic stuff to be the only thing I know.¡±


    ¡°Having homework isn¡¯t very different from what we were doing before we came to Nimalia, either,¡± Twy said. ¡°If anything, we should assume that the last couple months were an abnormal adjustment period, not the norm to expect.¡±


    ¡°Ah, figures the two of you would say that,¡± Sky pouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, Sky ¡ª just because I want a thorough and proper education doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how to have fun,¡± Phoenix remarked with a smirk. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m looking forward to Creators¡¯ Day. A full-day holiday to celebrate creative works ¡ª that sounds like a hella good time, to me. And the way I hear it, Compound Tresnon is even going to have a talent show, of sorts. That means we need to go big!¡±


    ¡°Big¡­?¡± Twy echoed warily.


    ¡°Only four of us¡­¡± Kestrel added.


    ¡°Yeah, but four is all you need!¡± Sky declared.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re going to do,¡± Twy challenged, ¡°how do we know that the four of us will be enough?¡±


    ¡°Of course we know what we¡¯re going to do. I¡¯m going to sing! Duh!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m going to make a cute outfit!¡± Phoenix asserted. ¡°Twy, Kestrel, you two can be in charge of making the background art, and the backing track.¡±


    Twy and Kestrel exchanged a blank glance, only for both of their shoulders to heave in tandem ¡ª though only Twy¡¯s sigh was audible. ¡°I guess¡­¡± Twy replied. ¡°But we still haven¡¯t decided on anything beyond that, though. What¡¯s the actual song that you¡¯re going to sing, Sky? Or, even better ¡ª what¡¯s our overall theme?¡±


    ¡°I was just gonna write a song, but, uh¡­¡± Sky adopted a sheepish smile. ¡°Now that you mention it, I hadn¡¯t thought about a theme! Ah ha ha¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about a few, myself,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Creators¡¯ Day is a celebration of creative works of all sorts, right? Which ultimately means that it¡¯s a sort of cultural appreciation day. In that vein, I think we should do something inspired by Earth¡¯s culture ¡ª it¡¯s what we know best, after all. And it can be a chance to show the Tres¨¦dians here something that they aren¡¯t familiar with!¡±


    ¡°Nature?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°The Nimalians do seem to like nature,¡± Twy agreed. ¡°And personally, I like painting landscapes more than anything else¡­ so we could do something about Earth¡¯s nature, I guess?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good start,¡± Phoenix replied with a nod. ¡°It could be good to bring some greenery to this dreary city, after all!¡±


    ¡°So I should write a song about¡­ Earth¡¯s nature?¡± Sky pulled a face. ¡°What does that even mean?!¡±


    ¡°Just, like¡­ think about some natural features that Earth has that Nimalia doesn¡¯t,¡± Twy suggested. ¡°Or maybe about how people¡¯s attitudes about nature on Earth differ from Nimalia¡¯s¡­?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a bajillion people on Earth! I can¡¯t condense all of their opinions into a single song!¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Phoenix admitted, her hand on her chin in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ well¡­ as much as I hate to admit it, I suppose we can focus on America. We are all American, here.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense. I was gonna write the song in English, anyways¡­¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel passed Sky a glance. ¡°¡­Translation implants?¡±


    Sky returned the glance. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, Kestrel¡¯s right¡­¡± Phoenix remarked with a frown. ¡°Think about it, Sky ¡ª the Nimalians have those translation implants, right? The translations on those things are pretty damn good for normal conversation, but I don¡¯t think they can match the meter and rhyme of a song, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit¡­ is it not possible to just turn them off, though?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible to temporarily disable the audio translation, sure, but it¡¯s just inconvenient enough that we can¡¯t expect people to do it for a single song.¡±


    ¡°Well, only students and faculty of WCU have the implants, right?¡± Twy pointed out, ¡°most other Tres¨¦dians won¡¯t. So English is probably fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, but do you think most other Tres¨¦dians would care about a bunch of ¡®outsiders¡¯ like us?¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°I think we should tailor this performance for the students, since they¡¯re more likely to appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­¡± Twy mused, and then looked over at her sister. ¡°Well, what if we just did something without lyrics? There are plenty of musical things you can use your voice for that aren¡¯t singing.¡±


    ¡°What? No way!¡± Sky immediately refuted. ¡°The lyrical parts are the biggest reason I like singing in the first place! Words have meaning, you know ¡ª and so do songs! That¡¯s, like, the entire point!¡±


    ¡°And yet, the only way for the Tres¨¦dians to understand your song is to butcher the musical aspect,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to make some kind of compromise, Sky.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon¡­ we could, like, just hand out little pamphlets with the English lyrics, and a Nimalian translation¡­¡±


    ¡°Again, we can¡¯t expect the Tres¨¦dians to bother turning the auto-translation off. Not for a bunch of outsiders they barely know.¡±


    ¡°Another language?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Hmm, if Sky sang in a non-English language, then I think that would do it¡­¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t trigger the Nimalians¡¯ audio translation¡­ and I guess there is some neat value in showcasing an Earth language that the Nimalians have likely never heard before. But, Sky, do you even know another language?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is easy!¡± Sky replied casually. ¡°I can just do Japanese, or Chinese. No problem.¡±


    ¡°Really? You know Japanese and Chinese?¡±


    ¡°I used to! That counts, right?¡±


    ¡°More specifically¡­¡± Twy explained in an exasperated tone, ¡°our parents tried to teach us their respective languages when we were kids, but we haven¡¯t actually used either very frequently. We grew up in Texas, after all.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Phoenix remarked as she glanced between the two twins. ¡°So your parents are Japanese? Or¡­ Chinese?¡±


    ¡°Our mom was born in Japan; our dad, in China,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Though both of their families moved to California when they were young. And then moved to Texas after the big quakes in ¡®88¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ makes sense. The quakes did hit California pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°But the fact still remains ¡ª we used to know both languages!¡± Sky declared. ¡°I couldn¡¯t, uh, hold a conversation in them anymore, but¡­ I¡¯m sure the knowledge is buried somewhere in my head. I just have to dig it out, somehow!¡±


    Phoenix passed Sky a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°If Japanese, then¡­¡± Kestrel glanced between Sky and Twy. ¡°¡­Ask Saito?¡±


    ¡°Saito?¡± Sky echoed cluelessly.


    ¡°She¡¯s talking about the Colonel. Colonel Kaji Saito? Of CSF-1?¡± Twy replied. ¡°His name is Japanese, sure, but is he himself actually from Japan? I¡¯ve only ever heard him speak English, and he doesn¡¯t seem to have much of an accent. I mean¡­ now that I think about it, I guess he kind of does, but it¡¯s really slight¡­¡±


    ¡°And more importantly, do we really want to ask for his help?¡± Phoenix challenged. ¡°Remember ¡ª he¡¯s SERRCom. And he doesn¡¯t have any sympathetic ties to us like Luke does.¡±


    ¡°Will we even see him before Creators¡¯ Day?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°He left, didn¡¯t he? I thought he wasn¡¯t coming back.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ just an option,¡± Kestrel said with a shrug.


    ¡°It¡¯s something, at least¡­¡± Sky mused. ¡°And I think Clarice still remembers some Japanese, too¡­ maybe I¡¯ll go with that, then. That should be fun!¡±


    ¡°Uh, who¡¯s Clarice¡­?¡± Phoenix asked.


    ¡°Our older sister,¡± Twy replied. ¡°But she¡¯s notoriously unreliable, and a bit of a nomad. I¡¯d be surprised if you¡¯re even able to contact her, Sky. You¡¯d be better off asking Sage. ¡­Our brother, the oldest sibling,¡± she quickly added when Phoenix made to interject again.


    ¡°Wow¡­ four siblings, huh?¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°I¡¯m just an only child¡­¡±


    ¡°Sage is a real stick-in-the-mud, though,¡± Sky declared. ¡°And he¡¯s always busy, too. Well, fine ¡ª I can manage well enough on my own! I¡¯m sure I have enough repressed knowledge that I could at least clean up a machine translation. It¡¯s fine!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Phoenix passed Sky a doubtful look. ¡°If you¡¯re just going to use an automatic translation, then maybe we should¡ª¡°


    ¡°Nah, I got this! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Sky insisted with a wink toward Phoenix. ¡°Worst case scenario, I can just grab an existing song off the internet! It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s gonna sue me for copyright out here!¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s that Sky work ethic, for you,¡± Twy responded sarcastically.


    ¡°Need more details¡­¡± Kestrel commented, glancing pointedly between Sky and Phoenix. ¡°For art, backing track¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, we still need to hammer out some more details,¡± Phoenix agreed. ¡°For the outfit design, as well. We have the general theme, and a language, now we need to build off of that. Alright¡­ hmm, maybe we could¡­¡±


    With that, the four women continued their planning through the afternoon and evening, doing their best to form a concrete plan for the holiday a month and a half in the future: Creators¡¯ Day.

 V2 - A2 - Chapter 16: Chaotic ACTion

    OLD THREATS ¡ª A NEW TERM


    <hr>


    Chapter 16: Chaotic ACTion


    ¡°There you are! See anything interestin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Selind,¡± Luke replied, turning to pass the Tres¨¦dian a nod as she approached him. He then looked out over the desert wastes outside of Tresnon from his position atop the walls as he said, ¡°nothing to see today, it seems.¡±


    ¡°It really has been quiet this past week, huh,¡± Selind remarked, leaning on the stone protective barrier on the outer part of the ramparts as she watched Luke pack up his sniper rifle. ¡°No sign of the Bleeders, at all¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, right? We don¡¯t want them to attack again. ¡­Do we?¡±


    ¡°Ha! No, of course not. I¡¯m just¡­ confused. The Bleeders have never behaved like this, before. An open raid on Compound Tresnon, only to retreat with no trace¡­ and then they send someone to go mess with Rokres. I¡¯ve never before heard of the Bleeders tryin¡¯ to mess with Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Luke quietly mused as he shouldered his rifle. ¡°¡­I take it we haven¡¯t learned much about their whereabouts or plans, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had the Defense Force step up their patrols over the region, but they ain¡¯t found anythin¡¯,¡± Selind replied. ¡°No signs of that poor girl they kidnapped, either¡­ I don¡¯t like this one bit.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely concerning¡­ well, if you ever do get a lead, I¡¯m more than happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it, but why¡¯re you so willin¡¯ to help out? You¡¯re already volunteerin¡¯ your time to join the watch shifts. You sure there ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ better you could be doin¡¯ with your time?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, to be perfectly honest, there isn¡¯t much to do around here. Might as well help keep watch, and keep up practice with my rifle while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, I guess. And that really is a nice rifle! Finally got it from Earth, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I thought it could be useful, given everything going on around here.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t deny that. You¡¯ve gotta let me shoot it sometime, though! After all, I let you use my sniper!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ true, true,¡± Luke remarked with a smile as he eyed the gun strapped to Selind¡¯s back, as always. He then took a deep breath. ¡°Well, you¡¯re here to take over my watch, right? I¡¯ll be on my way, then.¡±


    ¡°I hear you¡¯re meetin¡¯ with Gavon!¡± Selind replied with a cheeky smirk as Luke started off towards the rampart ladders. ¡°Be sure to have fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª!¡± Luke responded, initially passing Selind an annoyed glance ¡ª only for unease to then cross his features. ¡°Did you hear about that?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Bout what?¡± Selind questioned. ¡°¡­Wait, are you and Gavon actually together?! I was just playin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°No! No, we aren¡¯t. Well¡­¡± Luke pursed his lips in thought, his gaze straying over the vast sandy flatlands that stretched on to the horizon. Eventually, he turned back to face Selind. ¡°You mind if I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s about whether I care about the two of y¡¯all bein¡¯ together, the answer is: I¡¯m happy for ya!¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll stop fuckin¡¯ around, now.¡± Selind took a deep breath and adopted a warm smile, with none of her prior cheekiness. ¡°Ask away, Luke. Dunno if I¡¯ll have an answer, but I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Right. Well¡­¡± Luke took a breath himself, stepping up to Selind again to close the distance he had created earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the best person to ask, honestly¡­ but, what do you think about relationships between members of potentially opposing forces?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ well that¡¯s a heavy question¡­¡± Selind replied. ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about what¡¯s goin¡¯ on between Earth and the Black Suns, so I can¡¯t say anythin¡¯ on that¡ª¡°


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask specifically about the Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s obvious that¡¯s what you meant. In general, I think formin¡¯ any kind of relationship with someone from an enemy organization is risky, at best.¡± She then turned to look out over the wastes, as if reminiscing. ¡°But let me tell you what I know from my own experience, as a Compound Guardian who¡¯s spent well over 20, maybe even 30 years doin¡¯ this. You know that the Bleeders are a gang that¡¯ve bothered the Compounds of Tres¨¦d for generations, but somethin¡¯ you might not realize is that¡­ at the end of the day, a lot of the Bleeders ain¡¯t really there by choice. Some of ¡®em are there ¡®cause they really are convinced it¡¯s the only way they can survive in these wastelands; others are there only ¡®cause the Bleeders would kill ¡®em or their family if they left. And that means that¡­ sometimes, a Bleeder can get the sympathy of someone from the Compounds.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a handful of non-Bleeders attempt to befriend a Bleeder, or even somethin¡¯ more. And I¡¯ll be honest, most of the time, that kinda relationship ends up fuckin¡¯ over the non-Bleeder. Either their Bleeder ¡®friend¡¯ was just takin¡¯ advantage of ¡®em all along, or someone outside of the relationship discovers it and both members end up becomin¡¯ outsiders to both the Compounds and the Bleeders. But sometimes¡­ rarely, but sometimes, it works out. Sometimes, the non-Bleeder gets the Bleeder to turn. I even heard once that an entire Bleeder cell got turned, that way. Didn¡¯t really believe it at the time, but once Dav¨ªdrius and I started up the Bleeder Reformation Program, and it actually worked? Stories like that got a lot more believable.


    ¡°Now¡­ I don¡¯t think the relationship between the Bleeders and the Compounds can be compared to what¡¯s goin¡¯ on between Earth and the Black Suns, but there¡¯s one similarity that matters, I think. It¡¯s the one thing that seems universal in this galaxy: the burden of responsibility that non-Chaotics put on Chaotics.¡± Selind turned to look Luke in the eye. ¡°Tres¨¦d doesn¡¯t have a central government, but most of the Compounds, and even the Bleeders, are the same ¡ª if you¡¯re a Chaotic, then you¡¯re really valuable, and either side will do whatever it takes to keep you in line. End result is that Chaotics rarely get a choice in what they do¡­ Compound Chaotics either protect their Compound, or die. Bleeder Chaotics either help the Bleeders, or die. And Gavon¡­ like any other Chaotic in this galaxy, he joined the military. ¡®Cause he has to. He didn¡¯t have a choice. But you, Luke¡­ you ain¡¯t a Chaotic, just like me. That means that you ain¡¯t forced to be here. At the end of the day, you chose this life. ¡­Uh, unless Earth does widespread conscription, or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ you¡¯re right. I voluntarily joined SERRCom,¡± Luke replied. ¡°But¡­ hmm. I think I get what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re saying that my original question came from a place of privilege, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I guess that¡¯s one way to put it,¡± Selind responded. ¡°My bigger point is ¡ª since Chaotics like Gavon always get forced into a military somehow, their idea of datin¡¯ or bein¡¯ friends with someone in an ¡®opposing¡¯ organization is probably way different from yours. That¡¯s how most Bleeder-Compound relationships are formed: a Chaotic who¡¯s stuck on one side chooses not to care about the greater conflict, because in their mind, they didn¡¯t get to choose a side in the first place. And I can¡¯t really blame ¡®em. I¡¯d bet at least somethin¡¯ about that applies to the rest of the galaxy, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think you have a point.¡± Luke then released a wary exhale, as if he were mulling over Selind¡¯s words. ¡°¡­I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that. I¡¯m still not sure what my feelings are on the matter, overall, but¡­ you¡¯ve given me some good insight, Selind. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Really? Uh, good!¡± Selind remarked, pleased surprise writ across her face. ¡°I didn¡¯t think anythin¡¯ I said would actually make any sense to an outsider!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have the full context for all the Bleeder stuff, but I can see the parallels well enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, good. I¡¯ll be rootin¡¯ for ya, then, Luke. For you and Gavon, both ¡ª regardless of if y¡¯all stay just friends, or go for a little more! Few outsiders are as friendly and helpful as the two of y¡¯all, after all ¡ª and no others have gone shootin¡¯ with me! Ha!¡±


    ¡°Heh, thanks,¡± Luke replied with a slight smile. Few outsiders have been as friendly and helpful, huh. It¡¯s true¡­ Gavon¡¯s been both. And Selind is right, that his proposition probably comes from a different context than my own. But will that really be fine? And more importantly, can I really trust someone in the Black Suns¡­?


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve held you up long enough,¡± Selind remarked, and then made a shooing motion with her hands. ¡°Your shift¡¯s over, get outta here!¡±


    ¡°Right, right¡­ thanks again, Selind. I¡¯m off.¡± Luke passed her a quick nod before turning around and beginning again towards the rampart ladders, leaving Selind to take over watching the wastes outside the walls.


    <hr>


    *


    Deafening electrical static echoed across the practice fields of WCU, accompanied by the bright golden visual of flaring energy shields as Kar¨ªsah weathered an intense and blindingly-fast assault of kicks and punches from a Velocitechnic student. Despite the high speed of the blows ¡ª and therefore, the incredible force behind them ¡ª Kar¨ªsah stood strong, braced in place against each blow as she attempted to track her opponent¡¯s movements. Then, there was a brief lull; merely half a second, but it was all the signal Kar¨ªsah needed. Swiftly, she swept her right arm down across the gap between her legs, just in time to catch the Velocitechnic¡¯s own leg as he attempted to bicycle-kick her into the sky.


    Caught off-guard, there was little the Velocitechnic could do to stop Kar¨ªsah from grabbing firm hold of his leg, whirling him around once, and then hurling him across the practice fields and into the wall surrounding the campus. Immediately, Kar¨ªsah stomped the ground; the incredible force behind her stomp sent rocks and debris flying, rocks that she readily grabbed out of the air and began chucking at the stunned Velocitechnic in rapid succession, all in an attempt to keep him down.


    ¡°One¡­! Two¡­!¡± Ralak shouted from the sidelines, slowly counting up as Kar¨ªsah continued pelting the Velocitechnic with rocks. Before Ralak could reach ¡°Four¡±, however, the Velocitechnic managed to recover and dive out of the way of the next boulder, at which point he dashed back onto the practice field and lunged straight at Kar¨ªsah ¡ª who easily predicted the lunge and met it with her fist. The Velocitechnic was once again launched across the fields, only this time, Kar¨ªsah followed with a powerful bound to land on top of him and pin him to the ground.


    ¡°¡­Four! ¡­Five! Ring out!¡± Ralak shouted, at which point the Velocitechnic stopped struggling against Kar¨ªsah¡¯s pin ¡ª and she readily released him. ¡°Round 4, and the entire match, goes to Tresnon¡¯s Elite!¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°WOO! Yeah! Go, Kar¨ªsah!!¡± Spike whooped from the sidelines.


    ¡°That was certainly an impressive show,¡± Mark commented, watching as Kar¨ªsah helped the Velocitechnic up and the two parted ways to reconvene with their teams. ¡°She was able to keep up with a Velocitechnic¡­ that¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°Just shows that the Velocitechnic didn¡¯t know what they were doin¡¯, I¡¯d say,¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°Kar¨ªsah lives with Dav¨ªdrius, right?¡± Spike pointed out as he turned to look at Mark and Austin. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s just practiced against him a lot.¡±


    Mark nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s probably it. Still, her abilities are impressive. These matches today might only be for bracket placements in the ACT, but I bet Kar¨ªsah and her team will go far.¡±


    ¡°More like just Kar¨ªsah,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°Her team didn¡¯t even fight at all, she took on the entire other team herself! What¡¯s the point of having teams, anyways, if each round in a match is just a 1-v-1?¡±


    ¡°Imagine tryin¡¯ to watch a 4-on-4 fight,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°It¡¯d be chaos!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Kar¨ªsah!¡± Mark turned to give the Tres¨¦dian a smile as she approached the trio. ¡°Good job on that match!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t anythin¡¯ special¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied bashfully. ¡°I¡¯m just lucky I get to train with Dav¨ªdrius. I¡¯d never have known how to fight a Velocitechnic, otherwise.¡± She then looked over the three men, and then briefly glanced to the side, where a handful of other students had gathered to watch the ongoing placement matches between the WCU ACT teams. ¡°¡­So y¡¯all came to watch, huh?¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t we?!¡± Spike responded, ¡°we¡¯ve got officially sanctioned matches here between the strongest members of the student body! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m missin¡¯ that!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good chance to see how things work, and just how strong people are ¡ª you know, to better prepare for next year!¡± Austin added.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly interesting to watch, I have to say,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Is the format used in these matches today the same as the format used in the ACT itself?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah nodded. ¡°Yep. A series of 1-on-1 rounds until every member of one team has been beaten, with a round ending on a ring out, time out, or shield out.¡±


    ¡°Well that just goes back to my question from a minute ago,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°If the ACT is just gonna be a bunch of 1-v-1s, then why have teams at all?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of students at the Schools of Chaos. Making the ACT team-based instead of a bunch of single fights lets more people join¡­ in theory, at least,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°But, like Spike said, a 4-on-4 fight would be chaos. Not just to watch, but to be a part of, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, right,¡± Austin muttered as he and Spike exchanged sheepish glances. ¡°I think we know what that¡¯s like¡­¡±


    ¡°That said, the original ACTs actually were 4-on-4s,¡± Kar¨ªsah stated. ¡°The Deans only changed it to the current format a few years ago, where once someone enters the ring, they have to stay in until they win the whole round or lose a match. Your current team member in the ring can keep fightin¡¯ rounds back-to-back until they lose, and then you send in your next team member. It means you have to be careful who you send in and when, which is an interestin¡¯ twist.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a whole meta-game,¡± Spike replied. ¡°Gotta think about whether to save your strongest member for last, or to put ¡®em first and hope they sweep ¡ª which depends on whether or not you think the enemy team will try the same!¡±


    ¡°Ability counters play into it, too,¡± Mark said. ¡°Some Chaotic abilities more easily counter others, so I imagine part of the challenge of deciding an order would be to try and match your own teammates against Chaotics on the enemy team that they could easily beat, without having to fight too many extra rounds, or getting eliminated early.¡±


    ¡°I guess when you put it that way, it does sound kinda interesting¡­ if a little heady,¡± Austin mused. ¡°Sounds like the perfect grounds for lots of betting, though.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ the Deans don¡¯t allow gamblin¡¯ on the ACT¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t really like it, either. We¡¯re still students, I don¡¯t want whether I win or lose to lose people money. And knowin¡¯ that odds are against you can be pretty demoralizin¡¯, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡±


    ¡°But these matches today¡­ everyone here already qualified for the ACT, right?¡± Mark questioned. ¡°I understand that today is ¡®bracket placements¡¯, but what¡¯s the significance of that?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just today, it¡¯s actually all of this week and the next,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°Since each school only sends four teams, there¡¯s only 24 teams overall, which means that eight teams get a bye in the first round of the tournament. These bracket placements determine which teams get the bye.¡±


    ¡°That means at least two schools will have more than one team with a bye. How can you determine who gets the byes based only on internal matches?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah shrugged. ¡°Not really sure. I think the Deans draw lots¡­¡±


    ¡°They draw lots?¡± Austin echoed incredulously. ¡°For a tournament like this?¡±


    ¡°Remember, the ACT is still pretty new¡­ the first one was in 8047, only seven years ago. Its location didn¡¯t even start cyclin¡¯ through the schools until two years later, in 8049, when we held it here, in Tresnon¡­ and back then, it didn¡¯t have much public attention. It¡¯s basically a whole different thing, now.¡±


    ¡°So the ACT isn¡¯t in Tresnon this year?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯ll be held in Tresnon next year, but this year it¡¯s in Anika ¡ª in Riverana,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°Which is¡­ pretty bad timin¡¯, really¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see,¡± Mark mused. ¡°With everything that¡¯s been happening around here¡­ I can certainly understand why you¡¯d be reluctant to leave.¡±


    ¡°I guess stuff is gettin¡¯ kinda serious¡­¡± Spike muttered, and then passed Kar¨ªsah a glance. ¡°When do you leave?¡±


    ¡°The ACT starts on the 19th, so to be fully ready, I¡¯d have to leave for Riverana in a little over a week¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied, and then released a wary sigh. ¡°If I decide to stay in, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not thinkin¡¯ of dropping out, are you?!¡± Austin responded incredulously. ¡°But you¡¯d do so well!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be a damn shame, but I¡¯d understand you decidin¡¯ to stay back¡­¡± Spike said. ¡°That¡¯s kinda fucked up, though, that Tresnon would be in a position where you¡¯d have to consider that¡­¡±


    ¡°If it helps, I promise that I¡¯ll help keep Compound Tresnon safe in your absence,¡± Mark declared.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°I¡¯ll probably still stay in the ACT¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be very fair to my teammates to back out now. Dav¨ªdrius said I shouldn¡¯t worry about Tresnon, too, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand your worry,¡± Spike replied, ¡°and unlike Mark, I dunno if I can promise to actually help, given how, uh¡­ not-very-helpful I was last time.¡± He then pounded his chest with his fist. ¡°But! If it¡¯ll make you feel better, then maybe we can get some trainin¡¯ in, with the four of us! If me an¡¯ Austin get up to speed with our abilities, then the two of us together might be able to cover for you, in a pinch!¡±


    ¡°Wait, training?! Uh, no thanks, I¡¯ll pass,¡± Austin quickly interjected. ¡°We¡¯re already supposed to do some trainin¡¯ in class the next two days! ¡­And I have homework to do, too, yeah! So, uh, I¡¯m busy!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, you can just say ¡®no¡¯,¡± Mark responded.


    ¡°Either way, your loss, Austin,¡± Spike remarked before turning toward Kar¨ªsah. ¡°Well? What about it?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah glanced between Mark and Spike in bemusement. ¡°¡­I guess trainin¡¯ does have a way of takin¡¯ my mind off stuff. Alright, I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±


    ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go behind the school buildin¡¯, then, since the practice fields are bein¡¯ used for matches!¡±


    ¡°¡­Y¡¯all have fun!¡± Austin shouted after the three as they left to find somewhere to train. With an incredulous sigh, Austin returned his attention to the practice fields, where the other two WCU teams were preparing to have a match. As he settled in to watch, he noticed a familiar face just a few paces away. ¡°Oh, hey! Conrad!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Conrad stepped to the side and half-turned around to spot Austin ¡ª revealing Obra beside him. With a casual nod, Conrad remarked, ¡°hey, Austin. Done talking with the meatheads?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d call Kar¨ªsah or Mark ¡®meatheads¡¯¡­¡± Austin responded as he stepped up to the duo.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t deny it for Spike though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Austin snorted in amusement before turning towards Obra. ¡°Uh¡­ I think we met, once?¡±


    ¡°The night of the attack, yeah,¡± Obra responded flatly.


    ¡°O-oh¡­ right¡­¡±


    ¡°Man, you¡¯re a really prickly person, huh?¡± Conrad commented as he passed Obra a glance.


    Obra looked at Conrad in annoyance before shaking his head and turning away.


    ¡°¡­So¡­ are you two friends?¡± Austin questioned.


    Conrad shrugged. ¡°More like acquaintances, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re reasonable, unlike your asshole of a friend¡­¡± Obra muttered.


    ¡°I hear that a lot,¡± Conrad remarked, and then casually gestured between Austin and Obra. ¡°Well, Austin, this is Obra. Obra, Austin. There, my job is done.¡±


    ¡°Hell of an introduction,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°And more outsiders¡­¡± Obra grumbled.


    ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t like us so much, then why are you here with Conrad?¡±


    ¡°I was just here to watch the matches. He¡¯s the one who approached me.¡±


    ¡°I just had a few questions about how things work with the ACT,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Figured it¡¯d be best to ask a local.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already asked your questions,¡± Obra responded impatiently. ¡°Why¡¯re you still here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, cut him some slack, Obra.¡±


    Austin, Conrad, and Obra all turned to face Liask, who was approaching the trio ¡ª alongside Pierce. Upon seeing Pierce¡¯s presence, Austin¡¯s expression took a turn for the foul, while Conrad made to address him¡­ until both noticed that Pierce and Liask¡¯s hands were linked.


    ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t expect that,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t expect a lot of things,¡± Pierce shot back as he and Liask stopped next to the other three. ¡°Can¡¯t you just be happy for me, once?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if this lasts, first.¡±


    ¡°I-it will,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°I think we¡¯ve had a good thing goin¡¯, so far!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± Obra stared at Liask in confusion, and then looked down to where she was holding Pierce¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What¡¯s goin¡¯ on? And why¡¯re you so¡­ weirdly close to Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Holding hands is, uh¡­ it¡¯s a thing on Earth,¡± Austin explained. ¡°A, like, romantic thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Romantic¡­?¡± Obra echoed cluelessly, only for recognition to soon dawn on his features ¡ª followed swiftly by incredulous fury. Whipping back to face Liask, he exclaimed, ¡°you? With him?! What the fuck, Liask?!¡±


    ¡°Hey, this is my choice!¡± Liask retorted. ¡°C¡¯mon, Obra! Pierce helped us, remember?¡±


    ¡°I remember him bein¡¯ the reason we got in trouble for fuckin¡¯ shit up at Rokres!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not solely to blame for that,¡± Pierce countered irately. ¡°Going there was a dumb idea in retrospect, yeah, but you still agreed to come along. I didn¡¯t even try to coerce you! You¡¯re just as much at fault as me!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Obra scowled and snapped his attention back to Liask. ¡°¡­With outsiders, really? The same one who your brother¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Stop. Now,¡± Liask commanded, releasing Pierce¡¯s hand to shove her finger in Obra¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to use Trenon against me.¡±


    Obra stepped back, startled; he remained there for a moment as he stared back at Liask, only to then whip around and storm off in a huff. ¡°You¡¯re makin¡¯ a mistake, you just watch!¡± he shouted over his shoulder, ¡°ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ good can come from gettin¡¯ close to that outsider bastard!¡±


    The remaining four watched Obra leave ¡ª as did some of the other bystanders at the practice fields ¡ª with Austin and Conrad standing awkwardly to the side. They both glanced at each other, and then back at Pierce as he placed a hand on Liask¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°¡­You alright?¡± he questioned softly.


    Liask took several deep breaths before nodding slowly. ¡°¡­Yeah. Sorry ¡®bout that¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like¡­ y¡¯all are having a great time,¡± Austin commented awkwardly as he began inching away. ¡°But I think I, uh¡­ have, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°What, dweeb, you jealous?¡± Pierce remarked as he passed Austin a glance.


    ¡°What, of your ability to run relationships into the ground? Not really,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°I¡¯d sooner be single than run through ten women in a month!¡±


    ¡°Ha! You keep telling yourself that, dweeb.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I will,¡± Austin shot back. ¡°Anyways¡ª I have shit to do, and I¡¯m not about to spend my afternoon with someone like you. I¡¯m out.¡±


    Liask watched Austin head off toward the dorms for a few moments before passing Pierce a disapproving frown. ¡°Was that really necessary?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll be asking that question a lot with this guy,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little teasing, that¡¯s all,¡± Pierce replied airily. ¡°All Liask and I did was show up holding hands, anyways. We didn¡¯t even actually say if we were a couple! If just that is enough to scare off Obra and Austin, then fuck ¡®em, I say.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Just that¡¯, suuuure.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ this will be harder than I thought,¡± Liask muttered.


    ¡°Hey, everything¡¯s fine,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°The first step is to just not care about the useless opinions of others. You do you, and all that stuff. And while you¡¯re dating me ¡ª well, I can show you a great time!¡±


    ¡°Ugh. Save it for the bedroom,¡± Conrad retorted.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean sexually, asshole.¡±


    ¡°W-well, anyways¡­¡± Liask interjected, drawing both Pierce and Conrad¡¯s attention before gesturing toward the practice fields, where another two teams of four were huddling. ¡°Looks like the next match is about to start.¡±


    ¡°Oh, finally,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°I could¡¯ve taken a whole nap in between Kar¨ªsah¡¯s match and this one.¡±


    ¡°You and your fucking naps¡­¡± Pierce responded in a combination of amusement and exasperation. ¡°I guess at least if you¡¯re sleeping, you can¡¯t be a snarky smartass.¡±


    ¡°Me? Snarky? Noooo. Say it ain¡¯t so.¡±


    ¡°Guys, quiet, it¡¯s starting!¡± Liask stated.


    Pierce and Conrad exchanged a quick glance before turning to face the practice fields, falling quiet to watch the second ¡ª and last ¡ª placement match to be held that day.

 V2 - A2 - Chapter 17: A Heros Guidance

    OLD THREATS ¡ª A NEW TERM


    <hr>


    Chapter 17: A Hero''s Guidance


    2 Days Later


    ¡°Chaos Armor¡ª Chaos Impact!!¡±


    A set of translucent purple armor manifested over Phoenix¡¯s body as she thrust her palm out and launched a nigh-invisible plane of blunt force across the sandy grounds. Kestrel easily lunged out of the way of the attack, using her control of air and wind to augment her speed and agility; she then whirled around and sent a horizontal column of air flying toward Phoenix. Sand and dust whipped up into the air in the wake of the winds as Phoenix staggered back, her eyes reflexively squinting ¡ª despite her Chaos Armor and personal energy shielding that blocked the sand from getting into her eyes.


    ¡°Chaos¡­!¡± Phoenix muttered, preparing to call an attack as soon as she could spot Kestrel through the dust storm. She soon spotted a glint of light to her right; without sparing a moment, she snapped her right hand toward the glint of light and shouted, ¡°Cannon!¡± Immediately, a small purple projectile shot out of her hand at the speed of sound and slammed into Kestrel¡¯s approaching form, flaring up her protective energy shielding and sending her reeling backwards. ¡°Chaos Strike, Chaos Strike!¡± Phoenix rapidly called out, shooting out streaks of purple lightning from her fingertips as she dashed away from the dwindling dust storm to run a circle around Kestrel. The latter was unable to dodge the lightning strikes, instead choosing to brace herself on the ground against the blows. Before Phoenix could follow up any further, however, a certain spear ¡ª with a glowing dark green orb just below the blade, and a green ribbon fluttering in the wind ¡ª zoomed in out of no where and struck Phoenix in the back, piercing through her Chaos Armor but still blocked by her energy shields.


    Stunned and surprised from the blow, Phoenix was little able to respond as Kestrel continued to manipulate her spear from afar using wind itself. The Aerotechnic¡¯s control of her weapon was slow, as though she were still getting the hang of moving it from afar, but her movements were still purposeful and effective as she managed to thrust the spear into Phoenix¡¯s side twice more before she could recover. ¡°Chaos Deflection,¡± Phoenix shouted, creating a rapidly-rotating spherical shield of Chaos Energy around her that flung Kestrel¡¯s spear into the distance. Kestrel immediately summoned her weapon back to her hand and launched herself into the air just in time to evade several Chaos Cannon attacks from Phoenix, where she then began flying in evasive curves to evade even more Cannon projectiles.


    ¡°Ngh¡­! Chaos¡­!¡± Phoenix eyed her aerial friend in mild frustration, her hand held out as she attempted to track Kestrel¡¯s movements so as to hit her with an attack. However, Kestrel quickly took advantage of the lull to whip up a dust storm around Phoenix, obscuring the air around her with sand and lifting her into the air. ¡°¡ªArmor!¡± Phoenix quickly called out, spawning another set of translucent armor over her body as she attempted to spot Kestrel through the disorientation of being hoisted into the air. ¡°Chaos¡­¡± she muttered again, waiting for an opportunity to strike. A second passed, then two, then five ¡ª and then Kestrel herself burst through the sandy wall of the dust storm, her spear held forward as she lunged straight at Phoenix. ¡°¡ªDeflection!!¡± Phoenix quickly finished, manifesting a spinning shield just in time to deflect Kestrel off to the side. ¡°Chaos Cannon, Chaos Cannon!¡± Phoenix followed, firing off two high-speed projectiles into Kestrel¡¯s back to knock her out of the air ¡ª as well as break her concentration on the dust storm, causing it to falter and dissipate, and Phoenix to fall to the ground. Phoenix caught herself in a roll and then leaped to her feet, ready to continue attacking as Kestrel jumped up herself, her spear held in front of her defensively.


    ¡°Time!¡±


    ¡°¡­Oof.¡± Phoenix released a weary exhale, allowing her body to relax as she and Kestrel each turned toward Ralak, who had just called the match from the side of WCU¡¯s practice field. Standing next to her was Kaon¨¦, and a little farther down, the rest of the Earthian students. ¡°Well?¡± Phoenix questioned to Ralak as she disengaged her energy shielding and wiped her brow of sweat. ¡°How¡¯d we do?¡±


    ¡°Overall, not bad,¡± Ralak declared. She waited for Phoenix and Kestrel to approach more closely before continuing, ¡°y¡¯all both showed good focus, and there wasn¡¯t much wasteful moves. Even your bigger attacks, Kestrel, were just to make a smokescreen to surprise your opponent. You didn¡¯t seem to lose track of Phoenix even when you couldn¡¯t see her, so that¡¯s good, too.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± Kestrel nodded curtly. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°And Phoenix, I see you¡¯ve gotten the hang of Deflection,¡± Ralak stated as she shifted her gaze to the short Chaostechnic. ¡°You were also quick to follow up on any openin¡¯s you created. It¡¯s good that you know to press the attack, rookie Chaotics usually play it too safe. Now, all of that said¡­¡± Ralak glanced between the two women. ¡°Y¡¯all weren¡¯t perfect, far from it. Kestrel! I get that y¡¯all have those fancy weapons of yours, and it looks like you¡¯ve got the basics down, but your skill with that weapon doesn¡¯t match your skill at controllin¡¯ air. Usin¡¯ that thing only held you back. And Phoenix¡­ you¡¯re a Directed-type Chaostechnic. That means you have Arrow. Use it. Arrow homes, after all ¡ª it¡¯s the perfect attack to use when you can¡¯t see your opponent, but still know they¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ sorry,¡± Phoenix responded sheepishly. ¡°I guess I focus too much on Cannon¡¯s speed advantage¡­¡±


    ¡°Cannon¡¯s speed is useful, as is Strike¡¯s,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, ¡°but it¡¯s as Ralak said ¡ª don¡¯t focus on them too much. To be a fully effective Chaostechnic, you need to use all of the abilities at your disposal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡±


    ¡°As for the Ayas Weapons¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ passed a doubtful glance toward Kestrel. ¡°Why are you training with Tsern so much, all of a sudden?¡± She then looked back at Twy, standing with the rest of the Earthian students. ¡°You as well, Twy ¡ª I¡¯ve seen you practicing with Mystryth a lot this week. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Twy responded uneasily, and then trailed off as she glanced toward Phoenix and Kestrel.


    ¡°Mystryth¡­¡± Spike echoed, ¡°¡­that¡¯s your bow, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so weird about training with our weapons,¡± Austin interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to get the hang of my sword for a while, too.¡±


    ¡°A focus that you shouldn¡¯t have, for now,¡± Ralak declared as she looked over each of the students. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that y¡¯all are doin¡¯ way better than any other Chaotic who¡¯s only had their powers for a few months, but I think it¡¯s too early to add those weapons into the mix. Especially given how dangerous those things are, and how reckless some of y¡¯all are.¡±


    ¡°¡­What are you looking at me for?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously as Phoenix and Kestrel each looked his way. ¡°I haven¡¯t used my weapon at all, recently.¡±


    ¡°The point is, those things can cut through anythin¡¯. Right?¡± Ralak said. ¡°Seems like energy shields are the only thing that stops ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°And sometimes, not even that¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Ralak passed her a confused look. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think I see what¡¯s going on, here,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked, realization dawning on her features. She then stepped forward as she gestured toward Ralak. ¡°Let me take over for now, Ralak. We¡¯ve covered all of today¡¯s practice matches, anyways, right?¡±


    ¡°That was the last one¡­¡± Ralak mused as she began flipping through the papers attached to a clipboard in her hands. She then offered Kaon¨¦ a resolute nod before looking over the Earthians again. ¡°Alright, that¡¯ll be it for today¡¯s physical lessons, then. Y¡¯all better take my advice to heart for next time.¡±


    Conrad watched Ralak walk off before sighing in relief. ¡°Man, finally. Those practice matches really leave you feeling dead¡­¡±


    ¡°You barely did anything at all during yours!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°¡¯Barely anything¡¯ still isn¡¯t nothing. Besides, what can I even do to any of you guys in a straight-up fight?¡±


    ¡°You have that glaive, right?¡± Austin suggested. ¡°It¡¯s better than nothing, at least.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it sounds like Ralak wants us to focus on our actual powers, for now,¡± Spike pointed out, and then looked toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°Or, uh, were you gonna say somethin¡¯ else about that?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°After all, if Pallan were here, then I¡¯m sure he¡¯d say something like ¡®you all have your weapons for a reason¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, he isn¡¯t here,¡± Phoenix declared with a slight hint of irritation.


    ¡°Why bring him up, now, anyways?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°¡­Does this have something to do with his ¡®prophecies¡¯?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°Ultimately¡­ yes, it does,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated, and then looked to Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel. ¡°I know that the three of you went to speak with Rebehka last week, and that you asked her about the Nanocreature War¡­ just how much did she tell you?¡±


    Twy and Phoenix exchanged a wary glance. ¡°¡­Just about everything, it sounded like,¡± Twy eventually replied.


    ¡°Everything? What?¡± Austin responded in confusion, ¡°but¡­ we already know what happened in the Nanocreature War, right? Hero Machina fought and killed Morcii twice, once over Neticen, and then at the Nanocreature Homeworld, wherever that is. What else is there to say?¡±


    ¡°Let me guess: the official story cuts a bunch of shit out, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Pierce said.


    Kaon¨¦ took a deep breath before turning toward the campus buildings. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back to the classroom. Once there, we can talk about the, uh¡­ ¡®deficiencies¡¯ of the official story, and what that probably means for all of you¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s, uh¡­ a lot weirder of a story than I expected¡­¡±


    ¡°That is what many people say,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded with a sigh from her position behind the teacher¡¯s podium. It hadn¡¯t been long since she and the Earthians returned to their classroom, and once there, Kaon¨¦ had divulged the entire true story of Hero Machina¡¯s involvement in the Nanocreature War ¡ª much as Rebehka had done with Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel a week prior.


    ¡°Priors, huh¡­¡± Spike mused, his arms crossed as he sat back in his seat in thought. ¡°That¡¯s, uh¡­ somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t really understand what a ¡®Prior¡¯ is supposed to be, or this ¡®Prior State¡¯ thing,¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only met two Priors, myself,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°As I understand it, they¡¯re basically conscious, sapient entities that don¡¯t actually need a physical form to continue living. And they can temporarily merge with a Chaotic in the Prior State, which acts very similarly to the Chaos State.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, the Priors are really weird and all, sure. But that¡¯s not the main issue, here!¡± Austin looked at everyone else incredulously before turning back to Kaon¨¦. ¡°You¡¯re tellin¡¯ me that there¡¯s an evil reality-warper out there that we might have to fight one day?! That¡¯s insane! How the hell can we possibly fight that?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one with the Simulator powers,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°What?! I can¡¯t fight that! Even if I copied the reality-bending, that¡¯s, like¡ª what?!¡±


    ¡°I understand how you feel, Austin ¡ª really, I do,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°But it¡¯s as I said: Ikirom is currently sealed away. We only have to worry about his return if the metallic infection ¡ª if the Nanocreatures get out of hand. And for that, all of your Ayas Weapons can be very useful.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you¡¯re bringing this around¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m more than happy to be the guy who saves the galaxy and all,¡± Pierce started, ¡°but even I think this story is hella whack. Just how the hell are a couple of super-sharp blades supposed to help out, here?¡±


    ¡°Wow, a rare moment of clarity from Pierce,¡± Phoenix deadpanned. ¡°But he does have a point ¡ª Kaon¨¦, are we really expected to go up against the Nanocreatures, Morcii, and maybe even Ikirom? Was that the plan from the start?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ started, but trailed off as she organized her thoughts and words in her head. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sure it¡¯s Archon¨¦ Culana¡¯s plan. As for me¡­ I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll ever actually see Morcii again. I¡¯d like to think that he¡¯s gone forever, but if he isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­If he isn¡¯t, then you think that we¡¯re the key to stopping him?¡± Twy finished.


    ¡°Yes. Quite literally, too ¡ª Culana¡¯s prophecies call all of you ¡®Keys¡¯. And I think the weapons you can all summon are a big part of that.¡±


    ¡°So these¡¯re magic, anti-big-bad weapons, huh?¡± Sky questioned as she summoned her staff into hand and began twirling it around. ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°The blades are definitely pretty damn sharp,¡± Spike commented, ¡°but is that enough to handle the Nanocreatures?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just that,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°Remember the ¡®Link Drive¡¯ I mentioned? The special ability of the Prior State? As I understand it, Link Drives bring together the power of the Prior, the Ayas, and the Weapon of the same name to deal its effects. That means that, in order to use a Link Drive effectively, you need to be at least passingly familiar with the Weapon. And even if you don¡¯t think about the Link Drive at all, there is, ah¡­¡± The Dean trailed off again, side-eying Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel for a moment before shaking her head. ¡°There¡¯s another ability of the Ayas Weapons that you can use at will, but it¡¯s very powerful if used intelligently, and very dangerous if used carelessly. I don¡¯t want to introduce that ability to you all until you have a better grasp on handling your weapons. It would be too easy for you to injure yourselves, otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Pierce snorted in derision. ¡°You¡¯re going to hold out on us, too?¡±


    ¡°Well, we just gotta get better at usin¡¯ these weapons first, yeah?¡± Spike replied as he summoned his red and gold spiked gauntlets onto his arms. ¡°I can imagine a few ways these things would be useful. Especially since we can summon an¡¯ dismiss ¡®em at will.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much the only thing I can do in a fight, too,¡± Conrad pointed out.


    ¡°What about what Ralak said, earlier?¡± Twy questioned, ¡°she told us to focus on our powers, first. Should we ignore that¡­?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ignore her advice, per se¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded. ¡°She makes a good point ¡ª you all do need to focus primarily on honing your Chaotic abilities. But I¡¯m going to override Ralak¡¯s suggestion to ignore your weapons entirely; I think it will be in your own best interests to start training with them in earnest. In fact, I can set aside some of our class time twice a week to help with that.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Austin summoned his claymore into his hands and stared down at it thoughtfully. ¡°¡­Are these things really that important? I thought it¡¯d just be a useful tool in a fight, but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get your ass burned if you think like that.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned as the Tres¨¦dian Dean stepped through the door to the classroom. ¡°Is there another problem¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nothin¡¯ like what happened on Sundia¡­ thank the dirt for that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded, and then looked over at Austin¡¯s claymore. ¡°So y¡¯all are talkin¡¯ about those weapons, huh?¡±


    ¡°We were discussing how important it may be for them to begin training with their Ayas Weapons,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°And part of that involved me telling them about the full details of our involvement in the Nanocreature War¡­¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Dav¨ªdrius looked over each of the Earthians. ¡°Y¡¯all actually believe the story?¡±


    ¡°It does sound pretty out there,¡± Conrad admitted.


    ¡°And if it¡¯s true, there¡¯s a lot to worry about!¡± Austin exclaimed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Dav¨ªdrius drawled. ¡°¡­Well, if Kaon¨¦ thinks y¡¯all are ready to start seriously trainin¡¯ with those weapons, then¡­ I won¡¯t say no. But be careful with those things. They can be a lot more trouble than they¡¯re worth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about what happened with you and Hastryth,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°The Keys, here ¡ª they don¡¯t seem to be influenced the same way.¡±


    ¡°What happened between you and the whatsit?¡± Sky questioned in confusion.


    ¡°Back when we were in Riverana,¡± Twy said, ¡°and I was running some tests on my bow with Kievkenalis¡­ he told me that the Ayas can have weird influences on someone holding them.¡± She then passed Dav¨ªdrius a glance. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is, and I prefer not to think about it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°That ain¡¯t what I¡¯m here for, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what are you here for?¡± Pierce challenged.


    ¡°It¡¯s about y¡¯all¡¯s next trip,¡± the Dean stated. He passed a quick glance toward Kaon¨¦ before continuing, ¡°convenient timin¡¯, too, since y¡¯all are gonna get to learn more about the Nanocreature War. In a few days, Kaon¨¦ and you Earthians are gonna meet with Rebehka up in Nimaliaka Central. From there, y¡¯all will travel to Oriciid¡¯kas, the capital world of the Core Space Alliance ¡ª and while you¡¯re there, you¡¯ll be gettin¡¯ a thorough lesson on the dangers of the ¡®metallic infection¡¯.¡±

 V2 - Arc 3: Ark of the Ancients - Chapter 18: Preserved Arrival

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 3 ¡ª ARK OF THE ANCIENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 18: Preserved Arrival


    4 Days Later


    ¡ª Tuesday, January 10, AD 2130 ¡ª


    ¡°And here I am, playing the goddamn ferryman for CSF-1 again. You lot had better be happy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m ecstatic,¡± Colonel Saito replied, side-eying Chief Captain Krick of the ESC Genesis before glancing toward Major Hackett at his side and shaking his head. The three officers ¡ª accompanied by Kirstin, Mote, Kate, and Danielle ¡ª were currently on board Genesis¡¯s bridge, awaiting their arrival at the next Dreadnought coordinate to investigate. As was often the case, CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir were already dressed in their powered armor with all of their equipment, including the Aldredian Armor for Mote.


    ¡°We¡¯ve almost arrived, sir¡­¡± Captain Tang, Executive Officer of Genesis, declared from her seat a little farther up the bridge. ¡°We¡¯re coordinating with Origin. I¡¯ve taken the liberty of putting our shielding engineers on alert, just in case ¡ª as well as priming the ACS.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, Tang,¡± Krick replied. ¡°I¡¯d like not to lose this ship to some goddamn satellites¡­¡±


    ¡°Satellites?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°The last time we went out to investigate one of those goddamn coordinates, we ran into a planet dressed to the fucking nines in anti-spacecraft weaponry,¡± Krick declared while scowling at CSF-1. ¡°They chewed through our shields like they were wet paper! We almost goddamn died out there, and for what? Nothing!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Krick,¡± Saito responded airily. ¡°If you go down this time, at least you¡¯ll be taking us with you!¡±


    ¡°Har har. Very funny.¡±


    ¡°Still, it certainly is possible that we¡¯ll run into another highly-fortified planet,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°Are we prepared to deal with that?¡±


    ¡°That is why I set the shielding engineers on alert,¡± Captain Tang stated.


    ¡°And Mendoza is way more cautious than I am,¡± Krick asserted. ¡°If we run into another goddamn trap again, we¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯d have to fuck off with our tails between our legs, of course, but at least we¡¯d have our goddamn ships and our lives.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve already been sitting on my ass for six straight days on the way here, and I¡¯m already dreading the boring week back. And you¡¯re saying we might have to do it after learning fucking nothing?¡±


    ¡°You should be thankful it¡¯s only six days one-way,¡± Mote pointed out. ¡°On a regular ship with a Chaos Drive, this trip would easily have been sixty days.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. We¡¯re out in the uncolonized arm, sure, but there¡¯s still fucking Transpaces here.¡±


    ¡°T-Transpaces, um¡­ t-take a while to, uh, r-reconnect,¡± Kirstin meekly said.


    ¡°The wilting flower¡¯s right,¡± Krick asserted. ¡°Even with the goddamn Transpaces, a Chaos Drive-equipped ship would take at least a month to get to where we¡¯re going. So suck it up, Lieutenant.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ makes you wonder¡­¡± Hackett glanced between Saito and Krick. ¡°¡­EA¡¯s out here, right? Somewhere in the uncolonized arm of the galaxy?¡±


    ¡°EA¡¯s Cruiser had a Subspace Drive,¡± Mote replied. ¡°I saw the Subspace window, myself. He won¡¯t be restricted to the Transpaces.¡±


    ¡°Which I¡¯ve heard is giving the eggheads back at the EIIC a real hard time,¡± Krick said. ¡°Just how the hell did that bastard get a whole goddamn Cruiser, huh? And with a Subspace Drive, at that! He could be fucking anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Well, he still only has one ship, right?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Did you already forget the second fucking ship we ran into a while back? Over that planet with the fighting Drakkars?¡± Kate responded, ¡°so the fuckin¡¯ dweeb has at least two.¡±


    ¡°It does seem beyond belief, but we¡¯ve seen the evidence, ourselves. And if he has two ships, then he might have even more,¡± Mote stated before looking to Saito. ¡°Do we really have no idea where EA¡¯s base of operations is, or who he¡¯s working with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°All¡¯s been quiet from him since that kidnapping he pulled on the recruits. SERRCom¡¯s received word that he¡¯s mucking about with PMC operations in this part of the galaxy, but from what I¡¯ve heard, the EIIC is still investigating.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s more goddamn insulting ¡ª that our intel guys are too stupid to track down the clone of an immature child, or that said immature child has enough resources to evade us,¡± Krick muttered.


    ¡°Huh? Austin isn¡¯t a child,¡± Danielle replied.


    ¡°20-year-olds might as well be kids, for all I care. Anyways, we¡¯re here. Activate the ACS! All hands, prepare for arrival!¡±


    The chatter on the bridge died down as the fuzzy grayscale gradient outside Genesis¡¯s bridge windows disappeared, giving way to the speckled darkness of real space ¡ª and the contours of a planet nearby. Various bridge displays and holograms promptly appeared, reading out a variety of surface-level information on the planet, such as the fact that it was approximately the same size as Earth and featured a habitable climate. As the displays continued reading out information, however, the most prominent aspect of the planet was distinctly visual, even from Genesis¡¯s position in high orbit: vast scars stretched across the planet¡¯s surface, dividing its seas and leaving its continents in ruins. Spots of green could be seen here and there ¡ª signs of nature beginning to reclaim the planet ¡ª but on the whole, the planet appeared to have been victim to some massive catastrophe.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s discouraging,¡± Hackett remarked as she looked out over the scarred planet.


    ¡°Those scars¡­ no way those are natural,¡± Krick stated with a scowl. ¡°Looks like some kind of massive bombardment from space, with goddamn lasers or something. No natural disaster I know of could create scars like that!¡±


    ¡°Even if the whole place is in fucking ruins, there has to be something left behind,¡± Kate insisted. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me we¡¯re going to leave here empty-handed!¡±


    ¡°We might have to ¡ª we¡¯re being targeted!¡± Captain Tang shouted. ¡°Sir, there¡¯s heavy satellites in orbit! They¡¯re targeting us!¡±


    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t the ACS active?!¡± Kate exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°This goddamn Aldredian shit can see through it ¡ª damn it, I am not going to sit in dry-dock for another fucking month!¡± Krick declared irately. ¡°Captain, get us the hell¡ª!¡±


    Before the Captain could finish his command, crimson ridges in Mote¡¯s armor began to glow. He looked down at himself in surprise, only to then shift his attention to a hologram that manifested a meter in front of him, projected from the Aldredian Armor. The hologram was about the size of a human head, but took the shape of the frame of a triangular pyramid in gold, with a glowing crimson orb in the center. The orb moved independently of the pyramidal frame around it, almost as if it were some kind of eye as it swept across everyone present before focusing on Mote. ?Descendant of Raen detected,? declared a female voice. ?¡­However¡­ you aren¡¯t Maenisaren.?


    Mote stared at the hologram in abject confusion ¡ª the female voice seemed to be coming from it. ¡°¡­Maenisaren?¡± he echoed.


    ¡°Captain¡­ the planet¡¯s defenses are powering down,¡± Tang declared, though her voice carried in it the same confusion Mote was showing on his face.


    ¡°The hell¡¯s going on here?¡± Krick questioned, his attention switching back-and-forth between Mote, the hologram, and Genesis¡¯s own bridge displays. ¡°Emerson, what is that thing? More importantly, how the hell can it detect us¡ª?¡±


    The hologram zipped through the air to stare Krick in the face, startling him enough to cut off his own words. It then rose slightly into the air, its pyramidal frame rapidly yet rigidly rotating as its crimson orb zipped around, as if thoroughly inspecting its surroundings. The hologram then returned to Mote, declaring, ?you keep interesting company, descendant of Raen. How do you understand them??


    ¡°What?¡± Mote stared back at the hologram. ¡°¡­Of course I can understand them. We¡¯re all Earthian, here.¡±


    ?¡­Hmm. You are not speaking Raenarian,? the hologram declared. ?Neither are you Maenisaren. Yet, you wear her armor, and possess her fightercraft. ¡­Excuse me for a moment.?


    With no warning, the hologram disappeared into thin air.


    ¡°¡­What just happened?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°A hologram of sorts showed up and started speaking Aldredian to us, that¡¯s what happened,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°Good thing we all have the Aldredian cipher, eh?¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I want to know what the fuck it¡¯s doing,¡± Krick retorted. ¡°Someone, anyone ¡ª do we know where the hologram is being transmitted from? Who¡¯s behind it? And while we¡¯re at it, someone let Mendoza know to hold position for now¡ª¡±


    ?Apologies, descendant of Raen. I have returned.?


    Once more, the pyramidal hologram appeared in the air near Mote. Its crimson eye swept across the bridge before focusing again on Mote. ?A most curious language,? came the female voice, ?¡¯English¡¯¡­ it bears some of the patterns found in Raenarian, but does not seem to be derived from it. How odd.?


    ¡°English? Wait, can you understand us now?¡± Mote questioned.


    ?It was a trivial solution,? the hologram replied. ?Raenaros has already constructed a Raenarian-to-English database. I merely needed to copy it.?


    ¡°You can interface with that Corvette, then?¡± Kate replied, ¡°so you¡¯re Aldredian?¡±


    ?Of course. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Maenikad, an Ikad-class Intelligence in charge of the Sadrenos Ark, under the ownership of the Raen Empire ¡ª the Aldredas people.? The hologram¡¯s eye shifted towards Mote. ?I have long awaited your arrival. You are very late, descendant of Raen ¡ª and you have much to explain.?


    ¡°I think we¡¯re the ones who should be saying that,¡± Krick interjected irately. ¡°What are you, some kind of AI? How can you detect us?¡±


    ?AI?? Maenikad moved towards Krick in a straight line before suddenly stopping right in front of his face. ?¡­Ah. ¡®Artificial Intelligence¡¯. Yes, my existence falls within that definition. Now, a question for you: you, quite plainly, are not Aldredas. Who are you?? Maenikad moved back to Mote to stare him in the face. ?Where has the rest of the Empire disappeared to??


    ¡°I¡­ what?¡± Mote stared back at Maenikad, dumbfounded, before shifting his gaze to look helplessly at everyone else.


    ¡°I-if ¡®Empire¡¯ refers to, um, th-the Raen Empire, uh¡­¡± Kirstin spoke up, ¡°th-they, um¡­ they¡¯ve been gone. F-for a while¡­¡±


    ?Gone?? Maenikad zipped over to Kirstin. ?Define ¡®gone¡¯. Define ¡®while¡¯.?


    ¡°They¡¯re fuckin¡¯ dead,¡± Kate declared. ¡°For a hundred thousand years!¡±


    ?A hundred thousand years?? Maenikad echoed, her eye focusing on Kate. ?¡­Accounting for your definition of ¡®year¡¯¡­ that would put ¡®a hundred thousand years ago¡¯ during the Apocalypse War, at around the time this Ark was established. So the Empire did not survive? But how? There is a descendant of Raen right here!?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it theorized that the Aldredas interbred with the modern races of the galaxy?¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°That would explain you being able to pick up Aldredian genes off of Mote.¡±


    ?Aldredas? With inferior races? Impossible. No respectable member of the Empire would debase themselves in such a manner.?


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a peach,¡± Saito retorted.


    ¡°Either way, suck it up, you stupid AI,¡± Krick stated. ¡°The goddamn Aldredas are gone. Dead. Dust. Hell, until you, I don¡¯t think anyone in the galaxy has found a living remnant of the Aldredas ¡ª and now that you¡¯re here, I want a goddamn answer! How did you detect this ship?¡±


    ?Your cloaking systems are quite superior, indeed,? Maenikad replied. ?On par with Morikai, Prior, or Raen technology, even. But Raen technology knows Raen technology. Any Ikad-class Intelligence would be able to detect the personal armor, fightercraft, and signature of Maenisaren Raen, no matter how well you attempt to hide them.?


    ¡°Who the hell is Maenisaren?¡± Kate questioned.


    ?You do not recognize the name ¡®Maenisaren¡¯? This is a travesty! Even you, descendant of Raen!? Maenikad moved over to Mote once more. ?You can activate her armor, her fightercraft! Yet you know not who she is? Where did you acquire these items?!?


    ¡°Alright, everybody, calm down,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°We¡¯re just hitting each other with question after question, and it feels like we¡¯re getting nowhere fast. Maenikad ¡ª that¡¯s your name, right?¡±


    ?Correct.?


    ¡°How about you just explain things from the beginning? Particularly about why you¡¯re here, and what happened to this planet.¡±


    Maenikad remained silent for a moment, her eye lingering on Saito while her pyramidal frame continued rotating. Eventually, her eye turned toward Mote. ?¡­Is this what you wish, descendant of Raen??


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes,¡± Mote responded uneasily. ¡°Tell us everything.¡±


    ?Hmm. Very well.? The hologram backed away from Mote, as if she were attempting to get a better view of the entire group on the bridge. ?As I have mentioned previously, I am Maenikad, the Ikad-class Intelligence in charge of the Sadrenos Ark. The Ark Project was an Imperial initiative to preserve Aldredian life past the end of the Apocalypse War, the unofficial yet widely-used name for the galaxy-spanning conflict between the Raen Empire, the United Drakkar League, the Morikai invaders, and the Morenal ¡ª or as you would know them, the Nanocreatures. Maenisaren Raen was the Ayas Imperium of our time, and in that capacity, she led the Empire¡¯s efforts in fighting off the Drakkars, Ikirom, and Morcii.?


    ¡°Ayas Imperium¡­¡± Mote muttered under his breath. That was the title applied to Austin¡­ and now I hear it here? Preposterous¡­


    ¡°So the Aldredas actually took the ¡®Oraculm¡¯ seriously?¡± Kate snorted in derision. ¡°Fucking, really?¡±


    ?So you know of the Oraculm. Interesting,? Maenikad replied. ?It would seem that aspects of our great Empire survived to the present day. There is small pleasure to be derived from that.?


    ¡°Is the ¡®Apocalypse War¡¯ the explanation for the state of the planet down there, then?¡± Saito questioned.


    ?Indeed. The planet below us was once known as Sadrenos, one of the Empire¡¯s most esteemed Fortress Worlds. Sadrenos¡¯s resources and facilities gave birth to vast swaths of the Imperial Fleet, and was once key in protecting this sector from the Drakkars. However, the Morikai succeeded in breaking through Sadrenos¡¯s defenses and bombed the planet¡¯s surface into oblivion before moving on. This bombardment is what drove the Empire to begin the Ark Project.?


    ¡°It sounds like there¡¯s multiple Arks?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°And more importantly,¡± Kate interjected, eagerly leaning towards Maenikad, ¡°you say there¡¯s an Ark down there ¡ª does that mean there¡¯s real, living Aldredas here?!¡±


    ?Such is the purpose of the Ark Project,? Maenikad declared. ?The Imperial government predicted that the Empire, as it existed at that time, may not survive the Apocalypse War. The Drakkars, Morikai, and Nanocreatures alike were far too interested in exterminating us down to the last individual. Thus, the Empire set up the Arks ¡ª vast, secret underground facilities outfitted with stasis devices. Our most valuable scientists, military commanders, nobles, Chaotics, and other individuals of importance were transported to these Arks under utmost secrecy; we even used husk worlds, such as Sadrenos below us, to hide our Arks ¡ª as our enemies had little reason to suspect that we would return here. In the Arks, our people were to wait out the end of the Apocalypse War ¡ª they were to await a signal from a descendant of Raen, at which point we may rise again to reclaim our glorious place amongst the stars!?


    ¡°I¡¯m getting the impression that I wouldn¡¯t like these Aldredas very much,¡± Krick retorted.


    ?Your opinion holds no value to us,? Maenikad declared. ?The unfortunate reality before me, however, suggests that the Sadrenos Ark is now at your mercy. If there truly are not any Aldredas in the present day galaxy, then that must mean that the Empire suffered a more thorough defeat than we expected; else at least one of the Arks would have awoken by now. This means that the Aldredas are on the verge of complete extinction!?


    ¡°Until this moment, we thought they were extinct,¡± Mote countered. ¡°To us, nothing much will change.¡±


    ?How dare a descendant of Raen speak such blasphemies! Have you no care for your brethren? If you refuse to help today, if you refuse to awaken the Aldredas sleeping within the Sadrenos Ark, then you would condemn our entire race to extinction! Would you end an entire race?!?


    ¡°This is well above our paygrade,¡± Krick asserted as he passed Saito a glance. ¡°Awaking a dead race from sleep? And the goddamn Aldredas, no less! Even I can see how this would shake the entire goddamn galaxy!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but imagine all the fucking tech we could get from them!¡± Kate exclaimed. ¡°The shit we¡¯ve been finding in Aldredas ruins is already super advanced, now imagine what we could learn from actual fucking Aldredas!¡±


    ¡°Aldredas that, quite evidently, see themselves as a ¡®superior race¡¯,¡± Hackett countered. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I hold much sympathy for them. Besides, how can we know they won¡¯t try to conquer us all?¡±


    ?Your opinions are irrelevant!? Maenikad declared, her eye erratically shifting between everyone else before coming to rest on Mote. ?All that matters is the opinion of the descendant of Raen!?


    ¡°Why do you care so much about what I think?¡± Mote questioned, ¡°I have nothing to do with the Aldredas.¡±


    ?A patently false denial. The blood of Raen flows through your veins! You wear, right now, the armor of Maenisaren Raen!?


    Mote stared back at Maenikad, a mixture of frustration and confusion on his face. Eventually, he turned to look at Saito. ¡°¡­Sir?¡±


    ¡°Awakening living Aldredas from sleep¡­ Krick¡¯s right, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re equipped to handle that,¡± Saito replied. ¡°This has the makings of a political and social disaster, if we don¡¯t handle it carefully. This is basically first contact, after all. That said¡­ I think it would be prudent to at least scout out this Ark before we report back to Earth.¡±


    ¡°You really want a reason to get your goddamn boots on the ground, huh?¡± Krick retorted. ¡°Fine. Colonel, get your team together. You stupid AI thing, give us the coordinates of your goddamn Ark so we can check it out.¡±


    ?Unwise!? Maenikad declared. ?The Ark possesses automated defenses that even I cannot tamper with. If someone without the blood of Raen walks the Ark¡¯s halls prior to its awakening, then they will be destroyed!?


    ¡°Well that sure is goddamn convenient, now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be some way around it,¡± Kate pressed. ¡°Tell us about the Ark¡¯s systems! Maybe I can hack in and shut that shit off.¡±


    ?I have already divulged the limit of what I am allowed,? Maenikad replied. ?If you agree to awaken the Ark, then I will be able to share with you some of our technology and knowledge. But I will not give anything to opportunists who refuse to help!?


    ¡°What a belligerent¡­! Ngh.¡± Krick growled in disapproval as he glared at Maenikad.


    ¡°We can¡¯t send just Mote down there,¡± Hackett mused. ¡°Who knows what¡¯s in the Ark?¡±


    ?I assure you, the Ark will be quite safe, for a descendant of Raen,? Maenikad declared.


    ¡°Assuming we can even trust you,¡± Krick retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree with Krick¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°There are too many unknowns, here¡ª¡°


    ¡°I can handle myself, sirs,¡± Mote spoke up.


    Krick and Saito both turned to look at Mote in surprise.


    ¡°¡­You serious?¡± Krick responded incredulously.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Mote replied. ¡°If the AI will only allow one of us to enter the Ark, then so be it ¡ª I volunteer. If I can investigate the Ark myself, then it will save us time in the future, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Saito said, ¡°but are you sure, Mote? We don¡¯t know what¡¯s down there.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but I¡¯m confident I can handle whatever I find,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°Between this armor and my own abilities, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°He did fight off Telregina, after all!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ?You fought a Drakkar Faction Leader? And survived?? Maenikad questioned, her eye focused on Mote. ?Most impressive! Even more proof as to the power of Raen¡¯s progeny!?


    Mote passed Maenikad an annoyed glance before looking to Saito again. ¡°¡­Well, sir?¡±


    ¡°I still think we should wait,¡± Krick stated.


    ?My patience is already stretched thin!? Maenikad countered. ?If you do not agree to help now, then I will find someone else who will ¡ª and they will benefit from the Aldredas¡¯s grace, not you!?


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully impatient for someone who¡¯s already waited a hundred thousand goddamn years.¡±


    ?It is because of that timespan that I am impatient! The Ark¡¯s power supplies are vast, but they are not infinite! If the Ark does not awaken soon, it may never awaken at all!?


    ¡°Then we don¡¯t have much time,¡± Hackett said. ¡°¡­Assuming you¡¯re telling the truth, that is.¡±


    ¡°Whether it is or isn¡¯t, I¡¯ll be able to tell,¡± Mote asserted. ¡°I am an Electrotechnic, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Saito offered Mote a curt nod. ¡°If you¡¯re confident you can handle this, Mote, then I¡¯ll give you permission to investigate. But don¡¯t awaken anything without contacting us first, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir!¡± Mote replied with a salute.


    ?So disrespectful. So distrustful,? Maenikad remarked. ?But so be it. For a descendant of Raen, I shall overlook these transgressions. For now.?


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re doing this,¡± Krick muttered. ¡°Colonel, Lieutenant, if this goes sideways ¡ª it¡¯s your asses! Now, you AI, give me the coords of the Ark! And Lieutenant, prepare yourself for beaming. As soon as I get those coords, we¡¯re kicking this thing off!¡±

 V2 - A3 - Chapter 19: Preserved Knowledge

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ARK OF THE ANCIENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 19: Preserved Knowledge


    ?Are you sure? Is this really the Ark??


    ?Of course I am sure!? replied Maenikad, her hologram floating beside Mote¡¯s helmeted head. ?This is the Sadrenos Ark!?


    ?Right¡­? Mote responded warily, his eyes surveying his surroundings as he cautiously moved through the dimly-lit hallways. Dust, dirt, and occasionally water stained the metal flooring and walls, walls with faint designs and insignia that bore the wear and tear of a hundred thousand years. Many of the designs matched the sharp geometric lines on Mote¡¯s armor, forming triangles and hexagons with perfect angles. Most of the color was stripped, however ¡ª and of the colors that weren¡¯t, Mote could only just barely make out their crimson, gold, and black colorations through the intense aging and dark lighting. Wherever the main lights were, they weren¡¯t active; only the occasional emergency light lit Mote¡¯s way, forcing him to use a flashlight mounted in his armor to find his way through the darkness. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, the air within the hallways was rank, unfiltered, and above all else ¡ª toxic. Mote¡¯s first breath within the Ark had been an incredibly painful one; he now wore his armor¡¯s helmet, choosing the closed atmosphereless system of his armor over the painfully toxic air of a bunker built long, long ago, and deep, deep underground.


    ?I don¡¯t like what I¡¯m seeing,? Captain Krick declared over Mote¡¯s open comms connection to Genesis¡¯s bridge; accompanying the comms connection was a video feed from a camera mounted on Mote¡¯s helmet, allowing everyone up in orbit to see what Mote was seeing. ?This place looks like a goddamn run-down slum! Do we expect to find anyone still alive, down there??


    ?I warned you that the Sadrenos Ark was on the verge of power failure,? Maenikad replied.


    ?More seems to be failing than just the power¡­? Mote muttered as he shone his flashlight on a nearby pile of dirt that had fallen through a crack in the ceiling.


    ?The Arks were not designed to withstand a hundred thousand years of wear and tear,? Maenikad stated. ?I have had to triage the power systems to ensure enough power remained for the stasis blocks. Unfortunately, that has included turning off the life-support, the lights, the mainframe computers, and even the structural shielding.?


    ?But not yourself.?


    ?I am the key to this Ark! If not for my presence, you never would have found it!?


    ?Still, things do look pretty dire down there,? Colonel Saito pointed out. ?Are you sure the stasis blocks are still intact, Maenikad??


    ?Of course I am sure!? Maenikad replied indignantly, with her pyramidal holographic frame rotating about her eye more rapidly than before. ?I am the Ikad-class Intelligence in charge of this Ark! No one knows better the state of this Ark than I!?


    ?How large are these stasis blocks, exactly? How many people??


    ?All Arks contain the minimum viable population for the Aldredas people of 5000 individuals.?


    ?5000?!? Krick echoed incredulously. ?¡­We could make that work, especially with both Genesis and Origin here. But that¡¯s still a goddamn ton of people.?


    ?It¡¯ll get fucking crowded, sure,? Kate said, ?but it¡¯ll be worth it if it means we get to talk with actual fucking Aldredas!?


    ?Aldredas that won¡¯t be able to understand us,? Mote pointed out as he navigated around another cracked bulkhead and a large rock that protruded through it.


    ?Imperial translation technology is incredibly robust,? Maenikad declared. ?It is the only reason I am able to speak with any of you, after all. All I need to do is upload my English-to-Raenarian dictionaries to the translation database.?


    ?Right¡­ how much farther to the control room??


    ?Not much farther. Only a few hundred meters of hallway left.?


    ?Why the hell are these halls so long? And why couldn¡¯t we just beam down into the control room, directly??


    ?I said that this Ark houses 5000 people, did I not? Its size is necessary.?


    ?There¡¯s a goddamn beam-jamming field over the control room, anyways,? Krick stated. ?I¡¯m not the only one who thinks it¡¯s fucking suspicious that only part of the Ark is protected by beam jammers, am I??


    ?The jammers are a core component of the Ark¡¯s defenses,? Maenikad replied. ?I cannot control them. However, due to cross-facility power failures, some of the jammers have failed. This is why you were able to beam in.?


    ?This place sure doesn¡¯t seem to be standing the test of time,? Mote muttered.


    ?It¡¯s been a hundred thousand fucking years,? Kate retorted. ?Personally, I¡¯m amazed it lasted even this long! But while we¡¯re waiting for Mote to reach the control room ¡ª hey, you AI thing, answer me this! A few months ago, we found something called a ¡®Superspace Drive¡¯ in an old Aldredian facility. What the fuck is ¡®Superspace¡¯??


    ?I am not familiar with the term,? Maenikad responded. ?Many different classified research projects were running in tandem during the Apocalypse War, and they were all mandated to keep cross-contact to a minimum, so as to reduce the likelihood of being discovered by our adversaries. As such, I am unlikely to know anything about those projects.?


    ?Damn. Well, maybe one of the fucking Aldredas knows something, then.?


    ?How did you find this ¡®Aldredian facility¡¯?? Maenikad questioned. ?In fact, how did you come to discover Sadrenos??


    A moment of protracted silence followed; Mote could only assume that the group aboard Genesis were discussing just how much information to share with Maenikad.


    ?¡­Well, you¡¯re the closest thing to an answer sheet that we¡¯ve found, so we might as well tell you,? Saito eventually said. ?A few months ago, we discovered a chain of Aldredian facilities that all lead to one another. We found Mote¡¯s armor in one, the Raenaros in the next. And the Raenaros led us to a shipyard in deep space, where we found an Aldredian Dreadnought.?


    ?N-named, ¡®Rynisaren¡¯,? Kirstin added.


    ?Right. We found a massive list of galactic coordinates on the Dreadnought¡¯s computers, and one of those coordinates led us here.?


    ?So you found this Ark through the Dreadnought Rynisaren? I see,? Maenikad replied. ?So the pride and flagship of the Imperial Fleet still lives, then??


    ?Well¡­ no,? Saito answered.


    ?No?!?


    ?While we were on the trail of the Aldredian artifacts, there were some Drakkars on our trail. They followed us to the shipyard. We didn¡¯t have the time or the people to recover any of the ships, so we scuttled them to prevent the Drakkars from getting them.?


    ?That¡¯s when Mote and I fought Telregina, too,? Kate pointed out. ?It was a real clusterfuck!?


    ?I see¡­? Maenikad replied slowly, the rotations of her pyramidal frame slowing down and her eye drifting off, as if in thought. ?Hmm. Very well. If the choice was to destroy Rynisaren or allow the Drakkars to claim it, then the Empire would certainly have chosen to destroy it. You chose well.?


    ?So that goddamn Dreadnought was the ¡®pride of the Imperial fleet¡¯, huh?? Krick questioned. ?Damn. And we had to throw the goddamn thing away¡­?


    ?You¡¯re the one who suggested we scuttle it!? Kate retorted.


    ?And I stand by that decision. Doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t wish we could¡¯ve saved it.?


    ?At least you were able to find it,? Maenikad said. ?I know not how the Arks were meant to be discovered after the Apocalypse War, only that we Ikad-class Intelligences were instructed only to respond to a descendant of Raen. Given what you have told me now, I believe the original intent was to have Maenisaren revive the Arks ¡ª after all, you found her armor, and then her fightercraft. But for some reason, she did not revive us.?


    ?This Maenisaren person was just that fucking important, huh?? Kate questioned.


    ?Indeed,? Maenikad replied. ?She and her compatriots were the Empire¡¯s tip of the spear against the Drakkars, and later, the Morikai and Nanocreatures. And while she may have hailed from a branch family, she still established for herself a credible claim to the Imperial throne. Even I am named for her.?


    ?And yet this supposed hero of yours disappeared without a trace,? Krick retorted.


    ?So it would seem. The Arks were completed and sealed away from the galaxy shortly after the Morikai and Nanocreatures were deemed as existential threats. For many years, I feared that Ikirom, Morcii, or the Drakkars had obtained victory and now ruled over the galaxy¡­ but your presence here indicates that is not the case. In which event, I am most puzzled as to Maenisaren¡¯s ultimate fate. She would not abandon the Empire, and she was too skilled and powerful to fall in battle¡­?


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ?Maenisaren¡­? Mote repeated under his breath. ?¡­This Maenisaren¡­ what did she look like??


    ?The very image of strength and beauty!? Maenikad proclaimed. ?A woman of power with an exquisite olive complexion and silken, flame-red hair adorning steely red eyes capable of both righteous wrath and warm approval, accompanied by the refined musculature of a hero and the elegant air befitting of an Empress aspirant¡ª?


    ?This doesn¡¯t sound like a biased description at all,? Kate interjected.


    ?The audacity! You dare insult the accuracy of the description of my namesake?!?


    ?If that description sounds like you lusting over her, then yeah, I do dare.?


    ?I cannot believe this! You would¡­!?


    So the woman in my vision, then¡­ Mote thought to himself, his brow scrunched up in thought as he momentarily tuned out of Kate and Maenikad¡¯s argument, ¡­and the woman I saw in that video aboard Raenaros ¡ª was that Maenisaren? I suppose I can understand why there would be a video of Maenisaren on the Corvette, if it really was her personal ship. But why would she have appeared in my vision several months ago? His brow furrowed even further, though this time in frustration. If she was the Aldredian Ayas Imperium, then does that mean¡­? No, no, something must be wrong. This can¡¯t be right¡­


    ?Ah! We have arrived!?


    ?Hmm?? Shaken out of his thoughts, Mote looked up at the room he had just entered: a small control room, judging by the presence of a handful of computer consoles against the walls. Maenikad¡¯s hologram zipped across the room, hovering over one of the consoles as her eye swept across it.


    After a few seconds, her eye swiveled around to focus on Mote. ?This is it,? she declared. ?At this dire stage in the Ark¡¯s lifetime, restarting vital systems ¡ª power, life-support, and so on ¡ª require the touch of a descendant of Raen.?


    ?Hold on, Mote,? Saito quickly interjected. ?Maenikad ¡ª will this also release the stasis blocks??


    ?No. The stasis blocks have their own controls elsewhere,? Maenikad declared. ?Before we shutdown the stasis systems and release the inhabitants, we will need to revive the life-support, anyways ¡ª else the Aldredas will simply die as soon as we free them from stasis. That is the purpose of our stop, here.?


    ?So there¡¯s even more¡­? Mote muttered. ?Colonel, should I go through with this??


    ?Can you tell if Maenikad is telling the truth? By tracing the electrical systems, or something??


    ?One moment¡­? Mote took a deep breath as he turned his attention to focusing on the electrical circuits in the adjacent computers and the nearby walls. Carefully, he sent a small shock through the circuits, using his skill as an Electrotechnic to trace the shock through the facility¡¯s electrical systems ¡ª even as the circuit ran almost a kilometer away from him. Even over that distance, however, Mote was quickly able to discern an answer to Saito¡¯s question. ?¡­I believe it¡¯s telling the truth,? he stated. ?I can detect where I believe the stasis blocks to be, but they seem to be on an entirely different circuit from the control room here.?


    ?¡¯It¡¯?? Maenikad echoed with a scoffing tone. ?You Earthians truly have no respect!?


    Mote passed Maenikad an annoyed look as Saito responded, ?alright, Mote. Let¡¯s go ahead with the systems re-activation. Once the power¡¯s back on, I want you to investigate the facility more thoroughly, and determine if you¡¯d be able to power it yourself, or if Danielle could create a replacement generator. We¡¯ll figure out what to do with the stasis blocks after that.?


    ?Understood, sir,? Mote replied as he moved over to the controls and began interfacing with them through his armor. ?Bringing the facility back on-line¡­?


    <hr>


    30 Minutes Later


    ?How are things down there, Mote??


    ¡°It¡¯s getting better¡­¡± Mote replied to Saito¡¯s question as he continued walking down the halls of the Ark ¡ª though this time, with actual lights to illuminate his way, and breathable air to accompany him. ¡°I can do without my helmet, now. The structure of this ¡®Ark¡¯, however¡­¡±


    ?The Ark will be fine!? Maenikad insisted, her hologram still floating in the air next to Mote. ?Especially now that you are here!?


    ?It¡¯s a good thing the lights and the life-support still work, at least,? the Colonel remarked. ?It¡¯s a good sign for the overall viability of the Ark.?


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡± Mote muttered in response as he climbed over another pile of dirty metal debris.


    ?Well you should be close to the fuckin¡¯ stasis blocks by now, right?? Kate questioned, ?once you get there, we won¡¯t have to waste all our fucking time on speculating about the Ark¡¯s survival.?


    ?Indeed, it will not be long now,? Maenikad declared, her tone carrying a hint of impatient glee.


    ?This all makes you wonder, though, doesn¡¯t it?? Hackett commented over the comms, ?Maenikad, you said the so-called ¡®Apocalypse War¡¯ was between the Aldredas, Drakkars, and Morikai, right? So if the Aldredas set up these Arks, is it possible that there are Drakkar or Morikai Arks out there, too??


    ?Would explain how the goddamn Drakkars survived a supposed galaxy-ending war,? Krick replied.


    ?N-Nanocreatures, too¡­? Kirstin pointed out.


    ?I know not whether our adversaries had the same foresight as the Empire,? Maenikad stated. ?The Drakkars, perhaps. But at the time that the Imperial Arks went dark, Imperial projections claimed it would be the Morikai or the Nanocreatures who dominated the galaxy. Imperial leadership considered it unlikely that either Ikirom or Morcii would entertain the thought of loss.?


    ?That tracks with what we saw of Morcii 20 years ago¡­? Saito muttered.


    ?20 years ago?? Maenikad¡¯s hologram zipped into Mote¡¯s face, her glowing red orb of an eye staring straight at Mote as he recoiled in surprise. ?This galaxy has faced Morcii and the Nanocreatures? And survived??


    ?We almost didn¡¯t,? Saito said. ?The Nanocreatures wreaked havoc before a handful of Chaotics found a way to kill Morcii.?


    Maenikad fell silent, her hologram lagging behind Mote as he continued down the hallways. ?¡­This is most concerning,? she eventually said. ?Not only have the Drakkars survived to the modern age¡­ but the Nanocreatures have, as well? Next you¡¯ll tell me that Ikirom is still alive!?


    ?Can¡¯t say much about that one,? Saito replied.


    ?Hmph. This outcome suggests a most unfavorable outcome to the Apocalypse War¡­ and yet, neither the Drakkars nor the Nanocreatures dominate the galaxy? And neither do the Morikai¡­ whatever happened? I would expect one of the sides of the war to have been victorious.?


    ?Maybe the war just lived up to your ominious-as-fuck name, and everyone lost,? Kate suggested.


    ?And yet, aspects of each side survive¡­? Maenikad responded. ?This is not an outcome we had planned for¡­ but it is workable. Tell me. You have mentioned finding Aldredas ruins before, and given that you were able to understand me when you first arrived, you must have had access to enough information on the Empire to construct a translation database. So, then ¡ª in all that you have learned of the Aldredas, what do you know about the end of the Apocalypse War??


    ?N-not much¡­? Kirstin said.


    ?We didn¡¯t even know you called your war a fucking ¡®Apocalypse War¡¯ until today!? Kate exclaimed. ?Why do you think I want to pick the brains of the Aldredas you have down there, huh??


    ?Most concerning¡­? Maenikad said as she and Mote turned down another corridor, this one with erratically flickering lights ¡ª as opposed to the steady lighting of the halls prior.


    ¡°Concerning is one way to put it¡­¡± Mote muttered as he looked up at the lights. He slowed his pace, but still continued onwards, warily watching his surroundings as he went.


    ?Signs of bad power,? Krick remarked, having seen the flickering lights through Mote¡¯s body cam. ?It would fucking figure. I bet that Ark¡ª¡­?


    ¡°¡­Hmm? Chief Captain?¡± Mote stopped in his tracks after realizing that Krick¡¯s statement had been abruptly cut off. ¡°Chief Captain, repeat. ¡­Chief Captain Krick? ¡­Colonel Saito?¡±


    ?Hmm. It would appear that communications with your craft have been cut off,? Maenikad asserted.


    ¡°What?¡± Mote turned to look accusingly at Maenikad. ¡°Did you do something?¡±


    ?To imagine that a descendant of Raen would be so distrustful of an Ikad-class Intelligence!? Maenikad exclaimed indignantly. ?I have done nothing of the sort! More likely, something about this area of the facility is cutting off comms.?


    ¡°More likely? You don¡¯t even know?¡±


    ?As I have said, the Sadrenos Ark is in a dire state! I have been upfront with the possibility of systems failure!?


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Mote drawled, and then turned around to begin retracing his steps. ¡°Well, if it really is just a part of the Ark that¡¯s stopping communications, then¡ª¡°


    ?¡ªyou there? Lieutenant! Answer!?


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Captain,¡± Mote replied to Krick¡¯s hail; notably, as soon as he had returned to the beginning of the flickering hallway, the comms came back online.


    ?There you are! What the hell happened?!? Kate exclaimed, ?why weren¡¯t you answering us earlier??


    ¡°According to the AI¡­¡± Mote said as he passed Maenikad an irritated glance, ¡°there may be some kind of¡­ systems failure in this part of the Ark. Something that¡¯s breaking comms contact.¡±


    ?I suspect it is the signal repeaters that have failed,? Maenikad asserted. ?However, it would appear that the diagnostic systems in this area of the Ark have also failed, so I cannot diagnose the true cause.?


    ?This is where the goddamn stasis blocks are supposed to be, isn¡¯t it?? Krick pointed out. ?After this, are we really still expecting those fucking things to have survived??


    ?Of course they have!? Maenikad insisted. ?The stasis blocks are the very core of this Ark! The Ark would be pointless without them! As such, this structure has been very carefully designed such that the stasis blocks are the last systems to fail. You cannot write off Imperial technology so quickly!?


    ?As much as I¡¯d fucking like that to be true, I¡¯m starting to have doubts, myself¡­? Kate muttered.


    ?This whole situation has smelled fishy from the get-go,? Krick declared. ?I¡¯m just about ready to pull the plug on this whole goddamn op.?


    ?What? After we have come so far?!? Maenikad countered, ?you even activated the final power systems! If you leave now, your actions will directly have caused this Ark to use the last of its remaining power ¡ª and thereby, all 5000 individuals stored within will die!?


    ?She¡¯s not wrong about that, sirs,? Hackett pointed out.


    ?And how do we know we aren¡¯t just entertaining the delusions of a goddamn mis-programmed AI?? Krick shot back.


    ?There is one way to know,? Saito stated. ?If we just check the stasis blocks, we¡¯ll know for sure if anyone survived. Mote, are you up for that? What do you think of this situation??


    Mote glanced toward Maenikad again, who returned the glance with her single eye. He then turned to look down the flickering corridor; it stretched for a couple dozen meters before terminating against another perpendicular hallway, so Mote was unable to determine the state of the Ark beyond that. I agree with Krick, something about all of this seems off¡­ such as trusting an ¡®AI¡¯ in the first place, Mote mused. Is this really an AI? SERRCom has yet to figure out true AI, and it¡¯s my understanding that the CSA bans the research or creation of high-functioning intelligences ¡ª for good reason. I simply don¡¯t see any reason to trust this thing. But, with that said¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯ve already spent close to an hour down here,¡± Mote eventually spoke up, ¡°if finding the actual stasis blocks can determine once and for all if this ¡®Ark¡¯ is worth our time¡­ then I might as well continue.¡±


    ?I still don¡¯t like this,? Krick declared. ?Why do we have to check the goddamn stasis blocks directly to see if they survived? What dumbass designed this place??


    ?If we get a chance to wake the Aldredas up, maybe we¡¯ll have more concrete answers,? Saito stated. ?But in order to know if we can even do that ¡ª Mote, you¡¯re clear to continue. Watch yourself, down there. And at the first sign of trouble, get back to where you are right now and report to us.?


    ¡°Understood, sir. I¡¯m heading out,¡± Mote replied as he prepared to strike out on his own, continuing his search of the dying Ark for the inhabitants stored within.

 V2 - A3 - Chapter 20: Preserved Facility

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ARK OF THE ANCIENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 20: Preserved Facility


    ?I¡¯m surprised that you¡¯re so wary of all this, Krick.?


    ¡°Just because I like to take risks doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have a goddamned sense of danger,¡± Captain Krick retorted. ¡°And nothing about this damn situation sits right with me.¡±


    ?On that, we can agree,? replied Chief Captain Alicia Mendoza, of the ESC Origin.


    Colonel Saito glanced between Krick, who still sat in his captain¡¯s chair aboard Genesis¡¯s bridge, before looking to his right ¡ª where a hologram of Mendoza appeared, also sitting as she occupied the bridge of Origin. The two Battlecruisers remained in orbit over the planet now known as Sadrenos, where they had been since their arrival over an hour ago. Ever since Mote had entered the part of the Ark with no comms connection, the rest of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir on the bridge had dispersed to double-check their equipment, leaving only Saito behind to talk with the two Captains of the Flagship Strike Group.


    Saito turned his gaze out through Genesis¡¯s bridge windows, at the planet of Sadrenos below. Wispy white clouds covered its surface, but little could hide the massive war scars ¡ª and somewhere beneath one of them, was the Ark.


    ?I don¡¯t think we should have sent the Lieutenant down there.?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, tell the Colonel,¡± Krick retorted to Mendoza¡¯s assertion.


    ¡°We¡¯re already here. Why not investigate?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°The defenses here already demonstrated that they can see through Genesis¡¯s ACS, and yet, they haven¡¯t fired on us.¡±


    ¡°Only because of that damned ancient tech you have me lugging around,¡± Krick countered.


    ?Perhaps, but the defenses were able to detect Origin as well,? Mendoza stated. ?Our PCS doesn¡¯t quite measure up to your ACS, but it¡¯s damned close ¡ª and they were still able to pick up on our location.?


    ¡°And then the AI actually gave us some answers,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°She seems really attached to this Ark ¡ª it seems to be why she was created, after all ¡ª but if there really are live Aldredas down there¡­ then can you imagine what that could mean for us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m imagining a massive headache,¡± Krick deadpanned.


    ?It would certainly be a logistical issue¡­ and likely a political and cultural one, as well, judging by how the AI reacted to learning that we weren¡¯t Aldredas,? Mendoza stated. ?But that isn¡¯t my main concern. There¡¯s too many unknowns, here ¡ª too many things that don¡¯t line up.?


    ¡°This is an Ark set up by an ancient race to survive a war so bad they dubbed it the ¡®Apocalypse War¡¯,¡± Saito said. ¡°It stands to reason that the AI would be cagey. She wants to make sure that the Aldredas survive. I can¡¯t imagine SERRCom doing any differently, if we were in the Aldredas¡¯s position.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be a god damn empire, I can say that much,¡± Krick retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying ¡ª I agree that Maenikad¡¯s attitude toward non-Aldredas leaves much to be desired, but I think her behavior is well explained given this ¡®Apocalypse War¡¯. And the state of the Ark can be explained by the many thousands of years it¡¯s had to survive.¡±


    ?I still can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s off,? Mendoza replied. ?But the real problem is this: Origin¡¯s sensors can¡¯t detect the Ark. At all.?


    ¡°Neither can Genesis¡¯s¡­¡± Krick muttered.


    ¡°The Ark is deep underground, isn¡¯t it?¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Judging by the beaming coordinates Maenikad gave us, the Ark is buried a few dozen kilometers below the planet¡¯s surface. Maybe your sensors just can¡¯t penetrate that deep?¡±


    ¡°Maybe our sensors can¡¯t penetrate that deep?!¡± Krick scoffed. ¡°You really should stick to fucking ground missions, Colonel, because you clearly don¡¯t know a goddamn thing about spacecraft tech.¡±


    ?To be less confrontational about it¡­? Mendoza added, passing Krick an annoyed look before turning to Saito. ?You¡¯re actually right, Colonel, in that most of SERRCom¡¯s sensor tech has a hard time dealing with thick layers of rock. But Genesis can ¡ª and so can Origin, due to sharing tech. Both ships have several sensor systems that should be able to easily penetrate a planet¡¯s crust, at minimum.?


    ¡°Gravimetric, magnetometric, Chaos Energy sensors,¡± Krick counted off, ¡°none of these systems have any problem at all with penetrating through kilometers and kilometers of rock! Hell, a while back, some of the techies at the ETAA used Genesis¡¯s sensors to get a complete goddamn mapping of Earth¡¯s core and mantle. And you¡¯re trying to tell me that these same sensors can¡¯t detect one goddamn bunker in the planet¡¯s crust?¡±


    ?I agree, it¡¯s too suspicious,? Mendoza replied. ?It¡¯s almost as though the Ark has its own ACS, on par with Genesis.?


    ¡°Hmm¡­ that is concerning,¡± Saito admitted. ¡°But it still lines up with what Maenikad has said, is the thing. The Aldredas wanted to hide from a group of very powerful opponents ¡ª doesn¡¯t it make sense that they would want to equip their Arks with the best cloaking systems they have?¡±


    ¡°Then explain how those same systems still have power, even after everything else down there was fucking rotting and falling apart,¡± Krick challenged.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Even from our brief interaction with Maenikad, it¡¯s obvious that the Aldredas thought very highly of themselves. I wager they¡¯d rather kill themselves than let the Drakkars or Nanocreatures discover their Arks, and so, the systems they use to hide their location would take a higher triage priority than the systems keeping the Ark intact.¡±


    ?And the defenses in space, then?? Mendoza questioned.


    ¡°By Maenikad¡¯s own admission, Sadrenos used to be an Aldredian Fortress World. I don¡¯t think the Aldredas¡¯s enemies would find it odd to find some leftover defense satellites.¡±


    ¡°So you really trust that fucking AI, then?¡± Krick responded incredulously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put words in my mouth,¡± Saito countered. ¡°I think something¡¯s off, too. But even if everything that Maenikad has told us is a bold-faced lie, we still know a couple of things based on her actions: the Aldredas defenses here can detect us, and they haven¡¯t fired on us despite that. That means she wants us alive, and more than that, she¡¯s fine with us hanging around. Based on that, I¡¯m sure there is at least some truth to what Maenikad has told us. Caution is still warranted, of course, but my only true doubts are whether or not the stasis blocks are actually intact¡­ and how Maenikad will respond if they aren¡¯t.¡±


    ?And you still sent in the Lieutenant, alone?? Mendoza pressed.


    ¡°Mote¡¯s more capable than you might think,¡± Saito replied. ¡°If he thinks he can handle himself, then I trust him to handle himself. He¡¯s shown time and time again that he can do just that, so if things really do go south down there, then he¡¯ll be able to take care of it. And if he can¡¯t, well, Kate and Danielle are here to back him up ¡ª and I¡¯ve never once seen a combat situation the three of them together couldn¡¯t solve!¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°You really do trust those fucking kids, don¡¯t you¡­¡± Krick muttered.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t kids ¡ª they¡¯re adults, fully capable of handling themselves. Don¡¯t get me wrong, Krick, Mendoza; I share your opinion that something is off about this situation. I just think it¡¯s more under control than you might expect.¡±


    Krick and Mendoza exchanged a wary glance. ¡°¡­Alright, Colonel,¡± Krick finally conceded with a shrug. ¡°But if things go to shit, it¡¯s your ass.¡±


    ?I only hope that things are truly as manageable as you claim,? Mendoza added.


    ¡°Ha ha, well, I never said that things would go perfectly,¡± Saito replied with a smirk. ¡°There¡¯s always risk, no doubt about that. But we ¡ª and Mote ¡ª can still stand to come out on top of all this. All we need to do is wait until we hear from Mote, again¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ?So you have no knowledge of your parents??


    ¡°No,¡± Mote responded impatiently, ignoring Maenikad¡¯s hologram as she followed him through dilapidated halls lit with flickering lights. Now out of communication range of Genesis, Mote was left all alone with Maenikad to maneuver the halls of the Ark ¡ª halls that had grown far more misshapen and damaged than the halls he had seen when he first entered the Ark.


    ?No knowledge of your parents¡­ interesting,? Maenikad replied, her hologram effortlessly floating through the air as Mote cautiously climbed over piles of dirt and metal debris. ?And you¡­ Earthians. It seems few of you are Chaotics??


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Mote answered.


    ?Exactly how few??


    ¡°There¡¯s only twelve of us.¡±


    ?Twelve?! My, how Chaotic Potential has decayed in this age! During the time of the grand Raen Empire, half of all Aldredian citizens were Chaotics!?


    ¡°Half?¡± Mote scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ?It is, in fact, the truth. That you doubt this indicates that no other race in the modern galaxy comes even close to the potential of the Aldredas¡­ how very odd indeed.?


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ?Tell me, then ¡ª if there are so few Earthian Chaotics, how did you learn to use your abilities??


    ¡°Colonel Saito and Major Hackett taught us.¡±


    ?But they are not Chaotics.?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be a Chaotic to understand how Chaotics work. Hmph. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that your thinking is so narrow.¡±


    ?Excuse me??


    ¡°You heard me.¡± Mote stopped at the end of the hallway and turned to glare at Maenikad. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve said to me, to us, has given off the distinct impression that you Aldredas are too prideful for your own good.¡±


    ?¡¯You Aldredas¡¯?? Maenikad echoed, ?but you are a descendant of Raen! You are one of us!?


    ¡°No more than I am a Neanderthal, or Homo erectus ¡ª both my distant ancestors, yet equally as extinct as the Aldredas.¡±


    ?Why¡­! Have you no appreciation for what the Empire has accomplished? The Arks, our Fortress Worlds, even standing up against the Drakkars, Morikai, and Nanocreatures all on our own! And that is not even mentioning the vast power of Raen Technology!?


    ¡°I hold no respect for an Empire,¡± Mote spat as he turned to continue down the halls once more. ¡°For the same reason that I hold no respect for a nation that created technology like your Raen Technology. Locking access of resources or tech behind a specific bloodline? Pah. Genes are not a determinant of one¡¯s worth, and thinking that they are is a needlessly prideful mindset founded only on prejudice and self-gain, not on fact. That this ¡®Raen Technology¡¯ proliferated amongst the Aldredas despite that ¡ª and was celebrated, even ¡ª is the surest sign of your Empire¡¯s excessive pride, the pride that doubtlessly led to your downfall.¡±


    ?¡­Well,? Maenikad remarked, her hologram hovering in place as Mote walked on. ?¡­I see that this galaxy truly does not share the values of the Empire. A true shame. But even so¡­? Maenikad finally zipped up to Mote¡¯s side, once again traveling beside him as her eye steadily watched him. ?You may strongly denounce the Aldredas and our technology, but even now, you use it.?


    Mote glanced down at his chest plate ¡ª the crimson, gold, and black chest plate of the Aldredian Armor ¡ª before turning back to the hall in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t agree with the creators of this armor, but the armor itself has already been made. If it can be put to use to further SERRCom¡¯s goals, then I would be remiss not to use it. And besides, if there truly is a large population of Aldredas here, surely one of them would know how to disable the gene lock.¡±


    ?¡­I see.?


    Mote responded only with silence as he zapped a loose piece of debris out of his way. He then turned his attention up to a large door in the side of the hall, standing twice as tall as him and equally wide. Based on the extravagant, yet faded, designs on and around the door itself, it was clear that this entryway was meant to be a centerpiece of the Ark. ¡°Is this the stasis block?¡± he questioned, passing a glance toward Maenikad.


    The hologram bobbed once. ?It is.?


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mote turned back to the door, noting that his armor had projected a holographic message into his field of view ¡ª a message asking whether or not to open the door. Wordlessly, Mote selected the affirmative option, at which point the holographic message disappeared. For a second, there was silence, and no movement¡­ only for the large door in front of Mote to silently slide open. On the other side of the door appeared pitch blackness; Mote stepped forward and re-activated his armor¡¯s flashlight to begin inspecting the space. What he found was that his flashlight beam seemed to disappear completely, such was the vastness of the interior space; sweeping the beam from left to right, in all directions, Mote found only darkness. A cool breeze swept past him, however, accompanied by the faint, dank smell of underground cave water. And if Mote stopped moving and focused, he could hear a distant echo of water droplets ¡ª an echo that seemed to originate from below him. Tentatively, he dropped his flashlight beam to the floor¡­ or what should have been the floor.


    For in its place was the sharp ridge of a cliff, covered only by sheered metal, as if something had torn the metal flooring asunder.


    Cautiously, Mote approached the cliff, noting that it ran the entire length of the massive space ¡ª and was only a few paces from the entryway. Mote then turned his flashlight to look down the cliff, noting a massive pile of warped and rusted metal over a hundred meters down. From this distance, the pile looked like little more than an expansive yard of scrap, but based on its location ¡ª and the occasional sign of human remains ¡ª Mote could guess well enough what the pile of scrap used to be.


    ¡°The stasis block¡­¡± he muttered, his brow furrowed as he stared down at the remnants of the Ark¡¯s purpose. ¡°¡­I should have known.¡±


    ?Ah, so you have finally located the stasis block.?


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Mote drew away from the cliff and turned to face Maenikad, whose hologram had entered the room and was looking directly at him. ¡°It didn¡¯t survive.¡±


    ?I am aware.?


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ?40 of your years ago, the Sadrenos Ark was hit by an incredible earthquake. I found the quake most odd, given that the Empire had specifically chosen a tectonically inactive location for the Ark ¡ª and yet, a quake destroyed the stasis blocks, dropping them into this underground chasm. After surviving for so long, too¡­ a most unfortunate turn of events.?


    ¡°40 years ago¡­ that must have been the original Chaos Energy Quake,¡± Mote muttered. ¡°But¡­ wait. You knew that the stasis block was destroyed from the start? Then why¡ª?¡±


    ?You needed to be tested,? Maenikad asserted. ?You are a descendant of Raen, but you arrived with many who are not. I needed to determine if you could be trusted with the legacy of the Empire ¡ª I needed to determine if those who you travel with had poisoned your mind.?


    ¡°¡­I can see well enough where this is going,¡± Mote responded, sparks beginning to wreath his arms as he held out his hand to summon his battlehammer ¡ª only for his armor to suddenly lock up and prevent him from moving. ¡°What¡ª?!¡±


    ?By the Last Resort Protocol, in the event that the stasis blocks fail, I am to seize control of any spacecraft that enters the vicinity of Sadrenos and use them to awaken the other Arks,? Maenikad declared, as electrical sparks began to cover the walls and floor all around. ?I had hoped, when I detected your presence, that I would be able to do so alongside a descendant of Raen. I had hoped that your reservations toward the Aldredas people were due to unseen pressure put upon you by your compatriots, and that bringing you here would enable you to act upon your true desires ¡ª the Empire¡¯s desires!?


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Mote grunted as he fought to move his armor, to no avail; he then lashed out at Maenikad with several lightning strikes, only for her hologram to ignore his outburst completely.


    ?But even now¡­? Maenikad continued, ?when you are on your own, you espouse blasphemies toward the name of Raen! Alas, it is a great shame, but I must fulfill the Empire¡¯s wish alone! The will of the Aldredas shall not be so easily trampled, even if we must extinguish our own descendants! And you, an unworthy descendant of Raen, will be the first life lost in the wake of our grand reawakening!!?


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Mote growled out, but was little able to say anything more as Maenikad bisected his neck with an energy shield.

 V2 - A3 - Chapter 21: Preserved Chaos

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ARK OF THE ANCIENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 21: Preserved Chaos


    ?And you, an unworthy descendant of Raen, will be the first life lost in the wake of our grand reawakening!!?


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Mote growled out, but was little able to say anything or even move his body as he saw the golden glow of an energy shield plane forming around his neck. Time appeared to slow; Mote could easily tell that Maenikad aimed to use the energy shield to behead him, but as the glowing plane reached for his neck, there wasn¡¯t anything he could do in that moment to stop it. His armor restricted his body from moving, and he simply couldn¡¯t think faster than the formation of an energy shield. In the end, he reflexively clamped his eyes shut ¡ª in preparation for the worst.


    ?¡­How??


    When Maenikad¡¯s voice again reached Mote¡¯s ears, he cautiously opened his eyes. As he did, he noted the flaring energy shield plane that intersected his neck¡­ which remained completely intact. Even his breathing wasn¡¯t impeded, indicating that the shield hadn¡¯t penetrated his body at all. What? But how¡­? Do Aldredian energy shields just work differently¡ª?


    ?It should figure that a descendant of Raen would not be so easy to kill,? Maenikad eventually muttered, snapping Mote¡¯s attention back to his present situation just in time to see a storm of sparks forming around Maenikad¡¯s hologram. ?But shields are far from my only recourse!?


    As an Electrotechnic, Mote could easily sense the intensifying electrical fields in the room ¡ª fields that were intensifying without his input. So there¡¯s another Electrotechnic around here¡ª? Damn it! Move, Mote! With but a thought, Mote dismissed the Aldredian Armor on his body, causing it to disappear in a flash of white light and reform as a small rhomboid. That the AI can seize control of the armor is a problem, but at least I can still dismiss it! Mote thought to himself, only to then get hit with a blast of electricity that sent him flying towards the underground chasm. As he went sailing over the edge, however, he quickly applied a magnetic charge to his own body and then an opposite charge to the warped metal flooring on the edge of the cliff; the attractive forces snapped him back to the ground, where he landed in a roll and sprung into a full-tilt run towards Maenikad¡¯s hologram.


    It¡¯s just a hologram, not the true AI¡­ Mote mused with a scowl as he ran through the hologram and through the large door that had led into the stasis block. The hologram is still here even after I dismissed my armor, so there must be hologram projectors throughout the Ark ¡ª this place might be better equipped than that AI led us to believe, so I need to be careful. But still, it¡¯s an AI ¡ª a machine. And I can deal with those well enough. He passed the rhomboid in his right hand a doubtful glance before shoving it in his pocket and continuing on running through the hallways. This might destroy the armor, but now is no time to hold back! ¡°Overdrive: Pulse!¡±


    An electromagnetic pulse of incredible strength immediately blasted in all directions from Mote¡¯s body. In that instant, he could sense a handful of electrical devices overloading in his immediate vicinity, their destruction feeding back into his Overdrive to boost his own power ¡ª but where the EMP of his Overdrive would normally reach over several dozen meters, this time, it seemed to only affect systems within a couple meters of him. As soon as he realized this, the hair on the back of his neck stood up on end ¡ª followed instantly by the electrification of the entire hallway, specifically crafted to create a magnetic gradient that launched Mote backwards like a bullet in a coil gun. So there really is an Electrotechnic around! They must be protecting the AI¡¯s systems. Damn it, Mote thought as he summoned his blue and silver battlehammer and drove its pole end into the metal flooring in an effort to slow himself. Did one of the Aldredas survive? No wonder. There¡¯s no way a machine could orchestrate all of this on its own¡ª


    ?Your tenacity is admirable¡­? came Maenikad¡¯s voice, followed by her hologram forming above Mote¡¯s head. ?Perhaps I was too quick to call you ¡®unworthy¡¯ ¡ª you¡¯re more difficult to kill than most Aldredian Chaotics.?


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Mote snorted in derision, glancing at the hologram through the corner of his eye while he quickly surveyed the surrounding electrical fields for signs of any electrical activity. As soon as he discovered the nearest device, hidden in the ceiling, he blasted it with lightning, causing Maenikad¡¯s hologram to disappear.


    ?¡­I see that you can sense electrical fields, as well,? Maenikad replied, though her voice came from farther down the hallway ¡ª from a system Mote had yet to destroy. Quickly, he lunged forward to blast that system as well, only to immediately stop his charge and brace himself as the wall to his side blasted inwards. ?Never did I expect to find myself in a live-combat scenario like this!? Maenikad remarked, while Mote swept the wall debris off of him with his hammer before charging forward. ?But it would appear that training my combat routines has paid off!?


    ¡°Shut the hell up,¡± Mote snarled, half-turning his upper body to dodge out of the way of several pieces of metal debris that were magnetically flung towards him. ¡°I know you have help. Where¡¯s the Electrotechnic?¡±


    ?You do not know¡­? Then I am not about to tell you!? Maenikad retorted, just as the hallway electrified again. This time, however, Mote immediately focused on electrifying the hallway himself, easily overpowering the enemy Electrotechnic to launch himself forwards ¡ª where he immediately crossed his arms in front of him to shield himself from a shower of dirt and metal debris as the wall at the far end of the hall exploded.


    ¡°Ngh¡­!¡± he grunted in pain; without his armor to protect him, the debris was able to rip through his uniform and hit his body directly. His skin and body remained far more durable than any normal human, but he could still get bruised and cut ¡ª so it was only a matter of time before he suffered an injury. That AI could tell that I was sensing electrical fields. That likely means the enemy Electrotechnic, wherever they are, can sense and manipulate electrical fields, as well. Which means that I can¡¯t trust those fields as a source of direction¡ª damn it! Mote then raised his hammer overhead, preparing to bring it down on the surrounding bulkheads. If that machine has full control over the Ark, then I need to destroy it if I want to get out of here. And if I can¡¯t use the electric fields to find its core, then my only remaining option is to destroy everything!


    Just as Mote went to swing his hammer, large pieces of metal debris snapped to the hammer¡¯s head, electromagnetically manipulated to entomb the hammer and hold it in place. At the same time, a blast of lightning hit Mote in the back and sent him sprawling, but he quickly recovered, summoning his hammer back to himself and slamming it into the bulkheads to his side. As the hammer tore into the metal, Mote seized magnetic control of the resulting debris and launched them like shotgun pellets into the opposite wall, creating even more debris with which he repeated the process, hoping to completely strip the walls and expose anyone or anything that could be hiding behind them.


    Just as he initiated the third chain, however, a powerful reversal of the electromagnetic fields all around him launched the storm of debris toward him. In the split-second he had to react, he again shielded himself with his arms while forcing the magnetic charge of his body to match that of the surrounding field, causing most of the debris to deflect away from him before even touching him.


    ?You certainly are quite skilled¡­? Maenikad remarked as Mote resumed dashing through the hallways, intent on retracing his tracks through the underground facility. ?It truly is a shame that you do not share the Empire¡¯s goals.?


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I should care for a dead culture,¡± Mote retorted, dodging to the side to evade a blast of debris before resuming his run. ¡°What even are your goals? Why bother leading me this deep into the Ark?¡±


    ?You are a descendant of Raen. You are meant to reawaken the Arks!? Maenikad insisted. ?Normally, I would not dare stand in your way! But in accordance with the Last Resort Protocol, I have no choice. Using the ships you have so graciously provided, I will travel the stars and reawaken the other Arks myself ¡ª after all, even your remains can be used to activate Raen technology. In the end, all will bow again to the might of the Raen Empire, else be destroyed in the wake of our revival! And you, descendant of Raen, have lost the right to bear witness!?


    ¡°Tch¡ª!¡± Mote snorted in derision, but was little able to respond further as he fended off lightning strikes and blasts of debris. The only thing more annoying than a prideful AI is the fact that it doesn¡¯t have to breathe to speak! He swung his hammer through the air, deflecting even more metal debris before slamming the weapon¡¯s head into the bulkheads, where he paused for a moment to take a deep breath. Not that trying to respond during a fight like this is prudent. Battlefield chatter is worthless¡­ but my body¡­ In a brief moment of lull, Mote glanced down at his green uniform with black trimming, finding that it was lacerated all over from the onslaught he was fighting through. He could feel sharp pains running along his arms from all the times he had used them to shield himself, but more than that, he could feel a deeper pain within his chest, accompanied by the anxious feeling of being unable to catch his breath ¡ª and a certain acrid scent that, as an Electrotechnic, he was well familiar with.


    With a reflexive cough, Mote forced himself to continue running. Damn it. All of this electrical activity is filling the air with ozone ¡ª made even worse by being in an underground bunker. That machine surely controls the life-support, too¡­ if this keeps up for too long, I¡¯ll lose to a lack of air, rather than the enemy! I only have one choice. He stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to try and catch his breath ¡ª but he didn¡¯t spend too long doing so before taking as deep a breath as he could and holding it in. As the Eximius Vir were more durable than normal humans, they all could also hold their breaths for much longer than normal¡­ but even in a calm room on a calm day without moving his body, Mote could hold his breath for at most two hours. In an atmosphere filled with ozone, while actively fighting off hostile opponents, Mote was certain he had less than ten minutes, perhaps even five before he would need another gasp of air ¡ª and by then, it may be too late.


    As if to reaffirm his worries, the entire hallway in which he was standing immediately filled with a massive blast of lightning, throwing Mote against the wall. He fought hard to keep his breath as he collapsed to the ground, forcing the irritation in his throat and his urge to cough out of mind as he followed the lightning blast with electrical manipulation of his own, successfully launching himself down the corridor ¡ª and then the next. I must be past the point where I lost communication contact with the Genesis, but I can¡¯t afford to stop and check, he mused as he continued blasting himself down the hallways. Knowing that the AI was just ¡®testing¡¯ me suggests that all of the technical ¡®malfunctions¡¯ may have been a ruse from the start, anyways. Chances are, the machine has cut off comms and all possibility of beaming away across the entire Ark¡ª


    Mote¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as a blast door slammed down in front of him. Unable to react in time, he slammed into the door and then recoiled in pain, where he was hit with two more lightning strikes. The Electrotechnic¡¯s still keeping up with me? How?! Mote wondered irately as he staggered backwards, there¡¯s no one behind me¡­ at least this Electrotechnic seems to be the only defense this Ark has, but¡ª damn it. I need to focus on getting back to the main control room. From there, I should be able to find the AI¡¯s core!


    With that, Mote swung his arm around to slam his palm against the blast door, and then blow it wide open with an incredible blast of lightning. He quickly jumped through the resulting hole, only to stumble to his knees on the other side; his body was by now begging for him to take a breath, but the smell of ozone still tainted his nostrils. Knowing that the air remained unsafe, he forced himself to his feet and magnetically launched himself down the hall once more, easily using his lightning to blow through another handful of thick blast doors as he sailed through.


    ?Your lightning is significantly more powerful than any other Electrotechnic I have seen or heard of,? Maenikad observed, her hologram manifesting next to Mote as he continually launched himself through the halls. ?And that hammer, as well¡ª are you using the Chaos State??


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Mote didn¡¯t respond, focusing instead on navigating through the Ark¡¯s corridors.


    ?¡­Even if you hold your breath, only so much time remains for you. Our clashes are filling the Ark with ozone as we speak. Even in the Chaos State, you will have no choice but to succumb!?


    This thing thinks I¡¯m using the Chaos State, too? Mote¡¯s mouth turned into a frustrated frown as he stumbled down the next corridor. ¡­It doesn¡¯t matter. The control room¡­ is around the corner. He stopped to hold his hand to his head, which throbbed in pain. And if I¡¯m¡­ feeling like this, then the enemy Electrotechnic must be, too¡ª


    Just as he stopped in front of the entrance door to the main control room, the door exploded outwards, its metal pieces slamming Mote to the ground. This time, he was unable to maintain absolute control of his body; the blow winded him, robbing him of the rest of his held oxygen. And when he reflexively went to inhale, he could tell that the atmosphere was filled with ozone¡­ but not completely, not just yet.


    With that realization, Mote quickly sprung to his feet and then magnetically launched himself away from the control room, down a different corridor than the one he had approached from. As soon as he landed on the ground, he took several quick breaths to regain his bearings, and then took as deep a gulp of air as he could; he could still feel the irritation in this throat as he inhaled ozone, but he was able to gather enough normal air to keep himself going. After all, ozone was a byproduct of lightning through air, and it had only been a few minutes since Maenikad first attacked Mote ¡ª which wasn¡¯t enough time for all of the air in the Ark to mix. Thus, the areas of the Ark that hadn¡¯t yet been filled with fighting were bound to be cleaner.


    The lack of ozone near Mote was soon remedied, however, as the entire hallway grew electrified. With some ¡ª though not all ¡ª of his strength returned, Mote summoned his battlehammer and slammed it into the metal flooring, ripping it up to disrupt the electrical fields before launching himself back toward the main control room, all while once again holding his breath. Metal debris strewn all across the corridor rapidly came together in an attempt to impede Mote¡¯s path, but he easily smashed the debris apart with his hammer and entered the control room¡­ which promptly exploded, as though someone had instantly and severely overloaded every piece of electronics in the room.


    What the¡ª?  Mote recoiled in surprise, only for his expression to turn into a glare as Maenikad¡¯s hologram appeared in the center of the room, and the remaining doors slammed shut.


    ?You have come far enough!? Maenikad declared. ?I did not think you would manage to reach the Ark¡¯s control room, but as I have now destroyed its components, you have no access to the Ark¡¯s systems! Your futile struggle ends here!?


    They blew out their own controls to stop me? They must be desperate. Good thing I didn¡¯t come here for the computers, in the first place¡­ Mote turned away from Maenikad and closed his eyes, relying primarily on his Electrotechnic senses to feel out any remaining circuitry in the surrounding area. The enemy may be an Electrotechnic, and they may be able to interfere with the electromagnetic fields in the Ark, but one thing I¡¯ve been able to determine is that my own power far outstrips theirs. If I can locate the main circuits, then I can overload them with electricity and force the Ark¡¯s electric fields to align with its power grid ¡ª which will help find the AI¡¯s mainframe!


    Initially, Mote began forcing his own electric current through the walls, floor, and ceiling of the control room, allowing him to exert control over the constituent metal ¡ª and thus prevent the enemy Electrotechnic from weaponizing any of it. However, he could tell that his constant electrification, accompanied by the initial blowout of the control room, was rapidly poisoning the air ¡ª his throat and nostrils were burning. He could even feel a burning sensation along his arms and legs, where he could tell that his uniform had ripped, and his skin likely cut and exposed to the ozone-filled air. Knowing that his time was limited, Mote focused intently on the outgoing circuits from the fried control room and began forcing current down their frayed wires. Sparks began to wreath his body and electricity began arcing between himself and the control room walls, all due to the incredible amounts of energy he was generating and forcing through the system.


    This is eating through my air even faster¡­! he thought bitterly, if I was better practiced, I could generate this energy without the stray sparks. Still, it¡¯s rare that I need to output this much energy ¡ª that Electrotechnic, wherever they are, is fighting back hard.


    As Mote¡¯s electricity slowly overpowered that of his opponent and began electrifying the entire Ark, he began to peer into the resulting electrical fields. While his electrical sense was too vague to paint a full mental picture of the Ark, he quickly got the impression that his initial mapping of the Ark when he had first arrived in the control room was wrong. So the Electrotechnic was around even then, and interfering with my senses¡­ I should have known this AI wasn¡¯t to be trusted. A scowl reflexively formed on Mote¡¯s face. But now that I think about it¡ª surely I should be able to sense the enemy Electrotechnic by now? But all I¡¯m sensing is the Ark itself. Where are they?


    ?Cease¡ª cease this at once!? Maenikad demanded, but Mote kept his eyes closed, continuing to ignore her. ?You¡¯ll¡ª you¡¯ll destroy the entire Ark!?


    That IS my goal¡­ Mote thought bitterly, his focus momentarily dimming as he fought off the urge to cough. In that brief lull, he could feel the enemy Electrotechnic push back against his own electricity¡­ but he quickly forced his way back, overpowering their resistance once more. Now, what¡¯s around me¡­ I can sense the stasis blocks ¡ª it seems there were another two blocks, but they¡¯re both dead. It¡¯s just as well. What else is here¡­ there¡¯s the power generator, but disabling it is pointless as long as the enemy Electrotechnic still lives. I need to find either them, or the mainframe¡ª ah ha!


    ?No!? Maenikad shouted, as if in response to Mote¡¯s discovery. ?You¡­ you cannot do this! I may well be the last living will of the Aldredas!?


    Mote responded only with silence as he redirected his electricity down the circuits leading to the Ark¡¯s mainframe computer, which he could only assume contained the main processing unit for Maenikad. His brow furrowed from the effort, and his head was starting to pound from the lack of oxygen ¡ª but his goal was right there.


    ?I was wrong! I accept my mistake ¡ª I should never have questioned a descendant of Raen!? Maenikad pleaded, ?your will is clearly as strong as any Aldredas ¡ª so please! Cease this, at once!?


    Annoying machine¡­ Mote spared no more thoughts for Maenikad as he focused on overloading the mainframe. The mainframe itself seemed to resist his control far more strongly than throughout the rest of the Ark; it seemed as though his ability to control electricity disappeared entirely when it came to the mainframe. That brief moment of confusion allowed the enemy another chance to push back, to repel Mote¡¯s power ¡ª a resistance that nearly broke Mote¡¯s concentration, as he had to split his focus between his energy output and forcing his body to ignore every last instinct within his respiratory system.


    ?You still persist¡­?! I will tell you all I know! All the information stored within this Ark¡¯s databases, I will open to you! But if you destroy me, it will all go to waste!?


    Nothing more than a bluff¡ª a bluff that I¡¯m calling. With one final push, Mote forced his own electricity into the mainframe. While he may not have been able to control the distant computers directly, he was still more than able to overload all of the wires feeding into the computers.


    ?You¡ª!? Maenikad¡¯s voice rapidly began cutting out under Mote¡¯s assault, but still she managed to eek out a few final words. ?Regrettable¡ª! ¡ªTake¡ª ¡ªwith me!?


    And with that, Maenikad¡¯s hologram dissipated, and all of the electrical resistance that Mote had felt suddenly disappeared.


    So the mainframe, and that annoying AI, is finally down, Mote mused, his eyes still closed as he continued focusing on the Ark. But I¡¯m not¡­ done yet. I need to¡­ breath¡­ but not yet! Find the beam jammers, comm jammers, destroy them¡­ wait¡ª!


    As Mote began inspecting the entire Ark once more, he noticed that a section of it that he hadn¡¯t noticed before, a section far, far underground, was suddenly active ¡ª and the looping circuit was one he could trivially recognize as a massive bomb. This Ark even has a self-destruct system? I should¡¯ve¡­ known! Damn it, I don¡¯t have time to¡­ disable it. Get the¡­ jammers¡­!


    Reflexively, Mote clutched at his chest, which itself was throbbing from his lack of air. He could feel his consciousness growing dim, as well as his control over the Ark¡¯s circuits growing weaker. Realizing that he was at the verge, Mote quickly decided on his only course of action left: to pump such a massive electrical burst through the Ark¡¯s circuits that the entire facility would be overloaded at once ¡ª including both the jammers¡­ and the armed self-destruct.


    Captain, Colonel¡­ I hope you¡¯re paying attention¡­! With one final, grand effort, Mote filled the entire Ark in an instant with a powerful blast of lightning, electrifying every last wall, floor, panel, and system. He could hear the metal around him warping under the resulting electromagnetic forces, and he could hear pops and small explosions as he finally found the voltage limit of what the Ark¡¯s materials could withstand. In the next instant, he could feel deep rumbling underfoot, followed by a bright light shining even through his closed eyelids.


    ¡­And then, he felt cool air wash over his body, and he could sense that the electrical fields around him had massively shifted. Not far behind him seemed to be a massive void of non-conductive material, but before he could contemplate that any further, he finally succumbed to his body¡¯s painful urge to breath. At first in gasps, Mote began coughing and spluttering, his right hand clutched to his chest as his left supported his doubled-over form on the ground.


    ¡°Whoa! Mote! Are you okay?!¡±


    Mote coughed a couple more times, but eventually he was able to regain control of his body and take a deep breath ¡ª at which point he turned his attention upwards, finding Danielle kneeling next to him with a worried look on her face, and the rest of CSF-1 behind her on the bridge of Genesis.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Krick muttered as he watched Mote stumble back to his feet. ¡°Shit hit the fan down there, too?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ could certainly say that,¡± Mote responded, still catching his breath. He then shook his head as he glanced at Danielle, and then at Colonel Saito. ¡°That AI isn¡¯t to be trusted.¡±


    ¡°No shit, dumbass,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°We figured that out when your fucking Corvette started shooting up the fighter bay!¡±


    Mote¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°That damage is going to be another fucking month in dock, god damn it¡­¡± Krick muttered. ¡°But it¡¯s under control, your shitty ship is being held in a containment field. The bigger issue is that someone tried to hack my goddamn ship!¡±


    ¡°That was the AI,¡± Mote explained. ¡°It claimed that it was going to take over the Genesis and the Origin and use these ships to fly to the other Arks¡­¡±


    ¡°So there really are more of them out there¡­¡± Hackett mused.


    ¡°If they¡¯re all like this one, then it¡¯d be better to bombard them from fucking orbit,¡± Krick declared.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Kate countered, ¡°now that we know how desperate the Arks are, and what kind of defenses and systems they have, tackling the next one will be a fucking cinch!¡±


    ¡°If these really are Arks,¡± Saito replied, and then passed Mote a glance. ¡°Were you able to find any sign of actual stasis blocks, down there?¡±


    Mote took a deep breath before replying, ¡°yes, sir. There once were actual stasis blocks in that Ark¡­ but they were destroyed in an earthquake 40 years ago.¡±


    ¡°F-forty years¡­?¡± Kirstin echoed.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ we were so close to greatness!¡± Kate exclaimed in irritation. ¡°So fucking close to talking with real fucking Aldredas! ¡­Well, at least we can study the remnants, right?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Mote stated. ¡°Right before I destroyed the AI, I think it activated the Ark¡¯s self-destruct. I didn¡¯t have time to stop it¡­¡±


    ¡°Our sensors can confirm that,¡± Krick remarked. ¡°There was some sudden seismic activity around where the Ark should be¡­ god damn, that must¡¯ve been a bigass bomb to generate this much activity. Ah, shit¡ª looks like the self-destruct signal went up to all the satellites, too! They¡¯re all blowing themselves up! Damn!¡±


    ¡°Great. Fucking great. Another mission where we learn nothing,¡± Kate muttered, and then glared at Mote. ¡°And you, where¡¯s your fucking armor, huh? Don¡¯t tell me you destroyed that, too!¡±


    ¡°I might have, but it was necessary¡­¡± Mote responded as he pulled the rhomboid out of his pocket and tossed it to Kate. ¡°That AI¡­ I don¡¯t know how, but it seized control of my armor. I had to dismiss the armor, and then I used my Overdrive, so if that device isn¡¯t properly shielded on its own¡­ then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Kate held a hand to her brow in frustration as she looked the rhomboid device over in her other hand.


    ¡°Well, it seems like everything¡¯s over, now,¡± Saito commented, clapping his hands once to draw Mote and Kate¡¯s attention. ¡°Mote¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re fine, and I¡¯m sorry for sending you down alone. But for now, we need to get you looked at, and have a proper debriefing!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Mote looked down at himself, and at his lacerated uniform and the cuts all over his body. ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stick around in orbit for another few hours, do a full sensor sweep of the planet,¡± Krick stated. ¡°See if we¡¯re fuckin¡¯ missing anything. If not, we¡¯ll be on our way back to Earth, earlier than planned ¡ª yet again.¡± The Captain then passed Saito an annoyed look. ¡°Colonel, why can¡¯t I ever once have a normal-ass mission when you¡¯re around?¡±


    ¡°Ha, sorry, Captain,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But anyways, everyone, it looks like we¡¯re wrapped up, here. Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    As the Colonel began leading everyone off of the bridge and Danielle moved to help Mote along, he paused for a second to look out the bridge window, at the planet below. Only the scarred terrain met his eyes, with no signs of the underground bunker he had just escaped. Maenisaren¡­ he thought to himself, and then shook his head to clear his thoughts, more than ready to move on from the ill-fated remnants of a dead empire.

 V2 - Arc 4: The Capital of the Galaxy - Chapter 22: Core Arrival

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 4 ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 22: Core Arrival


    The Next Day


    ¡ª SGT 10255.198 ¡ª


    (Mondia, Colyath 11, 8054)


    ¡°So this is the so-called ¡®Capital of the Galaxy¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly what everyone calls it,¡± Rebehka remarked, passing Conrad a quick glance before turning to look out the window in front of them. ¡°But yes¡­ this is Oriciid¡¯kas, the Capital World of the Core Space Alliance.¡±


    ¡°The Capital World¡­¡± Austin echoed quietly while looking through the window himself. He, as well as all of the other Keys, Mark, Luke, Kaon¨¦, and Rebehka, were currently standing in front of a massive window stretching over three stories tall and a hundred meters wide. All around them were bustling crowds and busy shops, not unlike a massive mall courtyard ¡ª but what stood out about this courtyard was the fact that it was located on a large space station, anchored in geosynchronous orbit over the planet of Oriciid¡¯kas below. In many ways, Oriciid¡¯kas resembled Earth; it bore the same expansive greens and blues, with wispy white clouds to mix the two, and bright lights shining from the sprawling metropolises on the planet¡¯s dark side. From those lights, it was evident that urban districts almost completely blanketed the planet¡¯s surface; when combined with the plethora of terraformed planets in the same solar system, as well as the myriad of space stations, the solar system of Oriciid¡¯kas once boasted well over a hundred billion citizens all on its own.


    The ¡°once¡± in that moniker was evident, however, in the scars that marked the surface of Oriciid¡¯kas. Craters covered certain sections of the continent directly below the space station, and other areas of the continent were even visibly burning.


    ¡°Craters and burning land¡­¡± Pierce looked down upon the planet¡¯s scars in disbelief. ¡°This is supposed to be the CSA¡¯s Capital World? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Those deformations are the results of the ongoing clean-up operations after the Nanocreature War,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°The fire, too ¡ª I assume it¡¯s controlled.¡±


    ¡°It still looks like this, even after 20 years¡­?¡± Mark questioned warily.


    ¡°I¡¯d think the CSA would want to clean up faster than that on their Capital World,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°On the contrary ¡ª I think operations are going far too quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­Major,¡± Rebehka stiffly commented as she turned to address Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis, who had just approached the group. While the Earthians and Nimalians were dressed in their casuals, Nil¡¯kin was wearing her purple and crimson armor ¡ª the official uniform of her employer, the Chaos Knights.


    ¡°Is everything alright with security?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve straightened everything out,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied, pointedly ignoring Rebehka¡¯s sour expression to give Kaon¨¦ a bright smile. ¡°I had business to attend to here on Oriciid¡¯kas, myself, so it¡¯s my pleasure to help you all through travel and customs.¡±


    ¡°How generous of you,¡± Rebehka deadpanned.


    ¡°Generosity aside,¡± Luke quickly interjected, hoping to get ahead of any arguments, ¡°Major, you said you think the operations here are going too quickly? How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°And what operations are we even looking at?¡± Twy added.


    ¡°Yeah, like what¡¯s even the point of coming up to this space station?!¡± Sky questioned. ¡°The Gate was on the planet¡¯s surface, so why did we need to come up here?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the answers to any of these questions?¡± Nil¡¯kin replied, and then passed Rebehka a haughty glance. ¡°My, it sounds like whoever is meant to be teaching you is slacking in their duties.¡±


    ¡°We were just about to explain when you arrived,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated. ¡°Though given the Chaos Knights¡¯ involvement on Oriciid¡¯kas, your presence might help.¡±


    ¡°Why thank you, Dean.¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Rebehka cleared her throat, as if to silence Nil¡¯kin before turning to address the Earthians. ¡°As to why we¡¯re here: the scars you see on Oriciid¡¯kas¡¯s surface are the result of ongoing efforts to clean up the remaining Nanocreature nanites. As I¡¯m sure you all know, Oriciid¡¯kas was one of the planets that fell to the Nanocreatures during the war. While the Nanocreatures only held the planet for a month before the CSA could retake it, that month was still more than enough for them to have spread their nanites across the planet¡¯s surface ¡ª thereby making the entire planet a hazard.¡±


    ¡°The prudent thing to do at that point would¡¯ve been to glass the entire planet from orbit and start over from scratch,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°When those damn nanites are everywhere, it¡¯s the only sure way to get rid of them all. The CSA even took that stance with many of their lesser worlds that had fallen to the Nanocreatures, but with Orciid¡¯kas, they were too proud ¡ª too sentimental. They couldn¡¯t bear to glass their own Capital World, even though it had already been defiled.¡±


    ¡°Dunno if I can blame them,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Even if Earth fell to the Nanocreatures, I dunno if I can imagine just blowin¡¯ the whole place to hell¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that only because you didn¡¯t witness the horrors of the Nanocreature War,¡± Nil¡¯kin challenged. ¡°When you¡¯ve seen that people, animals, weapons, entire ships ¡ª even the ground beneath your feet can be turned against you, all by nanoscopic machines that are incredibly difficult to detect and impervious to most Chaotic attempts at destruction¡­¡± She paused for a second to side-eye Rebehka before finishing, ¡°it leaves an impression on you.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, the CSA ultimately chose not to ¡®start over from scratch¡¯ with Orciid¡¯kas, or any of their other Transpace Worlds,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Instead, they sectioned each planet off by their districts, separating them with energy shields that stretched up into the stratosphere. And then, once the planets were fully sectioned off, the CSA began the long, arduous process of filtering the districts for Nanocreature nanites ¡ª removing nanites as they were found, rebuilding buildings as necessary, and eventually reopening districts for living once they were deemed ¡®clean¡¯.¡±


    ¡°In the 20 years since that process began, Orciid¡¯kas has had over seventy percent of its districts cleaned,¡± Rebehka stated. ¡°The efforts to clean the remaining districts are ongoing, but at this pace, Oriciid¡¯kas should be free of Nanocreatures by the end of the decade.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ who¡¯s decade?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°SGT,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°¡¯Standardized Galactic Time¡¯, in case you were wondering. The official calendar of the Core Space Alliance, with 300 days in a year. Today¡¯s date is the 198th day of year 10255.¡±


    ¡°And current projections have Oriciid¡¯kas cleared by the end of 10260,¡± Kaon¨¦ added.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Phoenix responded, her attention still lingering on the giant blaze visible from orbit. ¡°¡­And massive fires help with those reclamation efforts, how¡­?¡±


    ¡°The CSA may have made the foolish decision of attempting to reclaim the surface of Oriciid¡¯kas, but even they know that there are limits,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied. ¡°If the Nanocreature situation in a district is ever deemed to be out of control, then the district is evacuated and bombarded from orbit ¡ª ah, you can see it now!¡±


    The Dra¡¯kis gestured toward the side of the window, through which a massive cannon on the far side of the space station could be seen. Just as she was finishing talking, the cannon began to slowly adjust its aim, as if acquiring a target on the surface of the planet¡­ followed a second later by firing two shells. The vacuum of space completely silenced the cannon, and the station¡¯s construction prevented the vibrations from its use from reaching the civilian areas; the fact that a massive cannon had just fired upon the surface of Oriciid¡¯kas, however, was lost on no one.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°¡­The so-called nuclear option, huh?¡± Luke remarked.


    Nil¡¯kin nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. As powerful as the Nanocreatures are, they¡¯re still vulnerable to raw kinetic force.¡±


    ¡°And given how dangerous they are, hitting them from orbit actually seems like the best option¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°That still seems dangerous, though,¡± Twy said. ¡°Can you guarantee that an orbital bombardment round will destroy every single nanite it impacts? Because otherwise, it just seems like a good way to launch the nanites into the atmosphere¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why the energy shields separating the districts extend high into the atmosphere,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°It¡¯s a crude solution, but for the CSA¡¯s purposes¡­ it works.¡±


    ¡°The NSD did the same with the Hazard Islands at the beginning of the Nanocreature War,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s an option of last resort¡­ but it does work.¡±


    ¡°I can only wonder what the people living on the planet¡¯s surface feel, though¡­¡± Mark responded warily. ¡°Knowing that they share a planet with the Nanocreatures, or that there are space stations in orbit with their guns turned on the planet¡¯s surface¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised anyone would actually voluntarily return to this shit-show,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°For better or for worse, Oriciid¡¯kas holds a lot of cultural, economic, and sentimental value to the CSA and its people,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°To many, many people, Oriciid¡¯kas was ¡ª is ¡ª home.¡±


    ¡°And if they truly cared, then they would know that the only way to properly save their home is to wipe it out and start anew,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared.


    Luke passed the Dra¡¯kis a confused look. ¡°If you¡¯re so against what the CSA is doing here, then why are you here?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± A pained expression crossed Rebehka¡¯s face as she replied, ¡°that has to do with how the CSA has chosen to handle the clean-up operations¡­¡±


    ¡°The Siions, Citans, and Dra¡¯kis alike were all hit hard by the Nanocreatures, as were the Drakkars,¡± Nil¡¯kin stated. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t stop the Drakkars from being mortal enemies with the CSA. Within a mere five years of the Nanocreature War, those faceless bastards were already teasing the borders of Siion space, again ¡ª and the Siions had to pivot to respond. What that also meant is that the CSA had to redirect a lot of resources that they were spending on Nanocreature clean-up to fending off the Drakkars, again. To pick up the slack, they needed us ¡ª the PMCs.¡±


    ¡°PMCs again¡­¡± Phoenix groaned.


    ¡°You Earthians have an odd perspective on this,¡± Nil¡¯kin remarked. ¡°Among the CSA nations, PMCs are viewed no differently from the national militaries. Our approval amongst CSA citizens is very high.¡±


    ¡°So says a member of the PMC that told the CSA to go fuck itself,¡± Rebehka retorted.


    ¡°We were completely correct in doing so,¡± Nil¡¯kin huffed. ¡°This reclamation process, aside from being foolish on its own merits, has turned out to be significantly more expensive and time-consuming than restarting from scratch. If the CSA had done as we initially suggested, then they would be in a much better position against the Drakkars than they are currently.¡±


    ¡°So PMCs are running the reclamation efforts, then¡­?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly run by the Black Suns,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°The Chaos Knights, ever on their high horses, refused to participate in the reclamations, claiming that they wanted nothing to do with half-measures.¡± She then side-eyed Nil¡¯kin. ¡°Over the past decade, however, the Knights have managed to negotiate a sort of oversight role, under the claim that the Black Suns can¡¯t be trusted to handle the reclamation all on their own. A very convenient about-face, I have to say, especially given that the galaxy had only just learned about how lucrative the reclamation contracts were around that time¡­¡±


    ¡°Our motivations have little to do with money,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered. ¡°The Chaos Knights, as always, are dedicated to eliminating the Drakkars and the Nanocreatures by any means necessary! The ¡®means¡¯ allowed on the CSA¡¯s Transpace Worlds may be more limited than we like, but our Commander wisely determined that we should not allow our desire for absolute measures to prevent us from acting at all.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Conrad groaned in boredom. ¡°So this trip is just a politics thing, huh? More PMC bullshit?¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°The reason Rebehka and I brought all of you with us is to show you, up-close, what can happen if the Nanocreatures get out of hand. In other words¡­¡± She turned to look through the window at the planet of Oriciid¡¯kas. ¡°In the following days, we¡¯ll be visiting one of the districts under active clean-up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly ¡®up-close¡¯, huh,¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ is it really safe to go down there?¡± Twy questioned uneasily.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, young miss ¡ª it can be dangerous. But we endeavor to make it as safe as possible.¡±


    The entire group turned away from the window to face the newcomer who had just spoken. The first notable aspect of his appearance was his height ¡ª he stood over six feet tall, mirroring Mark¡¯s height, due in part to the man¡¯s triple-segmented legs. Such legs, combined with his four-finger hands, indicated that the man was a Dra¡¯kis, much like Nil¡¯kin. Their similarities ended there, however, as the man bore a tanned complexion and jet-black hair, organized into long dreadlocks. The sides of his head were clean-shaven, as was his broad face, which bore age lines of someone in their 40s ¡ª though as the Dra¡¯kis were a long-lived race, on the order of 500 Earth years, the man¡¯s true age was indeterminable just from looking at him. What could be determined, however, was his employer, as he sported the black, navy blue, and silver uniform of the Black Suns.


    ¡°Dean Rebehka Tchir¨¦on, Dean Kaon¨¦ Densalin.¡± The man nodded in acknowledgment of the two women. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan, of Sector 1¡¯s Green Suns. I¡¯m in charge of the Metallic Infection Cleanup Operation here on Oriciid¡¯kas.¡± He then glanced toward Nil¡¯kin. ¡°¡­Chaos Knight. I take it you¡¯re here for the inspections?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Nil¡¯kin responded haughtily. ¡°Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis. And now that we¡¯ve met, I have other matters to attend to. We can discuss the inspection later.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Petro muttered, staring blankly after Nil¡¯kin as she turned around and walked off. Once she was out of earshot, he let out a wary exhale. ¡°Those Knights¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry to bring her along,¡± Rebehka apologized. ¡°But when she learned we were coming here, she insisted on tagging along for ¡®inspections¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, we¡¯re well accustomed to dealing with the Knights¡¯ middle-man ¡®inspections¡¯,¡± Petro replied, and then turned to look at the Earthians. ¡°You all must be the Earthians, then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I¡¯m Captain Luke Travis, of SERRCom. If you have any trouble with us, feel free to come to me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine there will be many problems,¡± Petro remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you from Master Captain Sav¨¦nos, actually.¡±


    ¡°Sav¨¦nos?¡± Luke echoed, ¡°¡­wait, you mean Gavon?¡±


    Petro nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one. He seemed to think favorably of you all. To be quite honest, if not for him vouching for you, you wouldn¡¯t be here today. Entry to the MICO is heavily regulated, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll need to thank him, then.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Gavon part of the Black Suns, though?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°and you, um¡­ Petro? I thought you said you were part of the Green Suns¡­ what even is that?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Petro released a short guffaw as he broke into a smile. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had that question ¡ª but it isn¡¯t the first. You see, ¡®Black Suns¡¯ is the name of the PMC itself, but within the PMC, there are a number of dedicated sub-organizations named for different colors of ¡®Sun¡¯. For example, there¡¯s Sector 1¡¯s White Suns, a special ops group filled with the most skilled and experienced members of the entire PMC ¡ª so named since they perform ¡®White Ops¡¯, or ops that aren¡¯t classified at all. On the other hand, you have Sector 2¡¯s Red Suns, a black ops espionage group.¡±


    ¡°Are you allowed to just tell us that?¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Given that the Red Suns exist explicitly to be hired for espionage activities? Yes, I¡¯m allowed to tell you that,¡± Petro replied. ¡°There are a handful of other Suns groups, but the White and Red Suns are the most well-known across the galaxy. The Green Suns, meanwhile, specialize in rescue ops, escort ops, and in-field medical recovery. It isn¡¯t the kind of work that makes us names across the galaxy, but our expertise makes us the best candidate for handling the MICO ¡ª that is, the Metallic Infection Cleanup Operation.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re here to show us around, then?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°Among other things¡­¡± Petro glanced toward Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ before turning back to the Earthians. ¡°But today is just for introductions. Tomorrow morning will be our first meeting regarding the MICO. Deans, Captain, I¡¯ll forward you the details on when and where to meet before the evening¡¯s over. But before I leave, I¡¯d like to share a few words with you all¡­¡± The Dra¡¯kis trailed off, his gaze lingering on the scarred, yet still green and blue surface of Oriciid¡¯kas. A second later, he looked back to the Earthians, a serious expression on his face. ¡°To be upfront, having all of you Earthians here is¡­ unconventional, to say the least. We don¡¯t usually entertain visitors, and few, if any, of the Suns working here on Oriciid¡¯kas have ever met your kind. But I am still glad to see your presence ¡ª Earth and SERRCom both have been shielded and isolated from the effects of the Nanocreature War, and I can see the evidence of that in SERRCom¡¯s actions and activities. Your presence here, however, is a valuable opportunity to show you just what the rest of the galaxy has to deal with¡­ to show you just how taxing it can be to deal with even just the remnants of the Nanocreatures.¡± The Colonel then offered a curt nod toward the group. ¡°I hope your visit here can be enlightening, for all of us. But for now, I bid you farewell.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well. That¡¯s heavy,¡± Conrad remarked after Petro had parted ways.


    ¡°This sounds pretty dangerous¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that there¡¯s some danger involved, but I think this will be a very important experience, regardless,¡± Rebehka declared. ¡°Several of you have asked previously for more information about the metallic infection, and¡­ well, this is it. Few places have as much experience with the infection as the worlds of the CSA.¡±


    ¡°I can see that¡­¡± Twy responded warily, her gaze falling upon the world of Oriciid¡¯kas.


    ¡°Still, the rest of today is for resting,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated as she began to lead the group away from the massive window, joining the crowds moving through the massive space station. ¡°We did spend most of today traveling, after all. But as the Colonel said, tomorrow, we¡¯ll be getting a first-hand look at the results of the Nanocreature War. I¡¯d advise that you all prepare yourselves for that¡­¡±

 V2 - A4 - Chapter 23: Contained Infection

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 23: Contained Infection


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Deans, Captain, thank you for meeting with me this morning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no issue,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, offering a reciprocal nod toward Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan. ¡°This seemed important, after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious what¡¯s going on, though,¡± Luke commented, glancing uneasily between Petro, Kaon¨¦, and Rebehka. The four currently sat around a large meeting room table in a private room; none of the other Earthians were present.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about this,¡± Rebehka apologized to the Captain. ¡°Kaon¨¦ and I do think it¡¯s a good idea to show you and the Keys what¡¯s going on here on Oriciid¡¯kas, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not the actual reason that you¡¯re here,¡± Luke finished.


    Rebehka smiled sheepishly. ¡°¡­Yes. About a week ago, I was contacted by the Black Suns ¡ª by Colonel D¡¯Tan specifically, in fact. He wanted Kaon¨¦ and I to visit Oriciid¡¯kas, for a reason that he couldn¡¯t disclose at the time. I could at least tell that the matter had something to do with the metallic infection, so I thought it could be a good learning experience to bring the Keys with us.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Luke responded, and then sighed in frustration. ¡°That makes sense, but at least tell me this kind of thing ahead of time, okay? I hate being blindsided by these things.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Captain,¡± Petro asserted. ¡°What I called the Deans here for won¡¯t impact your stay, here. And if it all works out, then the information we gain could be valuable to SERRCom ¡ª as well as the rest of the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to business, then,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°We don¡¯t have long before the Keys show up.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Petro stood from his seat; as he did, Luke noticed that the seat of the chair folded upward as Petro stood, allowing for the Dra¡¯kis¡¯s triple-segmented legs to stand up from sitting without any awkward movements. ¡°As you¡¯ve correctly surmised, I¡¯ve called you here for a matter pertaining to the metallic infection,¡± Petro explained while making a number of hand gestures in the air, as if interacting with an AR interface that only he could see. A second later, the room¡¯s lights dimmed, and a hologram of Oriciid¡¯kas appeared over the table ¡ª followed by the holographic view zooming in to a topographic map of a section of the planet¡¯s surface. Several boundary lines were highlighted on the map as Petro continued, ¡°this is one of the active sections of the MICO on Oriciid¡¯kas. The MICO is segmented into the different urban districts that it covers, with this district here ¡ª Holres¡¯Ket ¡ª being today¡¯s focus. Holres¡¯Ket is on the border of the MICO, so we stage most of our activities out of the adjacent cleaned district of Holres¡¯Ken.¡±


    ¡°You call them ¡®districts¡¯, but they¡¯re each bigger than an entire city on Earth,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Holres¡¯Ket is bigger than the county of LA!¡±


    ¡°Holres¡¯Ket¡¯s skyline seems to have collapsed, compared to its cleaned neighbors¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ observed. ¡°There¡¯s so much debris around¡­ it¡¯s a shame to see Oriciid¡¯kas¡¯s soaring skylines like this.¡± She then turned toward Petro. ¡°Did you want me to help with the cleanup efforts?¡±


    ¡°While assistance would certainly be appreciated, I wouldn¡¯t call you here for something so trivial,¡± Petro stated. ¡°We do have our own Materiatechnics, Geotechnics, and Metallitechnics on hand for rapidly rebuilding the skyline, once a district has been cleared of nanites. However, few can match your skill or power, or ¡ª more importantly ¡ª your experience. More to the point¡­¡± The Black Suns Colonel paused for a moment, as if in thought, before continuing, ¡°¡­as I¡¯m sure you all know, once a person or a creature is infected with Nanocreature nanites, there is typically no saving them. Despite that, however, Sector 1 has been searching for a cure ¡ª for some way to save infected creatures from their fate. And it¡¯s come to my attention, Deans, that you have made some headway in this regard.¡±


    Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ exchanged a glance before the former replied, ¡°you could say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this about Karania?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°It is,¡± Petro affirmed. ¡°Ive heard the report ¡ª with the aid of the facilities at the Infection Research Center on the Nimalian World of Karania, you completely cured a small rodent of the infection. It¡¯s nothing short of impressive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, and I¡¯m glad to have proven that curing the infection is at least possible. But¡­ I¡¯ve only done it once, and with the help of advanced facilities.¡±


    ¡°Not just once, Dean Densalin. I¡¯ve heard that you once cured yourself of the infection, back during the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did, but only for a brief time¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ sheepishly replied, only to frown a second later. ¡°But that kind of operation is significantly easier to perform on myself than on another, living being. I may have been able to save a small animal, but I¡¯ve yet to be able to save a person¡­¡±


    ¡°How is that possible, though?¡± Luke questioned, ¡°how can you be sure that you¡¯ve gotten rid of every last nanomachine?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t necessarily have to destroy every last nanite,¡± Rebehka answered. ¡°As long as Morcii isn¡¯t around, and the infection is spreading like a normal disease, your body can actually stop the nanites from infecting you with its typical first-stage defenses. It¡¯s only when the nanites reach your bloodstream that full infection is guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°And even in that case, you can tell where the nanites are based on what matter you can¡¯t affect,¡± Kaon¨¦ added. ¡°Since Nanocreatures are immune to direct manipulation, it means that I can test various parts of the body with subtle manipulations ¡ª and if something doesn¡¯t transform as I expect, then it¡¯s safe to assume that the nanites are there. It¡¯s still difficult, I have to say, but¡­¡± She then looked to Petro. ¡°You had to have already known everything we just talked about. What is it that you actually want with Rebehka and I?¡±


    ¡°Put simply ¡ª to elevate our efforts to cure the infection to the next level,¡± Petro declared. ¡°Recently, we¡¯ve come into a unique opportunity. During our normal cleanup operations in Holres¡¯Ket, some of my subordinates discovered a handful of only recently-infected animals. So recently, in fact, that they are only now just barely showing symptoms.¡±


    ¡°¡­What kind of animals? How big are they?¡±


    ¡°Avian and mammalian vertebrates. The birds are a little larger than the rodent you cured on Karania, while the mammals are small felines.¡±


    Rebehka passed Kaon¨¦ a glance. ¡°This sounds like a good opportunity to try curing something a little bigger and more complex.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there tons of infected animals running around?¡± Luke questioned, ¡°why can¡¯t you try curing those?¡±


    ¡°The more heavily infected a creature is, the harder it is to cure,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°When there¡¯s too many nanites, or if they infected the body too deeply, well¡­ it¡¯s hard to manage. Especially if the infection reaches the brain ¡ª when nanites start replacing brain matter, it¡¯s impossible to tell exactly how the brain was formed beforehand, so you can¡¯t recreate it exactly right. Which can cause¡­ problems.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Most of the captured animals at the Academy fall into that category, unfortunately,¡± Rebehka stated.


    ¡°But these animals here¡­ if they really are lightly infected, then I¡¯d like to try curing them,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°And after already curing one animal, I think I may be able to cure another without machine aid.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, Dean,¡± Petro replied. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to have some Chaotic monitoring equipment with you as you go through the cure process. Hopefully, we can use that data to teach other Materiatechnics how to cure the infection, as well. And of course, we¡¯d share any such data with you and Tchir¨¦on.¡±


    ¡°I have no objections to that. The more people who can cure the infection, the better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Petro said, his normally neutral expression finally breaking into a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯ll get the relevant documents and contracts in front of you before the operation. As for the operation itself, the animals are already subdued and anesthetized, so the operation should be as humane as can be possible for an infected creature.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, but if you can give me time to study the biological profile of the animals and their species, then I can handle the anesthetics myself. Or, more exactly, I don¡¯t really need anesthetics, since I can manipulate the nerve endings directly¡­¡±


    Luke whistled in admiration. ¡°Damn. Your control of your power is that precise?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to practice¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short,¡± Rebehka remarked. ¡°Kaon¨¦ is easily the most powerful Materiatechnic I¡¯ve ever known or heard of.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Petro affirmed. ¡°I only wish our own Materiatechnics were half as useful as you.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª ¡­well, thanks,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded bashfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you to the infected animals in question later today,¡± Petro replied. ¡°Deans, Captain¡­ given that you showed up with a Chaos Knight, I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that the idea of curing the infection is a contentious one in this galaxy of ours. I¡¯d very much like you all to avoid discussing this operation openly, at least until we know the end result.¡±


    ¡°I understand that, but the kids are pretty smart,¡± Luke stated. ¡°They¡¯re likely to catch on that there are alternate reasons for us being here, if they haven¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave the question of if they can be trusted to you. My main concern is the Chaos Knight,¡± Petro said. ¡°But for now, that¡¯s all I have to say on the matter.¡±


    ¡°Good timing, too,¡± Rebehka remarked. ¡°The Keys should be showing up right around now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I have a handful of general things to cover once they¡¯re here, before we actually go down to Holres¡¯Ket,¡± Petro responded as Luke and Kaon¨¦ stood to go check the room¡¯s door for the Keys and Mark. ¡°But I shouldn¡¯t be long. We¡¯ll be planetside before midday.¡±


    <hr>


    A Few Hours Later


    ¡°Well this is¡­ depressing.¡±


    ¡°No kidding¡­¡± Conrad muttered, stepping up next to Pierce to look out over the ruins of Holres¡¯Ket. The district appeared as if it were a war-torn ghost town, with next to no traffic, cracked streets, and 20-year-old crumbling foundations. Smoke filled the air to the east, the sign of the incineration fires meant to destroy clusters of Nanocreature nanites, while some Black Suns heavy equipment occupied the street as soldiers went about their business. The district¡¯s skyline, supposedly once part of Oriciid¡¯kas¡¯s majestic 3-kilometer towers, now laid in absolute ruin; no remaining building stood more than ten stories tall, and old debris littered the streets outside of the main pathways for the cleanup crews. In stark contrast were the gleaming cloud-piercing towers of the Holres¡¯Ken district far to the west, their elegant and distinctly alien curves painted a glistening white as they extended nearly three kilometers into the sky. Such a skyline served as a visual wall, indicating from even several dozen kilometers away where the edge of Holres¡¯Ket was, as the skyline stretched far to the north and south.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The only people wandering the ruins of Holres¡¯Ket were Black Suns soldiers and officers, so indicated by their distinct sets of navy blue, black, and silver powered armor. Even the Earthians, Rebehka, and Kaon¨¦ now sported sets of Black Suns armor, as a precaution against infection ¡ª energy shielding was by far the most effective defense against direct contact with Nanocreature nanites, after all. But amongst the oppressive sight of a vast ghost town covered in debris, even the absolute defense of energy shielding seemed as though it might not be enough.


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Pierce held a hand to his stomach in discomfort as he surveyed his surroundings. ¡°Does anyone else feel¡­ sick? Like, in the pit of your stomach?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I do,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Did you forget to eat breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Could be Nanocreatures,¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, that could be it¡­¡± Phoenix commented warily. ¡°Remember when we last talked with Pallan, Pierce? He said that you could sense the Nanocreatures, and, well¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­There must be a ton of them still around, then,¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel this nauseous even when we were in Rel¨¦diaka¡­¡±


    ¡°That is an unfortunate truth of the MICO in Holres¡¯Ket,¡± Petro declared, approaching from behind the four while leading the rest of the travel group. ¡°Holres¡¯Ket, like all of the other districts saved for last in the cleanup op, was hit especially hard during the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Austin deadpanned while staring at the cracked and cut-down skyline around them.


    ¡°What about that city over there, though?¡± Sky questioned as she gestured at the distant gleaming skyline. ¡°How are they fine, when this place really fucking isn¡¯t?!¡±


    ¡°The skyline over there is the Holres¡¯Ken district, the most recently restored district of the city of Holres,¡± Petro explained. ¡°Five years ago, it looked much like Holres¡¯Ket does now. It was only due to several years of hard work that we were able to restore it to its former glory.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Spike muttered in awe as the Black Suns Colonel began leading the group down a main street.


    ¡°So the Nanocreatures did all of this damage, then?¡± Mark mused, ¡°if so, that¡¯s¡­ sobering.¡±


    ¡°Even Nimalia managed to escape this kind of damage¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said quietly.


    ¡°There¡¯s still Nanocreature nanites here, though?¡± Twy questioned, ¡°I thought¡­ I thought the Nanocreatures all fell apart after the war.¡±


    ¡°The vast, vast majority of them, yes,¡± Petro replied, his gaze momentarily lingering on a burning building as they walked past. Energy shielding constantly flared up around the building as two Black Suns soldiers monitored the incineration, while a third soldier ¡ª clearly a Pyrotechnic ¡ª hovered in the air above and constantly fed the flames. ¡°But there remained a handful of problems,¡± Petro continued, his attention turning forward once more. ¡°For one, since all Nanocreature constructs lost integrity when the nanites fell inert, any structure that had been corrupted naturally lost most of its structural support and collapsed on itself. That¡¯s actually what caused most of the damage you see, here.¡±


    ¡°And even if the nanites are inert, I bet it¡¯s still a hassle to clean ¡®em all up,¡± Luke remarked.


    Petro nodded. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s one of the biggest issues ¡ª what to do with the ¡®gray sand¡¯, how to clean it up, and where to put it after. We¡¯ve settled on disposing of the nanites by firing them into the sun.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a recipe to walk out of this with a corrupted star,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°That might just be the dumbest thing I¡¯ve heard all day,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a popular conspiracy theory in the CSA,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have any merit, of course ¡ª the incredible temperatures of a star will obliterate Nanocreature nanites before they could touch any matter within the star itself.¡±


    ¡°How do you go about collecting the nanites, though?¡± Mark questioned, turning back to Petro.


    ¡°Probably with big magnets, right?¡± Sky suggested.


    ¡°Unfortunately, magnets aren¡¯t a perfect solution,¡± Petro replied. ¡°They¡¯re good for a first pass, but they won¡¯t get everything. Since the Nanocreatures construct their nanites out of whatever material they have access to, not all nanites are made of the same material ¡ª which means that not all nanites are magnetic. While much of the building material here on Oriciid¡¯kas consists of magnetic metal alloys, there is still a significant usage of glass and carbon polymers, resulting in nanites of such material. Not to mention many of the more organic nanites to be found¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess it makes sense that Nanocreature nanites are made out of the same material that they replace¡­¡± Twy mused, ¡°but why does the metallic infection look, well, metallic, then?¡±


    ¡°While the nanites can produce more of themselves out of any material, they still seem to favor metals,¡± Rebehka explained. ¡°And in organic creatures, there is metal, even if only a relatively small amount.¡±


    ¡°That said¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ added, ¡°the Nanocreature nanites do seem to gain the ability to transform matter into other kinds of matter, if there are enough nanites in one place¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed ¡ª which is why the Nanocreatures during the war were entirely made of metal,¡± Petro affirmed. ¡°However, the nanites don¡¯t seem to gain that ability until a Critical Infection occurs. Which means that before that point, there are plenty of non-metallic or non-magnetic nanomachines. So magnets won¡¯t get everything, though they can serve as a decent first-pass. We use a combination of nanite sensors and Chaotics to sweep the districts afterward for any remaining nanites. And in some cases¡­¡± He paused, his eyes turning skyward as a streak of light appeared in the northern sky, rocketing through the atmosphere and impacting somewhere far north of the northern horizon.


    ¡°Was that an orbital strike?!¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°You saw the station¡¯s guns fire yesterday,¡± Petro replied. ¡°This is just a continuation of that. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, completely flattening the district and starting over from scratch is the best option, despite setting us back years.¡±


    On the heels of Petro¡¯s words were another two orbital strikes in the distance, the rounds piercing holes through the high-altitude clouds before disappearing somewhere beyond the horizon. Distant atmosphere-spanning energy shields ¡ª the barriers between districts ¡ª could be seen flaring, all while the entire interaction occurred in the eerie silence of distance. As if to mirror that, the travel group fell quiet, their attentions turned northward as they contemplated what extreme scenarios could drive the CSA to bombard their own Capital World.


    ¡°¡­And we¡¯re supposed to fight this¡­?¡± Austin muttered to himself, ¡°how the hell are eight people supposed to make a difference, here?¡±


    ¡°Hero Machina was seven,¡± Twy quietly pointed out, sidling up next to Austin such that only he could hear her. ¡°And they ended the Nanocreature War. So there¡¯s precedent, at least.¡±


    ¡°A hell of a precedent¡­¡± Austin responded, briefly eying Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ before turning toward Petro, who had just stopped outside of a building on the corner of a street intersection. The building¡¯s walls and roof appeared much newer and better kept than the ruined surroundings, and two Black Suns soldiers stood guard at the entrance.


    Petro flashed some kind of identification at the soldiers before continuing into the building, the rest of the travel group trailing behind him. ¡°We can continue touring the rest of the district later today,¡± the Colonel spoke, ¡°but here, we have our local research center, where we bring back nanites or infected specimens for study.¡±


    ¡°Like the Academy back on Nimalia?¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°Similar, yes, but our contract with the CSA doesn¡¯t allow us to keep any nanomachines intact for long,¡± Petro replied. ¡°It¡¯s a stringent precaution, especially given how easily energy shields can contain infected creatures ¡ª but it¡¯s a precaution I can¡¯t blame the CSA for wanting to take.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re okay with you studying them at all, after seeing what¡¯s happened to this place,¡± Austin retorted.


    Petro passed Austin a wary glance before opening a door at the end of a hallway and stepping through. ¡°Many people do think that way¡­ but the fact is, if the Nanocreatures ever become a resurgent threat, then we¡¯ll be in a better position to combat them if we study them now. Ignorance is very rarely the answer to any situation.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but the alternative is still hella dangerous¡­¡± Phoenix commented as the group entered a large storage room of sorts. All along the right wall were cages, not unlike an animal pound ¡ª and much like in a pound, each of the cages contained an animal. And each one sported tiny metallic scars across their hides ¡ª the telltale sign of the metallic infection.


    Upon realizing that there were newcomers to the room, several of the animals ¡ª particularly, those with the largest rashes ¡ª lashed out, pawing and clawing at the cages containing them while glaring hungrily at the travel group. But energy shields kept them contained, the golden glow from their flare-ups offering a soft secondary source of illumination to the sterile room.


    ¡°This is¡­ worse than I expected,¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered as she and Rebehka moved to more closely inspect the captured animals.


    ¡°They¡¯re so aggressive, too!¡± Sky remarked while staring at the animals still clawing at their cages. ¡°It¡¯s like they¡¯re rabid!¡±


    ¡°Probably not a terrible analogy, given what we know about the infection¡­¡± Mark muttered.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Twy said, stepping next to Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka to look at some of the creatures with tiny rashes, all of them acting in a far more subdued manner than their more heavily-infected feral counterparts. One of the animals appeared to be a feline of some sort, no larger than a typical housecat yet sporting the same three-segmented hind legs that could be found in the Siions or the Dra¡¯kis. A small patch of the creature¡¯s fur on the side of its body had been shaved, exposing a tiny streak of metal on its skin a mere couple millimeters long; no other signs of the infection could be seen. ¡°¡­This is the first time we¡¯ve seen creatures with an early stage of the infection, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ most of the animals at the Academy seemed farther gone than this,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°That scar is really fuckin¡¯ tiny¡­¡± Spike observed. ¡°You¡¯re sayin¡¯ that that tiny scar is the end of you? Really?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes¡­ as far as we know,¡± Petro replied while passing a surreptitious glance toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°Once you have any visible sign of infection, it¡¯s too late for you.¡±


    ¡°It just looks like your typical scared animal,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°But it¡¯s infected, all the same¡­¡± Pierce muttered with a scowl. ¡°I can feel it¡­ ngh. This is, fucking¡­ why are we here?¡± He turned to glare irately at Petro, Rebehka, Kaon¨¦, and Luke. ¡°We¡¯ve already seen infected animals, before. What the hell is new about this?¡±


    ¡°This kind of thing can still be important to see in person,¡± Twy replied. ¡°As a reminder that this threat is very real¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Across the galaxy?¡± Kestrel questioned, turning to look at Petro and Rebehka.


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking if the Nanocreatures are a threat across the entire galaxy¡­ well, you have only to look to the Nanocreature War for that,¡± Petro responded.


    ¡°During the War,¡± Rebehka explained, ¡°we gathered some intel claiming that the number of Nanocreature nanites that can be active at any one time across the galaxy is limited by how many Ayas they possess. But¡­ we can¡¯t directly verify that. Not safely, anyways. So as long as the Ayas remain out of the infection¡¯s hands, it should cap out at some point. ¡­We just don¡¯t know where that point is.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to prevent its spread entirely, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Petro immediately questioned, his expression growing stern as he turned to address three Black Suns soldiers who had just entered the room. One of the two in back was clearly a Siion, with triple-segmented legs leading to an intimidating height, but the one standing in front appeared to be either a Citan or a Nimalian.


    ¡°Commander Jamis Hilay, of Sector 2, sir,¡± the man in front declared, offering a quick salute to Petro. ¡°I¡¯ve been ordered to take these animals here to annihilation.¡±


    ¡°Annihilation?!¡± Sky echoed incredulously. ¡°But¡ª!¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re a risk to themselves, and others, for as long as they remain here,¡± the Commander interjected, though never once did he look at Sky while he spoke. Instead, his focus remained squarely on Petro.


    ¡°And who gave you this order, Commander?¡± Petro questioned. ¡°This is a Green Suns operation. What¡¯s Sector 2 doing here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to help with the Knights¡¯ inspections, sir,¡± Jamis stated. ¡°General Ferrous gave the order as soon as he heard that the Knights had arrived.¡±


    ¡°Ferrous? Of Sector 2¡­¡± Petro muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯re only doing you a favor, sir. We¡¯ll get these animals off your hands so you can get back to more important matters.¡±


    ¡°Colonel¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ prompted, eying Petro uneasily, as if to silently ask about their earlier discussion.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± Petro responded, passing Kaon¨¦ a look before staring down the Sector 2 Commander. ¡°¡­Deans, Captain, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to cut today¡¯s tour short to discuss matters with the Commander, here. Can you all report to the Green Suns staging base in Holres¡¯Ken for the time being? I¡¯ll meet back up with you all tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Copy that,¡± Luke replied as he began ushering the other Earthians out of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go, folks.¡±


    ¡°What? We¡¯re leaving? Just like that?!¡± Sky exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Looks like more political bullshit,¡± Conrad observed as the group exited the room and the door closed behind them. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine with missing that.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all Black Suns, though? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know¡­¡± Rebehka muttered.


    ¡°Well¡­ if it¡¯s important, I¡¯m sure the Colonel will fill us in afterwards,¡± Kaon¨¦ asserted before taking charge of the group to lead them outside. ¡°For now, though, let¡¯s do as he suggested. It¡¯s a change of plans, but it looks like we¡¯ll be spending the rest of today in Holres¡¯Ken¡­¡±

 V2 - A4 - Chapter 24: Views of the Hero and the Knight

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 24: Views of the Hero and the Knight


    The Next Day


    ¡°What a fucking trip this has turned out to be¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you really rather be traipsing around a Nanocreature-covered wasteland?¡± Twy countered.


    ¡°Well¡­ ¡­not really¡­¡± Sky admitted, her chin in her hands and elbows on the table as she idly kicked her legs in boredom. ¡°But we¡¯ve been just sitting around since yesterday! Can¡¯t we go do something?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, y¡¯all,¡± Luke replied, ¡°but we aren¡¯t here on leisure. Until we hear back from the Suns, we have to stay put.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain, personally,¡± Conrad remarked, his head laid down on the table adjacent to the one the twins were sitting at. He then yawned before continuing, ¡°if we¡¯re lucky, we won¡¯t have to go back into that dreary place at all¡­¡±


    ¡°A place you¡¯d never expect to be next door to where we are now,¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re on an entirely different planet!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s words were self-evident in their surroundings ¡ª in the gleaming white towers of Holres¡¯Ken. All of the Earthians, accompanied by Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka, were currently seated in a massive public indoor lounge located within one of the city¡¯s skyscrapers, but despite being nearly two kilometers above ground, a veritable forest of metal and glass presented itself through the lounge¡¯s windows. Elegant, seemingly gravity-defying curves made up most of the buildings¡¯ designs, while wide aerial streets allowed for corridors of hovercars as well as the passing of clouds below. The urban jungle seemed to stretch in every direction, even in the direction of Holres¡¯Ket, where massive and intricate holograms masked the MICO from the citizens living their everyday lives in Holres¡¯Ken.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even see the damage from here,¡± Spike commented as he peered out the massive lounge windows in the direction of Holres¡¯Ket. ¡°That¡¯s some impressive tech!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more weirded out by the people¡­¡± Austin said, watching as all manner of CSA citizens moved through the mall-sized lounge. The curious three-segmented, lightning-bolt shaped legform of the Siions and Dra¡¯kis dominated the crowd, to the point where the more galactically common two-segmented legform of the Earthians and Nimalians seemed a minority. After all, of the three CSA races, only the Citans appeared similarly to the Earthians and Nimalians; in accordance with that, only around a third of the crowds matched the Earthians in general appearance. Even seating was primarily designed with the Siions and Dra¡¯kis in mind, such that all chairs and seats were supported entirely by hind legs or middle poles, and the seat itself could flip upwards to allow a Siion or Dra¡¯kis to fully stand up without needing to awkwardly shuffle their legs out from under the seat, or splay out their legs in front of them.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s just how things are in the CSA,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°Throughout the galaxy, Aldredanoid races are more common, but in the CSA itself, the Siions and Dra¡¯kis are the majority. I agree it can be a little weird at first, but you get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Why do their legs look so much different from ours?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°One theory is that the Siions and Dra¡¯kis have a different ancestor from the rest of us; the Siions and Dra¡¯kis both are rather long-lived compared to everyone else, as well, so their evolutionary generations are much longer. There is simply no way that they evolved those legs in between the fall of the Aldredas a hundred thousand years ago and today.¡±


    ¡°The theory goes that the Siions and Dra¡¯kis share a common ancestor with the Drakkars, rather than the Aldredas¡­¡± Rebehka added, ¡°but, given the violent history between the CSA and the Drakkars, few Siions or Dra¡¯kis are willing to entertain the notion.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t explain why they otherwise look identical to us, anyways,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°Aside from those legs ¡ª and the Dra¡¯kis¡¯ four fingers, I guess ¡ª you¡¯d never be able to tell a Siion or a Dra¡¯kis apart from a Citan, or a Nimalian, or even an Earthian. Do we really believe that convergent evolution is enough of an explanation for that?¡±


    ¡°And while we¡¯re at it ¡ª the theory of a common Aldredian ancestor doesn¡¯t seem like enough to explain why we look so similar to you guys,¡± Pierce remarked while passing Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka a glance. ¡°The Aldredas were only around a hundred thousand years ago, right? But humans on Earth have ancestors going way farther back than that. For the Aldredas theory to work, your Nimalian ancestors would already have to be hella similar to our own!¡±


    ¡°I agree that it all seems a little insufficient as an explanation¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, only to shrug. ¡°But it¡¯s all we have.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t evolutionary biologists, anyways, so it isn¡¯t really our place to speculate,¡± Rebehka remarked.


    ¡°It sure is convenient, in a way,¡± Sky said, ¡°if a little disappointing, to learn that aliens actually look just like us¡­ well, aside from the Drakkars, that is.¡±


    ¡°And even then, they¡¯re still vaguely humanoid,¡± Phoenix stated.


    ¡°But it is kind of nice, to know that other civilizations can still be similar to our own,¡± Mark commented as he idly observed the crowds. ¡°¡­Including their ability to simply ignore what¡¯s going on right next door.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s weird, too, now that you mention it,¡± Austin affirmed. ¡°This planet still has Nanocreatures on it, how is everyone here so calm?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, there¡¯s Nanocreatures on Nimalia, too,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Remember what we saw in Rel¨¦diaka?¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s apparently a problem on islands, too,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°The Hazard Islands were glassed back during the Nanocreature War, after all.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen some rumors on the Relaynet about the infection being on the Fog Islands, too,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Wherever the hell those are.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no infection on the Fog Islands¡­ not as far as I know, at least,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°You should take any ¡®rumors¡¯ you hear about those islands with a grain of salt.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°The Fog Islands have all kinds of rumors surrounding them,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°Things like navigation equipment supposedly shutting down near the islands, people getting lost and turned around in the fog, and such.¡±


    ¡°Sounds a lot like the Bermuda Triangle on Earth,¡± Pierce said. ¡°So even Nimalians have a place that they make up stupid rumors about, huh?¡±


    ¡°I think there is actually something odd about the Fog Islands¡­¡± Rebehka mused. ¡°They¡¯re always fogged up, one hundred percent of the time. But¡­¡± She paused, her gaze falling away. A second later, she shook her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never been there myself, so I suppose anything more I say would be just as speculative as all of the silly rumors.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you claim there¡¯s no sign of the infection, there,¡± Phoenix pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only metallic infection researcher on Nimalia, you know. I don¡¯t have to have been there personally to know its status.¡±


    ¡°And even if the infection was there, you¡¯re all missing my original point!¡± Austin retorted. ¡°Those islands are entire oceans away from where people actually live, right? And the tree cities in Rel¨¦diaka have clear separation between themselves and the forest floor; the people living there don¡¯t even see the ground. So your average Nimalian never sees any sign of the infection. But here, there¡¯s a massive clean-up operation just a couple kilometers away! I just don¡¯t see how people can ignore that!¡±


    ¡°I actually quite agree with you, Earthian. The people here are too complacent.¡±


    ¡°¡­Major,¡± Rebehka coldly acknowledged Nil¡¯kin as the Dra¡¯kis approached, dressed in her full Chaos Knight armor, as she usually was. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I should ask you the same,¡± Nil¡¯kin shot back. ¡°I accompanied you here for the sake of inspecting the MICO! And then I hear that you went on to visit it without me¡­ the nerve!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to facilitate your agenda. You can complete your ¡®inspection¡¯ on your own time.¡±


    Nil¡¯kin clicked her tongue. ¡°So cold¡­ anyways.¡± She turned to look at Austin, and then the rest of the Earthians. ¡°I share in your incredulity at the complacency of my brethren,¡± she remarked. ¡°The CSA places too much value on maintaining the status quo, on maintaining the illusion of peace. It¡¯s what gives rise to the literal illusions they use to cover up the soiled districts of Orciid¡¯kas, all to encourage the populace to ignore the ongoing issue of the Nanocreatures. It¡¯s quite irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us what you really think,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I can understand it, though,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°It¡¯s just human nature to want things to be ¡®normal¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Only the most basest of peoples resort to the excuse of their ¡®nature¡¯ to explain away their actions and tendencies,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one saying just a couple days ago that the ¡®solution¡¯ to the Nanocreatures was to bombard the planet from orbit?¡± Pierce challenged. ¡°I¡¯d say resorting to absolute violence is a pretty ¡®base¡¯ position to take!¡±


    Nil¡¯kin simply turned her nose up at Pierce. ¡°Your words mean nothing to me, Earthian. None of you have the experience to understand where I¡¯m coming from.¡±


    ¡°Amazing. She actually pulled out the ¡®you¡¯re too immature¡¯ card,¡± Phoenix responded incredulously. ¡°I agree that the Nanocreatures are a serious threat, but c¡¯mon, there has to be a better solution than orbital fucking bombardment.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but even the Black Suns still use bombardment,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°They say it¡¯s a last resort, but the fact that they still think it¡¯s an option worth considering should say a lot!¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Nil¡¯kin agreed. ¡°The Black Suns¡¯ and CSA¡¯s use of bombardment, as much as they might claim otherwise, is the surest sign of the dissonance in their minds ¡ª the dissonance of knowing that carpet bombing the planet is the only safe solution, yet not wanting to do it anyways.¡±


    ¡°W-well, calling it ¡®carpet bombing¡¯ is a little much¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°More importantly, Oriciid¡¯kas was still home to people, even at the end of the Nanocreature War¡­ right?¡± Twy said, ¡°even if the planet fell to the Nanocreatures, the Nanocreatures couldn¡¯t have corrupted literally everyone on the planet, right? So there would still have been people and their homes, here¡­¡±


    ¡°The Nanocreatures had a month. Who knows what they could have done in that time,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted. ¡°As unfortunate for the ¡®survivors¡¯ as it may have been, it would¡¯ve been safer for the galaxy in the long run to put them all to rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡ª I¡¯ve tried to stay out of this, but that¡¯s a line too far,¡± Rebehka interjected. ¡°Major, would you honestly suggest that we murder innocent people in cold blood just to resolve this problem?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m making light of such a suggestion,¡± Nil¡¯kin argued. ¡°I understand how harsh of a stance I¡¯m taking, and I do honestly feel for those who would be sacrificed by such a plan. But I also earnestly believe that this is the only way to rid the galaxy of the Nanocreatures for good!¡±


    ¡°Killing innocent people is never correct,¡± Mark asserted.


    ¡°And as an Earthian, your opinion is irrelevant,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Rebehka shouted, standing from her seat to glare directly at the Dra¡¯kis. While ignoring the startled looks she drew from both the Earthians and the greater crowd in the lounge, she continued, ¡°your attitude is entirely unwarranted, Major! There are other potential solutions to the metallic infection, and simply killing anyone who gets infected isn¡¯t it!¡±


    ¡°And what do you know?¡± Nil¡¯kin snapped, ¡°you¡¯re a Nimalian! The Nanocreature War barely affected you at all! It was the CSA who bore the brunt of the Nanocreatures¡¯ attacks, it was the CSA who saw the horrors of widespread corruption first-hand! My people ¡ª the Dra¡¯kis alone ¡ª lost billions of innocent lives to the Nanocreatures in the single month of the war! And if you double, no, triple the losses of the Dra¡¯kis, then you still won¡¯t reach the casualties that the Siions saw! And yet, you ¡ª a Nimalian ¡ª would tell us how we should do things? Nimalia did nothing but cower in your corner of the galaxy until the end of the war, when you very conveniently swooped in and claimed credit for saving everyone! And you Earthians ¡ª you didn¡¯t even do anything at all!¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected, forcing an uneasy smile as she attempted to interpose herself between Nil¡¯kin and Rebehka. ¡°I understand that¡ª¡°


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let that stand!¡± Rebehka declared, ignoring Kaon¨¦ as she addressed Nil¡¯kin. ¡°I understand that the CSA suffered grave losses from the war, but you can¡¯t let that blind you! After all, if we had been killing everyone or everything that was infected from the very start, then we would have lost our only way to win the war!¡±


    ¡°If we had been killing everything that was infected from the very start, then the war never would¡¯ve happened!¡± Nil¡¯kin countered. ¡°And that goes especially for your ¡®friend¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Siyuak¨¦n saved the entire fucking galaxy, you insensitive bitch,¡± Rebehka snapped. ¡°I stand by what I did at the time!¡±


    ¡°Siyuak¨¦n directly led to the deaths of millions of people! Every damn time we argue about this, it¡¯s always ¡®Siyuak¨¦n this¡¯, ¡®Siyuak¨¦n that¡¯, with you! All you care about is this one dead friend of yours and finding useless justifications for keeping her alive, despite all the harm she caused!¡±


    ¡°She was the only one who could¡¯ve defeated Morcii. What she was forced to do under him was tragic, but stopping the war entirely prevented more deaths in the end!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly my argument. A little tragedy now can save us from a larger tragedy later ¡ª but on our own terms!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s completely different! Your plan would involve consciously killing innocent people ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. And why should we believe your Siyuak¨¦n story, anyways? According to you, she had to join with some ¡®Prior¡¯ in order to stop Morcii. Why couldn¡¯t anyone else have done that joining?¡±


    ¡°I already explained this to you. Engaging the Prior State would kill most Chaotics, but due to being corrupted, Siyuak¨¦n was¡ª¡°


    ¡°Yes, yes, that definitely makes sense. And who told you all this?¡±


    ¡°Prior Arc¨¢n, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°The very same Arc¨¢n that both you and the rest of Hero Machina have claimed was unreliable up until the end of the Nanocreature War?¡± Nil¡¯kin challenged.


    Rebehka faltered, lacking for a response, though her expression remained contorted in fury. ¡°¡­I-It was¡­!¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known it¡¯d be the Chaos Knight.¡±


    ¡°¡­Black Sun,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted with a sneer as Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan approached the group, with two other Black Suns soldiers in tow. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°We received a report that some of our guests were causing a public disturbance¡­¡± Petro responded as he glanced between Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin. ¡°We came to see what was going on.¡±


    Both women quickly snapped their attentions to the wider crowd around them ¡ª the crowd that was now giving them significantly wider leeway than they had before, while many of the other patrons of the public lounge stole furtive glances toward the travel group.


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Rebehka responded, her posture deflating and her face flushing red in embarrassment.


    ¡°Yet again, the people of the CSA show a preference for the status quo over what is right,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared.


    ¡°Leave it to the Chaos Knights to be unnecessarily obstinate,¡± Petro retorted, only to then look over at Rebehka. ¡°Either way¡­ arguing in public like this is unbecoming of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ ¡­apologize,¡± Rebehka slowly replied, though the pained grimace on her face made it obvious she wanted to do anything but.


    ¡°And now you won¡¯t even stand for your own claims. Pah,¡± Nil¡¯kin snorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Chaos Knight,¡± Petro demanded. ¡°When it comes to public disturbances involving a member of a PMC in Holres¡¯Ken ¡ª any PMC ¡ª the Black Suns have the authority to handle arrests. Don¡¯t make me lock you up.¡±


    Nil¡¯kin¡¯s haughty expression rapidly transformed into a furious scowl. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just¡­ put this discussion aside, for the moment,¡± Kaon¨¦ suggested as she glanced between Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin. ¡°It seems pretty clear that, well¡­ neither of you will be convincing the other of anything.¡±


    ¡°I might be able to help, there, actually,¡± Petro remarked.


    ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Rebehka questioned. ¡°Is¡­ is our original plan still on?¡±


    ¡°What plan?¡± Nil¡¯kin glared at Rebehka in suspicion.


    ¡°It was one that I hoped to keep a secret for longer, but due to present circumstances, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be possible,¡± Petro explained. ¡°It tracks back to the reason I requested the Deans come in the first place. Deans ¡ª I¡¯ve resolved the issue with Sector 2, at least for the time being, but if we¡¯re to act, we need to do so now.¡±


    ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± Phoenix questioned in confusion. ¡°Was there a different reason we all came here?¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve known¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see how you can possibly prove my assertions wrong,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°And don¡¯t use that single cured creature from Karania as an example! That solution isn¡¯t scalable at all!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s far too early to determine that,¡± Petro said. ¡°The Black Suns have technology to closely monitor how a Chaotic uses their ability, and if we use that while, say, a Materiatechnic cures a creature of the infection¡­ we may yet learn valuable information that could be used to craft a scalable cure.¡±


    ¡°Is that really possible¡­?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I intend to find out. Dean Densalin¡­ are you prepared?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ smiled uneasily as all eyes fell on her. ¡°Well¡­ I would¡¯ve liked some more time to prepare¡­ but if it really is urgent, then yes, I¡¯m ready to try.¡±


    Petro nodded. ¡°Good. If anyone can handle this next step in developing a true cure, it¡¯s you. Now¡­¡± He turned around and began walking off, while gesturing for the group to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s return to Holres¡¯Ket. There, Chaos Knight, we¡¯ll see that your solution of ¡®absolute destruction¡¯ is far from the only one available to us¡­¡±


    <hr>


    2 Hours Later


    ¡°Back here again?¡±


    ¡°Well, it makes sense¡­¡± Twy replied, passing Austin a quick glance before turning back to the infected creature holding room in Holres¡¯Ket, in which all of the Earthians, Kaon¨¦, Rebehka, Nil¡¯kin, and Petro now stood. ¡°This is the subject of our visit, here, after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still annoyed that we were used,¡± Pierce stated, an irritated scowl on his face. ¡°Go figure there¡¯s some ulterior motive for bringing us here¡­¡±


    ¡°We really did mean to use this visit as a teaching experience,¡± Rebehka responded. ¡°But it seems that things didn¡¯t unfold quite so cleanly¡­¡±


    ¡°I do apologize for the accelerated timetable,¡± Petro added as he began interfacing with a control pad in the back of the room. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Sector 2 to get involved¡­¡±


    ¡°At least your Sector 2 understands the value in annihilating the Nanocreatures, rather than searching fruitlessly for a viable cure,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted.


    ¡°Well, all that aside¡­ I think even just seeing the state of Oriciid¡¯kas in person has been incredibly illuminating,¡± Mark said. ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to see more, but we can understand if the situation¡¯s changed.¡±


    ¡°¡¯We¡¯?¡± Austin echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Even so, I think if we can walk out of this with another cured animal, then it will be a valuable experience for us all,¡± Petro remarked, and then glanced to the side as one of the holding cages extended out of the wall, holding the infected feline creature the group had inspected the previous day. He then gestured for everyone ¡ª particularly Kaon¨¦ ¡ª to approach. ¡°This is what the locals know as a sita,¡± Petro explained. ¡°Based on the parameters of your previous cure, Dean Densalin, I think this particular specimen is our best bet at another cure.¡±


    ¡°Looks like a cat,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Only¡­ with weirdly long legs.¡±


    ¡°It barely looks infected at all¡­¡± Sky commented as she observed the tiny rash along the sita¡¯s side. It had grown from yesterday, but still was no longer than a centimeter or two.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ curin¡¯ this thing should be easy, right?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°The nanites don¡¯t only infect the skin,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°In fact, the physical signs of infection on the skin are some of the last symptoms of the infection. It¡¯s very likely that the nanites have already replaced pieces of the sita¡¯s internal organs¡­¡± She trailed off and closed her eyes, as if in focus. A few seconds later, she nodded once and opened her eyes to look at Petro and Rebehka. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s as I suspected. I¡¯ll need to fix some of its internal organs and blood¡­ but the extent of the infection isn¡¯t yet far enough to be damning. I think this is possible.¡±


    ¡°You could tell all that just from thinking real hard, huh?¡± Conrad observed.


    ¡°This still seems futile,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°Even if you cure this one creature of the infection ¡ª I simply don¡¯t see how you could possibly scale that effort to manage an entire galaxy. You are, after all, only one woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to find out, Chaos Knight,¡± Petro countered. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll all follow me, I¡¯ll bring the sita to the operation room. I¡¯ll get the consent and liability contracts to you all before we start.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Contracts?¡± Austin responded incredulously, ¡°but why? We¡¯re just watching, aren¡¯t we? We aren¡¯t gonna be in the same room, are we?¡±


    ¡°The facilities here weren¡¯t designed with the idea of observing surgery, so any observers will necessarily have to be in the same room,¡± Petro replied.


    ¡°That might be a problem¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said uneasily. ¡°I know that I¡¯ve cured a creature before, and that I¡¯ve said that I think I may be able to cure this one, but the process is still incredibly difficult. I need absolute concentration to pull it off.¡±


    ¡°Which means we probably shouldn¡¯t stick around to distract you,¡± Luke replied with a nod. ¡°Understandable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to waste our time by dragging us here, and then not even letting us watch?¡± Pierce questioned irately. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°If you really do want to observe, then I guess we can work something out¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded doubtfully. ¡°But¡­ do you really want to watch? I can prevent any pain or discomfort to the subject with my powers, but the process of curing someone of the infection is still rather gruesome. It isn¡¯t too unlike what you¡¯d see in an actual open-body surgery.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass,¡± Conrad remarked, as Kestrel offered a silent nod in affirmation.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we¡¯ll, um, wait outside?¡± Twy suggested.


    ¡°That may be for the best,¡± Rebehka said.


    ¡°I¡¯m watching,¡± Nil¡¯kin insisted. ¡°If you claim that you can cure something of the infection, then I want to see it, myself. I won¡¯t let a little blood and guts deter me!¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t cause a disturbance.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, Dean.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Well¡­¡± Petro finally began continuing on again, opening a door in the back of the room as the cage containing the infected sita levitated through the air behind him. ¡°Dean Densalin, as well as anyone who wants to observe, please follow me. Everyone else, please return to Holres¡¯Ken for the time being. I expect this operation will take some time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our cue. Let¡¯s get going,¡± Luke remarked as he began ushering the Earthians through the main exit, while Kaon¨¦, Rebehka, and Nil¡¯kin followed Petro deeper into the facility.


    Once outside, Pierce turned around to glare at the building. ¡°What a waste of time¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but agree¡­¡± Phoenix remarked with a sigh. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve been used. Like bringing us here was just a pretense for the Deans to travel to Oriciid¡¯kas¡­¡±


    ¡°That seems a little too conspiratorial, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Twy questioned, ¡°the Deans already have a history of studying the metallic infection. I don¡¯t think anyone would¡¯ve batted an eye if they visited here on their own¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but Kaon¨¦¡¯s also supposed to be teachin¡¯ us, right?¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°And it seems like she¡¯s the only one who can cure the infection. So her bringing us here was probably just her tryin¡¯ to do both things at once.¡±


    ¡°Given the kind of forces we¡¯re dealing with here, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an entirely unreasonable course of action,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°And to be more cynical about this,¡± Luke remarked, ¡°since we¡¯re present for this whole thing, it likely means that SERRCom is going to get some of the data, too. That could be useful.¡±


    Phoenix passed Luke an annoyed glance. ¡°And why should we care about how SERRCom benefits?¡±


    Luke stared at her, dumbfounded, before adopting a sheepish smile. ¡°Ha¡­ right. Sorry. Anyways¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the guy from yesterday?¡± Sky interjected, while gesturing off to the side. Exiting from the research center was the Citan Black Suns officer from the previous day, accompanied by two other soldiers escorting a handful of levitating cages toward a nearby truck.


    ¡°Commander Jamis Hilay or some shit, right?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°I thought they wanted to annihilate the animals,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Why are they carting them away, instead¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ and was I the only one who thought that their timing yesterday was a little suspicious?¡± Austin added.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s just typical cross-Sector tensions in the Black Suns,¡± Luke replied. ¡°But I suppose it couldn¡¯t hurt to ask. Excuse me!¡± He raised his voice to address the Commander. ¡°Commander Hilay, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me, yes,¡± Hilay replied, though he never once looked over at Luke as he interacted with an unseen AR environment, seemingly keeping some kind of notes on the animals that the other soldiers were loading onto the truck.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Luke continued, ¡°where are you taking these animals?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Black Suns confidential, sir.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. You said yesterday that you wanted to ¡®annihilate¡¯ them, at least. I¡¯m assuming this has something to do with that?¡±


    For the first time since the beginning of the interaction, Hilay passed Luke a quick look. ¡°¡­It does,¡± the Commander eventually admitted. ¡°We¡¯re transporting the specimens to somewhere where they can be properly annihilated. We don¡¯t have the facilities or Chaotics to do so in Holres¡¯Ket.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Phoenix responded incredulously as she looked down the block, at the building that had been set aflame the previous day. Now, it was completely gone, replaced instead by a charred black lot of land. ¡°There seem to be Pyrotechnics here who are plenty capable.¡±


    Hilay snorted in derision as he returned to handling his AR environment. ¡°Sector 1 can¡¯t be trusted to carry out Sector 2¡¯s orders, especially when our orders involve overriding Sector 1¡¯s own desires.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you¡¯re all part of the same org, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sky questioned.


    The Commander glanced back at Sky, and then shook his head, as if in annoyance. ¡°¡­You Earthians should scurry back to Holres¡¯Ken, now,¡± he remarked, turning his back on the group as his soldiers loaded the final cage onto the truck. Without another word, the Commander climbed into the front of the truck, starting up the vehicle and driving off down the dilapidated street.


    ¡°What a fucking asshole,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Yeah, that was the meanest fucking ¡®you Earthians¡¯ I¡¯ve ever heard!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°What the hell!¡±


    ¡°It is what it is¡­¡± Spike responded with a resigned shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about the apparent internal conflict within the Black Suns, personally,¡± Twy remarked. ¡°They¡¯re one of the biggest PMCs, right? That kind of conflict doesn¡¯t seem like a good thing¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just political bullshit. It has nothing to do with us,¡± Conrad replied dismissively. He then loudly yawned. ¡°¡­Anyways. We heading back?¡±


    ¡°We should, yes¡­¡± Luke said, his gaze lingering on the Black Suns truck as it grew smaller with distance. Eventually, he ripped his attention from the truck to flash a smile at the students and begin walking down the street. ¡°Alright, everyone, let¡¯s get out of here¡­¡±

 V2 - A4 - Chapter 25: Decontaminations Effect

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 25: Decontamination''s Effect


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Have you familiarized yourself with the charts, Dean Densalin?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, passing Petro a quick glance as she stepped into a tiny operating room. She quickly brought up the biological charts on sitas on her own AR display, pushing the chart to the side of her vision before approaching the center of the room.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve said that you can handle anesthetics on your own,¡± Petro stated, ¡°but we¡¯ve administered some anyways, to reduce the animal¡¯s stress.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered, stopping at the side of a small operating table in the center of the room. Laying atop it was the once-caged infected sita, now heavily sedated and free of its cage. With closed eyes, Kaon¨¦ took a moment to observe the sita¡¯s current physical state through the use of her matter-manipulation powers; a second later, she nodded and opened her eyes to focus on the animal once more. ¡°I¡¯ve identified the dosage you used, given the type of anesthetics you told me you use. I can handle it from here.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even look at any equipment or data readings!¡± Nil¡¯kin exclaimed incredulously, while standing on the side of the small room. ¡°How can you possibly¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Shush, Major,¡± Rebehka interjected, passing the Dra¡¯kis an annoyed glance from her position just beside her. ¡°If you¡¯re going to observe, then don¡¯t be a distraction.¡±


    ¡°Or we¡¯ll have to remove you,¡± Petro added. ¡°Quite honestly, with how obstinate you¡¯re being, I should remove you right now.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Nil¡¯kin began to indignantly respond, only to be interrupted.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, while still focusing on the infected sita. ¡°I¡¯d like for a Chaos Knight to be present, as an independent source to verify that a cure is possible.¡± She then turned to side-eye Nil¡¯kin. ¡°And if anyone acts up¡­ I always have my Overdrive.¡±


    The Dra¡¯kis responded only with stunned, indignant silence.


    ¡°You¡¯d better be careful, Nil¡¯kin,¡± Rebehka remarked quietly, though she struggled to suppress a smug smirk as she did. ¡°It¡¯s rare that I hear Kaon¨¦ threaten someone.¡±


    ¡°¡­Such threats are unnecessary,¡± the Major eventually replied in a huff.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded with only a muted grunt as she returned her attention to the infected sita. ¡°Alright¡­ Colonel, the room¡¯s shields are active and at full power, right?¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Petro replied. ¡°Our personal shields are all rating at above 95% power, as well.¡± He then glanced up at the ceiling, where a metal mesh obscured the technology hiding above the room. ¡°And the Chaotic monitoring systems are in place and active. We¡¯re good to go.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m declaring now the start of the operation, so everyone, please be quiet. Colonel, let¡¯s go through the pre-procedure checklist. Starting from the top¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°What a fucking trip.¡±


    ¡°It is rather depressing, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah, but that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°I meant that we came all this way to do fucking nothing. On every other one of our trips, there was an actual reason for us to be there, actual things for us to do. But now? Now we¡¯re stuck waiting in a damn line!¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but I agree¡­¡± Austin muttered as he looked out over the line in front of the Earthian travel group. They currently stood at the edge of Holres¡¯Ket, in the midst of a line leading through the district¡¯s exit gates. For security purposes, every single person and object that left Holres¡¯Ket had to spend a minute in an ¡°incineration gate¡±, which was basically a small shower stall that bathed the subject in intense, searing flames. The energy shielding of powered armor would protect individuals from the flames, while the sustained minute-long metal-melting heat was more than enough to annihilate any Nanocreature nanites that may be hiding on the surface of the energy shields. The incineration gates themselves were carefully sectioned off from both Holres¡¯Ket and the outer districts by a series of airlock-esque energy shields, all in an effort to eliminate the risk of contaminating exterior districts with Nanocreature nanites.


    The Earthians had already been through the gates once, when they left Holres¡¯Ket the previous day. Today, however, the lines seemed longer and slower moving, resulting in the group milling about for much longer than they had expected.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, it does feel like we¡¯ve been used, somehow¡­¡± Phoenix said, her hands on her hips as she tapped her foot impatiently. She then turned around to look over the ruined district of Holres¡¯Ket before continuing, ¡°like¡­ I get why the Deans wanted to bring us here, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. It just doesn¡¯t quite feel right.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but if Kaon¨¦ can actually cure that one animal, then¡­ that¡¯s pretty big, right?¡± Twy pointed out.


    ¡°If we were there to see it,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°Yeah, but who wants to watch a surgery?¡± Conrad questioned incredulously. ¡°The more important question, is why are these lines taking so long?¡±


    ¡°Looks like security was bumped up a level, today¡­¡± Luke replied after consulting the news feeds through his AR display. ¡°It¡¯s a response to Major Dralis¡¯s ¡®inspection¡¯, and Sector 2¡¯s decision in response to that to start moving around a bunch of the infected creatures so they can be annihilated.¡±


    ¡°I can kinda see where Sector 2 is coming from, but¡­¡± Austin frowned in unease. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a better way of doin¡¯ this, right? I really don¡¯t see why they can¡¯t ¡®annihilate¡¯ the infected stuff where it¡¯s at, instead of moving it to a whole new place¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s some stupid, political, bureaucratic bullshit,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°The kind of bullshit that¡¯s going to cause us problems, too.¡±


    ¡°And the kinda ¡®bullshit¡¯ that caused this place to end up lookin¡¯ the way it does,¡± Spike added.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Sky passed Spike an incredulous look. ¡°I get that those Black Suns guys moving the animals around is weird, but it seems like a little much to compare it to the Nanocreature War! Especially given everything we know about it!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ he¡¯s right,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°Yeah, given everything we know, the Nanocreature War only happened because people weren¡¯t taking the metallic infection seriously,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s the only way the infection spread as far as it did, and claimed all of the Ayas that it did. And if we aren¡¯t careful, then I wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all to see history repeat itself¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but all of the Ayas are accounted for, right?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°we¡¯re not losing them anytime soon!¡±


    ¡°The Master Ayas is still missing,¡± Luke countered. ¡°And as for the rest ¡ª they might be under lock and key right now, but don¡¯t forget that the first Chaos Quake ¡ª the one 40 years ago ¡ª made all the Ayas disappear. If that happens again, then we¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°It makes you wonder, though, right?¡± Austin said, ¡°I know that Chaos Knight lady got all haughty with us about Earth not ¡®properly¡¯ knowing what happened during the Nanocreature War¡­ but all the people here did. And they¡¯re still bein¡¯ careless. I kinda get where she¡¯s coming from, in that regard¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still a massive bitch about it,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°As if we can¡¯t understand the danger of something, just because we didn¡¯t experience it first hand!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, definitely, not like there¡¯s anyone around here who¡¯s exactly like that, at all,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Earth did contribute to the Nanocreature War, though, didn¡¯t we?¡± Mark asked, turning to look at Luke. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much, but I thought I had heard somewhere that we sent help¡­¡±


    ¡°We did. We sent the Genesis,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Now, this was well before my time in SERRCom, so I only know the stories. But Hero Machina basically used the Genesis as their personal ferry during the more intense parts of the War. It¡¯s the fastest ship in the galaxy, after all, not to mention the usefulness of its ACS.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Genesis? The same ship that SERRCom¡¯s using now?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°the one that everyone always talks about as being some high-tech black box marvel of technology, or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Ships do tend to be in service for several decades,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°Especially larger ones.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­¡± Sky passed Austin a doubtful glance before turning back to Luke. ¡°If we¡¯ve had the Genesis around for 20 years, then why haven¡¯t we made a better ship, yet?¡±


    ¡°That depends on your definition of ¡®better¡¯,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°SERRCom has a couple Carriers and Battleships that are bigger than the Genesis, and carry heavier weapons. If by ¡®better¡¯ you mean technology-wise, though¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°The Genesis is the best that we got. Remember¡­ SERRCom didn¡¯t actually build that ship. It just appeared out of the ether, one day, over an old colony of ours. It was one of Hero Machina¡¯s first missions to help investigate that, actually.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Though they weren¡¯t able to tell where the Genesis actually came from. Instead, the colony got overrun by Nanocreatures.¡±


    ¡°How the hell are those connected?!¡± Phoenix responded incredulously.


    ¡°Beats me,¡± Luke replied with another shrug. ¡°If I recall correctly, though, Kaon¨¦ was one of the Hero Machina folks who were on that mission. Dav¨ªdrius, too. You might be able to ask them more about it, if you¡¯re curious.¡±


    ¡°So the Genesis is still our most advanced ship, even after two decades, huh?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°That seems pretty ridiculous, to me,¡± Pierce said. ¡°But if that¡¯s all true, then the fact still remains that the ship was still new and shiny at the time of the Nanocreature War ¡ª and Earth still sent it to help out! That isn¡¯t nothing!¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°I doubt SERRCom did it out of the kindness of their hearts,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°I¡¯m sure they got something out of the deal.¡±


    ¡°Did it have something to do with the Zhou Crisis?¡± Twy asked, her attention directed toward Luke.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it did,¡± he replied. ¡°I was only, what¡­ 10, at the time? 10-year-olds don¡¯t exactly pay attention to politics, so I don¡¯t remember much about the Zhou Crisis, personally. But I¡¯ve read the reports. And I¡¯m sure you all have learned about it, in history class.¡±


    ¡°You mean the event where the President of the United States tried to strong arm an international, interstellar military?¡± Phoenix scoffed. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve learned about it. What a fucking shit-show. I can¡¯t believe we elected someone like that idiot.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, America¡¯s had some real doozies when it comes to Presidents,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°The fact remains, though, that the Zhou Crisis is what really solidified power for SERRCom,¡± Luke said. ¡°Before that point, it wasn¡¯t really decided who held the real power on Earth ¡ª the individual nations, or the military they had created to ¡®unite¡¯ us, at the request of the CSA first-contact party. And the resolution of the Crisis showed that SERRCom was more than powerful enough to defeat national interests.¡±


    ¡°Which was also the start of SERRCom Hegemony,¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t really deny that,¡± Luke replied with an uneasy chuckle. ¡°But to tie this back to the main point ¡ª you won¡¯t see this in any of the public-facing reports, but the Zhou Crisis was started by the US military getting their hands on one of the Ayas. And what¡¯s more, is that Hero Machina helped SERRCom put an end to the crisis with no casualties. You know the official story: at Zhou¡¯s command, the US launched an ICBM at our own goddamn soil, in the hopes of masking it as an orbital strike from SERRCom ¡ª and thus, providing a pretext for dismantling the organization and taking all of their stuff. But SERRCom was able to destroy the ICBM en route, resulting in no casualties. Well¡­ it wasn¡¯t actually SERRCom who destroyed the ICBM. It was one of the members of Hero Machina, using the Chaos State.¡±


    ¡°One person destroyed an ICBM?!¡± Austin exclaimed in disbelief.


    ¡°I can almost believe it, if the Chaos State was involved¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s all true, you can ask the Deans yourselves,¡± Luke said. ¡°And as thanks to Hero Machina for them helping out¡­ SERRCom handed over our Ayas, and lent the use of the Genesis.¡±


    ¡°I knew SERRCom got something out if it,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°Would we seriously have stayed out of the Nanocreature War, if not for Hero Machina helping us¡­?¡± Mark questioned warily.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. I was only 10 at the time, so I don¡¯t remember the political atmosphere, myself,¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°But if Hero Machina hadn¡¯t been there¡­ well, I doubt the US would actually have succeeded in pinning the blame for their nuke on SERRCom, but SERRCom also would¡¯ve had a hard time shooting down the nuke on their own. And if a US city had been nuked, I feel like SERRCom and Earth in general might¡¯ve been too busy dealing with the fallout of that to join the Nanocreature War.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what would have happened, if we hadn¡¯t¡­¡± Austin mused. ¡°Would it¡¯ve been possible that the war would¡¯ve gone for longer, if not for the Genesis?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sayin¡¯ we could¡¯ve had the Nanocreatures on our own doorsteps?¡± Spike frowned at the thought. ¡°That would¡¯ve been¡­ bad.¡±


    ¡°You can say that, again¡­¡± Sky muttered as she looked out over the ruins of Holres¡¯Ket.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed to hear that our involvement in the war was only due to self-gain, though¡­¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°That, and because Hero Machina seems to have had their fingers in every damn pie,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°How the hell do we hear their names every time someone talks about something notable from 20 years ago?¡±


    ¡°I knew they were important to the war, but I didn¡¯t realize they were so tied to SERRCom¡¯s own history, too¡­¡± Austin commented.


    ¡°It almost seems too convenient, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sky said.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else to it,¡± Luke countered. ¡°If you read Hero Machina¡¯s published mission reports, you¡¯d know that prior to the war, they were primarily occupied with finding the Ayas ¡ª which, at that point in time, were all missing. And both times they got involved with SERRCom, it was because we or someone on Earth had found an Ayas. So in the end, it¡¯s really just coincidence.¡±


    ¡°A hell of a coincidence, though,¡± Phoenix remarked.


    ¡°A coincidence that eventually led to us, standing here, in this line¡­¡± Conrad muttered, and then allowed a yawn to overcome him as he stared at the line in front of them. Even after all of their conversation, the line had only progressed by a handful of people.


    ¡°It sucks, and I don¡¯t like it,¡± Austin stated, ¡°but¡­ when it comes to the Nanocreatures, I really think it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    ¡°And either way, we¡¯re stuck, here. Waiting,¡± Pierce said, his arms crossed and brow furrowed in impatience. ¡°Fucking hell. At this rate, Kaon¨¦ will finish with her fucking cure operation before we even get the chance to leave¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Okay¡­ I think we¡¯re there. The chemical anesthetics aren¡¯t cycling through the sita¡¯s system anymore, and I¡¯ve successfully subdued its nervous system on my own.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡± Petro replied, quickly marking down a note before turning back to Kaon¨¦. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ remained silent for a second, still focusing on the unconscious sita laying on the operating table in front of her. She hadn¡¯t yet begun the actual nanomachine-removal operation; she had instead been spending the past half hour using her Materiatechnism to get a better sense of the sita¡¯s biological processes ¡ª there was only so much she could learn from studying a textbook, after all. Over that half hour, Kaon¨¦ had developed enough of an understanding of the sita¡¯s body to be able to regulate its biological needs with her own abilities, so when the Black Suns-administered anesthetics finally wore off¡­ Kaon¨¦ was prepared to take over, numbing the sita¡¯s pain receptors and duplicating the awareness-dimming affect of anesthetics while still keeping the animal alive.


    ¡°¡­No, there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯m ready,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually responded to Petro¡¯s inquiry. ¡°We can finally begin the actual process of removing the nanites.¡±


    ¡°Finally¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for Rebehka to hear as the two women stood at the back of the room.


    ¡°Have some patience,¡± Rebehka responded quietly. ¡°You have to know that this is a delicate operation.¡±


    ¡°Only because you care about this animal¡¯s well-being so much.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ that is the point.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Nil¡¯kin snorted in derision, but kept her attention on Kaon¨¦ all the same. The Materiatechnic had her hands gently held out toward the sita, her fingers and palms shifting reflexively in response to her own manipulations of the matter in the animal¡¯s body from afar. At first, nothing seemed to happen; whatever Kaon¨¦ was doing was impossible to discern with the naked eye. Sensor readouts on a nearby monitor revealed the truth, however: parts of the sita¡¯s body were beginning to shift in distinctly unnatural ways, as Kaon¨¦ sought out the nanomachines invading its body and attempted to isolate them.


    Petro, Nil¡¯kin, and Rebehka watched wordlessly, with the Black Suns Colonel occasionally turning to the side to monitor the readouts of the room¡¯s various sensor equipment. Kaon¨¦, for her part, continued to steadily manipulate the matter in the sita¡¯s body, testing every last organ, tissue, and even cell for her ability to manipulate it.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve found some nanites,¡± she eventually declared, for the sake of the room¡¯s recording equipment. ¡°They¡¯re clustered in a lymph node on the sita¡¯s left flank. Isolating them now¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is she starting with inside the body?¡± Nil¡¯kin questioned to Rebehka. ¡°There¡¯s an obvious rash right on its skin!¡±


    ¡°From what she¡¯s told me, it¡¯s easier to find all of the nanites within the body, cluster them together, and then bring them over to the surface rash to remove them all at once,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Something about reducing the amount of times you need to open up the body¡­¡±


    Nil¡¯kin passed Rebehka a doubtful glance, but didn¡¯t say anything further. Just as she turned her attention back to Kaon¨¦, however, a flashing red light appeared on the corner of one of the sensor displays.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Rebehka asked aloud.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ fighting me!¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, her brow furrowed in concentration. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the nanites react like this to my cure attempts, before¡­!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting alerts that the other infected creatures around here are getting agitated, as well,¡± Petro stated, his eyes diverted as he read through a dozen alerts on his AR display. ¡°The start of the elevated agitation coincides with the start of your nanomachine removal, Densalin¡­¡±


    ¡°You have this under control, though, yes?¡± Nil¡¯kin prompted expectantly.


    ¡°Of course we do,¡± Petro retorted. ¡°¡­But this level of agitation is unprecedented. Just what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The nanomachines might be reacting to Kaon¨¦ trying to cure this animal,¡± Rebehka suggested. ¡°I¡¯ve seen infected creatures react to remote stimuli, before ¡ª likely due to individual nanites being able to communicate over long distances. It¡¯s possible that¡¯s what¡¯s happening here, especially since there are so many infected creatures within this facility. That said, though¡­ this didn¡¯t happen when Kaon¨¦ cured the animal on Karania, so what¡¯s different now¡­?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that the infection knows we¡¯re a threat to it, and is reacting accordingly?¡± Nil¡¯kin bristled as she impatiently glanced between Petro and Rebehka. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a problem? We¡¯re demonstrating here that attempting a cure is too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°I can handle this one animal, here¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ stated, her attention still primarily focused on the sita. ¡°As for everything else, though¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to abort the process. It isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°If we abort now, then the infection will take over the animal. We won¡¯t be able to save it,¡± Kaon¨¦ protested.


    ¡°Our containment operations won¡¯t be defeated by this, either,¡± Petro asserted. ¡°I understand your wariness, Chaos Knight, but this is a situation we have under control.¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Nil¡¯kin scowled. ¡°If this all goes tits-up, the blame lies solely in your lap, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Mine, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°I¡¯m the one going forward with the actual cure, after all. This will work, Nil¡¯kin. I promise you.¡±


    The Dra¡¯kis¡¯s scowl deepened in frustration, but she didn¡¯t respond any further.


    ¡°¡­Thank you. This is requiring a lot of concentration, however, so if I may, I¡¯d like to ask all of you to remain silent until I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Densalin,¡± Petro replied, and then spoke into the air for the sake of the room¡¯s recording equipment. ¡°Let the records show that Dean Kaon¨¦ Densalin is continuing the operation with the approval of Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan. From here on, you¡¯ll have your silence, Dean.¡± He then stepped out of Kaon¨¦¡¯s line of sight to begin managing the alerts and messages he was receiving, while muttering under his breath, ¡°I only hope that this all goes well¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Finally, we¡¯re close to the end.¡±


    ¡°And it only took, what¡­ two hours?¡± Phoenix sighed as she passed Pierce a glance. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been standing in line for so long¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we were only really in line for an hour and a half,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°It took us half an hour to reach the gates once we left the research center.¡±


    Both Pierce and Phoenix turned to give Twy deadpan stares.


    ¡°Ever the nitpicker, huh, sis?¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°I, I was just¡­¡± Twy started, but trailed off into a sheepish smile. ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°Still, I do wonder why this is taking so long,¡± Mark questioned, turning his gaze toward the district gates. As close as they were now, the group could easily see the incineration showers, and the handful of people that were currently being bathed in searing flame. ¡°Yesterday, less than half an hour passed between us arriving at the gates, and all reaching the other side.¡±


    ¡°I guess the Black Suns really do take this infection stuff seriously,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Luke responded, though he appeared half-distracted with looking out over the ruins of Holres¡¯Ket. ¡°¡­But I¡¯ve been seeing some alarming stuff on the bulletins.¡±


    ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t the kind of ¡®alarming stuff¡¯ that¡¯s going to involve us,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Depends on how lucky we are,¡± Luke replied. ¡°If the Suns really do have everything under control, though, then we should be fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Well now that you¡¯ve said that, we know that something bad is gonna happen,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°What kinda bulletins are we talkin¡¯, here?¡± Spike asked.


    ¡°About an hour ago¡­ all of the infected creatures throughout the district started acting up,¡± Luke answered. ¡°Like something¡¯s agitated them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Pierce looked at Luke incredulously. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡±


    ¡°¡­Kaon¨¦¡¯s operation?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°If Kaon¨¦ trying to cure one creature causes the rest of them to get violent, then that sounds like a major problem,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Do we really know if that¡¯s the case, though?¡±


    ¡°We likely won¡¯t until after Kaon¨¦ is done¡­¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°She or Rebehka might know what¡¯s going on, though.¡±


    ¡°Still, even more reason for us to leave the district, I suppose,¡± Mark said. ¡°Especially if something¡¯s happening with the infection¡ª¡°


    While Mark was speaking, a distant flash of light drew several of the group¡¯s attention to the ruins closer to the center of Holres¡¯Ket. It wasn¡¯t until a second later, however, that the low rumble of an explosion interrupted Mark¡¯s words and sent all of the Black Suns soldiers stationed at the gate into alert.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Sky exclaimed in alarm. ¡°Something exploded?!¡±


    ¡°Surely that¡¯s just part of the cleanup operations¡­ right?¡± Twy responded hopefully.


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Conrad responded as he eyed the Black Suns soldiers at the gate, and how they had all suddenly kicked into high gear at the sound of the explosion. ¡°I have a feeling that we¡¯re getting involved in this, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°I fuckin¡¯ called it,¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°And that explosion has something to do with the infected creatures acting up, somehow¡­ doesn¡¯t it?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Luke replied, his expression growing grim as he quickly skimmed the news bulletins on his AR display. ¡°That explosion was from one of the transports that was meant to carry around infected creatures. The bulletins don¡¯t say how or why the explosion happened¡­ but between that explosion and the agitated animals, the Black Suns are going on high alert. Until this situation is dealt with¡­¡± He glanced back at the gates, just in time to see the glimmer of an energy shield forming over the district¡¯s exit. ¡°¡­Holres¡¯Ket is locked down.¡±

 V2 - A4 - Chapter 26: Chaos in HolresKet

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 26: Chaos in Holres''Ket


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we¡¯re locked in with the infection?!¡±


    ¡°It sucks, but¡­ it makes sense,¡± Austin muttered, passing Sky a quick glance before returning to scanning the horizon. Many of the Black Suns soldiers who had been lined up to exit Holres¡¯Ket had already left the line and began forming up to deal with the situation, leading to a chaotic atmosphere of confusion at the gates. ¡°This Nanocreature stuff is dangerous¡­¡± Austin continued. ¡°If lockin¡¯ down the district can stop it from spreading further, then it¡¯s hard to argue against it¡­¡±


    ¡°And if they decide to bomb this place from orbit while we¡¯re still stuck here?¡± Conrad prompted.


    ¡°¡­Well¡­¡± Austin responded uneasily, but trailed off, unable to come up with a reply.


    ¡°Sounds to me like the best way to protect ourselves is to be proactive,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°If we help get this infection bullshit under control, then we can stop it from escalating to the point where orbital bombardment is necessary!¡±


    ¡°You want us to get in the way of the professionals?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously.


    ¡°If they on their own were enough to handle this, then the situation wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve gotten this bad in the first place, would it?¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°No, you should listen to Phoenix,¡± Luke cut in. ¡°This is a Black Suns operation. An outbreak might be happening right now, but the Suns are trained to deal with and contain this kind of situation.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention¡­¡± Twy commented warily, ¡°I don¡¯t know about anyone else, but I can¡¯t shake the feeling that this has something to do with the Suns¡¯ Sector 2 showing up, yesterday. Everything was going fine while the Green Suns were in charge¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Can political bullshit really lead to an infection outbreak, though¡­?¡± Conrad questioned.


    Pierce audibly scoffed. ¡°Someone hasn¡¯t been reading their history textbooks.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, we¡¯re staying put,¡± Luke insisted. ¡°The bulletins recommend that anyone who isn¡¯t part of the containment teams bunker down in place, so¡ª¡°


    In the middle of his sentence, another explosion sounded, this one slightly nearer than the first. And then, shortly after that, one of the ruined buildings in the distance appeared to melt down into the ground, into a silver slurry ¡ª only for a gigantic dragon-like creature, complete with two sturdy arms, Siion-like hind legs, and a long tail, to climb out of the slurry and unfurl its massive wings. Its wings appeared almost to stretch across an entire block as the beast let loose a deafening roar; immediately, weapons fire began lighting up its metallic hide, driving it to flap its wings and take to the air ¡ª a procedure that flattened all of the buildings in the immediate vicinity, and blasted away many of the soldiers who had been standing nearby.


    Following the emergence of the silver dragon, stunned silence overtook the Earthian travel group. It was Sky who eventually broke the silence as she exclaimed incredulously, ¡°what the hell is that?!¡±


    ¡°A silver dragon¡­¡± Luke muttered, his expression collapsing into a scowl.


    ¡°I¡¯d heard from Mote that they ran into one a few months back,¡± Mark commented in disbelief, ¡°but this is¡­!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Critical Infection Incident¡­ right?¡± Twy glanced uneasily between the other Earthians and the dragon, which was now strafing the streets of Holres¡¯Ket as it fired storms of tiny metal flechettes out of its mouth at its Black Suns opponents. ¡°Rebehka told us about this back when we first visited Rel¨¦diaka. When the metallic infection reaches critical mass within a certain area, all of the nanites come together to form a large, winged beast ¡ª a dragon! That dragon!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ how the hell did things get this out of control?!¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Just goes to show that the Suns need help!¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°If this is a ¡®Critical Infection Incident¡¯, then this is already the worst case scenario, right? So we need to put that thing down now!¡±


    ¡°I agree that the situation has changed,¡± Luke admitted, ¡°but this is still no excuse to charge recklessly into danger¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Then we should just stand around here, doing nothing? Bullshit! I say we should help ¡ª after all, we¡¯re able to help, right?¡± Pierce turned to look at each and everyone else in the group. ¡°If that old man in Riverana is even half right, then we¡¯re better suited to fight the Nanocreatures than anyone else here!¡±


    ¡°If we had more training, maybe¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Sure, but not everything is perfect. Think about it this way, then: this is a chance to show up that Chaos Knight bitch, and show her that we Earthians aren¡¯t just opportunistic bastards. To show her that we really can help!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I hate that I actually kind of agree with you¡­¡± Phoenix responded.


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m all in favor of the ¡®bunker down¡¯ plan,¡± Conrad declared.


    ¡°Of course you¡ª!¡± Pierce began to retort, only to be interrupted by yet another explosion. In response, he immediately summoned Hastryth ¡ª the blade at the end of a long energy tether, connected to an extravagant black and dark blue hilt with a glowing deep blue orb inset upon the grip ¡ª and whipped around toward the source of the explosion. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to keep arguing! If anyone¡¯s with me, if anyone¡¯s willing to actually face this problem head-on ¡ª then follow me!¡±


    ¡°Pierce, wait¡ª!¡± Luke shouted, but before he had even finished calling out Pierce¡¯s name, the Velocitechnic had disappeared. ¡°¡­Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Figures he would run off on his own¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Normally I¡¯d agree with you, but this time¡­¡± Phoenix warily eyed the silver dragon in the skies; while it was clearly capable of flight, it still remained relatively low to the ground, occasionally even landing to rend the buildings around it with its massive limbs. ¡°¡­Can we really just sit around and watch this happen?!¡±


    ¡°Help Pierce?¡± Kestrel questioned, her gaze focused on Luke.


    ¡°Aw man, not you, too¡­¡± Conrad groaned.


    ¡°I could go to back him up, as well,¡± Mark pointed out.


    ¡°Argh¡­¡± Luke growled in frustration as he eyed the silver dragon himself. ¡°¡­Fine! Phoenix, Kestrel, Mark ¡ª if you three want to go help Pierce, then go! Make sure he doesn¡¯t hurt himself, or get in the way of the Suns!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Phoenix replied, already being lifted into the air by Kestrel¡¯s wind manipulations. The two women then rushed off after Mark, who had already used his bountiful strength to bound deeper into the district, toward the silver dragon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Austin exclaimed in disbelief. ¡°We¡¯re¡ª we¡¯re just letting them join the fight?!¡±


    ¡°At least they didn¡¯t drag me into it, this time¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m afraid that I will,¡± Luke declared. ¡°These are extraordinary circumstances. The others may be reckless, but we all have energy shielding, here. Directing their energy to productive means is the best way to keep them in check. As for us¡­ follow me.¡± He began walking back in the direction from whence they had come, deeper into Holres¡¯Ket.


    ¡°What? We¡¯re going in?!¡± Sky questioned incredulously, ¡°but weren¡¯t you just saying¡ª?¡±


    ¡°That was before that silver dragon showed up,¡± Luke countered. ¡°But if a Critical Infection Incident is unfolding before our eyes, then we can¡¯t afford to just stand around. At the very least, we need to head back to the research center and make sure the Deans are okay! And if they are, they should know better what to do in this situation!¡±


    ¡°¡­So we really can¡¯t avoid action after all, huh?¡± Austin lamented, but nonetheless rushed after Luke ¡ª as did the remaining Earthians. ¡°Seems like everywhere we go, things go to shit. Can¡¯t anything just go well, for once¡­?¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°RAAAAAAAAARGH!!!¡±


    With a thunderous roar, the metallic dragon brought its two mighty fists down on one of Holres¡¯Ket¡¯s ruined buildings, instantly smashing it into smithereens. As it withdrew its arms from the cloud of the building¡¯s debris, two quick bursts of flame emerged from the cloud to sear the dragon¡¯s maw; before it could move to retaliate, however, a half-dozen Black Suns soldiers opened fire on it from down the block. With an irate snarl, the dragon turned toward them, allowing the Pyrotechnic stuck in the debris cloud to extricate themselves and flee unabated.


    As soon as the soldiers got the signal that the Chaotic had fled, they began their own organized retreat ¡ª but then the dragon lunged for them, its massive wings pumping once to give it an incredible burst of speed. Within a second, it was upon them, its giant maw opening wide to spew forth a storm of flechettes. The Suns¡¯ energy shields protected them from direct harm, but the flurry of tiny knives still staggered them such that the dragon was easily able to snatch two of them off of the ground in its hands. Now holding the two soldiers, the dragon¡¯s hands seemed to melt and reform around the soldiers¡¯ bodies, forming ¡ª at a glance ¡ª some sort of cocoon.


    But before the cocoons could fully form, a supersonic blur and the flash of a blade glinting in the light rushed past both of the giant beast¡¯s wrists, followed by its half-cocoon hands falling to the ground ¡ª now severed from the dragon¡¯s arms. Despite being dismembered, however, the dragon didn¡¯t bleed; instead, it roared in irritation, extending one of its severed arms toward the pile of silver goo on the ground that was once one of its hands while it turned to stare at the individual who had attacked it: a certain light-skinned man with dirty blond hair, wielding an extravagant blade at the end of an energy tether.


    ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Pierce pumped his fist as he watched the two formerly trapped Black Suns soldiers free themselves from the dragon¡¯s severed hands ¡ª just as the dragon dug its limbs into the two silver piles and reformed its hands as if it hadn¡¯t been injured at all. Well that¡¯s bullshit, Pierce thought to himself, and then quickly crouched down and leaped to the east as the dragon lunged for him. But at least I¡¯ve drawn its attention! Alright, you big fuck, show me what you can do!


    Almost as if in response to Pierce¡¯s unspoken words, the metallic beast used its powerful wings to launch itself into the air, where it opened is mouth wide once more. Pierce prepared to dodge a storm of flechettes, as he had seen the dragon spit multiple times before, but what hit him instead was an impactful laser that launched him haphazardly across the street. Surprised at the use of a new weapon, Pierce was unable to catch himself before he unceremoniously slammed into ¡ª and through ¡ª a building¡¯s walls, causing the structure to collapse on top of him. He managed to recover before it could trap him fully and then launched himself through the collapsing roof ¡ª where the dragon was ready and waiting. It immediately moved to grab him; in the split-second that Pierce had to react, he knew that he had no way of dodging midair, but he still managed to whip himself around to keep his right arm free as the dragon grabbed him. A metallic silver material began to rush across his body, just as he had seen with the two soldiers earlier. But before the nanomachine swarm had the oppotunity to cover him, he summoned his weapon back into his right hand and sliced at the dragon¡¯s wrist, again severing its hand.


    This time, however, as the hand began to fall to the ground, the dragon immediately blasted its own severed hand with the laser in its mouth, rocketing Pierce into the ground just below him. ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± he reflexively grimaced in pain from the impact, but he still forced himself back to his feet and dashed off ¡ª only to be hit in the back with another laser. The fuck¡ª?! he mentally exclaimed as he was sent sprawling once more, fucking lasers ¡ª I can¡¯t outrun lasers! I hate this shit!


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As if to spite him, another laser blast punctuated Pierce¡¯s thought, flattening him against the ground. He quickly rolled over and jumped to his feet, at which point he turned his attention to the dragon itself ¡ª which had just made a dive for him. Pierce immediately made to dash off, only for yet another laser blast to interrupt his movement, preventing him from dodging the dive.


    And yet, as he recovered from being blasted once more, Pierce noted that the dragon¡¯s dive had failed to complete. Before it reached him, it was knocked off course by an incredible blow to its side ¡ª and after delivering that punch, Mark fell to the ground next to Pierce. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he questioned, though his gaze remained focused on the silver dragon.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Pierce insisted as he jumped back to his feet. ¡°¡­Decided to join, though, huh? Tired of just sitting around with the rest of the losers?¡±


    ¡°We can discuss that later,¡± Mark insisted, summoning his green and silver halberd as the dragon recovered from his punch and turned his way. ¡°Phoenix and Kestrel are on their way, as well. When they get here¡ª¡°


    ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s shouting ¡ª accompanied by two mach-speed projectiles slamming into the dragon¡¯s chest ¡ª interrupted Mark¡¯s statement. The Chaos Energy projectiles tore two holes clean through the beast¡¯s chest, causing it to stagger backwards; Mark immediately took advantage of the opening to bound forwards and begin attacking the metallic creature, while Kestrel and Phoenix alighted on the ground next to Pierce.


    ¡°Figures that someone would have to rescue you,¡± Phoenix snidely remarked.


    ¡°Rescue? Hmph. I could¡¯ve handled that situation on my own,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°And what about you, huh? You aren¡¯t as fast as me, but you still took your damn time!¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, I actually checked to see if recklessly running off was a reasonable course of action!¡±


    ¡°You mean you asked for permission? From who, Luke? Why the hell are you waiting for a SERRCom officer to tell you what to do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, you ass¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Incoming,¡± Kestrel interjected, crouching down to grab both Pierce and Phoenix and yank them to the side with her winds. Just as she did, Mark came crashing to the ground right where they had been standing ¡ª followed by several massive spears, each constructed of the same nanites as those within the dragon¡¯s body. Several more such spears followed, as the dragon took material out of its own wings and legs to craft the massive projectiles; Mark was able to punch away two of them, but the third hit him square in the chest, blasting him backwards once more. The dragon then hopped down to the ground and lunged after him, its left-hand claws raking the ground and leaving behind streaks of metallic silver. Before the dragon could reach Mark, however, Phoenix knocked it to the side with a call of ¡°Chaos Impact¡±, and Pierce followed with a flying kick into its neck. As he rebounded off of the staggered beast, Pierce then lashed out with the blade at the end of his energy whip, tearing into the dragon¡¯s flank and shearing off its right-side wing.


    In retaliation, the dragon snapped its tail around toward Pierce, but Kestrel caught him in a pillow of air and yanked him out of the tail¡¯s path. As she deposited him on the ground, Mark bounded forward, bringing his halberd down on top of the dragon¡¯s front limb and shearing it in twain vertically. Then, as soon as he landed on the ground, he adjusted his grip on his halberd and gave a mighty upward swing, catching the dragon in its neck just as it staggered down to his level. Effortlessly, Mark¡¯s halberd cleaved clean through the dragon¡¯s neck, leaving its head to fall to the ground.


    In the brief lull afterward, Mark took a deep breath, and Pierce made to pump his fist in victory ¡ª but then, the dragon¡¯s dismembered limbs each spontaneously lunged for the two men, catching them both off-guard and restraining them against the ground. Phoenix quickly fired off several Chaos Cannon shots in an effort to obliterate the mass of nanites restraining Mark and Pierce, though while she did, the main body of the dragon retreated to the streaks of silver it had left on the ground ¡ª the streaks that had since grown in size to cover nearly the entire street. As soon as the half-destroyed body reached the silver sheet, it absorbed all of the metallic material, seemingly draining the surrounding area of matter as it completely reformed its body.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Pierce exclaimed in disbelief, having just been freed by Phoenix¡¯s Chaos Cannons and swept to the side by Kestrel¡¯s wind. He, as well as Mark, Phoenix, and Kestrel, each looked up at the now completely uninjured dragon of metal ¡ª and the two smaller beasts that formed from the dragon¡¯s former head and wing.


    ¡°It keeps reforming itself¡­¡± Mark muttered as he gripped his halberd defensively. ¡°I can see why the Nanocreatures were considered such a threat.¡±


    ¡°How can we stop it from doing that, though?¡± Phoenix tensely questioned. ¡°The nanites are eating matter to make more of themselves, right? And that¡¯s how it regenerates? But how the hell do we stop that?!¡±


    ¡°Out of our league¡­¡± Kestrel stated tersely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to run,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s still just a beast! This is totally something we can handle¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Overdrive: Electrostorm!¡±


    Just as the silver dragon began to lift itself into the air, a dark cloud formed in the skies above it ¡ª followed immediately by a series of fierce lightning strikes, each blasting away at the dragon¡¯s limbs and the two smaller creatures that had recently formed to aid it. As the strikes continued, Nil¡¯kin sauntered onto the scene, her disdainful gaze centered on the massive dragon in front of her. She then glanced at the Earthians out the corner of her eye. ¡°¡­Decided to play heroes, have we?¡±


    ¡°The fuck?!¡± Pierce exclaimed irately, ¡°you were the one lambasting us for not getting involved in the Nanocreature War! Why are you complaining when we try to help out now?¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh,¡± Nil¡¯kin responded with a smirk. ¡°Well, I have to admire your attitude, if nothing else. It¡¯s good to see that someone is actually taking this seriously.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you back at the research center, watching the surgery?¡± Mark questioned. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Those Nimalian fools are still trying to cure that fateless creature, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking,¡± Nil¡¯kin responded derisively. She then crouched down, preparing to enter the battle as the lightning strikes from her storm cloud began to die out. ¡°As for what¡¯s going on here ¡ª the only explanation is the Black Suns¡¯ carelessness in handling this district.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the Suns, where the hell are they?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°We¡¯ve been fighting this thing alone!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re evacuating their personnel and valuable materiel,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied, and then audibly scoffed. ¡°The Colonel gave me some excuse about his ¡®Green Suns¡¯ not being prepared to fight a Critical Dragon, but that sounds like folly, to me! Now, if you Earthians are serious about helping, here, then follow my lead! The only way to defeat a Critical Dragon¡­¡± Sparks began wreathing her body as she charged forward, launching powerful blasts of lightning at the still-recovering metallic beasts. ¡°¡­Is to obliterate it completely!!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°What the hell happened here?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question¡­¡± Luke muttered, his pace slowing as he looked up at the sight before him. He had just rounded the corner onto the street hosting the research center where Kaon¨¦ was curing the infected creature, and upon doing so, the first thing that caught his attention were the massive swathes of ice that covered half the block. Glistening, translucent ice completely encased the research center as well as most of the street and buildings around it, the ice spires reaching a few dozen meters into the air to create a jagged barrier. Cold air swept across the street as the immense amount of ice caused the temperatures in the surrounding area to nosedive, all while several Black Suns soldiers stood watch just outside of the ice.


    ¡°¡­Rebehka¡¯s thing is ice, right?¡± Sky questioned warily as the group took in the frozen sight. ¡°Did something happen to her?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she used her Overdrive, or something,¡± Conrad suggested.


    ¡°No, Rebehka¡¯s Overdrive creates a lasting blizzard,¡± Austin corrected. ¡°This obviously isn¡¯t that.¡±


    ¡°Somethin¡¯ had to¡¯ve made her do this, though,¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°Maybe. It also might not have been her,¡± Luke said. ¡°This ice could¡¯ve been created by a Black Suns Cryotechnic, or even by Kaon¨¦ ¡ª ice is matter, after all. But there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aaaand we¡¯re going toward the ice. Great,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he watched Luke begin jogging toward the Black Suns.


    ¡°It¡¯s all we really can do, right now,¡± Twy said, carefully gripping her summoned bow as she followed after Luke. ¡°Just be thankful that the fighting isn¡¯t here!¡±


    ¡°For now¡­¡± Spike muttered, his gaze focused on the bright lightning strikes in the distance. He then turned to face the Black Suns ¡ª and Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan, who stood with the soldiers.


    Upon noticing the approaching Earthians, the Colonel turned to look at Luke in exasperation. ¡°I thought you were leaving the district!¡± he remarked.


    ¡°We were in line, but the place got locked down before we could leave,¡± Luke replied. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°And why is there ice everywhere?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Reports say we¡¯re facing a Critical Infection Incident,¡± Petro answered. ¡°Somehow, the Nanocreatures managed to amass enough nanites in this district to reach critical mass without us realizing. And with that, they¡¯ve developed the capability to reproduce at will and corrupt other matter actively, rather than passively.¡±


    ¡°We heard about this Critical Infection stuff from Rebehka,¡± Austin said. ¡°That¡¯s why that dragon showed up here, right? But if the situation is that bad, then why the hell are we sticking around?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± the Colonel countered. ¡°District-wide evac is underway, but it¡¯ll take time to get everyone out. We need to delay the infection as much as we can in the meantime, so that we can evacuate as many people as possible.¡± He then turned to gesture at the masses of ice all around them. ¡°That¡¯s why all of this ice is here. As soon as it became clear we were dealing with a Critical Infection, Dean Tchir¨¦on froze the entire research center, to slow down the infected creatures inside that might have escaped.¡±


    ¡°Slow down?¡± Sky echoed, ¡°why not stop?¡±


    ¡°Nanocreatures can consume any matter to turn it into more of themselves¡­ and that includes ice. Doesn¡¯t it?¡± Twy questioned.


    Petro nodded sagely. ¡°It does. Fortunately, ice and cold still seem to slow them down, but it won¡¯t stop them for good. So we don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°What caused this in the first place?¡± Austin asked, ¡°if the district was so close to a Critical Infection outbreak ¡ª I mean, did this really surprise you? Is this related to the cure attempt, or something?¡±


    ¡°How did everything get this bad, anyways?¡± Conrad added. ¡°I thought energy shields were supposed to be able to stop the nanomachines.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Petro responded, though frustration began leaking into his tone. ¡°All of the creatures under Sector 1¡¯s watch were properly contained by energy shields ¡ª and they still were at the moment of the outbreak. An outbreak like this shouldn¡¯t be possible with the kind of security measures we use. Certainly not so suddenly, at least.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you suggesting foul play of some kind?¡± Luke questioned warily.


    ¡°Whether or not there was foul play doesn¡¯t matter at this moment in time,¡± Petro replied. ¡°We need to focus on getting everyone out of here alive. Only then can we afford to start figuring out what went wrong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡±


    ¡°What about the cure attempt?¡± Austin insisted. ¡°And the Deans? And that Dra¡¯kis lady?¡±


    ¡°The Chaos Knight left at the earliest sign of trouble,¡± Petro answered. ¡°I hear she¡¯s leading the fight against the Critical Dragon herself. Dean Tchir¨¦on remained behind to freeze the block, but she¡¯s since left to help contain the infection, as well. And Dean Densalin¡­ she¡¯s still in the research center, working on curing the sita.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still in there?!¡± Spike exclaimed.


    ¡°Kinda thought she¡¯d have left,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°The Dean understands that this cure attempt is an important and significant next step in developing a wider cure for the infection,¡± Petro replied. ¡°If she can cure the sita, then it¡¯s only a matter of time before we never have to worry about another Critical Infection Incident!¡±


    ¡°What if that cure attempt is what caused the outbreak?¡± Austin suggested. ¡°Did we think of that?¡±


    ¡°The captured specimens in the research center did grow more aggressive when Dean Densalin began the procedure,¡± Petro admitted. ¡°However, even an aggressive infected animal will take days at an absolute minimum to wear down the energy shields holding them captive. There¡¯s clearly something else that went wrong for things to get this bad.¡±


    ¡°If starting the cure turned everything aggressive, then would stopping the cure make them go docile, again?¡± Sky asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Petro said. ¡°There¡¯s never been a recorded incident of the metallic infection regressing in aggression. It always escalates. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve allowed Dean Densalin to continue with the cure attempt ¡ª it isn¡¯t as though ceasing it will help anything. If she can cure the sita, then at least something good will come out of all of this.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re still here, then?¡± Luke questioned as he glanced at the other Black Suns standing guard. ¡°To protect the research center, and Kaon¨¦?¡±


    The Colonel nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. We need to hold this place for as long as we can. Though, at the moment, the nanites seem to be focusing their efforts in bolstering that dragon¡­¡±


    ¡°Some of my colleagues ran into a Nanocreature dragon aboard a space station,¡± Luke stated. ¡°According to them, it was able to maneuver around easily even without atmosphere, or artificial gravity. Can we be sure the silver dragon that¡¯s here won¡¯t just fly off into space on its own?¡±


    Petro turned to look at Luke in alarm. ¡°It what? This is the first I¡¯ve heard anything like that!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it could be a real problem, then,¡± Conrad commented flatly.


    ¡°The thing can fly anyways, can¡¯t it?¡± Sky questioned, ¡°why would you think it can¡¯t fly over the barriers between the districts?¡±


    ¡°The energy barriers extend far into the upper atmosphere ¡ª into low orbit, even. It¡¯s impossible for any air-breathing engines or atmosphere-dependent propulsion to reach those altitudes,¡± Petro declared. ¡°But if there¡¯s even the slightest chance that that dragon could fly over the barriers, anyways¡­ damn! We need more people on it¡ª!¡±


    A thundering, echoing snarl ripped through the block, immediately drawing everyone¡¯s attentions to the street behind the Earthians. As soon as the snarl sounded, two silverish feline-like creatures bounded around the corner ¡ª followed swiftly by a massive horned beast, standing nearly two stories tall at the shoulder. Its four legged-run didn¡¯t slow as it leaped against some ruins on the far side of the street to take the corner easier and then continued charging straight at the Earthians and Black Suns, its hooves shifting into clawed paws that raked the ground and left behind long streaks of silver as it approached.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Austin exclaimed in surprise as one of the Black Suns fired off a Chaos Impact, slowing the beast¡¯s charge ¡ª but not stopping it at all.


    ¡°The fight¡¯s even coming to us, now, huh?¡± Conrad muttered as he turned himself invisible.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to drag you into this, Earthians!¡± Petro shouted as the other Black Suns began fighting off the approaching creatures. ¡°But for the sake of this galaxy¡¯s future, this research center needs to hold! And to make that happen, we¡¯ll take all the aid you¡¯ll give us!¡±


    ¡°As much as I dislike it, it seems a little late to say ¡®no¡¯, at this point,¡± Twy remarked, already drawing her bow to aim a silver arrow at the massive beast.


    ¡°This is a shitty situation, but for now, we have to trust the Colonel!¡± Luke declared. ¡°Colonel ¡ª give me a rifle, and I can help! Everyone else ¡ª hold this line for as long as you can!¡±

 V2 - A4 - Chapter 27: Decontamination Chaos

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE CAPITAL OF THE GALAXY


    <hr>


    Chapter 27: Decontamination Chaos


    ¡°Chaos Massive Impact!!¡±


    A large plane of force emerged from Phoenix¡¯s outstretched hand, impacting the silver dragon and staggering it in the air. Nil¡¯kin immediately followed with immensely powerful strikes of lightning, each one brightly illuminating the block as they struck and blasted the dragon¡¯s wings and back. Amidst the sparks, Mark leaped high into the air and then slammed his fists down onto the silver beast¡¯s back, sending it careening toward the ground. It impacted with a thunderous rumble, kicking up an incredible cloud of dust and debris ¡ª dust and debris that Kestrel readily swept away with her winds so as to maintain sightlines on the dragon.


    Even in the split-second that the dragon had been obscured, however, its wounds were already rapidly healing as its constituent nanites converted any nearby matter into more of themselves. Seeing this, Pierce dashed forward and then jumped into the air, aiming to land a mach-speed kick on the beast¡¯s head ¡ª but right as his foot would have connected, the dragon¡¯s metallic body parted around him like liquid. He instead hit only air, his trajectory continuing onward and into the beast¡¯s head, where its metallic body matter then fully reformed around Pierce¡¯s body.


    ¡°Shit! Chaos Cannon!!¡± Phoenix shouted, her projectile aimed at the dragon¡¯s head in an attempt to free Pierce. As soon as the beast detected the projectile, it moved to dodge; it wasn¡¯t able to completely get out of the way, allowing the Cannon shot to scoop out the side of its scalp, but the damage wasn¡¯t enough to free Pierce. Immediately after that, however, Mark¡¯s halberd sliced into the dragon¡¯s head, shearing off a large mass of nanites to expose Pierce¡¯s side ¡ª an opening Pierce readily took advantage of to summon Hastryth and begin hacking away at the nanites around him. In response, the dragon began to reach up with its hands to cover its exposed head, but Kestrel quickly wrapped the beast¡¯s arms in fierce winds as she fought to hold it in place. While she did, Nil¡¯kin repeatedly blasted the dragon¡¯s head with lightning strike after lightning strike, but even her electricity combined with Pierce¡¯s own hacking from within weren¡¯t enough to fight off the silver masses of nanites as they moved like liquid to fill any gaps.


    Before the nanites could close in around Pierce once more, a massive spire of ice suddenly spiked out of the ground underneath the silver dragon, impaling its torso and lifting it off of the ground. Without ground contact, the beast¡¯s rate of creating new nanomachines slowed ¡ª but it still had access to the water molecules within the ice. Even then, however, a shotgun blast of smaller ice spikes shredded through the dragon¡¯s head, exposing more of Pierce¡¯s body to the air. And as soon as he was exposed, a thick layer of ice formed around him and then expanded outwards, effectively blowing up the dragon¡¯s head from the inside to allow Pierce to drop to the ground, newly freed. He immediately leaped away from the dragon before stopping to even out his breathing ¡ª though as he did, portions of his energy shields remained flared.


    Nil¡¯kin readily blasted Pierce¡¯s flared shields with lightning to destroy the nanites that were eating away at them before turning towards the new arrival on the scene. ¡°Finally showing your face, huh?¡± she snarked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Rebehka countered, passing Nil¡¯kin an irate glance before turning toward the Earthians. ¡°What are you all doing here?!¡±


    ¡°We just wanted to help¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°Then be more careful about direct contact! Especially against a Nanocreature construct that¡¯s larger than you!¡±


    ¡°Just follow our lead, and don¡¯t be stupid!¡± Nil¡¯kin declared as she began blasting the dragon with lighting once more, while Rebehka shattered her crafted ice spire with a single thought to shred the dragon from inside.


    ¡°¡­Slashing it is ineffective, and direct contact can trap us¡­¡± Mark muttered as he watched the two women staving off the dragon. ¡°Is there really nothing we can do¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Nanocreatures can make more of themselves as long as they have direct contact with other matter, right?¡± Phoenix pointed out, ¡°so you and Pierce can at least focus on shearing any nanites off of the surrounding ground and buildings! You might not destroy them, but you can hamper their ability to reproduce!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Pierce snorted in frustration as he glared up at the giant dragon, and then snapped his attention to the surrounding area ¡ª where silver streaks covered the entire block. ¡°¡­It¡¯s at least something! But you better not let our work go to waste!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± Phoenix drawled, and then gestured for Kestrel to lift them both into the air as she extended her right hand toward the dragon and shouted, ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!¡±


    The two purple energy projectiles flew through the air toward the silver dragon, but despite being preoccupied with batting away at Rebehka, the dragon¡¯s body parted around the Chaos Cannon projectiles just as it had earlier around Pierce. This time, however, it didn¡¯t clamp down around the projectiles, instead allowing them to careen off into the distance. Kestrel quickly took advantage of the literal opening to begin rushing sharp winds through the hole, significantly slowing the beast¡¯s attempts to coalesce itself and allowing Nil¡¯kin to blast its insides multiple times with fierce electrical strikes. Eventually, instead of attempting to close the holes, the beast suddenly melted around them, turning into a massive pile of silver goo that dropped on top of Rebehka.


    Just before she was trapped, the Nimalian Cryotechnic encased herself in a massive spire of ice ¡ª and then exploded the ice outwards, giving herself an opening to escape the pile of nanomachines. She caught herself in the air with a platform of ice and began extending that platform to run to the side, though as she did, two massive arms materialized out of the silver sludge and reached up to grab her. Rebehka readily slapped the arms away with more ice while Nil¡¯kin began a rapid assault of lightning strikes on the spread-out puddle, prompting the nanomachines to coalesce once more into its dragon form to minimize its exposed surface area. As it did, it raked the ground all around it with its claws ¡ª but Mark and Pierce quickly appeared on the scene to slice the leftover silver streaks off of the ruined concrete, while Kestrel¡¯s winds held the nanomachines aloft.


    Once Pierce and Mark had backed off, Rebehka moved to impale the beast with another spire of ice from below. Its torso began to part, just as it had done a couple times prior, but as it did, Rebehka switched to creating a massive sphere of ice all around the beast. Seeing this, the dragon began lashing out with its limbs to crack the ice shell, but Rebehka readily reformed the ice after each crack and fully completed the enclosure within seconds. She then filled any free interior space with more ice, trapping the beast in a massive floating ball of ice ¡ª at which point, she began manipulating the ice to exert an extreme crushing force on the beast contained within. Nil¡¯kin added her own electricity to the ice sphere, running a high voltage all throughout the ice to hinder the nanomachines¡¯ ability to replace it.


    Several moments passed as the two Chaotics continued in their attempts to destroy the massive dragon. The thunderous sound of ice cracking under immense physical pressure echoed down the block, and portions of the dragon¡¯s limbs began turning a charred black as Nil¡¯kin¡¯s high voltage within the ice forced more current through the nanomachines than they could handle. But then, a second later ¡ª with no warning, and faster than anyone could react ¡ª a thin spire of silver metal exploded out of the ground, effortlessly blasting through the ice shell to connect with the dragon inside. As soon as the new hole was created, nanomachines began flooding out to cover the ice shell¡¯s surface; Rebehka attempted to encase even those nanites in ice, but each time she did, another silver spire would appear out of the ground to foil her efforts.


    ¡°It keeps finding ways to escape!¡± Phoenix exclaimed with a scowl. ¡°How do we stop this?!¡±


    ¡°The nanites must be underground, too,¡± Mark pointed out from the side. ¡°And who knows how much they¡¯ve corrupted, down there¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what¡¯s the actual plan, here?¡± Pierce questioned as he appeared next to Mark and Phoenix. ¡°We can¡¯t just keep this up forever!¡±


    ¡°That was never the plan,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered, still primarily focused on pumping high voltages through Rebehka¡¯s entrapping ice while she addressed the Earthians. ¡°You think you can contain an outbreak of this severity? Ha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve trapped these beasts in ice, before, but this time¡­ this time¡­!¡± Rebehka said, her brow furrowed in frustration as she continued fruitlessly to contain the massing nanomachines. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ changed?!¡±


    ¡°Hold up, though ¡ª what?¡± Pierce passed Nil¡¯kin an incredulous look. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say just earlier that the only way to stop this thing is to obliterate it completely? Are we not doing that?¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡± the Dra¡¯kis scoffed. ¡°You thought I meant we would obliterate it? Hardly.¡± She then glanced to the side, where a Black Suns craft was approaching. ¡°The plan was always to delay the beast long enough for the district to evacuate. Though waiting even this long is folly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re evacuating? What?! But what about¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Obliterating the beast is what the orbital cannons are for. In fact, the cannons have already fired on Holres¡¯Ket. At this point, we have less than twenty minutes before impact.¡±


    ¡°How did it come to this, so quickly¡­¡± Rebehka muttered.


    ¡°I told you that searching for a cure was foolish,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°And now look at the district!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, that can¡¯t be the core reason, can it?¡± Phoenix questioned, ¡°an outbreak like this ¡ª I mean, those nanomachines had to come from somewhere! Are you saying that they all just spawned out of thin air when Kaon¨¦ attempted the cure, or something?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to speculate, right now,¡± Rebehka interjected, finally giving up her attempts to actively contain the nanomachines to instead encase the entire block in a massive chunk of ice. ¡°¡­There. That should hold it off for now.¡±


    ¡°And we need to leave,¡± Nil¡¯kin remarked as the Black Suns craft lowered to the ground nearby, while still levitating above it. Fierce streaks of fire covered the vehicle¡¯s doorway ¡ª an incineration bath not unlike the ones found at the district gates. Nil¡¯kin readily leaped through it, the flames washing over her shields as she landed in the vehicle¡¯s shielded interior; Kestrel and Mark soon followed suit.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°This¡­ is this really it?¡± Pierce muttered in disbelief, ¡°it all went to shit so fast! What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be normal¡­ can it?¡± Phoenix mused.


    ¡°Normal ¡ª no,¡± Rebehka replied as she approached behind them and began ushering them into the vehicle. ¡°But as to why this outbreak progressed so quickly, well¡­ there¡¯s no way to know that just yet. The only thing I can know for sure is that the district of Holres¡¯Ket is as good as lost¡­¡±


    <hr>


    *


    Silver streaks of light flashed through the air, the arrows piercing through two of the metallic creatures rushing the research center. The animals staggered under the attacks, but they were ¡ª at this point ¡ª only two of many, and the rest surged forward. While Twy continued to rapidly shoot arrows with her bow, Sky and Spike both pushed forward, the former¡¯s flames washing across the grounds while the latter used his fabricated shields as projectiles. Austin remained in the back line, using his Imperator Psychotechnism to wield his claymore from afar and slash into the oncoming hordes, while Conrad snuck around the sides of the street while invisible to get opportune sneak attacks with his glaive.


    Between the five of them, Luke (who had received a rifle from the Black Suns), and the handful of other Black Suns Chaotics, they had all managed to successfully hold the line at the research center thus far. But the initial horned beast had been only a harbinger, with the hordes rapidly ramping up their attack over time; within the past five minutes, the metallic creatures had begun attempting to close in on the research center from all sides, forcing the Black Suns to spread out and cover the other streets while the Earthians locked down this one.


    ¡°There¡¯s no end to them!¡± Austin exclaimed in disbelief as he recalled his sword to his hands to renew his control over it. ¡°How are we supposed to stop this?!¡±


    ¡°Hate to say it, but I don¡¯t think ¡®stoppin¡¯ it was ever an option,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°All we¡¯re doin¡¯ is delayin¡¯ until Kaon¨¦ can cure that cat thing!¡±


    ¡°Then she better cure it soon ¡ª watch out!!¡± Austin dove towards Spike, punching away a metallic beast just before it could clamp its jaw down on Spike¡¯s leg. Sky immediately bathed the newly obliterated creature in flames before launching herself upwards with a blast of fire to escape a handful of flying beasts diving toward her. She then released a burst of fire all around her to stagger the metallic creatures, allowing Twy and Luke to snipe them all out of the air. As the remnants of the beasts fell to the ground, however, the remaining intact nanomachines melted together to form another whole creature that joined a full swarm en route to Sky. The Pyrotechnic was forced to focus on evasive maneuvers to avoid being overwhelmed; in an effort to relieve her sister, Twy momentarily lowered her bow to trap the creatures swarming Sky in a bubble of water ¡ª only for the nanomachines to begin using the water molecules to create more of themselves. In an attempt to remedy that, Sky quickly began to superheat the water bubble.


    ¡°Wait, no¡ª!!¡± Twy started to shout, her eyes wide in alarm ¡ª but by then, Sky had already detonated the bubble of water in a cloud of steam. White water droplets filled the air, obscuring Sky, Spike, and Austin from sight¡­ all while the steam cloud slowly adopted a silverish metallic gleam. A second later, the cloud rapidly coalesced around the three Earthian Chaotics, almost fully encasing them in the silver liquid-like material of massing nanomachines.


    ¡°I can¡¯t move¡­!¡± Austin muttered as he attempted to move his arms, but the nanites covering his shields locked him in place. He then glanced over at Spike, who was able to resist the nanites through his overbearing strength.


    ¡°Brace yourself!¡± Spike warned as he drew back his fist and then slammed it down over Austin¡¯s head. The force from the blow instantly floored Austin; he himself remained protected due to both his energy shields and simulating Spike¡¯s durability, but the nanomachine shell that had formed around him was mostly shattered off from the impact. Just as Austin made to stand up, however, a massive wolf-like beast pounced on him ¡ª and another two lunged for Spike just as he made to help. Austin quickly summoned his claymore back to his hand and attempted to slash at the beast on top of him, but its paws held down his arms and prevented him from getting a good angle. A second later, however, a massive gash suddenly appeared on the beast¡¯s side, followed by a massive puncture wound. An invisible force then pushed the beast to the side, followed by an unseen hand grabbing Austin¡¯s own and yanking him to his feet.


    ¡°You okay?¡± came Conrad¡¯s voice, though the man himself remained completely invisible.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Austin responded apprehensively, turning to look out over the block. With aid from Twy¡¯s arrows and Sky¡¯s flames, Spike had freed himself from the metallic beasts piling on top of him¡­ but charging down the street were dozens more, a handful of them as large as the massive horned beast that had started the attack.


    ¡°Shit, we can¡¯t hold this¡­¡± Luke muttered, though continued to fire his rifle ¡ª his each and every shot finding its mark on a creature¡¯s head or chest. He then raised his voice to address the other Earthians, shouting, ¡°we can¡¯t hold this any longer! Pull back¡ª!¡°


    Just as the words left Luke¡¯s mouth, the street itself under the approaching hordes leaped into the air and began rolling backwards like a massive rug, catching the metallic beasts and forcing them back. The Earthians watched in confused awe as a shield generator then manifested in front of them, raising a large energy barrier to block the creatures from approaching any closer.


    ¡°It looks like I finished just in time¡­¡±


    ¡°Dean¡­¡± Luke commented, turning around as Kaon¨¦ alighted on the ground behind him ¡ª all while cradling a familiar feline creature. ¡°I take it that was you?¡± the Captain questioned, gesturing toward the street and shield generator.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded warily, looking over each of the Earthians before turning towards Petro and the other Black Suns soldiers, who were rapidly approaching.


    ¡°Dean Densalin! You¡¯re out!¡± Petro exclaimed, ¡°thanks for the assist! As for the sita¡­¡± His gaze dropped to the creature in Kaon¨¦¡¯s arms ¡ª which, conspicuously, was wearing a small set of powered armor. ¡°Was the procedure a success?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°It was. I rescued your monitoring equipment, as well, but I¡¯m not sure how long I can protect it in these circumstances¡­¡±


    ¡°You just single-handedly dealt with an entire fuckin¡¯ army of monsters!¡± Spike remarked incredulously. ¡°With you around, dealin¡¯ with the rest of this shit should be a piece of cake!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that,¡± Petro declared. ¡°The moment we determined this was a Critical Infection Incident, we engaged our last resort protocols.¡±


    ¡°¡­Which means¡­?¡± Austin prompted uneasily.


    ¡°It means that an orbital strike is en route as we speak,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°Once those rounds have been fired, they can¡¯t be stopped. And at this point, we have¡­¡± He paused to look at something on his invisible AR display, and then up at an approaching shuttle. ¡°¡­Just a few minutes to leave, if that.¡±


    ¡°A few minutes?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°So this really was a Critical Infection¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered.


    ¡°How did things get so bad, so quickly?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we can discuss that once we¡¯re in the air,¡± Petro insisted as the shuttle lowered to the ground nearby, its incineration flames pumping full blast over its entrance door. ¡°Everyone in!¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± Luke urged, watching as Austin, Spike, Sky, and Conrad each leaped into the shuttle alongside the Suns. He jumped in after them, followed closely by Petro and then Kaon¨¦, who yanked the shielded Chaotic Monitoring equipment along with her as the shuttle began lifting into the air.


    ¡°Hmph. So you survived, after all.¡±


    ¡°Chaos Knight¡­¡± Petro muttered, turning away from the shuttle¡¯s bay doors to look at Nil¡¯kin ¡ª and then at Rebehka, Pierce, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Mark, who all shared the shuttle. ¡°¡­I see you all made it out just fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to say that, sir!¡± shouted the shuttle pilot from the front. ¡°Everyone, brace yourselves! This is gonna be tight!¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª? Ngh¡ª!¡± Austin began to ask, only to be knocked off his feet as the shuttle suddenly accelerated into a climb. As the shuttle¡¯s bay door closed, the ruins of Holres¡¯Ket ¡ª as well as the scars of recent battle damage ¡ª could be seen shrinking with distance. And then, before the door could close completely, the thunderous roar of a monumental explosion filled the air, accompanied by a bright flash of light through the shuttle¡¯s closing door. Kaon¨¦ quickly fabricated thick sound-proofing to dampen the deafening sound, but the shuttle itself still rocked under the shockwaves ¡ª and then twice more, as two more orbital rounds slammed into the grounds of Holres¡¯Ket.


    ¡°Whoa-ho!¡± Luke whooped as the shuttle rocked under turbulence that would have downed any commercial airliner. ¡°¡­Now that sure was somethin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­¡± Twy grasped at her chest, attempting to slow her panicked breathing as the shuttle began to level out.


    ¡°That was¡­ ugh¡­¡± Conrad groaned in discomfort. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ never do that again.¡±


    ¡°There is plenty about this situation that I¡¯d like to not do again, but the orbital bombardment is not one of them,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°It was an objectively necessary measure.¡±


    ¡°Those rounds still came in a little hot, didn¡¯t they?¡± Rebehka questioned as she glanced at Petro. ¡°I thought we had another few minutes.¡±


    Petro returned the glance before releasing a deep sigh. ¡°¡­I share many of your questions, Dean Tchir¨¦on,¡± he eventually replied. ¡°What happened today¡­ none of it should have happened.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Nil¡¯kin asserted. ¡°If you had simply bombarded the district from the start and just rebuilt the whole thing, this situation would never have happened! You can believe that¡¯s going in my inspection report!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant¡­ but we can save that for the postmortem,¡± Petro responded levelly, though it was clear from his frustrated expression that he was holding back. ¡°I only request that you hold off on submitting your report until we can complete the postmortem, Chaos Knight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll grant you that, but only because I¡¯d like to see what kind of excuses the Black Suns come up with.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no denying that what happened here is bad, though¡­¡± Phoenix commented. ¡°And we really don¡¯t know how it happened so fast?¡±


    ¡°As I said¡­ we¡¯ll have to save these questions for the following investigation,¡± Petro said. He then shifted his attention to Kaon¨¦, and the feline she was still cradling in her arms. ¡°But at least it wasn¡¯t for nothing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Was the cure a success, then?¡± Rebehka questioned.


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need a proper sweep with a nanite sensor to be sure¡­ but it would seem that, yes, I managed to remove all of the nanomachines within the poor animal¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Mark commented with a faint smile.


    ¡°Pah,¡± Nil¡¯kin scoffed. ¡°This all started because of that cure attempt. Colonel, do you really think sacrificing an entire district was worth the life of this one¡­ useless feline?¡±


    ¡°I gotta say, it does seem like kind of a high price¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Something else must have gone wrong along the way,¡± Petro insisted. ¡°Our captured specimens grew aggressive when Dean Densalin began the procedure, that much is true. But that aggression can¡¯t explain how the nanomachines escaped our containment measures, which were explicitly designed to handle this kind of aggression.¡±


    ¡°Already spinning up excuses, I see,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m inclined to agree with him,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°The metallic infection is incredibly dangerous, there¡¯s no doubt about that. But I¡¯ve never once seen a containment facility lose control of a situation this quickly without some manner of outside interference.¡±


    ¡°Like when the Bleeders attacked your Academy?¡± Sky suggested.


    Rebehka nodded. ¡°Yes, like that. Colonel, do you have any idea what that outside interference could¡¯ve been?¡±


    Petro remained silent for a couple moments, as if in thought. Eventually, he replied, ¡°¡­I have a couple of ideas, but at the moment, they¡¯re no better than speculation ¡ª and thus, don¡¯t bear voicing.¡±


    ¡°Even if we assume foul play, the increased aggression itself was still caused by your cure attempt,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared. ¡°Don¡¯t try to avoid that, Colonel. This district was lost due to your selfish desire to save one worthless animal!¡±


    ¡°No life is worthless, Chaos Knight,¡± Petro countered. ¡°This cure, and the information we¡¯ll have gained from it, will be incredibly valuable in fighting off the Nanocreatures in the future. We may have lost Holres¡¯Ket in the process, which will certainly set us back¡­ but if I woke up this morning, with all the knowledge of what happened today, then I would still do it again. Because this is the best path to saving as many people as possible in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡¯The road to hell is paved with good intentions¡¯¡­¡± Twy warily quoted.


    ¡°As if you couldn¡¯t say the same about Ms. Bomb Everything From Orbit,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°You deride me now,¡± Nil¡¯kin snapped, ¡°but the Suns could¡¯ve saved themselves a lot of time, money, and energy if they had just started with a bombardment!¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what could have been done, what¡¯s happened today is over,¡± Kaon¨¦ stated, fixing Nil¡¯kin with a glance before slowly sweeping her gaze across everyone in the shuttle. ¡°¡­But what we can say is that we¡¯ve cured another animal, and made more progress in, hopefully, developing a cure. Everything aside from that, however, will have to wait for later ¡ª there¡¯s little to be gained from arguing right now. So let''s just rest until we reach the space station, okay? After what happened today, I think we¡¯ve all earned it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with rest,¡± Conrad remarked as he made himself comfortable in one of the shuttle¡¯s seats.


    ¡°And just like that, everything ends as quickly as it started¡­¡± Austin muttered to himself as the shuttle grew quiet, with everyone withdrawing into their own thoughts while awaiting their arrival at the space station in orbit. ¡°And this isn¡¯t even the worst that the Nanocreatures have. What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?¡­¡±

 V2 - Arc 5: Nimalian Developments - Chapter 28: Life in the Wastes

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 5 ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 28: Life in the Wastes


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Skydia, Colyath 15, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Ugh¡­ so much damn work¡­¡±


    With a frustrated sigh, Dav¨ªdrius sat back in his office chair, his attention drifting across the contents of his dreary office. A lone window occupied much of the wall behind him, allowing bright midday sunlight to scatter across the room and the myriad text-covered papers laying within. The Dean¡¯s desk in particular was covered in both paper reports and dull holograms; while Kaon¨¦ had long ago created computers for use in Compound Tresnon, most of Tres¨¦d still used paper and other hard media for reports and record-keeping. Most of Tres¨¦d didn¡¯t have the kind of energy security that Tresnon did, after all, and they couldn¡¯t afford to leave key information on a computer¡¯s hard drive that they might lose access to at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Compounding the issue of masses of paper on his desk was the fact that Dav¨ªdrius was still trying to work with nearby Compounds to assess the Bleeder threat. The Hunger¡¯s Bane attack was just over two and a half weeks ago, but even in that time, Dav¨ªdrius didn¡¯t know much more than he did just after the attack. It seemed almost as though the Bleeders that had shown up to attack Tresnon had simply disappeared into the ether after leaving. Where could they have gone, and who were they getting their technology from ¡ª these two key questions remained unanswered, despite Dav¨ªdrius and the Tresnon Defense Force¡¯s best attempts otherwise.


    ¡°And now Str¨¦n¡¯s back, too¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered with a scowl. In an irritated huff, he stood up from his desk and turned to stare out the window, hoping to distract himself by watching the campus grounds of WCU. He could see several students milling about in the courtyard, occupying themselves with their lunches ¡ª a sight that reminded Dav¨ªdrius that he had yet to eat.


    Knock knock.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said, glancing behind himself at the closed door to his office. Shortly after his words, the door opened and Kar¨ªsah stepped through, two bags in hand.


    ¡°I brought lunch,¡± she remarked, and then tossed one of the bags to Dav¨ªdrius.


    The Velocitechnic readily snatched the bag out of the air and began rummaging around inside. ¡°Thanks,¡± he replied, grabbing a sandwich from within the bag and taking a huge bite. Amidst chewing, he continued, ¡°you know you don¡¯t have to do this every day, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk and eat¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Dav¨ªdrius swallowed before passing Kar¨ªsah an annoyed look. ¡°Now you¡¯re gonna get on my ass about manners, too?¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦ and Christean¨¦ both asked me to watch out for you,¡± Kar¨ªsah replied with a smile as she sat in a chair in front of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Ah, those meddling fucks¡­ but don¡¯t think I ain¡¯t noticed that you dodged my question.¡±


    ¡°You ask me that question every day. My answer hasn¡¯t changed, I like bringin¡¯ you lunch. Besides, you didn¡¯t even have your own, did you?¡±


    ¡°I coulda gotten somethin¡¯ from the town. Things¡¯re different right now, anyways.¡± Dav¨ªdrius took another bite of his sandwich as he turned to look out the window again, this time at the practice fields on the far side of the campus. In the midday light, a handful of students were using the fields to practice with their abilities. ¡°Your team got accepted to the ACT. Hell, you¡¯re supposed to leave for Riverana, tomorrow. Why ain¡¯t you eatin¡¯ lunch with your team?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not really much to talk about¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah responded, finally taking out her own sandwich as she did. ¡°We aren¡¯t really friends, I¡¯m just teamin¡¯ up with ¡®em¡­¡±


    ¡°That attitude is why y¡¯all ain¡¯t friends,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered, turning around to look at Kar¨ªsah. ¡°How many times¡¯ve I told you? You wanna make friends, you actually gotta go talk to ¡®em, spend time with ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Says the one who avoids social activity like a plague.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and have you seen how few friends I have?¡± the Dean retorted. ¡°¡­Still. You sure you¡¯re fine with this? Seems like you spend half your free time with me. Don¡¯t you got any other friends to hang out with?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah didn¡¯t verbally respond, instead taking a bite out of her sandwich as she diverted her gaze from Dav¨ªdrius.


    He released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­Right. Sorry for askin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah replied. ¡°Most of the students just get intimidated by me, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Intimidated?¡± Dav¨ªdrius scoffed. ¡°By a big softie like you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still one of the Elite Six, to everyone else. And I was raised by you, a Tres¨¦dian Hero, too.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Hero¡¯ my dirt-damned ass, half the folks on this continent couldn¡¯t give two shits about me. And the other half sure ain¡¯t showin¡¯ me any favor. Still¡­ I guess some kids would be intimidated by you constantly eatin¡¯ lunch with the Dean of the fuckin¡¯ school.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be it, though. All of the other Elite Six, despite bein¡¯ assholes¡ª¡°


    ¡°Li¨¦hdan isn¡¯t an asshole.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about the others. My point is that they still got plenty of folks approachin¡¯ ¡®em, even though they¡¯re unpleasant people. I know Tres¨¦dians are different, but I think you just ain¡¯t givin¡¯ folks enough credit. I bet some of the students would love to get to know you. Your ACT teammates especially!¡±


    ¡°Maybe... but the other Elite Six have more goin¡¯ for ¡®em, like their looks. Me, I¡¯m just¡­ I¡¯m tall, especially for a girl, and really muscular, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s a bad thing. I think bein¡¯ tall is great! Hell, Selind¡¯s just as tall as both of us, and she seems just fine.¡±


    Kar¨ªsah stared blankly at Dav¨ªdrius before shaking her head and taking another bite of her sandwich.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± the Dean questioned in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Is this some woman thing? I don¡¯t do very well with that kinda subject¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. Ain¡¯t my fault I¡¯ve been too busy for relationships and shit. You better learn from me, Kar¨ªsah ¡ª don¡¯t take on too many responsibilities, or you¡¯ll be single for life!¡±


    ¡°Responsibilities¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah echoed, her attention dropping to the heaps of paper that covered Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s desk. ¡°Speakin¡¯ of¡ª¡°


    ¡°The Bleeders ain¡¯t your problem to deal with,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared.


    ¡°How¡ª how did you know I was gonna ask about the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°I done spent over a decade lookin¡¯ after you, I can read you just fine. I bet you wanna offer to drop out of the ACT, too, to stick around here and help protect the place?¡±


    ¡°¡­I admit, the thought¡¯s crossed my mind¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it. I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you, Kar¨ªsah, this ain¡¯t your problem to deal with. You¡¯re still a student. Don¡¯t feel like you gotta be responsible for all this shit.¡±


    ¡°But you were fightin¡¯ the Bleeders at a much younger age than I am, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and my whole damn point is I don¡¯t want the same for you ¡ª or for any of the students here, for that matter. I founded WCU and started up the Bleeder Reformation Program to stop people from havin¡¯ to fight for their lives.¡±


    ¡°But on Hunger¡¯s Bane¡ª¡°


    ¡°Look, I know you¡¯re concerned, and I appreciate that. And I¡¯ll admit that the Bleeder problem is, uh¡­ bigger than I expected. But Tresnon is on top of it. Selind and the Defense Force are lockin¡¯ things down, and Kaon¨¦ comes back tomorrow. Hell, Kaon¨¦ on her own could take on an entire army by herself. So don¡¯t worry about us, got it?¡±


    Kar¨ªsah eyed Dav¨ªdrius doubtfully. A few seconds later, however, she diverted her gaze and sighed deeply. ¡°Alright¡­ if you say so.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now if only I could get Relia and those Earthians to agree, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Relia can take care of herself, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, until she ain¡¯t. Solo acts rarely turn out well, in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Then again, ain¡¯t like couples do much better, either. Not when they wander like Relia does. Maybe she¡¯d settle down in Tresnon if she had a reason to, though.¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Kar¨ªsah muttered, only to notice that Dav¨ªdrius was giving her a knowing look. ¡°¡­W-what?¡±


    ¡°Eesh¡­¡± The Dean sighed and shook his head. ¡°That part of you is just like how I was when I was your age.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about, Relia isn¡¯t¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you, though. Don¡¯t be me, don¡¯t be single for life.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even middle-aged yet, you still have plenty of time¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need one of my own students cheerin¡¯ me up,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted with a scowl. ¡°And don¡¯t think I ain¡¯t noticed you tryin¡¯ to change the subject. But, fine. We can talk about somethin¡¯ else.¡± He then shoved the final bits of his sandwich into his mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing loudly. ¡°¡­You ready for the ACT, and Riverana?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m all packed, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re askin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s more than that! You¡¯ve never been to Riverana before, so this is your chance to see the sights! Anika is a damn impressive city, and you¡¯re gonna be spendin¡¯ five weeks there!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only five weeks if my team makes it to the finals.¡±


    ¡°And I have faith that you will. Those elite bitches from those other schools ain¡¯t got shit on you.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but Cart¨¦rius and Derynii are in, this year¡­¡±


    ¡°You just gotta have a little faith in yourself,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Maybe a little fightin¡¯ dirty, too. I know both of those fucks have a dozen different triggers you could pull to set them off. That Sm¨¦than idiot, too.¡±


    ¡°Are you really supposed to be insultin¡¯ students from other schools? And encouragin¡¯ me to push their buttons?¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t tellin¡¯ you to make ¡®em go Berserk or anythin¡¯, sheesh. But half of fightin¡¯ a Chaotic is findin¡¯ weaknesses not just in how they fight, but also in how they think.¡±


    ¡°I guess. I still don¡¯t think that pissin¡¯ off Cart¨¦rius or Derynii would go well, though.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a Duratechnic, you¡¯d be fine. Anyways, we¡¯ve gotten away from the main point. I better not hear that you spent all your time in Anika cooped up in your room, got it? You better get out and see the sights. Especially that big ass waterfall they got! Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ like that in Tres¨¦d! And just how clean the city is, too, like, damn¡­¡±


    The rest of the lunch break went on without issue, as Dav¨ªdrius and Kar¨ªsah continued in idle conversation.


    <hr>


    That Evening


    ¡°Overdrive: Wanderer.¡±


    After uttering those two words, Relia silently disappeared from her position in the sandy wastes of Tres¨¦d, only to immediately reappear atop the walls of Compound Tresnon. Post-sunset twilight obscured her presence, allowing her to teleport again without anyone noticing her arrival in the Compound. Barely two weeks had passed since she left, but she made no attempts to announce her presence to anyone as she continued to silently teleport through the Compound a few hundred meters at a time.


    Half a minute later, she appeared atop one of the buildings along the Compound¡¯s coastline. The two-story building provided a vantage point over Mirage Lake, while still being somewhat isolated from the busy Market Street; the businesses in Relia¡¯s immediate vicinity had just finished closing for the day, leaving the area quiet. Still, Relia carefully surveyed the area around her, crouching down and pulling her cloak around her to minimize her profile. While the purple designs embroidered upon Relia¡¯s otherwise beige cloak were obvious from up close, they were surprisingly good at breaking up her profile at a distance, especially in the dimming light of dusk and the sandy wastes of Tres¨¦d. When combined with her short stature, tanned skin, and dark (albeit fluffy) hair, she was rather hard to spot in the dim twilight.


    After determining that there truly was no one else around her, Relia wordlessly teleported once more, this time to a series of stone monuments built on a small pier over the lake. With a somber expression on her face, she quietly approached one of the monuments, upon which a massive list of names was carved. Immediately, with only the kind of speed that one who had visited the monuments before could match, Relia¡¯s gaze honed in on one name amongst the massive list: ¡°Austilad Condsa.¡±


    Her attention lingered on the name for several moments, her lips pursed, and her brow furrowed. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, at which point she stepped up next to the monument and extended her hand over the water below the pier. Slowly, she opened her closed fist, allowing a small pile of sand held in her palm to sift down into the water below.


    ¡°I knew I¡¯d find you here.¡±


    Relia remained as she was, allowing the sand in her hands to fall away ¡ª but on her face she wore a distinctly irritated expression. ¡°¡­Mother,¡± she eventually commented, though she never once looked behind herself as Selind walked up the pier.


    ¡°How cold,¡± Selind remarked with a smirk, though the typical levity in her tone was gone. She stopped in front of the monument herself, running her left hand across the same name that Relia had spotted earlier, only to then adjust the strap of her gun and step up next to Relia. A second later, she held her right hand over the water, just as Relia had, and let the sand within slowly fall into the lake.


    Relia briefly eyed her mother¡¯s hands before turning around to leave.


    ¡°Really? Not gonna say anything?¡±


    Relia stopped in her tracks, only to finally turn to face Selind straight-on. ¡°What is there to say?¡± she questioned, her voice strained.


    ¡°Maybe a ¡®hello¡¯? Or a ¡®how¡¯re you doin¡¯?¡± Selind replied, her arms crossed as she turned away from the waters to look at her daughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Selind released a weary sigh. ¡°¡­You really have done this every year, though, ain¡¯t you? And you never told me once.¡±


    ¡°And why would I?¡± Relia countered. ¡°I¡¯m here to remember father, and that¡¯s it. I can¡¯t waste time here, or the Bleeders will keep harrassin¡¯ folks out in the wastes.¡±


    ¡°¡­Heh. Don¡¯t think you can get insults like that past me. I¡¯ve done more to stop the Bleeders here than I ever would¡¯ve out there in the wastelands.¡±


    ¡°To stop the Bleeders from attackin¡¯ Tresnon, maybe. But what about the rest of Tres¨¦d? They need help, too ¡ª and father knew that.¡±


    Selind remained silent for several moments, her lips pursed. Eventually, she responded, ¡°don¡¯t think like you knew your father better than I did. We both knew that stoppin¡¯ the Bleeders meant more than just fortifyin¡¯ Tresnon, obviously. But we also knew that stoppin¡¯ the Bleeders is somethin¡¯ that Tres¨¦d needs to do together. Leavin¡¯ every Compound for themselves is how the Bleeders got to be so bad of a problem, in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you spend all your time in one place? Why aren¡¯t you helpin¡¯ the rest of Tres¨¦d?¡±


    ¡°If you think Tresnon ain¡¯t helpin¡¯, then you ain¡¯t lookin¡¯. And if you ain¡¯t lookin¡¯, then what the hell are you wanderin¡¯ for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lookin¡¯ for the Bleeders. I¡¯m lookin¡¯ to stop ¡®em, to protect the folks who can¡¯t protect themselves. I don¡¯t think you know how grim it is out there, mother¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know exactly how grim it is out there!¡± Selind snapped, fury briefly flashing across her features as she glared down at Relia. ¡°I¡¯ve been livin¡¯ in these dirt-forsaken wastelands for my entire damn life, for some forty some-odd years. I know how shit things are, here. Your father died because of that, you know ¡ª hell, because of me. I was the one who suggested we visit Compound Anktsan, to talk about what the Tresnon Defense Force could do for ¡®em. I was the one who convinced your father to come along, despite him usually bein¡¯ in charge of behind-the-scenes type stuff.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    A heavy silence fell over the two for several seconds, with Selind diverting her gaze and scratching her head, as if trying to process her thoughts. Eventually, she continued, ¡°¡­I should¡¯ve been the one to die at Anktsan. But I wasn¡¯t. Despite all that, though, Anktsan managed to fight off the Bleeders, with the help of the other Defense Force members we¡¯d brought with us. ¡­Ah, what am I even sayin¡¯, you already know all this shit¡­¡±


    ¡°You should¡¯ve brought me with you,¡± Relia insisted. ¡°If I had been there, then maybe¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You were 16!¡± Selind countered incredulously. ¡°Your father and I weren¡¯t about to drag you into the middle of danger! We¡¯d been workin¡¯ for years and years to make it so young folks like you wouldn¡¯t have to get into fights.¡±


    ¡°Father wasn¡¯t even a Chaotic. Neither are you, but at least you know how to use a gun. How was he more qualified for that trip than me? Not once have you ever given me a good answer!¡±


    ¡°My answers are plenty good, you just ain¡¯t old enough to appreciate it, yet. Instead, you run off into the wastes, like you¡¯re spittin¡¯ on everythin¡¯ Austilad and I worked for!¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m the one spittin¡¯ on that?!¡± Relia exclaimed indignantly, ¡°how?! I¡¯m actually out there, fightin¡¯ the Bleeders myself! How long has it been since you last fought or killed a Bleeder, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hunger¡¯s Bane aside ¡ª the entire point of the work I¡¯m doin¡¯ here in Tresnon was so that folks wouldn¡¯t have to fight Bleeders. The reformation program, expandin¡¯ the Defense Force to cover the surroundin¡¯ Compounds¡­ that¡¯s all important work, that makes the Bleeders less dangerous.¡±


    ¡°And yet, we still lost Goresan, and Tresnon itself was attacked! Some good your ¡®reformation program¡¯ is!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t condemn the whole thing on the backs of two idiots! We¡¯ve got dozens, if not hundreds of former Bleeders here in Tresnon, all goin¡¯ on their days and helpin¡¯ out like normal people!¡±


    ¡°And yet, the Bleeders are stronger than they¡¯ve ever been! And instead of tryin¡¯ to get rid of ¡®em, you sit here, welcoming monsters who¡¯ve terrorized the rest of Tres¨¦d!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you think the way to get rid of the Bleeders is to kill every last one of ¡®em? Tres¨¦d has been tryin¡¯ that for generations, and it¡¯s never worked! Don¡¯t tell me that all your wanderin¡¯ has taught you is that continuin¡¯ this endless cycle of violence is the answer to Tres¨¦d¡¯s problems?!¡±


    Another silence set in, this once stiffer than any previous. Selind and Relia¡¯s eyes were locked, both intensely glaring at each other. After a few moments of that, however, they both looked away, in a mixture of shame and frustration.


    ¡°Ah, damn it all¡­¡± Selind muttered. ¡°¡­Just look at us. Imagine if Austilad were here, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably would¡¯ve just shoved dinner in our faces,¡± Relia replied with a bitter smile. ¡°Like he always thought food was a good way to stop an argument¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, he ain¡¯t¡ª he wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. But don¡¯t think I¡¯m stickin¡¯ around for dinner.¡±


    ¡°I know you well enough to not expect that much,¡± Selind responded in resignation. ¡°¡­You really do think your wanderin¡¯ ways will help fix Tres¨¦d, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be doin¡¯ it if I didn¡¯t,¡± Relia declared. ¡°¡­But¡­ I can¡¯t deny that I wasn¡¯t much help at Goresan¡­ or that I wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve been able to stop the Hunger¡¯s Bane attack from happenin¡¯. I¡¯m still too weak¡­¡±


    ¡°¡¯Weak¡¯ is one thing I know you ain¡¯t,¡± Selind countered. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than most, Relia. And¡­ I¡¯m sorry for talkin¡¯ shit about how you do things. I just¡­ well, with how little you¡¯re around, it¡¯s sometimes hard to remember that you ain¡¯t a kid, anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been of age for three years,¡± Relia replied incredulously.


    ¡°Just goes to show how little time you spend in Tresnon!¡± Selind remarked with a smirk ¡ª though the expression quickly faded into a forlorn smile. ¡°I really do miss you, you know. You should visit more often.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Relia looked up at her mother, only to glance away, a pained look on her face. ¡°¡­Can¡¯t. If I stay here for too long¡­ I¡¯ll never leave.¡±


    ¡°You really that afraid of stayin¡¯ in one place for too long?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that if I do that, I¡¯ll forget just what the Bleeders have and can do to Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°You lost your father to the Bleeders,¡± Selind pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, Relia, but that sticks with you. You don¡¯t need to go wanderin¡¯ Tres¨¦d to remember that feelin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, it ain¡¯t good to latch on to that kind of anger. If everyone did that, we¡¯d never have the reformation program here, you know? And that¡¯s helped out way more than either I or Dav¨ªdrius ever expected.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suppose¡­ but¡­ ¡­I can¡¯t stop, not now. Not while there are still other Compounds that could use my help.¡±


    ¡°You have a whole damn list of reasons for why you wander, huh?¡± Selind questioned, and then sighed in resignation. ¡°That¡¯s just like you, though. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to convince you to stick around, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ maybe think about visitin¡¯ more, though. Maybe. If you can stop tryin¡¯ to convince me to stick around, at least.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯ll try, but no promises. I ain¡¯t the only one you gotta worry about, though.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me. We both know Kar¨ªsah¡¯s smitten with you. I also know you¡¯ve managed to dance your way around that, somehow. But you can¡¯t be doin¡¯ that forever. It ain¡¯t fair to either yourself, or to her.¡±


    Relia diverted her gaze uneasily. ¡°¡­I know, but¡­¡±


    ¡°This applies especially if you¡¯re gonna insist on continuin¡¯ that wanderin¡¯ lifestyle of yours,¡± Selind insisted. ¡°You should know well enough how dangerous it is to keep goin¡¯ up against the Bleeders. You should know that if you keep wanderin¡¯ Tres¨¦d, well¡­ you might never get a chance at closure.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve probably thought about this yourself, but I still think you need to actually talk with Kar¨ªsah about this. I don¡¯t actually know how you feel about her ¡ª and I ain¡¯t askin¡¯ you to tell me ¡ª but you¡¯ve got to come to some kind of decision. Accept her feelings, turn her down, I don¡¯t care. Just don¡¯t keep leadin¡¯ her on, especially if you¡¯re gonna keep puttin¡¯ yourself in harm¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°But she¡­ she wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Understand what? Your desire to wander? I doubt that. Don¡¯t forget that she lost both her parents to the Bleeders. And she¡¯s been raised by Dav¨ªdrius, who lost both of his parents to the Bleeders. Kar¨ªsah knows well the kind of pain that Tres¨¦dians face. ¡­Or is that the problem? You think you haven¡¯t suffered enough to be with Kar¨ªsah, since you still have me ¡ª your mother?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ll take your word for it. Either way, though, Kar¨ªsah is one hell of an understandin¡¯ person. I bet she¡¯d even be willin¡¯ to wait for you, if you just actually addressed her feelings.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Just one more question before I drop the subject, though. Kar¨ªsah¡¯s set to leave for Riverana tomorrow, and she¡¯ll be gone for a while. Are you at least gonna go see her?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡­ don¡¯t want to distract her. Not this close to the ACT. It¡¯s only a month, or so, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Selind released a wistful sigh before turning to look out over the waters of Mirage Lake. Dim golden lights from the lakefront to the west skimmed off of the water¡¯s surface, offering the only source of illumination in the dark night. ¡°¡­Well, I can¡¯t force you to do anythin¡¯. Just, keep everythin¡¯ I¡¯ve said here in mind, alright? And try not to get into too much trouble, out in the wastes. I¡¯d hate to lose you.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d hate to be dead,¡± Relia replied. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll think about everything. And¡­ sorry for implyin¡¯ you aren¡¯t takin¡¯ father¡¯s death seriously.¡±


    Selind turned to look at her daughter in surprise, only to find that Relia had already disappeared from the pier. An amused, yet resigned chuckle escaped Selind¡¯s throat as she re-adjusted the gun strapped to her back. She turned to the side, her gaze lingering for a moment on the monument bearing the name ¡°Austilad Condsa¡±. ¡°¡­That daughter of ours really is somethin¡¯ else, ain¡¯t she?¡± she remarked, ¡°although, slippin¡¯ past the Defense Force so easily¡­ that¡¯s a hole we needa patch¡­¡± A moment passed, followed by Selind shaking her head in amusement before turning to walk away from the monuments, leaving the pier silent and empty once more.


    <hr>


    *


    The soft sounds of the waters of Mirage Lake lapping against the piers and lakefront of Compound Tresnon filled the dark evening air, masked only by the crowds that diminished in size with the light. Students and other younger folk remained out, enjoying the night that led into their weekend, but even the noise brought about by that simply mixed with the waves and other crowds over a distance, turning into a serene sort of background noise.


    Gavon sat back in his chair on the far eastern side of the lakefront, distant enough from the main sources of activity to feel at peace, but close enough to hear the sounds of life and take in the sights of others enjoying the start of their weekend. In relaxed comfort, the Black Suns officer slowly finished off his dinner, occasionally tossing scraps into the waters for the nearby fish and birds to take. On the ground to his side was his rifle case; he had just wrapped up a busy day of instructing at WCU, helping out with Defense Force patrols, and then taking some shooting time with Selind. Normally, they would get dinner and a drink together afterwards, but Selind had excused herself tonight to ¡°take care of something personal¡± ¡ª so Gavon was left to eat dinner on his own. Eating alone wouldn¡¯t have been his first choice, but he didn¡¯t mind the serenity of sitting in silence to take in his surroundings, especially given how little time he¡¯d had to do so since the Hunger¡¯s Bane attack over two weeks ago.


    His dinner in serenity came to an abrupt close, however, as a comms alert appeared on his AR display. Upon noticing the individual attempting to contact him, he quickly gestured to open up the comms connection. ¡°Master Captain Gavon Sav¨¦nos, here,¡± he remarked as he casually sat back in his chair again, dividing up the remnants of his dinner into small pieces to begin tossing to the wildlife. ¡°¡­It¡¯s been a while, Krydonin.¡±


    ?You really are too cavalier with names,? replied a stern female voice. ?Most superior officers would have your ass for not greeting them by rank.?


    ¡°Alright, alright, Master Colonel. That better?¡±


    Krydonin sighed, audible even over the audio-only call. ?Sometimes I wonder why I have to interact so frequently with a Master Captain. And then I actually talk to you, and immediately remember why.?


    ¡°Oh come on, Krydonin, you enjoy it! The gulf of power between us is so vast, we don¡¯t even need to keep up the pretenses of rank and address.¡±


    ?You¡¯re still a Black Suns officer, Sav¨¦nos. I¡¯d appreciate it if you acted like it.?


    ¡°Oh, please. My affable demeanor is the entire reason I was assigned to the Schools of Chaos in the first place!¡±


    ?That¡¯s true for many reasons,? Krydonin deadpanned.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Gavon replied, idly flicking pieces of food into the lake and watching the fish eat them up, ¡°what¡¯s the call for? And so late, too.¡±


    ?I suppose it would be late where you are. I only just arrived on Nimalia an hour ago, so I¡¯m still in Nimaliaka Central.?


    ¡°Oh? And what brings you here?¡±


    ?It¡¯s a professional matter ¡ª and for the time being, a confidential one. While I¡¯m here, however, I decided to check in on you.?


    ¡°I see. I take it this is about my recent report.¡±


    ?That, and more. But we¡¯ll start with the report. You mentioned that one of these ¡®Bleeders¡¯ had a cybernetic prosthetic??


    ¡°So say the Deans. I¡¯ve taken a look at the debris they recovered, and it sure looks like part of a prosthetic, to me.¡±


    ?What are the chances it¡¯s a Black Suns model??


    ¡°Straight to the point, eh, Colonel?¡±


    ?Just answer the question, Sav¨¦nos.?


    ¡°Right. Well, there isn¡¯t enough debris to tell ¡ª the bits we have are standard fare, when it comes to prosthetics. There¡¯s one thing I find suspicious, though: according to the Deans, the Bleeder who had this prosthetic had an embedded energy shield to go along with it.¡±


    ?Embedded energy shields aren¡¯t solely a Black Suns feature.?


    ¡°No, but her shields stood up to sustained fighting against three of the Deans ¡ª Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax, Christean¨¦ Kolst¨¦n, and Rebehka Tchir¨¦on. I hear you¡¯ve worked with Hero Machina before, Colonel, so you should have an idea of what that means.¡±


    ?That was two decades ago. However, I understand what you¡¯re getting at. You think this prosthetic really was a Black Suns model, then??


    ¡°I think the chance is too great to overlook. Most other prosthetic manufacturers don¡¯t produce commercial variants with such high shield resilience.¡±


    ?I feared as much. And combined with the fact that these outlaws have Black Suns armor, too¡­ I¡¯ll be direct, Sav¨¦nos. Do you think Sector 2 is involved??


    Gavon fell silent for a moment, his casual demeanor transforming into something more serious as he thought out his next words. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think there¡¯s enough information to say, right now,¡± he eventually replied. ¡°But I¡¯m leaning towards ¡®no¡¯. The Bleeders who had our armor ¡ª they were incredibly blatant about it. That doesn¡¯t sound like Sector 2. If Sector 2 was behind the Bleeders, then I¡¯d expect to see them using Chaos Knights armor and tech, or something along those lines. Something that wouldn¡¯t link people back to the Suns.¡±


    ?That¡¯s what I suspected, as well. It sounds like whoever¡¯s backing the Bleeders ¡ª if there even is anyone ¡ª wants the Nimalians to think it¡¯s us.?


    ¡°Agreed. It¡¯s too early to know who that might be, though. It could be the Chaos Knights, the Light Keepers, hell, it could even be a third party. Our armors and tech are commercially available, after all. It could be anyone behind the Bleeders.¡±


    ?I highly doubt it¡¯s the Light Keepers; secretly backing groups like the Bleeders is the complete opposite of what they do. The Knights, though¡­ well, this is nothing we haven¡¯t dealt with before, as much of a pain in the ass as it might be. At least we can rule out Sector 2, for now.?


    ¡°What¡¯s the word, there? Are they up to anything?¡±


    ?They¡¯re always up to something. But there isn¡¯t much new to tell you about.?


    ¡°What about what happened on Oriciid¡¯kas? I hear we unexpectedly had to bomb an entire district.¡±


    ?So you heard about that¡­ ¡­well, it¡¯s only been two days, so the investigations into how things got so bad have only just begun.?


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that a Sector 2 squad showed up just a day or so before things went to shit. Is that really a coincidence?¡±


    ?It¡¯s too early to say. That Chaos Knight being present throws a wrench in things, too. But I can tell you one thing¡­ the Supreme Commander has already expressed ¡®interest¡¯ in this investigation.?


    ¡°Oh, wonderful. I bet we can all guess the outcome, then: full exoneration for Sector 2, full blame on Sector 1?¡±


    ?The Supreme Commander isn¡¯t daft. He knows that Sector 1 is the only source of goodwill and positive PR that the Black Suns have left, so he isn¡¯t about to torpedo us publicly. I¡¯m sure Sector 2 will be mysteriously absent from the report, however.?


    ¡°This is ridiculous. Are Generals Greant or Sheak going to do anything about this? Why do we keep letting the Supreme Commander walk all over us?¡±


    ?The Generals¡¯ hands are tied. Remember, their positions are as much political as they are military and merit-based. If they give Commander Regek even the slightest reason to replace them without drawing attention from CSA regulators, then he will.?


    ¡°The wonders of politics. But why would the regulators matter, in this case? We had to have tattled on Regek a dozen times by now, and the regulators have done nothing.¡±


    ?I don¡¯t have an answer for that, Sav¨¦nos. There could be a dozen reasons for why the CSA hasn¡¯t said or done anything, chief among them being the fact that they have bigger problems to deal with. Rebuilding their planets, fending off the Drakkars, dealing with increased Riaxen aggression, and now this resurgent metallic infection¡­?


    ¡°So the CSA just doesn¡¯t think Sector 2 is that much of a problem, then?¡±


    ?It¡¯s all just speculation, at this point.?


    ¡°I guess. But it really is all down to us, then, huh? Down to Sector 1 to keep Sector 2 in check, just like always.¡±


    ?It may be harder than ever, but it¡¯s always been our job, regardless. That brings me to the next thing I wanted to ask, though. Are there any signs of Sector 2 activity regarding the Schools of Chaos??


    ¡°Not yet, but I¡¯ve only been here for a month and a half.¡±


    ?Well, our intel says that Sector 2 still wants to put a couple of young Chaotics into the Schools of Chaos. We still don¡¯t know why, but their plans don¡¯t seem to have changed. Do you have any thoughts on that? On if it would even be possible??


    ¡°My thoughts, huh¡­¡± Gavon trailed off idly, resuming his casual stance ¡ª though he took subtle glances all around himself, so as to verify that no one was eavesdropping. ¡°¡­Well, given that the Schools have taken in some Earthian Chaotics, I think it might be easier for Sector 2 to get in a couple of their own than we thought.¡±


    ?I thought the same. Do you know which school the Sector 2 Chaotics would be most likely to enroll in? Will we need to arrange for some kind of transfer for you??


    ¡°I doubt it. The Deans seem to use Wrikax Chaos University as both a testing ground and a place to put people and policies that would be unpopular amongst the general Nimalian public. In that sense, I¡¯m confident that any Black Suns students would end up at WCU.¡±


    ?A harsh assessment. I didn¡¯t take the former members of Hero Machina to care so much for public opinion.?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they have a choice. Founding these Schools of theirs expended all of the political capital they earned from ending the Nanocreature War, so all of their dealings with the NSD and Union government since then have been on their own merits. And I think we both know that these Schools are a threat to the conscription paradigm across the galaxy ¡ª and therefore, a threat to the power of every government and military.¡±


    ?You¡¯re being a little dramatic, but I suppose there is truth there. The Schools are a valuable first step towards ending Chaotic conscription, after all. We need to ensure they remain open. Is their closure really that much of a threat??


    ¡°You have access to more intel than I do, Colonel, but personally, I very much think that it is. Public opinion is on the side of the Deans, at the moment, but there isn¡¯t a doubt in my mind that if the public ever turned on the Deans, then the NSD would use that as an excuse to close the schools and end this little experiment.¡±


    ?And you think that letting foreign students into the Schools of Chaos would be enough to turn the public??


    ¡°The risk is bigger than you¡¯d think. I know most of the galaxy seems to think of us Nimalians as accepting and peace-loving, but the truth is that Nimalian Homeworlders tend to be pretty prideful. There are already rumblings of discontent at the idea of the Schools of Chaos opening enrollment to all Nimalians in the Union, rather than just Homeworlders. Now imagine if those same people knew the Schools were taking in Earthians, or worse, Black Suns? Especially when those admissions aren¡¯t even merit-based? The public would turn on the Deans so fast, it¡¯d make your head spin.¡±


    ?And WCU somehow doesn¡¯t count??


    ¡°Are you kidding? The average Homeworlder couldn¡¯t give two shits about Tres¨¦d or its inhabitants. That¡¯s a big reason why the Bleeders are such a problem. Most Nimalians don¡¯t even think of WCU as a School of Chaos.¡±


    ?Huh. Your assessment of your own kind is harsh.?


    ¡°You only say that because our propaganda has worked. If you don¡¯t believe me, try asking any other Nimalian officer in Sector 1. They¡¯d say the same as me, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ?I see. It sounds like the continued existence of the Schools of Chaos is in a more precarious position than I thought, then.?


    ¡°Yeah. ¡­Well, I¡¯m probably overstating the danger a little. But it¡¯s definitely there.¡±


    ?When you look at things from that angle, though¡­ it sheds a very different light on the new Bleeder aggression that you¡¯ve reported.?


    ¡°¡­I hadn¡¯t even thought of that. Are you saying that someone might be funding the Bleeders to thrash WCU, and force the Deans to ship Tres¨¦dian students to other nations, or something?¡±


    ?It¡¯s a possibility we can¡¯t ignore. Given what I know of the Deans, I very much doubt they would be willing to let Tres¨¦dian students fall behind their peers. Kaon¨¦ Densalin, at the very least, would feel responsible enough to teach them at her own school. But, given what you¡¯ve told me here, and what I¡¯ve heard about Nimalia, myself¡­ inviting Tres¨¦dian students to a Nimaliakian school would turn the public in a worse way than Earthians or Black Suns would.?


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ and if that¡¯s the case, then the Bleeders¡¯ mysterious benefactor could be anyone who has a vested interest in closing the Schools of Chaos, or in maintaining Chaotic conscription. Skies above, it could even be the NSD itself behind the Bleeders!¡±


    ?Let¡¯s not get carried away, now. This is ultimately just speculation.?


    ¡°True¡­ Even so, this makes the situation at WCU much more dire. Surely it¡¯s fine if I alert the Deans about the Sector 2 Chaotics? This kind of thing very much affects them!¡±


    ?You can tell them about our speculation regarding the Bleeders¡¯ benefactor ¡ª that part is only speculation, after all. But your actual purpose there is still Sector 1 confidential.?


    ¡°I can¡¯t even tell them that the Black Suns might want to shove their own Chaotics into the system? I won¡¯t even advise them not to accept¡­¡±


    ?It¡¯s too risky. Sector 2 doesn¡¯t yet know that we have this intel. If we leak it to the Deans, then it could very well make it back to Sector 2 ¡ª and if it did, then they would realize they have an information leak, and close it. We can¡¯t let that happen.?


    ¡°I see the reasoning, but I don¡¯t like it. It feels like I¡¯m constantly lying to the Deans, and to the people of Compound Tresnon.¡±


    ?I know it¡¯s hard, but stick it out, Sav¨¦nos. Remember that you¡¯re there to help keep an eye on Sector 2¡¯s activities. If they really do get some of their own Chaotics into WCU, then you¡¯ll be the one to watch them, the one to guard against any suspicious activity. You¡¯ll be the one in charge of protecting the Nimalians.?


    ¡°I get that, but I can¡¯t really feel good about it if I¡¯m still deceiving the locals. Isn¡¯t Sector 1 supposed to be all about transparency, anyways?¡±


    ?We¡¯re more transparent than the other Sectors by far, but we can¡¯t afford full transparency. Even the Supreme Commander doesn¡¯t want us to be fully transparent.?


    ¡°Since then it would be blindingly obvious that he¡¯s hobbling us?¡±


    ?Among other things. It¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t touched the White Suns, since they¡¯re the only full transparency group we have.?


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Gavon sighed in resignation, watching as the wildlife of the lake gobbled up the last of the treats he had to feed them. ¡°¡­Sometimes, I really wish I could just quit.¡±


    ?And go back to the NSD? You would never.?


    ¡°Ha! You know me well. I really would like to see these Schools succeed, though¡­¡±


    ?You and me both, Sav¨¦nos. As well as most of Sector 1. I have to say ¡ª in my almost two hundred years, the Nimalian Schools of Chaos are the closest this galaxy has ever been to ridding itself of the conscription paradigm. And even this is just a fragile first step.?


    ¡°¡¯Two hundred years¡¯, she says,¡± Gavon scoffed. While Colonel Krydonin was indeed almost 200 years old, that was in SGT, where the years were only 300 days long. In Nimalian or Earthian years, she was closer to 160 years old ¡ª which was still much longer than the Nimalian life expectancy of 120 years, and much shorter than the Siion life expentancy of 250. ¡°Just rub it in, why don¡¯t you.¡±


    ?What can I say, Sav¨¦nos. I¡¯m a Siion. It¡¯s not my fault we live longer than you Nimalians.?


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Still¡­ I ultimately agree with you. And I think the Deans would, too.¡±


    ?That¡¯s good to hear. I have some things I need to tend to soon, though, so this will have to be the end of our chat. Is there anything else to report, Master Captain??


    ¡°Nothing else, Krydonin. Don¡¯t you worry ¡ª I¡¯ll do my best to keep showing the good side of the Suns to the Earthians and the locals. And I¡¯ll do my best to protect WCU and the other Schools of Chaos, swear to the skies.¡±


    ?You Nimalians and your skies. But I appreciate it. Be careful, Sav¨¦nos. The future of our galaxy is looking turbulent, at best. Master Colonel Sinstis Krydonin, out.?


    ¡°Turbulent, at best, she says¡­¡± Gavon muttered to himself after the call had cut out, leaving him to idly look out over the dark waters of Mirage Lake, and the endless star-speckled night skies above. ¡°¡­I hope you¡¯re wrong, Krydonin. But I somehow doubt you will be¡­¡±

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 29: A Return from Danger

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 29: A Return from Danger


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Monday, January 16, AD 2130 ¡ª


    ¡°Colonel! You¡¯ve returned!¡±


    ¡°That we have¡­¡± Saito responded, stopping in the hallways of SERRCom¡¯s Opportunity space station to address Director Scott MacTavish, who had just approached. Saito ¡ª as well as Hackett, Kirstin, Mote, Kate, and Danielle ¡ª had only just disembarked from Genesis after arriving back at Earth, and were now barely a few halls out of Opportunity¡¯s giant spacecraft docks.


    ¡°Do you need something from us, Director?¡± Hackett questioned as she shifted the pack on her shoulder that carried all of her gear.


    ¡°Well, yes and nae,¡± Scott replied, looking over the entire group in interest. ¡°You¡¯re all back sooner than expected ¡ª given ye went tae check out one of the Dreadnought coordinates, I figured that meant something exciting had happened, or some new incredible discovery!¡±


    ¡°We sure did find something, at least!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°Glad tae hear it!¡± Scott responded while rubbing his hands eagerly. ¡°What¡¯d ye find, then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple, Director,¡± Saito said. ¡°We found an Ark ¡ª an Aldredian Ark, meant to hold a ton of Aldredas in stasis. But there weren¡¯t any Aldredian survivors.¡±


    ¡°The AI in charge of the Ark also attacked us,¡± Mote declared. ¡°I was forced to defend myself. As a result, the Ark was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°She also wreaked havoc on Mote¡¯s armor and Raenaros,¡± Kate stated as she held up the rhomboid containing Mote¡¯s armor in frustration. ¡°Not to mention trying to hack the Genesis!¡±


    ¡°My¡­ cannae say I expected tae hear that!¡± Scott remarked. ¡°There ¡ª there was an AI, ye say? And ye got tae talk tae it?¡±


    ¡°W-we did¡­¡± Kirstin replied.


    ¡°It was¡­ very enlightening, regarding the Aldredians¡¯ general attitudes,¡± Hackett added with a pained expression.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Scott exclaimed, ¡°a sapient AI, then? We¡¯ve yet tae figure that out, ourselves! Fascinating!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a machine, at the end of the day,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°And don¡¯t forget that it attacked us.¡±


    ¡°I suppose. Cannae imagine it gave ye much trouble, though. I¡¯m more concerned about your armor and the Corvette. Two advanced pieces of tech, and this AI still hacked them? I mean, I suppose they are Aldredian¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was a hack. It seemed more like the AI just took direct control.¡±


    ¡°Which is pretty fucking concerning on its own,¡± Kate pointed out. ¡°If Aldredian AIs can just hijack this Raen tech shit, then that¡¯s a massive fucking security issue!¡±


    ¡°Should¡¯ve known there would be downsides to this powerful technology,¡± Hackett said.


    ¡°We already knew there were: the gene lock,¡± Mote stated. ¡°And after talking to that AI, we know now that the gene lock really was intentional. A truly arrogant, foolish design.¡±


    ¡°Sae that really was intentional, then? Interesting,¡± Scott remarked. ¡°I wish I¡¯d had the chance to pick the brain of that AI!¡±


    ¡°She really wasn¡¯t all that forthcoming,¡± Saito countered. ¡°But either way, if you want to know more, then you can read my report, or drop in on our debriefing with the General. We¡¯re headed there, now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, nae, I¡¯ll just read the report,¡± Scott replied. ¡°Still¡­ ye say the AI tried to hack Genesis?¡±


    ¡°The Origin, too. Captains Krick and Mendoza say that, on a first glance, Maenikad wasn¡¯t able to get into their systems. But they also said that they¡¯ll need time for a thorough scrub here on Earth to be sure.¡±


    ¡°That is protocol for responding tae cyberattacks like this. And when dealing with an advanced Aldredian AI, we¡¯ll have tae be even more careful! But¡­¡± Scott glanced toward Mote, and then at the rhomboid device in Kate¡¯s hands. ¡°If the AI took control of the armor and the Corvette as well, then we¡¯ll have to scrub those, tae.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But why?¡± Danielle questioned, ¡°the hacking happened days ago, and the AI was destroyed with the Ark! Right?¡±


    ¡°M-might still be, um, malware¡­¡± Kirstin pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, the hacking itself was days ago, but who knows if the damned bitch left malware or a kill switch or something in the systems,¡± Kate said. ¡°I snooped around myself on the way back, but you can only be sure if you scrub the systems from an external source.¡±


    Scott nodded. ¡°Exactly. Genesis, Origin, the armor, the Corvette ¡ª they¡¯ll all need to be scrubbed. Unfortunately, that¡¯s likely to take a month or so, at least.¡±


    ¡°Genesis would¡¯ve needed repairs anyways, since Mote¡¯s Corvette shot up the bay,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Krick will be thrilled to be docked for repairs for a month so soon after his last repair bay trip,¡± Saito quipped. ¡°¡­Either way. This puts a temporary hold on the coordinate investigations.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sae it daes¡­¡± Scott muttered.


    ¡°What? Why?!¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Due to the potential danger of these coordinates, only Genesis and Origin were alloted for investigating them. Smaller ships won¡¯t do, and all of our larger ones are otherwise occupied,¡± Saito replied. ¡°And even then ¡ª given the track record of these coordinates, we¡¯ll need at least one of Mote¡¯s armor or that Corvette to access anything. Until we can use them again, the investigations will have to be paused.¡±


    ¡°Yet another point against the foolish designs of this Raen Technology,¡± Mote muttered.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°In this case, I disagree!¡± Scott remarked. ¡°These Aldredian sites only opening tae specific pieces of Aldredian tech is pretty standard security!¡±


    ¡°At least it means we get a break,¡± Kate said, and then passed Saito a glance. ¡°Maybe we can get some real fucking leave, this time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can swing, but I wouldn¡¯t hold your breath,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°There¡¯s still plenty of work to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fucking bullshit.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is. Either way, I think we¡¯ve stalled here for long enough.¡± Saito nodded toward Scott. ¡°Director. We have a debriefing to get to. I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course!¡± Scott responded as he stepped aside, allowing CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir to continue on down the corridors. The Director then began marching off towards Genesis¡¯s docking bays, eager to take a look into the Battlecruiser¡¯s systems himself.


    <hr>


    ¡ª Isdia, Colyath 16, 8034 ¡ª


    ¡°Alright¡­ we¡¯ve landed. Be careful as you get off, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Back in Tres¨¦d, once more¡­¡± Austin muttered as he began preparing to disembark the landing craft, along with the rest of the Earthians and Kaon¨¦. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be happy to be back¡­¡±


    ¡°Our trip to Oriciid¡¯kas was certainly¡­ sobering,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°I do apologize for dragging you all into that,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, bowing her head apologetically towards the Earthians. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think there would be a Critical Infection Incident¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure seemed like no one did,¡± Pierce snarked.


    ¡°At least the situation was contained, in the end,¡± Luke stated, and then began ushering everyone out of the craft. ¡°But let¡¯s get out of this little aircraft, shall we?¡±


    The next minute passed with everyone disembarking from the small transport craft, stepping out into the dreary heat of Compound Tresnon. Late afternoon sunlight shone down on the Compound¡¯s tiny airport, as well as the two individuals waiting off to the side of the aircraft: Dav¨ªdrius, and Liask. The former remained standing to the side, but as the Earthians all disembarked, Liask eventually approached.


    ¡°Pierce!¡± she exclaimed, drawing his attention just as she walked up to him. With a smile, she remarked, ¡°you¡¯re back! Glad to see you¡¯re lookin¡¯ okay!¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡± Sky began to ask, but before she could finish, Liask had latched onto Pierce¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Liask,¡± she commented. ¡°And I¡¯m Pierce¡¯s girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°Wait. What?!¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Uh¡­ ha, yep! That¡¯s right!¡± Pierce replied, quickly overwriting the confusion in his voice with his typical confidence. He then leaned toward Liask and lowered his voice so that only she could hear, saying, ¡°you¡¯re, uh¡­ you¡¯re really committed to this, huh?¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯d help you win, right?¡± Liask whispered back. ¡°That means I gotta be convincin¡¯! Your friends won¡¯t believe you if I¡¯m not, right?¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you two whispering about?¡±


    Pierce and Liask both turned toward Phoenix, who was regarding the couple with an annoyed glare.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen you around with Pierce, before¡­¡± Phoenix muttered as her gaze lingered on Liask. ¡°He didn¡¯t trick you into this, did he?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Trick¡¯?! Oh, come on,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Are you really so jealous that you need to come up with excuses, now?¡±


    ¡°What do you see in him¡­?¡± Twy questioned toward Liask.


    ¡°¡­Oh, you know¡­¡± Liask replied, glancing up at Pierce before turning back to Twy. ¡°He¡¯s just, you know¡ª¡°


    ¡°Ahem! Anyways!¡± Pierce cut in, ¡°enough about me! C¡¯mon, Liask, let¡¯s leave these losers be.¡±


    ¡°Uh, right!¡± Liask remarked as Pierce began leading her off. She offered a brief wave towards the Earthians before the couple left the airport.


    ¡°¡­Since when did Pierce not like talking about himself?¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°I was just wondering the same,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°This is just¡­ ugh,¡± Phoenix groaned in frustration. ¡°Damn it, coming back from that shit show on Oriciid¡¯kas was bad enough, now¡­ I need something to raise my spirits. Conrad! Kestrel! We¡¯re going to the bar!¡±


    ¡°¡¯We¡¯¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ¡®we¡¯! Don¡¯t drag your feet, let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°¡­Welp,¡± Conrad muttered, watching Phoenix storm off. He then glanced up at Kestrel, who returned the look blankly. With a resigned shrug, Conrad then began following after Phoenix, with Kestrel tagging along beside him. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll see you guys later,¡± he shouted back at the rest of the group.


    ¡°¡­At least they¡¯re going back to normal, I suppose,¡± Mark commented after Conrad and Kestrel had left.


    ¡°It¡¯s like they don¡¯t even care about what happened at Oriciid¡¯kas,¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ commented, briefly eying Dav¨ªdrius as he finally approached before turning back to the Earthians. ¡°This kind of situation is unfortunately common for Chaotics. I¡¯m not about to tell you to forget what you saw on Oriciid¡¯kas, but you also can¡¯t allow it to dominate your thoughts. If you let every incident do that, you¡¯ll fall into a spiral of cynical depression.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re makin¡¯ it sound like the galaxy is just a shitty place¡­¡± Spike responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s ¡®cause it is,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked, now in earshot. He soon stopped beside Kaon¨¦ to join the conversation. ¡°Lots of folks in this galaxy try to make it seem like sunshine and rainbows, but the reality is that shit sucks.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ replied in an admonishing tone.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, I ain¡¯t wrong, and you know it. Hell, y¡¯all just got back from another fucking Critical Infection. What¡¯s that tell ya?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard about that, already?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Rebehka filled me in as soon as y¡¯all got back to Nimalia,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered. ¡°She¡¯s already back at her Academy, filin¡¯ through everythin¡¯ that happened on Oriciid¡¯kas, I bet. Still, though¡­¡± He glanced down at Kaon¨¦. ¡°A Critical Infection? Really?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t see the dragon, myself, but Rebehka did. As did Mark, here.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty intimidating, I¡¯ll admit,¡± Mark said. ¡°Is that¡­ common?¡±


    ¡°Common, no,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°But Critical Infection Incidents are starting to occur with increased frequency, recently.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think there¡¯s gonna be another war, do you?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°According to Pallan, we¡¯re supposed to be the ones who make sure that doesn¡¯t happen¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d ignore anythin¡¯ that old bastard says,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°This Nanocreature problem is a problem, sure, but y¡¯all shouldn¡¯t be focusin¡¯ on that right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Bleeders are a lot more relevant to us, aren¡¯t they?¡± Sky pointed out. Immediately, a pained expression crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face, as though he were reminded of a topic he had hoped to forget.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Luke questioned. ¡°I noticed while we were flying in that some of the defenses here seemed beefed up. Did something happen while we were gone?¡±


    ¡°Selind and the Defense Force have been workin¡¯ on the defenses ever since Hunger¡¯s Bane,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out, and then looked at Luke and Mark. ¡°She¡¯s been askin¡¯ over an¡¯ over about when y¡¯all would come back, actually. Apparently, she thinks y¡¯all can help a lot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to live up to that expectation,¡± Mark replied.


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Mark a blank glance. ¡°¡­Right. Still¡­ hate to say it, but somethin¡¯ did happen while y¡¯all were gone. Just last night, we got word that Compound Brukan out west got raided.¡±


    ¡°Brukan¡­? That¡¯s just a day¡¯s drive outside of Tresnon!¡± Kaon¨¦ exclaimed.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied with a scowl. ¡°We¡¯d sent part of the Defense Force over there just a week ago to shore up the place, and they put up a damn good fight. But Str¨¦n and that Feral woman were there.¡± He stopped to take a deep breath before continuing, ¡°in the end, the Bleeders leveled the place¡­¡±


    A heavy silence befell the group in the wake of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t until a couple seconds later that Kaon¨¦ broke the silence, asking hopefully, ¡°were there any survivors?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a few. We took ¡®em in. Selind¡¯s handlin¡¯ gettin¡¯ ¡®em settled here in Tresnon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered. ¡°But¡­ we only rescued a couple hundred. Brukan should¡¯ve had a couple thousand people¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Damn,¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°It seems pretty clear that we need to do something about the Bleeders, and soon,¡± Luke declared. ¡°Deans, what¡¯s the plan, there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m here to talk about,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°You, Kaon¨¦, Mark ¡ª follow me. We need to talk about our anti-Bleeder efforts.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk some about the metallic infection, too, so this works out,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked.


    ¡°What about us?¡± Austin questioned, ¡°this involves us, too, right?¡±


    ¡°The whole point is to not involve you students,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°If we end up needin¡¯ your help, then it means everythin¡¯s gone to absolute shit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Austin,¡± Luke added, flashing a quick smile at his nephew. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this. You and your friends just focus on school, for now.¡±


    ¡°And we need to get goin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted as he turned around and began to leave. Kaon¨¦ quickly followed suit, accompanied by Luke and Mark.


    ¡°Things sure have gotten¡­ exciting, lately, haven¡¯t they?¡± Twy questioned as she watched the four leave the airport.


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to expect, anymore!¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve hoped we could expect safety¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s not what we got,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°¡­But, in the end, it¡¯s like Kaon¨¦ said: we can¡¯t dwell too long on this shit.¡± He then looked over at the other three. ¡°So how¡¯s about we head back to the dorms and play some games?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, I guess we might as well¡­¡± Austin responded as the four finally set out from the airport themselves, leaving the area empty once more.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 30: Gated Revelations

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 30: Gated Revelations


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Tuesday, January 17, AD 2130 ¡ª


    Faint humming from the electrical circuits running through Opportunity¡¯s bulkheads were the only sounds to permeate the corridors. The massive space station ¡ª anchored in geosynchronous orbit ¡ª shared Earth¡¯s 24-hour clock, and the staff on board largely followed that clock. As a result, precious few people were up and about at this early hour of 6 in the morning; many were beginning to stir for the day, and the night crew were preparing to end their shifts, but one person stood out from both groups due to waking up early to work alone in the station¡¯s research labs.


    A yawn overcame Kirstin as she sat at her desk in the back of the research lab. She then shook off the exhaustion and returned her attention to her work, though as early as it was, she couldn¡¯t keep her tired mind from occasionally drifting. For a moment, her thoughts drifted back to her time on Nimalia, at Compound Tresnon. While Tresnon had its own share of frustrations to work with, such as the lack of quality Relaynet access or an inability for Kirstin to access or work on any of her projects due to security concerns, she now realized that she¡¯d had one thing at the Compound that she didn¡¯t on Opportunity: the ability to work alone. Indeed, while on Earth, she was forced to share a lab with other researchers. Due to her position in CSF-1, she was able to claim a desk alongside Scott, Sarah, and Kate, such that she had fewer officemates than the typical researcher ¡ª but three was certainly more than zero. In Tresnon, being able to work without anyone looking over her shoulder, or with minimal interruptions had been a daily blessing. But on Earth, the only way for her to satisfy her desire for both was to wake up early and get to the office before either Scott or Sarah ¡ª who were well-known for being early-risers, themselves.


    And they work so late, too¡­ Kirstin mused as she browsed some file directories on her laptop. It¡¯s either show up super late, or super early¡­ ugh. Tresnon wasn¡¯t great, but at least I could have normal hours, there¡­


    She then glanced to the side of her laptop, at the primary reason she desired to have some time without Scott or Sarah overlooking her: a handful of old harddrives, laid out on the desk and connected to her laptop. The laptop in front of her wasn¡¯t even her main laptop ¡ª it was an un-networked ¡°burner¡± laptop, provided by the ETAA for the purposes of interfacing with unknown, potentially hostile technology. It had no network card, making it physically incapable of connecting to any of the SERRCom networks; this lack of network access made it useful for investigating unknown hard drives and tech without having to worry about malware infecting proper ETAA devices or even the entire ETAA network. While a stringent precaution, Kirstin felt perfectly justified in taking it due to the drives¡¯ source: Sunova.


    Over a month had passed since CSF-1 had helped with the reclamation of Sunova; in the time since, SERRCom teams had been investigating the remnants of the Black Suns camp as well as the old SERRCom base. During that investigation, many pieces of hardware were recovered from the old base and sent back to Earth for more thorough inspection, to see if the technology had been tampered with during the 20 years Sunova had been abandoned ¡ª or if any of it contained sensitive information that needed to be destroyed. Apparently, some of the recovered technology included hard drives containing Scott¡¯s old research from his days on the colony. As such, the hard drives had been delivered to the ETAA main office on Opportunity ¡ª the office where Kirstin worked. And upon seeing the drives, her curiosity had gotten the best of her; here she now was, investigating the contents of a handful of hard drives that she technically shouldn¡¯t have had access to.


    Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anything exciting here, though¡­ she thought to herself as she continued searching through the drives¡¯ contents. Seems like SERRCom was preparing to setup Sunova as some kind of research center, and Dad was one of the first researchers there, working on designing new spacecraft tech. That isn¡¯t really anything I didn¡¯t already know¡­ ¡­huh, it even mentions here how they first stumbled across the Master Ayas, 20 years ago. It was the first time anyone in the galaxy had seen it since the Quake of ¡®88, and the one who found it was¡­ Captain David Shepherd? Wait, that¡¯s the same Shepherd as the Commander of the Ground Forces David Shepherd, right? I¡¯d heard he was on Sunova, but I didn¡¯t know he was the one who found the Ayas¡­


    Kirstin then went on to skim the associated report, finding that it only laid out what she already knew: that the Battlecruiser Genesis spontaneously appeared in orbit at the same moment that Shepherd had touched the Ayas, and that SERRCom then contacted the Nimalians to help figure out what was going on. Hero Machina showed up to investigate, and shortly after that, the entire colony was overrun by the Nanocreatures. The fact that the report listed out so many names familiar to Kirstin ¡ª David Shepherd, Matthew Lead, her own father, Kaon¨¦ Densalin, Dav¨ªdrius Wrikax ¡ª seemed almost surreal to her, especially considering that the 20-year-old report spoke of them like ordinary officers and researchers. It was hard to imagine that the Captains, Researcher, and Lieutenants from 20 years ago would go on to become the General, Commander, Director, and Deans that they were today.


    Novelty aside, however, the report didn¡¯t seem to contain any new information. As such, Kirstin went to close it out and continue looking through the drives ¡ª but stopped when she noticed a seemingly innocuous line right in the middle of the report. When the base on Sunova was attacked by Nanocreatures 20 years ago, the base commander had initially ordered a retreat to Earth through the Interstellar Gate, and as such, the Earth Gate¡¯s coordinate was listed in the report. And each component of the coordinate had only two digits.


    Kirstin stared at the coordinate in confusion. All Gate coordinates that she was aware of came in sets of three numbers, corresponding to a position x, y, and z in space. The lowest-numbered coordinate in the galaxy corresponded to a location in the outer rim, on the far edge of Riaxen space ¡ª but even that coordinate had 6 digits for each of the three dimensions. And since the Gate coordinate grid had a resolution of one light year, and the Milky Way galaxy was 120,000 light years across, even the highest-numbered Gate coordinate still had 6-digit components. It was simply a commonly-accepted fact that 6 digits were necessary, and yet, here Kirstin found a coordinate filled with only 2-digit components.


    This can¡¯t be possible¡­ if that coordinate is real, then it would imply that Earth¡¯s Gate used to be over a hundred thousand light years OUTSIDE of the galaxy! Kirstin stared at the report, dumbfounded. ¡­Wait, it mentions here that you have to input a special command before you dial the 2-digit coordinate¡­ what? Why? I¡¯ve never seen that command, before. Does it change the coordinate system that the Gate uses, or something? If so, then I guess it¡¯s possible that the old 2-digit coordinate points to the same location in space as our current 6-digit one, but¡­ why keep that such a secret, then? Something else has to be going on here, right?! But how could SERRCom possibly know something about the Interstellar Gates that the rest of the galaxy doesn¡¯t¡­?


    A couple more seconds passed as Kirstin began re-reading parts of the report, hoping to find any further commentary on Earth¡¯s ¡°old¡± Gate coordinate. Upon finding nothing, she quickly closed the report and began digging through other files, hoping to find some kind of insight into the matter.


    ¡°Ah ha ha! Nae, that¡¯s really how it is!¡±


    ¡°Ee¡ª!¡± Kirstin squeaked in surprise at the sound of her father¡¯s voice echoing down the hallway just outside of the office. Realizing that he must be approaching, she quickly moved to shove the laptop and hard drives away ¡ª she didn¡¯t want to be found looking into matters that she shouldn¡¯t have been. Just before she did, however, she had the thought to write down the coordinate she had found. Chances are, she wouldn¡¯t be able to access the drives ever again, so this was her only opportunity to get to the bottom of the mystery coordinate. With great haste, she whipped open a virtual notepad on her AR display and tapped in the digits of the coordinate, taking only a brief second to double-check her inputs before hearing Scott¡¯s footsteps stop in front of the office door. Impulsively, she force-powered down the laptop, slammed its lid shut, and shoved the device and all the hard drives onto the adjacent desk¡­ all just in time for the office door to woosh open, revealing Scott and Sarah in the hallway.


    ¡°You really have a penchant for causing trouble, now, don¡¯t you?¡± Sarah remarked with a smirk as the two entered the office, coffee cups in hand.


    ¡°Ach, isnae my fault,¡± Scott retorted. ¡°When you¡¯re backwards-engineerin¡¯ alien tech, there¡¯s only sae much ye can prepare for, ah ha ha!¡± He then stopped at the front of office, his coffee mug halfway to his mouth as he spotted Kirstin in the back. ¡°Ah! Kirstin! You¡¯re here early!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ s-¡­ sorry!¡± Kirstin stuttered out, her head deeply bowed. She then hastily stood up from her desk and rushed toward the office door, nearly stumbling over herself twice in the process. ¡°I, um, n-need to t-take care of, uh, s-something!¡±


    ¡°¡­And off she goes,¡± Sarah commented as Kirstin fled the office. ¡°I wonder what that was about¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s got a handle on it,¡± Scott declared, and then began moving towards his desk. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s the beginning of another beautiful day! Let¡¯s get tae work, now¡­!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Hey, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Oh, Major,¡± Saito replied, looking up from the packet of papers he was reading in his left hand, and the breakfast he was eating with his right. He nodded up at Hackett, who herself had just grabbed breakfast.


    ¡°Anything interesting?¡± Hackett questioned as she took a seat at the table across from Saito.


    ¡°Hmm? What, in the report?¡± Saito eyed the papers before sliding them into a folder and shoving the folder aside. ¡°Some interesting, some not. Mostly not. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°You still prefer paper?¡±


    ¡°We may have received these fancy AR implants a few months ago, but don¡¯t forget that most of SERRCom doesn¡¯t have them. Paper reports are still perfectly normal.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Besides, reading a virtual report in a non-tangible AR environment is way different from having the actual paper in your actual hands.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there it is,¡± Hackett remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°Hey, what can I say.¡± Saito offered a shrug. ¡°I still prefer analog, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame you, sir. Still¡­¡± The Major glanced toward the folder at Saito¡¯s side; from the date hastily scribbled upon it ¡ª January 10, the day they had visited the Sadrenos Ark ¡ª it was easy to assume that the reports contained within had to do with that mission.


    ¡°¡­Just reviewing what went down, that¡¯s all,¡± Saito eventually replied after noticing where Hackett was looking. ¡°Mote¡¯s report was¡­ a little concerning.¡±


    ¡°You mean, about the fact that there was an AI down there who laid a trap that we let Mote walk into?¡±


    ¡°I had every confidence that Mote could deal with any issues he ran into, and sure enough, he did. What I find most concerning¡­¡± The Colonel paused, glancing over both of his shoulders; while he and Hackett were sitting in one of Opportunity¡¯s many cafes during the breakfast hour, there weren¡¯t many people sitting too close by. Nonetheless, Saito lowered his voice as he finished, ¡°what I find most concerning is Mote¡¯s own attitude toward the whole thing.¡±


    Hackett passed Saito a concerned look. ¡°¡­How so?¡±


    ¡°According to his report, Maenikad ¡ª that AI ¡ª begged for her life at the end.¡±


    ¡°¡­Begged?¡±


    ¡°Mote wrote down her words, himself. ¡®I was wrong!¡¯ ¡®Please! Cease this, at once!¡¯ Then, ¡®I will tell you all that I know! But if you destroy me, it will all go to waste!¡¯¡± The Colonel gave Hackett a level stare. ¡°That sure sounds like begging, to me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Mote wrote those words down, himself, did he?¡± Hackett responded slowly.


    ¡°Yeah. His armor was out at the time ¡ª understandable, given that the AI had hacked it ¡ª so we don¡¯t have independent verification of what happened, down there. All we have is Mote¡¯s word. But, I trust him to tell the truth straight, and even if he was down-playing¡­ what he wrote here doesn¡¯t paint a pretty picture.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re concerned that he ignored a surrender, then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Right. She didn¡¯t say the words ¡®I surrender¡¯, explicitly, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s where you and Mote see this differently, sir,¡± Hackett remarked as she slowly worked through her breakfast. ¡°You keep calling that AI ¡®she¡¯, but Mote kept referring to her as ¡®it¡¯. I don¡¯t think Mote saw the AI as a person, just a machine. And machines can¡¯t surrender.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°A machine doesn¡¯t express the kind of emotions and curiosity that Maenikad did.¡±


    ¡°Well, technically, it did. AIs are machines, right? It¡¯s just that sapient AIs should also be people. But since sapient AIs don¡¯t actually exist in this galaxy, there aren¡¯t any laws saying as much. There¡¯s no precedent for dealing with this. Hell, the CSA has even banned sapient AI research, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°A shortsighted move, in my opinion. And I hope Mote wouldn¡¯t agree with them. But the only way to know is to talk to him¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if he thinks the AI wasn¡¯t a person, I¡¯m sure hearing those words you said before he destroyed her would¡¯ve been¡­ stressful. And knowing him, he wouldn¡¯t say a word about it, even if you tried to pull it out of him.¡±


    Saito released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­Right. Well, I¡¯ll deal with that.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I envy you, sir,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°Anything else in the news, though? I know you stuck around to talk with the General after our debriefing, yesterday.¡±


    ¡°According to the General, all three of the major PMCs have been reporting attacks or thefts from a ¡®mysterious enemy¡¯. Attacks and thefts perpetuated almost entirely by robots, carried by spacecraft with an emblem of a blue ring, with two vertical and two horizontal crossbars running through it. Sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°EA?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The PMCs seem to have figured out that he has something to do with SERRCom, and have started hounding us to do something about it.¡±


    ¡°Really? We¡¯re talking about the Black Suns, right?¡±


    ¡°And the Chaos Knights, and the Light Keepers, yes.¡±


    ¡°As a military, aren¡¯t they all larger than SERRCom?¡±


    ¡°Oh, much, much larger. The Black Suns alone report 500 million active personnel across the galaxy; we have only just over 20 million. The difference, though, is that we have a space fleet.¡±


    ¡°The PMCs don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t allowed to; CSA regulations forbid it. Apparently, they don¡¯t like the idea of a non-government entity having access to spacecraft capable of orbital bombardment.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay, reasonable. But if the PMCs are so damn large, why do they need our help in dealing with EA?¡±


    ¡°Because of the fleets, Major. The PMCs are all focused on planet-side activities. Now, in the pre-Genesis days, back when only the Drakkars had beaming tech, all spacecraft had to use shuttles or direct landings to move personnel between space and the surface of a planet. And that created openings that ground forces could exploit to board hostile spacecraft.¡±


    ¡°But SERRCom has beaming tech¡­¡±


    ¡°As does EA,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°But no one else in the galaxy does ¡ª I don¡¯t even think we¡¯ve given any beaming tech to the Nimalians. That means the PMCs have no way of boarding EA¡¯s ships. They can fight off a ground raid, sure, but they can¡¯t make a Cruiser in orbit go away. That¡¯s why they want SERRCom to do something about EA ¡ª since he¡¯s ¡®our problem¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I take it the General wants us to help out, somehow, then?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Apparently, the EIIC is starting to pick up on some leads, too. The General seems to think that we¡¯ll find EA¡¯s base of operations soon, and he wants CSF-1, the Eximius Vir, and the Flagship Strike Group to be ready for a raid. As such, he¡¯s putting a pause on any major missions for the time being, so we can be ready to go the moment we pin down EA¡¯s base.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re finally taking EA seriously, are we?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice, at this point. A few months ago, we thought that all EA had was the one Cruiser. But now, we know that he actually has multiple, as well as a way to rapidly build tons of high-quality, combat-capable, fully-autonomous robots. We¡¯ve clearly underestimated him; at this rate, if we let him sit in the shadows for too long, then he¡¯ll be able to create an attack force that could overwhelm even SERRCom.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think it could get that bad?¡±


    ¡°Given how little we know, I¡¯m not willing to bet against it. Something is up with EA¡¯s activities, someone is giving him aid. And until we know who, it¡¯s best to assume the worst.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, at least that gives us some breathing room, then.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast, Major. We¡¯re not about to just sit on our haunches, burning time here on Earth.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Nimalia, Major. Or more specifically, Compound Tresnon and their Bleeder problem. This lull in missions is the perfect opportunity to go there and do something about it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the Captain and Mark can handle things themselves?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting their capabilities, I just think that the Bleeder threat is more significant than either SERRCom or the NSD want to realize,¡± Saito countered. ¡°Even the NSD ¡ª who are sworn to protect the people of Nimalia! ¡ª don¡¯t seem to care about the Bleeders. It¡¯s clear that the people of Tres¨¦d have been forced to deal with this problem on their own for a long time, and that¡¯s a fantastic way to breed animosity towards ¡®outsiders¡¯ ¡ª as well as let innocent people get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that. So we¡¯ll be going to Nimalia, soon, then?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe. I still need to run it past the General, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll say no. He knows he¡¯s been jerking us around the past couple months, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll let us do as we please in this mission lull.¡±


    ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just give him the ol¡¯ puppy dog eyes. No one can resist that!¡±


    Hackett snorted in amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sure, sir.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Saito responded in kind. ¡°¡­Well, if nothing else, it could be a good chance to talk with that Gavon fellow some more. I get the impression we could learn a lot about the Suns and the other PMCs from him.¡±


    ¡°He really was cavalier with what he told us, wasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He was. I even looked up the things that he said were publicly known, and he¡¯s right ¡ª it¡¯s all true.¡±


    Hackett passed Saito a concerned look. ¡°So you think his speculation about Sector 2 is right? Shouldn¡¯t we be concerned about that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought it to the EIIC,¡± Saito replied with a shrug, ¡°but otherwise, it¡¯s out of my hands. Still¡ª¡°


    ¡°C-Colonel!!¡±


    Saito and Hackett both turned to the side, just in time to spot Researcher MacTavish as she ran up to their table. Upon reaching them, she planted her hands on the table and leaned forward, breathless, as she glanced over her shoulder behind her.


    Saito glanced at Hackett uneasily before turning back to the Researcher. ¡°¡­MacTavish? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No ¡ª I-I mean, y-yes!¡± MacTavish spluttered out, still looking between Saito and the halls she had just run down.


    ¡°Calm down, MacTavish,¡± Hackett gently responded, and then gestured at the empty bench next to her. ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­ r-right, sorry¡­¡± MacTavish took another breath before scurrying around the Major to deposit herself at the table.


    ¡°What happened? Did you see a ghost?¡± Saito questioned as he looked back at the hallway she had come through; aside from some other patrons at the cafe passing the group an odd look, there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone coming after or even paying attention to MacTavish.


    ¡°N-no, but¡­¡± The Researcher stopped for a few moments to take another breath before continuing, ¡°w-well, I was, th-the Gate, I mean¡ª¡°


    ¡°Slow down,¡± Hackett insisted. ¡°Let¡¯s start from the top. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ r-right. W-well, um. L-last night, someone, um, s-someone from the ETAA, uh, d-dropped off, uh, a-a lot of hard drives at, um, our office. Th-they were, um, s-some of my Da¡ª s-some of the D-Director¡¯s, um, old drives. F-from Sunova.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Saito remarked. ¡°So the ETAA finished scrubbing them?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ s-sort of. N-not completely,¡± MacTavish continued. ¡°I-I think, um¡­ th-they wanted the Director to, uh, l-look at them himself. ¡­B-but I, um¡­¡±


    When the Researcher trailed off sheepishly, Saito passed Hackett a knowing look before turning back to MacTavish. ¡°You looked at the drives, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I, um¡­¡± She began fidgeting uneasily, fiddling with her fingers while unable to make eye-contact with Saito. ¡°I¡­ d-didn¡¯t¡­ not¡­¡±


    ¡°Does the Director know you looked at them?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°I¡­ d-don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie, MacTavish¡­¡± Saito commented, ¡°this is something I expected from Kate, not from you. What compelled you to look through a bunch of hard drives that you shouldn¡¯t have access to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how did you?¡± Hackett added, ¡°I thought all SERRCom drives were encrypted, or¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°P-password protected, y-yes, but¡­¡± MacTavish briefly glanced up at Hackett before diverting her gaze again. ¡°Uh, D-Dad always, um, u-uses the same p-passwords, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Figures the Director of the ETAA wouldn¡¯t be up to speed on info security,¡± Saito grumbled.


    ¡°Is that why you came running in here, then?¡± Hackett questioned. ¡°You¡¯re afraid he might¡¯ve caught you?¡±


    ¡°W-well, s-sort of, but, no. Th-there¡¯s something else,¡± MacTavish insisted. ¡°I¡­ C-Colonel¡­ r-remember when you, um, t-told me about Earth¡¯s, uh, Gate?¡±


    ¡°That was a couple months ago, now, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Saito remarked, and then passed the Researcher a wary glance. He lowered his voice as he asked, ¡°did you find something related to that?¡±


    MacTavish offered a meek nod. ¡°I¡­ I think I, um, f-found Earth¡¯s old¡­ o-old coordinate.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Old¡¯ coordinate?¡± Hackett echoed incredulously, ¡°what are you talking about? Aren¡¯t Gate coordinates locked to specific locations in space?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, b-but¡­ i-if those old, um, reports are r-right, then¡­ Earth¡¯s Gate used to, uh, have only 2-digit numbers i-in its, uh, c-coordinate.¡±


    ¡°What? But the current coordinate has three 6-digit numbers. You¡¯re saying it used to be three 2-digit numbers?¡±


    ¡°Um, y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any physical sense¡­ but it makes a lot of logical sense,¡± Saito mused. ¡°I¡¯d always thought that something was off with how SERRCom handled the acquisition of Earth¡¯s Gate from the US. The level of secrecy surrounding the Gate¡¯s coordinate before it was moved to New York always felt excessive. But if the ¡®original¡¯ coordinate was entirely different, then¡­ the secrecy starts making sense. SERRCom wanted to hide our ¡®unique¡¯ Gate from the rest of the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t make any sense, though,¡± Hackett countered. ¡°If I understand Gate coordinates correctly, then a coordinate that¡¯s all 2-digits would be well outside of the galaxy! Clearly, Earth¡¯s Gate has been inside the galaxy all along, so something is wrong, here. Are we sure that old report is correct?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ d-didn¡¯t have time to, um, v-verify the integrity of, um, the d-data¡­¡± MacTavish admitted, ¡°b-but¡­ n-none of the digits in the o-old coordinate, um, m-match the c-current one. A-and the report even mentioned, uh, s-some kind of s-special instruction th-that you have to put into the Gate before d-dialing the, um, o-old coordinate!¡±


    ¡°So, an entire other coordinate¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°¡­This is huge.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s true, then we should tell the ETAA at once, right?¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°Or, wait¡­ wouldn¡¯t the ETAA already know this?¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt that most of the higher-ups know,¡± Saito stated. ¡°This is SERRCom¡¯s own history, after all. There are probably several people at my level who know. Despite that, I also have no doubt that this old coordinate is still highly classified, since even I¡¯ve never heard of it, before. And we only have it because MacTavish had an uncharacteristic moment of misbehavior.¡±


    MacTavish practically wilted in her seat. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°My job demands that I reprimand you for ¡®hacking¡¯, so¡­ don¡¯t do it again,¡± Saito declared, and then winked at the Researcher. ¡°But also¡­ good job, MacTavish. And don¡¯t tell anyone this information. Even if the Director himself finds out that you snooped through his files, I want you to take the fact that you know this coordinate to your grave. Got it, Researcher?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ y-yes?!¡±


    ¡°And send me that coordinate, too. Oh, and the keeping quiet thing applies for you, too, Major.¡±


    ¡°But, sir¡­¡± Hackett¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. ¡°¡­Why?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± Saito replied with a daring smirk, ¡°we¡¯re going to investigate this matter ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­ why?! Shouldn¡¯t the ETAA already know about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, part of this is just curiosity ¡ª and if we bring this up with the ETAA or the EIIC, I have no doubt that they¡¯d shut us down and keep us out of any ongoing investigations, if there even are any,¡± Saito stated. ¡°But the truth is¡­ SERRCom¡¯s secrets are dangerous, and us not knowing them is dangerous to us, given how close to some of them we are. Just take a look through all the reports from SERRCom¡¯s first decade or two of operations ¡ª hell, even from the last decade. You¡¯ll find more black marker than you will text! From recruiting the Eximius Vir as children and hiding their existence until they were of age, to everything that happened on Sunova 20 years ago, to the full details of the Zhou Incident, to the true purpose of our ¡®public works¡¯ projects on Earth, and now, this matter of Earth¡¯s Gate coordinate? SERRCom¡¯s current well of power is built on a foundation of damaging secrets, and the thing about secrets, is that they almost never stay secret forever. Eventually, that information is getting out. And when it does, it¡¯s going to rock SERRCom to the core. I don¡¯t know about you, Major, Researcher¡­ but when that happens, I want to at least be ready for it.¡±


    Hackett and MacTavish exchanged an uneasy glance before they both turned back to Saito. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I guess I can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Hackett eventually replied. ¡°I hadn¡¯t even thought of it that way, before. I just thought the layers of confidentiality were normal.¡±


    ¡°A-are the p-public works projects, um, r-really secretly bad?!¡± MacTavish questioned.


    ¡°Not all of them, I¡¯m sure, but some of them are downright fishy,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Take, for example, that dam we¡¯re building down by San Francisco. I heard from Bradley ¡ª one of the recruits ¡ª that there¡¯s apparently a particle accelerator running down the length of the dam, or something like that. That¡¯s the first I¡¯d ever heard of that, so at first I thought he was bullshitting. But then I remembered a complaint from Mote ¡ª back when the dam was attacked by EA¡¯s robots, an entire afternoon passed before the Eximius Vir were given clearance to clear out the dam themselves. I thought that was suspicious, so I decided to look into the matter. And sure enough, that project is as mired in confidentiality and black marker as any report from 20 years ago. And if one public works project is like that, then I have no doubt that others are, as well.¡±


    ¡°A particle accelerator¡­ in California?¡± Hackett muttered in disbelief, ¡°if SERRCom just wanted a particle accelerator, I¡¯m sure California would¡¯ve been more than happy to let them build one. But why do it secretly? And in a place prone to earthquakes, at that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m talking about, Major ¡ª there¡¯s just too much that we don¡¯t know about our own organization,¡± Saito said. ¡°If I ask the General, then half the time, he¡¯ll give me an answer. But the other half, he¡¯ll blow me off with some excuse about security. I get where he¡¯s coming from, but it still doesn¡¯t sit right with me. Things are changing, recently ¡ª have been changing, ever since that short Chaos Quake a few months ago. And we can¡¯t afford to just sit around and let those changes blindside us.¡±


    ¡°And you think that looking into this Gate coordinate mismatch will help¡­?¡±


    ¡°The more we know, the better. And the less the EIIC knows about what we know, even better still. In fact¡­ this is even more reason to go back to Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± MacTavish questioned, ¡°we¡¯re¡­ g-going back to N-Nimalia?¡±


    ¡°I was already planning on it, for unrelated reasons, but it works out well,¡± Saito declared. ¡°Travis has told me that the recruits have been going on frequent trips, occasionally to other planets. That¡¯s an opportunity to test Earth¡¯s Gate coordinate, both new and old, while outside of SERRCom supervision.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you sure about this, sir?¡± Hackett responded warily. ¡°Even if we learn more about this ¡®old¡¯ coordinate, and even if it still works, somehow¡­ what would we do with that information?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say until we have it,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°At the very least, knowledge ¡ª in the worst case ¡ª can be used as a bargaining tool. And even then, doesn¡¯t this interest you at all, Major? We¡¯re talking about one of SERRCom¡¯s foundational secrets, here!¡±


    ¡°True, but¡­¡± The Major trailed off, eying Saito warily the whole time. ¡°¡­Fine, sir. I¡¯ll trust you for now. But if we get in trouble with the EIIC for this ¡ª well, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t tell you so.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Duly noted, Major,¡± Saito replied. He then glanced between Hackett and MacTavish, saying, ¡°alright, then; that¡¯s the plan. I¡¯ll talk to the General about letting us head back to Compound Tresnon, for the time being. And until then, not a word about what we just discussed to anyone. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Hackett replied, while MacTavish added a quick nod.


    ¡°Good!¡± The Colonel flashed a smile before gesturing at the empty table in front of MacTavish. ¡°You should go grab some breakfast, MacTavish! The Major and I will wait for you. In the meantime, Hackett, remember that one time when¡­¡±


    With that, the three then went on to finish their breakfasts while discussing milder topics, their previous conversation left to simmer in the back of their minds.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 31: Connections

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 31: Connections


    ¡ª Firdia, Colyath 17, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s how you do it! Piece of cake.¡±


    ¡°Really now,¡± Conrad deadpanned as he stared at the laptop screen in front of him, showing two fighting game characters ¡ª one of them collapsed on the right side of the screen. With a resigned sigh, Conrad tossed his game controller on the floor in front of him. ¡°Guess I should¡¯ve expected that, playing against someone with super reflexes.¡±


    ¡°Psh, that was pure skill,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I¡¯ve been beating you in these games for years, dude. I don¡¯t need Velocitechnic reflexes to help.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even play games that much, how the hell are you so good at them?¡±


    Pierce made an exaggerated show of shrugging. ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m just naturally good at things.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? How about we play some Stellar Commander, then?¡±


    ¡°That turned-based bullshit? No thanks, I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    ¡°What, afraid you¡¯ll lose?¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m competitive, but I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯m passing because I know I¡¯ll lose.¡±


    ¡°Wow, admitting to a loss before it even happens? Dude, are you okay?¡± Conrad questioned with feigned concern.


    Pierce rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah yeah, whatever. That game isn¡¯t fun, anyways. There¡¯s so much damn micromanagement¡­ I don¡¯t want to control a whole damn army.¡±


    ¡°Usually, neither do I. But I¡¯m less bad at tactics games than you are, so I¡¯ll take the wins where I can get them.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Well, even if I wanted to play, I wouldn¡¯t have the time. I¡¯m supposed to pick up Liask soon.¡±


    ¡°For your ¡®date¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying it like that?¡± Pierce eyed Conrad in annoyance. ¡°Is it really that hard to believe I found a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Given what I heard the two of you say to each other when we got back, yesterday?¡± Conrad replied, ¡°yeah. It is.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? Wait, did you eavesdrop on us, you fuck?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was curious. I thought something was fishy about the way you two were acting. And, lo and behold¡­ it¡¯s because you really are acting. Man.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck, dude. Can¡¯t you ever keep your nose out of other people¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to tell anyone, anyways.¡±


    ¡°You better not, or I¡¯ll kick your ass.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hostile much? Still¡­ you really think you¡¯re gonna fool Phoenix with an act? Or, more importantly ¡ª how did this even start? Why ¡®act¡¯ out a relationship in the first place? Why not just actually date her for real?¡±


    Pierce looked away, his eyes idly scanning Conrad¡¯s room as he thought of a response. Eventually, he replied, ¡°¡­look, man, I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s just¡­ look, I¡¯m not talking about this right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Conrad held up his hands in resignation. ¡°But I¡¯m just saying, dude. This doesn¡¯t seem, uh¡­ healthy. Maybe you and Phoenix should just stop this contest of yours, call it a draw.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. I¡¯m going to win, you just watch. That aside, are you really trying to give me relationship advice? How many successful relationships have you had?¡±


    ¡°As many as you: none.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡± Pierce snorted in derision before jumping to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m done talking about this. It¡¯s almost noon, anyways ¡ª I need to go get Liask.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Conrad drawled as he watched Pierce move to the door. ¡°You guys have fun on your ¡®date¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kick your ass later,¡± Pierce retorted as he opened the door and stepped out of the room.


    Conrad watched the door to his room close, leaving him alone. In the wake of Pierce¡¯s exit, Conrad merely shrugged to himself before exiting the game on his laptop and looking for something else to occupy his time. He wasn¡¯t quite as into gaming as Austin was, but video games were still a good way to pass the time with minimal physical activity, so Conrad would play them from time to time. Casually, he turned his laptop to face his bed and then laid down sideways on his sheets, propping up his head with his left hand as he moved the computer mouse in his right to boot up one of the few games he had on his laptop. Just as soon as he started one up and exchanged the computer mouse for a controller, however, he heard a knock at his door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he shouted, though he made no effort to get up from his bed ¡ª in fact, he settled in further, grasping his controller in both hands as he eyed the laptop screen on his desk.


    The door to his room then opened once more, with Kestrel silently striding through. Once in his room, she quietly closed the door behind her before turning to look at Conrad, who offered a casual wave.


    ¡°Yo,¡± he said, though his attention remained primarily on his game. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± Kestrel grunted once before crossing Conrad¡¯s room to sit down at the foot of his bed, near his feet, allowing her to see his laptop screen. ¡°¡­Bored.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all,¡± Conrad replied. He then released a happy sigh before remarking, ¡°there¡¯s nothing quite like being bored on a weekend.¡±


    Kestrel passed him a blank glance.


    ¡°¡­I stand by what I said,¡± he insisted.


    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± Kestrel then looked at his laptop, watching for a few moments as Conrad played through the forested open world of some role-playing game. She then shifted her attention to Conrad¡¯s lone room window; while the window itself remained closed, the curtains were wide open, allowing the bright midday sun to shine through.


    ¡°You can close ¡®em if you want,¡± Conrad remarked after noticing where Kestrel was looking. ¡°Kinda wanted to, myself, but then I¡¯d have to get up from the bed.¡±


    Kestrel shook her head, followed by manipulating the air around the curtains to draw them shut without ever having to move her body.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty good with those wind powers, huh?¡± Conrad observed, and then passed her a cheeky grin. ¡°With someone like you around, I won¡¯t ever need to get a fan, again!¡±


    The silver-haired Aerotechnic fixed him with a level stare before firing off a single gust of wind that blew his t-shirt up onto his face.


    ¡°Ack! Okay! Sorry!¡± Conrad spluttered out as he got his shirt out of his face and straightened it out. ¡°¡­Guess that was a bad joke, huh?¡±


    Kestrel offered a single, wordless nod in response.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t mince words, I¡¯ll give you that. Or¡­ non-words. Expressions? Whatever,¡± Conrad replied as he turned his attention back to his game. ¡°At least you have a useful power, though. You and everyone else. Me, though? I really wonder why I¡¯m here, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Stealth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and when have we ever needed stealth? Rokres aside¡­¡±


    ¡°Important in Rokres.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess¡­ but remember what I told you? It was mostly Relia who did the legwork. And even then, I learned in Rokres that my way of doing ¡®stealth¡¯ is wrong. I do it too well, if that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°¡­Too silent?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically. Just listen for the unusual silence, and you¡¯ll find me. I can probably figure out a way around that, I guess, but it still won¡¯t be of any use in a fight. I don¡¯t see how I could¡¯ve meaningfully helped in any of the fights we¡¯ve had.¡±


    ¡°EA?¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, yeah, I guess my invisibility helped Pierce out against that mech. But I¡¯m not going to ride on his back every fucking fight, and I doubt he¡¯d want that, either.¡±


    ¡°Range?¡±


    Conrad wordlessly gestured toward Kestrel, at which point her torso partially faded from view ¡ª though it would occasionally flicker. ¡°Sure, I discovered I can do invisibility from range¡­ but not well.¡±


    ¡°Practice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯m working on it¡­¡±


    ¡°Your glaive?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s as ¡®powerful¡¯ as everyone says, then I guess it could help. I don¡¯t really see how, though. It¡¯s just a polearm.¡±


    Kestrel passed Conrad a glance before looking down at the floor, as if in thought.


    ¡°¡­Ah, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Conrad quickly added. ¡°I¡¯m just venting. At least I have an excuse to not get involved in fights in the first place, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you¡­ want to fight?¡±


    ¡°Eesh¡­¡± Conrad made a face. ¡°Want to fight? No. Never. But at the same time¡­ I mean, you, and Phoenix, and Pierce all fight when you can. You all help out whenever you can. Sometimes ¡ª only sometimes, mind you ¡ª I feel like I¡¯m just dead weight.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Especially with all of this Nanocreature bullshit. That shit seems crazy, and somehow, we¡¯re supposed to do something about that? I can see how you, or Pierce, or Phoenix could help out. Or the others. But me?¡­¡±


    Kestrel responded only with silence as Conrad trailed off. Their conversation entered into a lull, with Conrad still playing his game while Kestrel watched, her face as stoically blank as ever. Eventually, she glanced at Conrad out the corner of her eye, and made to speak ¡ª only for another knock at his door to interrupt her.


    ¡°Is Kestrel in there?¡± came Phoenix¡¯s voice through the door.


    ¡°Man, can¡¯t a guy just play games in peace?¡± Conrad muttered to himself before raising his voice. ¡°Come in!¡±


    The door to his room flew open once more as Phoenix stepped through, with Kestrel already standing up from the bed. Phoenix immediately honed in on the two, and then on Conrad¡¯s laptop ¡ª it was facing him and his bed, so she couldn¡¯t see the screen, but it was obvious enough what Conrad was doing. ¡°You and those games¡­¡± Phoenix remarked as she shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re wasting a perfectly good day in here!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Good day¡¯ my ass,¡± Conrad retorted, still lying on his bed as he eyed Kestrel approaching Phoenix. ¡°Cloudless skies, again. High heat, again. Oh, and dust, too. No thanks, I¡¯ll stay inside.¡±


    ¡°Knowing you, you have an excuse to stay inside for any season, any weather, or any locale,¡± Phoenix replied, her hands on her hips. ¡°You really do need to get out more.¡±


    ¡°Man, I already hear that a lot from Pierce. Anyways, what do you need Kestrel for?¡±


    ¡°Creators¡¯ Day?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Conrad idly nodded. ¡°I¡¯d heard you two were working together on something. You¡¯re with the twins, too, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°¡­But aside from that, there practically is no plan! And we only have three weeks until the big day! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here for Kestrel, we need to get to work.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a fantastic time,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Oh shut up, asshole.¡± Phoenix then gestured for Kestrel to follow her as she turned to leave Conrad¡¯s room. ¡°We have to go now,¡± she shouted over her shoulder, ¡°but you had better go get some fresh air, you lazy-ass couch potato!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even a couch, it¡¯s a bed!¡± Conrad shouted back.


    Phoenix shook her head in resignation as Kestrel closed the door behind them. ¡°He could certainly learn from you,¡± Phoenix remarked, now leading the duo down the dorm corridor. ¡°The sun is way more of an inconvenience to you, and yet you still know how to get exercise and fresh air!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t exercise outside¡­¡± Kestrel muttered; upon realizing that Phoenix was leading them outside, she used her control of the winds to fetch her sun hat and shawl from her room, gently carrying both on a soft breeze before quickly donning them to shield her skin from the sun.


    Phoenix eyed Kestrel¡¯s shawl and hat, quickly noting that the shawl was the same white and light gray article that she had received for her birthday. ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯m not about to try convincing you to exercise outside,¡± Phoenix eventually continued as she pushed through the dorm doors and onto the bright, dusty grounds of WCU. ¡°Actually, I suppose I should¡¯ve gotten the twins before coming to get you, huh? Sorry.¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so. That move where you grabbed your hat and shawl from inside your room was impressive, though. Can you really control air you can¡¯t see?¡±


    ¡°Yes. ¡­Weird?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s weird, but it sure seems hard. I swear¡­ you and Conrad, and Twy, too ¡ª you all seem to¡¯ve taken to your powers like a fish to water.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Conrad doesn¡¯t like his.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t square with how good he is at using them. You told me about that eavesdropping technique he used, yourself; that¡¯s an impressive control of sound waves over a distance, you know.¡±


    ¡°Thinks it isn¡¯t useful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t; he¡¯s Conrad. He always has an excuse to stay out of things. But if he can manipulate sound waves the way he does when he eavesdrops, then I¡¯m sure he could do the reverse, too. A lot of people underestimate just how dangerous loud sounds can be ¡ª but loud sounds are basically just really energetic vibrations. And that kind of energy can be really devastating.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough about him, though¡­¡± Phoenix stopped walking for a moment to look up at Kestrel. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to ask you. What¡¯s your take on what¡¯s been happening, recently? What do you think of all this?¡±


    Kestrel stared back at her. ¡°¡­All what?¡±


    ¡°You know, the trips we¡¯ve been on. The Bleeders. The ¡®metallic infection¡¯. All of it,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°I know you don¡¯t usually complain, but¡­¡±


    A moment of silence followed as Kestrel continued staring at Phoenix. She then diverted her gaze, and then looked up at the cloudless blue skies above, and the sun sitting high within them. ¡°¡­It¡¯s scary,¡± Kestrel eventually replied. ¡°But¡­ danger too big to ignore.¡±


    Phoenix responded with a wary sigh. ¡°I guess it is. It¡¯s hard to look away from what¡¯s happening, everywhere. I just¡­ I just don¡¯t like having to engage with it all on other people¡¯s terms. If we¡¯re supposed to be fighting this metallic infection thing, then I want to do it my way. And the Bleeders ¡ª that¡¯s clearly a problem that affects us, so it pisses me off to no end that everyone is telling us to stay out of it! Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Agree with Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Agh, don¡¯t say it like that. But¡­ well, the asshole isn¡¯t wrong. Not completely, anyways. If we can help, then we should. Yet, at the same time, being forced to do anything¡­ argh, I just can¡¯t find a way to reconcile this. Conscription is wrong, it absolutely is. But with the way things are developing in this galaxy, it seems irresponsible to not go along with SERRCom, which pisses me off!¡± Phoenix stomped the ground in frustration. ¡°Sometimes, I wish I could just run away. Really do things on my own terms, without SERRCom bullshit getting in the way.¡±


    Kestrel placed a reassuring hand on Phoenix¡¯s shoulder, drawing the latter¡¯s gaze. ¡°Wherever you go,¡± Kestrel stated, ¡°¡­wherever Conrad goes¡­ I¡¯ll follow. I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°¡­Aw. Thanks, Kestrel,¡± Phoenix replied, reaching up to squeeze Kestrel¡¯s hand with her own. ¡°¡­Can¡¯t help but notice you didn¡¯t mention Pierce, though.¡±


    Kestrel withdrew her hand from Phoenix¡¯s shoulder and turned away. ¡°¡­Might help.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Phoenix snorted in amusement before turning around and leading the two toward the practice fields. ¡°Fair enough! Anyways, we¡¯ve burnt enough time just standing here. I know the twins are out here, somewhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Do they know?¡±


    ¡°Know what? That we¡¯re looking for them? No,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°But it¡¯s been over a week since we last met to talk about what we¡¯re doing on Creators¡¯ Day, and the day itself is in three weeks! Whether they like it or not, we need to get to work, today!¡±


    ¡°¡­All day?¡±


    ¡°All afternoon, at least. Look, this kind of project takes a lot of work!¡±


    Kestrel didn¡¯t respond, instead choosing to keep following Phoenix in silence. The latter released an exasperated sigh and made to speak again, only to be distracted by two streaks of silver light flying through the air. Quickly, Phoenix and Kestrel turned their attentions toward the source of the streaks: Twy, standing in one of the practice fields with her bow aimed slightly upwards. To her side stood Sky, who had her staff out as she watched her sister shoot silver arrows into the distant skies.


    ¡°There they are,¡± Phoenix said to herself, and then raised her voice to call out to the twins. ¡°Hey! Guys!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Twy lowered her bow and turned to look at Phoenix and Kestrel as they approached. ¡°¡­Oh, hey.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all out here to practice, too?¡± Sky questioned, and then threw her arms out, as if beholding the sights around her. ¡°It¡¯s a great day for it!¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s hot,¡± Kestrel said flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse her,¡± Twy responded with a sigh as she passed her sister a glance. ¡°I think her increased heat tolerance is making her lose touch with what counts as a ¡®sane¡¯ temperature.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s gotta be, like, 70-something out here, right?¡± Sky retorted.


    ¡°Wow, you really are out of touch,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°It¡¯s definitely high 80s.¡±


    ¡°Maybe even 90¡­¡± Twy muttered as she ran a small bubble of water across her forehead to wipe her sweat and cool herself.


    ¡°¡­Ah, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°We all can stand it! Heat¡¯s nothing to me, now, and you¡¯ve got your water stuff, sis! And Spike and Austin have that durability thing to rely on, it¡¯s all good!¡±


    ¡°Wait, are Spike and Austin out here, too?¡± Phoenix questioned as she began scanning the grounds.


    ¡°Not yet, but they¡¯re supposed to be,¡± Twy replied. ¡°We agreed to train together, today.¡±


    ¡°To train¡ª? Agh¡­¡± Phoenix released a frustrated sigh. ¡°I was going to get you two so we could work on our Creators¡¯ Day project!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we really need to do that, huh¡­¡± Sky mused. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ when¡¯s Creators¡¯ Day, again?¡±


    ¡°In three weeks!¡±


    ¡°Oh. ¡­Guess that¡¯s a problem, ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh! You¡¯re supposed to be the main performer!¡± Phoenix looked at Sky in disbelief. ¡°You do want to do this, right?¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Hey, of course I do!¡± Sky shot back, ¡°I just, you know, got distracted. By literally everything.¡±


    ¡°The same kind of ¡®distraction¡¯ that¡¯s kept you from working on your schoolwork?¡± Twy challenged.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault Kaon¨¦ suddenly sprung a bunch of stupid homework on us. Besides! Spike finally got over his aversion to cuddling, and stuff! Am I supposed to just ignore that?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore that,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°But you guys can train any day. Creators¡¯ Day, meanwhile, is fast approaching. We really need to get some work done!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Work¡¯¡­¡± Kestrel muttered.


    ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll stop calling it ¡®work¡¯. But we need to make progress, alright?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but¡­¡± Twy frowned. ¡°¡­We already made plans with Austin and Spike¡­¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re as close friends as you guys seem to be, then I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll understand an approaching deadline,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I should¡¯ve asked you guys earlier, but I was a little, uh¡­ distracted, yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Drunk,¡± Kestrel corrected.


    ¡°Distracted,¡± Phoenix insisted.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m down!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Training is boring, anyways. I¡¯d much rather do some singing or songwriting!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Twy facepalmed in response to her sister¡¯s declaration. ¡°¡­You might find it boring, and honestly, so do I. But it¡¯s still important. And we already made the plans, anyways. We can¡¯t just ditch Austin and Spike, that wouldn¡¯t be fair¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ ¡­well, you¡¯re not wrong,¡± Phoenix admitted. ¡°But we do need to get some wo¡ª progress done!¡±


    ¡°Training¡­ how long?¡± Kestrel questioned to Twy and Sky.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± The twins glanced at each other before Twy continued, ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t really know.¡±


    ¡°We can just make today¡¯s training short, or something,¡± Sky replied airily. ¡°Like, an hour, tops. Maybe less.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to get out of it.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha! You know me too well, sis!¡±


    Twy sighed and shook her head in disbelief. She then turned toward Phoenix, saying, ¡°you make a good point about Creators¡¯ Day, though. We¡¯ll make today¡¯s training session a little shorter than usual. Then, once we¡¯ve washed up afterwards, we can find you in your room. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Hard to argue with that,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Sounds like a plan. We¡¯ll see you two later! C¡¯mon, Kestrel, let¡¯s at least get started with our end!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment as she followed Phoenix back to the dorms, leaving Twy and Sky in the practice fields.


    Once Phoenix and Kestrel were out of earshot, Twy released a wary sigh. Turning to Sky, she remarked, ¡°you really don¡¯t want to train today, do you?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ I kinda do, honestly,¡± Sky replied. ¡°I do wanna get better with my fire, and with this staff. But, still, songwriting is so much more fun than training!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree ¡ª I¡¯d rather be drawing or painting, personally. But training is still important. Don¡¯t make me remind you again about what happened to you during the Bleeder attack.¡±


    ¡°¡­Uuuuggghhh¡­¡± Sky groaned in frustration. ¡°¡­Fiiiiine.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Twy responded as she held up her bow again, carefully aiming into the distant sky before slowly drawing back the string. A silver arrow manifested on the bow, automatically nocked as Twy focused on steadying her aim.


    ¡°¡­Sure wish I had a weapon like yours, though,¡± Sky muttered while watching her sister. ¡°Something with range, you know? Like, what the hell am I supposed to do with this stupid staff?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more you can do with that than you might think.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Like what?¡±


    Twy paused for a second, and then passed Sky a quick glance ¡ª followed by a shake of her head. ¡°¡­Nevermind,¡± Twy replied, turning her attention back to her bow and loosing her arrow. Instantly, a silver streak of light shot through the sky, disappearing into the distant blue.


    ¡°See? Look at that!¡± Sky exclaimed as she watched the arrow fade with distance. ¡°How far can you even shoot with that thing? It¡¯s like a sniper rifle, or something!¡±


    ¡°It does seem more convenient than a normal bow, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Twy said as she lowered her weapon to look it over. ¡°The bow itself is light, it conjures ammunition out of thin air, and its arrows don¡¯t seem to be affected by gravity. They do seem to dissipate after a second or two, though, so the range on this bow still isn¡¯t that much longer than a longbow.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s still easier to use, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Spike!¡± Sky remarked cheerfully as she and Twy turned to face Spike and Austin, who were just now approaching the practice fields. ¡°What took you so long?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Spike apologized with a sheepish grin, which quickly transformed into surprise as Sky practically leaped onto him. He took a step back to maintain his balance as her arms enveloped his chest, at which point he began ruffling her hair. ¡°¡­We were just a little distracted.¡±


    ¡°You were playing games, weren¡¯t you?¡± Twy questioned, passing a level stare at Austin.


    ¡°Guilty as charged¡­¡± Austin replied with a sheepish shrug. ¡°Well, we¡¯re here now, though.¡±


    Spike glanced between the silver and white bow in Twy¡¯s hands, and the extravagant green of Sky¡¯s staff. ¡°¡­Y¡¯all really do wanna practice with those weapons today, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea, really,¡± Austin commented as he summoned his blue and golden claymore into his right hand. ¡°I¡¯m startin¡¯ to get the hang of this thing, but there¡¯s still plenty to learn, I think.¡± He then looked over at Twy¡¯s bow. ¡°¡­Sure wish I had a bow or somethin¡¯, though.¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone want my weapon?¡± Twy responded in exasperation.


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s just the grass bein¡¯ greener, and all that,¡± Spike remarked. He carefully separated himself from Sky before planting his hands on his hips and looking at each of Austin and Sky. ¡°The way the two of y¡¯all fight, though, a bow wouldn¡¯t do y¡¯all any good.¡±


    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°True¡­¡± Austin admitted, ¡°using my Imperator power on a bow wouldn¡¯t be as useful as using it on a sword, I guess. Still, Twy, that bow of yours has some impressive range.¡±


    ¡°Your form with it looks almost professional, too,¡± Spike declared. ¡°You been practicin¡¯ archery behind our backs all this time, Twy?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no,¡± Twy said. ¡°I mean, I have been practicing with it recently, but still¡­ I don¡¯t really know why using this bow is so easy, for me. It¡¯s like¡­ I just knew all along how to use it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait, I think I get what you mean!¡± Sky exclaimed as she stamped her staff on the ground. ¡°I haven¡¯t used this thing much, but every time I pull it out, it feels weirdly familiar, you know?¡±


    ¡°Same for my sword,¡± Austin stated. ¡°I mean, I guess it makes some kind of sense that we gained some amount of skill with these weapons when we got them, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be all that significant.¡±


    ¡°I bet sis is just really good with her bow because she¡¯s really good at everything she does!¡± Sky declared.


    ¡°That¡¯s not even close to true¡­¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°Well, either way, we¡¯re burnin¡¯ daylight,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°We got a whole afternoon, so let¡¯s not waste it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Twy perked up, as if remembering something, before turning toward Austin and Spike. ¡°Sky and I told Phoenix and Kestrel that we¡¯d meet with them later today to work on our Creators¡¯ Day project, so our training will have to be a little short¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, y¡¯all are doin¡¯ somethin¡¯ for that, ain¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°When¡¯s Creators¡¯ Day, again?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°Ranth 7th,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Just about three weeks from now.¡±


    ¡°Three weeks? Seriously?!¡± Austin replied incredulously. ¡°Y¡¯all said you wanted to do a whole song and dance thing, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Sky replied with a proud grin. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be great!¡±


    ¡°Have you even started working on it yet?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± Twy admitted.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to work your ass off to hit ¡®great¡¯ in only three weeks, then,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°Y¡¯all sure you shouldn¡¯t be workin¡¯ on that, today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be stressin¡¯ the hell out about it, if I were you!¡± Austin exclaimed. ¡°Hell, I¡¯m not even part of the project, and I¡¯m already stressin¡¯ out about it!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not doomed,¡± Twy countered. ¡°¡­But you¡¯re also not wrong that we need to get started, soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Might as well start now!¡± Austin declared. ¡°We can train whenever, but Creators¡¯ Day is soon! Y¡¯all should make sure that that project of yours is in the best shape possible!¡±


    ¡°But we agreed to train today¡­ are you really okay with us ditching?¡±


    ¡°More than fine, personally!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just tryin¡¯ to get outta trainin¡¯, aren¡¯t you?¡± Spike challenged.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know what you could possibly be talking about,¡± Austin replied, his gaze conspicuously diverted from Spike¡¯s.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re gettin¡¯ out of this so easily. You¡¯re stayin¡¯ here, Austin,¡± Spike said, and then turned to Sky and Twy. ¡°The two of y¡¯all, though ¡ª well, I¡¯m not gonna force you to stay or go, I¡¯ll leave that choice to y¡¯all. But if you think you need to get to work on that project of yours, then I won¡¯t be offended at all if you ¡®ditch¡¯. I¡¯m no fan of deadlines, myself.¡±


    ¡°See, sis?¡± Sky remarked as she elbowed Twy in the side. ¡°Everything worked out! Spike and Austin are great like that!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can butter me up,¡± Spike countered. ¡°You need trainin¡¯ way more than Twy does. You better believe I¡¯ll be workin¡¯ you to the bone once Creators¡¯ Day is over.¡±


    ¡°Give me the right ¡®bone¡¯ and I¡¯ll do anything you¡¯d like,¡± Sky replied suggestively.


    Spike responded only with silence, his arms crossed as he stared blankly down at Sky. To his side, Austin and Twy both facepalmed in tandem.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Twy declared, breaking the awkward silence to grab Sky by the collar of her shirt and begin dragging her off, ¡°we¡¯ll be on our way. Thanks for understanding, guys!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem,¡± Austin shouted after her, watching for a second as Sky batted her sister¡¯s hand away and moved to walk beside her. He then looked over at Spike, saying, ¡°she¡¯s really somethin¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°Who, Sky?¡± Spike shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s a real handful at times, I gotta admit.¡±


    ¡°In more ways than one, am I right?¡±


    Spike turned to stare at Austin, his lips pursed ¡ª while the latter offered a cheeky grin. With a sigh, Spike turned around and began stretching. ¡°I swear, you and Sky need to get your minds out of the fuckin¡¯ gutter.¡±


    ¡°Man, what are you even complainin¡¯ about?¡± Austin retorted as he dismissed his sword and rolled his shoulders in preparation to join Spike in stretching. ¡°You¡¯re the one with a girlfriend, here. And don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed that you¡¯ve been gettin¡¯ handsy with her, again. It¡¯s almost nauseating.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re jealous, then why don¡¯t you do somethin¡¯ to fix your own situation, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Easier said than done.¡±


    ¡°If you just fuckin¡¯ said it, then it¡¯d be done! Twy¡¯s right there!¡±


    ¡°Sh-shush!¡± Austin insisted, ¡°what if she hears you?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure,¡± Spike replied dismissively. ¡°Alright, you wimp, let¡¯s get to trainin¡¯, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡­ ¡­well, okay.¡± Austin sighed before summoning his sword into his hands again. ¡°Serious question, though: you brought up bein¡¯ afraid to get close to Sky before, due to your superstrength. Have you gotten over that?¡±


    ¡°¡­Not completely,¡± Spike responded. ¡°But I¡¯m gettin¡¯ better about it. I¡¯ve been keepin¡¯ her waitin¡¯ for literal months, after all. Figure I should finally get my act together.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it. Just¡­ keep it in y¡¯all¡¯s rooms, please?¡±


    ¡°You were the one just jokin¡¯ about gropin¡¯ her!¡±


    ¡°Look, dude, jokes are one thing, seein¡¯ it public is another!¡±


    Spike released a resigned sigh as he cracked his knuckles and then fabricated a massive shield in one hand. ¡°¡­Today¡¯s trainin¡¯ is gonna be especially hard, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, I can¡¯t wait,¡± Austin drawled, watching as Spike drove the shield¡¯s edge into the dirt such that it would stand vertically on its own. Upon seeing Spike back off, Austin asked, ¡°wait, I thought we were sparring!¡±


    ¡°With that sword of yours? Hell no,¡± Spike declared. ¡°If you wanna spar, we can do that later, if your trainin¡¯ goes well. But if you¡¯re workin¡¯ with the sword, then my shields will have to do as trainin¡¯ dummies.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­ but this is so boring! Why am I the only one training, anyways, huh? Are you trying to say I¡¯m just that much worse than you?¡±


    ¡°We can all stand to improve, but there¡¯s no doubt that you and Sky need the most practice. Remember what happened on Oriciid¡¯kas?¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Austin scowled. ¡°I remember we all did terribly until Kaon¨¦ showed up¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that. But, to be perfectly blunt, you still needed rescuin¡¯ a handful of times.¡±


    ¡°I saved you once!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m grateful for that, really. But you still need to work on your situational awareness, and your dodgin¡¯ skills. Honestly, we should be workin¡¯ on that today, not your form with your sword.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just an excuse for you to punch me a lot, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°You were the one who wanted to spar!¡± Spike responded in exasperation.


    ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Austin admitted sheepishly.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still the same as ever, huh, Austin?¡±


    Austin and Spike both glanced to the side, where they spotted Luke ¡ª trailed by Gavon ¡ª approaching.


    Luke offered a casual wave once they spotted him. ¡°Doing some training, huh?¡± he observed.


    ¡°We were just about to start,¡± Spike stated.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. We¡¯ll try not to keep you too long, then,¡± Luke replied. ¡°But have either of y¡¯all seen Dav¨ªdrius, recently? Gavon and I need to speak with him.¡±


    ¡°Not today, I haven¡¯t¡­¡± Austin answered. ¡°It¡¯s the weekend, so I bet he isn¡¯t even on campus.¡±


    ¡°I figured that might be the case,¡± Gavon remarked with a sigh. ¡°Still thought we¡¯d check, though.¡±


    ¡°What do you want with Dav¨ªdrius? Is this¡­ about the Bleeders?¡±


    Luke and Gavon exchanged a glance. ¡°¡­It¡¯s about a handful of things,¡± Luke eventually responded.


    ¡°And now that the conversation has shifted to something serious,¡± Gavon quipped, only to quickly turn solemn as he turned toward Austin and Spike. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what you went through on Oriciid¡¯kas. On behalf of the Black Suns, I¡¯d like to apologize. That situation should never have gotten as bad as it did.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Austin drawled.


    ¡°It did get pretty bad¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°But the Colonel we met there seemed to think there was some kinda foul play¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and Rebehka agreed, too,¡± Austin affirmed. ¡°Uh¡­ Gavon, right? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s far too early to say,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°The district of Holres¡¯Ket was lost less than a week ago; it¡¯ll take several more weeks, at an absolute minimum, for the investigations to conclude. I¡¯ll be sure to inform you all the moment I know the answer, though.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°We really should get going, though,¡± Luke said. ¡°Austin, Spike, keep it up.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Spike replied as Luke and Gavon turned to walk away, leaving Austin and Spike to square off for an impromptu duel.


    As they walked, Gavon glanced over his shoulder at the two Earthians, watching for a second as they lunged toward each other. He then turned forward with a wary sigh. ¡°¡­So Colonel D¡¯Tan and Dean Tchir¨¦on really did speculate about foul play in front of everyone?¡± he questioned to Luke.


    ¡°It was the Chaos Knight that actually used the words ¡®foul play¡¯, not the Colonel or Rebehka. But otherwise¡­ yeah,¡± Luke replied. ¡°It sure seemed like the Colonel and the Dean were convinced that what happened, couldn¡¯t have happened under the established security protocols.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Luke side-eyed Gavon as the two men excited the WCU campus and began walking down the streets of Compound Tresnon. ¡°You¡¯re with the Suns. Have you heard anything?¡±


    Gavon remained thoughtfully silent for several moments. Eventually, he replied, ¡°¡­nothing that I can tell you, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, that¡¯s just how it is, sometimes,¡± Luke responded. ¡°Can you at least answer me this: do you think that the Critical Infection Incident had anything to do with those Sector 2 soldiers that showed up a day before?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting into dangerously speculative territory, my friend.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but you were the one who told me and my team that Sector 2 is untrustworthy.¡±


    ¡°That I was¡­¡± Gavon muttered. ¡°¡­Well, to be honest with you, I¡¯m always distrustful of Sector 2. Them showing up in Holres¡¯Ket is a giant red flag, as far as I¡¯m concerned. That said, I looked into the whole incident ¡ª and from what I could find, the Sector 2 soldiers in the district really were there under orders from Sector 2¡¯s Lieutenant General, Lucik Ferrous. And General Ferrous is well known for his dislike of the Chaos Knights ¡ª which is the cited reason for Sector 2¡¯s presence, since that Chaos Knight was there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it all checks out?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°On a surface level, sure. There¡¯s more to it than that, but¡­¡± Gavon released a frustrated sigh. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t tell you any more about why I distrust Sector 2. I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s all confidential.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see. Well, I can¡¯t really blame you. I¡¯m not even a civilian, after all, I¡¯m a member of a potentially opposing military force.¡±


    ¡°Luke¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. I get it,¡± Luke responded, stopping for a moment to address Gavon head-on. ¡°Every org has secrets, right? The Black Suns have some, SERRCom has some. I¡¯m sure even the Chaos Knights, and the NSD, and everyone else has info that they don¡¯t want people outside their orgs to know.¡±


    Gavon regarded Luke with a wary look, only to sigh in resignation a second later. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. And thanks for understanding.¡±


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s got you down, though? You usually seem a bit more chipper than this.¡±


    ¡°A couple days ago, I was called by my superior.¡± Gavon flashed an uneasy smirk. ¡°You know how those can go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Luke nodded in understanding as the two began walking again. ¡°Well, after we let Dav¨ªdrius know that we saw nothing on the walls today, how about we go shooting, and get drinks later? Help take your mind off things, and all that.¡±


    ¡°Shooting and drinking? My, how daring!¡± Gavon replied playfully.


    ¡°Not at the same time, of course! Sheesh.¡± Luke shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Sounds like a great way to blow your head off.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Gavon remarked with a smirk. ¡°You joke, but if you tried to handle a Black Suns rifle while drunk and unaugmented, then you really could break your arm or blow off your shoulder from the recoil alone!¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    Luke and Gavon both glanced to the side, where they noticed Mark jogging up alongside them. ¡°Hey, Mark,¡± Luke greeted, ¡°finished your rounds?¡±


    ¡°I just got back from meeting with Selind, yeah. I wanted to report to you, too,¡± Mark replied, and then glanced toward Gavon. ¡°¡­Which is when I heard you talk about the recoil of your rifle. Are Black Suns weapons really that powerful?¡±


    ¡°Well, I embellished a little, obviously,¡± Gavon said. ¡°A single prosthetic arm isn¡¯t enough to brace against recoil that would shatter an unaugmented person¡¯s shoulder. But there is some truth to the matter.¡± He then looked at Luke. ¡°Particularly with my SR-24. If you were to fire it at full power without properly bracing yourself, Luke, then you legitimately could break your arm.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you haven¡¯t let me use it yet?¡± Luke prodded.


    ¡°But of course! It wouldn¡¯t do to let a SERRCom officer injure themselves on a Black Suns weapon! Just imagine how bad that would look!¡±


    Mark looked between the two officers with a smile. ¡°I see you¡¯re both getting along well.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°We have been working together for over a month, now,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°Stands to reason we¡¯d either be getting along well, or terribly, at this point. How about you, Mark? You interested in going shooting with us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ I don¡¯t want to intrude,¡± Mark quickly replied. ¡°Besides, guns aren¡¯t really my thing.¡±


    ¡°Every Chaotic could use a gun, you know. ¡­But, then again, you aren¡¯t a normal Chaotic, are you?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± Mark laughed uneasily. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose not.¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted to report to me, though, Mark?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Mark quickly straightened up as he turned to address Luke. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary on my side of the city. Selind said that no one else has seen anything today, either.¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders really are holding off for now, huh¡­¡± Luke mused. ¡°Even though they raided and razed a nearby compound just a few days ago¡­ I still don¡¯t understand why the Bleeders didn¡¯t try to capture the compound, instead. If they want to attack Tresnon, then surely they¡¯ll need some kind of forward operating base?¡±


    ¡°I suspect they don¡¯t need a compound as an FOB,¡± Gavon stated. ¡°From what Selind and Dav¨ªdrius have told me, the Bleeders¡¯ leader, Str¨¦n, has used his Geotechnism to construct underground bases, before. Even under the sands of Tres¨¦d¡¯s wastelands.¡±


    ¡°If so, then we¡¯d have no way to tell where they¡¯re hiding¡­¡± Mark muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s not completely true. Underground bunkers are detectable with all manner of modern sensor tech,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°Now¡­ Tres¨¦d doesn¡¯t really have access to any of that tech right now, but I¡¯m sure Kaon¨¦ can make some. She¡¯s the real reason the Bleeders haven¡¯t approached Tresnon since Hunger¡¯s Bane, anyways.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about her Materiatechnism, and her Overdrive. Both are incredibly powerful ¡ª and thanks to her being a former member of Hero Machina, the entire galaxy knows it,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°The vast majority of Chaotics wouldn¡¯t win if they were forced to fight an entire modern army all on their own, but there isn¡¯t a doubt in my mind that Kaon¨¦ could. And the Bleeders are much more poorly equipped than a modern army, even with the handful of tech they have now. I¡¯m sure they realize that.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then shouldn¡¯t they have attacked while she was away, on Oriciid¡¯kas?¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°The Bleeders don¡¯t have perfect information,¡± Gavon answered. ¡°Really, no one in Tres¨¦d does. The lack of tech on this continent makes surveillance incredibly difficult, which is a double-edged sword ¡ª we¡¯re having a hard time tracking the Bleeders, but in all likelihood, they¡¯re having a hard time assessing Compound Tresnon¡¯s strength, as well. I¡¯ve also noticed that ever since the Hunger¡¯s Bane attack, Kaon¨¦ specifically remains inside Tresnon¡¯s walls at all times; she doesn¡¯t even seem to wander the town all that frequently. I think she¡¯s purposefully keeping a low profile, to make it more difficult for the Bleeders to tell if she really is gone from the Compound, or if she just isn¡¯t making herself known.¡±


    ¡°If Kaon¨¦ is so important to deterring the Bleeders, then I¡¯d think we should make her presence exceedingly well known,¡± Mark countered.


    ¡°If she were a permanent resident, then I¡¯d agree,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°But it¡¯s clear that she has responsibilities elsewhere, and won¡¯t remain in Tres¨¦d for forever. If Tresnon wants to use her reputation as a shield, then they have to make the Bleeders as confused as possible as to whether or not she¡¯s really here, so that they don¡¯t try to attack when she isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°In which case, their attacks on the surrounding settlements are probably meant to draw out her or Dav¨ªdrius, aren¡¯t they?¡± Luke speculated.


    Gavon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I think. In particular, it¡¯s clear that there¡¯s an old, lingering grudge between Dav¨ªdrius and Str¨¦n ¡ª a deep grudge, in fact. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a big part of why Str¨¦n announced his presence at the Hunger¡¯s Bane attack. It was a terror tactic, of sorts, and he likely hoped that introducing himself as a known quantity would throw Dav¨ªdrius off balance. And constantly attacking the surrounding Compounds repeatedly forces Dav¨ªdrius and the Defense Force to be reactive, rather than proactive, which is a terribly demoralizing mindset to be in when you already hate your enemy. On top of that, as I understand it, all of the former members of Hero Machina are still close friends. As a result of that, if Dav¨ªdrius is ever captured or neutralized, then the Bleeders might be able to use that to draw out Kaon¨¦ ¡ª or even send her Berserk. And a Berserk Chaotic as powerful as Kaon¨¦ would devastate Tresnon better than the Bleeders could, themselves.¡±


    ¡°When you put it that way¡­ the Bleeders sound even more thoughtful and intimidating than I thought,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°They¡¯re no ordinary criminal gang, I¡¯ll grant them that,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°But I remain confident that we¡¯ll beat them. We just need to remain vigilant.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­ Anyways.¡± Luke then turned to Mark. ¡°Well, that was a real tangent. Anything else to report, Mark?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, sir, that¡¯s it,¡± Mark replied. ¡°¡­Oh, wait, Selind told me to tell you that she¡¯s busy today and tonight, so she won¡¯t be able to join either of you for shooting or drinking.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°She¡¯s managing the entire Defense Force, after all, and these are trying times. I wonder if we should go help¡­¡±


    ¡°Might be worth it to at least check in on her,¡± Luke commented. ¡°Alright, then, Mark, we¡¯ve gotta go. Keep up the good work.¡±


    ¡°You, as well,¡± Mark responded, watching as Luke and Gavon continued down the street. He then turned around and began making his way toward Market Street, a large, empty canvas bag in hand. Now that his daily guard duties were over with, he intended to get some shopping done, as the kitchen cabinets back in the dorm were beginning to run low on food. There was a lot going on recently, after all, and a lot for everyone to stress out about. He merely wished to help alleviate stress in the best way he knew how: by cooking good meals with tasty food.


    As Mark walked down the streets, he eventually came upon the lake shores; Mirage Lake stretched out before him, as if an ocean. While Market Street awaited him to the east, Mark remained standing where he was, taking in the sights of the lake for just a brief few moments. The vast blue waters reminded him of home ¡ª of Earth ¡ª in a way that the sandy beige of Compound Tresnon couldn¡¯t possibly, and with that, were thoughts of his friends.


    ¡°Mote, Danielle, Kate¡­¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°¡­I really miss you all. Whatever you¡¯re doing, wherever your missions take you, I hope you¡¯re doing well¡­¡±


    Serene silence followed his words as he allowed only the sounds of the lake¡¯s gentle waves to fill the air. The distant Market Street crowds could be faintly heard on the winds, as well, eventually drawing Mark¡¯s attention back to his destination. With a deep breath, he began walking once more; he still had shopping to do, after all. Just as he began walking, however, he found himself nearly stumbling over a couple that had just rounded the corner. ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­!¡± he began to apologize, quickly backing off.


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Mark looked down at the couple, getting a better look at them ¡ª and quickly realizing that it was Pierce and Liask that he had almost overrun. ¡°Oh! Hello.¡±


    ¡°Watch out where you¡¯re walking¡­¡± Pierce muttered.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Pierce, it was an accident,¡± Liask insisted, and then turned to give Mark a smile. ¡°Nice to meet you, again. You¡¯re one of Pierce¡¯s friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Friends¡­?¡± Mark echoed uneasily as he exchanged a glance with Pierce.


    ¡°More like an acquaintance,¡± Pierce corrected. ¡°We haven¡¯t talked much. Hell, I¡¯ve talked with the dweeb, more.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we really haven¡¯t talked much at all, have we¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you at least make good food, I¡¯ll give you that. So, uh. Thanks for making dinner all the time, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± Mark replied with a warm smile. He then looked down at Pierce and Liask¡¯s hands, noting that they were linked, at which point he made to excuse himself. ¡°Speaking of food, though, I have some shopping I need to do. So let me get out your way.¡±


    ¡°Uh, see you later,¡± Pierce responded as Mark left for Market Street.


    ¡°¡­Hehe,¡± Liask giggled once Mark was out of earshot. ¡°You really do have an awkward side, huh?¡±


    ¡°What else are you supposed to do when you run into an acquaintance,¡± Pierce challenged. He then looked down at where he and Liask were holding hands. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still¡­ getting used to this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly innocent of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut it. I mean the whole ¡®acting¡¯ thing. Plus, holding hands doesn¡¯t really seem like a Tres¨¦dian thing, so everyone¡¯s staring at us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but it is an Earth thing, right? And it¡¯s your Earthian friends you need to convince. So, holding hands!¡± Liask smiled at Pierce, only to then wriggle her fingers uncomfortably. ¡°¡­Is this really an Earth thing, though? It¡¯s so weird¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re that uncomfortable, then we can just stop,¡± Pierce suggested.


    ¡°No, no! It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°So, uh¡­ our ¡®date¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. Our ¡®date¡¯¡­¡± Pierce echoed, his gaze sweeping over the lake waters and the nearby shores. ¡°¡­It¡¯s early afternoon, so I¡¯m sure most of the fun places are closed. But we could still hit up the lakefront.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Pierce offered her a slight nod and a forced smile before turning to begin walking the streets of Tresnon toward the Mirage Lakefront, prepared for anything else that the weekend afternoon might hold.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 32: Missing Knowledge

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 32: Missing Knowledge


    ¡ª Tuesday, January 17, AD 2130 ¡ª


    ¡°Mote! There you are.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­? Oh, Colonel.¡± Mote stopped walking to offer Saito a salute. ¡°Do you need something, sir?¡±


    ¡°Just a quick chat, that¡¯s all,¡± Saito replied as he caught up to Mote, and the two continued walking down the corridors of the Opportunity space station. An expansive vista of Earth¡¯s blues and greens stretched along the far wall of the hallway, but Saito ignored the view as he looked up at Mote. ¡°You busy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way to help with Kate¡¯s research, again,¡± Mote replied. ¡°More to do with the armor, I¡¯ll bet¡­¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s really found a way to rescue it after you fried it, huh?¡±


    ¡°So it seems.¡± Mote than passed Saito a doubtful look. ¡°¡­Are you here to talk about that?¡±


    ¡°No. ¡­Well¡­ sort of,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Regarding the armor itself ¡ª I can¡¯t fault you for using your Overdrive in that situation. But I did want to speak with you about what I read in your mission report¡­¡±


    ¡°Was there an issue with my performance, sir?¡±


    The Colonel faltered for a moment, as if unsure how to respond. ¡°¡­Sort of.¡±


    ¡°There was?¡± Mote stopped walking to look at Saito in surprise. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t see what else I could have done, sir. The stasis blocks were destroyed before we even arrived.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about the stasis blocks,¡± Saito replied, turning to face Mote head-on now that they weren¡¯t walking. ¡°I don¡¯t object to what you did while fighting for your life, down there. The fact that you managed to keep a level head even while low on breathable air is admirable, really.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. ¡­Then what¡¯s the issue?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what you said happened at the end. You said that Maenikad pleaded for her life, and yet you still killed her.¡±


    Mote¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°I destroyed a machine, sir.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible for a sapient AI to exist?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s still an AI. A computer,¡± Mote argued. ¡°It isn¡¯t human, like you or me. And it had been attacking me up until that very moment, regardless.¡±


    ¡°A surrender is a surrender.¡± Saito looked up at Mote with troubled concern. ¡°I can understand if the lack of oxygen down there interfered with your judgment, Mote. But if your report is accurate¡­ you killed someone, or something who had surrendered to you.¡±


    ¡°Respectfully, sir, AI don¡¯t have personhood. They can¡¯t ¡ª because they¡¯re artificially created machines. The Ark AI¡¯s ¡®surrender¡¯ was doubtlessly a pre-programmed attempt to stall for time. It did activate the self-destruct in the end, after all.¡±


    ¡°After you ignored her pleading several times, by your own admission!¡±


    Mote and Saito both fell silent, glaring at each other in the middle of the corridor.


    Eventually, Mote diverted his gaze, though he still bore a fierce scowl on his face. ¡°¡­Am I to treat machines as if they¡¯re human, sir?¡±


    Saito released a wary sigh as he rubbed his brow. ¡°You¡­ honestly believe that Maenikad was no more than a machine, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It admitted to being an AI itself. And a sufficiently advanced computer could easily simulate human emotion to provoke the responses it needs out of any human it interacts with.¡±


    ¡°If a computer can ¡®fake¡¯ being sapient to such a degree that humans can¡¯t tell the difference, then is it really ¡®faking it¡¯ anymore?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is. Because computers can never be human. Period. ¡­Sir.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right.¡± The Colonel sighed again. ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯m at least certain now that you definitely believed Maenikad to be no more than a machine. Are you alright, though? Even if you don¡¯t believe Maenikad was ¡®alive¡¯, per se, you still heard her beg for her life. Few people would be able to go through with¡­ destroying her after that.¡±


    Mote turned away. ¡°¡­It was a machine, sir.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ alright. I¡¯ll stop harping on that point, then.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you wanted, sir?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s just one more thing. In your report, you mentioned there being an enemy Electrotechnic, but you never found them. ¡­You really don¡¯t know what happened to them?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I was never able to detect their presence, even in the end. And if they survived that long, then¡­¡±


    Saito warily eyed Mote, who himself had diverted his gaze, his eyes directed at the virtual windows ¡ª though seemingly not focused on them. The Colonel suspected that he knew what Mote was thinking; after all, according to his report, Mote had finished off the Ark with an incredible lightning blast. And immediately after that, it self-destructed. If anyone had been left behind¡­


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, sir. This is unbecoming of me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Saito gave Mote an odd look as the Electrotechnic turned to face him again. ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°The death of our enemies is nothing to mourn over,¡± Mote declared. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t celebrate their deaths, certainly, but we shouldn¡¯t dwell on them, either. We would be little able to fulfill our duties as soldiers and officers of SERRCom if we did, after all.¡±


    Saito responded only with silence, his expression blank as he stared at Mote.


    ¡°¡­Sir?¡±


    ¡°¡­You¡¯re¡­ really something, Mote,¡± Saito replied, forcing a smile as he placed his hand on Mote¡¯s shoulder and squeezed once. ¡°¡­But don¡¯t think you have to shoulder everything alone. You might be a soldier of SERRCom, sure. But you¡¯re a human, too. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Understood, sir,¡± Mote responded, though despite his words, confusion clearly covered his face.


    ¡°And now, I¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡± Saito offered Mote a quick salute before backing away. ¡°Have fun helping with that research!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ try, sir.¡±


    With those parting words, Mote and Saito finally parted ways, with Saito walking back toward the way they had come. After taking a few steps, however, he stopped to look behind himself ¡ª to look at Mote, who was steadily walking in the opposite direction. The Colonel¡¯s gaze lingered for a couple seconds, but eventually he turned around and began walking once again, leaving the hallway ¡ª and his heavy conversation ¡ª behind.


    <hr>


    5 Minutes Later


    ¡°What do you mean, you haven¡¯t fixed the armor yet?¡±


    ¡°I mean what I said, dumbass,¡± Kate retorted, shooting Mote an annoyed glare before turning her attention back to the computer in front of her. ¡°I made sure you didn¡¯t fry it into fucking oblivion, at least, but we still need to do the malware check.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Mote groaned in displeasure, only to resign himself to his fate. He stepped forward to approach Kate¡¯s workstation in the shared ETAA office aboard Opportunity, which was currently also occupied by Danielle ¡ª who was spending her time talking to Kate while she worked ¡ª and Sarah, who appeared to be working on some other project across the room.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t like working with this armor, do you?¡± Sarah questioned, leaning back in her chair with coffee mug in hand as she observed the Eximius Vir.


    Mote passed her an annoyed glance before sitting down in an empty chair next to Kate. ¡°You should know well my thoughts on the armor at this point,¡± he stated. ¡°And the fact that the gene-locking technology was intentional on the part of the creators makes it even worse.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it make you feel special, though?¡± Danielle questioned, idly kicking her legs while sitting on the edge of Kate¡¯s desk.


    ¡°It constantly eats my time and attention,¡± Mote countered. ¡°Not to mention how incredibly inefficient it is to give a Chaotic like me access to such an armor. Not only does it not run on electricity ¡ª meaning I can¡¯t power it up like regular armor ¡ª but its systems are overkill for what I need. We¡¯d be better served giving it to a non-Chaotic, if only the Aldredas weren¡¯t so foolish when they designed it.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I¡¯m just fucking glad to hear that the thing wasn¡¯t broken to start with,¡± Kate declared. ¡°I agree that the gene-lock is fucking stupid, but the fact that the armor is working as intended means fucking everything else should be fine, too. Or at least, was fine.¡±


    ¡°If this is about what I did to it, then I already explained ¡ª using my Overdrive was necessary.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about you. I mean, your fucking EMP Overdrive did a real fucking number on the armor, but at least you stored it before you EMPed it. If you hadn¡¯t, I don¡¯t think it would¡¯ve survived.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯re you concerned about, then?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°The hacking, obviously,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°That bitch of an AI we ran into took control of both Mote¡¯s armor and that Corvette. She tried to take over the Genesis, too!¡±


    ¡°¡¯It¡¯,¡± Mote insisted. ¡°It tried to take over the Genesis.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Sarah rose an inquisitive eyebrow. ¡°I can¡¯t say I expected my day to involve a discussion of AI rights.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have rights, because they¡¯re machines. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ she talked like a real person,¡± Danielle said.


    Mote passed her an annoyed glance. ¡°First the Colonel, and now you¡­ this is exactly why so-called ¡®sapient¡¯ AI is dangerous. That AI¡¯s entire persona was a construct, a pale simulation of human emotion meant to provoke desired responses out of real people. It¡¯s just a trick¡­ and it seems to have worked on all of you.¡±


    Danielle frowned. ¡°But¡­ she seemed so real¡­¡±


    ¡°If she was trying to ¡®provoke desired responses¡¯ then she couldn¡¯t have failed worse,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°AI personhood aside, the fact still remains that you got to talk with an Aldredian AI,¡± Sarah pointed out. ¡°I do wish I had been there¡­¡±


    ¡°It tried to kill me,¡± Mote replied.


    ¡°And yet you¡¯re still fuckin¡¯ alive,¡± Kate responded. ¡°So stop your bitching.¡±


    ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, Kate,¡± Danielle replied, ¡°it sounded like it was really stressful, down in the Ark¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably just mad you didn¡¯t get to fight, aren¡¯t you,¡± Mote said.


    ¡°Damn right I¡¯m mad,¡± Kate remarked with a scowl. ¡°Another fucking missed fight! Stop hogging all the fights, you asshole!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to remember that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about this fighting, though,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I¡¯ve read your report, Mote, and you say that you were fighting another Electrotechnic down there. But you never found them?¡±


    ¡°¡­No,¡± Mote responded slowly. ¡°¡­But they must have been there. How else would I have run into Electrotechnic resistance?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the AI was a Chaotic!¡± Danielle suggested.


    Mote audibly scoffed. ¡°An AI? A Chaotic?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so dismissive of the idea, were I you,¡± Sarah responded. ¡°There are several animal and plant species throughout the galaxy with Chaotic or Chaotic-like abilities; there are many such examples on Nimalia¡¯s Hazard Islands, for instance. Or were, anyways, before they bombed those islands into bloody oblivion¡­ Still. We know that being a Chaotic isn¡¯t unique to humans, or even to being sapient.¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Mote passed her a doubtful glance. ¡°Even plants and animals are very different from AI, though. For one, they aren¡¯t artificial.¡±


    ¡°While true, I think it¡¯s folly to assign any particular significance to the ¡®natural¡¯,¡± Sarah countered. ¡°The more pragmatic answer is that we simply don¡¯t know if AIs can be Chaotics. And given the current galactic climate, I very much doubt that will change anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Just that strong AI research is in a pitiful state. The CSA has straight outlawed it, citing an ancient AI uprising in Citan space. The Nimalians don¡¯t seem to be interested in strong or sapient AI, and the Syraus are too occupied with their little war with the Riaxen to put time or money into researching automation beyond what serves them in war. All of the private entities large or wealthy enough to make significant strides in AI research are beholden to CSA regulations, which means that they can¡¯t. That leaves only us, SERRCom¡­ and I suspect we aren¡¯t anywhere close to developing a true, strong AI just yet.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need it, anyways,¡± Mote insisted.


    ¡°A phrase that has been uttered many times before groundbreaking inventions,¡± Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Personally, I¡¯d quite like to see AI research make significant strides. It isn¡¯t my field of expertise, but strong AI could be significantly helpful to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Or harmful,¡± Mote pressed.


    Sarah sighed and shook her head. ¡°So pessimistic.¡±


    ¡°I just wanna know if AIs can be Chaotics,¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°Imagine a world where they can be!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not,¡± Mote responded with a scowl.


    ¡°I sure as hell would!¡± Kate replied. ¡°Especially a worst case scenario: an AI uprising, where the AI are fucking Chaotics! In a situation like that, no one would give a fuck if I blew up a city or two! Hell, they¡¯d probably ask for it!¡±


    ¡°You want to blow up a city?!¡±


    ¡°Oh calm your tits, it¡¯s hyperbole. Still, for that AI in the Ark, I think it¡¯s more likely that she was just stealing the Electrotechnism of an Aldredas in stasis.¡±


    ¡°But the stasis block was destroyed¡­¡±


    ¡°And how would you ¡®steal¡¯ a Chaotic ability, anyways?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°First of all ¡ª Mote, you said that you saw one of the stasis blocks was destroyed,¡± Kate answered, ¡°but it¡¯s totally possible that there were a couple of stasis pods hidden in a fuckin¡¯ closet somewhere. The bitch of an AI was already set on betraying you, no reason she would¡¯ve told you about any living Aldredas.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose,¡± Mote admitted.


    ¡°And a sufficiently advanced AI could have an intricate understanding of the human brain,¡± Kate continued. ¡°We still don¡¯t know exactly what gives you a Chaotic ability, but we at least know that you need your fucking brain to control it. So that AI could maybe just have been tapping into the brain of an Aldredian in stasis and ¡®hijacking¡¯ it to use that Aldredian¡¯s Electrotechnism on you.¡±


    ¡°That sounds really complicated¡­¡± Danielle muttered.


    ¡°And yet, it does make some level of sense¡­¡± Mote commented. ¡°The Aldredas certainly didn¡¯t seem like the types to do things the easy way, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Too fucking true¡­¡± Kate grumbled. ¡°Why is all their shit so fucking hard to work with¡­¡±


    ¡°At least we already have information and interfaces gathered by the rest of the galaxy,¡± Sarah pointed out. ¡°Imagine how much more work it would be to study Aldredian technology if we didn¡¯t even have a way to access it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you guys have experience with this reverse-engineering stuff, right?¡± Danielle questioned as she glanced between Kate and Sarah. ¡°Or at least, SERRCom does. Right? With the Genesis?¡±


    ¡°We still aren¡¯t anywhere close to fully reverse-engineering Genesis¡¯s systems,¡± Sarah refuted. ¡°We still don¡¯t even know how Subspace Drives work! We just looked at how Genesis¡¯s drive was put together, and then slapped together our own in the same configuration. And lo and behold, it bloody worked!¡±


    ¡°How does that make any sense?!¡±


    ¡°How to explain¡­ well, as a very rough analogy, imagine that you have some building block toys. One day, you see a toy that someone else has, made out of the same blocks ¡ª and yet, it does something spectacular, something that seems physically impossible. You don¡¯t know how, but you know that their toy is made out of the same kind of blocks that you have, so you try to put together your own blocks in the same way. And when you do, your toy can suddenly do the spectacular thing, as well!¡± Sarah then shrugged. ¡°¡­Not a very good analogy, really. But that¡¯s the core of the issue: we know how to assemble Subspace Drives, but we don¡¯t yet understand why putting together a bunch of metal and plastic in that specific shape and configuration makes it able to move an entire spacecraft into an entirely different bloody dimension.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we knew that little about our own technology,¡± Mote muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a big part of why none of our manufactured drives can match Genesis¡¯s speed,¡± Sarah explained. ¡°Since we don¡¯t understand how they work, we can¡¯t be sure how good of a reproduction our drives are. Same applies to the rest of Genesis¡¯s systems, as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that our entire space fleet is built on black box technology?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°SERRCom still figured out a lot of that spacecraft shit before the Genesis popped up, you know. Energy shields, anti-grav, weaponry, all that stuff ¡ª none of it is black box. The only fucking black box stuff we still have are the Subspace Drives, the beaming tech, the Absolute Cloaking System, Genesis¡¯s Chaos Cannons, and its fucking operating system.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Mote looked to Kate in alarm. ¡°We don¡¯t even know how Genesis¡¯s operating system works?!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a little more nuance than that,¡± Sarah responded. ¡°The OS that actually runs all of the ship¡¯s computers, and that the crew interfaces with ¡ª we understand that software perfectly well. Genesis¡¯s OS is nigh-identical to SERRCom¡¯s spacecraft OS from 20 years ago, in fact, despite Genesis not being manufactured by us.¡±


    ¡°Which is pretty concerning, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that, but we haven¡¯t yet found an answer for how that could be in the 20 years since,¡± Sarah replied with a shrug. ¡°The scarier part, in my opinion, is that the crew-facing OS doesn¡¯t actually touch the ship¡¯s hardware. Not directly. It actually runs as a virtual layer on top of the ship¡¯s ¡®actual¡¯ operating system, which is the system that¡¯s actually in charge of Genesis¡¯s hardware. And we can¡¯t access it.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with another analogy. Imagine you¡¯re eating at a restaurant. You give your order to the waiter, and the waiter relays your order to the cook. The cook prepares your food, and then hands it off to the waiter, who brings it out to you,¡± Sarah said. ¡°In this analogy, the ¡®waiter¡¯ is the operating system, and the ¡®cook¡¯ is the hardware of the ship. For example, when Captain Krick orders his crew to activate the ACS, they input that command into the OS ¡ª the ¡®waiter¡¯ ¡ª which then interfaces with the actual hardware of the ACS ¡ª the ¡®cook¡¯ ¡ª to activate it. Now imagine, for a moment, that when you gave your order to the waiter, they didn¡¯t actually talk to the cook. They just wrote down your order on their little pad, and then continued standing next to you. And then, inexplicably, a few minutes later, your food appears in their hands, and they serve it to you. You have no idea how the cook got your order from the waiter, and you have no idea how the waiter got your food from the cook. But it still clearly happened.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what¡¯s happening with the Genesis¡¯s main computer?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Roughly speaking, yes,¡± Sarah replied. ¡°We don¡¯t know what the black box layer is doing. We know that it¡¯s there ¡ª we can examine the ship¡¯s systems with voltmeters to determine that its computers are drawing more energy than the OS alone would require, among other detection methods ¡ª but we simply have no way to interface with it. We can¡¯t access it. Even if we attempt to plug into the bare metal, we still get the ¡®virtual¡¯ layer. Thus, we can¡¯t examine what¡¯s underneath it¡­ which also means that we can¡¯t know if there are any additional systems or services hidden on the ship.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a massive security concern!¡± Mote pointed out. ¡°Why the hell do we let the Genesis keep flying?!¡±


    ¡°Politics,¡± Kate answered with a derisive snort.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s ultimately the core of it,¡± Sarah admitted. ¡°The ETAA has long petitioned to move Genesis into a permanent research role, at least until we can conclusively determine what all of her systems do. But the ETAA¡¯s voice in SERRCom is small. Scott ¡ª the Director, and most influential member ¡ª isn¡¯t even a part of High Command; he answers to Director Hamasaki. And most of High Command prefers leaving Genesis in active service as a show of force to the rest of the galaxy. It¡¯s really quite short-sighted, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t deny the Genesis has been fucking useful, though,¡± Kate pointed out. ¡°Hell, that fucking ACS alone is a godsend. And I bet the reason we can¡¯t perfectly reverse-engineer the ACS is because the black box OS is doing some of the heavy lifting. Same for the rest of the Genesis¡¯s specs ¡ª I bet all of the things that it¡¯s mysteriously good or efficient at, are because of the black box OS!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure, but it¡¯s also possible that the black box OS is running some kind of nefarious program out of our sight, or that there¡¯s even some kind of time bomb. We don¡¯t even know where the bloody ship came from, after all.¡±


    ¡°And yet, SERRCom happily grabbed it, started using it, and has even based most of our advanced tech around it,¡± Mote remarked. ¡°¡­This feels like something we¡¯re all going to regret, one day.¡±


    ¡°No doubt¡­¡± Sarah muttered, and then took a sip out of her coffee mug. ¡°¡­Still, the AI¡¯s hacking attempt on Genesis and the following malware scrub gives us a good chance to study the ship some more. She¡¯ll be in dock for that for around a month, I wager.¡±


    ¡°Which means a month of no missions or fights¡­¡± Kate grumbled.


    ¡°Whenever we¡¯re not on a mission, you complain about not being on a mission. Yet when we are busy with missions, you complain about not having time for research!¡± Mote exclaimed. ¡°Do you ever not complain about this?¡±


    ¡°If you convince the ETAA to let me research some bigger and better bombs, then I¡¯ll at least have the best of both worlds!¡±


    ¡°Your last proposal involved some unholy abomination of a ¡®Drive Bomb¡¯ combined with antimatter weaponry,¡± Sarah deadpanned.


    ¡°Just because Drive Bombs are the most powerful weapon the galaxy¡¯s ever seen doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t make them even bigger!¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°And if SERRCom ever finds itself in the rare position of needing to obliterate an entire bloody solar system in a single strike, then we¡¯ll get back to you.¡±


    ¡°Ungrateful bastards¡­¡±


    ¡°The world of research really is something, though, huh?¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve already learned so much today, just from sitting here!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d much rather be elsewhere,¡± Mote grumbled. ¡°What¡¯s taking so long, Kate? You haven¡¯t even given me the armor yet!¡±


    ¡°Hold your fucking tits, dude, I was just making sure it was ready to be summoned,¡± Kate shot back. ¡°Just give me another minute or two and then you can whip it out and be on your fucking way.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Mote scowled in impatience, but nonetheless remained sitting where he was, waiting to get his job over with.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Trouble does seem to have its way of finding you, doesn¡¯t it, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the job¡­ supposedly,¡± Saito replied as he took a seat in General Lead¡¯s office, across the desk from the General himself. ¡°I¡¯m not even the one who had to fight this time.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true,¡± Lead replied, his hands clasped in front of him on top of his desk. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that you weren¡¯t able to recover anything from the Aldredian Ark, but it¡¯s good that you returned with no casualties.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but the Genesis and the Corvette being out of commission for a month still puts a delay in our plans, huh?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. That wouldn¡¯t happen to have anything to do with why you asked to speak with me, now, does it?¡±


    ¡°Heh. Ever the astute man, General,¡± Saito remarked with a smirk. ¡°I had a couple of questions about the state of things, and a request for CSF-1¡¯s mission in the meanwhile.¡±


    ¡°You only just returned to Earth yesterday,¡± Lead replied, with an inquisitively raised eyebrow. ¡°What could motivate you to leave so quickly?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already on alert due to the pending EA investigations, right? So I figure, instead of standing around here with our hands in our pockets, we might as well be out there and doing something to keep us ¡®in the game¡¯, so to speak. Something that, hopefully, won¡¯t be nearly as dangerous as checking out another one of those Dreadnought coordinates.¡±


    ¡°We really need to find a defense against Aldredian sensors and hacking equipment¡­¡± the General lamented. ¡°¡­But, very well, Colonel. I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°Well, first of all, I wanted to ask ¡ª I know you want CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir to take part in the eventual raid on EA¡¯s base, once we find it. Do you have any idea how long it¡¯ll be until we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Director Hamasaki has informed me that each report of an EA attack on one of the PMCs helps them narrow down where his base actually is. It seems that it might be within thirty thousand light years of Earth.¡±


    ¡°Galactically speaking, that¡¯s pretty damn close, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°In a sense, perhaps. Our closest neighbor, Nimalia, is less than ten thousand light years from Earth ¡ª that¡¯s true close range. Thirty thousand light years, meanwhile, would take most of the galaxy almost two months to cross. Our Subspace Drives are the only reason that distance seems ¡®short¡¯, since our Drives can cover it in three to four days. The distance must be relatively trivial to EA, as well, given that he can perform raids once or twice a week ¡ª which would make sense, if he has Subspace Drives of his own.¡±


    ¡°Well, thirty thousand light years is still basically just a quarter of the galaxy, right? If we¡¯ve narrowed down EA¡¯s location that far, then it shouldn¡¯t be too long until we find the base, I¡¯d assume.¡±


    ¡°Thirty thousand light years is still a massive segment of space. Still, the fact that EA has managed a raid or two every week for the past month has helped tremendously in determining where his base is. If he keeps this pattern up, then we may be able to find him in a couple months.¡±


    ¡°A couple months? That¡¯s plenty of time for smaller missions.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ but remember that I want CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir in top shape for this raid, as we don¡¯t know what to expect from EA. As such, I won¡¯t be approving any mission requests if there¡¯s too much danger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Saito responded dismissively, but as he trailed off, he briefly recalled something he had heard a couple weeks ago when meeting during the Nimalian military summit:


    ¡°This might be a silly question,¡± Rebehka spoke up, ¡°but if this EA person really is a clone of Austin, then have you tried asking Austin what EA will do?¡±


    At the time, he had written off Rebehka¡¯s suggestion by stating that even if EA really did think the same way that Austin did, there wasn¡¯t enough of an informational basis for Austin to predict EA¡¯s actions. Now, however¡­ ¡°General, you say that we don¡¯t know what to expect from EA ¡ª have we considered asking Austin Travis? The two are, supposedly, identical, after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­The thought¡¯s crossed my mind,¡± the General replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. The EIIC¡¯s own investigations should be sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Depending on what we find at EA¡¯s base, we may be able to bring the matter to Travis and see if he has any idea what EA is trying to do. For now, all we can gather is that he¡¯s building an army. Most of his raids on the PMCs have been for raw materials or base components, after all, which suggests that he has his own manufacturies setup already.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense. I guess we really will just have to wait and see what we find there¡­ but in the meantime, about my mission request. I¡¯d like to take all willing members of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir back to Nimalia. Specifically, back to Compound Tresnon.¡±


    Lead nodded in understanding. ¡°I suspected that was what you were going to ask.¡±


    ¡°I had a feeling you¡¯d say that, sir,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°And if you suspected I would ask about this mission, then I¡¯m sure you already have an answer?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the General replied. ¡°So long as you have at least two members of the Eximius Vir with you, I approve of this mission, as well as you bringing all of your normal equipment ¡ª including powered armor.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You really want us to be safe, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate how important CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are to SERRCom. We need you in top fighting shape at all times. Honestly, if not for the fact that our recruits are still at WCU, I wouldn¡¯t even be approving this mission. Then again, the recruits are the only reason you¡¯re even requesting this, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Not the only reason, but¡­ I suppose this wouldn¡¯t have crossed my mind if they weren¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how things are, Saito. I rather doubt the NSD would have given us permission to intrude upon their own Homeworld if not for the recruits, anyways! Nevertheless, be careful on Nimalia. I doubt these Bleeders you¡¯ve mentioned will be much of a match for the training of CSF-1 or the power of the Eximius Vir, but it sounds as though they¡¯re constantly surprising the local Nimalians. Don¡¯t let them surprise you, too.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, sir,¡± Saito replied, standing up from his seat in preparation to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll work out our transportation to Nimalia, then. And unless something changes, I¡¯d like to remain there until EA¡¯s base is found.¡±


    ¡°Request granted,¡± Lead responded. ¡°Do SERRCom proud, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯d ever plan differently,¡± Saito declared, offering the General a quick salute before turning to leave the office, ready to prepare for a trip back to Nimalia.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 33: Aids Arrival

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 33: Aid''s Arrival


    3 Days Later


    ¡ª Mondia, Colyath 20, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Ugh¡­ another boring day in class¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it is,¡± Spike responded, only to yawn broadly a second later. ¡°¡­Sure sucks, though.¡±


    ¡°No kidding¡­¡± Austin muttered, his head resting on his desk as he attempted to get just a little more sleep before the day¡¯s classes. Mid-morning light shone through the classroom¡¯s windows, brightly illuminating the room and the eight Earthian students sitting within.


    ¡°Not to mention, all we¡¯re learning today is boring stuff,¡± Sky grumbled from her seat in front of Spike. ¡°It¡¯s all day, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Physics isn¡¯t boring. There¡¯s ¡®physics¡¯ in everything we do. It¡¯s all around us,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°¡­But these all-day classes, every day, are definitely a bit much. It feels like we¡¯re back in high school, not college¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s just how Nimalians do things,¡± Conrad responded flatly while deeply slouched in his chair.


    ¡°At least this regular stuff is a walk in the park,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°Physics, chem, math ¡ª this is easy. Last week¡¯s test was a piece of cake!¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­¡± Austin groaned with displeasure. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of the weekly tests¡­¡±


    ¡°If you actually paid attention in class and took notes, the tests wouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Twy pointed out while tapping the open notebook on her desk. ¡°Just face it, Austin ¡ª these tests are here to stay. The sooner you get used to them, the better.¡±


    ¡°And if you keep doing as poorly as you did last week, you¡¯ll start having to do make-up classes,¡± Pierce said while passing Austin a taunting glance. ¡°Do you really want to waste all your time in the classroom, dweeb?¡±


    ¡°No better motivation to do well on a test than the threat of more class time,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°It¡¯s also the kind of threat you give to high schoolers,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°Where the hell is the college autonomy?!¡±


    ¡°You could just skip class,¡± Conrad suggested. ¡°¡­Actually, why don¡¯t I do that¡ª¡°


    Just as he moved to stand up, Kestrel placed her hand on his shoulder, gently holding him in his seat while giving him a level stare. Conrad responded with a sheepish laugh before laying his head on his desk in resignation.


    ¡°Skipping aside, I agree with Phoenix!¡± Sky exclaimed, jumping out of her seat to address the rest of the group. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be in class all day, then we should at least be doing Chaotic stuff!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to take your complaint into consideration.¡±


    ¡°You finally showed up, teach,¡± Pierce remarked as Kaon¨¦ entered the room and approached the teaching pedestal.


    ¡°Yes, I apologize for my tardiness,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, setting a small tablet down on the pedestal before glancing toward Sky and gesturing for her to sit down. ¡°From what I¡¯ve just heard, I understand that our schooling here seems more strict than what you have on Earth?¡±


    ¡°This is all pretty similar to our high school,¡± Twy said, ¡°but students our age are usually in college, instead¡­¡±


    ¡°Which wastes a lot less time on classes,¡± Austin interjected.


    ¡°Maybe your dinky little school does,¡± Pierce countered, ¡°but mine makes up for the ¡®missing¡¯ class time with a hell of a lot of coursework. That shit is a full-time job! Not even joking, they expect you spend 45 hours a week or more on that shit. Unless you¡¯re a math major, I guess.¡±


    ¡°The hell?¡± Spike regarded Pierce with horrified confusion. ¡°Why would you put up with that?¡±


    ¡°And you wonder why your grades were always so bad¡­¡± Twy muttered, shaking her head in disbelief at Spike¡¯s remark.


    ¡°U.T. never had that much coursework, though!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    Pierce made a show of shrugging dismissively. ¡°What can I say? It¡¯s the price of high-tier education.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound condescending at all,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Says the guy who went to Berkeley,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°Still a state school.¡±


    ¡°Ahem, anyways¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ loudly interjected, drawing the Earthians¡¯ attentions back to her. ¡°¡­I acknowledge that we¡¯ve recently moved onto subjects that many of you don¡¯t find as interesting as your Chaotic abilities, but again, you have to understand that this knowledge can still be incredibly helpful, both as you go about your personal lives and when you use your abilities. All Chaotics can benefit from a better understanding of the world around them and the laws that govern it ¡ª both physical, and otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Austin grumbled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t boring¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ll just have to put up with that,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, though she wore an apologetic smile as she did. ¡°As is, I¡¯m already running you all through an accelerated version of core. Normal students would cover in an entire two years what I¡¯m teaching you this and next term. After that, we can move onto more interesting things!¡±


    ¡°Like Chaotic stuff?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not ignoring your Chaotic training during all of this,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°You¡¯ll still have those classes every term, as well as training with your weapons once a week. But we can discuss the details of the curriculum after class; for now, I¡¯m afraid, we¡¯re just wasting time. We should get started on today¡¯s lesson¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ tapped the screen of her tablet a couple times, causing the artificial lights in the room to dim and a holographic whiteboard to be projected against the wall behind her. As she did, the Earthians ¡ª with varying levels of enthusiasm ¡ª flipped open their textbooks to the page indicated on the holographic whiteboard, prepared to begin yet another day of classes.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Hey, Colonel. Long time, no see!¡±


    ¡°Missed us that much, eh, Captain?¡± Saito replied as he passed Captain Travis a smirk. The two men were standing upon the open fields of Compound Tresnon¡¯s airport, with Travis flanked by Mark and Selind, and Saito backed by Hackett, Kirstin, and Danielle ¡ª all four of them with packed bags containing their clothes, weapons, and armor for a potentially extended stay.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Danielle glanced between Saito and Travis in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s been less than a month since we were last here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the joke, Danielle,¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected to see y¡¯all back so soon, though!¡± Selind exclaimed, stepping forward to give Saito a hearty slap on the back. ¡°And the way y¡¯all appeared in a flash of light, like that ¡ª that¡¯s that beamin¡¯ tech I¡¯ve heard about, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That it is,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve come here by spacecraft, then, right?¡±


    ¡°We did, but it¡¯s leaving orbit as we speak. SERRCom can¡¯t afford to commit even a single Frigate, at the moment¡­¡± Saito glanced back at Hackett, Kirstin, and Danielle behind him. ¡°To be perfectly honest, even the four of us are only here because the General doesn¡¯t have anything for us to do.¡±


    ¡°Nothing? Really?¡± Travis questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Well, nothing until we find EA¡¯s base. But I can fill you in more on that later.¡±


    ¡°So no spaceship to back us up, huh¡­¡± Selind mused. ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame. Or, I guess ¡ª I shouldn¡¯t get ahead of myself. What¡¯re you doin¡¯ back, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°You were right with your assumption,¡± Saito replied. ¡°We¡¯re here to help out with the Bleeder problem, however we can.¡±


    ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m hearin¡¯. Outsiders, actually volunteerin¡¯ their time to help?¡± Selind eyed Saito, her expression unreadable ¡ª as if she couldn¡¯t decide to settle on joy, or suspicion. ¡°I gotta ask. Are y¡¯all expectin¡¯ anythin¡¯ back, for this?¡±


    ¡°Admittedly, if our recruits weren¡¯t here, then we probably wouldn¡¯t be, either,¡± Saito said. ¡°Otherwise, SERRCom doesn¡¯t really have any interest in Tres¨¦d. So our aid is no-strings-attached.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna meet a lot of Tres¨¦dians who¡¯re surprised by that, I¡¯m sure! But I¡¯m not about to complain,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°Is it really just the four of you, though¡­?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Afraid it is,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°I tried to convince Mote and Kate to come along, but¡­¡± Danielle offered Mark an apologetic shrug. ¡°¡­Well, you know how they are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Travis remarked. ¡°The two of them could¡¯ve been incredibly useful, here. Honestly, though, I¡¯m surprised Kate didn¡¯t come along. Isn¡¯t she always looking for fights?¡±


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°Sh-she¡¯s, um, d-doing research¡­¡± Kirstin replied.


    ¡°Yeah, Kate often overstates her desire for fights,¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°She always complains, so it¡¯s hard to tell, but she really does like to spend a lot of her time in the lab.¡±


    ¡°I think she also thinks that the Bleeders aren¡¯t an enemy worth her time,¡± Saito stated, only to pass Selind a wary glance. ¡°Not to say that they aren¡¯t a concern, of course.¡±


    ¡°Ha, no offense taken, here,¡± Selind said. ¡°With a trained, modern military squad to help us ¡ª complete with all your gear, too, wow ¡ª the Bleeders might as well be yesterday¡¯s concern!¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re underselling the threat, a little¡­¡± Travis responded uneasily.


    ¡°Oh, I ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ that dealin¡¯ with the Bleeders will be easy,¡± Selind countered. ¡°But with y¡¯all here, and Gavon, and Kaon¨¦, too¡­ this is the most aid Tresnon¡¯s ever had from military-trained outsiders. Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s friends all have military backgrounds, too, but they¡¯re all so busy, and never stick around for long. Aside from Kaon¨¦, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise that we¡¯ll be around for long, either,¡± Saito replied. ¡°As soon as SERRCom finds the base of one of our enemies, we¡¯re pulling out. That could be in two months, or it could be in two weeks¡­ either way, in the meantime, we¡¯re here to help as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s not waste any time,¡± Selind declared as she turned around and began leading the group out of the airport. ¡°I¡¯ll get y¡¯all up to speed with the Defense Force¡¯s activities here in Tresnon and the surrounding region, and we can work out how y¡¯all fit into the guard schedule.¡±


    ¡°What about proactively going after the Bleeders?¡± Hackett asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re workin¡¯ on that,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius is the one plannin¡¯ our offensive strategies, but he¡¯s been a bit busy with that, lately. I¡¯ll try and setup a meeting with him to get y¡¯all up to date on everythin¡¯ we¡¯re plannin¡¯ against the Bleeders. After that¡­¡± Her gaze shifted to the hefty cases that Saito and Hackett carried, bearing their weapons and armor inside. ¡°¡­Well, y¡¯all certainly look like you can handle yourselves, so anythin¡¯ you can do to hurt the Bleeders would be more than fine by me.¡±


    ¡°What about that girl the Bleeders kidnapped?¡± Danielle questioned.


    Selind¡¯s gaze lingered on Danielle for a second before she turned forward again, focusing on leading the group through Tresnon¡¯s streets. ¡°¡­We still don¡¯t know for sure where the Bleeders took her. Or what they did with her¡­ We¡¯ve got a couple leads, but nothin¡¯ concrete, yet. But we¡¯re tryin¡¯ our damn hardest to find her, you better believe.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not about to doubt you, or your efforts,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with that meeting, though, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Colonel,¡± Selind replied, continuing to lead the group to the Defense Force headquarters to prepare them for their time in Tres¨¦d.


    <hr>


    ¡ª Friday, January 20, AD 2130 ¡ª


    BOOM!


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Mote grunted as he tumbled to the ground after being thrown across the room by an explosion¡¯s shockwave. He quickly rolled back to his feet, his arms and legs wreathed in blue sparks as he carefully maintained his protective energy shielding ¡ª only to immediately dive to the left as a rocket emerged from the explosion¡¯s smokescreen. Having missed Mote, the rocket sailed onward to slam into the shielded walls of one of Opportunity¡¯s training rooms, exploding with a thundering rumble.


    When the rocket hit the wall, however, Mote was already charging forward into the smoke. As soon as he did, he launched a fierce lightning strike toward the rocket¡¯s source. He could sense his strike connect, but in that same moment, another explosion rocked the room, clearing out the smokescreen and launching Mote back across the room ¡ª and Kate toward the other side.


    Both Chaotics easily caught themselves on the ground and instantly made to attack each other, with Kate fabricating a rocket launcher and firing at Mote while he blasted her with lightning. With lightning¡¯s significantly faster travel time, Kate was forced to stagger backwards just as she launched her rocket, causing it to go wide; Kate then leaned into her stagger, though, whirling halfway around before transforming her rocket launcher into an explosive itself and detonating it, sending her flying across the room towards Mote. While a dangerous move that most opponents would likely double-take upon seeing, Mote remained unfazed by Kate¡¯s actions, instead steadily watching her trajectory to dodge out of the way ¡ª all while blasting her with lightning strikes.


    Three of the strikes found their mark on Kate¡¯s shielded torso, but before Mote could fire off a fourth, Kate fabricated another set of explosives to her side and immediately detonated them, instantly altering her trajectory. This time, she caught Mote off-guard; before he could dive out of the way, she brought her foot down on his head, slamming into him with her crimson and golden greaves. The force of her kick floored him, but he quickly rolled to the side and summoned his battlehammer into hand just in time to bat away a grenade Kate had thrown at him. He then jumped to his feet ¡ª only for Kate to tackle him back to the ground, planting a massive chunk of C-4 explosive on his back while also attempting to pin him to the ground. In an attempt to free himself, Mote directed a burst of electricity into the C-4, detonating it and launching Kate off of him ¡ª though the explosion right on his back staggered him, as the force that would have created a crater in the ground was instead blocked by the room¡¯s energy shields, and therefore had no where to go except Mote¡¯s own protective shielding.


    Nevertheless, Mote staggered back to his feet, once more wreathing his body in sparks in an attempt to keep Kate from planting any more explosives on him. Just as he went to search for Kate, however, she chucked a massive bomb at him, larger than a basketball. Mote immediately magnetically launched himself away from the bomb, but not before Kate detonated it from afar.


    KRA-KOOOOMM


    Blinding light and a deafening, thundering roar filled the room as Kate¡¯s explosive blasted both herself and Mote against the far walls of the room, instantly overloading both of their protective energy shields. As the light from the explosion died down and Mote dropped to his knees, he could see that all of the energy shields covering the room¡¯s walls were brightly flared ¡ª a sign of just how powerful Kate¡¯s bomb had been. Mote released an annoyed sigh, and then called out, ¡°alright, I¡¯m calling it! That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Ha! Finally had enough?¡± Kate taunted from across the room, though even she was huffing and out of breath after the incredible explosive she had just detonated.


    ¡°More like I want to make sure this training room escapes intact,¡± Mote responded. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and then climbed back to his feet. ¡°I knew us sparring was a bad idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be a bitch about it,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Fighting is a great way to kill time!¡±


    ¡°If our fights didn¡¯t present such a risk to the structural integrity of the space station, then I might agree with you. As is, if I wasn¡¯t reinforcing my own energy shields, as well as the shields of the room, then that last bomb could very well have blown a hole in the Opportunity!¡±


    ¡°But it fucking didn¡¯t. I only made a bomb that fucking powerful because I knew you could handle it, anyways, you whiny bastard.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Mote groaned in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m still wary of your bombs. You tend to get carried away in fights.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who detonated a bunch of fucking C-4 in my face,¡± Kate countered.


    ¡°After you put it on my back!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I knew you could handle it.¡±


    ¡°Tch. I suppose this is why the Colonel bars us from sparring with each other. I¡¯d almost forgotten¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well that fucker isn¡¯t here right now, so he can¡¯t stop us!¡±


    ¡°You know that the Colonel isn¡¯t the only person we answer to, right?¡±


    Kate made a show of shrugging dismissively. ¡°What-fucking-ever.¡±


    Mote shook his head in disbelief. He then looked himself over, followed by glancing at Kate; the both of them were wearing workout gear ¡ª as well as her crimson and golden greaves, for Kate ¡ª which clearly demonstrated their toned musculatures, normally hidden by their thick outfits. And after sparring with each other for over an hour straight, they had both clearly worked up a sweat. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s call it here,¡± Mote declared, turning toward the room¡¯s exit.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s only been, what, an hour?¡± Kate remarked, but quickly chased after Mote anyways. ¡°You tired already?¡±


    ¡°An hour of sparring like what we just did would tire anyone,¡± Mote countered. He then sniffed at the air before grimacing. ¡°Not to mention that you really need a shower.¡±


    ¡°As if you don¡¯t need one, too, you asshole. But you don¡¯t see me talking about how much you fucking stink.¡±


    ¡°A rare show of restraint, from you.¡±


    ¡°Oh piss off, asshole.¡±


    Mote side-eyed Kate, who had fallen into step beside him as they headed towards the locker rooms. ¡°¡­I have to ask, though,¡± he commented, turning forward again while Kate began fanning herself with the collar of her shirt. ¡°If you wanted to fight so badly¡­ why didn¡¯t you just go with the Colonel to Nimalia?¡±


    ¡°What, to that dusty shithole?¡± Kate scoffed. ¡°Bitch, please. The last place I want to be is a fucking desert. Not to mention the Relaynet access there is shitty at best. And even if it was good, it¡¯s fucking impossible to get clearance to remotely work on any of my projects while staying in that shitheap.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so you really did remain here so you could work on your research?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, duh. Fighting isn¡¯t the only thing I like doing, you know. Not that those Bleeder punks would¡¯ve been much of a fight, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you, though?¡± Kate turned to look at Mote straight-on, just as the two arrived at the locker rooms. Mote stopped as well, giving Kate a questioning look before she continued, ¡°oh, don¡¯t give me that, you daft asshole. I¡¯m asking why you stuck around here. After all, you¡¯re always whining about how the team got split up, and shit.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Mote turned away from Kate, his brow furrowed. ¡°¡­You are right. I don¡¯t like how CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir were split up. I really would prefer if we went on missions together, as usual ¡ª we¡¯re most effective, that way. But¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­But?¡± Kate prompted after a second of silence. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you just hate Nimalians, or something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. I don¡¯t hate the Nimalians, or even dislike them. But¡­ I just don¡¯t understand why SERRCom keeps giving them things. We still have plenty of problems of our own. So why aren¡¯t we focusing on them?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Giving¡¯? We don¡¯t give the Nimalians shit. We ¡®gave¡¯ them Subspace Drives, sure, but that was in exchange for time at their fucking spacecraft foundries. You might think SERRCom¡¯s fleet is tiny as shit now, but it¡¯d be a tenth of the fucking size without that deal.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but what about the recruits? Or whatever the hell the Colonel is doing now?¡±


    Kate shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know. I couldn¡¯t really give two shits about the recruits, anyways. As for this Bleeder thing¡­ well, it¡¯s all fucking stupid, but what else is new?¡±


    Mote passed her a blank glance, only to then shake his head. ¡°¡­Right. Still, nothing about this sits right with me. SERRCom needs to be able to do things on its own ¡ª it needs to be able to deal with its own problems before it starts worrying about others.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure thing, mister fucking nationalist,¡± Kate retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a nationalist,¡± Mote countered. ¡°SERRCom isn¡¯t even a nation¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, what you need is a fucking distraction, something to take your mind off of this heavy shit. Something to cut loose with. Hell, if you let that stick up your ass work its way any deeper, then you¡¯ll fucking impale yourself!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to ¡®cut loose¡¯. That¡¯s irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°That attitude is exactly why you need to cut loose. Damn. When did you turn into such a fucking stick in the mud?¡± Kate looked Mote up and down, only to shrug again and turn to enter the locker room. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going for a nice, hot shower, now. You should do the same, before your stinky ass smells up the whole fucking station!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª! That¡¯s my line¡­¡± Mote responded, though he lost steam halfway through. With an irritated sigh, he entered the locker room himself, ready to wash himself off and face whatever else the day might bring.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 34: Ongoing Creation

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 34: Ongoing Creation


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Grudia, Colyath 21, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°And let the next meeting of our Creators¡¯ Day work, commence!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really excited about this, huh¡­¡± Twy muttered as she watched her twin scribble on a small whiteboard in her room.


    ¡°Not like there¡¯s much else to get excited about, around here,¡± Sky retorted. ¡°Besides, we have less than three weeks to work on this stuff!¡±


    ¡°And who knows if we¡¯ll get dragged along on another trip or two in that time,¡± Phoenix pointed out from her seat on the edge of Sky¡¯s bed. Kestrel sat next to her, rounding out the four current residents of Sky¡¯s room. ¡°We should probably be meeting to work on this more often,¡± Phoenix continued. ¡°We met twice on the weekend, but we still basically just talked about what we¡¯re doing. We need to actually get started soon.¡±


    ¡°Lot of details¡­¡± Kestrel muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the nature of projects like this,¡± Twy responded. ¡°We have basically four different parts of the performance to put together, and we need to make sure they all fit each other. Of course that would require a lot of planning.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, I already did my part!¡± Sky exclaimed as she whipped out a couple sheets of paper. ¡°I already wrote our song!¡±


    ¡°You did? Let me see,¡± Phoenix replied, to which Sky readily handed over the paper. Phoenix then began to read the lyrics, only to stop a second later. ¡°¡­Oh, right. You¡¯re writing the lyrics in Japanese.¡±


    ¡°You really went with it, huh?¡± Twy remarked.


    ¡°Well, we established that English won¡¯t work,¡± Sky pointed out. ¡°So this is the next best thing. I wrote a song in English, translated it to Japanese, and then cleaned up the meter a bit.¡±


    ¡°Is this actual, legible Japanese?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°I mean¡­ maybe.¡± Sky smiled sheepishly. ¡°I may¡¯ve, uh, prioritized the meter and rhyme over keeping the grammar structure intact, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you did¡­¡± Phoenix responded with a sigh of resignation.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s not like anyone will be able to tell!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°None of us even understand Japanese, and we¡¯re the ones from Earth!¡±


    ¡°I feel like butchering the language we¡¯re using for the song defeats the entire point of trying to showcase Earth¡¯s culture,¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll put more work into it,¡± Sky conceded with a huff. She then turned to Kestrel, saying, ¡°maybe we should figure out how the backing track will go, first, though. Have you worked on that at all?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°Need lyrics.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense. We should probably be working together on this more closely, huh?¡±


    ¡°You only just now realized that?¡± Phoenix remarked incredulously.


    ¡°Shush, you,¡± Sky retorted. ¡°What about you and sis, huh? Have either of y¡¯all started work, yet?¡±


    ¡°I need to know what kind of song you¡¯re singing before I can put together an outfit for you,¡± Phoenix replied in exasperation. ¡°The outfit has to match the energy and style of the song, after all. Are you writing pop? Rap? Rock? Something else?¡±


    Sky pulled a face. ¡°Rock? That¡¯s so old!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking. What genre does your song fit into?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, pop, I guess.¡±


    ¡°You wrote a J-Pop song, didn¡¯t you,¡± Twy deadpanned.


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡­!¡± Sky grinned and chuckled sheepishly. ¡°¡­I mean, c¡¯mon, sis! I¡¯m writing a song in Japanese! Of course it¡¯s gonna be J-Pop!¡±


    ¡°J-Pop¡­ that¡¯s Japanese pop, right?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hmm. Aren¡¯t we doing a nature theme? Maybe pop is too energetic¡­¡±


    ¡°Pop can be anything you want it to be!¡± Sky countered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure genres work that way¡­¡± Twy responded.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan, then?¡± Sky crossed her arms as she turned to look at her sister. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the one in charge of the art piece! Have you started yet? Maybe we can all derive inspiration from what you¡¯ve done!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of pressure¡­¡±


    ¡°We clearly haven¡¯t formed a firm enough plan, yet¡­¡± Phoenix commented, while pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. ¡°None of us are on the same page!¡±


    ¡°Start with Sky¡¯s song,¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯ll have to do, if Twy hasn¡¯t started on her part, either.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve sketched a couple drafts,¡± Twy replied. ¡°But it would be silly to start on the actual painting until we knew what we wanted it to look like.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see the drafts, then,¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°Well¡­ remember that these are just sketch drafts,¡± Twy responded as she opened up a folder and pulled out a handful of sheets of paper. ¡°I assumed we were going with the nature theme after all, so I looked up some natural landmarks on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sky mused as she, Phoenix, and Kestrel took a moment to look over Twy¡¯s drafts. Between the five sketches, there was one of a giant snow-capped mountain, another of tall rock columns standing amongst trees, one of a steep fjord, one of a rushing waterfall, and another one of a mountain ¡ª though this one with much more gradual slopes, and clearly standing alone.


    ¡°Mount Fuji, nice!¡± Sky remarked while examining the latter sketch.


    ¡°I can easily recognize Mount Everest, or Sagarmatha, as well,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Niagara Falls, too. These are really good, Twy!¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Twy responded bashfully.


    ¡°What about these other two? The fjord looks like one of those European fjords, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, from Norway. I¡¯m not even going to try and pronounce the name. The rock columns in the forest are from China ¡ª the Shilin Stone Forest, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Sikalia¡­¡± Kestrel commented.


    ¡°I thought they looked a lot like what we saw on Sikalia, too,¡± Twy replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I picked it, actually.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting parallel, for sure, but I think that actually means we shouldn¡¯t go with it,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Remember, half of the WCU student body went with us to Sikalia. They¡¯d probably just think that this sketch is a stylized rendition of Sikalia¡¯s rock columns.¡±


    ¡°Oh, true¡­¡±


    ¡°By similar logic, I think we should probably nix Niagara Falls, too. The ACT this year is in Riverana, after all, and it started just this week. I¡¯ve already seen coverage of the Anika Falls in some of the broadcasts they¡¯re showing around the town.¡±


    ¡°Which leaves Everest, Fuji, and the Norweigen fjords, then,¡± Sky commented. ¡°Personally, I vote for Mount Fuji! I¡¯m writing my song in Japanese, after all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree, but at the same time¡­¡± Phoenix pursed her lips in thought. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. This just feels weird, you know? None of us are actually Japanese, but we¡¯re still basically trying to represent Japan. That doesn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±


    ¡°Twy and I are half-Japanese, that counts!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess you have a point.¡±


    ¡°At the same time, we really don¡¯t know much about Japan, ourselves,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°Our mom moved away from Japan when she was just a kid. I kinda share your concerns, Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, y¡¯all are thinking too hard about this,¡± Sky refuted. ¡°Do you really think any of the Tres¨¦dians will care about where on Earth all our stuff is coming from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still superficial,¡± Phoenix argued. ¡°Imagine if someone in the audience was actually intrigued enough by our performance to ask us more about it. What would we tell them? We wouldn¡¯t be able to tell them shit!¡±


    ¡°Well, what more do you want? We already decided on the song being in Japanese, didn¡¯t we? I even already wrote the damn thing!¡±


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    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose again as she released a frustrated sigh. ¡°¡­Alright, fine. Have things your way.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Mount Fuji it is, then,¡± Twy commented uneasily. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve never actually painted Mount Fuji, actually. This could be nice.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you make it as big as possible!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°This painting is going to be the backdrop for my performance, after all!¡±


    ¡°W-wait, backdrop? That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s going to work. I was going to use watercolors, you don¡¯t typically use watercolors for paintings larger than a couple feet on a side!¡±


    ¡°Entrusting a wallpaper-sized painting to a single person sounds like a gigantic ask, anyways¡­¡± Phoenix mused.


    ¡°Well we have to have something showy!¡± Sky declared. ¡°We can¡¯t just stick a painting on an easel and call it a day!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s actually what I was going to do¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°What?! But that¡¯s so small! How is the audience going to see it?!¡±


    ¡°Do we even know how big the audience will be?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°Couple hundred?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°WCU¡¯s entire student body is only around 300 people, right?¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°I know there¡¯s going to be a full day ¡®talent show¡¯ of sorts on Creators¡¯ Day, but I doubt most of the student body is going to be there the entire day. There¡¯s going to be lots of stalls and things, as well, after all.¡±


    ¡°The talent show is open to the entire Compound, not just the school,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°There might actually be a few hundred people in the audience at any given time. In which case, Sky might actually have a point¡­ if we want the entire audience to see the painting, then it¡¯s going to have to be large.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose,¡± Twy responded uneasily. ¡°But a painting that large¡­ the only feasible way to make it would be to compose the larger painting out of a bunch of smaller ones, like a grid.¡± A look of realization then appeared on her face. ¡°Actually¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be too hard. There¡¯s enough space on the dorm¡¯s roof to lay out all of the canvas while I work on it. And since I¡¯ve been practicing painting with my Hydrotechnism, it¡¯ll be a lot easier for me to cover large areas than with conventional watercolors. This could actually work¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Sky pumped her fist and then slapped Twy heartily on the back. ¡°I knew you could do it, sis!¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t say that, yet. It¡¯s still just a plan¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s much better than what we had half an hour ago,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°So we really are rolling with a Japanese theme, then, hmm. Well, I can take that into account when designing your outfit, Sky, but I¡¯d still like to hear how your song and Kestrel¡¯s backing track actually sound first. Kestrel, do you know how long it¡¯ll take for you to get even just a sample of your track?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel reached over to grab the lyrics Sky had written to quickly skim them. She then glanced at Sky. ¡°¡­Sound?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ if you¡¯re asking how I want it to sound, I could show you a couple of my favorite songs,¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t just copy standard J-pop,¡± Twy pleaded.


    ¡°I make no promises!¡±


    ¡°With examples¡­¡± Kestrel muttered, and then looked back to Phoenix. ¡°Few days.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Phoenix remarked, ¡°it sounds like we actually know the next steps, then! Sky, Kestrel ¡ª you two get to work on the music. Once you¡¯ve got an idea of how things will go, let me know so I can get started on my part. And in the meantime, Twy, if you need any help, I¡¯m free.¡±


    ¡°I guess I could use some help figuring out how large the final painting needs to be, and putting together the canvas on the roof¡­¡± Twy mused.


    ¡°Perfect. Sounds like a plan.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it, everyone!¡± Sky exclaimed as Twy and Phoenix stood up to begin working on their side of the project. ¡°Let¡¯s make our performance the best one anyone will see on Creators¡¯ Day!!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°What? No! I was winning!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. That¡¯s just how the cards fell,¡± Conrad airily remarked as he sat back against the wall, letting his game controller rest on the floor in front of him.


    ¡°¡¯How the cards fell¡¯?!¡± Austin retorted while passing Conrad an incredulous glance. He then looked to his other side, where Spike and Danielle also sat, at which point the former simply shrugged. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe this,¡± Austin muttered, turning his attention back to the racing game that the four had been playing. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª I don¡¯t usually lose like that!¡±


    ¡°But you got second place,¡± Danielle pointed out.


    ¡°He¡¯s kinda got a point, though,¡± Spike commented. ¡°Conrad, dude, I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good at games.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s nothing really to brag about,¡± Conrad responded dismissively.


    ¡°Yeah, ¡®cause it was a fluke,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s do another race! I¡¯ll beat you this time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you said the last ten times,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°You really care about winning, huh?¡± Danielle remarked, her feet idly kicking as she laid stomach-down on the ground, her hands griping a controller in front of her. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m having fun no matter how well I do!¡±


    ¡°You still weren¡¯t too bad, yourself,¡± Conrad said. ¡°The four of us were at the top the whole time. The AI might as well have not been there.¡±


    ¡°AI in racing games is always terrible and unfair, the fact that we beat them shouldn¡¯t be a surprise,¡± Austin stated.


    ¡°Something about that statement sounds just a little contradictory.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know what I meant¡­¡±


    ¡°We could play somethin¡¯ else,¡± Spike suggested. ¡°A fightin¡¯ game, or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Huh, is this what you guys usually do with your afternoons?¡± Danielle questioned as she looked at each of the three men. ¡°Just sit here and play games?¡±


    ¡°It¡ª it¡¯s not all we do,¡± Austin responded defensively.


    ¡°Yeah, sometimes I take a nap,¡± Conrad remarked cheekily.


    ¡°I usually get some training and work-outs in,¡± Spike said, ¡°but it seems like everyone¡¯s busy lately, and trainin¡¯ alone ain¡¯t much fun. Still need to do it, of course, but there¡¯s less reason to do much of it.¡±


    ¡°Busy, huh?¡± Danielle echoed, ¡°is this because of that Bleeder stuff?¡±


    Austin and Spike exchanged a wary glance while Conrad replied, ¡°maybe. Probably not, though.¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders are definitely a problem, though¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°I get the Deans and the Defense Force don¡¯t wanna drag the students into things, but it still seems dangerous to leave us outta the loop¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here? To deal with the Bleeders?¡± Austin asked to Danielle.


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m here to play games,¡± Danielle replied as she held up the gaming controller.


    ¡°No, I mean¡­ ¡®here¡¯ as in ¡®Compound Tresnon¡¯. You even came with the rest of CSF-1, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh! That.¡± Danielle shrugged. ¡°I think the Colonel was worried about the Bleeders, yeah. I¡¯m helping out with guard duty everyday, too. But I mostly came to see Mark.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with him now, then?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°He¡¯s on guard duty¡­¡± Danielle replied with a pout. ¡°And he said that if we went on guard duty together, then I¡¯d just distract him with conversation¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds pretty harsh, from Mark,¡± Spike commented.


    ¡°Well, he said it in that way he says things where he¡¯s being really considerate and it¡¯s hard to argue with him,¡± Danielle claimed. ¡°And I mean¡­ he¡¯s not really wrong, I guess. At least he promised to hang out once his shift is over.¡±


    ¡°So the two of y¡¯all are helping with guarding the compound, huh¡­¡± Austin mused. ¡°Are things that bad¡­?¡±


    ¡°I bet the locals are just being super cautious,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s here, after all, and supposedly she can take on entire armies by herself or something, right? We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, entire armies?!¡± Danielle exclaimed, her eyes practically sparkling in amazement. ¡°Wow! I want to see that!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, if ¡®seeing it¡¯ means Tresnon gets attacked,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°W-well, true¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Conrad gestured toward Austin¡¯s laptop screen. ¡°We going to keep playing?¡±


    ¡°Well, we got the whole afternoon,¡± Spike said. ¡°I guess we got some coursework we needa do, but that can wait ¡®til later.¡±


    ¡°We should get the others in here, too!¡± Danielle suggested. ¡°These kinds of games can support more than four players, right?¡±


    ¡°Some games can, but I dunno about my room,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°I doubt you could convince Pierce to play games with this group, anyways,¡± Conrad commented dryly.


    ¡°And the girls are workin¡¯ on their Creators¡¯ Day project, ain¡¯t they?¡± Spike questioned to Austin, and then turned back to Danielle. ¡°We¡¯d be better off lettin¡¯ ¡®em work. It sounded like they had a lot to do.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, they had that thing, didn¡¯t they,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Man¡­ it sounded like so much work, from what I heard from Phoenix and Kestrel.¡±


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Danielle questioned. ¡°And¡­ what¡¯s Creators¡¯ Day?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Nimalian holiday,¡± Austin answered. ¡°One where they celebrate ¡®creators¡¯. Like, if you can create something ¡ª art, food, fucking underwater basket-weaving, then Creators¡¯ Day is for you.¡±


    ¡°The girls are plannin¡¯ some kinda musical performance,¡± Spike added. ¡°I know Sky is singin¡¯, and I think Twy¡¯s paintin¡¯ somethin¡¯? Somethin¡¯ like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That sounds really cool!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°When is this happening?¡±


    ¡°Ranth 7th, right?¡± Spike replied, passing a quick glance toward Austin ¡ª who nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Yeah, about two and a half weeks from now,¡± Austin said. ¡°¡­Uh, Nimalian weeks, that is.¡±


    ¡°Figures that Phoenix would try to take on some kind of crazy task like that a mere couple weeks before the deadline,¡± Conrad commented. ¡°Don¡¯t know how she wrapped Kestrel into all this, but I¡¯m happy to stay far away.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Danielle passed Conrad a clueless glance, and then turned to look at Austin and Spike. ¡°Are you guys not doing anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Conrad replied airily. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly content with being a consumer, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t really have any plans¡­¡± Spike admitted.


    ¡°I kinda want to, though¡­¡± Austin said. ¡°Like, the idea of a holiday celebrating creators is really cool, I think. And I like to write! ¡­Sometimes, anyways. But I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do for the holiday¡­¡±


    ¡°If you wanna do somethin¡¯, you should just go for it,¡± Spike declared. ¡°Don¡¯t hold off, you¡¯ll just regret it. Like a certain other thing you¡¯ve been holdin¡¯ off on for years, now.¡±


    ¡°Sh-shut up. Anyways, I just said I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°A¡¯ight, a¡¯ight. But if you think of somethin¡¯, let me know if I can help.¡±


    ¡°Is there not anything you want to do, yourself?¡± Danielle questioned to Spike.


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Spike smiled sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m not really like Austin, or the twins. I don¡¯t really got any, uh¡­ ¡®creative¡¯-type hobbies.¡±


    Danielle then turned to ask the same question to Conrad, but he replied before she could speak. ¡°Same here,¡± he stated. ¡°I¡¯m not really one for doing things. Not unless it¡¯s fun, somehow, but that¡¯s rare enough.¡±


    ¡°¡­Wow. You really are a lazy person,¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°Won¡¯t even deny it,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°But I guess if you come up with a fun idea for Creators¡¯ Day, then I could help out, maybe. Don¡¯t expect me to pitch in for something like what Phoenix and Kestrel and them are doing, though.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to do something that involved, anyways,¡± Austin said, and then placed his hand on his chin in thought. ¡°Hmm¡­ somethin¡¯ fun, though, huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m still here and free around then, then I¡¯ll help out, too!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°Especially if it¡¯s fun!¡±


    ¡°Uh oh. This is starting to sound like an actual commitment¡­¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯d still need somethin¡¯ to do,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°This is some real short-notice plannin¡¯, anyways.¡±


    ¡°No joke¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress yourself out about it, dude. I know I said to go for it, but Creators¡¯ Day is an annual holiday, right? So even if we miss this year, there¡¯s still next year. I bet we¡¯ll still be here, ¡®round that time.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll be here, in a year¡­¡± Danielle mused.


    ¡°Ah, a year is so far away,¡± Conrad replied dismissively. ¡°Why bother planning for what happens in a year? Let¡¯s focus on the now. Like this game that we aren¡¯t currently playing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Austin passed Conrad a sheepish glance before taking control of the game¡¯s menus ¡ª he was player one, after all. ¡°Sorry. I guess we got a little sidetracked with that conversation, huh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± Spike replied as he regripped his controller as well. ¡°But I¡¯m with Conrad. Let¡¯s get another race goin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Alright! And this time, I¡¯ll win for sure!¡± Austin declared as the four went back to racing, whiling away their free time on a weekday afternoon.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 35: An Uncertain Future

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 35: An Uncertain Future


    The Next Day


    ¡°¡­And with that, we¡¯ve covered everything, today. As I mentioned earlier, this week¡¯s quiz will be tomorrow, not on Skydia, so don¡¯t forget to study. And Skydia morning, we¡¯ll be leaving for another off-world trip!¡±


    ¡°Another one¡­?¡± Conrad grumbled, his chin resting on his desk as he looked up at Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°And so soon after the last one¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°Sorry, everyone,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded sheepishly. ¡°I know this many trips can be stressful. But these are all opportunities that don¡¯t come often, so let¡¯s appreciate them when we can. Especially this time, since you¡¯ll be getting to look at some of the Union¡¯s less-developed planets!¡±


    ¡°And why are we going there?¡± Phoenix questioned.


    ¡°For training,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied while packing her instructor equipment. ¡°There¡¯s only so much you can do here in Tres¨¦d, or even on Nimalia. But Dav¨ªdrius and I will explain the full details of your trip Skydia morning.¡± She then turned to leave the room, declaring, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have some things to tend to, so I¡¯ll be leaving ahead of you all. I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± Pierce remarked, grabbing his textbooks and readily making for the classroom exit after Kaon¨¦. ¡°See you all later, losers!¡±


    ¡°That insufferable¡­!¡± Phoenix scowled as she glared after him. ¡°¡­Ugh, I need to decompress. Kestrel, I¡¯ll meet up with you later so we can study.¡±


    Kestrel wordlessly nodded as Phoenix left the room, herself.


    ¡°We should probably get studyin¡¯, ourselves¡­¡± Spike suggested, passing a glance toward Sky in particular.


    ¡°Ah, we can do that later!¡± Sky declared as she rushed to Kestrel¡¯s side. ¡°Hey, Kestrel! Let¡¯s get some work done! We need to finish our song, after all!¡±


    ¡°¡­Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment and then followed Sky out of the room.


    ¡°Wow, she really bailed on you, huh, dude?¡± Conrad remarked while glancing at Spike.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how she is when she gets invested in a project,¡± Spike replied, and then shrugged in resignation. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just get her in a couple hours. Guess I could get in some trainin¡¯, in the meantime.¡± He looked over at Conrad, and then back at Austin and Twy, who were preparing to leave as well. ¡°Any of y¡¯all up to join me?¡±


    ¡°For training? Nah, I¡¯m good,¡± Conrad said, and then yawned broadly. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just gonna go take a walk before dinner. Maybe a nap, too.¡±


    ¡°Are you ever not napping?¡± Twy questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Wish I wasn¡¯t,¡± Conrad replied, and then offered a casual wave as he stepped out of the room. ¡°Peace.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, what about y¡¯all?¡± Spike suggested as he looked to Austin and Twy.


    ¡°We already did training, today,¡± Austin commented. ¡°I¡¯d rather take it easy.¡±


    ¡°And I have some work I need to do, too¡­¡± Twy responded. She flashed an apologetic smile at Spike. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. I expected it,¡± Spike replied with a smirk. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off, then. See y¡¯all later.¡±


    ¡°¡­And just like that, everyone¡¯s gone,¡± Austin remarked after watching Spike leave.


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± Twy replied, as if what Austin had said was blindingly obvious. ¡°Class is over, there isn¡¯t much reason to stick around.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± Austin glanced out the classroom window, taking note of the afternoon light the flooded through it. He then looked back to Twy. ¡°What¡¯s that ¡®work¡¯ you need to do? Is it for Creators¡¯ Day?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much¡­¡± Twy released a weary sigh as she and Austin left the classroom themselves, finally starting down the halls to the campus dorms. ¡°Sky basically wants an entire mural as a painting¡­¡±


    ¡°A mural?¡± Austin echoed incredulously, ¡°seriously? What wall are you even painting on?¡±


    ¡°Not an actual mural, just, a painting the size of one. I¡¯m not doing it all on one canvas.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, still. Why¡¯s it need to be so big?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s set-dressing for her performance. She wants the entire audience to see it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Set-dressing?¡± Austin looked down at Twy doubtfully. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem like a very nice way of putting it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just about how Sky described it,¡± Twy replied, her tone carrying in it a hint of annoyance.


    ¡°¡­Guess that wouldn¡¯t surprise me. Though, you could look at it another way: she just wants to make sure everyone can appreciate your artistic talent!¡±


    Twy glanced up at Austin, her expression unreadable. A second later, however, she released a sigh of resignation. ¡°¡­You¡¯re probably right. Still¡­ a painting as large as she wants is a massive ask, especially for one person over less than three weeks. Hell, even less than that, since we apparently have a new trip.¡±


    ¡°When you lay it all out like that, yeah, it sounds pretty bad. Why not just¡­ you know, push back? Tell her ¡®no¡¯, and just make a more reasonably-sized painting?¡±


    ¡°I should¡­ but to be honest, I¡¯m also a little curious to see if I can reach Sky¡¯s expectations. I¡¯ve been practicing using my Hydrotechnism to paint with watercolors, so this is a good chance to apply that practice to an entirely different scale.¡±


    ¡°I see. I was gonna offer to help, but if you¡¯re using it as practice, then I dunno if I can really do anything.¡±


    ¡°What would you even help with? I mean¡ª I¡¯m not trying to be rude, but, uh¡­ I don¡¯t usually accept help with my art.¡±


    ¡°What a roundabout way of saying that my art skills aren¡¯t good enough for you,¡± Austin teased.


    ¡°What? No, th-that¡¯s not¡­¡± Twy stuttered out.


    ¡°Relax! I get it. You don¡¯t want someone who doesn¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing to ruin your work. It¡¯s fine,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°Still, though. You sure you can handle an entire mural on your own?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to get more paints from Kaon¨¦¡­ but I should be fine.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯ight, if you say so. Painting with your powers, though¡­ that¡¯s a neat idea. You¡¯ve been practicing with them a lot, huh?¡±


    Twy conjured up a small orb of water, hovering over her free left hand. ¡°¡­After everything we¡¯ve been through over the past few months,¡± she eventually replied, ¡°I figure that we could use as much practice as we can get.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that¡­¡± Austin muttered as the two finally emerged from the main campus building. Bright, late-afternoon sun shone down upon them, filling the blue skies uncontested ¡ª and imposing upon Compound Tresnon a stifling heat.


    ¡°Here¡­¡± Twy took off her cloak ¡ª a standard part of Tresnon¡¯s desert outfits ¡ª and quickly soaked it with water before manipulating the article to hover in the air above Austin and herself, shielding them both from the sun. ¡°That better?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say anything!¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°The way you were squinting and grimacing was telling. You always do that when it¡¯s too hot and bright.¡±


    ¡°I was grimacing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you were. Now let¡¯s get going. The sooner we get into the dorms, the sooner we don¡¯t have to deal with the heat.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Austin replied, quickly falling into step beside Twy as she began to cross WCU¡¯s campus grounds, all while keeping her soaked cloak in the air as a sun shield. Austin briefly glanced up at the hovering clothing article before looking down at Twy. ¡°¡­Man, I wish I was half as good with my powers as you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing too poorly, yourself,¡± Twy countered. ¡°Besides, your abilities sound much more difficult to train with than mine. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but stuff like what happened on Oriciid¡¯kas show that I have a long way to go¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t blame any of that on yourself. The situation got out of everyone¡¯s hands. Even Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka couldn¡¯t save it.¡±


    ¡°¡­True¡­ Still. It just doesn¡¯t sit right with me. What happened there didn¡¯t need to¡¯ve happened at all¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that the metallic infection only got out of hand because the Black Suns were trying too hard to save a bunch of ruins. That Chaos Knight lady was right, they should¡¯ve just bombed the district from the start and started over from scratch.¡±


    ¡°And leave everyone inside to die?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not sayin¡¯ that! Evacuate everyone you can, of course. But what¡¯s even the point of trying to salvage a big, corrupted mess? It seems like a great way to let the infection spread under your noses.¡±


    ¡°In general, sure, but it seemed like the Suns were taking every reasonable precaution.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°And yet, that Critical Infection still happened.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Twy admitted.


    ¡°And just think,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°Kaon¨¦ was there, Rebehka was there ¡ª two of the members of Hero Machina. One of them, one of the most powerful Chaotics in the galaxy! And even they couldn¡¯t put a stop to the infection!¡±


    ¡°I see where you¡¯re going with this¡­ you¡¯re wondering what we¡¯re supposed to do, if even they couldn¡¯t stop it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. How the hell are a handful of Chaotics supposed to fight that?!¡±


    Twy remained silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts as the two reached the dorm entrance. Austin entered ahead of her and held the door open while she wrung all of the water out of her cloak; she then followed him inside, turning down the hallways toward their rooms. ¡°¡­Well,¡± Twy eventually responded, ¡°Kaon¨¦ did cure that one little animal of the infection. That¡¯s a step, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a step that none of us can take,¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°None of us are Materiatechnics, remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s still a symbol. A sign of progress. What Kaon¨¦ did shows that the infection can be beaten, and by Chaotics, no less. We might not be able to do the exact same as her, but there¡¯s still room for Chaotics to matter.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯ll be easy, of course. I think we all still have a long way to go before we¡¯re ready to contribute in any meaningful way to beating back the metallic infection. And fighting it will definitely have risks¡­ but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Austin grunted in response. ¡°¡­So you think Kaon¨¦ trying to cure that animal was the right thing to do?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± Twy replied. ¡°The Black Suns said something about getting a bunch of data out of it so they can teach their own Chaotics to do the same, right? So not only did Kaon¨¦ prove that curing the infection is possible, but she also provided the means for more people to learn how to do it.¡±


    ¡°And if she hadn¡¯t succeeded? What if her trying to cure that animal had triggered the Critical Infection, but we got nothing out of it?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ ¡­would be harder to justify, I suppose. Are we sure that her operation is what caused everything to get out of hand, though? That doesn¡¯t seem right¡­¡±


    ¡°I think it just means that the Black Suns weren¡¯t being as careful as they said they were.¡±


    ¡°What about the fact that Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka both sided with the Black Suns Colonel?¡±


    Austin shrugged, just as the duo reached their rooms at the end of the building. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± he commented, turning to give Twy an uneasy look. ¡°I agree that finding a cure is good, and important, but¡­ I don¡¯t think solvin¡¯ the infection is gonna be that easy.¡±


    ¡°I never said it would be,¡± Twy replied. ¡°Kaon¨¦ herself has said that she hasn¡¯t cured an actual person, yet. I think it should definitely be possible, since she cured that cat-like animal, but¡­ there¡¯s still a lot of progress to be made, a lot of effort to be spent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess so.¡± Austin released a lofty sigh. ¡°¡­Ugh. Sorry for gettin¡¯ us on this topic.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m more than happy to hear out your concerns whenever,¡± Twy declared, only to quickly divert her gaze and begin fidgeting uncomfortably. ¡°Uh, I-I mean, well¡­ as, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°I get it, I get it. You have that project to work on, right?¡± Austin replied as he went to enter his room. ¡°I¡¯ll get out of your hair.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no¡ª well, yes, but¡­ um. Right.¡± Twy cleared her throat uneasily. ¡°Well, um. Talk to you later, Austin.¡±


    ¡°Same to you. And good luck with the painting,¡± Austin responded, finally entering his room and leaving Twy to her own work.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Pierce! You¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk as Liask ran up to him. ¡°I can¡¯t very well miss dinner, can I?¡±


    ¡°Especially when you¡¯re havin¡¯ it with me,¡± Liask replied with a grin, while threading her fingers with Pierce¡¯s.


    He looked down at their linked hands, and then glanced back at the WCU campus. The duo currently stood just in front of the gates, prepared to head out on the town; the campus grounds themselves were covered with students returning to the dorms from their classes, or heading out for dinner.


    ¡°¡­Is she watching?¡± Liask asked in a whisper after noticing Pierce looking around.


    ¡°¡­If she is, I can¡¯t see her,¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°Oh. Well, uh¡­ if you can¡¯t be sure, then we¡¯d better keep holdin¡¯ hands, huh?¡±


    Pierce passed Liask an unreadable glance before forcing a charming smirk. ¡°Heh, if you insist. But let¡¯s not keep standing around, we have a whole evening to burn!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Liask responded enthusiastically as the duo left the campus and began walking the dusty streets of Compound Tresnon. ¡°¡­Though, it¡¯s still a weeknight. We can¡¯t stay out too long¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t think about that,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°We¡¯re out here to relax. Besides, I just got word that I¡¯ll be going on another trip in a couple days, so this is the last chance we have to hang out before then.¡±


    ¡°Hang out¡­¡± Liask echoed, the enthusiasm in her expression momentarily fading before she smiled again. ¡°Another trip, though, huh? To where?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Kaon¨¦ didn¡¯t say. But we¡¯re leaving on Skydia.¡±


    ¡°And I still have community service tomorrow¡­ so tonight really is all we have, huh?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So¡­¡± Pierce paused to look up at the sky; while low to the horizon, the sun still remained high enough that sunset was at least an hour away. ¡°¡­While the sun¡¯s still up, let¡¯s go hit up the lakefront. Then we can have dinner during sunset.¡±


    Liask passed him a cheeky glance. ¡°Will you be able to pay for that, with your cut allowance?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an allowance, it¡¯s a stipend,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°It¡¯s different. Besides, I have plenty of experience with making a little bit of money last as long as I need it to. One evening out will be perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°I guess you can¡¯t convince your friends we¡¯re datin¡¯ without puttin¡¯ some money on it, too, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but let¡¯s not talk about it like that, alright?¡± Pierce looked down at Liask. ¡°Or even about that, um, at all. Let¡¯s just have fun.¡±


    Liask returned the look before slapping herself on her cheek with her free hand. ¡°¡­Yeah, you¡¯re right. Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Tch. Not only are you with him again, but you¡¯re apologizin¡¯? To him? I can¡¯t believe this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Obra,¡± Pierce acknowledged stiffly as the dark-skinned Tres¨¦dian approached Pierce and Liask.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Liask questioned, giving Obra a smile all the while ¡ª though Pierce could tell that her expression had grown a little strained. ¡°We¡¯re kinda busy, here¡­¡±


    ¡°Busy¡­ tch.¡± Obra scowled as he glanced between Pierce and Liask, his arms crossed in obvious frustration. ¡°Just what the hell do y¡¯all think you¡¯re tryin¡¯ to do here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Me and Pierce are on a date, obviously,¡± Liask countered.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem with this, anyways?¡± Pierce challenged. ¡°Let me guess: you¡¯re jealous, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Jealous? Tch,¡± Obra scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. I ain¡¯t jealous¡­ I¡¯m disgusted.¡±


    ¡°Obra!¡± Liask exclaimed in admonishment, ¡°don¡¯t be so rude!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s bein¡¯ rude, here!¡± Obra countered. ¡°Just prancin¡¯ around with this fuckin¡¯ outsider here, all while Minilas is still out there, in Bleeder hands!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­!¡± Liask stared at him, her mouth hung open; she had just been about to respond to Obra, but at his mention of Minilas, she froze in place.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Pierce glared at Obra. ¡°Your friend still being out with the Bleeders isn¡¯t our fault. Nothing about Liask going on a couple dates would change that!¡±


    ¡°The time y¡¯all have spent on this useless bullshit is time you could¡¯ve spent lookin¡¯ for Minilas!¡± Obra declared. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doin¡¯. Tryin¡¯ to figure out what I can from the Defense Force, from Ralak, from Selind. But I bet you ain¡¯t even thought about this once, have you, Liask? Not since you got wrapped up with this outsider bastard, here!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± Liask responded meekly.


    ¡°Dude, what the fuck?¡± Pierce relinquished Liask¡¯s hand to grab the collar of Obra¡¯s cloak. ¡°I get that you care for Minilas, but don¡¯t you fucking blame Liask for this!¡±


    ¡°You would say that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Obra retorted, merely glaring at Pierce as the latter continued to hold his collar. ¡°It was your idea that led us on that useless fuckin¡¯ chase to Rokres, where we fucked everythin¡¯ up! I bet you¡¯re tryin¡¯ to forget it all, too!¡±


    ¡°Just because I know how to have fun every now and then doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ve forgotten anything, asshole. Don¡¯t forget that we stopped the Bleeder assassination attempt on the Rokres leaders, too ¡ª and Liask was actually there for it, unlike either of us!¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch.¡± Obra silently glowered at Pierce for a second before slapping away Pierce¡¯s hand. He then turned to Liask, declaring, ¡°if you actually give a shit about Minilas, then kick this outsider aside and help me find her! Or you can keep goin¡¯ with your head in the sand while I save her, myself. Your fuckin¡¯ choice.¡± With that, he whipped around and stormed off toward WCU.


    ¡°What a fucking asshole¡­¡± Pierce muttered as he watched Obra leave. ¡°Hey, Liask, don¡¯t pay attention to¡ª¡°


    ¡°No¡­¡± Liask interrupted, ¡°¡­no, he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Pierce finally turned back to face Liask, finding her absentmindedly stroking the scar across her mouth, her eyes glistening.


    ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t been thinkin¡¯ about Minilas, at all¡­¡± She sniffled ¡ª an obvious attempt at fighting back tears ¡ª before continuing, ¡°I-I mean, I¡¯ve thought about her, yeah, but¡­ I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon¡­ it¡¯s alright¡ª¡° Pierce moved to place a reassuring hand on Liask¡¯s shoulder, but she jerked away from him, causing him to regard her with surprise. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve been lyin¡¯ this whole time,¡± Liask insisted, her gaze unable to meet Pierce¡¯s. ¡°My own friend was kidnapped! By Bleeders! Obra¡¯s right, I should be tryin¡¯ to get her back, but¡­ but I just ran from that! I just¡­ couldn¡¯t bear to think of what might be happenin¡¯ to Minilas, or how if I¡¯d just been payin¡¯ attention more, she never would¡¯ve gotten taken in the first place, so I ended up datin¡¯ you just to not think about it ¡ª but, but, even then, I¡¯m not actually datin¡¯ you, am I? I couldn¡¯t even honestly tell you how I felt, just hidin¡¯ behind this ¡®pretend¡¯ crap, usin¡¯ your own stupid contest as an excuse to get closer to you, ¡®cause I just¡­ agh, what am I even doing?!¡±


    Pierce fell silent, uncertain of how to respond to Liask¡¯s outburst. He simply stood there, uneasily watching as she cradled herself, still stroking her scar all the while. Several times he opened his mouth, and then closed it again, as he tried to tell Liask that Minilas¡¯s kidnapping wasn¡¯t her fault ¡ª but all the while, he couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of what happened on that fateful night on Ainminthalus, when he watched Trenon die. A dull throb passed through Pierce¡¯s lower torso ¡ª a sensation he hadn¡¯t felt in some time, but one that reminded him of his link to Liask. Several people had told him that Trenon¡¯s death wasn¡¯t his fault, but he couldn¡¯t shake the guilt anyways. So how could he tell Liask the same, that she wasn¡¯t at fault for Minilas¡¯s fate?


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I can¡¯t believe myself¡­¡±


    Pierce responded with uneasy silence to Liask¡¯s self-disparagement.


    ¡°Not even everythin¡¯ with Minilas, but I fell for the guy my brother fucking died to save¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡­ and you, Pierce, you still stuck with me, anyways, and all under a lie¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Pierce regarded Liask with an uneasy smile. ¡°The ¡®pretend dating¡¯ thing was a pretty transparent lie, really¡­¡±


    Liask snapped her gaze up to meet Pierce¡¯s eyes. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ yeah,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°No one suggests to ¡®pretend date¡¯ someone if they didn¡¯t already like that person at least a little bit. And even then, uh¡­ you really weren¡¯t good at hiding how you felt. About me, at least.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ so I can¡¯t even lie to you, huh? I¡¯ve just been lyin¡¯ to myself, this whole time¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Look¡­ we all lie to ourselves, sometimes. Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself. Let¡¯s at least get some dinner, getting some food might help¡ª¡°


    ¡°Why are you bein¡¯ so nice to me? Even after everythin¡¯ I just said, you must think I¡¯m a monster!¡±


    ¡°What? No¡­ that¡¯s ridiculous. You¡¯re not a monster, Liask. If anyone¡¯s a monster¡­¡± Pierce¡¯s gaze shifted to look out over the streets of Tresnon, all while his lower torso throbbed once more. ¡°¡­It¡¯d be me. I¡¯m the reason your brother is dead, after all. And still, I¡¯m here, trying to make friends with you. By all rights, you should hate me.¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t!¡± Liask insisted, ¡°how could I? I wouldn¡¯t throw away Trenon¡¯s sacrifice like that! And even then, I think you¡¯re a lot more selfless than you think! You even tried to help me and Obra look for Minilas. It may not have worked out in the end, but at least you tried! Of course I¡¯d like someone like that!¡±


    ¡°¡­Still¡ª¡°


    ¡°What about you, though?¡±


    Pierce looked back to Liask in surprise. ¡°Huh? What about me?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­¡± She fidgeted uneasily. ¡°You¡­ you said you knew that I, um, liked you¡­ right? And you still, uh, ¡®pretended¡¯ to date me. And to be nice to me¡­ so, do you¡­ feel the same way about me?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± An uneasy look washed across Pierce¡¯s face as he diverted his gaze from Liask. Several seconds passed, filling the air with a heavy silence as Liask awaited Pierce¡¯s response. ¡°¡­I¡­¡± he began, his attention drifting upwards, to the cloudless late-afternoon skies. ¡°¡­To be honest¡­ ¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah. I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how I feel about you.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ then why¡­? If you knew that I¡­ all along¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So it really was just ¡®pretend¡¯ to you, huh?¡±


    ¡°H-hey, I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Liask stepped away. ¡°I¡­ I need time to think¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, r-right¡­¡± Pierce responded uneasily as Liask turned away, back towards the WCU campus. ¡­Way to fucking go, you dumbass, he mentally berated himself, all while watching Liask trudge off. You KNEW you were leading her on the whole time, and you still did it? Fuck me. And to tell her as much while she was already fucked up from that encounter with Obra? Damn it, your timing is dogshit, Pierce. What the fuck kind of response is ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯, anyways?! How do you not know?! Fuck, between this stupid fucking contest with Phoenix, and Trenon, and¡­ fuck. DO I like her? Or am I just making up excuses? What am I even doing¡­ And all of this while Minilas is still kidnapped, too. Fucking hell¡­


    Amidst all of his internal musings, the only thing Pierce could be sure of was that he wasn¡¯t sure of anything. All he could do was watch in silence as the distance between him and Liask grew ever larger, unable to think of anything he could say to salvage the situation he now found himself in.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 36: To Speak of Blood

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 36: To Speak of Blood


    ¡°Oi, oi, you were serious about helpin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nice to see you again, too, Dean Wrikax,¡± Saito responded dryly as he and Hackett settled into Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s office. Late afternoon sunlight shone through the office windows, illuminating the austere, dusty space and everyone standing within. Dav¨ªdrius remained seated at his desk, flanked on his left by Selind ¡ª who casually leaned against the wall ¡ª and on his right by Ralak, who stood tensely with a stoic expression on her face. Saito and Hackett stood across Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s desk from him, as they prepared to finally meet about the main purpose of their presence in Compound Tresnon.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Selind remarked airily. ¡°He¡¯s been a little antsy lately.¡±


    ¡°For good fuckin¡¯ reason¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t able to see us until two days after we arrived,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°If you¡¯re that busy, I can¡¯t blame you for being a little stressed out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the sympathy of outsiders¡­¡±


    ¡°But we could sure use the help,¡± Selind insisted.


    Dav¨ªdrius passed her an annoyed glance before turning back to Saito. ¡°¡­Right. So. Selind here tells me that y¡¯all came back to help out with our Bleeder problem. That true?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Saito replied. ¡°We might not be here for long, but we¡¯d like to help out however we can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty different tune from the last time y¡¯all were here. If I recall right, you said somethin¡¯ about wantin¡¯ to be on vacation. You also grilled me about lettin¡¯ the Keys get into danger¡­ you gonna do that again?¡±


    The Colonel released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be honest with you, Dean. During that discussion, I really did think you were being irresponsible with the ¡®Keys¡¯. But since then, I¡¯ve talked about the matter with the leaders of both the NSD and SERRCom. And wouldn¡¯t you know it¡­¡± He adopted a bitter smile. ¡°Neither seem too sympathetic to the plights of Tres¨¦d, the former members of Hero Machina, or the Schools of Chaos as a whole.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius mirrored Saito¡¯s expression. ¡°Finally realized what shit we gotta deal with here, eh?¡±


    ¡°You could say that. So I¡¯m taking matters into my own hands. My team might not be much, but we¡¯ll do as much as we can, regardless.¡±


    ¡°Even a squad as small as yours could have a big impact on the Bleeders, given your trainin¡¯,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, Ralak?¡±


    Ralak glanced uneasily at Selind. ¡°¡­Right.¡±


    ¡°I still find it hard to believe, personally¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Outsiders never care about Tres¨¦d. And when they do, it¡¯s always cause they got somethin¡¯ to gain from it. So, Colonel. What do you got to gain?¡±


    ¡°That seems unnecessarily adversarial,¡± Hackett interjected.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Major. He has a point,¡± Saito responded. ¡°Dean, what we have to ¡®gain¡¯ from helping you is making sure that SERRCom¡¯s own recruits ¡ª the ¡®Keys¡¯ ¡ª are safe. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    A moment of silence followed as Dav¨ªdrius steadily stared at Saito, as if trying to peer into the Colonel¡¯s soul and determine his true intentions. Saito steadily returned the eye-contact, standing with a straight and confident posture all the while. Eventually, Dav¨ªdrius broke eye-contact and released a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll take your word for that, then, Colonel. Dirt knows we could use your help, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Glad you finally came around, you stubborn ass.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just lookin¡¯ out for Tresnon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Why don¡¯t we look out for Tresnon by gettin¡¯ to the actual point of this meetin¡¯?¡± Selind pushed off of the wall and took a couple steps forward, her expression growing serious. ¡°Colonel, Major. Y¡¯all wanna know what we know about the Bleeders, and what y¡¯all can do to help, right?¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like a quick background primer first, though,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d heard about the Bleeders before our last visit, but after they attacked Tresnon, I¡¯ve come to realize that I don¡¯t actually know that much about them.¡±


    ¡°Especially about this ¡®Str¨¦n¡¯ person,¡± Hackett added. ¡°The way everyone talked about him on the night of the attack, he seems like a serious threat to be wary of.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly,¡± Ralak stated.


    ¡°So you wanna hear about fuckin¡¯ Str¨¦n¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, his face briefly contorting into a furious scowl before he relaxed into merely furrowing his brow. ¡°¡­Well, that goes back to over 20 years ago. Ralak and I told you last time how the Bleeders are usually a bunch of different, disconnected groups, right? There usually ain¡¯t anythin¡¯ in common aside from the name and the fact that they fuck shit up for their neighbors.¡±


    ¡°Most Bleeders don¡¯t care about anythin¡¯ aside from their immediate future,¡± Ralak explained. ¡°If they got food, water, and pleasure enough for a month or more, then they¡¯re happy. If they don¡¯t, then they raid. They don¡¯t think about or plan for the future at all.¡±


    ¡°But every so often, an enterprisin¡¯, charismatic fuckwit can convince a bunch of different groups to unite under their name,¡± Dav¨ªdrius continued. ¡°Str¨¦n was the most recent example of that, 20 years ago. And from what I hear, the most successful.¡±


    ¡°By far,¡± Selind affirmed. ¡°He had pretty much every Bleeder in the Northern and Eastern Wastelands under his fist. Almost half of all Bleeders across the continent.¡±


    ¡°Given the tech level around here, that sounds like an impressive feat,¡± Saito remarked.


    ¡°It was straightforward,¡± Ralak said. ¡°Str¨¦n appealed to the base desires of Bleeders across Tres¨¦d ¡ª he always preached that ¡®might makes right¡¯, and that united Bleeders would have more might. He was able to back up his words, too. Dozens of Bleeders challenged his leadership, but he mercilessly killed or¡­ subjugated every last one of ¡®em. And under him, we¡ª the Bleeders were able to actually capture entire Compounds, for the first time in generations.¡±


    ¡°I take it the Bleeders themselves don¡¯t usually operate out of a Compound, then?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°No,¡± Dav¨ªdrius answered. ¡°Like the Bleeders, the Compounds are usually decentralized. But every Compound knows that they can¡¯t ignore what the Bleeders do to other Compounds, or else they¡¯ll suffer the same fate, eventually. So when a Bleeder raid happens, nearby Compounds will usually send help as soon as they can ¡ª and then the Bleeders will leave before they get slaughtered by trained Compound Guardians. Which means that the Bleeders usually live a highly nomadic lifestyle. But under Str¨¦n¡­¡± The Dean¡¯s brow furrowed more deeply. ¡°¡­The Bleeders got numerous and organized enough that even Guardians couldn¡¯t retake a captured Compound.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a ¡®Guardian¡¯?¡± Hackett asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s what we in Tres¨¦d call someone who¡¯s officially taken on the job of protectin¡¯ a Compound,¡± Selind answered. ¡°They¡¯re usually Chaotics, and most Compounds only have a couple. I was a Guardian of Tresnon, once ¡ª one of the only non-Chaotic Guardians in Tres¨¦d, to boot. Once we created the Tresnon Defense Force and I took over as its head, though, I stopped callin¡¯ myself a Guardian¡­ though most folks in Tres¨¦d still think of me that way.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius used to be a Guardian, as well,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°A young one, but known amongst the Bleeders as bein¡¯ especially fierce.¡±


    ¡°Fat lot of good that did me,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°I was never once able to beat Str¨¦n in a fight. Never once did I save one of the Compounds he had captured, or any of the people trapped within¡­¡±


    ¡°Pardon me for asking, as I¡¯m sure the answer isn¡¯t pleasant¡­¡± Saito spoke up, ¡°but what do the Bleeders do with the inhabitants of a captured Compound?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ depends,¡± Ralak responded uneasily. ¡°Anyone who resists is killed, or made an example. Anyone who has an important job for the Compound¡¯s survival, like takin¡¯ care of food or water, is forced to keep doin¡¯ their job. Everyone else¡­¡± She trailed off, her lips pursed, and her gaze diverted. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s put it this way. Most Bleeders are sadistic hedonists. They care mostly about food, drink, sex, and inflictin¡¯ harm on others. Now imagine what happens if people like that are put in charge of a helpless town.¡± She then looked down at her gloved hands. ¡°¡­And it gets even worse if the Bleeders are Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°¡­I suspected that would be the case,¡± Saito grimly replied. ¡°And even then¡­ no one else on Nimalia has thought to offer Tres¨¦d any aid?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Most outsiders don¡¯t even care what happens here. Hell, they enable what happens here, by dumpin¡¯ their shit on our coasts. Most of it is unusable trash, sure, but some of it ain¡¯t. And most of the usable stuff ends up in Bleeder hands.¡±


    ¡°I see. What about this Str¨¦n person, then? The last time we were here, Dean, you spoke of Str¨¦n like you thought he was dead. What happened?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius scowled irately. ¡°He should¡¯ve been fuckin¡¯ dead¡­ 20 years ago, when Hero Machina was first founded, the three members at the time ¡ª Kev¨¦rin, Kaon¨¦, and Siyuak¨¦n ¡ª all came by Tres¨¦d to try and recruit me. I was still Guardian of Compound Riken, at the time, and I was more concerned about keepin¡¯ Riken safe than helpin¡¯ with a bunch of fuckin¡¯ outsiders. So I gave them what I thought was an impossible task: kill Str¨¦n, and I¡¯ll join their stupid team. And then, they went and fuckin¡¯ did it ¡ª they killed him. Or at least, they sure thought they did¡­¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°¡­No. When we attacked the Bleeder base, I went ahead of the other three, but I ran into one of Str¨¦n¡¯s lackeys before I found the man himself. She called herself ¡®Ind¡¯¡­ the same woman goin¡¯ by ¡®Feral¡¯, now.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t recognize her when she petitioned to join Tresnon?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°I only saw her once, 20 years ago,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°We fought underground, in poor lighting. She kicked my ass, sure, but¡­ Kev¨¦rin and Siyuak¨¦n told me that she and Str¨¦n were dead. Those two fucks should have been dead¡­¡±


    ¡°You said that Feral had a prosthetic when she attacked on Hunger¡¯s Bane, right?¡± Selind pointed out. ¡°Chances are, whoever gave her that prosthetic are the ones who saved her and Str¨¦n. I¡¯d bet Str¨¦n has prosthetics, too, come to think of it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°An organization wealthy and advanced enough to hand out such a well-disguised, high-functioning prosthetic to lawless criminals is probably the same kind of organization that could rescue said criminals from near-death. ¡­Still, if Str¨¦n and Feral were able to be rescued, then it sounds like your friends didn¡¯t do a good enough job of ensuring their deaths.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ say¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded with a scowl. ¡°And now, Str¨¦n¡¯s back to terrorize Tres¨¦d, again¡­ and it sounds like he¡¯s got the Bleeders all under him, again.¡±


    ¡°With a personal vendetta against you and Tresnon, it sounds like.¡±


    ¡°It stands to reason,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius here, and Compound Tresnon itself, are probably the two most well-known symbols of safety and security in Tres¨¦d¡ª¡±


    ¡°You, too,¡± Ralak interjected. ¡°If you ask the Bleeders what they fear most, most of ¡®em would say the Ghost of Light.¡±


    ¡°Ghost of Light?¡± Hackett echoed incredulously.


    Selind jerked a thumb towards the sniper strapped to her back. ¡°When I was younger, I made a habit of sneakin¡¯ up on groups of Bleeders and shootin¡¯ at ¡®em from afar with my laser sniper. Too far for them to get back at me ¡ª I¡¯d always be gone by the time they came lookin¡¯. The damn idiots thought it was an actual ghost blowin¡¯ their heads up for a while, ha ha!¡± Selind flashed a self-satisfied smirk before returning to a serious expression. ¡°But, yeah. With me and Dav¨ªdrius both here in Tresnon, that¡¯s basically all of Tres¨¦d¡¯s symbols in one place. Str¨¦n probably thinks that if he destroys us, then it¡¯ll prove to the rest of Tres¨¦d that the Bleeders are in charge.¡±


    ¡°If they manage to capture Tresnon, then they will be,¡± Ralak pointed out.


    ¡°They¡¯ll only get Tresnon over my dead, rotting corpse,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared.


    ¡°That would be their goal, yes,¡± Selind replied.


    ¡°Tch,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snorted in annoyance. ¡°¡­Sometimes, I regret startin¡¯ this damn school. If I wasn¡¯t Dean, if I was still a Guardian, then at least I¡¯d have time to go around and mop up these fuckin¡¯ Bleeders¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit and you know it,¡± Selind retorted. ¡°What you¡¯ve done here as Dean of WCU has helped out Tres¨¦d far more than anythin¡¯ you did as a Guardian.¡±


    ¡°The Reformation Program, as well¡­¡± Ralak commented. ¡°If not for that, I might still be with the Bleeders, now. Perhaps even preparin¡¯ to fight Tresnon. ¡­Though I¡¯ve already sabotaged Tresnon¡¯s security, once¡­¡±


    ¡°What, because the two Bleeders you vouched for turned out to be duds?¡± Selind questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius still let them in on my word,¡± Ralak insisted. ¡°I was the one who carelessly spoke for them, just because I thought Tresnon wasn¡¯t in any danger. But that carelessness put us all in danger.¡±


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡ª!¡± Selind glanced between Ralak and Dav¨ªdrius in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m the one sayin¡¯ this, but the two of y¡¯all need to get a fuckin¡¯ grip! Nothin¡¯ that we¡¯ve talked about now is your fault.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®but¡¯ me. Everyone always acts like the Reformation Program wouldn¡¯t exist without me or Dav¨ªdrius, but you¡¯re a big part of it, too, Ralak. You¡¯ve convinced dozens and dozens of Bleeders to leave all on your own, and watched over all of them as they became actual useful members of Tresnon. Think about that, Ralak ¡ª out of all the people you¡¯ve vouched for, out of all the people who you helped through the program, you know how many of ¡®em actually turned against Tresnon on Hunger¡¯s Bane?¡± Selind held up two fingers. ¡°Exactly two. The same two that we were already suspicious of, in fact! Hell, the few Defense Force members that Shade killed on her way to sabotage the power generator were all former Bleeders, who ended up dyin¡¯ in the name of protectin¡¯ Tresnon. That¡¯s what you should focus on.¡±


    ¡°That in itself could just be Str¨¦n sending a message,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°By killing former Bleeders, he tells everyone that if you aren¡¯t with him, you¡¯re against him. It scares the Bleeders under him into staying under him, and it might even scare those who had turned away from the gang into returning.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re suggestin¡¯ that we shouldn¡¯t trust any of the former Bleeders here, that just ain¡¯t possible,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°A good chunk of the Defense Force are former Bleeders. Some of our maintenance and food-keepers are former Bleeders. Hell, a couple of the students are former Bleeders. We can¡¯t afford to stop trustin¡¯ ¡®em, and even if we could, that¡¯d only drive ¡®em back into Str¨¦n¡¯s hands!¡±


    ¡°I understand it¡¯s a delicate situation, but it¡¯s still something you need to keep in mind,¡± Saito insisted.


    ¡°And we are, don¡¯t worry,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But enough whinin¡¯ about the past. We need to focus on what we¡¯re doin¡¯ now.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like Str¨¦n is using the same playbook now as he did 20 years ago, at least,¡± Hackett suggested. ¡°That should make it easier to fight him.¡±


    ¡°Yes and no¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded warily. ¡°He seems to¡¯ve united a lot of the Bleeders, yeah. And he¡¯s still goin¡¯ on about ¡®strength¡¯ and ¡®power¡¯ and shit. But they haven¡¯t been capturin¡¯ Compounds, like they did two decades ago. They¡¯ve been raidin¡¯, sure, but they don¡¯t stick around to occupy the place.¡±


    ¡°Given everything you¡¯ve said here, perhaps your Reformation Program has bolstered your own Defense Force beyond what the Bleeders want to face in a head-on attack,¡± Hackett suggested. ¡°Or even robbed the Bleeders of enough people that they aren¡¯t confident they can hold a Compound against an attack from the Defense Force.¡±


    ¡°On one hand, I agree,¡± Selind said, ¡°but on the other, somethin¡¯s still off. Bleeder raids are nothin¡¯ new, but what¡¯s new this time is that all the people of the raided compounds just¡­ disappear.¡±


    ¡°As in, kidnapped?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯d assume. Sometimes there are bodies ¡ª piles of ¡®em, buried under the sands, but that alone is weird. The Bleeders have never been known to hide bodies, before. But the dead bodies we¡¯ve found are never nearly enough to account for the Compound¡¯s entire population, which is also pretty damn weird, because the Bleeders have never been known to capture and kidnap more than a dozen or so people at a time. Why the hell are the Bleeders buryin¡¯ bodies, if not to capture the Compound? But if the Bleeders ain¡¯t holdin¡¯ any Compounds, then¡­ where the hell are they takin¡¯ the people?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Str¨¦n¡¯s a skilled Geotechnic, on top of bein¡¯ a Forcetechnic. Even 20 years ago, he mastered the ability to make underground bases, even in the sandy wastelands. So the Bleeders could be fuckin¡¯ anywhere.¡±


    ¡°But we do have a couple leads, at least,¡± Selind stated. ¡°All hints point to the Bleeders bein¡¯ based somewhere to the northeast, maybe even near the Eastshield Mountains, by the Tekdec¨¦nian Dumpin¡¯ Grounds.¡±


    ¡°Is that where they¡¯ve been getting all of their tech?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°I doubt it. If they were scavengin¡¯ from Tekdec¨¦¡¯s crap, then they¡¯d have Nimalian armor and weapons. But as Gavon can tell you, all the armor we¡¯ve seen ¡®em with are Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the likelihood that the Bleeders are being propped up by an external force?¡± Saito asked.


    ¡°A hundred percent,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°There just ain¡¯t no way the Bleeders could pull all this shit off all on their own.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that¡¯s why they¡¯re kidnapping people, then?¡± Saito suggested. ¡°Whoever¡¯s behind the Bleeders wants the people, for whatever reason. Human trafficking, maybe, or perhaps they just want to clear the land.¡±


    ¡°Clear the land¡­?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed, and then scowled. ¡°¡­The SFC!¡±


    ¡°SFC¡­ that¡¯s the Stealth and Force Corps, right?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°A Nimalian PMC based in Riverana, that acts as Riverana¡¯s official military. That SFC?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Selind replied. ¡°For a few years, now, they¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ to get their foot in on Tres¨¦d. They want control of the land, and the Compounds, for whatever reason. At first, I was happy to get their help, but¡­ one read through their contracts shows they were askin¡¯ for a lot in return.¡±


    ¡°Too much,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°So we kicked ¡®em out. Same story¡¯s played out across most of the Compounds in east Tres¨¦d. I dunno what they¡¯re up to, but¡­ it¡¯d make sense if the SFC were the ones behind the Bleeders. They can hide behind the Bleeders, use ¡®em to decimate Tres¨¦d and eliminate the fiercest defenders, maybe even smear the Black Suns a bit by feedin¡¯ the Bleeders Black Suns tech¡­ and then, in the end, they can come in with their superior military trainin¡¯ to wipe out the Bleeders. Maybe even pretend to the world that they¡¯re doin¡¯ Tres¨¦d a service¡­ tch. I can¡¯t fuckin¡¯ believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we have any proof the SFC is backing the Bleeders, though?¡± Hackett asked, ¡°or is this still speculation?¡±


    ¡°Still speculation, for now¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t seem right¡­¡± Ralak commented. ¡°I agree that the Bleeders are backed by someone, but Str¨¦n¡¯s always hated outsiders. I can¡¯t see him even pretendin¡¯ to take help from an outsider. So if he really is takin¡¯ outside help¡­ then they must have some dirt on him, or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°If we can find out what that dirt is, then we might be able to break the ties between the Bleeders and this mystery organization,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°But where would we even start with finding that out¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we can start with the northeast Compounds,¡± Selind suggested. ¡°The Defense Force is already workin¡¯ on gettin¡¯ a presence over there, but it¡¯s tricky, since they ain¡¯t usually within Tresnon¡¯s sphere of influence. They don¡¯t really trust us ¡ª not enough to let us put our people there, at least.¡± She then looked over at Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°It¡¯d be a big help if the ¡®Sentry¡¯ were to put in a personal appearance, you know. They all love you.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Love¡¯, right. Sure,¡± Dav¨ªdrius deadpanned, and then sighed. ¡°¡­You¡¯ll have to do without me for the immediate future, though. I got shit to take care of. Ugh¡­¡± He then shook his head in disapproval. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m even thinkin¡¯ about leavin¡¯ Tresnon at a time like this¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving Tresnon?¡± Hackett echoed incredulously. ¡°Are you looking into the Bleeders yourself?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius stared blankly at Hackett for a second before uneasily diverting his gaze. ¡°¡­Where I¡¯m goin¡¯ is a secret. But I won¡¯t be gone long.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be gone, then maybe we should stay here, to make sure Tresnon is protected.¡±


    ¡°Not many people know that Kaon¨¦ or I will be gone. We need to keep things goin¡¯ like normal, so that the Bleeders don¡¯t suspect anythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦ is leavin¡¯, too?¡± Ralak questioned.


    A pained expression crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Tch. Look. Somethin¡¯ important came up, somethin¡¯ we have to deal with. We won¡¯t be gone long.¡±


    ¡°This have anything to do with that ¡®trip¡¯ you¡¯ve scheduled for the recruits?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°The ¡®trip¡¯ has nothin¡¯ to do with the Bleeders,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered irately. ¡°Which is what we¡¯re actually here to talk about?¡±


    ¡°You let your friends talk you into somethin¡¯ again, didn¡¯t you?¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s important. Now shut the hell up about it, most people ain¡¯t supposed to know I¡¯m leavin¡¯ until I¡¯m gone,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°In the meantime, Selind, Colonel, I want y¡¯all lookin¡¯ into the Bleeders. Ralak, you got any ideas there?¡±


    ¡°If we think the main Bleeder base is to the northeast, then¡­¡± Ralak paused for a moment in thought. ¡°¡­If you¡¯ll trust me, I have an old contact in Compound Falnon, to the north. I could see if he knows anythin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t trust you, I wouldn¡¯t be fuckin¡¯ askin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Still, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to come along,¡± Saito stated. ¡°I¡¯d like to bring all of CSF-1, actually. That way, Ralak, if you find a lead, we can go right after it, instead of you needing to report back to Tresnon.¡±


    Ralak passed Saito a doubtful glance. ¡°¡­Alright. But no one in Falnon is gonna be able to understand you, and my old contact ¡ª while no longer a Bleeder ¡ª still doesn¡¯t think too highly of outsiders. So watch yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted. You won¡¯t need to worry about us.¡±


    ¡°I will, though,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°This SFC thing is still speculation, but if they¡¯re really behind the Bleeders, then be careful. I know Gavon says that they¡¯re a shitty PMC, but they¡¯re still a PMC.¡±


    ¡°If things get too dangerous, then we¡¯ll bail out and report back before doing anything else,¡± Saito declared. ¡°But we¡¯ve dealt with PMCs before.¡±


    ¡°Then it sounds like we finally have a fuckin¡¯ plan,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Y¡¯all will go with Ralak to Falnon, and see if you can get a lead, there¡­ I damn well hope you do. We need to figure out where the hell the Bleeders are based, and where the hell they¡¯re takin¡¯ all these Tres¨¦dians. Where the hell they took my damn student¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be gruesome, but¡­¡± Hackett eyed Dav¨ªdrius uneasily. ¡°Can we be sure she¡¯s still alive?¡±


    ¡°Of all the Chaotics at WCU, Minilas is the one the Bleeders are most likely to keep alive,¡± Ralak declared. ¡°She¡¯s passive, and more importantly, her Chaotic ability lets her make food out of thin air. There ain¡¯t many Chaotics that can do that, and none others in Tres¨¦d, far as I know. So I don¡¯t doubt that she¡¯s still alive. As for how well she¡¯s doin¡¯, however¡­¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to find her ¡ª and everyone else ¡ª as soon as possible,¡± Selind said. ¡°Colonel, while y¡¯all are in Falnon, I¡¯ll keep workin¡¯ with the Defense Force to secure the northeastern Compounds. With any luck, we¡¯ll find another lead there, or maybe a Compound that¡¯ll let us stage an attack force.¡±


    Saito nodded firmly. ¡°Alright. Ralak ¡ª how soon do you want to leave for Falnon?¡±


    ¡°I still got classes to teach, tomorrow¡­¡± Ralak responded. ¡°I can get someone to fill for any classes I miss next week, but the earliest I can leave is Skydia mornin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s when I¡¯ll be leavin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°Maybe we can use you Earthians as cover for me an¡¯ Kaon¨¦, and Ralak. Make it look like just y¡¯all are leavin¡¯, to throw off anyone that might be spyin¡¯ on us.¡±


    ¡°Do the recruits know they¡¯re getting involved, in this?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°No. And for everyone¡¯s sake, it¡¯s gonna stay that way.¡±


    ¡°¡­Just to be safe, I¡¯ll go ahead and assign Mark and Danielle to that trip of yours,¡± Saito stated. ¡°But otherwise, it sounds like we have a plan. Skydia morning¡­ that¡¯s two days from now, right?¡±


    ¡°That it is, Colonel,¡± Selind replied as she stepped forward again, this time moving toward the office¡¯s door. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re all done here, then!¡±


    ¡°So it does,¡± Saito replied, turning to follow Selind out ¡ª though stopping to nod at each of Dav¨ªdrius and Ralak before he did. ¡°Dean, Ralak.¡±


    ¡°Colonel,¡± Ralak nodded back.


    Saito and Hackett then began to leave, with Hackett stepping out first. But just before Saito could leave himself, Dav¨ªdrius called out to him. ¡°¡­Oi, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes?¡± Saito prompted, half-turning to look at Dav¨ªdrius.


    The Dean responded at first with silence, his arms crossed as he stared at the Colonel. After a couple seconds, he eventually said, ¡°¡­thanks. For helpin¡¯ out. Don¡¯t see many outsiders like you ¡®round here.¡±


    Saito responded with a quick smile. ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Dean. Getting rid of these Bleeders is good for everyone. But for now ¡ª I¡¯ll see the two of you in two days.¡±


    And with that, Saito finally stepped into the sunset-lit halls outside the office, ready to begin preparing for tracking down the Bleeders.

 V2 - A5 - Chapter 37: The Chosen Split

    OLD THREATS ¡ª NIMALIAN DEVELOPMENTS


    <hr>


    Chapter 37: The Chosen Split


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Skydia, Colyath 24, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Wait, we really don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going, yet?!¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Twy passed her sister a confused look. ¡°No one¡¯s told us yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh. Huh¡­¡± Sky crossed her arms, her right hand held to her chin in thought. ¡°¡­I thought I had just missed the announcement¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure wouldn¡¯t be out of character for you,¡± Spike remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, but really¡­ we still don¡¯t know¡­?¡± Austin muttered, his gaze drifting beyond the small group. Early morning sunlight shone down on the four as they stood within the confines of Compound Tresnon¡¯s tiny airport, prepared for the trip that Kaon¨¦ had announced to them earlier in the week. Pierce, Conrad, Phoenix, and Kestrel stood nearby ¡ª and, curiously enough, Mark, Danielle, and the entirety of CSF-1 were present, as well. All four members of the fireteam were dressed in desert robes and carrying luggage, just as everyone else, but the keen eye could make out the pieces of powered armor they wore underneath. Accompanying them were Ralak, Selind, and Gavon, with the latter two still dressed in their normal clothes, while Ralak appeared ready to travel.


    Twy followed Austin¡¯s gaze across the motley crew before turning back to him, Spike, and Sky. ¡°It really is weird¡­¡± she said, her voice low. ¡°Why is everyone here? What kind of trip needs even CSF-1 to come with us¡­?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t,¡± Conrad interjected, prompting Pierce, Phoenix, and Kestrel to also turn towards Twy. ¡°They¡¯re going somewhere else. Compound Falnon, it sounds like.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Conrad¡­¡± Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. ¡°Are you eavesdropping, again?¡±


    Conrad responded with a shrug. ¡°Hey, they¡¯re right there. If what they¡¯re doing was really a secret, then they wouldn¡¯t be talking about it in front of us.¡±


    ¡°How do we know we aren¡¯t going with them, though?¡± Austin asked.


    ¡°I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t mind it,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Wherever they¡¯re going with all that equipment ¡ª they have to be fighting Bleeders. I could really use some action!¡±


    ¡°What, haven¡¯t been getting enough with your little girlfriend?¡± Phoenix snarked.


    Pierce shot Phoenix a foul glare, but then turned away without saying a word.


    ¡°¡­Uuuuhhh¡­?¡± Phoenix regarded him with confusion, followed by brief realization ¡ª and then a haughty smirk. ¡°Oooh, does this have anything to do with why she isn¡¯t here to see you off¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ anyways,¡± Spike interjected, loudly clearing his throat in an obvious attempt to redirect the conversation. ¡°Whatever¡¯s happenin¡¯, it seems pretty clear that it¡¯s all hands on deck. Seems pretty important.¡±


    ¡°No students¡­¡± Kestrel observed.


    ¡°True¡­ I don¡¯t see any of the Tres¨¦dian students around,¡± Conrad affirmed. ¡°I guess this trip is just us, again?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly new,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°¡­Though, I still can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s off¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything is off these days. But don¡¯t worry, y¡¯all¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    The eight Keys turned toward Dav¨ªdrius as he approached, at which point they noticed Kaon¨¦ walking beside him ¡ª and just like everyone else present, the two Deans were carrying a single bag of luggage each.


    ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± Kaon¨¦ greeted as everyone turned to face the two Deans.


    ¡°Even you¡¯re coming with us?¡± Austin questioned incredulously while staring at Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s bag.


    ¡°It¡¯s an important next step in¡ª ¡­your training,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied.


    ¡°What were you about to say?¡± Phoenix challenged.


    ¡°I said what I said,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted.


    ¡°Ever the cagey one, ain¡¯t we?¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°Oh shut it, you. You ain¡¯t even goin¡¯ on any of these trips!¡±


    ¡°What, I can¡¯t say ¡®farewell¡¯ to a friend before they leave? Wish ¡®em well?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius responded with a wary sigh, but before he could say anything, Kaon¨¦ spoke instead.


    ¡°I thank you all for bearing with us these past couple days,¡± she said, addressing the Keys ¡ª as well as Mark and Danielle, who had stepped up beside them. Kaon¨¦ offered them a brief nod of greeting before continuing, ¡°it¡¯s taken us that time to iron out all of the details, so I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t give you any details earlier.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point,¡± Pierce insisted irately. ¡°Where are we going, and what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°More trainin¡¯, off-world,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ by Gate, so we¡¯ll be headin¡¯ to Nimaliaka Central, first. There, we¡¯ll meet up with Christean¨¦ and Rebehka. At that point, we¡¯re splittin¡¯ up into two groups. Austin, Pierce, Spike, Conrad ¡ª the four of y¡¯all are goin¡¯ with me and Christean¨¦ to Nayasis, a Tier 5 World in Union space.¡±


    ¡°And Twy, Sky, Phoenix, and Kestrel will travel with Rebehka and I to Karania, a Tier 4 World ¡ª also in Union space,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Traveling to these low-tier worlds will give us an opportunity to train without disturbing anyone, in a way that we can¡¯t quite do here on Nimalia.¡±


    ¡°Tres¨¦d is a massive wasteland, isn¡¯t it?¡± Austin pointed out, ¡°if we need lots of space, why do we need to go to entirely different planets for it?¡±


    ¡°The Bleeders are still a problem, here,¡± Spike stated.


    ¡°Which then makes you wonder why both of you are willing to leave,¡± Phoenix questioned while eying Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª but particularly Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°You¡¯ve never been fond of us,¡± Phoenix remarked to the Dean, ¡°and now, you¡¯re willing to leave behind your home while it¡¯s in danger, just to train with us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggeratin¡¯ the danger,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted, and then gestured off to the side, towards Selind, Gavon, Ralak, and CSF-1. ¡°They¡¯re all more than enough to cover for me while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ but aren¡¯t we¡ª?¡± Kirstin began to question, only to be cut off by Saito.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the Bleeders for you, Dean. Don¡¯t worry,¡± the Colonel declared.


    Dav¨ªdrius passed Saito a quick glance before shaking his head and turning back to the Keys. ¡°¡­Anyways, that¡¯s the plan.¡± He then looked at Mark and Danielle. ¡°Hey, you two ¡ª ya¡¯ll¡¯re comin¡¯ along, right? Which groups¡¯re y¡¯all goin¡¯ with?¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Seems obvious to me,¡± Sky remarked, ¡°since you¡¯ve already split us by gender!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, was that intentional?¡± Conrad questioned.


    Kaon¨¦ shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s mostly a coincidence, really. The motivation for splitting you all into two groups has more to do with your Chaotic abilities. You girls ¡ª as well as myself, and Rebehka ¡ª have abilities that are very good at affecting a wide area, or at a range. While you guys, just like Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦, have abilities that are better suited to fighting single targets up close.¡±


    ¡°I feel like the exception to that¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Me, too,¡± Conrad stated. ¡°I¡¯m not really any good in a fight to begin with.¡±


    ¡°One of your Chaostechnic types is Directed, Phoenix,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°There are a couple of Directed abilities, like Impact, that can affect an area. And some of the others can be made to do so with keywords. But, and more importantly, all of your abilities have range ¡ª something that isn¡¯t quite so inherent to the guys.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need ranged attacks when I can run at supersonic speeds,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°That just shows how much you have to learn,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°But that¡¯s why we¡¯re splittin¡¯ y¡¯all up.¡±


    ¡°By that logic, it would make sense for me to go with the guys, anyways,¡± Mark commented. ¡°Seeing as how I¡¯m a Force- and Duratechnic.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with the girls!¡± Danielle exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s really an interesting split, though¡­¡± Twy observed. ¡°¡­Are guys more likely to have single-target Chaotic abilities, or something?¡±


    ¡°No. This is pure coincidence,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Kar¨ªsah is a Forcetechnic, too, remember?¡±


    ¡°I think Mote¡¯s Electrotechnism would fit into the ¡®area-effect¡¯ descriptor, as another counterpoint,¡± Mark pointed out.


    ¡°Two counterpoints don¡¯t tell us anything about if a trend exists or not across the entire galaxy,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Anecdotes aren¡¯t evidence, after all. ¡­Though, I guess, the same applies to the eight of us.¡±


    ¡°There have been millions and millions of Chaotics in this galaxy, over the past and present,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°If there was a trend for gender or sex to determine your Chaotic ability, then we¡¯d see it in the data. But, to my knowledge, that trend doesn¡¯t exist. There do exist trends based on your race ¡ª such as Dra¡¯kis having a higher chance to become Chaotics than anyone else in the galaxy, or Siions being more likely to be Introtechnics or Materiatechnics than the other categories of Chaotic abilities. But nothing based on sex.¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯re gettin¡¯ away from the point,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s packed, so let¡¯s get a move-on! Gate schedules wait for no one!¡± He then began leading the Keys toward one of the craft waiting in the airport, while offering a quick wave toward Selind and Gavon. ¡°If Tresnon gets fucked while I¡¯m gone, then there¡¯s gonna be hell to pay!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of provokin¡¯ your wrath,¡± Selind replied dryly as the group walked off. However, as Mark and Danielle passed by, trailing the Keys, Saito stepped forward to grab Mark¡¯s shoulder.


    Mark stopped walking, looking down at Saito¡¯s hand and then the man himself in confusion. ¡°¡­Sir?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to wish you good luck, Mark,¡± Saito declared, and then surreptitiously removed a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Mark. With his voice lowered, he continued, ¡°I need you to look into something for me while you¡¯re on Nayasis.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Mark replied in confusion, though he still lowered his voice to match Saito. He quickly read the note on the slip of paper, only to turn back to Saito incredulously. ¡°¡­Is this a Gate coordinate?¡±


    ¡°Nayasis is a Tier 5 World ¡ª that means large periods of downtime between Gate connections, and likely very few, if any, people watching the Gate,¡± Saito explained. ¡°During a couple of those openings, I want you to try dialing that coordinate. If you get a connection, don¡¯t try to communicate with the other side. Just tell me that a connection was made.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but, sir, this coordinate doesn¡¯t look right. Like it¡¯s missing digits¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s intentional. Just follow the instructions to dial it. Oh ¡ª and if you ever establish a connection with that coordinate, see if you can dial Earth, as well. If you can, do that multiple times over the course of your trip, just to be sure. I¡¯ll explain what it all means when you get back.¡± He then glanced to the Keys in the distance, particularly toward Conrad ¡ª who himself quickly looked away. ¡°¡­Preferably, when our resident eavesdropper can¡¯t listen.¡±


    Mark glanced at Conrad in confusion before turning back to look doubtfully at the Colonel. ¡°¡­Alright, sir,¡± he eventually conceded as he put the piece of paper into one of his pockets. ¡°I take it you want me to do this without telling anyone else, too?¡±


    ¡°That ship might have sailed, but don¡¯t tell anyone if you can help it,¡± Saito remarked, and then pat Mark on the back. ¡°Thanks, Mark. I knew I could count on you. You can get going, now. Oh, and Ashworth ¡ª I know you¡¯re listening. You should stop doing that. Preferably before I¡¯m forced to take corrective action.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± Mark responded; behind him, in the distance, Conrad¡¯s posture could be seen noticeably stiffening. ¡°¡­Should I be watching him, sir?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mark. I¡¯m sure things will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ well, good luck with your mission, sir,¡± Mark responded, and then turned away to rush after the Keys and the Deans.


    Saito¡¯s gaze lingered on Mark¡¯s retreating form for a second before he turned around and stepped back up to the rest of his team, Ralak, Selind, and Gavon.


    ¡°What was that about, sir?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Oh, just a quick little request. Nothing too important,¡± Saito responded airily.


    ¡°Ah, yes, nothing important, indeed,¡± Gavon remarked with a knowing smile. ¡°My favorite level of importance, I have to say.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you cheeky bastard,¡± Selind retorted as she elbowed him in the side. ¡°Don¡¯t give these outsiders a hard time. They¡¯ve promised to help us out, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ralak muttered, eying Saito uneasily. ¡°¡­Are you sure you can trust me? I am a former Bleeder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along fine,¡± Saito declared.


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about whether or not you trust us,¡± Hackett stated while looking Ralak head to toe. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re wearing any armor. You don¡¯t even have a side-arm, with you. You have to know how easy it is to take out an unshielded Chaotic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Head of Combat for nothin¡¯,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°But energy shieldin¡¯ makes my Chaotic ability impossible to use. I need to be able to touch things directly to control ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Th-then¡­ w-why the gloves¡­?¡± Kirstin questioned uneasily.


    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to the elbow-length black gloves that Ralak was wearing; the same gloves that she always wore. She shifted uneasily under the attention, saying, ¡°I wear these for¡­ personal reasons.¡±


    ¡°And we should really leave it at that,¡± Selind insisted while passing Kirstin a glance, who wilted under her gaze.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± she quietly apologized.


    ¡°I kind of wish I could go with you all, though,¡± Gavon commented as he looked over the four members of CSF-1. ¡°I¡¯ve rarely done this kind of hunting and tracking of criminals. Reminds me of Sword of the Weak, actually.¡±


    ¡°Reminds you of what?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Sword of the Weak is a spec ops squad under the Red Suns, in Sector 2,¡± Gavon explained. ¡°Hunting down rogue and highly dangerous Chaotics is their thing. One of the few good things to come out of Sector 2, really.¡±


    ¡°Not all Bleeders are Chaotics,¡± Ralak said.


    ¡°Well, no, but enough of them are to be dangerous,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re preparing well for that, though, huh, Colonel? Luke?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ what are those things?¡± Selind questioned as she gestured toward a couple of large black cases that Hackett and Luke had with them. The cases were clearly separate from their weapons, and shaped more like cubes.


    ¡°Portable CENT fields,¡± Hackett declared. ¡°We brought a few from Earth.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re standard equipment for going up against Chaotics,¡± Saito added. ¡°Especially when you aren¡¯t a Chaotic yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ralak eyed the cases uneasily. ¡°¡­Good idea, but we can¡¯t carry those things everywhere. My contact in Falnon will be wary with the four of you there, as is.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like we¡¯re walking, right?¡± Luke pointed out, ¡°if need be, we can stash the cases in the car. Or¡­ whatever we¡¯re using to get to Falnon.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ and speakin¡¯ of that, we should get goin¡¯,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°Falnon is a full day¡¯s drive from Tresnon. If we want to get there before nightfall, we need to leave soon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s right on the edge of Tresnon¡¯s influence, too,¡± Selind quickly added. ¡°I¡¯ve sent word to the Defense Force squad I¡¯ve got stationed there, so they know that someone from Tresnon will be comin¡¯ through, but don¡¯t be surprised if our word or name doesn¡¯t carry much weight with the locals.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Saito responded with a firm nod. He then looked to Ralak. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going. Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°I wish you all luck!¡± Gavon shouted after Ralak and CSF-1 as they began leaving. ¡°Find a lead so we can finally kick these sky-damned Bleeders out of Tres¨¦d, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll certainly try,¡± Luke responded in kind. ¡°Hold the fort for us! We¡¯ll be back before you know it!¡±


    ¡°That is our job!¡± Selind remarked, still standing next to Gavon as the two watched the group leave. Once they were out of earshot, Selind and Gavon turned to exit the airport as well, returning to their duties in Tresnon. Just as the two stepped beyond the airport¡¯s walls and turned down the street, however, two hooded figures finally emerged from hiding behind a nearby hangar. Quietly, they followed in the steps of Ralak and CSF-1, nigh-invisible barriers marking their every step to prevent them from directly touching the ground ¡ª and thus, preventing them from leaving any tracks. One of them stopped for a brief moment to stare out into the distance, at the aircraft bearing the Deans and the Keys that was already disappearing into the distant skies. Her hand drifted up to her mouth, absentmindedly caressing the scar that crossed it as she watched the craft shrink with distance.


    ¡°Hey! Get goin¡¯! We¡¯ll lose ¡®em!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right! Sorry!¡± She quickly turned back and quietly rushed after her friend, silently remaining on the tail of Ralak and CSF-1.

 V2 - Arc 6: Action Abroad - Chapter 38: Split Arrival

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 6 ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 38: Split Arrival


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Isdia, Colyath 25, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Why are we doing so much walking¡­?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been an hour,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Are you seriously tired already, dweeb?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired, it¡¯s just annoying,¡± Austin countered. ¡°We¡¯re traveling by Interstellar Gate! I thought there was supposed to be a whole interstellar rail system! So why are we walking?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s just how it is,¡± replied Christean¨¦ ¡ª who walked ahead of the group, beside Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°Nayasis is a Tier 5 world, after all. Settled only a couple years ago, in fact. There are barely a couple thousand people living on the entire planet. They just don¡¯t have the infrastructure to handle Gatetrains yet.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Austin grumbled as he returned his attention to the trail he trod upon. Having just arrived on the planet of Nayasis an hour ago, Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ now led Austin, Pierce, Spike, Conrad, and Mark down a long, winding trail through green, rolling foothills. Distant mountain peaks covered the north and eastern horizons, while a small settlement could be seen nestled in a valley to the west. A lush forest blanketed the lands to the far south and west, flanking a tiny river that ran down the valley and disappeared into the distance.


    ¡°So that settlement is the only village on this entire planet?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Christean¨¦ airily replied. ¡°It¡¯s real cozy, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°More like ¡®lonely¡¯,¡± Austin muttered. ¡°Literally the only civilization on the entire planet, and it¡¯s a two-hour hike from the Gate! How do these people live?!¡±


    ¡°You know, dweeb, there was a time before modern comforts where everyone lived liked this,¡± Pierce jabbed.


    ¡°Hell, this is better than some folks have it in Tres¨¦d,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared.


    ¡°Why is the village so far from the Gate, though?¡± Spike questioned. ¡°Seems like a pain, in case there¡¯s an emergency or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Earth goes about colonizing new planets, but this is just par for the course for Nimalians,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°For some reason, Gates aren¡¯t always located in the best place for an actual settlement. So the people who come to found the first settlement look for a better area nearby, and only move the Gate into the settlement itself once it¡¯s gotten off the ground. That¡¯s usually around when the colony gets upgraded to Tier 4.¡±


    ¡°We still got half an hour or so before we get to the village, anyways, so stop complainin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said as he passed an annoyed glance back at Austin and Pierce.


    ¡°¡¯So stop complaining¡¯,¡± Austin echoed in a mocking tone, albeit just quietly enough for Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ to not hear. ¡°Man, this is ridiculous. We¡¯ve been traveling so fucking much recently, can¡¯t we at least get a break? Or visit somewhere where we can actually relax?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the week after Hunger¡¯s Bane was supposed to be,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°And yet you decided to stay at Tresnon, like the dweeb you are.¡±


    ¡°At least I didn¡¯t run off and get into trouble somewhere, like you did,¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°Hey, at least I helped save people. We aren¡¯t talking about me, anyways ¡ª you¡¯re the one complaining about not getting a vacation to relax, when you had one less than a month ago!¡±


    ¡°I just wanna go to somewhere like Oriciid¡¯kas, but without having to worry about the Nanocreatures, or whatever. Is that too much to ask?!¡±


    ¡°You can ask for it all you like, and I actually agree that a real vacation would be nice. But when you complain as much as you do, it really makes you look like a dweeb. You dweeb.¡±


    ¡°I am not¡­!¡±


    As Austin and Pierce continued bickering with each other, Spike, Conrad, and Mark watched from a few paces back. ¡°¡­Same as usual for those two, huh?¡± Conrad remarked, his hands in his pockets as he trudged along beside Spike and Mark.


    ¡°I suppose there really is no stopping them¡­¡± Mark mused.


    ¡°This still don¡¯t seem right¡­¡± Spike muttered, his gaze turned downward as he inspected the trail they walked upon. ¡°Look at this trail. It¡¯s a footpath. Are you seriously gonna tell me that the Nimalians didn¡¯t use trucks or anythin¡¯ to carry stuff and equipment between the Gate and that village?¡±


    ¡°Eh, Nimalian vehicles all hover, don¡¯t they?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°Do hovercars leave tracks, like wheeled ones do?¡±


    ¡°I guess not. But in that case, why don¡¯t we got a hovercar? Why¡¯re we walkin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this is just part of your training,¡± Mark suggested.


    ¡°Some training,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°¡­But I¡¯m with Spike, actually. This whole thing seems off. Like, it only took us two Gate trips to get here from Nimalia. It took the same number of trips to get to Sikalia, but at least Sikalia was a Tier 2 planet, right? Shouldn¡¯t you need more trips to get to a Tier 5 planet?¡±


    ¡°That is a good point¡­¡± Mark mused. ¡°With the way the Gate network is organized, you do typically have to step down through the world tiers one at a time. And since Nimalia is a Transpace World, it should¡¯ve taken us five Gate trips to ¡®step down¡¯ to a Tier 5¡­ odd.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gotta have somethin¡¯ to do with that place we stopped at in-between Nimalia and here, right?¡± Spike questioned, carefully keeping his voice low so only Conrad and Mark could hear him. ¡°That place looked crazy fortified, like a fortress, or some shit.¡±


    ¡°It definitely did remind me of Eana, SERRCom¡¯s Primary Fortress World,¡± Mark commented. ¡°We weren¡¯t there for long, but¡­ what was it called? I don¡¯t think the Deans told us.¡±


    ¡°Kandieras,¡± Conrad answered. ¡°¡­That¡¯s what I overheard from some of the soldiers there, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Mark regarded Conrad with surprise. ¡°Kandieras is the Nimalian Union¡¯s Primary Fortress World!¡±


    ¡°What? And we went there?!¡± Spike responded incredulously.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna guess that Primary Fortress Worlds aren¡¯t part of the civilian Gate Network,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°No, they aren¡¯t¡­¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Neat. So something is hella off, here, then.¡±


    ¡°We took a shortcut through a Fortress World¡­¡± Spike muttered in contemplation. ¡°¡­I mean, I know the Deans are galactic heroes and stuff, but¡­ this don¡¯t seem right at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well, regardless, the Nayasis settlement is very small,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°If there¡¯s an ulterior motive for us being here, then I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll learn of it soon.¡±


    ¡°Ulterior motives¡­¡± Conrad echoed, and then released a weary sigh. ¡°Man, I¡¯m so tired of all this stuff. Can¡¯t we just have a straight-forward trip, for once?¡±


    ¡°The Sikalia trip was pretty straight-forward, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°Try saying that to Austin or Pierce, and watch how they react,¡± Conrad deadpanned. He then shrugged. ¡°Oh well. We¡¯re already here, so no use complaining now, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi, stop laggin¡¯ behind! We don¡¯t got all day!¡±


    ¡°Oops¡­¡± Mark looked over at Dav¨ªdrius, noting that the rest of the group was now a fair distance ahead of Mark, Spike, and Conrad. Mark then led the trio as they quickened their pace to catch up with Austin and Pierce, who themselves had fallen into sullen silence.


    ¡°¡­This is really quite the crew you have, here,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked to Dav¨ªdrius as the two Deans eyed the Earthians trailing them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fuckin¡¯ say¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, finally turning forward again to continue following the footpath.


    Christean¨¦ regarded Dav¨ªdrius with an amused smirk, and then elbowed him playfully in the side. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, teaching these kinds of students is exactly what you do at WCU, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be teachin¡¯ Tres¨¦dians,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°And even then, the most unruly kids are in year 1 and 2. There¡¯s a reason I got other people to teach years 1 and 2, you know.¡±


    ¡°So cold. Don¡¯t you care about your students?¡±


    ¡°Tch. Don¡¯t your students call you the ¡®Absentee Dean¡¯ or some shit, ¡®cause you slack off all the time? You ain¡¯t one to be talkin¡¯, here.¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha, fair point!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked with a laugh. ¡°Though, I have to say, I don¡¯t slack off. I¡¯m just really efficient at delegating. People love my combat classes, so I¡¯m doing something right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Christean¨¦ glanced back at the Earthians again. ¡°It sure sounds like they¡¯ve been through a lot, huh? They¡¯ve been to four of the six Continent-Nations, an entire other planet in the Union, and even the CSA! You sure pulled a lot of strings, huh?¡±


    ¡°More like everyone else was pullin¡¯ strings¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°My word don¡¯t mean shit to most folks outside of Tres¨¦d. I gotta keep leanin¡¯ on Kaon¨¦, Rebehka, Kev¨¦rin, and Kevken for these stupid trips¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? It¡¯s still that bad for Tres¨¦dians, huh?¡±


    ¡°I told y¡¯all this would happen, way back when Kaon¨¦ got the idea to turn our school into a whole global thing. Havin¡¯ similar schools in the other nations ain¡¯t gonna ¡®legitimize¡¯ WCU, it¡¯s just gonna make people think that WCU is tryin¡¯ to steal fame. Despite the fact that we were first¡­¡±


    ¡°True. Even back when I was helping you at your school, back when we first started it up¡­ having my name there didn¡¯t seem to help at all. Trying to get recognition from the other nations was like pulling teeth. It wasn¡¯t until Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka started up their school in Nimaliaka that people started paying attention.¡±


    ¡°And I can tell you now, it sure as shit ain¡¯t gotten any better since.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a damn shame. And now you¡¯ve got this new Bleeder problem to deal with¡­ sounds like things are getting busy, back in Tres¨¦d.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no shit.¡± A scowl crossed Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s face. ¡°Can¡¯t believe I agreed to this stupid trip, in the middle of all that¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, either!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°¡­But, it is important.¡±


    ¡°So says Kev¨¦rin, but that fucker is the reason my Bleeder problem even exists in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t there at the time, but can you really blame Kev¨¦rin for those Bleeder guys coming back? I mean¡­ it was Kev¨¦rin and Siyuak¨¦n who fought them way back when, right? I know Kev¨¦rin wasn¡¯t very reliable at the time, but I¡¯d think that Siyuak¨¦n would¡¯ve done the job right¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t very well ask her, now, can we?¡±


    Christean¨¦ passed Dav¨ªdrius an incredulous glance; upon noticing this, Dav¨ªdrius released an irritated sigh.


    ¡°¡­Sorry,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Man, you really need a break,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°Bringing up Siyuak¨¦n like this, too¡­ well, just think of this trip as trying to make sure that no one else ends up like her. That makes it better, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch. Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, continuing to lead the group down the trail toward the lone settlement of Nayasis.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Welcome to Kani, the provisional capital city of Karania!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty small, for a capital city,¡± Sky remarked, her hands on her hips as she surveyed the city before her. The tallest buildings stood no taller than five stories tall, and even those were rare; most of the city seemed to consist of one- to three-story buildings built around wide roads that themselves were marked by hastily-laid concrete. Karania¡¯s Interstellar Gate was located within a small Gateport in the center of the city of Kani, across the street from what appeared to be the city hall ¡ª which Kaon¨¦, Rebehka, Twy, Sky, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Danielle now stood in front of. Much like the other Nimalian cities that the Earthians had seen, the architectural aesthetic of Kani reflected natural terrain formations; unlike the other cities, however, most of the buildings appeared to be prefabs, and looked nigh-identical to each other. The city overall bore the aura of a small town only recently beginning to build up from its moment of founding. Even the geography was fairly plain, with Kani located on a long north-south coastline ¡ª vast ocean waters to its east, and a stretching, flat plain to its west. The only landmark of note was a research facility of some sorts built over the ocean waters to the east of Kani, just a couple of kilometers off of the coast.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem very busy around here, either¡­¡± Phoenix observed as she swept her gaze up and down the city¡¯s main street. Despite arriving on the planet in the middle of its day, there didn¡¯t seem to be much traffic to speak of, pedestrian or otherwise.


    ¡°Well, Karania is a Tier 4 World,¡± Rebehka pointed out. ¡°Less than 400,000 people live on this planet, and not all of them are in Kani.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s multiple cities, here?¡± Danielle questioned.


    ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call them cities, but yes,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Norel is a couple dozen kilometers to the north, and serves mostly as an NSD base. Rania to the west, and Esken to the south, are both industrial centers. And all four cities are actually located on a large island off the coast of one of the main landmasses.¡±


    ¡°As a Tier 4 World, Karania is still planning out its planet-wide infrastructure,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°In fact, the last I heard, it still hasn¡¯t been decided if Karania will become a Fortress World or a civilian one. The NSD has been pushing hard for a new Fortress World, and Karania supposedly has plenty of untapped resources¡­¡±


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s ridiculous that militaries are given entire planets to do with as they like,¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s so bad,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Given the kinds of threats that exist in this galaxy, large space fleets are a must. By designating a planet as a Fortress World, for solely military use, it allows militaries to setup massive industrial centers and foundries to build their fleets without polluting the planets where people actually live. There seem to be plenty of habitable or near-habitable planets in the galaxy, too, so we aren¡¯t about to run out of space anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Uncolonized arm¡­¡± Kestrel commented.


    Rebehka nodded. ¡°Yes, that, too. There¡¯s still an entire arm of the galaxy that hasn¡¯t been colonized, yet. I understand where you¡¯re coming from, Phoenix, but I think the Fortress World system has more merits than it does drawbacks.¡±


    ¡°Anyways!¡± Kaon¨¦ clapped her hands, as if to draw everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°As we discussed yesterday, we¡¯ll be spending our time here on Karania training with all of your abilities. I¡¯ve received permission from the local government to use the nearby waters for that, but we need to check in to where we¡¯ll be staying, first.¡±


    ¡°Wait, waters?¡± Sky echoed incredulously, ¡°hey, we aren¡¯t all sis, you know! How are we supposed to train in the ocean?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll just freeze it,¡± Rebehka responded coolly.


    ¡°¡­Oh. Huh.¡±


    ¡°Between Rebehka and myself, we¡¯ll be able to simulate all kinds of terrain for you all to train with,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°And while over the waters, we won¡¯t be getting in the way of anyone, or putting anyone else in danger. But, as I said, we need to check-in first. So follow me, please.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ staying on another planet!¡± Danielle remarked as she and Sky began following after Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka. ¡°I mean, this isn¡¯t the first time, but it still feels kinda¡­ rustic, here! I like it!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you with SERRCom? Don¡¯t you travel all the time?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Well, yeah, sort of,¡± Danielle replied. ¡°But it¡¯s always for missions, never for fun. When we came to Nimalia a month ago, that was the first time I¡¯d ever been to a planet that wasn¡¯t Earth that still had big cities and everything!¡±


    ¡°Really? Damn, that sucks. You should¡¯ve been with us when we went to Sikalia, then! That was really cool! Or, wait!¡± Sky snapped her fingers, having just had an idea. ¡°How long are you staying with us? Maybe we¡¯ll get a chance to show you some of the cool sights on Nimalia!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be here, but I hope I¡¯ll get to see that stuff, too!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°Last time we went to Tekdec¨¦, I think? But I¡¯ve heard about there being giant trees somewhere. I want to see those, too!¡±


    ¡°Oh man, the giant trees were something else! A whole forest of them, too! But that¡¯s not everything, we¡¯ve gotta go see the city built on the waterfalls in Riverana. It¡¯s like straight out of a fantasy novel!¡±


    ¡°Really?! Cool! I can¡¯t wait! Oh, and I also heard about these mysterious fogged-up islands, somewhere, that are supposed to be like Nimalia¡¯s version of the Bermuda triangle? I wanna check those out!¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that, too. The Fog Islands or something, right? I haven¡¯t been there, but it does sound kinda interesting. And spooky, too! I guess we should put that on the list of stuff to see¡­ maybe also the Hazard Islands, too? That could be interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds dangerous¡­ I¡¯m in! But, uh, what are the Hazard Islands, again¡­?¡±


    Sky and Danielle continued chatting about the sights and locales of Nimalia, otherwise oblivious to their surroundings. Trailing them were Twy and Phoenix, who warily observed the passing city while Kestrel brought up the rear.


    ¡°¡­All of this is hella suspicious,¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in affirmation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t shake the feeling that something¡¯s off, either¡­¡± Twy responded, keeping her voice low.


    ¡°We got here from Nimalia hella quickly,¡± Phoenix remarked. ¡°Only one stop in between, and it was one hell of a military fortress. It was nothing like the connection we had to make while traveling to Sikalia!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on Karania, too¡­¡± Twy glanced to the group¡¯s right, where the coastline stretched to the horizon in front and behind them. Further east of that was the research facility built over the waters. ¡°¡­That facility over there,¡± Twy said, subtly gesturing toward it, ¡°¡­is that the Infection Research Center?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Phoenix furtively glanced toward the facility before passing Twy a questioning look. ¡°Infection? As in, metallic infection? How do you figure?¡±


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s mentioned an Infection Research Center on Karania before, right? It¡¯s where she first cured an animal of the infection¡­ right?¡±


    Kestrel nodded. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I think I do remember something like that¡­¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°¡­That can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Twy replied. ¡°But¡­ I still don¡¯t see what the connection could be. If the Deans wanted to look into the infection, then why are we here? And if that really is their goal, then why haven¡¯t they told us, yet?¡±


    ¡°Secret?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°It¡¯d have to be one hell of a secret to explain them not telling us,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°And if there really is an ulterior motive, then I swear¡­ hell, this won¡¯t even be the first time they did this to us. The Oriciid¡¯kas trip was just Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka bringing us along on their infection-related business, too, and they didn¡¯t tell us until we were already there!¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can understand their secrecy¡­¡± Twy said. ¡°The infection is intelligent, right? Or, at least, moreso than a regular disease. Maybe being secretive really is important to fighting it. ¡­Or maybe we¡¯re just reading into this, too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit, on both counts,¡± Phoenix declared. ¡°The ¡®secrecy¡¯ that people like to use with the infection is about saving face and ¡®reducing panic¡¯, nothing more. And it¡¯s the same secrecy that will screw us over, in the end.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re reading too much into this situation, either. Like, seriously, just think about it ¡ª did they really bring us to an entirely different planet, just to train in isolation? Hell, it sounds like we aren¡¯t even going to be training on land, but on the ocean itself! Why couldn¡¯t we have just done that back on Nimalia, huh?¡±


    ¡°Bleeders,¡± Kestrel stated.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to stay in Tres¨¦d, we could¡¯ve gone anywhere,¡± Phoenix argued.


    ¡°Rel¨¦diaka, Riverana¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, fine, you have a point. The Bleeders do seem weirdly global¡­ but still. Even if we came to this planet just to get away from the Bleeders, it still doesn¡¯t explain why four of the six Deans decided to take time out of their busy schedules just to train a bunch of Earthians like us.¡± Phoenix passed Twy and Kestrel an apprehensive look. ¡°Something is fishy here, mark my words.¡±


    ¡°I really hope you¡¯re wrong,¡± Twy replied as the group continued following Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka through the streets of Kani. ¡°But, given everything that¡¯s been happening lately, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that you might be right¡­¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 39: Informations Arrival

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 39: Information''s Arrival


    ¡°This is the place?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡± Ralak responded quietly as she brought the vehicle she was driving to a stop. She glanced over Saito through the passenger-side window, where a run-down stone building stood at the end of a short street block. Much like in Compound Tresnon, the local buildings seemed to be constructed entirely of stone and were covered in a thick layer of sandy dust, while a tall guard wall could be seen at the end of the street. The local town was clearly much smaller than Tresnon, however ¡ª the town¡¯s front and back gates were both easily visible at either end of the main street, no more than two kilometers apart.


    ¡°So this is Compound Falnon, huh?¡± Captain Travis remarked as he and Hackett carefully disembarked from the hovercar. Researcher MacTavish began to disembark as well, but Saito quickly spoke up to stop her.


    ¡°Not all of us are going in,¡± he declared, gesturing for MacTavish to remain in the car. ¡°MacTavish, keep an eye on our equipment. Give it all a once-over, make sure it¡¯s all ready for use at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ o-okay,¡± the Researcher quietly replied.


    ¡°As for you two¡­¡± Saito climbed out of the vehicle himself to turn toward Hackett and Travis. In the waning light of sunset, few people were out and about on the main street ¡ª and more importantly, vehicle traffic was basically nonexistent, making the hovercar stand out. Ralak and CSF-1 themselves didn¡¯t stand out too much; Ralak had provided them with Tres¨¦d-style desert robing, such that they were all draped in beige clothes and a cloak. All that stood out were Hackett and Travis¡¯s insistence on wearing their SERRCom-issued desert camo billed caps, which the Captain even wore backwards ¡ª for ¡°style¡±, in his own words. The fact that the whole team were actively wearing powered armor and carrying their rifles was partially hidden by their cloaks, and even further disguised by the fact that many locals openly carried guns, as well.


    Nevertheless, their arrival by hovercar was drawing attention, and as the team was transporting a fair amount of equipment with them in the car, Saito was wary of any attempts to steal or destroy it. ¡°¡­Major, Captain, I want the both of you to keep watch around here while Ralak and I are inside.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Hackett replied with a firm nod.


    ¡°Falnon should be safe,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°We may be a day¡¯s drive northeast of Tresnon, but they¡¯re still aligned with us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doubting that,¡± Saito replied, ¡°but given the enemies we¡¯re up against, it can¡¯t hurt to stay vigilant.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. You got a point.¡± Ralak offered a nod toward Hackett and Travis as she walked around the car to grab a crate from the back. She hefted it in her hands before turning back towards the building, saying, ¡°we won¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering what that crate¡¯s for,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°Captain, let¡¯s leave the frivolous remarks to a minimum,¡± Hackett ordered, her voice low. ¡°Remember ¡ª not only can the locals tell we aren¡¯t speaking their language, they¡¯re also not fond of ¡®outsiders¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Right. Oops.¡±


    Saito shook his head in exasperation before turning around and following Ralak into the run-down building they had parked in front of. Ralak pushed through the front door without so much as knocking or announcing her presence; the Colonel quickly followed after her. Once inside, the small mechanical devices lining a handful of shelves made it apparent that the small building was a shop ¡ª and as Saito closely inspected some of the devices, he quickly surmised that it was general repair shop. Many of the devices were actually parts for larger machinery, or tools to aid in the maintenance of large machinery. Furthermore, lights and sparks characteristic of power tools emanated from an open door in the back, a door that Ralak readily approached after setting her crate down beside the shop¡¯s counter. She peered through, and then seemed to nod at someone before gesturing for Saito to come closer.


    The Colonel cautiously followed Ralak into the back room, all while keeping a cool outward demeanor. Once inside, he noted that a bed and a small, austere living area was on his left, covered with empty bottles and dirty clothes. And to his right was a small machine shop, as well as a lone man currently welding a couple of pieces of metal together. Saito looked away and shielded his eyes from the welding light for the couple of seconds it took for the man to finish, at which point he set down his welder and wiped his hands off on a nearby rag. Now able to get a better look at the man, Saito quickly took note of his short, stocky, and somewhat overweight build. A second later, the man removed the welding shield that covered his face, revealing his broad, tan-skinned face bearing the wrinkles of a man getting on in years. He wore a white and beige bandanna over his head, lending him the air of a grizzled shopkeep, contrasted by how casually he sat down in a nearby chair and nodded at Ralak.


    ¡°I was told someone from Tresnon was comin¡¯ by¡­¡± the man remarked in a gruff voice, while bearing an amused smirk. ¡°But imagine my surprise when I see it¡¯s the Willthief, herself.¡±


    ¡°Olkath¡­¡± Ralak greeted tensely. ¡°¡­You know I don¡¯t use that name anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh ho, does it remind you too much of your Bleeder days?¡±


    ¡°Two can play at this game, Butcher of Rek.¡±


    The man, Olkath, released an exasperated sigh as he made a show of shrugging. ¡°Sure, sure. But I never used that name for myself; it¡¯s corny as dirt. You, though¡­ you actually introduced yourself to me as ¡®Willthief¡¯, all those years ago. Can you blame me for usin¡¯ the name you, yourself, gave me?¡±


    ¡°Call me Ralak,¡± she growled.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Olkath challenged. ¡°You¡¯ll finally take those gloves off?¡±


    The two stared at each other in silence ¡ª Ralak, with her brow furrowed in frustration; and Olkath, his arms crossed while wearing a challenging smirk. Saito eyed the two, carefully maintaining a neutral expression himself while he thought internally, so I take it this guy is a former Bleeder, too, then. ¡°Butcher of Rek¡±, huh? He¡¯s right, it does sound corny ¡ª so does ¡°Willthief¡±, really. But I¡¯ve heard about what went down the last time I was in Tres¨¦d, with that Bleeder who called herself ¡°Feral¡± ¡ª and her name, corny as it might be, sure didn¡¯t mean nothing. He warily glanced between Ralak and Olkath. So what the hell did these two do to earn theirs¡­?


    The Colonel¡¯s thoughts were soon interrupted, however, as Olkath broke into boisterous laughter. ¡°Oh ho ho!¡± he chuckled to himself, ¡°still as stiff as ever, huh, Ralak? Still haven¡¯t changed, there.¡±


    ¡°And you still like to piss others off¡­¡± Ralak responded with an exasperated sigh. ¡°You should change that.¡±


    ¡°Heh. I¡¯m workin¡¯ on it,¡± Olkath replied, and then gestured toward Saito. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just here to help,¡± Ralak said, offering Saito a brief glance before turning back to Olkath. ¡°As for why we¡¯re here¡ª¡°


    ¡°Hold on, let¡¯s hear it from the man himself,¡± Olkath interjected, his attention fixing on Saito. ¡°What¡¯s your name? Where ya from?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass,¡± Ralak countered. ¡°He¡¯s with me, and that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Aye, but you vouched for those two Bleeders who fucked up Tresnon, too, didn¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°After you referred them to me.¡±


    ¡°Did I? My, I must have forgotten,¡± Olkath remarked, though his tone oozed with feigned ignorance. ¡°¡­But I¡¯m just askin¡¯ for a name, here, Ralak. You gotta know how important tradin¡¯ names are, in this business.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡ª!¡± Ralak scowled and made to retort, but Saito held his hand out in front of her. She gave him a doubtful look, at which point the Colonel leaned in close to her.


    ¡°We¡¯re clearly going to have to give him something,¡± Saito whispered. ¡°He¡¯s an old friend of yours, right? Would it really hurt for him to know I¡¯m an outsider?¡±


    ¡°He knows you¡¯re an outsider, that¡¯s why he¡¯s pressin¡¯ the point,¡± Ralak countered, her voice similarly low. ¡°This is all a game to him. He¡­ ¡®dabbles¡¯ in intel, so anythin¡¯ we tell him¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Saito nodded in understanding. An information broker, huh? And he¡¯s the one who referred Feral and Shade to Ralak, as well. Sounds like we can¡¯t count on him being on our side.


    ¡°I hope you ain¡¯t tellin¡¯ him anythin¡¯ to smear my dashin¡¯ image!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothin¡¯ ¡®dashing¡¯ about you to start with,¡± Ralak declared, in response to Olkath¡¯s chide.


    ¡°I think the way I can down five beers and still slap out a dozen repair jobs in an afternoon is quite charmin¡¯, personally!¡± Olkath remarked with a grin.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play stupid,¡± Ralak replied with a scowl. ¡°We ain¡¯t here for your repair skills.¡±


    ¡°Oh trust me, I know.¡± Olkath then eyed Saito up and down before continuing, ¡°well, I¡¯ll just drop the point of your name, then, outsider. That little conversation told me everythin¡¯ I needed to know.¡±


    ¡°Which was?¡± Ralak prompted impatiently.


    ¡°That you still don¡¯t know your way ¡®round gettin¡¯ intel. You¡¯re lucky you came to me, first, Ralak. You tried goin¡¯ to any other intel trader ¡®round these parts, and they¡¯d have shot you for marchin¡¯ in on ¡®em with an outsider and refusin¡¯ to give up so much as a name.¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t here to play nice. We¡¯re here to stop the Bleeders. And if we¡¯re done with your useless games, then I¡¯d like to actually talk about that. What do you know?¡±


    ¡°What do I know? About the Bleeders? You¡¯re gonna have to be more specific.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for anything. Anything you know.¡±


    ¡°Anythin¡¯, eh? Well¡­ did ya know, that the Bleeders are a gang of lawless criminals that¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an ass. We don¡¯t need the basics.¡±


    ¡°Whoa now,¡± Olkath replied, drawing back in what was clearly feigned surprise. ¡°You¡¯ll have to pardon me, Ralak. Without knowin¡¯ what you know, I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±


    ¡­The man certainly likes playing the intel game, Saito mentally observed, and then glanced over at Ralak, who was scowling with impatience. ¡­And he¡¯s clearly better at it than her. It definitely didn¡¯t help that she brought me along ¡ª if I¡¯d known we were dealing with an information broker, then I would¡¯ve stayed at the car. As is, my presence has only given Olkath leverage over Ralak. Damn. I wish he could understand me, so I could actually contribute to this conversation¡­


    ¡°¡­Str¨¦n¡¯s back,¡± Ralak eventually said. ¡°But you knew that already, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Str¨¦n¡­ now there¡¯s a name I ain¡¯t heard in a looong while,¡± Olkath remarked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. There¡¯s no way you haven¡¯t heard about his attack on Compound Tresnon, back on Hunger¡¯s Bane. He has two other Chaotics with him, goin¡¯ by Feral and Shade ¡ª the same two you referred to me, in fact. And they kidnapped a student from Wrikax Chaos University, too. The student¡¯s name is Minilas. If you¡¯ve heard anythin¡¯ about any of this, then tell us.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t lyin¡¯ about when I last heard Str¨¦n¡¯s name. I¡¯m an old man, after all, and my memory¡¯s gettin¡¯ all hazy in my age. If I¡¯ve heard anythin¡¯ since, then chances are, I done did forget it. Unless you got a way of remindin¡¯ me¡­?¡±


    Ralak released an exasperated sigh before retreating through the open door into the repair shop. A few seconds later, she returned, once again carrying the crate that she had brought in from the car. She unceremoniously dropped it in front of Olkath, at which point she stepped back, her arms crossed. ¡°Take it, you ancient ass,¡± she said.


    I wondered if that crate was meant for something like this, Saito mused as he watched Olkath pry open the box and begin rummaging through the contents. Even then, though, I can¡¯t say I expected to run into an archetypal information broker out here in Tres¨¦d. Someone who won¡¯t freely give out information, even on a group like the Bleeders. Those types really do exist all over, eh?


    ¡°Oh ho ho¡­¡± Olkath smiled to himself as he looked down at the crate contents. From where Saito stood, the crate merely seemed to hold a bunch of different pieces of machinery, but whatever they were, they clearly pleased the old man. ¡°Remembered that I was lookin¡¯ for new generator parts, huh? Ralak, you never disappoint. Huh¡­ with this, I could maybe get my old aircraft goin¡¯, again.¡±


    ¡°Is this enough to ¡®remind¡¯ you of what you know?¡± Ralak challenged.


    ¡°Hmm, lemme think¡­ huh, yeah, actually, somethin¡¯s comin¡¯ back to me,¡± Olkath remarked. ¡°Speakin¡¯ of aircraft¡­ I hear the Bleeders got some of their own.¡±


    ¡°What? How?¡±


    ¡°That, I don¡¯t know. I ain¡¯t laid eyes on ¡®em, myself, so I couldn¡¯t tell you the make or model even if I wanted to. But the way I hear it, the Bleeders are keepin¡¯ ¡®em at a new base of theirs, about a day¡¯s drive north of here. Rumor is, they¡¯re preparin¡¯ for somethin¡¯ big.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be vague. How big?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ hard to say. But I think they¡¯re preparin¡¯ for another go at Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious, ain¡¯t it? 20 years after he ¡®died¡¯ at the hands of the Sentry¡¯s friends, Str¨¦n is back. That bastard ain¡¯t been subtle at all about how much he wants to kill the Sentry and ruin his legacy. You remember the kind of things Str¨¦n was always goin¡¯ on about, right? About how ¡®power is all that matters¡¯ and ¡®outsiders are gonna kill Tres¨¦d¡¯ and all that. But there¡¯s somethin¡¯ more, this time around¡­¡±


    For the first time since the beginning of their discussion, a genuinely troubled look crossed Olkath¡¯s face. Saito and Ralak exchanged a quick glance before the latter prompted, ¡°what is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about that student you said they kidnapped,¡± Olkath said. ¡°Well, not them specifically. But, word is, the Bleeders have been makin¡¯ off with entire Compounds, lately.¡±


    ¡°We already knew that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but did you know that the Bleeders are keepin¡¯ everyone they kidnapped at that base I mentioned earlier? The same one with the aircraft?¡±


    ¡°What? Are you sure?!¡±


    ¡°Well, these are just things that I¡¯ve heard, of course. I ain¡¯t checked it out, myself. But if it¡¯s true, then somethin¡¯ smells rotten. The Bleeders ain¡¯t never kidnapped massive groups like this, before. And definitely not with this level of organization. The last time I¡¯ve seen the Bleeders be this organized was¡­ well, 20 years ago, ho ho!¡±


    ¡°What do they plan to do with the victims? Do you know?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. But it¡¯s gotta have somethin¡¯ to do with where they got those aircraft, and those armors they¡¯ve been paradin¡¯ around, lately. More importantly, whatever they¡¯re plannin¡¯ to do, they¡¯re gonna do it soon. Str¨¦n, and those Feral and Shade folks ¡ª way I hear it, only reason they finally announced their presence was ¡®cause they¡¯re at the final phase of whatever the hell Str¨¦n¡¯s plan is.¡±


    ¡°Final phase?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I couldn¡¯t tell you what that is, but it probably involves Compound Tresnon. That Hunger¡¯s Bane attack ¡ª that wasn¡¯t a ¡®real¡¯ attack, so say my sources. That was just, uh, what do the military folks call it¡­¡± Olkath shot Saito a quick glance before returning his attention to Ralak. ¡°Recon in force, I believe¡­? Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡±


    Ralak¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re sayin¡¯ that a bigger attack is comin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Damn. How the hell did they organize so quickly? It ain¡¯t even been a month since Hunger¡¯s Bane¡­¡±


    ¡°That, I couldn¡¯t tell ya. I¡¯ll even give you a freebie: by the sounds of it, ain¡¯t no one knows where in the dirt Str¨¦n and Feral disappeared to durin¡¯ the past 20 years. Seems like they just showed back up in Tres¨¦d one day, a few months ago, and they just had that cloaked woman with ¡®em. That Shade woman. She¡¯s even more mysterious¡­ everyone I¡¯ve talked to seems damn sure she¡¯s an outsider, and yet, she seems like she¡¯s Str¨¦n¡¯s second in command, next to Feral. Ain¡¯t no one knows where she came from, or what her connection to Str¨¦n and Feral is.¡±


    Probably a plant, by whatever organization is backing the Bleeders and providing them tech, Saito thought to himself. What is that org getting in exchange, though? Are they really the reason the Bleeders are kidnapping people?


    ¡°So Shade¡¯s an outsider¡­¡± Ralak mused. ¡°Kinda thought that, myself¡­ she talked too good for a Tres¨¦dian.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still Nimalian, most likely,¡± Olkath remarked. ¡°She speaks the same language as us, after all. Unlike your silent friend over there.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Ralak glanced at Saito before turning back to Olkath. ¡°How¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho ho! Well, it was only a suspicion!¡± Olkath replied with a hearty laugh. ¡°Why else would you refuse to let ¡®im speak?¡±


    Saito released an exasperated sigh. ¡°Seems the cat¡¯s out of the bag¡­¡± he commented to Ralak.


    ¡°¡­Huh. That really does sound weird,¡± Olkath said as he stared at Saito. ¡°¡­I¡¯d heard that Tresnon had some Earthians with ¡®em. Can¡¯t say I ever expected to see you goin¡¯ ¡®round with some, Ralak, but¡­ here we are.¡± He then continued staring at Saito for a couple seconds. ¡°¡­Huh. You really do look just like us Nimalians, huh?¡±


    The Colonel offered only a resigned shrug.


    ¡°Tresnon really is desperate, lately, huh¡­?¡± Olkath mused, his attention finally shifting back to Ralak. ¡°Did that attack on Hunger¡¯s Bane finally bring y¡¯all down to the level of the rest of Tres¨¦d?¡±


    ¡°¡­It made us realize that the Bleeders were better organized than we expected,¡± Ralak admitted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Olkath responded dryly. ¡°¡­Still. You¡¯re gettin¡¯ careless, Ralak. Walkin¡¯ around with these outsiders¡­ and, more than that, lettin¡¯ someone tail ya on the way here.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Ralak and Saito exchanged a wary glance. Saito then reached up to his ear to activate his comms, so as to contact Hackett and Travis ¡ª though Travis beat him to the punch.


    ?Uh, sir?? came the Captain¡¯s voice over Saito¡¯s comms, ?there¡¯s something you might want to hear.?


    Saito looked uneasily toward Olkath before turning away. ¡°¡­Say it, Captain.¡±


    ?Well, as part of keeping watch, I thought I¡¯d go up on the wall. You know, see what¡¯s around,? Travis replied. ?The guys from Tresnon¡¯s Defense Force that are here let me up. So I did a quick scan of the horizon with my binoculars, and I found something. There¡¯s a car, way to the south, just¡­ idling.?


    ¡°There¡¯s a car? How far south?¡±


    ?Far enough that you wouldn¡¯t be able to notice it without binoculars, sir. Especially not my good ol¡¯ SERRCom pair, heh. On top of that, though¡­ I think I recognize the two in the car.?


    ¡°You recognize them?¡± Saito echoed, looking at Ralak as he did. ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ?They look like two WCU students I¡¯ve seen hanging around the Keys. Mostly around Pierce and Conrad.?


    ¡°¡­He says the two in the car are students,¡± Saito relayed to Ralak. ¡°Ones that have been hanging around the Earthian students?¡±


    ¡°Who¡­? Oh, damn it¡­¡± Ralak held a frustrated hand to her forehead. ¡°It¡¯s Liask and Obra, isn¡¯t it? Here to try and save their friend, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the Sentry¡¯s students are just as foolhardy as he once was,¡± Olkath quipped.


    ¡°Is there anything else to report, Captain?¡± Saito asked over the comms.


    ?No¡­ that¡¯s pretty much it, sir,? Travis replied. ?They¡¯re just camped out way south of here, and don¡¯t seem to be moving at the moment. I¡¯d bet money they tailed us here.?


    ¡°I figured as much. Keep an eye on them, and let me know if they move.¡±


    ?Understood. Travis, out.?


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known they¡¯d be this reckless, after their stunt in Rokres¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°Rokres?¡± Olkath leaned forward in interest. ¡°I¡¯d heard that somethin¡¯ went down in Rokres, recently. What do you know?¡±


    ¡°I know that it ain¡¯t relevant right now,¡± Ralak replied. ¡°¡­Still. Liask and Obra¡­ they¡¯re damn fools for followin¡¯ us, that¡¯s for sure. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯d have done any different, in their place, but they¡¯re still bein¡¯ stupid. We need to go confront them before they do somethin¡¯ they really regret.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d only loose time,¡± Saito countered. ¡°If they really are trailing us, then they¡¯d be able to see us the moment we started heading back for them, and they could turn around themselves. We¡¯d never catch them before we reached Tresnon. It would lose us at least two days.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, I think we should leave to scout out that Bleeder base tomorrow morning. We only just learned about it from your friend, here ¡ª there¡¯s no way those students would know where it is. If we find it first, scout it out first, then we can double back and grab the students on our way back to report to Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Ralak frowned, but a second later, she nodded. ¡°¡­Alright. You have a point. And if the Bleeders really are preppin¡¯ for an attack on Tresnon, then we need to scout out this base as soon as we can. All that said¡­¡± She turned back to Olkath. ¡°How the hell did you know we were bein¡¯ tailed?¡±


    Olkath shrugged. ¡°Call it a lucky guess.¡±


    ¡°Olkath¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh ho ho! You know I can¡¯t just tell ya all my secrets. Let¡¯s just say that I got eyes everywhere, and leave it at that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Major, Captain, watch out for surveillance cameras¡­¡± Saito quickly, yet quietly ordered over the comms.


    Ralak, meanwhile, simply responded with a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a real pain in the ass, Olkath.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know what they say: old habits die hard,¡± Olkath remarked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Ralak drawled, and then nodded toward Saito. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll do as you said: early tomorrow mornin¡¯, we¡¯re leavin¡¯ to scout out this Bleeder base. Make sure your team¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Oh we¡¯ll be ready, I can assure you,¡± Saito responded as he and Ralak finally left Olkath and the repair shop. ¡°After all, this is what we¡¯re here to help with¡­¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 40: Elites Wondering

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 40: Elites'' Wondering


    ¡ª Wednesday, January 25, AD 2130 ¡ª


    ¡°So much fucking work to do¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    With a disgruntled sigh, Kate continued rapidly typing on the keyboard in front of her, atop her office desk aboard the Opportunity space station. She easily filled the room with the loud clacks of her typing, interspersed with grunts of pondering and frustrated growls. No one else currently occupied the office, but even if they had, Kate wasn¡¯t known to be mindful of her surroundings once she got into her work.


    And¡­ there. That¡¯s an updated shield array configuration, done, she thought to herself, quickly saving her work before closing out the program and immediately launching another. And now I just need to fucking fit it into the schematics. What a piece of fucking work, telling me to update the shield configuration of a ship that we¡¯ve ALREADY almost fucking completed. What kind of stupid-ass changes are they making to these ships mid-construction, huh? This ¡®black box¡¯ in the schematic is so OBVIOUSLY a spinal weapon, it isn¡¯t even funny. Why even censor the fucking thing? And why not tell ME about it, huh?! The one who actually designed half the fucking systems?!


    Kate released a frustrated grunt, but nonetheless got to work on updating the construction schematics she had just opened up. As much as she complained, the fact remained that many of SERRCom¡¯s most advanced spacecraft systems designed within the past five years were drawn up solely by her ¡ª something that she took quite a bit of pride in. Updated shielding systems, power generation, more efficient weaponry, even the current Partial Cloaking System that was so closely able to match Genesis¡¯s Absolute Cloaking System. Kate¡¯s designs had also aided in streamlining the spacecraft construction process, allowing SERRCom to build more ships, and faster.


    And still, those fuckers decide to change up my designs at the last minute, Kate sulked. And then they don¡¯t even tell me what the changes are! All while telling me to engineer new solutions given a fucking black box of information, like, fucking what? Seriously? If you¡¯re going to try to hide info from me, then at least be competent about it. It¡¯s obvious they made changes to the Obliteration Cannons ¡ª they even removed the railgun mode from the second ship, while doubling down on the railgun mode for the first one. Why the fuck would they give the two ships different systems? What a logistics nightmare that¡¯s going to be. And they¡¯re trying to hide those changes from me, too. Bah. Like I couldn¡¯t put two and two together from the second ship suddenly mysteriously having extra fighter bays and power reactors. Like, fucking duh, of course you repurposed the ammo stores! How fucking stupid do you think I am?


    She briefly stopped typing to glance to her side, at a third screen on her desk. On that screen appeared some of the reports that she and Sarah had written on Raenaros, the Aldredian Armor, and the mechs recovered from the Aldredian Dreadnought. And now the brass want to see if the fucking Chaotic Channeling Systems from this Aldredas tech can be retrofitted to the new ships. Way to show that you don¡¯t fucking know what you¡¯re talking about. There¡¯s no way in hell this CCS shit would be effective on scales larger than a Frigate! Hell, I think the tech is meant for mechs, not ships; the Raenaros¡¯s CCS doesn¡¯t seem as effective as the ones on those Aldredian mechs. And now they want to put this shit on a Dreadnought? Seriously? There¡¯s no fucking way it¡¯ll be effective on that scale without an Ayas or two! What, are they going to try and get me to design a fucking Ayas interface for these ships, too? ¡­Damn, I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if they did¡­


    ¡°Oh¡­ there you are.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Kate looked up from her work, taking note of Sarah ¡ª who had just arrived in the office and now approached the former¡¯s desk. ¡°¡­What do you want?¡± Kate questioned impatiently as she returned her attention to the screens in front of her.


    ¡°You do know how to clean up after yourself¡­ yes?¡± Sarah questioned, coffee cup in hand as she crossed her arms and stared expectantly down at Kate.


    ¡°If this is about the mechs, I don¡¯t need to clean shit,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°Cleaning up after research is what the aides and lab techs are there for.¡±


    ¡°Only to an extent. You need to at least put your own things away, or not leave the hardware access panel wide open.¡±


    ¡°Meh. You were there, I knew you¡¯d take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Sarah deadpanned.


    ¡°Besides, I figured you¡¯d want to take a closer look once I was done,¡± Kate replied. ¡°So I left the access panel open for your sake. I was being fucking nice!¡±


    ¡°My, how remarkably convenient for me it is, that you left one of SERRCom¡¯s most valuable research pieces vulnerable for anyone to exploit, just so that I wouldn¡¯t have to spend one minute re-establishing access.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, we¡¯re practically swimming in goddamn Aldredas tech. The armor, Raenaros, those two mechs, all the data we pulled off that shitty Dreadnought. Who fucking cares if we lose one or two?¡±


    Sarah responded by silently staring at Kate, who herself stopped typing to stare blankly forward, as if processing what she had just said.


    ¡°¡­Well that was a fucking stupid thing to say,¡± Kate remarked.


    ¡°You said it, not me,¡± Sarah replied before taking a sip from her mug.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Kate then pushed away from her desk, clasping her hands behind her head as she propped up her feet on her desk, showcasing the red and golden greaves she so frequently wore. ¡°So. Those mechs¡­ what do you make of ¡®em?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sarah moved over to lean on the desk beside Kate. ¡°¡­Well, they are Aldredian, so they¡¯re inherently interesting from that perspective. And given how advanced they are, it certainly implies that the Aldredas liked to use mechs in ground combat a lot.¡±


    ¡°I sense a ¡®but¡¯ incoming.¡±


    ¡°Only sort of. The biggest flaw of mechs today is that they still aren¡¯t as effective as a single, well-trained Chaotic. It only takes one Electrotechnic to take down an entire squad of mechs. Or a Metallitechnic. Or a Gravitatechnic, or a Spacetechnic¡­ you get the idea. Of course, the same ¡®flaw¡¯ applies to any combat vehicle, but I¡¯ve still always felt that the design of ground-based combat vehicles simply never take Chaotics into account at all. Designers assume that, since Chaotics can defeat any such vehicle, that there¡¯s no use in attempting to design around them. You can¡¯t exactly stop a Chaotic from directly interfering in the construction of your machines at a molecular level, after all.¡±


    ¡°Unless you put a Chaotic in the mech. Then you have a fucking unstoppable killing machine!¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, perhaps. But there¡¯s still limits to that. Even with the most advanced neural dive systems this galaxy has to offer, your awareness while piloting a mech is still limited. And from the reports I¡¯ve read, it can actually be more disorienting for Chaotics to use neural dive mechs. Your Chaotic abilities originate from your own body, after all, yes? And yet, the neural dive shifts your perception of what your ¡®body¡¯ is to include the mech.¡±


    ¡°Well, true¡­ but so what? Just throw on some fucking training, and it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°And that training takes time, and resources. Those Aldredian mechs, however¡­¡± Sarah paused to take another sip of coffee before continuing, ¡°the CCS they have¡­ the more I look at them, the more I think the CCS exists primarily to deal with the issue of the bodily disconnect.¡±


    ¡°The fuck are you on about? The CCS is a weapons system, it¡¯s just there to let Chaotics make bigger booms while piloting the damn things. It does seem more effective on the mechs than on the Raenaros, but the point is still the fucking boom, not the ¡®bodily disconnect¡¯ or some shit.¡±


    ¡°My point is that that is a side-effect, not the main goal. By making it more intuitive for a Chaotic to use their abilities while piloting a neural dive mech, you remove the disconnect that prevents the Chaotic from viewing the mech as their own body. And if the Chaotic is able to accept that view, then the CCS seems to grant the mech the same benefits as the Chaotic¡¯s own body ¡ª namely, resistance to Direct Manipulation. Not to mention the range and power boost from controlling a ¡®body¡¯ many times larger than your normal body¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay? If you¡¯re just saying that the CCS is fucking cool, then yeah, I agree, but what else is new? We still aren¡¯t going to be able to copy the damn thing for ages, given how fucking complicated it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I suppose I¡¯m just trying to organise my thoughts¡­¡± Sarah mused. ¡°¡­The CCS is certainly complex, that much is undeniable ¡ª in part due to how it marries the conventional electrical control systems with using Chaos Energy directly in the design of the machinery. The Aldredas seem to have been masters of that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, we can do the same thing, too. Ever heard of Chaos Shields?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand my point. The vast majority of Chaos Energy-based technology that the modern galaxy has created merely uses Chaos Energy as an energy source. Nothing actually runs on Chaos Energy; it just uses Chaos Energy to generate the electricity that it actually runs on. Similar to how nuclear reactors don¡¯t derive electricity directly from the nuclear reactions; instead, the generated heat is used to drive a turbine, and that turbine is what generates the electricity. In short, it¡¯s all indirect. The CCS in the Aldredian tech, however¡­ I think it¡¯s the key to directly interfacing our machinery with Chaos Energy.¡±


    ¡°And then what, huh? You can¡¯t give a machine Chaotic powers. Unless you want to plug a fucking Ayas into it and see if you can make it activate the Chaos State.¡±


    ¡°The Chaos State requires spoken keywords to activate it, and recordings don¡¯t work. So I rather doubt we could tease out such a use for machinery. Current technology already allows for plugging in an Ayas, as well ¡ª the Siions and Citans have such systems on their Deathnoughts. If we could fully reverse-engineer the CCS, however, then we could likely create much more efficient, much more powerful versions of that technology. And who knows¡­¡± Sarah offered Kate a wink. ¡°Maybe we could figure out a way to give Chaotic abilities to machines.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re expecting too damn much,¡± Kate countered. ¡°If you look at the CCS on both of the mechs, as well as the one on Raenaros, then you can see that they¡¯re really damn similar ¡ª the parts we can understand, at least. Which suggests that the things were a widely-used, standardized design in the Aldredas military. But there¡¯s two problems with that: one, if it were possible to give machines Chaotic abilities, then why not only make the machines do the fucking fighting, huh? Don¡¯t make shit for the shitty fleshbags to drive if an AI could do it all for you! And two¡­ even if the Aldredas had that figured out, the fact still is that they got shitstomped by¡­ well, something. They aren¡¯t fucking around any more. So even the tech that they had isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°My, you make it sound as though you want to not just reverse-engineer Aldredas tech, but also surpass it.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, fucking duh. That should be everyone¡¯s goal. Isn¡¯t it yours?¡±


    ¡°In the long run, of course. I just think that we¡¯re quite a ways away from managing that. The rest of the galaxy has had over a thousand years to study Aldredas tech, after all, and even they can¡¯t yet completely match it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just ¡®cause they aren¡¯t trying hard enough, the bunch of lazy-asses.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell all of the preeminent Nimalian, Siion, Citan, Dra¡¯kis, and Syraus scientists over the past millenia that they simply should have¡­ ¡®tried harder¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight, now you¡¯re talking.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Sarah responded dryly. ¡°Well, with that attitude, I certainly hope you won¡¯t mind if I give you more work.¡±


    ¡°As long as it has to do with Aldredian tech, fucking bring it!¡± Kate exclaimed.


    ¡°Right. Well, speaking of Aldredian tech¡­ aren¡¯t you due to meet with Mote to study the armor some more?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kate snapped her gaze down to the tiny clock readout on her monitors, at which point she jumped out of her chair and grabbed a nearby laptop. ¡°Shit! Argh, that bastard is hard enough to work with already, now he¡¯s going to complain my fucking ear off about being late¡­¡± She then froze, now halfway out of the office, to turn and shoot Sarah a glare. ¡°You waited to remind me until I¡¯d be late on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I was merely enjoying our little chat,¡± Sarah replied innocently. ¡°Besides¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure you were already late before I entered the office.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Kate retorted, turning around to storm out of the office, on her way to continue studying the Aldredian armor.


    <hr>


    Later That Day


    ¡°Finally done¡­¡±


    Mote sighed to himself as he walked the halls of Opportunity leading away from the research wing. A vast virtual window displaying the spectacular greens and blues of Earth¡¯s surface below stretched across the entire hallway, but Mote paid it no mind as he occupied himself with his thoughts. Just now, he had wrapped up helping Kate with studying the Aldredian armor once more; supposedly, she had been able to fully fix the armor after the mishandling it had suffered at the Sadrenos Ark, enabling its normal operation once more.


    That damned AI¡­ Mote thought to himself bitterly, just what was it trying to accomplish? Drawing a Chaotic like me into isolation, and then trying to hack all of our technology¡­ how useless. The fact that it didn¡¯t even consider how bad an idea it was to go against an Electrotechnic like myself shows just how incompetent it was. Was it really an Aldredas creation? Between that AI, and the ¡®Raen Technology¡¯ gene-locking on the armor and Raenaros¡­ what the hell were Aldredian engineers thinking? None of their technology is reasonable in any capacity. It all has useless restraints and design aspects¡­


    I was wrong! I accept my mistake ¡ª I should never have questioned a descendant of Raen!


    Your will is clearly as strong as any Aldredas ¡ª so please! Cease this, at once!


    You still persist¡­?! I will tell you all I know! All the information stored within this Ark¡¯s databases, I will open to you! But if you destroy me, it will all go to waste!


    ¡°Tch¡­!¡± Mote scowled as Maenikad¡¯s final pleadings ran through his head. To him, they were no more than pre-programmed responses in the AI¡¯s software, a calculated attempt to sway emotional humans¡­ surely. Maenikad¡¯s final claims even seemed to contradict its earlier haughtiness, so clearly, none of it should be taken at face value¡­ surely. That the AI¡¯s final words were filled with the same desperation and panic as a human staring death in the face was simply an attempt at manipulation¡­ surely.


    You said that Maenikad pleaded for her life, and yet you still killed her.


    ¡°¡¯Her¡¯¡­ he keeps saying ¡®her¡¯¡­ it¡¯s just a machine,¡± Mote insisted, addressing no one in particular. As soon as he realized he had muttered the thought aloud, he quickly looked around himself to see if anyone had heard him. The hallways certainly weren¡¯t empty, but of the various officers, soldiers, and researchers that Mote spotted passing him by, none of them seemed to be giving him any odd looks. Once he determined that, Mote took a deep breath to calm himself, and stopped moving through the hallway to turn and look out the virtual window.


    ¡­Colonel¡­ he mused, ¡­he clearly thought of that AI as a person. But why? It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Machines can¡¯t be persons¡­ they simply can¡¯t. You can¡¯t synthesize consciousness¡­ so I didn¡¯t kill a person, I destroyed a machine. His brow furrowed. And even if I had killed a person, so what? I¡¯ve killed people before. Drakkars, rogue Chaotics, those ¡®former¡¯ Black Suns on Sunova. So nothing would be different, now. Even if Maenikad was a person, I would¡¯ve done the same¡­ ¡­but if that were really so, then why would I need to tell myself as much? A frustrated sigh escaped his lips. Why the hell am I getting caught up in this? What the hell is different, now? And why can¡¯t anything make some damn sense anymore?


    The events of the past several months flashed through Mote¡¯s mind, stepping backwards through time. The Sadrenos Ark, dealing with the Bleeders on Nimalia, reclaiming Sunova, fighting EA¡¯s robot amidst two clashing Drakkar factions, encountering the metallic infection on an abandoned space station, discovering a full shipyard of intact Aldredas ships and fighting Telregina, finding Raenaros in an old abandoned building in Dead Space, fighting EA¡¯s robots over the San Francisco Bay, uncovering the Aldredian armor at a Black Suns dig site, learning about the existence of EA and other Earthian Chaotics, and, at the start of it all ¡ª a week-long Chaos Energy Quake, preceded by a mysterious vision popping into his head. If not for that vision ¡ª or if Mote hadn¡¯t told anyone he had a vision ¡ª then most of those events would never have happened. SERRCom, CSF-1, and the Eximius Vir would have continued life as normal, going on missions, claiming new territory, and building fleets¡­ if not for the mysterious bronze-skinned redhead that had appeared in Mote¡¯s head one day.


    The same woman that appeared in that video I saw on the Raenaros, too¡­ Mote thought to himself. Despite realizing this connection, and now possessing a cipher that allowed his RTA implants to translate the Aldredian language, Mote had yet to go back and re-watch the video. He simply couldn¡¯t; doing so would be tantamount to recognizing that his ¡°visions¡± had merit, that there was actual substance to his meaningless dreams. And if he were to accept that, then there would be no sane members of SERRCom left, no one left who could recognize the inanity of chasing visions and prophecies. No one else who could realize that chasing echoes of the past or vague, baseless premonitions of the future would prevent SERRCom from making strides in the present.


    ¡°Hmm. You certainly seem to be deep in thought.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Shaken out of his thoughts, Mote looked up from the virtual window towards the female voice that had addressed him ¡ª the cool voice of Director Hamasaki, who regarded him with her trademark polite smile. Upon recognizing her, he immediately stiffened up and offered a salute. ¡°Uh, sorry, ma¡¯am. I won¡¯t be distracted again.¡±


    ¡°Distracted¡­?¡± the Director echoed curiously, staring Mote in the eyes the entire time. ¡°¡­Hmm. This is quite new. You¡¯ve always been the steadfast one, Lieutenant Emerson. I didn¡¯t realize you were one to get lost in thought.¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s nothing to apologize about. I just find it curious.¡±


    Mote looked back at the Director with confusion. ¡°¡­Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°What could possibly be plaguing the mind of Mote Emerson, hmm?¡± Hamasaki mused, never once taking her eyes off of Mote.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing important, ma¡¯am. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ll stop bothering you. I¡¯m sure you have more important things to tend to¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your own importance, Lieutenant. The Eximius Vir are incredibly valuable to SERRCom, for many reasons.¡±


    ¡°Is that why we¡¯ve been split up?¡± Mote questioned bitterly, only to stiffen up and look back at the Director with a furrowed brow. ¡°Uh, sorry, ma¡¯am. I didn¡¯t mean to speak out of line.¡±


    ¡°I had no hand in the current distribution of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir,¡± Hamasaki declared. ¡°The initial split ¡ª that is, when Captain Travis and Lieutenant Cox accompanied the recruits to Nimalia ¡ª was the decision of Colonel Saito. I¡¯m given to understand that the recent split was your own choice, however.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. You¡¯re right, ma¡¯am. I shouldn¡¯t complain.¡±


    ¡°I must admit, I¡¯m curious. You¡¯ve made it no secret that you dislike how Saito split up your team, initially. So why did you not take this chance to follow him to Nimalia?¡± Before Mote had a chance to respond, the Director continued, ¡°hmm, allow me to guess. You feel that accompanying your teammates to Nimalia would be legitimizing the ¡®prophecies¡¯ and ¡®visions¡¯ that you despise so much? That SERRCom shouldn¡¯t be concerning itself with the problems of others before we resolve our own?¡±


    Mote stared back at Hamasaki in abject surprise. ¡°How¡­ how did you know?¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant, anyone as stiff as you can be read like an open book,¡± Hamasaki replied slyly. ¡°Not to mention what I¡¯ve heard from Shepherd about your mission to Sunova. He spoke very highly of you after the fact ¡ª and you specifically, over the rest of the Eximius Vir and CSF-1. I know him well enough to know what that means.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t follow, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°It means you indulged him in his rhetoric. It means you agreed with him, with the idea that SERRCom needs to be completely self-sufficient, capable of doing anything without relying on outside help. That we should stand up for ourselves, no matter the cost, no matter who we may anger by doing so. And that, perhaps, we should even reject all outside help.¡± She eyed Mote evenly. ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t anyone in SERRCom believe the same?¡± Mote questioned.


    The Director chuckled to herself. ¡°In an ideal world, perhaps. But no world is ideal. Everyone must compromise, eventually, if they wish to survive in this world of ours.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that SERRCom shouldn¡¯t be striving for self-sufficiency? That us throwing our own Chaotics into the hands of others is advisable?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put words into my mouth, Lieutenant,¡± Hamasaki responded sharply, her tone contrasting harshly with the smile she maintained. ¡°SERRCom should absolutely be aiming for self-sufficiency. We have been doing so ever since the foundation of this organization. In line with that ¡ª the foundations of Shepherd¡¯s opinions have merit. If SERRCom wishes to survive long-term, then we must be able to stand up to any potential threats this galaxy could throw at us, be they Drakkars, Riaxen, the metallic infection, or perhaps even souring relations with the Nimalians or the CSA.¡±


    ¡°Then surely¡ª?¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t reach that point immediately. All things take time. It is impossible for us to shortcut this process without undercutting our own growth, and yet, Shepherd would have us do exactly that, by prematurely cutting ties with allies. Make no mistake, Lieutenant; I don¡¯t agree with every decision that General Lead has made. I certainly do think that he¡¯s been too generous to our allies, and I¡¯m not afraid to say as much to his face. But in your frustration with Lead¡¯s actions, don¡¯t fool yourself into thinking that the exact opposite is the solution.¡±


    Mote looked at the Director uneasily before shifting his gaze back to the virtual window ¡ª to the hologram of Earth, as viewed from orbit. There, his attention lingered for a couple seconds before he eventually replied, ¡°¡­of course, ma¡¯am. What you say makes sense. However¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to bring up that ¡®prophecy¡¯ mentioned by Archon¨¦ Pallan Culana, then don¡¯t,¡± Hamasaki retorted. ¡°No one in SERRCom believes for a second that the Archon¨¦¡¯s ¡®prophecy¡¯ holds true. What we do believe is that the Archon¨¦ is paying to train our own Chaotics at an institution designed explicitly for this purpose, such that the recruits will become useful members of SERRCom far more quickly, completely, and cheaply than if we were to train them ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Are we not concerned about this trade? It looks like SERRCom is the only one gaining, but if that was true, then why would the Archon¨¦ propose such a deal? The Nimalians must be getting something out of this¡­¡±


    ¡°What the Archon¨¦ is getting out of this is his ¡®solution¡¯ to that doomsday cult of his. I¡¯ve looked extensively into Pallan Culana¡¯s background, and I can assure you, he believes in his prophecy whole-heartedly. To him, our deal is the only way to save a doomed galaxy. I believe he¡¯s a fool, and he knows that we think he¡¯s a fool. But still, he insists. That makes him useful ¡ª but nothing more. Don¡¯t make the mistake of assuming that going along with his deal means that we believe him, Lieutenant. SERRCom isn¡¯t that foolish.¡±


    Mote¡¯s brow furrowed in consternation; he wanted to argue, he wanted to believe that there was a better solution to training the recruits than sending them to Nimalia. But all of the Director¡¯s points were sound ¡ª the reality of the situation seemed to be that both SERRCom and Archon¨¦ Culana thought they were benefiting from the deal. Even so, something about the arrangement felt off to Mote. All of SERRCom¡¯s decisions in regards to Archon¨¦ Culana¡¯s ¡°prophecy¡± and Mote¡¯s own ¡°vision¡± were founded entirely upon the organization¡¯s self-interest, rather than any actual belief in the truth of such visions, and yet¡­ was there any real difference in behaving as though something is real even though you don¡¯t believe it, and simply believing in it outright?


    An exasperated sigh from Hamasaki drew Mote out of his thoughts. ¡°Stubborn men like you can never change their opinions through an exchange of words,¡± she remarked. ¡°So I¡¯ll be taking my leave. But I¡¯d encourage you to remember this conversation, Lieutenant. If ever one day you have doubts, just know: regardless of the outcome of their decisions, no one in High Command has done anything other than what they believe to be good for SERRCom. If you ever make a decision assuming the opposite, then that will be a decision founded on folly, indeed.¡±


    With that, the Director turned around and walked off, her gait steady and confident as she left Mote at the side of the hallway, his brow furrowed in confusion while he tried his best to make sense of all the thoughts swirling through his head.

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 41: Coordinated Training

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 41: Coordinated Training


    The Next Day


    ¡ª Firdia, Colyath 26, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Alright, guys! Welcome to day one of training!¡±


    ¡°Did we really need to be up so early¡­?¡± Conrad groggily questioned.


    ¡°Getting used to rising early is part of training!¡± Christean¨¦ declared, his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out proudly. He looked over the four standing in front of him: Conrad and Austin to one side, both of them squinting in tiredness through the post-sunrise light, and Pierce and Spike to the other side, both fully prepared for a day of training. The fact that Christean¨¦ stood two inches shorter than even Conrad, the shortest of the Earthian men at 5¡¯11¡±, was lost amongst the Dean¡¯s confident demeanor ¡ª as well as Conrad and Austin¡¯s groggy morning slouching.


    The five currently stood within the foothills south of the Nayasis settlement, having just arrived for the beginning of their training. Both Dav¨ªdrius and Mark were conspicuously absent, having parted ways from the group before they reached their destination ¡ª thus leaving Christean¨¦ to lead the way.


    ¡°Anyways!¡± Christean¨¦ clapped his hands to draw the attention of the Earthians. ¡°Before we get to warming up, I¡¯d like to start with a little lesson. As I¡¯m sure Dav¨ªdrius has explained, the four of you are here today because¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re training?¡± Austin suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°I¡¯m asking why the four of you are here, together, and not some other combination of you and your girlfriends.¡±


    ¡°What? I¡ª I¡¯m not¡ª!¡°


    ¡°Of you and your friends that are girls,¡± Christean¨¦ amended with a roll of his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s not the important part.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here ¡®cause we¡¯re ¡®single-target¡¯ Chaotics, or somethin¡¯, right?¡± Spike said.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± The Dean pointed and smiled at Spike before placing his hands back on his hips. ¡°Two of you are Introtechnics. One of you is an Imperator Psychotechnic. And one of you is a Visitechnic. That means, for three of you, you have to touch your opponent ¡ª or throw things at them ¡ª in order to do anything to them. More importantly, it means that each of you can only target one, maybe two opponents at a time.¡±


    ¡°Or no targets,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°You still have that weapon of yours, right?¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°Being able to turn yourself invisible is massive when you have an Ayas Weapon. Those things can cut through literally anything, except for energy shields, so you¡¯re well-equipped for landing finishing blows!¡±


    ¡°Figures that Conrad would get the kill-steal powers,¡± Pierce snarked. ¡°Besides, dude, you can do more than just turn yourself invisible, right? You can turn things invisible from range, and you can mute sounds, too.¡±


    Christean¨¦ passed Conrad a glance. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± Conrad admitted.


    ¡°Huh. Dav¨ªdrius didn¡¯t tell me that part. If you¡¯re an Audiotechnic, though, then you¡¯re not really a ¡®single-target¡¯ Chaotic.¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°If you can manipulate sounds, then you should be able to make loud sounds. Really loud ones. And loud sounds are the kind of thing that affect an area ¡ª that can even destroy an area, if they¡¯re loud enough. Or I guess, more technically, if they have enough decibels.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Conrad can do even more with his powers than he had realized himself?¡± Pierce smirked at his friend. ¡°Wow, what a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°Having said that, making sounds loud enough to destroy things is both difficult and dangerous to train for¡­¡± Christean¨¦ mused. ¡°We¡¯ll stick with the planned single-target training, for now. It doesn¡¯t sound like you have much practice with making loud sounds, anyways, so there¡¯s little point in focusing on it right now.¡±


    ¡°At least there¡¯s lots of space to practice ¡®round here, right?¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°True!¡± Christean¨¦ responded with a grin. ¡°But, we¡¯re getting off track. What was I talking about¡­? Right, the whole single-target thing. So!¡± He swept his gaze across the four Earthian Chaotics. ¡°Before I hear any more objections, I¡¯m aware that some of you can technically attack from range. I¡¯ve heard about you fabricating shields and throwing them around, Spike, and Austin, I know you¡¯ve been trying out your Imperator powers on that sword of yours. Not to mention how both of you, along with Pierce, could just grab stuff from your surroundings and chuck them at your enemies. But what I¡¯m about to ask still applies to you in those situations. Namely: imagine that you find yourself in a fight with several other combatants. You can only target one of them at a time. What do you think is the best way to handle that fight?¡±


    ¡°Take out the weakest link, of course,¡± Pierce declared.


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Christean¨¦ replied, ¡°but think bigger. When you say ¡®take out the weakest link¡¯, what are you really doing?¡±


    ¡°Focusing on takin¡¯ down one opponent before movin¡¯ on to another,¡± Spike answered.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Christean¨¦ pointed at Spike again. ¡°Generally, when you can only attack one target at a time, the best thing to do is to pick one target and go after them until they¡¯re down before you try going after someone else. After all, if you spread your focus across the entire enemy group, then they¡¯ll all be able to fight back for the whole fight. But by taking them down one-by-one, you gradually reduce their numbers over time, and make things easier for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Assuming they aren¡¯t doing the same to you and your friends¡­¡± Conrad muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely something to watch out for, and we¡¯ll get to that,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°But these are just warm-up questions, and it¡¯s time for question two: imagine that, as a single-target Chaotic, you¡¯re fighting a group of enemies alongside an ally who can do area attacks. What do you think is the best way for the two of you to handle that fight?¡±


    ¡°Dividing the enemy into two groups¡­?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°And what good would that accomplish?¡± Pierce replied with a scoff. ¡°If your buddy can cover an entire area, then why tell him to only cover half of the group when he could hit the entire group?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your suggestion, then?¡± Christean¨¦ prodded.


    ¡°I¡¯d go after whichever opponent looks the biggest and most dangerous, of course,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°My AOE pal can take care of keeping the trash off my back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly one way of doing it ¡ª and a popular one, too,¡± the Dean responded. ¡°Siion tactics in particular prefer that style. There¡¯s one other tactical style that¡¯s popular in this situation, though. Can anyone think of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, if the guy with the area attack can hit the whole group¡­ then why not just let him handle the whole group?¡± Conrad suggested. ¡°Then you can just hang back, and, uh¡­ take care of anyone left.¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s one way to put it!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked with a grin. ¡°But, on the whole, you¡¯re right. The guy who can hit an area takes charge, while the single-target guy guards him, and takes care of any stragglers. The Dra¡¯kis and Syraus prefer that style.¡±


    ¡°What about the Nimalians?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°We Nimalians, along with the Citans, are a bit more flexible with how we approach things. Both of those tactical styles work great, but there are some situations where one will do better than the other. For example, if you¡¯re fighting an army of guys, and only one or two of them are Chaotics, then it can be more effective to have your single-target Chaotic charge in and fight the enemy Chaotics while your area-target Chaotic deals with the army. Alternatively, there are some situations where getting in close to an enemy is¡­ inadvisable.¡±


    ¡°Like against the Nanocreatures?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah, you could say that. In that situation, it¡¯s better to let the area-target guy take the lead, while the single-target guy watches his back. Ultimately, it all comes down to who you¡¯re up against, and where you¡¯re fighting them, which brings me to the next thing I wanted to point out today: the value of always being aware of your surroundings.¡± Christean¨¦ paused for a second to look at each of the Earthians before continuing, ¡°as single-target Chaotics, we¡¯ve gone over how it¡¯s usually more important for you to focus on one opponent at a time. If you aren¡¯t careful, however, then you can get tunnel vision, and forget about any other enemies. One thing you have to remember is that, while you might be focusing on one opponent, they can¡¯t be the only opponent you focus on. You always need to be aware of the entire battlefield, at all times, as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a pain¡­¡± Conrad grumbled.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say that it¡¯s easy, but it¡¯s necessary if you want to come out of fights alive,¡± Christean¨¦ insisted.


    ¡°Question,¡± Spike spoke up, and then continued once the Dean looked at him. ¡°It sounds like a lot of what we¡¯re learnin¡¯ about here is how to work together with Chaotics who can hit an entire area at once. But, you split us up from the girls, so we can¡¯t really train for that, here. Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Because y¡¯all still need basic trainin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally here,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked as Dav¨ªdrius approached from the side.


    ¡°Where the hell did you go?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°Just had to take care of some shit with the locals,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°But back to Spike¡¯s question ¡ª the answer is that y¡¯all still need to train some of the basics that Christean¨¦ is teachin¡¯ y¡¯all. Once you¡¯ve got that down, especially the battlefield awareness part, then we can start actively workin¡¯ on your teamwork with the others.¡±


    ¡°Then when are we going to start training, huh?¡± Pierce pressed. ¡°We¡¯ve just been talking this whole time! Let¡¯s actually do something!¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really do take after Dav¨ªdrius, huh?¡± Christean¨¦ observed with a smirk.


    ¡°Oi, oi, don¡¯t encourage him,¡± Dav¨ªdrius responded.


    ¡°Well, still, you aren¡¯t wrong,¡± Christean¨¦ continued. ¡°Alright! Pierce, Spike, the two of you are the actual athletic ones here, right? Why don¡¯t you lead the warm-ups with your pals. Dav¨ªdrius and I will be over here.¡±


    ¡°And if I catch you eavesdroppin¡¯, then I¡¯m gonna kick your ass,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared while staring down Conrad.


    ¡°Alright, alright, sheesh¡­¡± Conrad muttered in response, watching the two Deans retreat to a short distance away from the group.


    Austin eyed them uneasily; once they were out of earshot, he turned to the others and lowered his voice. ¡°Something¡¯s totally suspicious here, right? Where the hell did Dav¨ªdrius go?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one of us here who can figure that out,¡± Pierce stated while side-eying Conrad.


    ¡°¡­Hey, no thanks,¡± Conrad responded flatly. ¡°If I tell you what they¡¯re talking about right now, and that gets back to them, then where does that put me, huh?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t get back to them, duh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d sooner believe that pigs could fly than you would keep quiet about any of this.¡±


    ¡°There ain¡¯t much we can do about it right now, anyways,¡± Spike cut in. ¡°I agree that somethin¡¯s up, but for now, let¡¯s just get warmed-up, yeah? If nothin¡¯ else, it¡¯ll help us be ready for if somethin¡¯ happens.¡±


    ¡°Aw man, don¡¯t say that,¡± Austin complained. ¡°Now something¡¯s gonna happen for sure!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever, dweeb,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°But Spike has a point. Alright, Conrad, dweeb, it¡¯s time to put your lazy asses into gear! Let¡¯s start with some jumping jacks!¡±


    ¡°Can we not, and say that we did?¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s your own body, your own muscles,¡± Spike pointed out. ¡°If you refuse to warm-up and pull a muscle durin¡¯ trainin¡¯, then you¡¯ll have no one else to blame but yourself!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fine¡­¡± Conrad muttered, he and Austin reluctantly joining Spike and Pierce in warming up for the day¡¯s training.


    <hr>


    *


    Bright morning sun shone down on the verdant foothills of Nayasis, blocked only by the occasional fluffy white cloud drifting slowly through the sky. Towering, majestic mountains stood in the far distance, forming a snow-capped wall of sorts along the north and eastern horizons. Amidst the natural, untamed beauty of his surroundings, however, Mark paid most of it little attention ¡ª for he had another matter to attend to.


    After an hour of brisk walking, Mark now found himself approaching Nayasis¡¯s Interstellar Gate. The royal blue ring, wreathed in silver and white geometric designs, stood tall and dormant over the hills. The rocky base into which it was mounted appeared chipped and heavily weathered, though the Gate itself looked almost immaculate. Tentatively, Mark approached the eleven-meter ring, stepping up to the control panel on its side. Once there, he looked around himself ¡ª though quickly determined that he was alone. The Gate was a several kilometer hike away from the settlement, after all, and the villagers seemed to receive goods through the Gate only once a week.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Alright¡­ let¡¯s get this done with, then, Mark thought to himself as he pulled a small note out of his pocket ¡ª the note that Saito had passed to him before they all left Compound Tresnon. Mark carefully unfolded the piece of paper and took a quick look over what the Colonel had written down: a Gate coordinate, featuring only two digits for each dimension of the coordinate, as well as special instructions for dialing it. I still don¡¯t understand what this is supposed to be¡­ Mark mused, staring at the written coordinate in consternation. Gate coordinates are always much longer than this, aren¡¯t they? I know Earth¡¯s coordinate has six digits in each dimension, at least. And the Colonel wants me to dial this, as well as Earth, and see what happens¡­? ¡­Well, here we go, I suppose. Let¡¯s start with Earth¡­


    Wordlessly, Mark began to input Earth¡¯s Gate coordinate into the dialing panel of the Gate before him. While doing so, he made careful note of the time. Earth¡¯s Gate wasn¡¯t yet part of the galactic Interstellar Gate Network ¡ª none of SERRCom¡¯s Gates were, in fact ¡ª and as such, Earth didn¡¯t yet have an established timetable. Thus, there was a good chance that Mark would be able to establish a connection with Earth.


    A second later, Mark input the final digit of the coordinate and then pressed the button to activate the Gate. As soon as he did, a translucent black film manifested in the ring¡¯s interior, before shimmering slightly and darkening, all while golden lines all around the Gate began to softly glow.


    Okay, connection established. Mark nodded to himself as he observed the active Gate, and then glanced down at the control panel. ¡­It looks like Earth¡¯s Gate currently has its block activated. That makes sense. I should probably activate the block on this Gate while I¡¯m doing these tests, now that I think about it. Don¡¯t want any unknown hostiles coming through¡­ With a sheepish smile, Mark quickly pressed the button to activate the blocking mechanism on Nayasis¡¯s Gate. Now, any incoming matter or transmissions wouldn¡¯t actually reach Nayasis; instead, they would be returned to sender. Such a mechanism was an important security aspect of the Interstellar Gates, and most Gates throughout the galaxy would leave the block activated at all times to prevent surprise incursions. Whether or not a Gate was currently blocked was information that any connecting Gate could see, though, and such information was indicated on the control panel.


    However smaller colonies, such as Tier 5 Worlds like Nayasis, would intentionally leave the block deactivated ¡ª the settlements simply weren¡¯t large enough to coordinate timetables with the rest of the galaxy, and didn¡¯t have the manpower to constantly watch the Gate for inbound connections. They had to be prepared to accept connections at any time of day; a significant security risk to be sure, and something that made many Tier 5 Worlds the subject of raids by small pirate or bandit groups. The idea that Nayasis could potentially be raided at any moment put Mark a little on edge, but he knew that he would have to deactivate the Gate¡¯s block once his tests were done ¡ª otherwise, the settlement might miss important shipments.


    ¡­Alright, let¡¯s shut the Gate down, Mark mused after making a note of the time that it was on Earth. He then pressed the control button to sever the Gate connection, causing the black film inside the ring to disappear like an old tube television turning off, and the gold lines around the ring to dim. Earth keeps a log of every single activation of the Gate in New York, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll log an ¡°unrecognized inbound connection¡± at this time. The Colonel will be able to verify that. I¡¯m not really sure what the use is, but he asked me to do this, so it must be important, somehow. Anyways¡­ on to this weird¡­ mystery coordinate.


    Mark again looked down at the note in his hands. He couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy each time he read the coordinate written down on the note, like a combination of sensing an unsettling ¡°wrongness¡± from the coordinate, with the discomforting sensation one has when a word is on the tip of their tongue, without being able to think of the word itself. ¡­Ah, it¡¯s just a Gate coordinate¡­ Mark eventually thought, pushing the unsettling feeling out of his mind as he went to input the written coordinate. This time, before he pushed the button to activate the Gate, he double-checked to make sure that the Gate¡¯s blocking mechanism was active; he didn¡¯t know where this coordinate would connect to, after all, if it even connected to anything at all. And there was always the risk of encountering something unpleasant when connecting to an unknown Gate.


    Once he determined that the block was still active, Mark finally pressed the button to activate the connection. Unlike when he had dialed Earth, this time, the Gate didn¡¯t respond immediately¡­ but a second later, the translucent black film that was the Gate¡¯s event horizon slowly filled the ring¡¯s interior, as though nothing was wrong at all. Mark looked up at the giant ring in surprise, noting that the glowing golden lines all around the ring were shining slightly brighter than he was used to.


    What¡­? Is something wrong with the Gate? he thought uneasily. It¡¯s¡­ subtle, but it¡¯s definitely shining a little brighter than usual, right? Or am I imagining things¡­? Well, I suppose it¡¯s worth writing down. I should also check ¡ª ah, okay, it looks like whatever Gate I¡¯ve connected to right now also has its block active. I do wonder, though¡­ where did the Colonel find this coordinate? And where did I connect to?


    Mark paused for a second to ponder the question before quickly jotting down the rest of his notes, including the time (on Earth) that he had established this connection. Once he had done that, he readily shut down the Gate connection, watching the event horizon quickly disappear and the golden lines dim back into silver.


    Well, that¡¯s all the Colonel wanted me to do¡­ Mark mused, at first beginning to turn away from the Gate ¡ª only to stop and look back at it. Hmm¡­ while I¡¯m here, I¡¯ve always wondered¡­ Gate coordinates in the galaxy are usually six digits in each dimension, but it¡¯s said that it¡¯s possible to connect to the zero, zero, zero coordinate ¡ª also known as the origin coordinate. I¡¯ve never actually seen it, myself, though¡­


    Quickly, Mark took another look around himself before punching in the (0,0,0) coordinate and activating the Gate a third time. Sure enough, the black event horizon appeared once more, and golden lines again began to glow on the Gate¡¯s ring, indicating a successful connection. A quick look at the control panel revealed that whatever Gate Mark had connected to didn¡¯t have its block activated, so anything that was sent through the Gate would successfully reach the other side. According to the stories, though, Mark thought to himself, it¡¯s impossible to communicate with the origin coordinate, and anything or anyone you send through never returns. I don¡¯t know how true that is, but I don¡¯t have any drones or anything with me to test¡­ and I¡¯m sure not stepping through, myself. Still, the origin coordinate really is a valid destination, then? ¡­Is it possible that any random combination of numbers will be a valid coordinate that the Gate recognizes? That can¡¯t be true, can it? The Gate Network isn¡¯t THAT dense¡­


    Deciding to put his question to the test, Mark shutdown the Gate connection and input a random sequence of numbers into the dialing pad before attempting to activate the Gate once more. This time, no black event horizon appeared, and neither did the lines on the ring glow gold; only a small purple light lit up on the control panel, indicating that the coordinate Mark had just dialed was an invalid destination. Alright, so the Gates really do only connect to valid coordinates. I thought so, but I just wanted to check¡­ That must mean that both the origin coordinate and Saito¡¯s coordinate are valid destinations, then, right? But why do they seem to behave differently from standard Gate coordinates?


    Mark¡¯s gaze drifted up to the giant royal blue ring standing before him, just as silent and inactive as it was when he had first approached. After a couple seconds of that, he shook his head and turned away ¡ª the workings of the Interstellar Gates were hardly his area of expertise, and simply staring at one wouldn¡¯t uncover any insights.


    With his testing done, Mark deactivated the Gate¡¯s block, so as to leave the massive device in the same state that he had found it. He carefully folded up the small paper note and slotted it into his pocket before jogging off down the trail leading away from the Gate, ready to rejoin everyone else on Nayasis.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Okay¡­ go!¡±


    As soon as the words were uttered, Sky swept her arms forward, generating a massive plume of swirling flames that washed over the ice platform in front of her. Seven spires of ice stood tall over the platform ¡ª six arranged in a circle, and one more in the center ¡ª though under Sky¡¯s fire, all seven spires rapidly melted away.


    ¡°Alright, stop!¡± Rebehka shouted, prompting Sky to cease her flames and step back. The Dean looked out over the results of Sky¡¯s attack: a half-melted ice platform a couple dozen meters across, gently floating on the ocean waters off the coast of Karania¡¯s Kani city. Adjacent to that half-melted platform was another large ice platform floating on the water on which Rebehka, Kaon¨¦, Twy, Sky, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Danielle all stood, with the Earthians actively training under the watchful eye of the Deans.


    ¡°Amazing. You melted all the spires,¡± Twy commented flatly.


    ¡°I know! Isn¡¯t it great?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°It would be¡­ if that was what you were supposed to do,¡± Rebehka countered before turning to look Sky right in the eye.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­!¡± Sky responded with an uneasy laugh. ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, I¡¯m trying! But destroying just six of the seven is surprisingly hard!¡±


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen you do fire tornadoes, before¡­¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°So you can definitely control where your flames go. Just do that.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Just do that¡¯,¡± Sky echoed in a mocking tone. ¡°Look, if the spire I¡¯m supposed to leave alone was the one in the center, then you¡¯d be right! That¡¯s easy! But instead, I¡¯m supposed to destroy the one in the center, while leaving one of the outer ones intact! That¡¯s really hard!¡±


    ¡°Kestrel could do it,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± Sky glanced back at Kestrel before heaving her shoulders in a sigh. ¡°¡­Meh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, this is what training is for: to get better,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared as Rebehka recreated the melted ice platform and replaced the ice spires. ¡°You do have some things going for you, Sky,¡± Kaon¨¦ continued, ¡°namely, your flames are pretty hot, and you can already manage to hit a wide area. A lot of Pyrotechnics have trouble with those things. All you need to do is work out your fine control, and you¡¯ll be set!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Fine control¡¯ and ¡®Sky¡¯ go together about as well as ice and fire,¡± Twy retorted.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Well why don¡¯t you try what I¡¯m doing?¡± Sky challenged.


    ¡°¡­Ugh¡­¡± Rebehka sighed and massaged her temples. ¡°¡­Alright, fine. Sky, step back. Twy, let¡¯s see if you can manage this.¡±


    ¡°It was only a matter of time before I had to try, I guess¡­¡± Twy muttered as she stepped up past her sister.


    ¡°You know the drill by now,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°First, take out every spire. Second, take out every spire except the center one. Third, take out every spire except the back left. I¡¯ll recreate the spires after each round. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, on my go. ¡­Go!¡±


    A second after the word left Rebehka¡¯s mouth, Twy seized control of the ocean waters all around them to force a massive swell to wash over the platform with the ice spires. Deftly, she manipulated the waters to turn the swell into a giant wave that forcefully crashed against the spires, breaking off each and every one of them and washing them out to sea. There was only a brief lull before Rebehka instantly recreated the platform and the spires, at which point Twy carefully forced another wave to cross ¡ª only this time, the wave gracefully parted around the center spire, crushing only the spires all around it. Once the waters subsided, Rebehka recreated the ice spires once more, and Twy moved to crush them with a wave once again. As she guided the waters across the platform, making sure to avoid the one spire in the back left, her control faltered for a second; manipulating so much water, so quickly, was rather difficult. With her faltering control, her wave of water began to spill to the side, splashing the one ice spire meant to be left intact ¡ª but before the wave could deteriorate any further, Twy was able to assert control again and force it to crush only the spires she desired.


    ¡°¡­Oh, c¡¯mon!¡± Sky exclaimed in disbelief as the waters washed off of the ice platform, leaving only the back left spire standing. ¡°Of course sis is gonna do well here, there¡¯s water all around us!¡±


    ¡°Taking advantage of your surroundings is an important part of using your abilities,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared, only to pass Twy a wary glance. ¡°That said, try not to get too carried away. Just because there¡¯s an ocean here doesn¡¯t mean that you need to control an entire ocean¡¯s worth of water to do what you need.¡±


    ¡°Fair¡­¡± Twy responded sheepishly. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve practiced with a body of water, but I guess I really underestimated how much water there is off the coast¡­¡±


    ¡°This is an ocean,¡± Phoenix pointed out.


    ¡°Your performance here was still fairly impressive,¡± Rebehka said while looking at Twy. ¡°Kaon¨¦ covered your main weakness; most everything else was fine. Your parting of the wave around the center pillar was very well done, and even in the third wave, you managed to keep it together.¡±


    ¡°¡­But?¡± Twy prompted uneasily.


    ¡°Ha. You sensed that coming, did you?¡± Rebehka responded with a smirk, and then glanced between Twy and Sky. ¡°What I¡¯m about to say applies to all of you, but mostly the two of you, since your abilities can actually obscure line of sight. When you¡¯re taking on multiple targets ¡ª or, hell, even just the one ¡ª you need to be careful about when and how you break line of sight. A skilled opponent can use your own massive attacks as cover against you.¡±


    ¡°Aw, this is so much to keep track of!¡± Sky exclaimed in frustration. ¡°Earlier, you told us to be careful about watching our surroundings! And then you wanted us to be careful about what we target! And now you want us to be careful about how we do it all?!¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rebehka replied, her arms crossed as she fixed Sky with a stare. ¡°These are all things you need to keep in mind while in a fight. Anything less, and you either open yourself up to attack, or risk attacking your allies.¡±


    ¡°That said, today we can focus just on your fine control,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly added. ¡°The other two are very important, to be sure, but we need to make sure you have the basics down before we start trying to combine them.¡±


    ¡°And all of this isn¡¯t even getting into your weapons,¡± Rebehka said.


    ¡°But that¡¯s so much to do¡­¡± Sky whined.


    ¡°And for most of us, I¡¯m not sure how effective our weapons even are,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Twy has her bow, sure, and the range on it is pretty impressive. And I suppose Kestrel could use her spear from range with her winds. But Sky has a staff, and I have these¡­ chakrams?¡± She momentarily summoned one of her chakrams into her right hand, looking over its silver and deep crimson designs, as well as the four sharp, dagger-length blades extending perpendicular out of the weapon¡¯s outer rim. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t see how I could effectively use these things at all.¡±


    ¡°I admit, I¡¯m not certain, either¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused. ¡°¡­But, they are Ayas Weapons. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some way even a Chaostechnic like you could find a use for them.¡± She then glanced toward Rebehka. ¡°Let¡¯s save the weapons for a later day ¡ª tomorrow, perhaps. Let¡¯s keep working on fine control for now.¡±


    ¡°Well, Phoenix, you¡¯re next,¡± Rebehka said as the ice spires on the platform beside them seemed to reform themselves.


    ¡°¡­What, am I just supposed to use Massive Impact a lot?¡± Phoenix questioned, though stepped forward nonetheless.


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing you could use, sure,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Naturally, with the limitations of your abilities, I don¡¯t expect you to wipe out all of the spires all at once. But there¡¯s still a way for you to take out each round with, say¡­ only three Chaos abilities, each. Let¡¯s see if you can manage that.¡±


    ¡°Only three¡­?¡± Phoenix muttered as she turned to look at the ice spires. The outer six were evenly spaced from each other, forming a hexagon. The front and back spire lined up with the one in the middle respective to Phoenix¡¯s position ¡ª while there were two more on the left, and another two to the right. ¡°¡­Alright, I think I have it,¡± Phoenix commented after a second of inspection.


    ¡°Good,¡± Rebehka replied with a nod. ¡°As with everyone else, I¡¯ll recreate the spires as we go, so don¡¯t stop until you¡¯ve finished round three. Start on my go. ¡­Go!¡±


    ¡°Chaos Massive Impact! Chaos Massive Impact! Chaos Massive Impact!¡± Phoenix repeatedly shouted, generating large planes of nigh-invisible force that swept through the left two spires, the center three, and then the right two, snapping each of them off of the ice platform through incredible blunt force. With round one destroyed, Rebehka crafted the ice spires again ¡ª as she did, Phoenix quickly dashed to the right, offsetting her position relative to the ice spires so that the three ¡°center¡± spires no longer appeared to line up. There, she fired off only two Massive Impacts: one towards the three spires that were now on the left, and one towards the three on the right. As the planes of translucent force blasted across the ice and knocked the outer spires into the surrounding waters, small chunks of the center spire were blown off as well ¡ª but the spire otherwise remained standing. Nodding in approval, Rebehka then recreated the ice spires once more, while Phoenix rushed back to her starting position; as soon as she arrived, she again called out two Massive Impacts, crushing the right two spires and the center three. Then, to take out the front left spire while keeping the back left intact, Phoenix extended her right hand toward it and uttered, ¡°Chaos Cannon.¡± A small purple projectile rocketed out of her hand, instantly obliterating the front left spire and careening off into the distance ¡ª while leaving only the back left spire still standing.


    ¡°Alright! That was good!¡± Rebehka remarked.


    ¡°But she moved!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°I never said you couldn¡¯t,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°Sometimes, in order to get a good shot on your opponent, you have to reposition. And Phoenix figured that out without me having to tell her ¡ª that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Phoenix responded. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that hard to figure out, though¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised just how many people never think of that solution during this exercise,¡± Rebehka said. ¡°Now, you still need to work on being careful with Massive Impact, of course, but you still did pretty well.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now, though?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°We¡¯ve all done your trial, now¡­¡±


    ¡°One of you still needs to complete it successfully,¡± the Dean replied while side-eying Sky. ¡°And we¡¯ll be doing more of this training this afternoon, among other things. Right now, though, I¡¯ll be adding a twist¡­¡± With scarcely a single movement of her body, Rebehka instantly recreated the seven-spire arrangement ¡ª only now, the six outer spires were rotating in a circle around the center spire. ¡°¡­Target movement!¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­!¡± Sky groaned, ¡°the first one was hard enough!¡±


    ¡°I could do with more of a challenge, personally,¡± Phoenix remarked as she eagerly cracked her knuckles.


    ¡°This is kinda fun to watch, too!¡± Danielle exclaimed from her position behind the group. ¡°Can I try hitting the targets, too?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ maybe later,¡± Rebehka responded. ¡°But for now, everyone, let¡¯s keep up the good work! We still have a full day of training ahead of us, after all!¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 42: Bleeding Weakness

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 42: Bleeding Weakness


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, finally,¡± Captain Travis exclaimed in relief. ¡°We¡¯ve been trapped in this car all day!¡±


    ¡°What are you complaining about, Captain?¡± Hackett replied, ¡°you aren¡¯t even the one who¡¯s going to have to sneak over several kilometers under the cover of night!¡±


    ¡°Ha! True, true.¡±


    As Hackett and Travis continued bantering in the back seats of the hovercar over MacTavish between them, Ralak ¡ª who was driving ¡ª offered a wary side-glance toward Saito, in the passenger seat. ¡°¡­We¡¯re about to be scoutin¡¯ out a Bleeder base. Is your team not wary?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°This is just their typical pre-mission bluster,¡± Saito responded, returning Ralak¡¯s glance before looking out over the passing wastelands; nothing but dusty sands could be seen for kilometers in every direction. ¡°This won¡¯t be the first time we¡¯ve faced off against Chaotics. And the Bleeders don¡¯t strike me as the most capable of opponents.¡±


    ¡°You might be surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I¡¯m not saying that we¡¯re going to be reckless, of course. While we¡¯re on the topic ¡ª just how many of the Bleeders are Chaotics?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure,¡± Ralak said, after a moment of thought. ¡°Most Bleeders ain¡¯t Chaotics at all. Most groups will only have a couple with ¡®em. With this base, though¡­ hard to say.¡±


    ¡°Where would you expect the Chaotics to be? In the center of the base? Standing guard?¡±


    ¡°The boss of the base will be in the center, for sure. And maybe one or two of his lackeys. The rest of the Chaotics will be standin¡¯ guard, along with the non-Chaotic Bleeders.¡±


    ¡°Alright. That should make this easy.¡±


    ¡°Easy?¡± Ralak echoed incredulously, ¡°Bleeders put Chaotics on guard duty ¡®cause they¡¯re better at it than non-Chaotics. Mixin¡¯ ¡®em with non-Chaotic guards also makes it impossible to tell who¡¯s a Chaotic and who ain¡¯t until they actually attack you. I don¡¯t see what¡¯s easy about any of this.¡±


    ¡°What makes it easy is that we have CENT fields,¡± Saito replied. ¡°That, and a skilled sniper. The Bleeders won¡¯t know what hit them.¡±


    ¡°¡­Portable CENT fields ain¡¯t that common around here, so I guess you¡¯re right. Still¡­ we¡¯ll need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll be plenty careful, don¡¯t you worry,¡± Travis interjected from the back.


    ¡°I have to ask, though,¡± Hackett spoke up, ¡°what¡¯s the likelihood that we run into Str¨¦n or his two lieutenants?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Ralak admitted. ¡°If this base is their main base, then I¡¯d say it¡¯s likely. But we don¡¯t know if it is. I didn¡¯t even know it existed until hearin¡¯ from Olkath¡­¡±


    ¡°How reliable is this intel?¡±


    ¡°Olkath never checks out this kinda info on his own, so it might be flawed. But I know him, and he doesn¡¯t hand out lies on purpose ¡ª it¡¯d be ¡®bad for business¡¯, he always says. I don¡¯t doubt there¡¯s a Bleeder base where we¡¯re headed. I just don¡¯t know how big it¡¯ll be.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve worked with Olkath before?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°How often?¡±


    ¡°We go back pretty far¡­¡± Ralak said, and then fell silent for a moment, her brow furrowed ¡ª as though deciding whether or not to continue speaking. A second later, she slowly added, ¡°¡­we both led small groups of Bleeders. We heard of each other long before we ever saw each other, which first happened¡­ ¡­when we joined up under Str¨¦n, 20 years ago.¡±


    ¡°¡­You worked for Str¨¦n?¡± Hackett repeated, her voice growing tense.


    ¡°It was a stupid, terrible idea, and I did stupid, terrible things when I was with the Bleeders,¡± Ralak replied. ¡°I¡¯ve since seen how much of a stupid bitch I was, but I won¡¯t make excuses for the me of the past. I know I can¡¯t ever be forgiven, not completely.¡±


    ¡°Does this have to do with your nickname?¡± Saito asked. ¡°Or Olkath¡¯s?¡±


    A pained expression crossed Ralak¡¯s face, only for her to take a deep breath. ¡°¡­I suppose you deserve to know my past, if we¡¯re gonna be workin¡¯ together like this.¡±


    All four members of CSF-1 responded with silence, cautiously eying Ralak as they patiently waited for her to continue.


    ¡°¡­Those nicknames you heard¡­¡± she commented, passing Saito a quick glance before returning her attention to driving. ¡°¡­It ain¡¯t uncommon for Bleeders or people livin¡¯ in the wastes to come up with those kinds of names for notorious people. Like how Dav¨ªdrius is the Sentry, ¡®cause he¡¯s one of the most important Compound Guardians Tres¨¦d has seen; and Selind is the Ghost of Light, since you never know she¡¯s watchin¡¯ you ¡®til a laser blows someone¡¯s head off ¡ª and then she¡¯s gone before you can catch her. Well¡­ Olkath was the Butcher of Rek since he led a raid on an old Compound named Rek. Killed all the people inside, and took the place over as his own base. Was the first time a Compound had been completely wiped out by Bleeders in a long time¡­ some even say Olkath¡¯s raid on Rek inspired Str¨¦n.¡±


    ¡°And now, he¡¯s just an information broker?¡± Hackett frowned. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse me if I find that suspicious.¡±


    ¡°The rise and fall of Str¨¦n ¡ª the first time ¡®round ¡ª left a lot of Bleeders thinkin¡¯ about the way they live,¡± Ralak explained. ¡°A lot of ¡®em realized that what the Bleeders do really is fucked up¡­ I was one of those. Others just decided that they didn¡¯t wanna go out like Str¨¦n, and that the best way to do that was to turn to ¡®legit¡¯ jobs. That¡¯s Olkath.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But you¡¯ve only been talking about Olkath. What about you?¡±


    ¡°¡­People called me the Willthief. Long story short, I used my Imperator Psychotechnism to toy with people. To¡­ break them. ¡­See, my own Imperator powers seem more, uh¡­ ¡®fine¡¯ than most. When I take control of a person, I can control their movements just as easily as if I were in their body, while keepin¡¯ full control of my own body. That kind of control was like I was stealin¡¯ folks¡¯ free will, so¡­ Willthief.¡±


    ¡°And what, exactly, did you force people to do?¡± Hackett pressed.


    ¡°Major¡­¡± Travis quietly said, glancing uneasily between Hackett and Ralak.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± Ralak stated. ¡°¡­But, at the same time, I try not to think too hard about what I actually did to people. The me who enjoyed doin¡¯ that shit is still inside me, somewhere. I¡¯ve buried her¡­ but dwellin¡¯ too much can bring her back, sometimes. Just know that what I did to people¡­ it was humiliatin¡¯. Degradin¡¯. And sometimes¡­ lethal.¡±


    ¡°So you still get the urge to act out?¡± Hackett questioned. ¡°Do Dav¨ªdrius and Selind know that?¡±


    ¡°Of course they know that, I don¡¯t hide anythin¡¯ from ¡®em. They¡¯re the only reasons I got a second chance at life,¡± Ralak shot back. ¡°¡­To be honest, I still don¡¯t know why they trust me. But as long as they do, I¡¯ll try my damnedest to live up to their expectations. It¡¯s the least I can do.¡±


    ¡°That attitude is probably why they trust you,¡± Saito said. ¡°But your¡­ ¡®urges¡¯, I guess we¡¯re calling them. How often do you get those?¡±


    ¡°¡­Rarely. Very rarely. These gloves¡­¡± Ralak nodded down at her arms, at the black gloves that fully covered her hands and forearms. ¡°¡­They do a surprisin¡¯ly good job of keepin¡¯ myself in check. I¡¯ve never lost myself while wearin¡¯ ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered about your gloves¡­¡± Travis said. ¡°Is there some kind of tech in them, or something? Or a sedative?¡±


    Ralak shook her head. ¡°No. They¡¯re just regular gloves.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How do they help, then?¡±


    ¡°Imperators, like me ¡ª I¡¯m sure you know how our Chaotic ability works. If somethin¡¯ touches us, then we can take total control of that thing for a short time. I can use my ability no matter where on my body I¡¯m touched, so long as there¡¯s skin contact¡­ but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that the easiest way for me to touch somethin¡¯ myself, is to reach out with my own hands. These gloves stop that. Make me think twice before I try to control somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡± Travis responded uneasily.


    ¡°This would¡¯ve been nice to know before embarking on a mission with you,¡± Hackett said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ralak¡¯s brow furrowed, though she kept her attention on the drive in front of her. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right. I should¡¯ve told you earlier. I guess you can¡¯t trust me, now, can you?¡±


    ¡°Well, Dav¨ªdrius and Selind trust you,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°For now, that¡¯s enough. Besides, even if you did turn on us, your Imperator powers won¡¯t work on us through our energy shielding.¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I would¡¯ve liked to have heard this earlier, but I¡¯m glad you told us, anyways,¡± Saito continued. ¡°If you really are able to take fine control over people, then that could be very useful for raiding the Bleeder base.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d¡­ really rather not,¡± Ralak responded with a grimace. ¡°I can use my powers in a fight just fine. But takin¡¯ full control of a person is¡­ no good.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see. Alright, then. It doesn¡¯t change our plans either way.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of plans¡­¡± Travis spoke up, turning around in his seat while using his binoculars to peer through the hovercar¡¯s rear window. ¡°¡­What do we do if we see Liask or Obra? They don¡¯t seem to have been following us today, but you never know¡­¡±


    ¡°If we happen to see them, then we¡¯ll subdue them with CENT fields, just like we plan to do with the Bleeders,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Just, without the bullet to the head afterward.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry again, Colonel,¡± Ralak apologized. ¡°If we here in Tres¨¦d were better on top of our own issues, then you wouldn¡¯t need to go through all this effort for us¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. After all, the entire point of having allies is helping each other in times of need, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ralak glanced at Saito in surprise, but the Colonel continued staring forward, as if what he had just said was the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°¡­Guess so, Colonel,¡± Ralak eventually replied.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    A brief moment of silence fell over the car as Ralak continued driving over the sandy wastes, with the sun already low on the western horizon. In the silence, Travis turned to look through his binoculars at the distant horizon in front of the hovercar, at which point he tapped the back of Ralak¡¯s seat.


    ¡°I think I see the base¡­¡± he commented, while still peering through his binoculars. ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s definitely a base.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then¡­¡± Ralak muttered, quickly bringing the hovercar to a stop and shutting it down.


    ¡°So we¡¯re finally here,¡± Saito remarked, and then turned to address everyone in the car. ¡°Alright, everyone. Double-check your equipment. Once the sun is down, we¡¯ll proceed stealthily ¡ª without the car ¡ª toward that base, just like we planned. Travis, MacTavish, the two of you will stop two kilos out of the base, while the Major, Ralak, and I will continue on. Everything after that will go as we discussed, earlier. The moment we leave this car, comms become mission-critical, only. Everyone got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± replied Hacket, Travis, and MacTavish.


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow your lead,¡± Ralak said.


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Saito replied. ¡°¡­Now¡­ let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°¡­On Charlie, set.¡±


    ?Roger. Spotting Charlie.?


    ¡°Roger. Three¡­¡±


    Speaking so softly as to be nearly imperceptible, Saito cautiously eyed a lone guard standing within a mere few meters of him ¡ª yet utterly unaware of his presence. The dark of night, combined with Saito¡¯s desert camouflage, masked his position against the walls of the Bleeder base while he grasped a small device in front of him.


    ¡°Two¡ª¡°


    As soon as he spoke the number, Saito activated the device. To him, the device seemed to do nothing at all, but as soon as he activated it, the guard nearby began looking around ¡ª as though surprised by something.


    ¡°¡ªOne.¡±


    And then, before the guard ever had the chance to lay eyes on Saito, a bullet from afar found its mark on the guard¡¯s forehead, instantly killing him. As his body collapsed backwards, Saito quickly reached up to grab it and quietly guide its descent to the ground, where he quickly laid it in such a way to hide the blood pooling out of its head. ¡°Charlie down,¡± Saito whispered into his comms, and then deactivated his portable CENT field and began quietly making his way toward the next guard as Hackett took her turn on the comms.


    ?On Golf, set,? came the Major¡¯s voice.


    ?Roger. Spotting Golf,? Travis replied.


    ?Roger. Three, two, one¡­? Hackett spoke, followed by a second of silence. And then, ?Golf down.?


    Only four more left, the Colonel thought to himself as he slowly crawled over the sands surrounding the Bleeder base. Captain Travis¡¯s initial binocular inspection of the base, backed up by Ralak¡¯s own knowledge of Bleeder security precautions, suggested that there actually wasn¡¯t much in terms of security at all ¡ª aside from the posted guards. There were no security cameras, and each guard seemed to only carry with them a single flashlight to dispel the nighttime darkness. Such dismal security made it a trivial matter for Saito, Hackett, and Ralak to stealthily approach the walled Bleeder base under the cover of night, even considering the fact that the wastelands all around were flat.


    Nonetheless, it had taken almost two hours for Saito, Hackett, and Ralak to crawl over the 4 kilometers or so in between the base¡¯s walls and where Ralak had parked the car. Even then, however, they were able to approach the walls without being detected, at which point Saito and Hackett had fanned out to begin inspecting the base¡¯s exterior. They each did one lap of the base, utilizing their AR implants to tag and label each patrolling guard for easier identification, allowing Travis to know exactly what guard Saito or Hackett was referring to even from multiple kilometers away.


    During this visual inspection, Saito was able to tell that the guards didn¡¯t even have any comms equipment on them; additionally, Hackett managed to eavesdrop on a short conversation between two passing guards, verifying that they were indeed Bleeders. Armed with that information, the Colonel decided that an active raid of the base was more than possible, instead of simple recon. After quietly indicating as much to the rest of the team, Saito and Hackett then began to sneak up on each guard and activate a CENT field on top of them, while Travis sniped them from two kilometers out ¡ª so as to prevent the guards from hearing the sound of gunfire. Ralak remained hidden by the front gates, poised to take out any guards that left the base, while MacTavish stayed with Travis to prepare for hacking into what few computer systems the base could have.


    Of the ten guards patrolling the base¡¯s exterior, CSF-1 had already eliminated six in as many minutes, without any sign of having alerted the Bleeders to their presence.


    This almost seems too easy¡­ Saito thought to himself as he quietly crawled on his stomach toward the next guard. ¡­But, these ARE untrained criminals we¡¯re talking about. Ralak didn¡¯t seem surprised to see this kind of security, at all. ¡­I¡¯m not quite sure how much we can trust her, but I can scarcely believe that a group like the Bleeders would be willing to sacrifice up to ten of their own Chaotics just to lure in a handful of outsiders. It¡¯s always possible, of course, but for now¡­ ¡°¡­On Delta, set,¡± he whispered into his comms, having just now reached CENT field range of the next guard.


    ?Roger. ¡­Spotting Delta,? replied Travis.


    ¡°Roger. Three, two¡ª¡° Saito activated his CENT field. ¡°¡ªone.¡±


    Before the guard had even the slightest chance to realize his fate, Captain Travis¡¯s excellent marksmanship created a new hole clear through the guard¡¯s head. The body promptly slumped to the ground, where Saito caught it and let it down gingerly, to reduce any noise produced. ¡°Delta, down,¡± he quietly reported before shutting down his CENT field and moving on to the last guard on his side of the base.


    ?¡­On Hotel, set,? came Hackett¡¯s call just a few seconds later.


    ?Roger. Spotting Hotel,? Travis declared.


    ?Roger. Three, two, one¡­ ¡­Hotel down.?


    Only two more¡­ Saito mused as he steadily crawled across the sands. Infiltrating a desert base wasn¡¯t high on the things he expected to do as part of CSF-1, but thankfully, the team¡¯s training had covered a wide variety of scenarios. As SERRCom¡¯s first ¡ª and so far, only ¡ª Chaotic Support Fireteam, SERRCom hadn¡¯t been sure exactly what skills would be useful to CSF-1; as such, they sought to ensure that CSF-1 knew as many field skills as practically possible. That training had been useful many times over, but the Colonel still couldn¡¯t help but be amused that his job would keep finding new things for him to do. Not to mention, we¡¯re barely ¡®supporting¡¯ any Chaotics right now, anyways. We¡¯re just killing them. Just goes to show that Chaotics aren¡¯t the answer to every problem, I suppose ¡ª not poorly trained or poorly outfitted ones, anyways. Poor bastards¡­ or at least they would be, if they weren¡¯t busy killing, kidnapping, or otherwise humiliating the locals. Either way¡­


    The Colonel cut short his idle thoughts as he approached the final guard he was responsible for. Just as with the previous four, he quietly approached the guard, and then whispered into his comms, ¡°on Echo, set¡ª?¡±


    As soon as Saito uttered the words, and while Travis was responding with ?Roger. Spotting Echo,? the guard snapped her attention toward Saito. Realizing that she had heard him, somehow, the Colonel immediately activated his portable CENT field while urgently whispering, ¡°Roger! Three, two, one!¡± While he spoke, the guard made a gesture toward him ¡ª a gesture that he recognized as her trying to use her Chaotic ability. When nothing happened, however, she suddenly drew back¡­ just in time to inadvertently evade Travis¡¯s bullet, which instead slammed into the nearby wall and blew out a decent chunk of the stone. The guard turned her attention to the new hole in surprise before quickly backing away ¡ª but not quickly enough to evade Travis¡¯s follow up bullet.


    Shit. Saito scowled as he eyed the hole in the wall. The sound of a bullet slamming into the stone had been clearly audible, though not particularly loud. Nevertheless, the Colonel froze where he was, listening intently for any sounds of activity. One second passed, two seconds passed, then three¡­


    ?¡­Report?? came Hackett¡¯s voice over the comms. While her tone was just as calm and level as before, Saito knew well enough that both her and Travis were waiting with bated breath for his all-clear. Still, he remained silent, attempting to discern if the brief altercation had been heard.


    ¡°¡­Echo, down,¡± Saito eventually reported after ten seconds of complete silence. ¡°¡­Possible alert,¡± he then added.


    ?Copy,? replied Hackett. ?¡­On India, set.?


    ?Roger. Spotting India¡­? came Travis¡¯s voice, though slightly more uneven than before.


    Nevertheless, Hackett immediately carried on. ?Roger. Three, two, one¡­ ¡­India down. All clear.?


    ¡°Copy. All clear,¡± Saito echoed. ¡°Move on to Romeo.¡±


    ?Roger,? came Hackett¡¯s one word reply.


    The comms then fell silent as Saito continued crawling around the base¡¯s walls. They may have taken out all ten of the initially spotted guards, but they needed to be sure that there were no additional guards to worry about before moving on to the next phase of the raid. As such, Saito and Hackett were to continue moving along the perimeter of the base in the direction that they had been crawling before, allowing them to investigate the entire perimeter before meeting back up with Ralak at the gates ¡ª or ¡°Romeo¡±, over the comms.


    After dealing with the final guards, Saito and Hackett both were already almost halfway around the entire base. Several minutes passed in silence as the two carefully crawled the rest of the way around, but after they both rendezvoused with Ralak almost ten minutes after taking out the final guard, there were still no signs of any other guards, or any kind of Bleeder alert.


    Upon returning to Ralak, Saito greeted her with a single nod before silently gesturing toward the base¡¯s main gate.


    ¡°Locked,¡± Ralak replied with a whisper. ¡°No one¡¯s come through. Likely won¡¯t for hours.¡±


    Saito acknowledged her with another nod before passing Hackett a quick glance. He then ordered into his comms, ¡°alright, ground all clear.¡±


    ?Copy,? came Captain Travis¡¯s reply, followed a second later with, ?¡­walltops, all clear.?


    ¡°Copy,¡± Saito responded. ¡°Phase two is a go.¡±


    ?Roger!?


    The Colonel turned back to Hackett and Ralak as the former crawled a little ways out to begin watching the walls. Phase two of the plan called for Travis and MacTavish to approach the base themselves; MacTavish needed physical access to hack any equipment, and Travis¡¯s sniping position two kilometers out wasn¡¯t very useful for taking care of enemies within the walls. And now that the guards along the exterior of the base were all taken care of, Travis and MacTavish were free to approach at a run, instead of the stealthy crawl that Saito, Hackett, and Ralak were forced to use earlier. As such, instead of needing to wait for over an hour, Travis and MacTavish arrived at Saito¡¯s position within ten minutes.


    Saito briefly eyed the two; Travis looked perfectly fine after the brief run, and MacTavish ¡ª while still clearly somewhat out of breath ¡ª had nonetheless managed to keep up with him. In fact, she was already preparing her laptop for accessing the Bleeders¡¯ tech.


    At that point, Saito passed a cautious glance toward Ralak. By her words, Bleeders ¡ª as well as Tres¨¦dians in general ¡ª were worse at tech security than they were at physical security, and that even the outward-facing control panel for the front gate would have at least some network access to systems within the base. Saito was initially skeptical, but as he watched MacTavish jury-rig a connection with the front gate¡¯s control panel and then stare down at her laptop screen in surprise, the Colonel couldn¡¯t help but admit that Ralak may have been right after all. This is unbelievable. If Bleeder security is THIS lax, then it would be utterly trivial for the NSD to clear them out. Why the hell haven¡¯t they bothered?


    Those questions were for another time, however. Focusing on the now, Saito shoved those thoughts out of mind and turned to MacTavish. ¡°What access do you have?¡± he whispered to her.


    ¡°Um¡­ a-a lot¡­¡± she responded quietly. ¡°Th-there¡¯s¡­ not even a, um, password prompt. O-or, encryption. I just have, um¡­ d-direct access¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°Most Bleeders don¡¯t have the patience for passwords. Hell, most Tres¨¦dians don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°B-but, th-this is a jury-rigged connection! I-I shouldn¡¯t be able to¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Focus, MacTavish,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°What can you disable?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± The Researcher sheepishly returned her attention to her laptop, her eyes rapidly flicking back and forth as she interfaced with the Bleeder systems. ¡°¡­I-I think I can¡­ shut down the autodefenses, a-and, um¡­ o-open every locked door¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave most of the doors locked. We don¡¯t want to arouse suspicion too early. Just unlock the main gate. As for the autodefenses ¡ª what kind of defenses?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ t-turrets, mostly. Th-they, um¡­ l-look kinda advanced. I think they¡¯re, um¡­ Black Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°The Suns again?¡± Hackett questioned while passing Saito a wary look.


    The Colonel, meanwhile, simply shook his head. Ignoring Hackett¡¯s question, he quietly ordered, ¡°shut down all the defenses, and unlock the main gate. Be ready to unlock other doors on my command. We can take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± MacTavish responded, her hands flying across the keyboard to comply with Saito¡¯s command. A mere few seconds later, a soft thunk sounded from the main gate, signaling the opening of its lock; just a couple seconds after that, the Researcher looked back to Saito. ¡°Um¡­ d-done.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Saito turned to address Hackett, Travis, and Ralak. ¡°¡­The hard part starts now. Ralak, I want you to lead us to the base commander¡¯s room, or where you think it would be. We¡¯ll stay quiet for as long as we can, but the moment we¡¯re spotted, we¡¯re going loud. Try to take captives if you can, but if we have to, we¡¯ll kill every damn bastard here.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Hackett and Travis replied in unison, the latter having already switched to his sidearm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡ª¡° Ralak began, but just as she stepped toward the main gate, the thundering rumble of a massive impact on stone filled the air.


    ¡°The hell was that? Were we spotted?!¡± Hackett questioned in hushed tones.


    ¡°No, that was from the other side of the base¡­¡± Travis muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll check,¡± Ralak declared, and then crossed her arms in front of her to tap together the exposed skin on her upper forearms. She then shot into the air, using her Imperator powers to grant herself flight and investigate the sounds of battle that now emanated from the far side of the base. And then, just as quickly as she had shot up, she returned to the ground ¡ª though with a frustrated scowl on her face. ¡°It¡¯s Liask and Obra!¡±


    ¡°What? But I thought we lost them?!¡± Travis exclaimed in surprise.


    ¡°Clearly, we didn¡¯t!¡± Saito retorted, already standing and preparing to storm the base. ¡°Our plans have changed ¡ª we¡¯re starting loud! We¡¯ll fight our way to the students and secure them before finding the base commander! MacTavish, stay out here and monitor their systems for us!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Hackett and Travis readily replied, with MacTavish chiming in a second later.


    ¡°Good!¡± Saito nodded and then turned to charge through the gate, Hackett and Travis hot on his heels. ¡°Now let¡¯s move out!¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 43: Hidden Developments

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 43: Hidden Developments


    ¡°Ready¡­ go!!¡±


    As soon as the words left Christean¨¦¡¯s mouth, Spike summoned his red and golden greaves onto his arms and then fabricated a shield in each hand, tossing one toward Austin ¡ª who readily caught it in his left hand ¡ª and chucking the other straight at Christean¨¦. Before the shield had crossed even half of the distance between Spike and Christean¨¦, Mark lunged forward to grab the shield out of the air and toss it aside. Christean¨¦ then leaped over Mark¡¯s head, grasping a long elastic tether that was attached to a harness on his chest on one end and to the handle of a hefty hammer on the other; before the Dean even hit the ground, he tightly gripped the tether and began whirling the hammer around in a rapid circle ¡ª at which point he released the hammer straight toward Spike. The hammer¡¯s incredible momentum yanked Christean¨¦ through the air toward Spike, who deftly deflected the incoming hammer with a left forearm block before thrusting his right fist forward to slam Christean¨¦ right in the face.


    As the Dean reeled back from the blow, the golden light of protective energy shields covering his body, Austin lunged forward to press the attack. With Spike¡¯s fabricated shield tightly held in his left hand, and his summoned blue and golden claymore gripped in his right, Austin began wildly swinging at Christean¨¦, who immediately dodged backwards away from the blade. Austin made to pursue, even tossing aside his shield to grip his claymore with both hands and swing it down overhead ¡ª however, Christean¨¦ took hold of his hammer¡¯s tether again and yanked it sideways, whipping the hammer around to smash Austin¡¯s sword out of his hands. Christean¨¦ then snapped the tether upwards, immediately redirecting his hammer to smack Austin under the chin and send him flying backwards, the bright flaring of energy shields covering his entire face and upper chest.


    Spike then lunged for Christean¨¦ himself, seeking to take advantage of the Dean¡¯s apparent focus on Austin. Before he could close into grappling range, however, the Dean yanked his hammer tether once more, snapping his hammer through the air and into Spike¡¯s side. The force of the blow staggered Spike to the side, allowing Mark to charge forward, grab Spike by the arm, and then chuck him several meters away.


    ¡°A¡¯ight, stop!¡± Dav¨ªdrius called out from the side, prompting the four combatants to let down their guards.


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Austin groaned, momentarily shutting off his protective energy shields so that he could massage his chin. He glanced over at Spike to see if his friend was okay; upon seeing that Spike easily jumped back to his feet on his own, Austin turned to give Christean¨¦ an annoyed look. ¡°Hey, what was that for?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, you¡¯re a Simulator, aren¡¯t you?¡± Christean¨¦ replied airily. ¡°I know I can take my own hammer to the chin, no problem, and you were within a couple meters of me when I hit you. You¡¯d have been fine even without the shields.¡±


    ¡°Shields that make my Imperator powers practically useless, you know!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it goes, unfortunately,¡± the Dean said with a shrug. ¡°This kind of training is too dangerous without protective shielding, especially at your level of skill. Once you¡¯ve better got the hang of things, then we can try training you for battles without energy shields.¡±


    ¡°That sounds super fuckin¡¯ dangerous,¡± Spike pointed out.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie ¡ª it is. But Imperators are actually better suited to fighting without energy shields than most Chaotics. A skilled Imperator can even assert control over matter the very instant it touches their skin, thereby preventing any of the force from actually going through. ¡­Or so I hear, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is that really possible?!¡± Austin exclaimed, ¡°that sounds really cool! I wanna try that!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared as he approached Christean¨¦, Austin, Spike, and Mark. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard of one Imperator with that level of skill, and he¡¯s known as one of the galaxy¡¯s most powerful Chaotics. It¡¯ll take decades for you to reach his level.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡±


    ¡°Who might you be talking about?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Sike Regek ¡ª the Supreme Commander of the Black Suns,¡± Christean¨¦ answered. ¡°Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if half the claims of what he can do are just propaganda ¡ª but we aren¡¯t here to talk about him.¡± He offered an appreciative nod towards Mark. ¡°Thanks for helping out. As for the two of you¡­¡± The Dean turned toward Austin and Spike. ¡°¡­Well, let¡¯s start with the good. You seem to have taken our ¡®focus-fire¡¯ advice into account ¡ª you focused entirely on me, with the intention to take me out. That was good.¡±


    ¡°¡­But?¡± Spike prompted.


    ¡°But y¡¯all tunnel-visioned too hard,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°You tried too hard to take advantage of any openin¡¯ that you saw, without even keepin¡¯ track of where Christean¨¦¡¯s hammer was. That let him and Mark turn the tables on y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°That hammer does seem pretty impressive,¡± Spike remarked as he eyed Christean¨¦¡¯s weapon. While at rest, the elastic tether seemed not much more than a meter and a half long; the hammer itself consisted of a solid block of metal atop a short handle, currently draped over Christean¨¦¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just lookin¡¯ at the thing, it¡¯s clear that it¡¯s heavier than a normal hammer¡­¡± Spike said, ¡°but that thing hit like a fucking truck!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of momentum, for you!¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°Battlehammers like these are explicitly designed to take advantage of the kind of forces a Forcetechnic can throw out. It lets me leverage my strength in ways that I can¡¯t with only my body.¡±


    ¡°Strength and speed,¡± Austin muttered. ¡°You whipped that thing around so fast¡­ are you sure you aren¡¯t a Velocitechnic, too?¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha!¡± Christean¨¦ let loose an amused laugh before responding, ¡°no, that¡¯s just years and years of training ¡ª as well as poor expectations on your end. Remember one of the basic laws of kinematics: force is equal to mass times acceleration. Forcetechnics and Velocitechnics both have ways of increasing one portion of this equation: Velocitechnics can increase their acceleration to way more than should be physically possible, which has a net result of creating more force. Forcetechnics, meanwhile, just output more raw force as a fact. And due to basic algebra, we can see that acceleration is equal to force divided by mass ¡ª so if the force increases, so does the acceleration. That¡¯s how I can spin and yank my hammer around so quickly. And since momentum is equal to mass times velocity, that¡¯s how I can use my force to speed up my hammer, and then use my hammer¡¯s speed to yank me around through the air.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ right¡­¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all get the picture, now?¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°What Christean¨¦ just said can apply to all kinds of Chaotics. All kinds of Chaotics have ways of fuckin¡¯ around with those force or momentum equations, or other physics equations, so you can¡¯t expect weapons and projectiles to always follow the normal laws of physics. Know who you¡¯re up against, know their Chaotic ability, and know how that can affect any weapons they¡¯re usin¡¯. Don¡¯t recklessly take any openin¡¯ you see until you can tell at least that much.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fair enough,¡± Spike admitted. ¡°Ugh¡­ didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be gettin¡¯ a fuckin¡¯ physics lesson in the middle of trainin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess Kaon¨¦ was right when she said that learning that stuff is important as a Chaotic¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Kaon¨¦¡¯s right about most things,¡± Christean¨¦ declared. ¡°If she¡¯s trying to teach you something, you really should listen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, let¡¯s have another go,¡± the Dean said, already backing away as he gestured for Mark to follow. ¡°Remember what we just told you! Let¡¯s see if you can do better!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Spike and Austin shouted back as they both prepared for another bout of sparring.


    As Christean¨¦ called out ¡°ready, go!¡± once more and the four Chaotics resumed sparring, Pierce and Conrad watched on from the side, the both of them sitting down on the grassy hills and taking in the mid-afternoon sun.


    After watching for several seconds in silence, Conrad turned to glance at Pierce though the corner of his eye, noting that his friend didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to the sparring at all. Instead, Pierce wore a forlorn scowl as he stared up at the clouds drifting across the sky.


    ¡°¡­You okay?¡± Conrad eventually questioned.


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Pierce looked down at his friend, only to shake his head. ¡°Uh¡­ no, nothing¡¯s wrong. I mean, yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. You haven¡¯t been paying attention at all, have you?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course I have. They¡¯re just sparring, right? And the dweeb fucked it up or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon. I know you ¡ª there were at least two, maybe three points while they were talking where you normally would¡¯ve interjected to needlessly shit on Austin. And yet, you didn¡¯t. What gives? Finally grow a heart?¡±


    Pierce made an annoyed face at Conrad before laying down on his back to stare up at the clouds above.


    ¡°¡­Wow, not even a comeback for that?¡± Conrad remarked incredulously.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay, dude? Seems like you¡¯ve been kinda ¡®off¡¯ ever since the Deans told us to sit here and watch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for our turn to train, and waiting is fucking boring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t usually stew in silence when you¡¯re bored. You usually complain about it.¡±


    Pierce turned to glare at Conrad. ¡°What¡¯s your fucking point, huh? Is this just the ¡®make fun of Pierce¡¯ hour?¡±


    ¡°Relax, dude,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t take jabs at other people all the time, anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph.¡±


    ¡°Really, though. Is something up?¡±


    A moment of silence passed, followed by a deep sigh escaping Piece¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­Yeah. I guess.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ about Liask.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known. Is this about why she wasn¡¯t there to see you off? Did she finally see through your little charade?¡±


    ¡°Hey, she suggested it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you had to¡¯ve known that ¡®faking¡¯ a relationship was a bad idea. Especially with a girl who pretty clearly liked you for real.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡±


    ¡°So, did she dump you? Like all the others?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, you inconsiderate asshole. And¡­ she didn¡¯t explicitly dump me¡ª¡°


    ¡°So she dumped you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, dude,¡± Pierce retorted with a scowl, only for his expression to relax into a troubled frown as he returned to looking up at the sky. ¡°¡­But I guess I can¡¯t really deny it.¡±


    ¡°What are you so down for, then?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°You clearly never actually liked her, yourself ¡ª not romantically, anyways ¡ª otherwise you just would¡¯ve dated her for real.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy. Am I about to hear you make another speech about how you were about to discover true love, and that this girl would¡¯ve been the one for you, if only she stuck around a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you ass. This is about her brother.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Conrad responded meekly. ¡°¡­Ha ha, uh¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Pierce grunted back. ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t feel comfortable going out with her. It just¡­ didn¡¯t feel right, like I¡¯d be taking advantage of her, somehow. I feel like she should be blaming me for what happened to Trenon, but clearly, she isn¡¯t, and¡­ I don¡¯t know what to make of that.¡±


    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I never really considered the idea of a relationship between us, because of that. But then, she went and suggested, uh¡­ ¡®fake dating¡¯. And then, a few days ago, she figured out that I knew she liked me all along. And that, uh¡­ didn¡¯t go over very well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Yep. So that¡¯s how it is¡­ haven¡¯t talked to her since.¡± Pierce let out another sigh. ¡°¡­Except¡­ I feel so¡­ queasy. I¡¯ve never felt quite this way after a breakup. I¡­ think I actually miss her.¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you, now.¡±


    ¡°Is that really so hard to believe?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, man. But I feel like I¡¯ve heard you say those words dozens of times, only for you to bounce back perfectly fine a day later.¡±


    ¡°But Liask is¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ª¡®Different¡¯?¡± Conrad shook his head. ¡°C¡¯mon man, listen to yourself. Maybe the ¡®fake dating¡¯ just got to you.¡±


    ¡°¡­Hmph. Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°I say, just give it a couple days. We won¡¯t even be back in Tresnon for that long, at least. If you somehow still feel this way at that time, then, fucking, I don¡¯t know. Go for it, I guess. But I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Liask doesn¡¯t wanna talk to you again.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Pierce muttered. ¡°¡­Ah, fuck me. Why am I feeling so uneasy about this? How did I manage to fuck even this up?¡±


    ¡°You tell me,¡± Conrad replied with a shrug, his attention drifting back to the sparring going on in front of the duo. Christean¨¦ had already stopped the sparring once to give Austin and Spike more advice, and they were gearing up for a third round; as they did, Pierce and Conrad both lapsed into silence again. The silence continued as they watched the sparring continue, with Austin and Spike both approaching the match in a much more reserved manner than their initial bout. Conrad watched them trade blows with Christean¨¦ and Mark for some time before sighing loftily and joining Pierce in observing the blue skies above ¡ª only for a loud cracking and an earthquake-like rumbling to snap both Pierce and Conrad¡¯s attention to the sparring match.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Pierce muttered as they both beheld a massive dirt cloud that seemed to have exploded out of the ground.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯¡ª stop! Stop!!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted, jogging forward to ensure that everyone was okay. Austin and Mark had already backed away from the dust cloud, and as it began to disperse, Christean¨¦ and Spike both stumbled out of it, coughing and spluttering.


    ¡°¡­Sorry¡­¡± Spike eventually apologized, once he and Christean¨¦ were clear of the settling dirt.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine. You saw an actual opening, and you took it,¡± Christean¨¦ responded, giving Spike a reassuring pat on his shoulder before wincing and rubbing his side. ¡°¡­Oof. I¡¯m gonna feel that one in the morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ this is why we came to a Tier 5 World, right?¡± Mark questioned with an uneasy smile as he beheld the scar left behind by Spike¡¯s blow: a massive crack in the ground, surrounding a small crater at the top of the hill.


    ¡°Still, that was a hell of a blow, just outta no where!¡± Austin exclaimed. ¡°Dude, Spike, you gotta give me some warning next time! You almost got me, there!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was about to bring up, actually,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked. ¡°Spike, you did a good job keeping track of both Mark¡¯s position, and where my hammer was, before you went to attack me. But you did seem to lose track of your own friend¡¯s position, which is no¡ª¡°


    ¡°Shit! Everyone, back off!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?¡± Christean¨¦ responded in confusion to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s exclamation, only for the latter to speed up to the crack in the hill and fiercely chuck a hefty rock at a small creature that was crawling up through the crack ¡ª a small, silvery, bug-like creature. Under the force of Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s throw, the rock obliterated the creature, turning it into a small cloud of shimmering silver that the Dean rapidly retreated from.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Conrad muttered as both he and Pierce stood up, concern written across their faces. ¡°Was that¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied irately. ¡°Fuck. They really are here?¡±


    Pierce and Austin both turned to give the Dean a suspicious look. ¡°Were you expecting them?!¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for questions, right now,¡± Christean¨¦ quickly interjected. ¡°If the metallic infection really is here, then we need to get out of here, quickly. The Nayasis settlement should have some portable shield units that we can use to cover up that crack; we need to go get those ASAP, before any more of those damn bugs show up!¡±


    ¡°The man¡¯s right! Let¡¯s get goin¡¯, people!¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared as he began leading the group back toward the Nayasis settlement, leaving behind the cracked foothill ¡ª and the settling silver dust from the creature that had emerged from it.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Woooo! You go, girl!!¡±


    Kestrel responded with silence to Phoenix¡¯s cheers, instead focusing on her own motions as she manipulated the winds around her to gracefully guide her body through the air, soaring through the sunlit skies of Karania. Wordlessly, she zipped through the air to a hovering column of stone, dived down beneath it, and then pulled into a tight upward climb on the other side to avoid the hovering metal wall on the other side of the column. After a second of upwards flight, she shot out above the wall and column, grabbing a thin rod that hovered above them to whirl around 270 degrees and continue flying parallel to the top of the wall. Just as she came out of the whirl, a handful of ice pillars manifested in the air before her, partially blocking her path; with barely a reaction, Kestrel deftly slalomed through the ice pillars, emerging from the other side a mere few seconds later to pull into another upwards climb and continue flying through the air.


    ¡°Damn, I wish I was half as good at flying like that!¡± Sky remarked as she watched Kestrel continue to maneuver through the hovering obstacle course that Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka were creating on the fly. Afternoon sunlight shone down on the Deans, Twy, Sky, Phoenix, and Danielle, who were all standing on a large platform hovering a hundred meters or so in the air over the coastal waters. The city of Kani stood some distance to the west, and the waterborne research facility stood nearly a kilometer to the east, but no one¡¯s attention was on them; all eyes were currently on Kestrel as she gracefully demonstrated her aerial capabilities in the skies over the waters.


    ¡°I agree¡­¡± Twy commented, affirming Sky¡¯s previous remark. ¡°She makes it look so easy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Kestrel, for you!¡± Phoenix exclaimed. ¡°She did track alongside me and Pierce, you know. She always excelled at the jumping and more acrobatic events, and you can sure as hell see that here!¡±


    ¡°I do have to admit, I¡¯m impressed,¡± Rebehka stated as Kestrel returned to the group and gently alighted on the platform. ¡°I hear it¡¯s easier for Aerotechnics to get the hang of flight than other Chaotics, but even considering that, your flying form was¡­ honestly? Beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment; while she wore on her face the same stoic expression as ever, her inability to make eye-contact with Rebehka was lost on no one.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be shy!¡± Phoenix said, ¡°you should own what you can do! Damn, I sure wish I could join you, up there¡­¡±


    ¡°I could turn into a jetpack, for you!¡± Danielle suggested.


    ¡°Well, hold on, now,¡± Rebehka quickly interjected. ¡°We aren¡¯t just flying for fun, here. Not right now, at least.¡±


    ¡°But once our lessons are over, I¡¯d be more than happy to stay here with anyone who¡¯d like to fly,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, and then turned to look up at Kestrel. ¡°For now, though¡­ I agree with Rebehka. Your form was very good, you seemed to have a good control of your speed, and an awareness of your surroundings¡­ there honestly isn¡¯t much to critique. Going forward, I¡¯d say you should start training with using your powers both offensively and defensively while still flying as quickly and gracefully as you just did; master that, and there won¡¯t be many Chaotics who can touch you.¡±


    Kestrel looked back at Kaon¨¦, simply staring for a few seconds as she digested the Dean¡¯s words ¡ª followed by a quick nod of acknowledgment.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth pointing out that, as an Aerotechnic, you have something of an inherent advantage over other Chaotics when it comes to flying,¡± Rebehka added. ¡°I have a feeling I might not need to say this to you, but: don¡¯t let that make you complacent. Just because it¡¯s easier for you to fly, doesn¡¯t mean that another type of Chaotic can¡¯t ever match you.¡±


    ¡°How many Chaotics can even fly, though?¡± Phoenix questioned. ¡°I sure can¡¯t. Most of you can, but none of the guys can fly, either, except for Austin.¡±


    ¡°Chaotic flight is common enough that you need to be ready to deal with it in a fight,¡± Rebehka asserted. ¡°Pretty much any Chaotic that can manipulate matter can fly by ¡®riding¡¯ the matter they¡¯re manipulating ¡ª such as the platform we¡¯re all standing on, right now!¡±


    ¡°I guess my bubble ¡®flight¡¯ falls into that category¡­¡± Twy mused.


    ¡°Aerotechnism does as well, technically. And then there¡¯s Pyrotechnics, who can fly by detonating the air around them, like a rocket thruster. Transtechnics can transform into a form that flies, Manipulator and Imperator Psychotechnics can manipulate their own bodies to fly, Gravitatechnics can manipulate gravity to fly¡­ you get the picture.¡±


    ¡°And then there are other Chaotics who can¡¯t fly, but still have ways to launch themselves high into the air to reach a flying opponent,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°Velocitechnics and Forcetechnics are the obvious ones.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Rebehka replied, ¡°but since they can¡¯t fly ¡ª well, let¡¯s see if any of you can answer this. Since Velocitechnics and Forcetechnics can¡¯t fly, is it a good idea for them to try and catch a flying opponent in the air?¡±


    ¡°Well Dav¨ªdrius does it all the time, so¡­ yeah?¡± Sky answered. ¡°I mean, how else are they supposed to reach a flying enemy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right¡­¡± Twy said. ¡°We¡¯ve already been told before that Dav¨ªdrius has bad combat habits. Besides¡­ what happens to him if his flying opponent just dodges him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem,¡± Rebehka stated. ¡°Chaotics who can¡¯t fly will often still try to close the distance between themselves and a flying opponent, since most Chaotics do better in close-range fights. But once they¡¯re in the air, they have no way of naturally altering their trajectory until they hit the ground, again ¡ª which leaves them vulnerable. As a Chaotic who can fly, sometimes a good strategy to use against an enemy who can¡¯t is to try and bait them into jumping after you, and then nailing them in the air while they can¡¯t dodge your attacks.¡±


    ¡°That said, some of those Chaotics have tools to help in that situation,¡± Kaon¨¦ added. ¡°I don¡¯t know if any of you have seen Christean¨¦ fight, but he has a special tethered battlehammer that he can use to change his trajectory mid-air, just through sheer momentum. It isn¡¯t quite flight, but it¡¯s close enough to catch opponents off guard. And those kinds of battlehammers aren¡¯t uncommon among Forcetechnics.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like any fight between two Chaotics will inevitably end up in the air!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Depending on who you¡¯re up against, it very well might,¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°On the ground, with few exceptions, you can really only move in two dimensions ¡ª but in the air, you can move in all three. That makes it easier to dodge incoming attacks, as well as harder for an opponent to target you. The lack of cover in the air can also be beneficial, sometimes. It means you can¡¯t really hide, but it also means that it¡¯s a lot easier for you to spot an incoming attack and react to it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Which is why we¡¯re practicing your flight skills, today,¡± Kaon¨¦ finished. ¡°It¡¯s a very important skill to have, as well as being relatively harmless and very fun to train!¡±


    ¡°I wish I could fly¡­¡± Phoenix muttered.


    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded with an uneasy laugh. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry to make you watch all of this¡­¡±


    ¡°But at the same time, observing is still important,¡± Rebehka declared. ¡°You may not be able to fly, Phoenix, but as we just went over, it¡¯s likely that you¡¯ll face flying opponents in the future. You¡¯ll be better prepared to face them if you know exactly how different types of Chaotics can achieve flight, and how well they do so.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I get that, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Phoenix trailed off, only to shrug and sigh. ¡°Oh, whatever. I¡¯ll just have to deal. Don¡¯t let me get in the way of you guys.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ let¡¯s work on that,¡± Rebehka mused, and then glanced between Phoenix and Sky. ¡°¡­Sky, you¡¯re up next. But what we¡¯re going to do now is that Phoenix is going to keep attacking you from here for about, oh, a minute or so. We¡¯ll see how well you can dodge ¡ª or how well Phoenix can aim ¡ª for that time.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Sky turned to give Phoenix a challenging grin. ¡°You¡¯ll never touch me!¡±


    ¡°You clearly don¡¯t know who you¡¯re up against,¡± Phoenix responded in kind.


    ¡°I know we all have energy shields, here, but do remember to be careful!¡± Kaon¨¦ called out as Sky took to the air with a burst of flames. ¡°Try not to get carried away!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Sky replied with a casual salute as she made some distance between herself and the hovering platform.


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll start on my go,¡± Rebehka declared, holding her hand up in the air as she looked between Phoenix and Sky. ¡°Okay¡­ go!!¡±


    The Dean dropped her hand as she uttered the word, and immediately after she did, Phoenix threw her right hand out toward Sky. ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!¡± she declared, firing off two Mach-speed purple projectiles that streaked through the air. Sky quickly blasted the air beneath her feet, launching herself upwards just barely in time to evade the projectiles before lighting the air under her feet and palms in a constant streak of flames to continue maneuvering through the air, leaving in her wake the thunder of roaring flames. Just as she did, another two purple projectiles shot by, one nailing Sky in her shoulder and sending her careening off to the side. Phoenix immediately followed with yet another ¡°Chaos Cannon¡±, hoping to take advantage of the opening Sky had left for her ¡ª only for the Pyrotechnic to pre-emptively blast the air once more, rocketing her downwards and evading the projectile.


    ¡°¡­Wow!¡± Danielle exclaimed, moving over to the edge of the platform to watch Sky begin flying low over the coastal waters. ¡°Her flight really is explosive! I wonder if Kate could fly, that way¡­¡±


    ¡°She certainly won¡¯t be sneaking anywhere, with that¡­¡± Twy commented, just as another explosion sounded from below as Sky sharply altered her trajectory to evade Phoenix¡¯s rain of Chaos attacks. The Pyrotechnic had been making distance between herself and the platform, so as to give herself more time to react to Phoenix¡¯s attacks ¡ª and Phoenix¡¯s accuracy was dropping, accordingly. Taking note of this, Phoenix switched off of using Chaos Cannon and called out, ¡°Chaos Arrow! Chaos Arrow!!¡± Two arrow-like streaks of purple energy shot out of her hands and began arcing through the air toward Sky. The arrows moved much more slowly than the Mach-speed projectiles of Chaos Cannon, but as Sky began to evade them, their advantage became evident: they continued arcing to track the Pyrotechnic through the sky.


    Phoenix smirked to herself as Sky began flying in an erratic manner to try and shake off the homing projectiles. ¡°Chaos Arrow, Chaos Arrow, Chaos Arrow,¡± Phoenix quickly rattled off, adding a storm of arrows just as Sky managed to shake off the first two by juking them into colliding with the surface of the water. A brief moment of silence ensued as Sky caught her breath, only to catch sight of the incoming arrow storm and immediately launch herself parallel to the water¡¯s surface, flying further out over the coastal waters in an attempt to make even more distance between her and Phoenix.


    ¡°¡­She¡¯s starting to get pretty far out there¡­¡± Twy muttered, noting how Sky was now well over half a kilometer out from the platform ¡ª all while Phoenix continued adding to the stream of Chaos Arrows, throwing in the occasional Chaos Cannon in an attempt to throw Sky off. ¡°¡­Can Chaos Arrow really track her from here?¡±


    ¡°I think Arrow can track a target from about a kilometer away or so, if I recall correctly¡­¡± Rebehka replied. ¡°Though even that can vary based on the power or skill of the Chaostechnic in question.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about the direction of this exercise, though¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said, watching as Sky¡¯s flame-driven aerial dance over the waters brought her closer and closer to the waterborne facility in the distance ¡ª and thus also, the projectiles Phoenix was firing. ¡°¡­Phoenix, stop!¡±


    ¡°Chaos¡ª huh?¡± The Chaostechnic stopped mid-invocation to give Kaon¨¦ a confused look. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your attacks are getting too close to the research center!¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°Remember to watch out for the backdrop! After all, if your attacks miss your target, then they¡¯ll still hit something!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right. Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going right for the research center¡­¡± Rebehka commented, still watching Sky. A scowl then crossed her face as she leaped forward, crafting a pathway of ice through the air that she deftly skated upon. ¡°I¡¯m going after her!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sky¡­¡± Twy muttered. ¡°Just how oblivious to your surroundings can you be¡­?¡±


    Sky, however, was now too far away from the platform to be aware of any of the previous conversation. Her attention was instead focused on the stream of purple arrows chasing after her, tracking her movements like hounds. They were faster than her, but far less maneuverable; several times already, Sky had managed to juke around many arrows by suddenly blasting the air beneath her or to her side, to rapidly change her trajectory through the air. Merely dodging the arrows wasn¡¯t enough, however ¡ª even after evading one, it would still curve around through the air to resume giving chase, only stopping after hitting something, like the surface of the water.


    ¡°¡­Ngh! Agh¡ª!¡± Sky grunted in exertion as she suddenly changed her flight direction with yet another blast of flames, her head beginning to pound from both repeatedly detonating the air right next to herself as well as constantly changing what direction she was flying in. Four purple arrows shot past her as she began skimming the surface of the water, now at a lower altitude than all of the arrows chasing her ¡ª so low, in fact, that she could have reached down with her hand and touched the gentle waves below. As she flew, three arrows curved down towards her, only to just barely miss Sky and disappear into the waters.


    Tentatively, Sky looked up at the air behind her, quickly counting out six remaining arrows chasing after her. Just before she returned her attention to dodging, however, she noticed that a trail of ice was appearing through the air, making its way toward her. ¡°¡­What the¡ª? Oof!!¡± Sky began to question the appearance of the ice, but was cut short as she slammed into a wall ¡ª or rather, what had felt like a wall. Momentarily stunned, she fell out of the air and into the waters below, where each of the six remaining arrows found their mark on the energy shields protecting her body. In both panic and frustration, Sky generated a massive plume of fire all around herself, instantly evaporating the water in her immediate vicinity before launching herself skyward with a blast of flames. As soon as she cleared the water¡¯s surface, she began hovering in place, quickly searching the sky for any remaining arrows¡­ only for her attention to be drawn to the air to her side. The waterborne facility off the coast of Kani stood before her, with several massive structural support columns supporting the main building over the water¡­ and a vertical sheet of golden light appeared between Sky and the building, the light slowly fading.


    ¡°Sky! Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Sky turned around just as Rebehka skated up to her. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m fine, I think. I think I lost the duel, though, ha ha¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s certainly a handful of things we need to talk about,¡± Rebehka admonished, and then shifted her attention to the giant research facility before them. ¡°But¡­¡± she muttered, and then crafted a small ice spike in the air over her shoulder before launching it through the air toward the research facility, on a path such that it would thread between the support columns, but hit none of them. Before the spike crossed even a few meters, however, it instead slammed into an invisible wall ¡ª an invisible wall that was quickly replaced by the golden glow of flaring energy shields.


    ¡°Those are energy shields¡­ right?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°Why is this place shielded? Is it super secret, or something?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Rebehka muttered, warily eying the fading energy shields. ¡°¡­Not on a permanent basis. The fact that they¡¯re up now can only mean¡ª!¡±


    Before she could finish her thought, the deafening sound of rending metal filled the air as a massive hole exploded outwards of the research facility¡¯s underside ¡ª and out through the hole burst a large, silver dragon, its maw wide with a roar as it turned through the air and made a dash straight for Rebehka and Sky. In a reflexive panic, Sky blasted the air beneath her to dodge out of the way, but the dragon instead slammed into the energy shield before it could reach either woman. It drew back for a second, stunned, before lashing out, slamming the energy shield repeatedly and causing it to brightly flare up.


    ¡°What the¡ª! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Sky exclaimed in confusion.


    ¡°Another critical infection? And here? Damn it¡­!¡± Rebehka scowled in frustration. She then snapped her attention back to Sky, shouting, ¡°we need to get back to the others, fast!¡±


    ¡°Uh, right!¡± Sky responded uneasily, quickly turning around and blasting off toward the hovering platform in the distance, Rebehka hot on her heels as they left behind the shielded research facility¡­ and the metallic dragon trapped with it.

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 44: Bloody Destruction

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 44: Bloody Destruction


    A thunderous rumbling filled the air and trembled the ground, rocking the foundations of the Bleeder base as Liask charged straight through the walls of the interior buildings. Her superior strength and durability as a Forcetechnic allowed her to punch through the stone walls as easily as paper, quickly exposing the surprised Bleeders left within ¡ª who she readily crushed with the debris from her forceful entry. As soon as she did, however, the stone wall opposite from her exploded inwards, showering her with dozens of shards of sharp stone¡­ followed swiftly by gunfire. Bullets and lasers alike found their mark across her chest; none of them were able to pierce through her Forcetechnic durability, but the surprise and force were enough to stagger her all the same, preventing her from reacting as the stone debris all around her began to rise into the air and coalesce into a handful of sharp spears.


    Just as the spears shot forward with an intent to impale Liask, three translucent black barriers intercepted them, harmlessly deflecting all three. In that brief moment of respite, Liask shook herself off and lunged backwards out the hole she had originally entered through, using the stirred up dust cloud to mask her presence as she exited to the open base grounds and rejoined Obra. In the chaos of their attack, however, many of the base¡¯s lights had flashed on, dispelling the nighttime darkness that the two attackers had used for cover. Gunfire quickly followed Liask as a handful of gun-toting Bleeders spilled out of the main barracks across the base and joined the defense, prompting Liask to scoop up Obra in her arms and bound away in an attempt to carry him out of harm¡¯s way.


    Mid-bound, a spire of stone exploded out of the ground to smack Liask out of the air, sending her and Obra sprawling to the ground. Obra quickly wrapped himself in barriers as a reflexive defense, just in time to save himself from a flame bath that followed. Liask staggered to her feet, her clothes set aflame from the fires around her as she turned her attention to the Bleeder Geotechnic and Pyrotechnic that were leading the defense. As soon as she spotted them, the Geotechnic erected a protective stone barrier and the Pyrotechnic launched themselves upwards, positioning themselves right in between Liask and one of the base¡¯s massive lights. Liask reflexively squinted in the light, preventing her from reacting as the Geotechnic raised several chucks of stone to launch at her ¡ª only to be deflected at the last second by Obra¡¯s barriers. The hail of gunfire quickly turned on Obra, however, forcing him to put all of his focus into maintaining a protective barrier for himself and leaving Liask to defend herself.


    As the non-Chaotic Bleeders kept Obra pinned, both the Geotechnic and the Pyrotechnic moved in on Liask, with the Geotechnic raising a stone cage around her that the Pyrotechnic filled with flames. Liask easily punched her way out of the cage and stumbled forwards, before crouching down and leaping up at the flying Pyrotechnic ¡ª only for her target to dodge to the left, causing her to sail past harmlessly. A blast of fire rocketed her upwards, followed quickly by a giant slab of rock appearing over her and slamming her back to the ground, where a sharp spire of stone was waiting. Liask quickly tucked in her arms and shoulders, managing to mostly miss the spire as she slammed into the ground; yet it still grazed her back and left shoulder, the raw speed of her descent generating enough force for the sharp spire to slash her skin. ¡°Agh¡­!¡± she grunted in pain, reflexively grasping her wounded shoulder with her right hand as she attempted to fend off an onslaught of rocky projectiles with her left.


    ¡°Chaos Control.¡±


    And then, Liask found herself utterly incapable of moving, her body frozen partway between standing up and blocking the Geotechnic¡¯s attacks. She struggled fiercely to move even one inch, but despite her incredible strength, her body simply refused to listen to her.


    ¡°And just who the hell do we got here, huh?¡±


    A groggy male voice reached Liask from her side, but she was unable to turn her head to see who was speaking. His words were enough for her to realize that the Bleeders had all stopped shooting, however; each of the gun-wielding Bleeders had lowered their weapons and adopted relaxed stances, as if assuming the fight was already over.


    And then, she felt a hand on her chin ¡ª followed by someone yanking her head around. What met her gaze was an older, skinny man with gaunt cheeks, who looked down at Liask as if he were doing little more than inspecting produce. Liask wished no more than to reach out and smash his face, but she couldn¡¯t even control her body enough to glare at him.


    ¡°¡­Nasty scar¡­¡± the man mused while staring pointedly at Liask¡¯s mouth and neck. ¡°¡­Ugh. Well, some folks are into that, I guess. Either way, you¡¯re a Chaotic, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get somethin¡¯ for ya.¡± He stepped back, his attention shifting to somewhere behind Liask ¡ª toward Obra, she could only assume. ¡°¡­Only two of ya, though, huh? And ya got past the guards, too. Boss ain¡¯t gonna be happy about that¡ª¡°


    Mid-sentence, a hole appeared straight through the side of the man¡¯s forehead, with the bullet that had created it driving into the ground just to the side of Liask. Now lifeless, the man¡¯s body began to crumple to the ground ¡ª only for Ralak to appear from the darkness and shoulder-check it with her exposed shoulder, seizing control of the corpse with her Imperator powers and whipping it around to chuck it at the surprised gun-toting Bleeders. Both the Bleeder Geotechnic and Pyrotechnic made to attack her, but before either got the chance, a well-placed bullet from Saito and Hackett each brought both of their newly lifeless corpses to the ground. The two officers then turned their guns on the gun-wielding Bleeders, only to find that Ralak was already upon them, having used her Imperator powers to take control of one of them and force him to fire his gun on the others. In the brief chaos that followed, only two of the Bleeders remained ¡ª and before they could turn their guns on Ralak, Hackett downed them both with a well-placed burst of gunfire.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Liask muttered, having regained control of her body since the death of the gaunt-faced man. She looked back at Obra, who was climbing back to his feet himself, before turning to look at Ralak in confusion.


    ¡°You two okay?¡±


    She then looked to the side as Saito approached. ¡°¡­Who¡­?¡± she questioned uneasily.


    ¡°We¡¯re with Ralak ¡ª from Tresnon,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re here to help. But we need to get the two of you out of here until we can¡ª¡°


    The thundering rumble of stone walls exploding outwards interrupted Saito as a giant wave of water surged forth and knocked Ralak back, accompanied by incredible electrical strikes that blasted Hackett away. Liask quickly grabbed Saito to steady him against the waters, bracing to prevent the crashing wave from washing them away. As soon as the wave passed, both turned their attention toward its origin: a now-destroyed corner of the barracks building, where a clearly furious tan-skinned woman with fiery red hair now stood.


    ¡°What the FUCK is goin¡¯ on here?!¡± she roared, a ring of water several meters in diameter forming around her. Streaks of lightning flashed through the ring of water and occasionally leaped between it and the surrounding terrain, all while the woman surveyed the damaged base with an irate glare. ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯¡­ Str¨¦n leaves for one dirt-damned day,¡± she growled, ¡°alright, you fucks! Which of you wanna scream first, huh¡ª?!¡±


    A massive blow to the side of her head sent her staggering to the side ¡ª but unlike the Bleeders before who had instantly died to a headshot, she remained alive, protected by the tell-tale golden flaring of energy shields. In a furious rage, she snapped her attention to the direction the blow had come from, her eyes quickly settling on Captain Travis, positioned atop the roof of the tallest building in the base; with a guttural snarl, the woman lunged forward, firing off a fierce blast of lightning toward Travis and blowing up the top of the building he was standing on. She didn¡¯t wait for the resulting crumbling dust to settle before firing off another several lightning strikes, completely ignoring Saito as he attempted to distract her with gunfire. As she made to strike the building once more, however, the electricity failed to manifest, and the ring of water that surrounded her lost cohesion and spilled onto the ground.


    ¡°What? The fuck¡ª?¡± the woman growled, her confused glare snapping to the small device that rolled up to her. Immediately recognizing it as a CENT field generator, the woman lunged backwards in an attempt to escape its effective radius ¡ª but before she could, Hackett tackled her to the ground. The Bleeder immediately began fiercely struggling, but without her Chaotic abilities to aid her, Hackett was easily able to leverage her own larger size and superior strength to pin the disabled Chaotic to the ground.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ you¡¯re a feisty one,¡± Hackett muttered with a scowl as the Bleeder continued thrashing in a futile attempt to defeat the Major¡¯s pin. ¡°¡­Now if only you could understand me, so I could tell you to sit still!¡±


    ¡°Nrgh! Fucking outsiders!¡± the woman responded with a growl, glaring up at Hackett. ¡°The fuck are you doin¡¯ here? You wanna get Tres¨¦d under your thumb, too?!¡±


    Hackett simply shook her head in irritation before glancing back at Saito, who was keeping a careful distance, and Ralak, who was tending to Liask and Obra.


    ¡°¡­Looks like she¡¯s handled,¡± Saito muttered, and then activated his comms. ¡°Captain, you alright?¡±


    A moment of silence passed. Then, ?¡­ugh. Yeah, I¡¯m fine,? Travis replied over the comms. ?That blast disoriented me pretty good, but it was nothing my shields couldn¡¯t handle.?


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Saito responded, and then glanced back at the Bleeder Hackett was currently pinning. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s safe to say we have the boss, but we still need to secure the base. Travis, you and I will handle that. Hackett, make sure she doesn¡¯t go anywhere.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Understood,¡± the Major replied.


    ¡°Ragh!!¡± the Bleeder snarled in response. ¡°¡­Y¡¯all think you¡¯re gonna get one over on me? Over the Bleeders?! Think again, you fuckwits! Armor, activate immediate destruct! Confirm!!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Hackett exclaimed in surprise, only for an incredible explosion underneath her to throw her a few dozen meters into the air. An incredible, deafening roar and a blinding flash of light accompanied the explosion, forcing everyone nearby to divert their gazes and stagger in pain. Eventually, the roar and the smoke subsided, interrupted only by a thud and a pained grunt as Hackett fell back to the ground, her armor protecting her from the brunt of the explosion.


    ?¡­That didn¡¯t sound good,? came Travis¡¯s voice over the comms.


    ¡°Can it, Captain¡­¡± Saito retorted as he looked out over the results of the explosion. Not a single piece of the Bleeder woman nor her armor could be seen; in their place was now a massive crater, slowly filling with debris as the surrounding buildings collapsed into it. Hackett slowly stumbled to her feet a short distance away ¡ª though was then plunged into darkness as half of the base¡¯s lights suddenly shut down. ¡°¡­MacTavish?¡± Saito quickly questioned.


    ?Uh, wh-whatever that was, it, uh, k-killed some of the power¡­? the Researcher quickly replied.


    ¡°What the hell¡ª?¡° Hackett paused for a second to cough before turning toward Saito with an incredulous look on her face. ¡°¡­What the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°Some kinda self-destruct¡­¡± Ralak responded. ¡°I heard from Dav¨ªdrius that some of the Bleeders had self-destructs. I guess that¡¯s what happened, here¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure serves the bastards right,¡± Obra declared as he approached Saito and Hackett alongside Liask. ¡°Great jo¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You, shut up,¡± Ralak snapped. ¡°Do you have any idea how fucking stupid it was to attack a Bleeder base all on your own?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Obra drew back in surprise, only for his face to then scrounge up in anger. ¡°But you just did the same thing!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Ralak¡¯s right, Obra,¡± Liask interjected, her expression sullen. ¡°If they hadn¡¯t stepped in¡­ we would¡¯ve lost. We did lose.¡±


    ¡°And against the Bleeders, you¡¯d¡¯ve lost a lot more than just a fight!¡± Ralak pressed. ¡°Do the two of you have any idea how fucking badly things could¡¯ve gone for y¡¯all?!¡±


    Obra and Liask exchanged a glance, and then looked back to Ralak sheepishly.


    ¡°Well, at least they¡¯re fine, now,¡± Saito stated, looking over the two students before turning toward Hackett and getting on the comms again. ¡°Hackett, Travis, I want the two of you to secure the base. Capture any stragglers if you can, but kill them if you have to. MacTavish, see if you can find anything in their computer systems. I¡¯ll stay here to watch over Ralak and the students.¡±


    ?Understood,? came Travis and MacTavish¡¯s replies.


    ¡°Be careful, Colonel,¡± Hackett said as she grasped her gun and rushed off to inspect the rest of the base.


    ¡°Tch¡­ ¡®watch over us¡¯?¡± Obra bristled and glared at Saito. ¡°What, you think you¡¯re better than us?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a trained military squad. Of course they¡¯re better than y¡¯all,¡± Ralak declared. ¡°Let this be a lesson: just ¡®cause you¡¯re a Chaotic doesn¡¯t mean you can do anythin¡¯ you want! It doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re invincible! You still need to be fucking careful!¡±


    ¡°O¡­ okay, sheesh¡­¡± Obra drew back from Ralak in surprise. ¡°B-but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Kid, you should listen to your teacher,¡± Saito said. ¡°At the end of the day, all it takes to take down a Chaotic is a gun. You might need a CENT field, too, but even those aren¡¯t terribly hard to come by.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­¡± Obra looked between Ralak and Saito in distress. ¡°We¡­ we just wanted to find Minilas! Our friend! No one was doin¡¯ anythin¡¯ about it, can you blame us for tryin¡¯ to, ourselves?!¡±


    ¡°You dumbass,¡± Ralak retorted as she rapped Obra upside his head. ¡°What the hell do you think we¡¯re doin¡¯ here, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­W-well¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re right, Obra¡­¡± Liask commented dejectedly, while sitting on the ground and staring up at the cloudless night skies above. ¡°¡­It was pretty stupid to assume that we knew better or could do better than the Defense Force, or Ralak¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that Minilas is still out there!¡± Obra countered. ¡°Even if we left everythin¡¯ to the Defense Force, she¡­ I can¡¯t just sit around while the Bleeders still got her, you know?¡± He then turned to Ralak. ¡°Did you really expect us to just sit around and do nothin¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°I hoped you would¡­¡± Ralak muttered, only to sigh a moment later. ¡°¡­But you¡¯re Tres¨¦dians. For better or worse, takin¡¯ things into your own hands is somethin¡¯ most Tres¨¦dians seem hard-wired to want.¡±


    A moment of silence passed as Ralak pursed her lips in thought, all while staring at Obra and Liask. Saito stood to the side, eying them through the corner of his eye as he cautiously watched the rest of the base for any signs of activity.


    ¡°¡­Even so,¡± Ralak eventually continued. ¡°While I ain¡¯t surprised you¡¯re out here¡­ that don¡¯t change the fact that what you did was fuckin¡¯ stupid as dirt. How the hell would it¡¯ve helped your friend if the two of y¡¯all just got captured, too, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡± Obra snorted in frustration, but had no other response.


    ¡°Y¡¯all got damn lucky. There ain¡¯t many Chaotics who can attack a Bleeder base like this and make it out just fine. Even I¡­¡±


    As Ralak continued to lecture the two students, Saito turned his attention to surveying the wrecked base. It wasn¡¯t too large by any means, with only a handful of buildings standing within the outer walls ¡ª and most of those buildings had been destroyed in the chaos of the battle. Of all the buildings, one stood out to him the most: a large hangar-like structure, standing apart from the rest of the base. It bore some battle damage, but appeared to have escaped the fight relatively unscathed. Apart from that building, however, the base appeared almost completely wrecked.


    A concerned frown crossed the Colonel¡¯s face; the entire point of raiding the base had been to find another lead on the Bleeders¡¯ activities, but with the base in its current state, he wasn¡¯t sure how possible that would be. If that woman who killed herself is to be believed, then Str¨¦n was here, recently, the Colonel mused, so he can¡¯t be far from here, surely. But a day¡¯s worth of travel across a wasteland as vast as Tres¨¦d, without any knowledge of what kind of transportation he took, or what direction he went in¡­ that¡¯s barely a lead at all. Maybe that hangar will show us something, but¡­


    ?Uh, C-Colonel¡­?


    ¡°Yes, MacTavish?¡± Saito acknowledged over the comms.


    ?I¡­ I think I, um, f-found something¡­? came MacTavish¡¯s timid reply.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ?Well, s-some of the systems were, um, d-destroyed in that fight, but, uh¡­ f-from what I can tell f-from the logs, i-it seems like the Bleeders, um¡­ had a lot of c-captives here, recently. Like, um¡­ a few hundred.?


    ¡°A few hundred¡­?¡± Saito echoed incredulously. ¡°What for?¡±


    ?I¡­ d-don¡¯t know. All I can f-find is, um, that they were recently t-taken, um, o-out to the coast. The Tres¨¦dian coast. T-to the northeast.?


    ¡°How recently?¡±


    ?Um¡­ y-yesterday. ¡­B-by aircraft, too¡­?


    ¡°Yesterday? Damn. Was Str¨¦n with them?¡±


    ?Uh¡­ i-it doesn¡¯t say. I-it does give a location, though¡­?


    ¡°Write it down, now. How far is it?¡±


    ?¡­T-too far to get in our, um, car. I-in one day, at least. I-it¡¯s across the mountains, too¡­?


    ?Good thing we got lucky, then!? Travis¡¯s voice threaded its way into the conversation. ?Colonel, you won¡¯t believe what I found in that hangar!?


    ¡°Did you find a plane?¡± Saito questioned.


    ?¡­Colonel, you¡¯ll believe what I found in that hangar!?


    ¡°Cut the jokes, Travis. Can it fly?¡±


    ?Ha ha, sorry, sir. As for if it can fly, well, it sure looks air-worthy. It looks like it¡¯s plugged in, though, I guess it¡¯s charging¡­? Yeah, it says here it doesn¡¯t have enough charge or fuel to fly. It¡¯s still getting fuel from an auto-refueler, but its charging was interrupted¡­?


    ¡°Because of the battle¡­¡± Saito muttered, eying the shut down lights across the base ¡ª and then the several that were still active, bathing half of the base in dim light. ¡°¡­Clearly, there¡¯s still some power, though. MacTavish, do you think you could find a way to plug the aircraft into the intact circuits?¡±


    ?Um¡­ m-maybe. P-probably?? the Researcher replied. ?I-it, um, m-might take some time¡­?


    ¡°Get on it, ASAP. If we¡¯re a day away from stopping Str¨¦n and rescuing a hundred hostages, then I¡¯ll be damned if we let this opportunity slip!¡±


    ?O-Okay¡­?


    ¡°Travis, help her out. Make sure nothing happens to that aircraft.¡±


    ?Understood, sir!? the Captain replied.


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Saito breathed an apprehensive sigh, and then turned back to look at Ralak, who appeared to have wrapped up her lecture. Liask and Obra simply sat in front of her, both wearing dejected expressions.


    ¡°¡­Did you find anythin¡¯?¡± Ralak questioned as the Colonel approached.


    ¡°We did,¡± he replied, and then looked doubtfully down at Liask and Obra. ¡°¡­It sounds like the Bleeders had a lot of hostages here, and left with them just yesterday for the coast.¡±


    ¡°We missed them by a day¡­?¡± Liask responded in surprise.


    ¡°Sounds like it,¡± Saito said. ¡°If we want to keep on the trail, then we¡¯ll have to leave as soon as we can ¡ª probably early tomorrow morning. Which means¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, Colonel,¡± Ralak replied. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they get back to Tresnon safely.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Obra exclaimed indignantly, ¡°no fuckin¡¯ way! You¡¯re sayin¡¯ we¡¯re this close to findin¡¯ our friend, and you wanna send us back?!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee your friend is among the hostages,¡± Ralak countered.


    ¡°But, if she is¡­¡± Liask jumped to her feet and gave Ralak a pleading look. ¡°Please, let us go with you! We¡¯ll even stay out of the fightin¡¯, we just wanna see if Minilas is okay!¡±


    Ralak gave Liask a doubtful look, and then turned toward Saito, as if to ask for his opinion. Upon noticing this, he released a wary sigh.


    ¡°¡­Do either of you kids know how to use a gun?¡± the Colonel questioned.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Liask and Obra exchanged a glance before Liask admitted sheepishly, ¡°not¡­ really¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°¡­Still. A Barriertechnic and a Forcetechnic, right? Well, you can at least protect yourselves if you find yourself in a fight, but¡­¡± He looked back to Ralak. ¡°¡­Well, Ralak, if Str¨¦n really is there, then having you along would certainly help. I have a feeling that he¡¯ll be harder to take down than anyone here, especially if he has energy shielding of his own.¡±


    ¡°If I go with you, then what about them?¡± Ralak questioned.


    ¡°Well, that depends¡­¡± The Colonel turned to look at Liask and Obra again. ¡°If we asked you nicely to return to Compound Tresnon on your own, would you? Answer honestly.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Obra declared, without even a moment of hesitation.


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Saito deadpanned. ¡°Next question: can you two promise to not get involved in any of our fights? The last thing I want is to accidentally shoot one of you because you couldn¡¯t control yourselves.¡±


    Liask and Obra exchanged another glance. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll try our best,¡± Liask replied.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a ¡®yes¡¯,¡± Saito countered.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Obra pleaded. ¡°I mean, just think ¡ª if there really are hostages, then you¡¯ll need someone to look after ¡®em while you guys and Ralak fight the Bleeders, right? Liask and I can do that!¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like how neither of you have given me a firm ¡®yes¡¯,¡± Saito stated, his brow furrowed. ¡°¡­But you also raise an interesting point.¡± He released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to say this up-front: I don¡¯t like this. You¡¯re both too unskilled and headstrong ¡ª a recipe for disaster, if I¡¯ve ever seen one. Under normal circumstances, I would¡¯ve sent the two of you off, and used our CENT generators to stop you from following us.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Obra responded indignantly.


    ¡°But,¡± Saito cut in, passing Obra a stern look before shaking his head in resignation. ¡°Time and numbers are against us, so I¡¯ll allow it. But you two had better behave, or you will regret it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you!!¡± Liask exclaimed, ¡°don¡¯t worry, we promise not to get in the way!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ just don¡¯t make me regret this decision,¡± the Colonel responded. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow morning. And if we really do run into Str¨¦n, or more Bleeders¡­ be ready for a more intense fight than this. We can¡¯t count on having surprise on our side, this time.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Liask and Obra replied in unison.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they don¡¯t get into trouble, Colonel,¡± Ralak said.


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Saito replied, and then turned back to look out over the base. ¡°¡­Until then, rest up. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be quite busy for us¡­¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 45: Will of the Hero and the Knight

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 45: Will of the Hero and the Knight


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    ¡°Seems obvious enough to me¡­¡± Phoenix said in response to Danielle as Kaon¨¦ gently returned her floating platform to the coast, with everyone jumping off onto the rocky beach and then turning to face the waterborne research facility in the distance ¡ª which was currently being ravaged and clawed at by a large silver dragon.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be doing something about this?¡± Twy questioned as she anxiously looked to Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka. ¡°Or at least, getting out of here? Or helping people evacuate?¡±


    ¡°The research center has containment shields all around it for exactly this kind of situation,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, though her uneasy attention remained focused on the distant silver dragon. ¡°But¡­ how was there a critical infection without us being made aware?¡±


    ¡°The shield must¡¯ve silently gone up earlier today¡­¡± Rebehka mused. ¡°¡­Kaon¨¦, can you try to establish contact with them?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ immediately fabricated a small handheld comms device in her hand. ¡°I hope someone¡¯s still alive, in there¡­ hello? Is anyone there?¡­¡±


    As the Dean attempted to make contact with anyone who may have been left inside the facility, the rest of the group turned to look back at the dragon, which was easily visible even from their position on the coast nearly two kilometers away.


    ¡°Another one¡­¡± Rebehka muttered to herself, ¡°¡­I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is it here?¡± Danielle questioned, looking cluelessly at everyone present. ¡°That¡¯s a¡­ metallic dragon or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the Infection Research Center, right?¡± Twy said. ¡°I guess things got a little out of hand, or something¡­¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible, though,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°I¡¯ve been to the research center before, several times. Their containment systems were incredibly robust. So why¡­?¡±


    ¡°We gotta rescue anyone who¡¯s left inside, though, right?¡± Sky insisted. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave them there!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I do believe you can.¡±


    ¡°What¡­? You¡ª!¡± Rebehka¡¯s lip curled as she turned to look at the woman who now approached the group ¡ª the woman wearing purple and crimson powered armor over three-segmented legs that looked like an ¡®N¡¯ when at rest, with light skin and light blond hair that was shaved on the sides of her head, but long and straight enough on the top and in back to be tied into a thick waist-length braid. As the woman came to a stop just next to the group, Rebehka snarled at her, ¡°what the hell are you doing here, Major?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, how your words wound me!¡± Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis replied, her tone oozing with feigned shock. She then planted her hands on her hips as she stared down Rebehka, saying, ¡°simply put, I found it rather suspicious that you and the other Deans left Nimalia so suddenly, and with such small groups, too. You claimed to be leaving to train these Earthians, but¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin glanced toward Twy, Sky, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Danielle, before scoffing and shaking her head. ¡°I think we both know that you don¡¯t actually care about them that much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t assume that I share your lack of empathy,¡± Rebehka shot back.


    ¡°So you consider it ¡®empathy¡¯ to use these Earthians as a mere cover for investigating the infection, all on your own?¡±


    When Rebehka faltered and failed to respond, Phoenix crossed her arms and turned to give the Dean an irate glare. ¡°So you were using us?¡± she pressed. ¡°Just like on Oriciid¡¯kas, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª we weren¡¯t using you,¡± Rebehka quickly replied. ¡°I genuinely believed that you would benefit from seeing Oriciid¡¯kas in the state that it was, and here, I did genuinely want to help train the four of you!¡±


    ¡°¡ªIs the cover story you provided to everyone else,¡± Nil¡¯kin countered. ¡°Just to try and keep me and the Knights off your back. You even routed through a Nimalian Fortress World, just to try and avoid me! Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ isn¡¯t dealing with the infection the entire reason you contracted with the Chaos Knights, in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Again ¡ª I wasn¡¯t the one who signed that contract,¡± Rebehka argued. ¡°It was Archon¨¦ Ledkia who did that, without my consent. The mission of the Knights quite clearly does not align with my mission at the Academy.¡±


    ¡°And yet, here we are¡­¡± Nil¡¯kin commented, her gaze drifting to the silver dragon in the distance, which was now bashing against the containment dome in an apparent effort to break free. ¡°¡­Your ¡®research¡¯ imperative has resulted in yet another Critical Infection incident. How many people have to die before you realize that your mission is pointless?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they cure an animal, back on Oriciid¡¯kas¡­?¡± Twy pointed out uneasily.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Rebehka said. ¡°Even after that, you still don¡¯t see the progress that we¡¯ve made, Major?¡±


    ¡°Curing one stupid cat isn¡¯t ¡®progress¡¯,¡± Nil¡¯kin spat. ¡°While you were doing that, a Critical Infection occurred on Oriciid¡¯kas, and now another, here on Karania! How do you intend to deal with that, hmm?¡±


    ¡°The last time I saw one of those dragons, we had to blow it up with a spaceship,¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°¡­Same for Oriciid¡¯kas, technically¡­¡± Twy admitted. ¡°Will we have to do the same, here¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sure, maybe, but we still gotta see if there¡¯s anyone alive in there, right?!¡± Sky questioned. ¡°They gotta have protective shields and stuff in there, right? And we have shields, too! That should protect us for long enough to rescue anyone trapped inside!¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Nil¡¯kin scoffed. ¡°That just sounds like a good way to create openings for the infection to escape that facility!¡±


    ¡°Not if we do this carefully,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°But this whole point is moot if there aren¡¯t even any survivors. Kaon¨¦, have you been able to get in touch with the research center?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said, while focused intently on the comms device in her hands. ¡°There¡¯s some kind of interference¡­ I¡¯m trying to get through it, but¡ª¡°


    ?¡ªblock breached! Emergency, emergency! Can anyone hear us?!?


    ¡°I¡¯m here, I can hear you!¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly replied as the rest of the group crowded around the comms device in her hands. ¡°It¡¯s Kaon¨¦ Densalin! I¡¯m here with Rebehka Tchir¨¦on!¡±


    There was a moment of silence. Then, ?Densalin? Tchir¨¦on? Thank the skies, we¡¯re saved!?


    ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate until this is over,¡± Nil¡¯kin interjected. ¡°Major Nil¡¯kin Dralis of the Chaos Knights, speaking. What protections and containment procedures does this facility have?¡±


    ?Chaos Knights? What¡­? The voice on the other side trailed off; faint chatter could be heard over the comms connection, though the actual words spoken couldn¡¯t be made out against the alarms sounding in the background. Eventually, a new voice came on, one of a stern, yet stressed older woman. ?Head Researcher Ziodek, speaking,? she declared. ?Tchir¨¦on ¡ª is this Knight with you??


    ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Rebehka replied, though the frustrated strain was easily evident in her voice. ¡°Kaon¨¦ and I have a handful of student Chaotics with us, as well.¡±


    ?The Earthians that you mentioned??


    ¡°How does she know about us¡­?¡± Sky questioned in confusion.


    ¡°¡­Yes, the Earthians,¡± Rebehka continued, pointedly ignoring Sky¡¯s question. ¡°We all have protective shields, so a rescue might be possible, but we need to know how bad it is over there!¡±


    ?You can see the dragon for yourself, so I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that things are bad,? Ziodek replied. ?¡­A few hours ago, there was a flicker in the main generator. It cut power to the facility for just a couple seconds, including the containment blocks.?


    ¡°A couple seconds?¡± Phoenix responded incredulously. ¡°And this is the generator making sure the infection doesn¡¯t get free?¡±


    ?We have redundancies. Well¡­ had. There are secondary and tertiary generators on separate, redundant circuits, to keep the containment shields powered in the case of a primary generator failure. The problem is that all three generators flickered at the same time.?


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°The odds of that happening are¡­ astronomically low!¡±


    ¡°Were they sabotaged?¡± Danielle suggested.


    ?That question is impossible to answer at the moment,? Ziodek replied. ?The power failure released all of the infected specimens that we had, here. I immediately activated the containment procedures, including the emergency beacon, but no one¡¯s responded to us until now.?


    ¡°There was some kind of interference,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°I had to fabricate and extensively modify a comms device just to establish contact.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Is the infection jamming your comms, or something?¡± Twy asked.


    ?It¡¯s a possibility. Once free, the infection was able to spread very rapidly. Half of the researchers¡­? There was a poignant pause before Ziodek continued, ?¡­the infection was able to claim half of the facility, aided by frequent ¡®flickers¡¯ in the power generators. The only generator that remained online the entire time was the emergency circuits. It¡¯s the one powering the containment fields right now, and protecting the core lab. That generator wasn¡¯t designed to last, however.?


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Rebehka questioned in disbelief. ¡°All three main generators failed, repeatedly, and at the same time, before the infection ever even had the chance to reach them?¡±


    ?I find it suspicious, as well, but as I said, we aren¡¯t equipped to investigate, right now. What remains of the research team is locked in the core lab. We don¡¯t have reliable sensors on the rest of the center, so I can¡¯t tell you what kind of dangers you¡¯d face there.?


    ¡°Faulty generators¡­ certainly a convenient excuse,¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted. ¡°Head Researcher, when was the last time you updated this facility?¡±


    ?The secondary generator was replaced a year ago, and both the primary and tertiary generators were serviced within the last five ¡ª though at different times, and by different technicians,? Ziodek replied. ?However, none of the wiring or circuitry has been changed since this facility¡¯s construction ten years ago.?


    ¡°No major renovations? No system overhauls?¡±


    ?No. And all maintenance work has been carried out by trusted, NSD-certified contractors.?


    ¡°A mole?¡± Kestrel suggested.


    ¡°It¡¯s always possible¡­¡± Rebehka mused, ¡°but if there was¡­ why would they do this? Why would someone voluntarily sabotage an infection research facility? If they were corrupted, they most certainly would¡¯ve been detected before going on the job, or even while on the job, so¡­¡±


    A moment of silence passed as everyone present turned to look at Nil¡¯kin. Upon noticing their stares, the Chaos Knight responded with a scoff. ¡°As if the Knights would stoop to such half-measures,¡± she declared. ¡°Even if we had a mole on the project, their job would¡¯ve been to entirely ruin the facility before it even opened, not cause a Critical Infection incident that could put an entire planet at risk!¡±


    ¡°R-right, sorry¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded sheepishly, and then returned her attention to the research center in the distance. The silver dragon seemed to have settled on gnawing at the facility¡¯s structural supports; a small portion of the large, waterborne facility had already collapsed into the waters. ¡°Whatever we¡¯re going to do, we need to do it fast!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Rebehka began crafting a large platform of ice under everyone¡¯s feet. ¡°Ziodek, we¡¯re on our way! Everyone, follow my lead, and once we get to the research center, stay together. Got it?¡±


    ¡°How typical, trying to save a doomed facility,¡± Nil¡¯kin said. ¡°Would you really risk setting that dragon free, just to save a handful of researchers trapped with the consequences of their own actions?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ?While I can¡¯t understate how much we would appreciate a rescue,? Ziodek said, ?don¡¯t risk setting the infection free on Karania, Tchir¨¦on! Even in a worst-case scenario, the contents of the research center¡¯s databanks is backed up on servers in Kani, so our research won¡¯t have been in vain.?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Rebehka countered. ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Nil¡¯kin said as she jumped off of the ice platform, and then raised her voice to shout towards the comms device still in Kaon¨¦¡¯s hands. ¡°Head Researcher Ziodek!¡±


    ?¡­Yes?? came Ziodek¡¯s response.


    ¡°May you find peace in the stars.¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Rebehka started, beginning to turn toward Nil¡¯kin ¡ª only for an underwater flash of light in the distance to draw her attention back to the research center. The silver dragon¡¯s wings flared as it withdrew from the structural supports of the facility, its attention directed at the waters below¡­ just in time for a razor-thin horizontal line to wipe upwards over the facility, completely erasing both it and the dragon assaulting it. Then, just as quickly as the line had appeared, it disappeared into nothing, leaving the waters around where the facility had once stood to surge as they filled the thousands of liters of water that had just been erased alongside the building.


    ¡°What? No!!¡± Kaon¨¦ exclaimed, her eyes wide with horror.


    ¡°What¡ª what just happened?!¡± Sky questioned. ¡°Was that¡­ was that some kind of self-destruct?!¡±


    ¡°Normal explosives are far too dangerous to use when dealing with the infection,¡± Nil¡¯kin explained coolly. ¡°After all, you can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll destroy every last nanite, and the ones that survive end up getting flung far, far away. That¡¯s why these kinds of facilities have developed something new: a ¡®Subspace Shunter¡¯, they call them. They anchor a Subspace Drive underneath the facility, and when the building must be destroyed, the Drive is launched vertically into the air ¡ª and then commanded to open a window to Subspace. Since such windows are always stationary relative to the Drive that opens them, the created window inherits the Drive¡¯s vertical velocity, causing it to ¡®wipe¡¯ over the building and eventually swallow the Drive itself as the planet¡¯s gravity brings it back down. Only then, once the facility is entirely in Subspace ¡ª and thus, any nanites within entirely separated from realspace ¡ª do the conventional explosives detonate. A truly ingenious design, to be quite honest¡­ isn¡¯t it, Dean Tchir¨¦on?¡±


    ¡°Meant to only be used as a last resort!¡± Rebehka snapped; the ice platform that she had created shattered in her fury, the shards whipping up to swirl around her as she turned to glare at Nil¡¯kin. ¡°Ziodek, those researchers ¡ª they still had a chance!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ are you saying that you activated the self-destruct? From here?!¡± Phoenix exclaimed.


    ¡°I am an Electrotechnic,¡± Nil¡¯kin replied. ¡°Two kilometers would normally be too far for me to do anything¡­ but luckily, due to the Chaos Knights¡¯ work to fight the infection, I was able to get my hands on the original blueprints to Karania¡¯s Infection Research Center. From there, all I had to do was follow the blueprints from afar to trigger the shunter.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you killed them!¡± Kaon¨¦ responded in disbelief.


    ¡°No, I merely accelerated their inevitable fate,¡± Nil¡¯kin declared, and then turned to glare haughtily at Rebehka. Sparks began flying, wreathing the Dra¡¯kis¡¯s body in response to the sharpened ice shards that continued to circle Rebehka. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who killed them, Densalin and Tchir¨¦on!¡± Nil¡¯kin shouted, ¡°it¡¯s your misguided attempts to ¡®cure¡¯ the infection that has resulted in its continued spread! And if you think you can silence me, then feel free to try!¡±


    ¡°We already proved that it¡¯s possible to cure the infection ¡ª twice!¡± Kaon¨¦ cried, ¡°what more do you want from us?! Do you really want that badly to just watch people die?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish death on anyone!¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted. ¡°But if killing just a few now will save untold billions in the future, then it would be irresponsible to stay my hand! I¡¯ve said it before, and I¡¯ll say it again, Tchir¨¦on ¡ª your desires to ¡®save¡¯ everyone will be the doom of us all!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Rebehka snarled, the air all around rapidly cooling as her furious expression centered wholly on Nil¡¯kin. ¡°¡­Overdrive:¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Overdrive:¡ª!¡± Nil¡¯kin quickly responded, only for both her and Rebehka to be preempted by Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°Overdrive: Conflict¡¯s Judge!!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Nil¡¯kin winced as the pistol on her hip let loose chaotic sparks before falling to pieces, while her own sparks ceased. She then held her hand up to her head, clutching it in pain and frustration. ¡°You¡­ Densalin¡­!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ are you doing?!¡± Rebehka snapped, mirroring Nil¡¯kin¡¯s pain and grimace as her ice shards collapsed haphazardly to the ground, as if she had lost focus on controlling them. ¡°¡­Damn it, Kaon¨¦! The Major is clearly¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Out of line, I agree!¡± Kaon¨¦ responded; while she easily stood shorter than everyone present, her presence at that moment was more commanding than the grimacing, wilting forms of Nil¡¯kin and Rebehka. ¡°But this is not the place or the time for a fight, much less the kind that the two of you were about to start! What good will come of you two killing each other?!¡±


    ¡°A¡­ lot of good, from where I stand¡­!¡± Nil¡¯kin snarled, only for her grimace to strengthen as she collapsed to her knees. ¡°¡­Ngh¡­! ¡­I¡­ ha ha! I have to give it to you, Densalin. I didn¡¯t think your Overdrive¡­ was so effective¡­!¡±


    ¡°You only feel that much pain because your aggression ¡ª your desire to fight and kill ¡ª is too strong,¡± Kaon¨¦ countered. ¡°All the more reason to stop you!¡±


    ¡°And me?!¡± Rebehka questioned, furious. ¡°She killed Ziodek, Kaon¨¦! And all of the rest of the researchers!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°¡­I know. But we can¡¯t let our emotions get the best of us. Fights started in anger are never fights with a good outcome! And fury is never a good reason to dirty your hands with the blood of someone who should be your ally!¡±


    Silence followed, as Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin continued glaring at Kaon¨¦ ¡ª who confidently stared back, unwilling to back down. Eventually, Rebehka and Nil¡¯kin turned to look at each other, with deep breaths and a moment of calm working to lower their tensions, even if only slightly.


    ¡°¡­Get out of here,¡± Rebehka growled, her glare on Nil¡¯kin. ¡°The Chaos Knights are no longer welcome at the Academy!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Weren¡¯t you the one who said that it was Archon¨¦ Ledkia who contracted us, not you?¡± Nil¡¯kin retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever stupid punishment he wants to try and hand out, but you¡¯ve crossed a line! I should¡¯ve expected this would happen, one day¡­ I should¡¯ve gotten rid of you sooner!¡±


    ¡°Still can¡¯t face the fact that I¡¯m right, can you? Hmph. Very well.¡± The Dra¡¯kis got back to her feet and began backing away, still glaring at Rebehka as she shouted, ¡°you will regret this, Tchir¨¦on! One day, you¡¯ll see that you can¡¯t save everyone. One day, you¡¯ll see that you¡¯re just sacrificing this galaxy¡¯s future to sate your own guilty conscience!¡±


    With that, Nil¡¯kin stormed off, leaving Rebehka, Kaon¨¦, and the Earthians to stare after her. In the wake of her exit, Kaon¨¦ released a deep, wary sigh, and then turned back to Rebehka. ¡°¡­Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not alright,¡± Rebehka snapped back, only to shift her attention to the Earthians, and then to the distant coastal waters, where the research center had once stood. In its place now was no more than open coastline, as if a building had never been present to begin with. More silence followed, with none of the Earthians sure of just how to respond to what had just happened ¡ª but it was Rebehka who eventually broke the silence after a long, weary sigh. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± She turned around to offer Kaon¨¦ an apologetic smile, only for her face to drop again. ¡°¡­But I need some space to cool down. I¡¯ll¡­ be back soon.¡±


    ¡°¡­That was¡­ uh¡­¡± Sky eventually spoke up after Rebehka left, using her Cryotechnism to skate across an ice path into the distance ¡ª opposite the direction that Nil¡¯kin had left. ¡°¡­That was¡­ something?¡±


    ¡°That Dra¡¯kis lady kinda reminds me of Mote,¡± Danielle commented as she turned back toward the city to try and spot Nil¡¯kin. ¡°¡­Uh, in a bad kind of way, though¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Phoenix muttered in disbelief. ¡°I mean, I feel like Nil¡¯kin had some points, but at the same time, that was¡­ we were about to go and save those researchers, right? Why the fuck did she go and activate the self-destruct before we could even try?!¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ really cold-blooded¡­¡± Twy added, and then passed Kaon¨¦ a doubtful glance. ¡°Are we really going to just let her go? She¡­ we just watched her¡­ that was¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m just letting her walk,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°I¡¯ve already alerted the local authorities, and protocol in Kani is to disallow Gate travel for at least 24 hours, if the research center ever activates its self-destruct. So the Major won¡¯t be going anywhere.¡± She then turned to look out over the coast. ¡°¡­I merely figured that attempting to arrest Nil¡¯kin at the height of tension would¡¯ve been a bad idea. There¡¯s a chance that one or both of them might¡¯ve gone Berserk if I didn¡¯t de-escalate¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you have a point¡­¡±


    ¡°Will the Major actually face any trouble, though?¡± Phoenix pressed. ¡°How do we know her bosses won¡¯t swoop in to protect her, or something?¡±


    ¡°¡¯What ifs¡¯ are no excuse to take justice into your own hands,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°They¡¯re no excuse to put blood on your hands. And anger ¡ª the kind of raw fury that you might feel in moments like these ¡ª is never a good emotion to control your decisions.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ you¡¯re not wrong, but, like¡­¡± Sky fidgeted uneasily, as if possessed by energy she didn¡¯t know how to direct. ¡°This¡­ nothing about this feels right!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ that, too, is part of living in this world of ours,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded. She then took another deep breath. ¡°¡­Well, I think it¡¯s fair to say that today¡¯s lessons are over. I think we¡¯ll be cutting this trip short, as well¡­ I¡¯m sorry that you all had to get involved in this.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right¡­¡± Phoenix muttered as she and the others began following Kaon¨¦ back towards the city of Kani. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just get the hell out of here¡­¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 46: In Search of Blood

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 46: In Search of Blood


    The Next Day


    ¡°Everything alright, up here?¡±


    ¡°Looks like smooth flying, Colonel,¡± Captain Travis replied as he glanced toward Saito. ¡°No problems so far.¡±


    ¡°I-it flies, um, r-really smoothly¡­¡± MacTavish added quietly.


    Saito looked down at the Researcher, whose hands were currently on the yoke of a modern Nimalian aircraft. Travis occupied the co-pilot position, with both of them looking forward through the narrow canopy upon the blue skies above and rocky mountains below. The late morning sun shone through their east-facing window, but was fortunately high enough in the sky to not actually blind either pilot.


    A few hours had passed since the group had taken off from the Bleeder base aboard the aircraft found within the base¡¯s hangar. The craft itself was clearly a cargo shuttle, with enough space to carry over a hundred people ¡ª but more importantly, the craft was obviously a modern military design. Travis had identified it as a Plell-3-L, a ¡°large¡± variant of the NSD¡¯s standard Plell-3 shuttle, used for all transportation between spacecraft and a planet¡¯s surface, or between two locations on a planet¡¯s surface. How the Bleeders got their hands on a contemporary vehicle still in use by the NSD was a mystery ¡ª one which prevented Ralak from piloting, as she had no experience with the craft whatsover. MacTavish and Travis were the only two well-versed enough in piloting shuttles and aircraft to control the vehicle, and as such, they were now the ones to guide the craft toward their destination on Tres¨¦d¡¯s northeast coast, nearby a long range of mountains known by the locals as the Eastshield Mountains.


    ¡°I gotta say, though,¡± Travis spoke up, drawing Saito¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°This shuttle is really smooth flying. It doesn¡¯t even feel like we¡¯re moving!¡±


    ¡°It has inertial dampeners, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°Well yeah, but still. You won¡¯t find inertial dampeners on any SERRCom aircraft, but the NSD has them in all of their shuttles. It¡¯s kinda nuts.¡±


    ¡°The Nimalians also use anti-grav in everything. I think every single one of their cars are hovercars, for example. I always knew they were more advanced than us, but this still somehow surprises me¡­¡±


    ¡°We got pretty lucky this shuttle was just sitting around in that Bleeder base, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°On one hand, yes¡­¡± Saito muttered, ¡°but on the other hand, the fact that the Bleeders have one of these things tells us that they¡¯re being aided by a group with significant pull. The NSD does sell some of their equipment to Nimalian organizations, but they¡¯re much more selective about it than, say, the Black Suns. They wouldn¡¯t sell a shuttle like this to just anyone.¡±


    ¡°Th-the registry was, um, wiped, though¡­¡± MacTavish said.


    ¡°Which just means that whoever bought ¡ª or stole ¡ª this thing knows how to cover their tracks. More importantly, we need to assume now that the Bleeders have access to more advanced tech than just powered armor. They might have mechs, tanks ¡ª fightercraft, even. Ugh.¡± The Colonel released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­We had better find a substantive lead on these coasts.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re pretty close, now,¡± Travis said. ¡°The Plell-3 and variants come with a Nimalian version of our PCS. It isn¡¯t quite as effective, but it should still let us get pretty close to our destination without anyone detecting us. Once we land, we¡¯ll probably only have to drive through maybe 10 or 20 kilometers of foothills to reach our destination.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave the two of you to your flying, then,¡± Saito replied, finally turning away from the two pilots to exit the shuttle¡¯s cockpit. Now in the passenger compartment, he took a quick look around; Hackett and Ralak were sitting near the front of the compartment as they looked over the team¡¯s equipment in preparation for more combat, while Liask and Obra sat towards the back, their heads down in what appeared to be quiet conversation. Just behind them was the hovercar that CSF-1 had used to reach the Bleeder base, strapped in and brought along to be used for the final leg of their trip ¡ª though even with the hovercar present, the empty space in the shuttle was massive. The craft¡¯s interior had a surprisingly clean, if dusty, design; unlike most Earth or SERRCom cargo craft, the Nimalians seemed to have less exposed paneling or machinery. Furthermore, while the shuttle¡¯s exterior paint job had been scrubbed ¡ª leaving only the bare, gray metal ¡ª the interior still bore the NSD¡¯s official colors: royal blue and nature green with red trimmings.


    After taking a quick look around, Saito stepped up to Hackett and Ralak, prompting both women to glance up at him. ¡°Everything look fine, Major?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°That it does, sir,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t use much ammo when raiding that base, so we have more than enough for another few engagements. Travis made sure to top up the battery on our guns before we left, too, so we have nothing to worry about, there. And on top of that¡­¡± The Major softly tapped a box by her seat with her foot. ¡°¡­We found a couple sets of powered armor left behind in that hangar. They won¡¯t be a perfect fit for our two stowaways, and their batteries are lower than I¡¯d like, but at least they¡¯ll have something.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Saito nodded as he passed Liask and Obra a brief glance. He then looked down at Ralak, who was still wearing only her beige desert robes and black gloves, with no energy shielding to speak of. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine without protection?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be useless in a fight if I had energy shields,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­ but still, be careful. Who knows what we¡¯ll find at our destination.¡±


    ¡°A hundred captives?¡± Hackett suggested.


    ¡°MacTavish did say that the Bleeders were holding plenty of hostages until recently¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°And half of the hangar certainly looked like it was being used as some kind of ad-hoc internment camp. Not to mention the size of this shuttle¡­ the Bleeders were definitely moving large groups of people.¡± He looked back to Ralak. ¡°Is this common, with the Bleeders?¡±


    Ralak remained silent for a second, her head down and hands clasped in front of her. Eventually, without raising her head, she answered, ¡°¡­human traffickin¡¯ ain¡¯t new to the Bleeders. We¡¯ve¡­ done it before.¡±


    ¡°¡¯We¡¯?¡± Hackett echoed while staring pointedly at Ralak.


    The Tres¨¦dian didn¡¯t acknowledge Hackett¡¯s remark. She responded only with silence and a forlorn sigh before turning to look at the expansive cargo compartment in which they all sat. ¡°¡­But I ain¡¯t ever seen it on this scale, before. Usually, Bleeders only capture people to have someone do hard work for ¡®em, or to¡­¡± She grimaced. ¡°¡­Anyways. Bleeders usually never have that many hostages, and most of the time, they don¡¯t move ¡®em around all that much. Flyin¡¯ out over a hundred hostages¡­ that just ain¡¯t like the Bleeders that I know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s abundantly obvious by now that the Bleeders have outside backing,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°We can likely assume that all of the hostage taking is part of the deal the Bleeders made with that entity. Do you have any idea who they could be working with?¡±


    ¡°No. None. But I don¡¯t know much about the world outside Tres¨¦d, anyways. You¡¯d be better off askin¡¯ Dav¨ªdrius, or Selind.¡±


    ¡°I see. What about Str¨¦n ¡ª what can he do? That Chaotic who killed herself back at the base claimed that Str¨¦n was there just a day before we were, so we might run into him. So any information you have on him is good, like his capabilities, or if he has an Overdrive.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have one 20 years ago ¡ª not that I ever heard of ¡ª but who knows if he got one in the time since. We know that Feral has an Overdrive, at least. Accordin¡¯ to Dav¨ªdrius, it lets her activate all of her Chaos abilities at once, with only one word: ¡®Chaos¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great. Chaostechnic Overdrives are always the most fun. But¡­¡± Saito eyed Ralak doubtfully. ¡°¡­Not to pry, but I¡¯m a little surprised that you don¡¯t have an Overdrive of your own.¡±


    Ralak grunted in response. ¡°¡­Never been in the position to unlock one. I was always the one forcin¡¯ other Chaotics to unlock theirs.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saito nodded, and then sighed deeply. ¡°Well, as for Str¨¦n¡­ if we don¡¯t know whether or not he has an Overdrive, then we have to be ready for the worst. Best case scenario, he doesn¡¯t have one ¡ª or he does, and it¡¯s something basic, like Strength Break.¡±


    ¡°You know our luck doesn¡¯t work like that, sir,¡± Hackett said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Given our track record, lately, he¡¯ll have an Overdrive as powerful and wide-ranging as Kaon¨¦¡¯s,¡± Saito remarked.


    At this, Ralak turned to look at each of Hackett and Saito, her expression blank. ¡°¡­You really have a lot of experience in combat,¡± she eventually said.


    ¡°That¡¯s just military training, for you,¡± Hackett replied.


    Ralak¡¯s gaze lingered doubtfully on the Major. ¡°¡­Is that true? Your team dealt with that Bleeder base with basically no effort. You could definitely have handled the base without me, that¡¯s for sure. Can any military squad do that?¡±


    ¡°We did have a heavy equipment advantage,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°Energy shielding and contemporary weaponry will always make short work of a group with no shields of their own. With that said, I can¡¯t speak to how well a ¡®typical¡¯ military squad would have done. Typical training in SERRCom is for infantry to give Chaotics a wide berth. Our team, CSF-1, was supposed to be the first in a line of spec ops teams specifically trained to fight enemy Chaotics and support our own ¡ª hell, that¡¯s where our name comes from: Chaotic Support Fireteam. So we¡¯ve had a lot of training in that regard.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re still the only Chaotic Support Fireteam in SERRCom,¡± Hackett added. ¡°I think the higher-ups originally envisioned a much more cooperative relationship between us and the Eximius Vir¡­ but when they turned out to be as incredibly powerful as they are, they pretty much made the idea of CSFs obsolete. They don¡¯t need our support.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ true,¡± Saito responded with a bitter chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t fault the kids, of course, but I can¡¯t lie that it sometimes feels like we¡¯re only around to babysit them.¡±


    ¡°But you were still able to take on that base, all on your own¡­¡± Ralak said. ¡°I barely did anythin¡¯. If Liask and Obra hadn¡¯t been there, I probably would¡¯ve done nothin¡¯ at all¡­ you outsiders sure are somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°We try our best,¡± Saito replied with a smirk, only for his expression to rapidly collapse into a frown as he looked back at Liask and Obra. ¡°Now that you mention them, though¡­ they seem disturbingly unfazed by everything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that they saw us kill a dozen people right in front of them. Liask couldn¡¯t have been standing more than a meter away from that one Bleeder that Travis headshot. And yet, they seem fine¡­ We¡¯ve been trained to handle this, sure, but normal civilians? I¡¯d expect them to be in shock, or disturbed, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Even trained soldiers as young as they are wouldn¡¯t be able to watch what we did and walk away unscathed,¡± Hackett added. ¡°Hell¡­ I¡¯m not sure I do.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Ralak muttered, her gaze briefly shifting back toward the two young Chaotics before returning her attention to Saito and Hackett. ¡°That¡¯s just how things are in Tres¨¦d. Most folks have been through a Bleeder raid, or otherwise seen someone die from exposure, or hunger, or thirst. Liask specifically¡­ I know she¡¯s been through a Bleeder attack. I think she lost both her parents. Came out of it with only her older brother¡­ so she¡¯s no stranger to death.¡±


    Saito shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I can believe it, but that¡¯s fucked up. Something has gone terribly wrong, here, if kids their age are already so used to death and corpses that they can look a dead body in the eye and not blink.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­ but there¡¯s a long time ¡®til things can be better, ¡®round here.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t need to be a long time if the rest of your planet actually gave a damn about you.¡±


    Ralak shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s just the way it is.¡±


    ¡°Then the ¡®way¡¯ needs changing,¡± Hackett declared. ¡°And we can start by killing this Str¨¦n asshole.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s hoping we¡¯ll actually get a decent shot at him¡­¡± Saito muttered.


    As the three continued talking, Liask and Obra eyed them from the back of the craft, watching as Hackett continued going over her equipment while still participating in the conversation.


    ¡°¡­Outsiders, actually helpin¡¯ out¡­¡± Obra muttered. ¡°I can barely believe it.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just assume all outsiders are bad,¡± Liask replied. ¡°Even Pierce and his friends wanted to help us¡­¡±


    ¡°Pierce? Tch.¡± Obra turned back to Liask, a scowl upon his face. ¡°You¡¯re still goin¡¯ on about that asshole? Even after you finally broke it off?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t break anything. I just¡­ needed to stop lyin¡¯ to myself.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothin¡¯¡­¡± Liask shook her head. ¡°¡­We¡¯re goin¡¯ after Minilas right now, that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, at least you finally got your priorities straight,¡± Obra replied. ¡°Now we just gotta hope that Minilas is with the group we¡¯re chasin¡¯. I swear on the sands, if she ain¡¯t okay, then when we get back to Tresnon, I¡¯m givin¡¯ Dav¨ªdrius and Selind what-for!¡±


    ¡°Obra, please, calm down,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°I wanna see her again, too! But it ain¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault that she¡¯s been gone this long. No one¡¯s but the Bleeders.¡±


    Obra bristled. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. If the Defense Force was takin¡¯ all this seriously, then we would¡¯ve found Minilas by now!¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that simple. This stuff takes time. That base we were just at¡­ it didn¡¯t used to be a Compound, it wasn¡¯t on any maps. Hell, it was in a part of the wastelands that people usually don¡¯t go through. I think we¡¯re pretty lucky that Ralak¡¯s friend even heard about it.¡±


    ¡°Her ¡®friend¡¯, right. You mean the Butcher of Rek?¡±


    ¡°Obra¡­¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± He leaned back in his seat, still scowling. Eventually, he replied, ¡°¡­sorry. I¡¯m just¡­ argh. Minilas should never have been kidnapped, you know? And now she¡¯s been with the Bleeders for a damn month. It¡¯s been too damn long.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re here, right? To get her back. But¡­¡± Liask looked down at her own hands, staring doubtfully at her open palms. ¡°¡­If Ralak and those outsiders hadn¡¯t saved us, then we would¡¯ve just been captured back at that base¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­We would¡¯ve been fine,¡± Obra insisted, though his gaze diverted from Liask. ¡°If any of the Bleeders had gotten closer to me, then I could¡¯ve just split ¡®em in half with my barriers¡­¡±


    ¡°We still need to be more careful. More importantly, the outsiders are only lettin¡¯ us stick with ¡®em since we promised not to be careless. And with how many times we¡¯ve screwed up while lookin¡¯ for Minilas¡­ we should probably just stay out of their way.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. You wanna just sit on the sidelines and let some fuckin¡¯ outsiders rescue our friend for us?¡±


    ¡°And if we try to help, and end up just makin¡¯ things worse, somehow?¡±


    Obra eyed Liask for a second before shaking his head. ¡°We won¡¯t make it worse.¡±


    Liask looked back at him doubtfully. ¡°¡­You know¡­ you¡¯re more like Pierce than you think.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to that asshole,¡± Obra snapped.


    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Liask muttered, though any further conversation between the two was cut short as Travis peeked into the cargo compartment from the cockpit.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± he announced. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s someone out on the coast, but if we got any closer to verify, they¡¯d likely be able to detect us. Kirstin¡¯s setting us down 20 kilos out; we should be able to cover the rest of the distance with the car.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Saito replied, standing up and turning to address everyone in the shuttle. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to move out, everyone! With any luck, we¡¯re on the verge of a breakthrough in regards to cracking the secret of the Bleeders¡¯ outside help, so let¡¯s make sure that this chance doesn¡¯t slip through our grasp!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re really doin¡¯ this, huh?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯re the only ones who can,¡± Christean¨¦ replied, moving his flashlight around to illuminate Spike for a brief moment before turning forward. ¡°Nayasis is a Tier 5 World, remember? We¡¯re the only Chaotics on the entire planet, and the NSD has only a token presence.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m thrilled about that¡­¡± Austin muttered as he swept his own flashlight across the caves in front of them. Almost a day had passed since the group had encountered the metallic bug while training on Nayasis. As it turns out, the crack created from Spike¡¯s heavy blow had exposed a small crevice that lead down to some caves. After setting up some energy shielding to block unwanted egress through the opened crevice and then speaking with the local leadership, Dav¨ªdrius and Christean¨¦ decided that a direct investigation of the caves below was in order. If there was a festering infection under the surface of Nayasis, then it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible ¡ª but the only Chaotics on the entire planet at that time were the Deans and the Earthians. And since they already had protective energy shielding with them for their training, they were as well-equipped as can be to face off with any infected creatures.


    Thus, the group now slowly made their way through the dark, stuffy cave below Nayasis¡¯s surface, flashlights in hand as they slowly and carefully inspected the area for any signs of the infection.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected our training to turn into spelunking,¡± Conrad commented from the back of the group.


    ¡°Oh, quit the complaining,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°If we can find and destroy the source of those stupid bugs, then we¡¯ll be the heroes of the entire settlement!¡±


    ¡°Will it really be that easy, though¡­?¡± Mark questioned uneasily.


    ¡°Depends on how close this place is to a Critical Infection¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°Is there any way to tell?¡±


    ¡°The only way to know for sure is to see one of those silver dragons,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°That said, you usually don¡¯t see creatures made entirely out of nanites until a Critical Infection has already happened, or is about to happen. So¡­ keep your eyes peeled.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a bad idea to go into the dark, dank, mysterious cave if there¡¯s a chance we could get swarmed,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°On one hand, yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Christean¨¦ responded. ¡°On the other hand, we¡¯re the only Chaotics on this planet. If there really is a Critical Infection, here, then we need to know as soon as possible ¡ª and as Chaotics with energy shields, we¡¯re the best-equipped to investigate that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that just means that if we get trapped, then there¡¯s no one else to save us!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then leave,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°I never even told y¡¯all to come with us, you just did.¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± Austin faltered, momentarily stopping in his tracks as the rest of the group moved on without him. A second later, however, he quickly jogged back up to the group, saying, ¡°w-well, I mean, there¡¯s safety in numbers, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as you stick close to me, or Christean¨¦, or ¡ª well, pretty much anyone here, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Spike replied. ¡°The only one at any actual risk of bein¡¯ crushed by anythin¡¯ is Conrad.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate how dangerous a cave-in can be to even Force- or Velocitechnics,¡± Christean¨¦ said.


    ¡°And let¡¯s not assume that we¡¯ll be doin¡¯ any fightin¡¯, either,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated. ¡°We¡¯re here mostly just to scope the place out. If we find a nest, or somethin¡¯, then we¡¯re gettin¡¯ outta here, not stickin¡¯ around to fight. Y¡¯all got me?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Isn¡¯t the best time to take out one of those stupid dragons when it¡¯s stuck in a cave, where it can¡¯t fly?¡±


    ¡°The flip side of that is there¡¯s more matter for the nanites to convert and control underground,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out. ¡°Besides¡­ Critical Infections often seem to happen in massive caverns, where there is enough room to fly. Chances are, it¡¯s the same here.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any signs of the infection since that one bug, though,¡± Mark said. ¡°Are we sure we¡¯re looking in the right place?¡±


    ¡°Funny you should say that¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius commented as he stopped walking, his flashlight directed at a patch of the cave roof ¡ª where small streaks of metallic silver stretched across the rock.


    ¡°It really is here¡­?¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°¡­Fuck, I think I¡¯m starting to sense it, too,¡± Pierce said with a grimace. ¡°I hate how this feels¡­ but all the more reason to wreck their shit, huh?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, we ain¡¯t fightin¡¯ unless we have to,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared, momentarily turning his flashlight on Pierce before looking forward again. As he swept the flashlight¡¯s beam across the cave in front of him, it revealed a fork ¡ª one tunnel leading right and downwards, and the other tunnel curving off to the left.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to split up,¡± Christean¨¦ said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll go well,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Oh relax, we all have energy shields. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Famous last words¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°Damn, you two are so fucking pessimistic,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°We can handle this just fine!¡±


    ¡°After what happened on Oriciid¡¯kas, I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve heard, the Holres¡¯Ket Critical Infection was an outlier in many ways,¡± Christean¨¦ said. ¡°They usually don¡¯t happen so quickly, and the dragon there seemed unusually resilient to attacks. We shouldn¡¯t have those problems, here.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. We should be ready for the worst,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Which is why I¡¯m¡ª¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Somethin¡¯ wrong?¡± Spike questioned as he turned to look at Dav¨ªdrius, who had begun looking around himself as if hastily searching for something.


    ¡°¡­I ain¡¯t the only one feelin¡¯ this, right?¡± the Dean questioned in a hushed tone. ¡°Can any of y¡¯all use your abilities?¡±


    ¡°¡­Uh oh,¡± Austin muttered after trying ¡ª and failing ¡ª to summon his claymore.


    ¡°Alright, well, that¡¯s unexpected¡­¡± Christean¨¦ said quietly, quickly sweeping his flashlight beam around the cave near the group in search of something. ¡°¡­A CENT field, huh? Don¡¯t tell me the Nanocreatures have started making their own.¡±


    ¡°It would be very inconvenient, indeed, if they had.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Dav¨ªdrius barked, immediately whipping around to shine his flashlight down the caves behind the group. As everyone else turned to follow his gaze in search of the mystery female voice, they all saw nothing but the stony confines of the caves¡­ until a lone figure suddenly appeared, as if out of thin air, a figure swathed in heavy robes that obscured most of her face.


    ¡°Hello, Sentry,¡± she greeted with a smile.


    ¡°Shade¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius snarled back, immediately lunging towards her ¡ª only to be stopped by an energy barrier. ¡°What the¡­ what the fuck is this?!¡±


    ¡°Oh I would so much like to explain, but unfortunately, I hear that¡¯s bad practice,¡± Shade replied while pulling some kind of device out of a small pack on her hip. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I saw an opportunity, and I took it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I came along, then,¡± Mark replied as he stepped forward, winding up his fist in preparation to punch down the shield in between him and Shade. ¡°A CENT field won¡¯t stop me!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve never stopped anyone competent ¡ª which is exactly why I have a little something more.¡± Shade¡¯s smile intensified with gleeful malice as she tossed her small device forwards. ¡°Str¨¦n will be quite displeased to hear that you perished offworld, Sentry. But ultimately, this is for the best.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius began to respond, but before he could finish, the small device passed through the energy barrier and immediately exploded with a deafening boom and blinding light ¡ª followed by a thundering rumble as the rocky cave ceiling and walls cracked and buckled inwards, completely filling in the cave.

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 47: Dealing in Blood

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 47: Dealing in Blood


    ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s here, after all.¡±


    ¡°So it seems¡­¡± Saito muttered as he crawled across the rocky ground and stopped next to Captain Travis, who currently was peering through his binoculars at the coastal waters of Tres¨¦d below. About an hour had passed since the group landed their shuttle in the foothills of the Eastshield Mountains and then drove their hovercar through the hills to the coast; now, they all laid on the ground at the top of a hill overlooking a long beach¡­ and in so doing, were easily able to spot the vast swathes of garbage and mechanical refuse that covered the coast for as far as the eye could see. The beach looked more akin to an industrial landfill, covered as it was in filth and broken machinery, while the coastal waters bore the froth and shiny, rainbow film of dumped oil and other chemicals.


    ¡°¡­So this is what the Dumpin¡¯ Grounds look like¡­¡± Liask muttered from the side.


    ¡°Smells like shit,¡± Obra remarked with a pained grimace.


    ¡°The Rel¨¦diakian Dumpin¡¯ Grounds smell even worse,¡± Ralak replied. ¡°They actually dump sewage and bio-waste over there. At least here, the Tekdec¨¦nians only dump industrial trash.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s still dangerous¡­¡± MacTavish pointed out. ¡°L-leaking chemicals and fumes c-can be, um, d-deadly¡­¡±


    ¡°I never said it wasn¡¯t dangerous. A lot of Bleeders and Tres¨¦dians alike have died while lookin¡¯ through the Dumpin¡¯ Grounds. Won¡¯t stop folks from diggin¡¯ for gold, though.¡±


    ¡°So Selind found her laser sniper in this dump? Damn¡­¡± Travis mused, ¡°how the hell did she find a working gun in all of that garbage?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a question for another time,¡± Saito stated as he pulled out his own scope and began peering down at the coast alongside Travis. Amidst all of the trash, there was one portion of the beach that had been cleared out, making enough space for a Plell-3-L shuttle to land. Around the shuttle were a handful of individuals keeping watch ¡ª Bleeders, by Saito¡¯s guess, based on their haphazard attire and untrained manner of guarding the shuttle.


    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°More Bleeders¡­¡± Saito replied. ¡°I can¡¯t tell from here if any of the guards are Chaotics, but¡­ they seem to be more alert than the guards we took out at the base.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re waiting for someone,¡± Travis said. ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s all I can tell.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in the shuttle?¡± Obra questioned.


    ¡°If I knew, I would¡¯ve told you,¡± Travis remarked. ¡°These binoculars can¡¯t see through walls.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the likelihood that they¡¯re on alert because they knew we were coming?¡± Hackett asked.


    ¡°¡­Impossible to say,¡± Saito responded after observing the Bleeders for a few seconds more. ¡°They could just be waiting for someone else. However, given what happened at the base, we should expect them to have some warning about us.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s bullshit,¡± Obra declared. ¡°Since when are the Bleeders that organized, huh?¡±


    Saito and Hackett both turned to give Obra a level stare.


    ¡°We¡¯re only here because the Bleeders are more organized than usual, you dumbass,¡± Ralak stated while rapping Obra upside the back of his head. ¡°And you and Liask attackin¡¯ that base gave ¡®em a chance to get a warnin¡¯ out about us.¡±


    Obra opened his mouth to retort, only for Liask to place her hand on his shoulder and gently squeeze. He looked back at her, at first in surprise, only to scowl and look away.


    As Saito watched this, he beaconed for Hackett to lean in. ¡°¡­Watch those two,¡± he whispered quietly. ¡°Start up a CENT field here, too, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Already did,¡± Hackett responded in kind.


    Saito nodded back at her before turning back to observe the Bleeders ¡ª just in time for a small aircraft to fly in, skimming low across the surface of the coastal waters. As it approached, some of the Bleeders guarding the parked shuttle turned to face it, but made no overt motions to attack; instead, they allowed the craft to quietly land on the dirty sands.


    ¡°Looks like we got lucky on the timing, sir,¡± Travis remarked.


    ¡°Maybe. We don¡¯t know how many times that craft might have been here before we got here,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But that craft¡­ do you recognize it, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Not the specific make and model, no¡­ but it does look like a more modern version of the aircraft I¡¯ve seen at Compound Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Some of the aircraft at the Tresnon airport were made by Kaon¨¦,¡± Ralak said. ¡°Most of ¡®em were put together with parts from the Dumpin¡¯ Grounds. Though I think we got one or two from Kievkenalis¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any identifying marks on the craft, either,¡± Saito commented. ¡°Which makes sense for this kind of deal¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if we wanna know who they are, then shouldn¡¯t we just go down there and capture them?¡± Obra pressed.


    Saito turned to give Obra an impatient glare. ¡°Look, kid, I only have so much patience, so I¡¯m only going to explain this once. The reason we¡¯re taking things slow and carefully is because we don¡¯t know exactly what forces they have down there. We don¡¯t know if any of them are Chaotics, or what type of Chaotics. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s in that shuttle ¡ª it could be the captives we¡¯re after, or it could be an entire squadron of elite Chaotics. Hell, we haven¡¯t even seen firm proof that those are Bleeders, down there.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s stupid¡ª¡°


    ¡°What¡¯s stupid is assuming anything but the worst, especially on a mission like this. Charging in without info is the quickest way to fucking die, kid ¡ª or to kill innocent people. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, you¡¯re just¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Obra,¡± Ralak cut in, ¡°behave, now. Remember, we only brought you along ¡®cause you agreed to not get in our way. If you break even that agreement, then there¡¯s gonna be hell to pay when we get back to Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Obra growled, but went silent once more.


    ¡­Figures that even Tres¨¦dian kids only shut up when you phrase a threat in a way they can understand¡­ Saito thought bitterly as he turned back to observing the meet ¡ª just in time for Travis to speak up.


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s him!¡± the Captain exclaimed, albeit in a hushed voice. ¡°Str¨¦n just stepped out of the shuttle! And he¡¯s got Feral with him!¡±


    ¡°So we really did find him¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°At least we know we¡¯re dealing with Bleeders, now,¡± Hackett remarked. ¡°But what is Str¨¦n doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­It looks like he¡¯s meeting with someone from that aircraft that just landed,¡± Saito replied, watching through his scope as the giant, muscled frame of Str¨¦n sauntered across the beach, followed by Feral. Approaching them from the landed aircraft was a tall, lithe man with blond hair and a pale complexion, wearing what appeared to be an impeccable white longcoat with green trimming. ¡°Is that¡­ a uniform?¡± Saito questioned in disbelief. ¡°What idiot wears a uniform to a meeting like this?¡±


    ¡°Can you tell what org that uniform belongs to?¡± Hackett asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen it before¡­ but this is definitely worth recording.¡±


    ¡°Already on it, sir,¡± Travis remarked. ¡°My binoculars have been recording everything since we landed. And I think I recognize that outfit, too¡­ I think it¡¯s the SFC.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The Stealth and Force Corps. They¡¯re a PMC based in Riverana,¡± Travis explained. ¡°I¡¯ve seen ¡®em around Tresnon once or twice.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve tried makin¡¯ deals to get land in Tres¨¦d several times over the past decade,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°And now that you mention it, I remember seein¡¯ ¡®em with white longcoats¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°So we¡¯ve found out who the Bleeders are workin¡¯ with, great!¡± Obra remarked, ¡°why ain¡¯t we attackin¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°We found evidence that the SFC is working with the Bleeders, yes,¡± Saito countered, ¡°but that could just as easily be a non-SFC person dressing up in an SFC uniform just to throw off any observers. To know for sure, we¡¯ll need to capture that man, as well as the aircraft he came on.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but that might really, actually, be the SFC,¡± Travis said. ¡°Gavon didn¡¯t speak very highly of them. And they somehow couldn¡¯t stop that Bleeder from accessing the Ayas in Riverana a few months ago, too. I think they¡¯re just incompetent.¡±


    ¡°If they really are working with the Bleeders, then chances are, they intentionally allowed a Bleeder to access the Ayas,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°I guess¡­ hey, wait, something¡¯s happening.¡±


    Saito continued watching the scene in silence as Str¨¦n and the other man appeared to exchange words, followed by Feral retreating to the parked shuttle. A minute later, Feral returned from the shuttle ¡ª this time with three individuals in tow. Each of them had their feet and hands bound, and their mouths gagged, while their movements were sluggish, as though they had been drugged. All three appeared to be on the younger side; one a young, tanned man with scruffy auburn hair, another a young, dark-skinned woman with short black hair, and the third a short, pale-skinned woman with long black hair, that seemed to drape partially in front of her face.


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s her!¡± Travis remarked. ¡°That¡¯s the girl!¡±


    ¡°You mean Minilas?!¡± Liask pressed. ¡°She¡¯s here?!¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell are we waitin¡¯ for¡ª?¡± Obra began as he started to stand, only for Ralak to grab Liask and Obra both and force them back to the ground.


    ¡°Sit. Still,¡± Ralak ordered.


    ¡°But she¡¯s right fuckin¡¯ there!¡± Obra protested, ¡°don¡¯t let our fuckin¡¯ friend slip through our fingers!¡±


    ¡°And I¡­ what¡¯s goin¡¯ on?¡± Liask said with a confused look as she struggled against Ralak¡¯s grasp. ¡°Why¡­ since when were you stronger than me? ¡­Wait¡­!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Obra¡¯s lip curled as he turned to glare at Saito and Hackett. ¡°Did y¡¯all seriously use CENT Fields on us?!¡±


    ¡°If you knew how to behave yourselves, then it wouldn¡¯t be necessary,¡± Hackett snapped back. ¡°This is for your own good. If the two of you go charging in without a plan, then you¡¯ll put your friend and all of the other captives at risk!¡±


    ¡°And if they escape because you were sittin¡¯ on your fuckin¡¯ asses?!¡±


    ¡°The fact that you think we¡¯re ¡®sitting our our asses¡¯ shows how little you¡¯re prepared to deal with a situation like this,¡± Saito countered. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to leave without us acting. Aircraft take time to launch, after all. On top of that, it¡¯s possible there¡¯s CENT Fields down there, especially if they have Chaotic captives, which would make you less than useless. Not to mention we¡¯re up against Str¨¦n and Feral. Feral alone put up a heavy fight against three of the Deans, and Str¨¦n is supposedly stronger than her.¡± Saito passed Obra a glance. ¡°If you think you can take them on all on your own, then you¡¯re being nothing short of arrogant.¡±


    Obra glared at Saito, but didn¡¯t speak any further as he attempted ¡ª fruitlessly ¡ª to struggle against Ralak¡¯s hold.


    ¡°Not many of the Bleeders have armor, though¡­¡± Travis mused as he continued to watch the scene below through his binoculars. ¡°It looks like only one or two of the guards have powered armor. Str¨¦n and Feral don¡¯t even have any!¡±


    ¡°According to Dav¨ªdrius, Feral had a cybernetic prosthetic,¡± Saito said as he turned back to watch the scene through his scope. ¡°One that had an integrated energy shield, supposedly. We have to assume she still has that ¡ª and that Str¨¦n probably does, too. The other guards might, as well.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be tricky, then¡­¡± Hackett muttered, turning away from Obra and Liask to leave the two in Ralak¡¯s hands. She gripped her assault rifle and carefully began scoping out the meeting area herself before asking, ¡°so, what¡¯s the plan? Try to take them all out from afar?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still a kilometer out¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°All of our guns can reach from this range, but Travis is the only one who can guarantee a hit on a target. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much cover on the slope, but¡­ it looks like the guards on our side aren¡¯t paying attention, anymore. They¡¯re focused on the meeting. That gives us an opening. Even so, the fact that Str¨¦n and Feral are likely shielded will be a problem¡­¡± He then turned toward Ralak, who was still occupied with holding Liask and Obra down on the ground. ¡°¡­How likely are the Bleeders to kill the hostages if we attack?¡±


    ¡°Never underestimate the lengths a Bleeder will go just to spite someone,¡± Ralak replied.


    ¡°Figures. We¡¯ll need to approach this carefully, then¡­¡± Saito muttered, turning away to continue scoping out the meeting area. Feral had since disappeared back into the shuttle, bringing the three hostages with her; Str¨¦n and the supposed SFC soldier now seemed to be negotiating something, as a second SFC-dressed soldier began pulling large crates out of the aircraft that had most recently arrived. ¡°¡­Alright, it¡¯s time to get moving,¡± the Colonel stated. ¡°Travis, hold position here, and don¡¯t fire until I give the signal. MacTavish, you hold here, as well. Hackett, you and I¡ª¡±


    In the midst of his sentence, both Obra and Liask suddenly thrust their hips upwards, successfully throwing a surprised Ralak off-balance. In that split-second opening, Obra ripped himself out of her grasp, rolled over, and scrambled to his feet; Hackett was already rising to tackle him back to the ground, but he managed to duck around her, instead grabbing the small mechanical device laying on the ground between Hackett and Saito ¡ª the portable CENT Field generator.


    ¡°Wait, you idiot¡ª!¡± Saito began to shout, only for Obra to ignore him and chuck the device off of the hilltop. As soon as the generator was more than a few meters away, Obra raised his barriers, temporarily immobilizing both Ralak and Hackett as Liask jumped to her feet, grabbed him, and then bounded toward the parked shuttle on the beach below.


    ¡°Those fucking¡­!¡± Hackett swore as she quickly climbed back to her feet, Obra¡¯s barriers disappearing as the distance between him and the hilltop grew.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been noticed!¡± Travis declared, watching as the Bleeder guards around the shuttle began to turn toward Liask ¡ª right as she landed on top of one of them. ¡°Sir¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Damn it, open fire, now!¡± Saito ordered, already climbing to his feet. As he did, Ralak rushed by, slamming her forearms together and then lifting into the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Colonel!¡± she shouted back at him, ¡°I should never have allowed them to come with us!¡±


    ¡°Just¡ª watch them!¡± Saito shouted after her, as she and Hackett rushed down the hillside. ¡°We¡¯ll secure the hostages! Hold off Str¨¦n and Feral, if you can!!¡±


    Ralak offered Saito a quick nod before turning towards the emerging battlefield herself. Travis¡¯s sniping had already dispatched two of the guards, while Obra and Liask both tore a path straight toward Str¨¦n. Amidst the chaos, the SFC soldiers quickly retreated to their aircraft, and its engines began spooling up ¡ª but just before it could take off, Liask bounded towards it and smashed one of the engines with her bare fists, thereby grounding the aircraft. As soon as she landed, however, the sand beneath her feet exploded as a spire of rock shot upwards, seeking to impale her. In the second before it could, Ralak zipped up next to Liask and slammed her forearm into the Forcetechnic¡¯s back, seizing control of her body to whip her out of the air and back to a safe part of the beach. Ralak then quickly scanned the meeting place herself, only to wince as a guffaw sounded from a short distance away. Turning towards the source of the laugh, she felt herself reflexively tense, as her eyes fell on the form of a large, muscular man, sporting a brown goatee on his broad, lightly tanned face, rounded out by long, coarse brown hair tied back into a low, rough ponytail.


    ¡°Str¨¦n¡­¡± Ralak muttered apprehensively.


    ¡°Puahahahaha!!¡± Str¨¦n let loose a hearty laugh as he planted his hands on his hips and stared down at Ralak and Liask. A bullet immediately slammed right into his head, but shining golden shields appeared to block the projectile while Str¨¦n remained standing, as if he had been hit by no more than a fly. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve been followed, after all!¡± he remarked, slowly crouching down into a combat posture ¡ª followed by a pause as he squinted at Ralak. ¡°¡­Wait¡­¡± A slow smile crept across his face. ¡°Well, well, well, if it ain¡¯t the Willthief! It¡¯s been a while!¡±


    ¡°¡­So it has,¡± Ralak acknowledged through clenched teeth as Liask jumped to her feet beside her.


    ¡°Ooooh, and you brought more Chaotics with ya!¡± Feral cooed as she skipped up next to Str¨¦n. ¡°How nice of you! You tryin¡¯ to join back up with us?¡±


    ¡°Ralak¡­!¡± Liask muttered, taking up a defensive stance herself but still warily eying Str¨¦n and Feral, who casually watched Ralak and Liask even as Travis picked off the final guards around the shuttle.


    ¡°¡­No response, eh?¡± Str¨¦n said after a second of silence. ¡°Shoulda figured. Not that I would¡¯ve let a weakling like you back into¡ª¡°


    In the middle of his sentence, he stopped himself to duck to the side ¡ª just as a vertical barrier manifested in the air right where Str¨¦n had been standing. While the Bleeder was able to avoid being instantly killed via bisection, he wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid the barrier completely; it instead cut through his right shoulder, completely severing his right arm from his body.


    ¡­His sparking, mechanical arm.


    As the prosthetic fell to the ground, Str¨¦n stared at it for a second before turning around to look at Obra ¡ª who was looking back at him with a triumphant grin. In that split-second, however, Str¨¦n used his Forcetechnic strength to pounce on Obra, grabbing the student¡¯s right arm before he could react and whipping him around in the air before slamming him into the ground with a sickening crack. Obra¡¯s shields flared, protecting him from most of the force ¡ª only for his shields to break a second later, allowing the rest of the impact to go through and knock him unconscious.


    ¡°Obra!¡± Liask shouted, but Ralak thrust an arm out in front of her to prevent her from running forward.


    ¡°¡­You¡¯ve gone too far, Str¨¦n,¡± Ralak said, watching warily as the Bleeder fully stood up and turned back to face her. Further back, she could see Saito and Hackett rapidly advancing on the Bleeders¡¯ shuttle, but neither Str¨¦n nor Feral seemed to have noticed them.


    ¡°More like I ain¡¯t gone far enough,¡± Str¨¦n remarked as he stepped up to his severed arm and crushed it underfoot, rendering it completely unsalvageable. He then slowly approached Ralak, but before he had taken even two steps, Travis nailed him in the head with another bullet¡­ but once more, protective shielding flared up around Str¨¦n¡¯s head, deflecting the bullet again. Str¨¦n then fabricated a massive wall of stone to block any further bullets, but otherwise continued approaching Ralak, his right shoulder sparking at where his arm had once connected. ¡°¡­You know how we work, Willthief,¡± he taunted. ¡°Even this won¡¯t stop me! And the way you are now sure as hell ain¡¯t gonna change that.¡±


    ¡°¡­Maybe you¡¯re right,¡± Ralak replied, carefully eying Obra¡¯s body on the ground behind Str¨¦n. After a second, she could see the telltale sign of his chest slightly raising, indicating that he was at least still alive; after noting that, she turned her attention back to Str¨¦n. ¡°¡­Can¡¯t help but feel that all my decisions lately have just been helpin¡¯ y¡¯all out, indirectly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess I never thanked you for lettin¡¯ us into Tresnon, huh~?¡± Feral remarked. ¡°That was really useful, ya know~!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡ª but it stops here,¡± Ralak declared. In the instant afterward, the black gloves covering her hands and lower arms suddenly shot off, manipulated by her own Imperator Psychotechnism to finally reveal her bare hands. ¡°¡­I may¡¯ve let y¡¯all into Tresnon, and I let my own damn students almost get themselves killed. But I¡¯ll be makin¡¯ up for that here!¡±


    ¡°Pu ah ha ha! Damn, that little snot-nosed ¡®Sentry¡¯ really rubbed off on ya, huh?!¡± Str¨¦n exclaimed, eagerly pounding his chest with his one remaining fist. ¡°But ya really think you can stand up against my strength, huh? Ha! Even with those bastard outsiders you brought with you ¡ª even with only one arm! ¡ª it¡¯s time to show ya the power that brought me back from death!!¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 48: Through the Darkness

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 48: Through the Darkness


    ¡°Ngh¡­ agh. What the fuck¡­¡±


    With an irritated grunt, Pierce kicked away some of the stones that were slowly falling down beside him. He slowly climbed to his feet, vigorously shaking his flashlight to try and turn it back on ¡ª to no avail ¡ª before beginning to look around himself. Darkness fully covered his surroundings, accompanied by an eerie silence; less than a minute had passed since the explosion that caused the cave-in, but already the rocks had settled, and Pierce found himself on the other side unscathed.


    The sound of shifting rocks drew Pierce¡¯s attention to his left. A second later, a dim beam of light cut through the rocks as Conrad slowly dug himself out, using the blade end of his summoned glaive to effortlessly slice through the rocks.


    ¡°Dude¡­¡± Pierce rushed to Conrad¡¯s side and helped pull him to his feet. ¡°You okay?¡±


    Conrad coughed and cleared his throat before sweeping the beam of his flashlight over his own body. ¡°¡­Seems like it,¡± he eventually replied. ¡°I don¡¯t feel pain anywhere, I don¡¯t seem to be missing anything¡­ these energy shields sure are useful, huh?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t stop the cave-in from happening in the first place, though¡­¡± Pierce muttered. He then shook his hands, at first in an attempt to stretch his fingers, but then he quickened his shaking to see just how fast he could do so. ¡°¡­My speed¡¯s back. I guess the cave-in killed the CENT field.¡±


    ¡°Or shoved us far enough away from it to not be affected.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Conrad slowly swept his flashlight across the dark space in which he and Pierce were standing. As the beam moved across the stony cave walls, it revealed an area much wider than either of the forked hallways the group had run into before the cave-in.


    ¡°¡­Okay, that¡¯s a problem,¡± Pierce admitted. ¡°And is it just us¡ª?¡±


    A sharp crack echoed through the air as some of the caved-in rock next to Conrad exploded outwards. As more rocks began falling in to fill the new hole, Dav¨ªdrius irately clawed his way out, coughing the whole way. He was soon clear of the rocks, where he stopped for a second to catch his breath ¡ª and then kicked at the wall next to him in frustration. ¡°Fuck! Fucking¡­ fuck!¡±


    ¡°You alright?¡± Pierce called after him.


    Dav¨ªdrius promptly whipped around, his flashlight active and directed at Pierce ¡ª and then at Conrad. Conrad, in turn, shone his flashlight on Dav¨ªdrius, allowing the three men to see each other amidst the pitch-black darkness of the cave. ¡°¡­Just you two?¡± the Dean questioned.


    ¡°As far as we can tell, at least,¡± Conrad replied.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°¡­That was fuckin¡¯ Shade. A Bleeder! What the hell are the Bleeders doin¡¯ on fuckin¡¯ Nayasis, of all places? How the dirt did she get off of Nimalia? Is she even a fucking Bleeder? Fuck¡­¡±


    Pierce and Conrad exchanged a wary glance before Conrad began sweeping his flashlight beam across the cave again, in search of an exit. ¡°Well, we should probably focus on finding a way out of here, right?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°If it¡¯s finding a way out, we should be fine,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius and I are Velocitechnics, we can just break and dig our way through the rocks faster than they replace themselves.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°Introtechnic strength and durability ain¡¯t no match for a fuckin¡¯ mountain. Besides, tryin¡¯ to dig our way out might just make the problem worse.¡±


    ¡°How do you suggest we get out of here, then?¡± Pierce challenged. ¡°You told us we¡¯re the only Chaotics on the planet, so it isn¡¯t like we can just sit around and wait for help!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say we¡¯re doin¡¯ that, either,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said, beginning to search the caves himself. Upon finding an apparent path away from the caved-in section, the Dean began walking towards it while gesturing for Pierce and Conrad to follow. ¡°¡­By the looks of things, that cave-in shoved us a good distance away from where Shade found us.¡±


    ¡°What do you think happened to the others?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°If we¡¯re fine, I¡¯m sure they are, too,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°¡­But I¡¯m pretty sure we got separated. I know Christean¨¦; he¡¯d be the first to dig himself out of a situation like that. If he wasn¡¯t already out by the time I was, then he¡¯s either dead, or somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°You say that pretty calmly¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m fuckin¡¯ pissed right now, believe me. What the fuck are the Bleeders even doin¡¯ here, huh?¡± The Dean paused to take a deep breath. ¡°¡­But anger ain¡¯t gonna help us out much, right now. We need to focus on gettin¡¯ the hell outta here.¡±


    ¡°So we can find that ¡®Shade¡¯ person and kick her ass?¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°¡­For once, I find myself agreein¡¯ with you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°Still, how the hell¡­ she can¡¯t be a Bleeder, surely. Ain¡¯t no way in hell a Bleeder is findin¡¯ their way off-world. Not without help¡­¡±


    ¡°Could it have something to do with the Nanocreatures being here?¡± Conrad suggested.


    ¡°I damn well hope not. If the Bleeders got an infection problem, then Tres¨¦d¡¯s got an infection problem, and that ain¡¯t somethin¡¯ I wanna deal with.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a problem we¡¯re going to have to deal with, here, though¡­¡± Pierce muttered, momentarily stopping in his tracks. Before the trio, the small cave opened up into a massive cavern of darkness, so large that the beams from Conrad and Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s flashlights appeared to fade into the darkness. More pertinent than that, however, was the large mound resting on the cavern floor some distance away. Conrad slowly swept his flashlight beam across it, revealing its metallic silver hide and giant size ¡ª as well as the furled wings on its back, and the reptilian snout large enough to swallow a person whole.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those silver dragons,¡± Conrad whispered.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ there really is a Critical Infection, here?¡± Dav¨ªdrius scowled. ¡°How the hell? On Nayasis¡­?¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s sleeping, now,¡± Pierce said. ¡°Maybe we can leave it alone¡­¡±


    Conrad passed Pierce an incredulous look. ¡°You want to avoid fighting it? Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, asshole,¡± Pierce snapped. ¡°You weren¡¯t there to fight the dragon on Orciid¡¯kas. That thing was practically impossible for me or even Mark to fight, with how it kept deforming itself and opening up fucking holes in its body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d heard about that¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius mused. ¡°I honestly ain¡¯t ever heard of an infection dragon makin¡¯ moves like that. I¡¯ve fought a few in my time, and I was always able to hit ¡®em hard just fine. I think the one you fought was an outlier.¡±


    ¡°And if it wasn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°¡­Good question. I guess if we don¡¯t know why that dragon was actin¡¯ differently, we can¡¯t assume others won¡¯t be the same way. But the thing is¡­ this dragon is right there. It¡¯s sleepin¡¯, now, but it won¡¯t be long ¡®til it wakes up and starts fuckin¡¯ shit up for the Nayasis settlement. We¡¯ve got energy shields with us, so even if we can only stall it, we can stall it for a damn long while¡­¡± The Dean trailed off, and then turned his flashlight to look at Pierce and Conrad. ¡°Now, I realize that neither of y¡¯all signed up for this, so if y¡¯all wanna sit out, I sure as dirt won¡¯t blame you. But I¡¯m gonna see what I can do against the dragon. If I can destroy enough of it, I might set back the Critical Infection enough to let the folks above evacuate¡­¡±


    ¡°What, and let you get all the glory for yourself?¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°If you¡¯re going in, old man, then so am I!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t old, you bastard,¡± Dav¨ªdrius shot back. ¡°¡­But, now that I think of it, your Ayas weapon should help out a lot, here.¡±


    ¡°And your invisibility would help a lot,¡± Pierce stated as he turned to throw his arm around Conrad¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been practicing turning things invisible at range. You want to test that ability, right? You know you want to help.¡±


    ¡°I know that I don¡¯t,¡± Conrad said, only to sigh a second later. ¡°¡­But I guess there isn¡¯t much of a choice, is there? If I sit out and that thing kicks your asses, then I¡¯d have to face it all by myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius looked back to the dragon ¡ª though as his flashlight beam moved across its face once again, he found that this time, the dragon was staring back. With an audible snort, the metallic beast slowly began to rouse, its massive wings unfurling as it climbed to its full, incredible height.


    ¡°¡­Looks like it¡¯s taking the fight to us, huh?¡± Pierce commented warily.


    ¡°It would figure,¡± Dav¨ªdrius growled, and then made to leap toward the dragon. ¡°Alright, y¡¯all! Follow my lead, and use your weapons as much as y¡¯all can! Let¡¯s take it down! Overdrive: Speed Break!!¡±


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡± Pierce echoed before readily jumping after Dav¨ªdrius, ready to fight the giant beast before them.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Is it really just us¡­?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it seems like it¡­¡± Christean¨¦ replied as he cautiously stepped through the dark caves in front of him, his flashlight beam slowly sweeping left to right and back again. Trailing behind the Dean were Austin and Spike, themselves warily watching their surroundings with their flashlights. Only a few minutes had passed since Spike freed the trio from the caved-in rocks, having used a hastily-fabricated shield to create a small open pocket within the stone. Once freed, Christean¨¦ quickly deduced that the trio must have been pushed down one of the forks in the tunnel they had encountered earlier, and were now separated from Dav¨ªdrius, Pierce, Conrad, and Mark.


    ¡°Will we be able to get outta here?¡± Spike questioned uneasily.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say ¡®yes¡¯,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°¡­But, realistically¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re both Forcetechnics, right?¡± Austin pointed out while glancing between Christean¨¦ and Spike. ¡°And I can copy your strength! Can¡¯t we just, like¡­ punch our way out?¡±


    Christean¨¦ responded with an incredulous snort. ¡°And, what, cause another cave-in?¡± he retorted, ¡°as much as it pains me to say, not every problem can be solved with brute strength.¡±


    ¡°I hope the others are alright, at least¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°If we¡¯re fine, I¡¯m sure they are, too,¡± the Dean asserted. ¡°Dav¨ªdrius sure as hell isn¡¯t going to let a cave-in, of all things, do him in. Even worse when that cave-in was started by a Bleeder. Chances are, he¡¯ll survive out of pure hate and spite.¡±


    ¡°Could probably say the same about Pierce,¡± Austin said. ¡°There¡¯s no way he¡¯d let a blow to his ego go.¡±


    ¡°And as long as Pierce is around, Conrad is probably fine¡­¡± Spike mused. ¡°And Mark can handle himself. Alright, then, we just gotta worry about ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Christean¨¦ replied, only to stop in his tracks with his flashlight beam focused on one part of the cave walls: a part of the walls featuring streaks of metallic silver, as though a beast had clawed at the rocks. ¡°¡­Unfortunately, we¡¯re probably going to run into trouble, soon.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like this¡­¡± Austin muttered as he stared at the silver claw marks. ¡°If we were attacked, now¡­ then how the hell would we fight back? It¡¯s so cramped and dark in here!¡±


    ¡°The tunnels are definitely small¡­¡± Christean¨¦ said, turning to look at the cave through which they walked; it was barely wide enough to walk two-abreast, and the cave ceiling came down to within half a foot of Spike¡¯s head. While not the most crowded of conditions, it was certainly a terrible location for any kind of combat. ¡°¡­All the more reason to keep looking,¡± the Dean eventually finished as he continued moving through the tunnels.


    ¡°Keep looking for what?¡± Spike questioned.


    ¡°A cavern, or something,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°For some reason, the infection really likes hiding out in underground tunnels, particularly ones with big caverns. The big cavern is where a Critical Infection will nest.¡±


    ¡°You mean one of those silver dragons?¡± Austin asked. ¡°¡­Wait, why are we looking for one of those things?!¡±


    ¡°If it exists, we need to destroy it, for the sake of the Nayasis settlement. And if it¡¯s in a cavern, then that gives us more room to maneuver than in this tiny little cave. Our shields are still active and healthy, for the most part, so combat with the infection isn¡¯t too dangerous¡­ so long as we end any fight quickly.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a pretty big ¡®if¡¯!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not great, but it¡¯s what we have to work with. Plus, if we can find a cavern, then it might be easier to find a way out of here ¡ª even if we do resort to punching through rock.¡± The Dean then looked down at his flashlight, though in the darkness of the cave, his expression was lost on Austin and Spike. ¡°¡­The only problem is these lights of ours, and holding on to them during a fight.¡±


    ¡°No kiddin¡¯¡­¡± Spike muttered. ¡°Coulda done with some headlamps.¡±


    ¡°I would¡¯ve preferred those, as well, but Nayasis doesn¡¯t have any. They aren¡¯t a mining settlement, so I can understand why, but it¡¯s still a massive pain in the ass¡­¡±


    Christean¨¦ then trailed off, allowing the trio to fall into silence as they quietly and cautiously progressed through the winding cave tunnels. In that silence, however, the trio soon caught the faint echoes of skittering ¡ª skittering that quickly began to grow in volume.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Christean¨¦ scowled as Spike behind him fabricated a small buckler in preparation for throwing. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve been found!¡±


    ¡°We¡ª we can¡¯t fight the Nanocreatures here!¡± Austin exclaimed in exasperation.


    ¡°Looks like we don¡¯t got much of a choice!¡± Spike replied as a couple of silver bugs, each the size of a basketball, skittered through Christean¨¦¡¯s flashlight beam a couple dozen meters ahead of the group. Spike immediately threw his buckler at them, smashing one of them to bits and sending the other scurrying away ¡ª only for five more to take its place.


    ¡°Alright, this is it!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted, tightly gripping the tether of his battlehammer in preparation for a fight. ¡°Spike, get up here with me! Austin, do whatever you can from behind us! If we see an opening to push through the bugs, we¡¯re taking it, but don¡¯t let them push us back ¡ª there¡¯s a dead end behind us, and I¡¯d really like to not make that literal!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this¡­!¡± Austin muttered as he summoned his claymore into his right hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, either, but it¡¯s what we have to deal with!¡± Christean¨¦ declared ¡ª right as he hurled his hammer forward to smash some of the approaching bugs, and then used the attached tether to yank the weapon back. ¡°Now c¡¯mon, we can do this! Just follow my lead!!¡±

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 49: The Strength of Chaos

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 49: The Strength of Chaos


    ¡°It¡¯s time to show ya the power that brought me back from death!! RAAAGHH!!!¡±


    With a bellowing roar, Str¨¦n slammed his fist into the beach underfoot, throwing up a massive dust cloud that obscured his and Feral¡¯s position. Ralak immediately backed away, slapping a nearby piece of debris with her open palm and launching it into the dust cloud ¡ª only for a shout of ¡°Chaos Blast!¡± to instantly clear the cloud and obliterate the debris Ralak had just thrown, while simultaneously launching Str¨¦n right at her. In the split-second before Str¨¦n¡¯s fist reached Ralak, Liask lunged forward to knock him away, but he then raised a rocky wall behind him that he used to rebound off of and tackle Liask to the ground. Two bullets from Travis¡¯s distant sniper rifle found their mark on Str¨¦n¡¯s back, but the Bleeder¡¯s shields easily deflected them as the man himself overpowered Liask, grabbing both her wrists in his one remaining hand and hoisting her into the air. He reared back and then threw his head forward, fiercely head-butting Liask in the face; her energy shielding flared brightly as they protected her from direct harm, but Str¨¦n continued bashing her face as she struggled to break free of his grasp.


    The sound of shattering rock drew Str¨¦n¡¯s attention to behind him, just in time to see Ralak seizing control of the rock wall he had created mere seconds ago. With her Imperator powers, she ripped the stone wall out of the ground and hurled it at Str¨¦n ¡ª only for a Chaos Cannon from Feral to blast the wall to pieces as the Chaostechnic herself bounded forward. ¡°Chaos Claws!¡± she barked out with a grin, prompting foot-long claws of reddish energy to appear on her fingers. She then began wildly swinging at the air while lunging for Ralak, forcing the Imperator to focus on dodging. Out the corner of her eye, Ralak watched Str¨¦n continue to bash away at Liask, but Feral¡¯s ferocious advances kept Ralak distracted and looking for an opening.


    ¡°Ahahahaha!!!¡± Feral cackled as she pressed the attack, her eyes wide with blood-seeking glee. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Willthief? Gotten too soft at that cushy school?!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Ralak could only respond with a frustrated grunt before ducking under one of Feral¡¯s wild slashes. The Imperator then lunged to the side, prompting Feral to turn towards her with an outstretched hand.


    ¡°Chaos¡ª!¡± Feral began to shout, only for a bullet to slam into her hand and knock it away from Ralak as she finished, ¡°Cannon!¡± The resulting projectile went wide, giving Ralak just enough of an opening to clap her hands together and then lift into the air. She flew a wide arc around Feral, making sure to stay out of reach of the Chaostechnic¡¯s claws, before zipping over to Str¨¦n and shoulder-checking him. Caught by surprise, the massive Bleeder stumbled forward, giving Liask a chance to break free of his grip. Just as she did, two columns of rock exploded out of the ground underneath Ralak and Liask; Ralak managed to dodge out of the way just before the column hit her, but Liask was launched high into the air, leaving her utterly helpless as Str¨¦n leaped up to her and smashed her back to the ground with his fist. As she careened downward, Str¨¦n rose a massive rock out of the ground nearby and pulled it up to his location in the air, where he used it as a springboard to launch himself back towards Liask, his fist slamming into her back shortly after she hit the ground.


    ¡°Agh¡ª!!¡± Liask cried out, the astounding force of Str¨¦n¡¯s blows stunning her even through the energy shielding that protected her. As Str¨¦n went for another punch, however, Ralak slammed a massive piece of metal debris into him, staggering him to the side. Ralak quickly rushed over to Liask and pulled her to her feet before Str¨¦n could react, but Feral was hot on her heels ¡ª only to be staggered by another bullet from Travis¡¯s rifle. With a frustrated snarl, Feral snapped her hand toward Travis¡¯s distant position and shouted out, ¡°Chaos Cannon! Chaos Cannon!!¡± And then, she quickly followed with, ¡°Chaos EXPLOSION!!¡±


    The ground beneath her feet erupted, throwing dirt and sand across the entire beach ¡ª and launching Feral toward Travis¡¯s location, which was already obscured by the dust clouds generated by the impact of Feral¡¯s two Cannon shots. Ralak made to pursue Feral for a brief second, but stopped herself as Str¨¦n grabbed the aircraft that the SFC soldiers had arrived on, hoisted it into the air with his one arm, and then chucked it at Ralak and Liask. Quickly, Ralak clapped her hands and then grabbed Liask by her arm, dragging the two out of harms way just in time for the aircraft to smash into their former position. Immediately following it was Str¨¦n, having bounded forward with his great strength, but Liask managed to intercept him and send him flying into the coastal waters. She then made to follow, only for Ralak to grab her shoulder.


    ¡°Str¨¦n¡¯s too much for you,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him. You go after Feral. Protect the Earthians!¡±


    Liask looked back to Ralak uneasily. ¡°B-but¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Do it! Now!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª right!¡±


    After that brief exchange, Liask turned around and leaped over the wreckage of the aircraft, in the direction of Feral. Almost as soon as she did, Str¨¦n landed on the shore nearby, having risen a rock underneath him in the waters to leap off of. He watched Liask leave in pursuit of Feral before cracking his neck and turning toward Ralak. ¡°So you think you can take me alone, huh?¡± he challenged, a dangerous, malicious grin spreading across his entire face.


    Ralak turned to face him, hiding her hands behind her back as she slowly circled around Str¨¦n toward the aircraft wreckage. Through the corner of her eye, she could see Liask and Feral begin fighting atop the distant hill, while Saito and Hackett were sneaking around the large shuttle that contained the hostages. ¡°¡­Whether or not I think I can take you,¡± Ralak eventually replied to Str¨¦n¡¯s taunt, using the brief moment of respite to catch her breath, ¡°I don¡¯t have much choice in fightin¡¯ you, do I?¡±


    ¡°You coulda left the li¡¯l whelp to herself, let me wear myself out demolishin¡¯ her,¡± Str¨¦n remarked. ¡°But you actually saved her! You really have changed, Willthief!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t use that name anymore. Call me Ralak.¡±


    ¡°Puahahaha!!¡± Str¨¦n guffawed. ¡°You think gettin¡¯ rid of your past is that easy? Bullshit. Once a Bleeder, always a Bleeder ¡ª and we punish our own. And I gotta say¡­¡± He crouched down, clearly preparing to charge forward. ¡°I really look forward to breakin¡¯ the will of the Willthief!¡±


    Ralak didn¡¯t verbally respond. Instead, she whipped a piece of the aircraft¡¯s wreckage through the air, intercepting Str¨¦n right as he lunged forward ¡ª only for a giant boulder to suddenly appear above her. Acting quickly, she again clapped her hands to fly out of the way of the boulder, narrowly escaping it as it fell onto her former position. In that moment, Str¨¦n blasted through both the debris and the boulder with his strength alone, his attention focused entirely on Ralak as she flew through the air toward the uncleared portions of the dumping grounds, hoping to use the sprawling debris fields against Str¨¦n.


    As the two continued fighting, Colonel Saito eyed them from afar. He then turned his scope toward the distant hilltop; from his position low on the beach, he couldn¡¯t see the entirety of the fighting atop the hill, but he could see Liask and Feral appear in the air sometimes, accompanied by what appeared to be gunfire. With a wary grimace, Saito set down his scope and turned his attention back to the landed shuttle that he and Hackett had just secured. In the chaos of fighting Str¨¦n and Feral, Saito and Hackett had been able to sneak up on the two remaining Bleeder guards and easily subdue them with CENT fields and gunfire; the two officers of CSF-1 had since broken into the shuttle¡¯s cargo bay, where they found a hundred hostages. Most of them were unconscious, and on a closer examination of the conscious ones, Saito and Hackett were able to tell that the hostages had been heavily sedated. Even after being freed from their bondage, the conscious hostages barely reacted, seemingly fighting fiercely just to remain awake.


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    Saito half-turned to look back at Major Hackett as she stepped into the cargo area from an entrance at the back of the shuttle. As she walked, she dragged with her two unconscious bodies ¡ª both wearing the white with green-trimming longcoat uniform of the SFC, one of them bleeding from his leg.


    The Colonel looked down at the two unconscious soldiers, watching incredulously as Hackett bound their arms and legs and set down an active CENT field generator next to them. ¡°You took both of them out on your own?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t have shields,¡± Hackett replied, and then nodded at the soldier with the bullet wound in his leg. ¡°I think that one¡¯s an Introtechnic, so he might¡¯ve thought he didn¡¯t need shields. One CENT field changes that, though.¡±


    ¡°An amateur move. Even Str¨¦n didn¡¯t make that mistake.¡±


    ¡°Right. So what do we do, now?¡±


    ¡°At this point¡­¡± Saito muttered, briefly watching Ralak and Str¨¦n zig-zag through the debris-covered beach to the south before turning back to Hackett. ¡°Str¨¦n and Feral both have shields, shields that are pretty clearly generated by prosthetics ¡ª which means they might also have hidden weapons, and a CENT field won¡¯t shut those down. We can¡¯t count on the CENT fields helping us, here.¡±


    ¡°The kid ¡ª Obra ¡ª he cut Str¨¦n¡¯s right arm off. If we wake him up, then¡ª¡°


    ¡°That won¡¯t be happening¡­¡± The Colonel glanced off to the side, prompting Hackett to follow his gaze. Laying against the interior wall of the shuttle, next to some of the freed hostages, was the unconscious form of Obra ¡ª accompanied by some heavy bandaging around his arms and lower chest. ¡°I pulled him inside while you were checking out the SFC soldiers,¡± Saito explained, ¡°and his condition isn¡¯t good. Only a couple broken bones as far as I can tell, but he¡¯s bruised all over, and possibly concussed.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Hackett questioned incredulously. ¡°I know that the kids¡¯ shields weren¡¯t fully charged, but are you saying that Str¨¦n killed Obra¡¯s shields with a single punch?¡±


    ¡°Seems so¡­¡± Saito muttered.


    ¡°And now he and Feral have us on the back foot¡­¡± Hackett muttered. ¡°We need to get out of here, sir.¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Especially with these hostages, here ¡ª we can¡¯t repel Str¨¦n and Feral while also protecting them.¡± He gestured toward the shuttle¡¯s cockpit. ¡°Do what you can to get it started. I¡¯ll call Travis and MacTavish.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Hackett readily acknowledged as she quickly ducked into the cockpit.


    Once she was out of sight, Saito shook his head in disbelief; he had heard Dav¨ªdrius, Selind, and others talk up the threat that Str¨¦n posed, but he hadn¡¯t expected the Bleeder leader to be so surprisingly well-equipped for combat. Not only had he sensed Obra¡¯s attempt to bisect him and dodged, he also had redundant shielding to keep himself protected even if he lost an arm ¡ª and even down an arm, he clearly had Ralak on the defensive. ¡­Though, with all of that said, we at least know more about what Str¨¦n can do, and what tech he has, Saito mused as he readjusted his headset. Even if we don¡¯t take him down today, we¡¯ll be ready for him next time¡­ anyways. The Colonel then spoke into his comms. ¡°Captain! You there?¡±


    A second passed. Then, Travis¡¯s stressed voice replied, ?little busy, Colonel!?


    ¡°I know. We¡¯re leaving. Get yourself and MacTavish to the shuttle as soon as you can!¡±


    ?¡­What? But Str¨¦n and Feral¡ª!?


    ¡°The hostages and intel come first. We¡¯re not taking out Str¨¦n or Feral, not here. So get to the shuttle and get it off the ground!¡±


    Another moment of silence. ?¡­Alright, Colonel. But it might be a bit!?


    ¡°As long as you get back here. Saito, out.¡±


    With that, Saito turned his attention back to the fighting outside of the shuttle, his grip on his rifle tightening. ¡°Major,¡± he called out toward the cockpit, ¡°I¡¯m taking a CENT field and going to assist Ralak. Once Travis or MacTavish show up here, I want you to help out Liask against Feral with the last CENT field. We need to hold out until this shuttle is ready to leave! Got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir!¡± Hackett shouted from the cockpit.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Saito muttered to himself as he took a deep breath and adjusted his grasp on his rifle. He took a second to scan the trash-filled beaches to the south, where he soon spotted Ralak flying through the air, dodging around thrown rocks and debris. Upon noting this, the Colonel rushed forward, his feet pounding across the dirty sands to get a better angle on Str¨¦n.


    While the Colonel charged across the beach, another several explosions sounded from the top of the nearby foothills, each one cratering the earth as Feral maniacally and haphazardly went after Liask, Travis, and MacTavish. ¡°Chaos Cannon, Chaos Cannon!¡± Feral shouted, firing off two supersonic projectiles of reddish energy at Travis, who wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough to dodge out of the way. The two projectiles slammed into his stomach, launching him backwards across the cratered hilltops ¡ª and right into MacTavish, who had been attempting to flee. Before either Earthian could stand, Feral shouted, ¡°Chaos Explosion!¡±, generating an incredible blast of energy under her feet that rocketed her up and over Travis.


    Just as she turned to fire off more Chaos attacks, Liask bounded into the air and smashed her fists down over Feral¡¯s head. Golden energy shielding brightly flared around the Bleeder¡¯s head as she was sent careening back to the ground, kicking up a dust cloud as she impacted the earth; not even a second later, three reddish arrows burst from the cloud. Liask had yet to fall all the way back to the ground before the arrows reached her, rendering her unable to dodge as they each found their mark on her shoulders and chest. Her shields flared to protect her, but the force of the arrows still knocked her off course, sending her crashing haphazardly to the ground.


    ¡°CHAOS BLAST!!¡±


    Before Liask had the opportunity to recover, a massive dome of red energy exploded from the dust cloud, obliterating the dust and the hilltop as well as launching Liask through the air. As she tumbled back to the ground on the slopes of a nearby hill, she was just barely able to spot Travis and MacTavish being thrown to the ground nearby, their shields brightly flaring under the force of the blast. A second later, another explosion sounded, followed by Feral again appearing in the air over the three.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­!¡± Travis muttered, his expression a scowl as he whipped his pistol around to shoot at Feral above. His bullets merely plinked off of her shields, however, doing little to stop her as she shouted out ¡°Chaos Explosion,¡± generating a blast of energy just above her that rocketed her straight down towards the Earthians. Seeing this, Liask quickly lunged for Travis as well, hoping to intercept Feral before she reached them ¡ª but as the Bleeder slammed into the ground, she held her clawed hands out towards Liask, using her own momentum to stagger the young Forcetechnic.


    Feral then turned on Travis, lunging towards him while he continued to pelt her with gunfire. At these close ranges, his sniper rifle was useless; he currently had the rifle strapped to his back as he used his pistol sidearm to try and fend Feral off, but the pistol, too, was useless. Her shields simply deflected every last bullet, allowing her to close the distance and then slash at him with her claws. The Captain thrust himself backwards in an attempt to dodge, but Feral¡¯s speed and long Chaos Claws were still able to reach Travis¡¯s pistol and slice it in twain with no more difficulty than slashing at the air.


    ¡°Luke¡ª!¡± MacTavish cried out, her eyes wide as she watched the Captain stagger backwards, the once-intact pistol in his hands falling to pieces. In a panic, MacTavish began firing toward Feral with her own sidearm, drawing the Bleeder¡¯s attention ¡ª an opening that Liask quickly seized upon to dash toward Feral, grab the Bleeder¡¯s arm, and then chuck her through the air toward the mountains to the west. Liask then turned toward Travis, her mouth opening to speak, but a loud explosion interrupted her ¡ª followed quickly by Feral rocketing back onto the scene.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of ME! Ahahahah!!¡± Feral cackled as she landed on the ground with a roll into a lunge towards Liask. ¡°Chaos BLAST!!¡±


    The ensuing blast again threw Liask, Travis, and MacTavish through the air while obliterating the hill on which they had been standing. As the three crashed back to the ground dozens of meters away, Travis managed to hold on to his bearings just enough to catch himself on the ground and take a quick survey of the battlefield. A half-dozen craters filled the foothills, each replacing what was once a hill ¡ª and each blast carried the group farther away from the shuttle and the rest of the fighting. The Captain¡¯s initial sniping position had already been nearly a kilometer west from the Bleeders¡¯ shuttle, and now he estimated that another half a kilometer had been added to that distance. We need to get back there, but¡ª! he thought to himself, and then snapped his attention skyward as Feral came rocketing in again ¡ª only to be successfully intercepted by Liask. ¡­Well, there¡¯s a solution, here, but it sure won¡¯t be fun!


    ¡°RaaAAAGH!!¡± Feral roared in both fury and exertion as she lashed out at Liask in an effort to drive the Forcetechnic back. Liask held fast, however, bracing herself against Feral¡¯s repeated slashing with her claws. After a second of that, Liask suddenly lunged forward, taking advantage of her superior strength to overpower Feral¡¯s claw slashes and grab the Chaostechnic¡¯s face. ¡°Chaos Impact!!¡± Feral promptly responded, staggering Liask and breaking her grasp of the Bleeder. Feral repeated the call once more, pushing Liask even further away before shouting ¡°Chaos Explosion¡± to detonate the air behind her and launch her back towards Travis and MacTavish.


    ¡°Eek¡ª!¡± MacTavish began to yelp, only for Travis to grab and squeeze her shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just follow my lead!¡± he ordered as he braced himself against a couple of Cannon shots that Feral fired his way. The Bleeder then landed on the ground barely a few meters away from him, landing with a roll into a lunge for his gullet. Liask promptly appeared on the scene, having leaped after Feral to crash down on the Chaostechnic¡¯s back. There, Liask attempted to pin Feral to the ground, overpowering the Bleeder¡¯s thrashing to grab her arms.


    ¡°Nggh!!¡± Feral growled, her brow furrowing. ¡°Cha¡­os¡­!!¡±


    As soon as the sounds left Feral¡¯s mouth, Travis lunged at MacTavish. Caught by surprise, the Researcher allowed Travis to tackle her to the side just as Feral finished, ¡°BLAST!!¡±


    Once more, a dome of reddish energy exploded from Feral¡¯s body, launching Liask straight upwards and throwing Travis and MacTavish into the distant air ¡ª directly towards the shuttle. By the time the dust from the explosion had cleared and Feral had jumped up to the new crater¡¯s edge, Travis and MacTavish had landed farther down the slopes, a mere half kilometer away from the shuttle. ¡°Oooh, smart ones, huh~?¡± Feral remarked, already crouching down in preparation to launch herself after them ¡ª only for Liask to slam her fists down over the Bleeder¡¯s head, smashing her into the ground. ¡°Chaos Explosion!¡± Feral quickly shouted, detonating the air between herself and Liask to launch them apart from each other; she then caught herself on the ground a couple dozen meters away, while Liask managed to remain standing.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Ngh¡­¡± Liask grunted in exertion, taking advantage of the brief lull to catch her breath and roll her shoulders. She currently stood at the top of the crater created by Feral¡¯s most recent Blast, while the Bleeder was farther down inside it; noting this, Liask briefly glanced behind herself toward the distant shuttle.


    ¡°Chaos Explosion!¡±


    Immediately, Liask braced herself against Feral¡¯s approaching form, snatching the Bleeder out of the air and throwing her back down to the ground ¡ª where she tumbled for a bit before leaping back to her feet.


    ¡°You should pick on another Chaotic,¡± Liask declared, her knees bent and hands out in preparation to catch Feral again. ¡°You should come after me, not people who can¡¯t even fight back!¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡± Feral snorted in derision. ¡°A little kid like you? It¡¯s cute that you want my attention, but you ain¡¯t worth my time!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Just that afraid of losin¡¯ to a WCU student, huh?¡± Liask taunted.


    ¡°¡­Oooooh, I thought I recognized that smell! So, you¡¯re a student at the Sentry¡¯s stupid little school, huh~?¡± A maniacal grin spread across Feral¡¯s face as she lowered her stance, her fingers curled tightly and her entire body tense, like a feral animal. ¡°I guess killin¡¯ you will be worth it, then!¡±


    ¡°Feel free to try¡ª!¡°


    ¡°Chaos BLAST!¡±


    Liask immediately braced herself, but still couldn¡¯t stop herself from being sent flying by the Bleeder¡¯s attack. Nevertheless, after tumbling down to the ground, she quickly recovered her bearings and jumped to her feet just in time to continue meeting Feral in battle amidst the cratered ruins of the foothills.


    Nearly two kilometers south of them, Ralak flew low over the rubbish of the dumping grounds, slapping opportune pieces of debris to exert control over them and fling them through the air at Str¨¦n, who effortlessly smashed his way through the trash in pursuit of Ralak. Be it metal or stone, Str¨¦n¡¯s fist made short work of it all, rending everything thrown at him into shattered debris ¡ª or ammunition for his own attacks. After slamming through an ancient construction vehicle, Str¨¦n grabbed its remains and effortlessly hefted it into the air before hurling it at Ralak, who dexterously evaded around it in the air. Just as she dodged, however, Str¨¦n leaped at the wrecked truck he had just thrown, his incredible strength allowing him to launch himself through the air fast enough to reach the wreck while it was still airborne and use it as a springboard to lunge toward Ralak.


    Even in that split-second interaction, Ralak was able to react, thrusting herself backwards through the air to evade Str¨¦n¡¯s outstretched fist by mere centimeters. But Str¨¦n didn¡¯t give her a chance to strike back; even as he slammed back into the ground, he was already raising three massive boulders out of the sand, the giant rocks rapidly coalescing on Ralak¡¯s position. She reached out to slap one while flying upwards to evade the others, exerting control over the touched stone to chuck it at Str¨¦n ¡ª who simply punched it into smithereens. The two other rocks that Ralak hadn¡¯t touched were still in the air, however, and Str¨¦n manipulated them with his Geotechnism to swing them back around toward Ralak while breaking them down into three chunks each. Before Str¨¦n could launch the rocks at Ralak, however, the sounds of nearby gunfire signaled the arrival of a hail of bullets that shattered three of the hovering rocks. In the moment¡¯s distraction, Ralak ducked under the hovering rocks to take cover amongst the debris on the beach while Str¨¦n turned to look at Colonel Saito, who had just arrived on the scene guns blazing.


    Immediately, Str¨¦n leaped toward Saito, who dove to the side just in time to avoid taking a fist to the face. The Colonel then rolled over and unloaded an entire magazine of bullets into Str¨¦n, who simply took the gunfire to the chest, the bullets harmlessly deflecting off of his flared shields as he grinned at Saito. As soon as Saito¡¯s magazine ran out and his gun ceased firing, Str¨¦n lunged toward him¡­ and then tripped up, surprised by the lack of speed in his movements. A second later, realization hit, and the Bleeder snapped his attention to the small device at Saito¡¯s side: a CENT field generator. But before Str¨¦n could react any further, Ralak used her Imperator powers to dump a large piece of machinery on top of Str¨¦n, trapping him against the sand.


    In the lull that followed, Saito quickly reloaded his rifle, tossing the spent magazine to the side before aiming his weapon at the machinery trapping Str¨¦n. Ralak moved in closer, still hovering in the air over the debris-laden beach, but Saito motioned for her to back off, gesturing at the active CENT field as if to tell her it was too dangerous to get close.


    Barely a second later, however, a powerful burst of energy exploded the machinery Ralak had used to trap Str¨¦n. The burst blew the machine to bits, revealing Str¨¦n slowly climbing to his feet inside ¡ª with his shirt in tatters, revealing a laser cannon embedded in his chest. Thinking quickly, Saito grabbed the CENT field generator and whirled around to put his shielded back in between Str¨¦n and the generator, just in time to intercept the laser blast Str¨¦n fired at him. The force of the blow sent Saito sprawling forwards, but the generator remained intact. I expected more prosthetics, but even his chest is cybernetic?! Saito thought incredulously as he jumped to his feet and turned to face Str¨¦n, all while holding the CENT field generator behind his back. If even his chest was replaced, then chances are, only parts of his head are still organic! On one hand, that means even more area to store battery power for his shields, or hidden weapons, so he must have an entire arsenal at his disposal ¡ª on the other hand, each time he fires that laser, it must be draining energy that would otherwise go to his shields, or even just moving his body. So I need to get him to keep using that weapon, which means staying on top of him with the CENT field, but with those prosthetics¡ª!


    The Colonel¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as Str¨¦n lunged toward him again. This time, the Bleeder expected the loss of strength from the CENT field, and was able to adjust his movements accordingly ¡ª yet, even with the CENT field negating his Forcetechnism, Str¨¦n still reached Saito faster than the Colonel expected. Those damn cybernetics¡ª! Saito grit his teeth and attempted to throw himself to the side so as to evade a punch from Str¨¦n, but the Bleeder¡¯s augmented body moved faster than the Colonel¡¯s regular flesh and blood, allowing Str¨¦n to grab Saito by his arm. Just as he did, Ralak dropped another massive piece of debris on Str¨¦n from above, trying her best to hold him back without getting so close to the CENT field that her own powers were disabled.


    This time, however, Str¨¦n was ready; just before the debris hit him, and just after it entered the CENT field radius ¡ª thus meaning that Ralak was no longer able to manipulate it ¡ª he dodged backwards, while yanking Saito forward to take his place. Before either Saito or Ralak had time to register what had happened, the massive debris crushed Saito into the beach. His shields flared up, protecting him from direct harm, but the debris on top of him completely prevented him from moving. A blast of energy followed a second later, obliterating the debris and exposing Saito again to the skies above ¡ª and then a second laser blast annihilated the CENT field generator in the Colonel¡¯s possession. Shit¡­ Saito thought to himself, struggling to get back to his feet ¡ª only for Str¨¦n to grab him by his neck and hoist him into the air.


    Now free to use his Forcetechnic strength once again, Str¨¦n began attempting to crush Saito¡¯s neck, causing the energy shields around his head to flare up brightly as they fought back against the crushing force. Saito knew better than to attempt to struggle against the grasp of a man magnitudes stronger than him, so he instead gripped his rifle and unloaded into Str¨¦n¡¯s chest once more ¡ª though his bullet barrage was quickly brought to a stop as Str¨¦n fired his chest laser at the rifle, flinging it out of Saito¡¯s hands. A second later, Str¨¦n¡¯s grip on Saito¡¯s neck slightly lessened ¡ª but then he whirled Saito around, using his shielded body to deflect a handful of projectiles launched by Ralak. Str¨¦n then continued whirling Saito around in a half-circle, at which point he threw the Colonel through the air straight into Liask, who herself had been launched toward the fight by one of Feral¡¯s explosions. Saito and Liask collided in the air and then fell to the ground in a haphazard pile, while Feral flew past them and caught herself on a piece of debris next to Str¨¦n.


    ¡°Oh, woooow, they got you to use the chest laser, huh~?¡± Feral remarked as she looked down at Str¨¦n¡¯s exposed chest.


    ¡°Gotta admit, this fight has been more fun than I expected!¡± Str¨¦n exclaimed, eagerly balling his fist while raising a series of stones to his side to block even more projectiles from Ralak. ¡°¡­I¡¯d hoped to save our trump card for when we wreck the Sentry¡¯s precious li¡¯l Compound, but I think it¡¯s time we put an end to this.¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha!!¡± Feral cackled, her maniacal grin stretching with glee. ¡°So I can actually let loose?!¡±


    ¡°We both can,¡± Str¨¦n declared, and then pounded his chest once. ¡°Overdrive¡­!¡±


    ¡°Overdrive¡ª!¡± Feral eagerly joined him.


    ¡°Barbarian¡¯s Roar!¡±


    ¡°CHAOS!!¡±


    ¡°Damn it¡­!¡± Saito muttered, having just climbed to his feet after the shouts from the two Bleeders. He quickly helped Liask up before uneasily eying Str¨¦n, who seemed to be taking a deep breath. ¡°Just what is he¡ª?¡±


    And then, before Saito could finish his thought, Str¨¦n opened his mouth wide and let loose a deafening roar. ¡°HoooRAAAAAGH!!¡± he bellowed, his deep voice echoing across the beach, forcing Saito, Liask, and Ralak all to flinch back at the sheer volume of it ¡ª only for his shout to suddenly cut short. Instead, Saito¡¯s hearing was replaced by an intense, shrill ringing, completely overriding the sounds of the breaking waves nearby, or the explosive battle raging around him. As if by reflex, Saito coughed and then growled, attempting to produce any sound that he could hear¡­ but nothing got through the constant ringing. It was as if his hearing had completely failed.


    A red dome of energy promptly launched Saito and Liask back across the sands; as the Colonel tumbled back to the ground without hearing a single sound aside from the persistent ringing, he quickly deduced that something about Str¨¦n¡¯s Overdrive-empowered roar had deafened him. He could only hope that the effect was temporary ¡ª but then, as he was contemplating that, Str¨¦n appeared upon him once more, grabbing him by the neck to hoist him into the air. At first, Saito made to fight back, reaching to grasp a rifle that he no longer possessed, but as soon as he laid eyes on Str¨¦n, a peculiar sensation overcame him that locked up his body. The Colonel was well familiar with tension in battle; he experienced it during every firefight, and had specifically trained to overcome it. But the feeling that washed over him now that prevented him from struggling against Str¨¦n, that caused his hair to stand on end and an unnerving chill to permeate every inch of his body ¡ª this feeling was different. It wasn¡¯t too dissimilar from what he had felt when he first encountered Telregina, yet somehow, far, far stronger.


    It was pure, raw, unbridled fear.


    What? Why now¡ª? Saito thought to himself, struggling to fight against the quaking that had overtaken his body. A second later, a handful of bullets from afar slammed into Str¨¦n¡¯s shielded head, causing the Bleeder to reflexively release Saito. The Colonel dropped to the ground, where he quickly scrambled away from Str¨¦n while making a quick note of Hackett in the distance, having taken aim with her rifle and firing into the skirmish. Saito quickly activated his comms and shouted into them for Hackett to be wary of Str¨¦n¡¯s roar, but without being able to hear himself speak, he couldn¡¯t even be sure if he had formed the words correctly ¡ª and he had no idea if Hackett had even heard him. Immediately following that was another explosion of red, flinging Saito out towards the beach, where he landed with an unceremonious roll amidst the tidal waters. And now that I¡¯m deaf, I can¡¯t even hear whenever that ¡®Feral¡¯ woman invokes her attacks¡­ the Colonel thought bitterly as he struggled back to his feet. So Str¨¦n¡¯s roar can deafen, and also induce fear¡­? I guess their Overdrives compliment each other perfectly, then, huh? Damn, I really underestimated them! With this combination, they could probably take on the entirety of Tresnon, if they catch the Compound by surprise. We HAVE to get out of here, even if only to warn Tresnon about Str¨¦n¡¯s Overdrive!


    While Saito stopped to try and regain a grasp of the battlefield, Ralak soared overhead, desperately ducking and weaving through the air to evade the chaos of Feral¡¯s unshackled and haphazard attacks. Every time Feral uttered the word ¡°Chaos,¡± a dozen things happened at once, from a reddish dome of energy Blasting out from her body to obliterate the terrain below her; a second, simultaneous Explosion that she either detonated afar or under her own feet to launch herself around; a planar Shockwave following the edge of Blast, but reaching slightly farther; and Arrow, Cannon, Impact, and Strike attacks all lashing out simultaneously in seemingly random directions. And all of this happened every other second ¡ª compounded even further by Ralak¡¯s newfound deafness, rendering her absolutely incapable of telling when Feral was about to unleash another barrage. All Ralak could do was dodge, while searching hopelessly for a window through Feral or Str¨¦n¡¯s defenses.


    Another dome of red energy exploded into existence in the air over the newly cratered beach. Several projectiles flew out toward Ralak, who just barely managed to contort her body to prevent any of them from hitting her unshielded skin. Immediately following them was Feral herself, having launched herself into the air toward Ralak with a maniacal grin, her hands reached upward with long, razor-sharp claws of Chaos Energy extending from her fingers. Amidst the Bleeder¡¯s constant cackling, it was impossible for Ralak to tell if a mouth movement was just laughter or another call of ¡°Chaos¡± ¡ª yet, the Bleeder was rapidly approaching, faster than Ralak could fly. In a split-second decision, Ralak lunged through the air straight at Feral, only to dodge around her at just the last moment, causing the Bleeder to careen past her. Immediately afterward, another Blast of energy exploded out of Feral¡¯s body, its searing edge coming within a hair¡¯s width of Ralak as she dove downwards toward the beach below.


    While diving, Ralak quickly glanced toward Str¨¦n. She felt her body tense all over, with every fiber in her muscles urging her to fly straight away from him. A split-second of uncertainty washed over her, but in that moment, she also noticed Liask ¡ª who had completely frozen up in the face of Str¨¦n¡¯s ferocious onslaught, leaving her on the defensive as the Bleeder easily manhandled both her and Saito. Upon seeing Liask in danger, Ralak grit her teeth to fight through the looming intimidation from Str¨¦n¡¯s roar; a second later, she reached the sand of the beach, weaving through the debris field and readily touching every piece of ancient metal she could. The first few pieces she flung into the air, knocking away Feral as she attempted to dive after Ralak ¡ª while the next few pieces, Ralak moved to sit in between herself and Feral, to act as a shield against imminent Chaos attacks.


    And then, while Feral was distracted with her own attacks, Ralak made her move on Str¨¦n. The Bleeder seemed preoccupied with smashing Liask and Saito with deft use of his personal strength and control over rocks, while completely ignoring any gunfire that Hackett attempted to distract him with. Ralak quickly reached out to touch two dead machines, flinging them both through the air toward Str¨¦n ¡ª but a massive rock exploded out of the beach in between Ralak and her target, acting as a shield and also showing that Str¨¦n was still watching her.


    But Ralak was prepared. As soon as the rock appeared, Ralak altered her machines¡¯ trajectories to fly parallel to the rock, while she herself shot vertically into the air, completely arresting herself of her forward momentum to allow Feral to go rocketing past her again. The next Blast from Feral obliterated the rock that Str¨¦n had summoned; the projectiles accompanying Feral¡¯s Blast were all focused on Ralak, forcing her to dodge, but she was still able to maintain concentration on her manipulated machines to alter their trajectories once more and slam them into a surprised Str¨¦n. The Bleeder staggered to the side ¡ª and then to the other side, as a particularly powerful bullet from Travis¡¯s distant sniper rifle slammed into the side of his shielded head.


    One more dome of red energy obscured Ralak¡¯s view of the entire beach as Feral sent Str¨¦n, Liask, and Saito all flying through the air. Liask and Saito both tumbled back to the ground, completely disoriented from the chaotic action ¡ª and immediately after they landed, a stony cage sprung up around Saito, while a massive pillar of rock appeared over Liask and slammed her into the sands. Ralak quickly swooped down to tap the rock pillar with her hands and begin removing it from Liask, but Str¨¦n appeared an instant later to smash the pillar to smithereens with his fist and then grab Liask by her ankle.


    However, Ralak taking control of the rock pillar before Str¨¦n smashed it allowed her to manipulate all of the resulting debris ¡ª and she forced it to rapidly coalesce on Str¨¦n in an attempt to lock him down. Str¨¦n used his own control of rocks to seize control of the debris away from Ralak and explode the makeshift shell off of his body, at which point he readily grabbed Liask again, who had yet to get back to her feet. His shielding soon flared under gunfire from both Hackett and Travis in the distance, prompting him to raise a massive barrier of stone ¡ª and then begin whipping Liask through the air by her leg, slamming her repeatedly into the ground with such ferocity that the beach cratered under each blow, sending sand flying into the air and obscuring Str¨¦n. Ralak attempted to intervene, moving back towards the debris fields to find pieces of metal to fling at Str¨¦n and break Saito out of his rock cage, but nothing seemed to phase Str¨¦n. He only stopped of his own volition a second later, when a peculiar flash of golden light illuminated the dust cloud around him, signifying that someone¡¯s energy shields had been overloaded.


    And when a bullet from Travis¡¯s rifle pierced through Str¨¦n¡¯s rock barrier and hit the Bleeder in his chest, it became obvious that the shield failure wasn¡¯t Str¨¦n¡¯s.


    In that split-second, Ralak dove down towards Str¨¦n and Liask, who hung limply from the Bleeder¡¯s grasp. Before Ralak could get any closer, however, Str¨¦n whipped around and chucked Liask at Ralak, causing both women to go sprawling to the ground. Ralak was quickly able to recover, grabbing Liask by her hand to begin manipulating her through the air. But as she looked back to Str¨¦n to try and predict his next movements, she noticed that he was looking past her. In that moment, Ralak felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, and she cautiously looked behind herself as well ¡ª where she spotted Feral standing amongst the debris on the beach, her entire body coated in the telltale reddish aura of a Berserk Chaotic.


    Ralak needed no further prompting to take Liask and shoot into the air, just as the ground where they had been standing detonated. The Berserk Feral then lunged forward, obliterating all debris in her path with haphazard Chaos attacks as she tore her way toward the nearest target: Str¨¦n. But not to be outdone, Str¨¦n used his powerful strength to bound through the air toward Ralak and Liask ¡ª only for Ralak to take deft control of Liask¡¯s body, manipulating her around through the air to grab Str¨¦n¡¯s incoming fist and then throw him back at the ground. The motion looked so smooth, it seemed as though Liask had chosen to throw Str¨¦n of her own volition ¡ª but the Forcetechnic¡¯s surprised expression revealed the truth of the matter.


    But Ralak didn¡¯t waste time dwelling; as soon as Str¨¦n was out of the picture, she dove down towards Saito, who had finally been freed from his stone cage by Hackett¡¯s gunfire. With nary a word between them, the Colonel reached out his hand, which Ralak forced Liask to grab ¡ª Saito was still shielded, after all, so Ralak couldn¡¯t control him; getting Liask to carry his weight was the more expedient option. Before Liask had the chance to even realize what was happening, Ralak was guiding the three through the air back to the shuttle, picking up Hackett along the way.


    Just before they reached the shuttle, however, Saito gestured behind Ralak, prompting her to look behind herself ¡ª where Berserk Feral rapidly approached, having been thrown by Str¨¦n. Quickly, Ralak dispersed herself and Liask (who was carrying Saito and Hackett), hoping to make enough space from Feral to avoid any Blasts that might emerge ¡ª but instead, Feral lashed out with several Chaos Cannons, fanning the projectiles across the air. Ralak quickly moved herself around to try and dodge, but the supersonic projectiles were simply too fast; one of them scooped out a chunk of her shoulder. She felt herself release a pained shout, but couldn¡¯t hear it; ringing still filled her ears. Between that, the incredible pain that shot through her shoulder, and the feeling of her right arm falling limp, her concentration almost completely broke and she stumbled to the ground ¡ª yet before Feral could follow up, Travis expertly sniped her out of the air, the raw power of his rifle knocking the Berserker backwards and to the sand.


    Without wasting another moment, Ralak forced the pain out of mind and moved herself, Liask, Saito, and Hackett onto the shuttle. As soon as she did, Travis shouted something towards the cockpit, at which point the shimmering gold of activating energy shields washed across the shuttle¡¯s surface, and the craft began to lift into the air. Saito quickly extricated himself from Liask¡¯s grasp, moving to grab a gun recovered from one of the SFC soldiers as Hackett grabbed a first aid kit and began tending to Ralak¡¯s bloodied shoulder, and the bone that was both clearly exposed to the air and missing a chunk. Saito offered the women only a brief glance before turning towards the slowly closing hatch in the side of the shuttle ¡ª right as Str¨¦n appeared in the air, having leaped at the shuttle from the beach below. With his one hand, he managed to latch onto the side of the shuttle, its energy shielding flaring as he tightly gripped a small handhold. As soon as he appeared, he fired into the shuttle with his chest laser, but when the shuttle¡¯s shields blocked the blast, he began to take a deep breath¡­ only for Saito and Travis to simultaneously shoot him in the chest, blasting him off of the shuttle.


    By then, the shuttle had gained around a hundred meters of altitude, and slowly began turning towards the southwest. Just before the beach fell out of view, Saito could see Str¨¦n jump back to his feet and begin angrily throwing massive rocks at the shuttle, all while fending off a Berserk Feral with similarly massive rocks.


    And then, the shuttle¡¯s hatch closed.


    In the lull that followed, Saito finally took a deep breath, holding his hand over his chest in an effort to calm his racing heart. He glanced toward Hackett and Ralak, noting that the latter had sat herself down against the side of the shuttle, her teeth grit and brow knitted as she held her limp arm in place and prevented most of her blood from spilling out by using her Imperator powers ¡ª which allowed Hackett to patch the massive wound as best as she could. The Colonel then felt a hand on his shoulder; looking to the side, he spotted Travis, who was giving him a concerned look. Saito responded with only a shake of his head and then gestured toward Liask, who seemed to be in shock ¡ª be it from Str¨¦n¡¯s oppressive Overdrive, him breaking through her shields, or Ralak taking brief control of her, the Colonel couldn¡¯t be sure. After a moment¡¯s pause, Travis responded to Saito with a nod and some kind of spoken acknowledgment ¡ª Saito couldn¡¯t hear him through the ringing, but he knew the Captain got the point when he moved over to Liask¡¯s side to tend to her.


    Saito then looked over the rest of the shuttle, noting the unconscious SFC soldiers, the just-now-coming-to form of Obra, and the still heavily sedated hostages in the back ¡ª including one Minilas, who had just barely managed to crawl over to Obra and Liask before collapsing between them. ¡­Once again, we somehow managed to survive a situation we had no right surviving, Saito mused, only to shake his head and take a seat on the bare metal floor of the shuttle, the constant ringing still filling his ears ¡ª albeit somewhat lessened, allowing deep vibrations to finally register as low sounds once again. We¡¯ve recovered some hostages and intel on who the Bleeders are working with, which is a damn good haul, by all accounts. But that Str¨¦n¡­ and Feral, too. We¡¯re really going to have to watch out for those two¡­


    And with that, the shuttle took off through the skies of Tres¨¦d, leaving the scarred coastal battlefield behind on its way to Compound Tresnon.

 V2 - A6 - Chapter 50: Overdriven Chaos

    OLD THREATS ¡ª ACTION ABROAD


    <hr>


    Chapter 50: Overdriven Chaos


    Mechanical skittering echoed through dark caves, filling the air with the sounds of a swarm of metallic bugs surging forth. Every few seconds, the caves would shake and rumble, sending the dire crack of breaking stone echoing through the tunnels as Christean¨¦ and Spike repeatedly smashed any bugs that dared approach. Christean¨¦, with his elastic-tethered battlehammer, was able to hold the creatures off at midrange while Spike fabricated defensive constructs to hold the line. Behind them, Austin mentally maneuvered his claymore through the air to slash at the incoming bugs ¡ª all while grasping both flashlights in his hands to keep the cave illuminated.


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Spike grunted with exertion as he deflected a lunging creature with a buckler on his wrist, only to scowl a second later when streaks of metallic silver began to spread out across the buckler¡¯s surface. Before the object could transform into another bug, he ripped the shield off of his arm and chucked it at a nearby Nanocreature, obliterating both under the sheer force of the throw.


    ¡°Be careful with those shields!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted, deftly and rapidly yanking his elastic tether in different directions to whip his battlehammer all around the cave, knocking away dozens of approaching bugs at a time. ¡°Remember, at this stage, Nanocreatures can take control of any matter! If you aren¡¯t careful, you¡¯ll just give them ammunition to use against us!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you say the same ¡®bout that hammer of yours?¡± Spike replied as he fabricated a massive shield and planted it on the ground in an effort to create a barrier against the surging hordes.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯ll probably lose it to them soon, but it¡¯s still only one hammer. Your shields, on the other hand, seem to be infinite!¡±


    ¡°As if there isn¡¯t a ton of rock around us that the bugs could use!¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°True,¡± Christean¨¦ admitted, his hammer swinging around to smash another several bugs. ¡°We really can¡¯t afford to be on the defensive right now! We need to push through!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole goddamn swarm in front of us!¡± Spike responded incredulously, and then punched the shield in front of him to send it flying down the dark caves ¡ª bringing a handful of the bugs with it. Austin quickly moved his claymore through the air to try and fend off any bugs that would fill the void ¡ª and yet, the swarm continued to rush forward, streaming out of the darkness beyond faster than Austin¡¯s sword slashes could handle.


    ¡°We have energy shielding. We can push through!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted. ¡°Follow my lead!¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, Christean¨¦ began running forward, expertly manipulating his tethered hammer to practically bounce the weapon all around the cave, slamming exactly into any bugs that threatened to bar his path. Spike grabbed Austin¡¯s arm and thrust him forward, the large Forcetechnic taking up the rear as he and Austin began running after Christean¨¦. Austin, for his part, stumbled slightly at the beginning, but quickly settled on trying to keep both the way forward and way backward illuminated with his two flashlights. Focusing on lighting the tunnel left little concentration for him to continue attacking with his claymore, however, and the weapon soon clambered to the ground behind the trio as they forced their way through the horde.


    CRACK!!


    ¡°Above!!¡± Spike roared, immediately fabricating a giant shield and lunging forward to cover Austin. He then thrust the massive shield overhead, just in time for the cave tunnel to collapse on top of him, the rocks and stone coming down on and around the shield. Before he was fully buried, Christean¨¦ reached down to grab both Austin and Spike by their arms and yank them away from the falling debris, sending them both tumbling on top of dozens of metallic bugs. They all immediately began crawling over Austin and Spike, the duo¡¯s energy shields beginning to flare up brightly under the nanomachine assault while Austin started thrashing around in a panic, attempting to knock the bugs off of him. Christean¨¦ was on them a second later, his hammer making short work of the bugs and allowing the two Earthians to stand ¡ª though Spike immediately fabricated yet another shield and turned towards the newly caved-in dirt to block a lunge from a large metallic quadruped, appearing as though a cross between a wolf and a lion. The silver beast chomped down on Spike¡¯s shield with its maw, easily shattering the object and turning the resulting fragments silver ¡ª which then transformed into small metallic bugs of their own.


    With the shield out of the way, the beast lunged forward again, though this time was stopped as Austin summoned his claymore back to himself and sliced into the creature¡¯s flank. Austin¡¯s sword easily cleaved the beast in twain ¡ª but instead of falling to the ground as a lifeless husk, the two halves quickly merged with a handful of nearby bugs to instead create two of the wolf-lion beasts. Before they could act any further, however, Christean¨¦ bounded forward, landing in between them and shouting, ¡°Overdrive: Omni Crush!¡±


    In the next instant, an incredible invisible force crushed both beasts into silver splatters on the ground, completely obliterating both them and their constituent nanites ¡ª a fact made evident by how the new silver splatters failed to expand across the ground, as was the sign of active corruption.


    ¡°Damn¡­ I was hoping to save that,¡± Christean¨¦ muttered, already whirling his hammer around in preparation to launch himself down the caves. Despite having crushed two larger beasts, there still remained dozens upon dozens of the metallic bugs ahead of the group ¡ª and low growls echoing from further down the cave suggested that more of the larger beasts were soon to come.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡ª they¡¯re fucking endless!¡± Austin remarked in disbelief.


    ¡°How the hell¡ª!¡± Spike started, pausing momentarily to summon his red and golden gauntlets onto his arms before bringing down his hands to smash the ground, obliterating three of the approaching basketball-sized bugs in the process. ¡°¡ªare we supposed to get through this?!¡±


    ¡°Just keep your wits about you!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted, loosing his hammer upon the horde to smash several more of the bugs ¡ª and then turning his attention to farther down the cave, where Austin was shining the light of his flashlights. Barreling through the poorly illuminated tunnels was yet another beast, this one large enough to almost completely fill the cave as it raked the walls with its spiked hide, leaving behind streaks of metallic silver that slowly began to grow and consume the cave walls. Barely a couple seconds passed before the large beast was upon the trio, its solid, metallic hide deflecting away both Christean¨¦¡¯s hammer and a shield that Spike had thrown at it. It then lunged forward; Christean¨¦ and Spike both responded by punching its approaching snout, thereby completing smashing in the creature¡¯s face¡­ but it simply drew back, absorbing material from surrounding bugs, Spike¡¯s deflected shield, and portions of the cave walls itself to reform its face.


    ¡°Fucking hell¡­!¡± Spike muttered, his entire body growing tense as he took up a defensive stance.


    ¡°I know it doesn¡¯t look good¡­ but keep it up, we can make it through!¡± Christean¨¦ urged, and then lunged forward to press the attack, his battlehammer whipping through the air once again. ¡°Just don¡¯t give up, and keep pushing!!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°RAAAAGGHH!!!¡±


    A bellowing roar echoed through the dark underground cavern as a silver dragon focused its sights on Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce, who were both running circles around the beast in an effort to break its tracking. Only two beams of light fought against the looming darkness, both shining from Conrad¡¯s invisible location as he sought to keep the dragon illuminated, so as to aid Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce in taking it down.


    With his summoned blade in hand, energy tether linking the blade to its handle hanging in the wind, Pierce dashed in close to the dragon¡¯s legs to slash at its heels. In that same moment, Dav¨ªdrius leaped up at the dragon¡¯s neck, slamming it with a fierce kick that staggered it backwards. But before Dav¨ªdrius could fall back to the ground ¡ª or even before Pierce could slash more than two of the beast¡¯s legs ¡ª it lashed out, snatching up Dav¨ªdrius in its maw and grabbing Pierce with a new arm that exploded out of its underside. After grabbing the Velocitechnics, it pumped its powerful wings to begin lifting into the air; a second later, however, Pierce used the incredible sharpness of his Hastryth blade to cut himself free of the dragon¡¯s grasp, while Dav¨ªdrius leveraged his sheer accelerative power as a Velocitechnic to blast himself free with rapid kicks. As soon as he was free, the Dean kicked off of the dragon¡¯s damaged snout to instantly reach the ground while the dragon continued to ascend.


    ¡°Just how big is this fucking cavern¡­?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned with a scowl.


    ¡°Not too big for us!¡± Pierce declared as he crouched down in preparation to leap after the dragon.


    ¡°Hey, wait¡ª!¡± Dav¨ªdrius started, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough; in the midst of his words, Pierce jumped high into the air, clearing the distance between himself and the dragon nigh-instantly. Once in the air, Pierce whipped his weapon around, tightly grasping the handle and launching the blade at the end of the energy tether on a curving path towards the metallic beast¡¯s chest. The blade cleanly sliced through the dragon¡¯s metallic hide, dislodging chunks of silverish goo that soon fell out of the light cast by Conrad¡¯s flashlights; before Pierce could whip his weapon around to attack again, however, the dragon¡¯s tail curved around to whack him out of the air. As he hit the wall on the side of the cavern, the dragon itself let loose a feral snarl before suddenly propelling itself backwards, moving so quickly that Conrad lost track of it with his flashlight beams.


    ¡°How the hell does something so big move so fast¡­?¡± Conrad muttered to himself as he quickly began scanning the cavern with his flashlights. His ability to make himself invisible also applied to any lights he held, but he was also able to independently control if any invisible lights in his possession still emitted light. As a result, the bright bulb of his flashlights were hidden from peering eyes while still leaving him capable of illuminating the area around him ¡ª which therefore made it more difficult to locate him. Such was his contribution to the fight: simply standing in the back and tracking the dragon with his lights to let Pierce and Dav¨ªdrius keep fighting it, but right now, he couldn¡¯t even manage to do that.


    ¡°RAAAAAAAGGHHH!¡±


    ¡°Up there!!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted, as Conrad quickly followed the roar with his light. A second later, the dragon was found once more, two flashlight beams illuminating its position at the roof of the cavern nearly a hundred meters up ¡ª but just as soon as Conrad had found the beast, it launched itself downward, right at Dav¨ªdrius. The Dean immediately dashed out of the way, easily evading the dragon¡¯s lunge, as well as its tail that whipped around to try and catch him. As the dragon was recovering, Pierce appeared on the scene to begin slashing at the beast¡¯s legs, but it locked its focus onto him and began trying to step on him with astoundingly speedy pounces.


    While Pierce was occupied with trying to not get stepped on, Dav¨ªdrius dashed over to the wall of the cavern, where he dealt the dry stone a fierce kick. With a thundering crack, several chunks of stone chipped off of the wall; before any of the debris could reach the ground, Dav¨ªdrius snatched them out of the air one-by-one and chucked them at the silver dragon¡¯s backside. Each stone found their mark, embedding themselves in the dragon¡¯s hide and chipping off flakes of silverish debris ¡ª but as soon as they were embedded, the rocks turned silver themselves before being fully assimilated into the beast¡¯s body.


    With an irate scowl, Dav¨ªdrius dashed around the dragon to where he had left Conrad. ¡°Oi! You still here?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Conrad responded uneasily.


    ¡°You can summon an Ayas Weapon, too, right? Hand it over!¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±


    ¡°Summon your weapon, and give it to me! If you ain¡¯t gonna use it, then I might as well!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, guess that makes sense,¡± Conrad admitted as he summoned his weapon into hand. He then dropped it on the ground, allowing it to turn visible and reveal the black and silver glaive blade attached at the end of a long shaft.


    ¡°Aldrace¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered as he quickly picked the weapon up. ¡°¡­Ain¡¯t never used this one, but it¡¯s better than nothin¡¯! Let¡¯s see that stupid dragon try to corrupt this!¡±


    ¡°Uh, maybe don¡¯t damage my weapon, please¡ª?¡± Conrad started, only for Dav¨ªdrius to disappear mid-suggestion. With a wary sigh, Conrad returned his attention to tracking the dragon with his flashlights, watching as it shifted its weight around just fast enough to keep Pierce on his toes. Each time Pierce lunged for one of the dragon¡¯s limbs, the rest of its legs and tail would converge on his location, shifting around the dragon¡¯s body in a distinctly unnatural manner, as if the joints connecting the limbs to the body could freely roam about. Eventually, Pierce was able to finally slash into one of the dragon¡¯s massive paws that was nearly as large as he was ¡ª though as he did, the dragon lunged at him with its head, snapping him up in its giant maw faster than he could react.


    But immediately after that, Dav¨ªdrius tore through the beast¡¯s neck, using the blade of his black and silver glaive to cleanly sever the dragon¡¯s head from its body. For just a moment, its mouth fell limp, allowing Pierce to get the leverage he needed to tear free with his own blade ¡ª but just as soon as Pierce was free, the severed head melted into a pile of silver goo that the headless dragon promptly dove its neck into. Within a second, the puddle of goo reformed into the beast¡¯s head, its maw opening wide to expose a laser cannon deep in its throat that it readily fired at Dav¨ªdrius to launch the Dean across the cavern. In response, Pierce dashed forward and then jumped up at the dragon, aiming to throw his blade down the beast¡¯s throat and destroy the cannon within ¡ª only for the dragon to yank its head to the side and then buffet Pierce with its massive wings, launching him across the cavern and into Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°Oi, be careful!¡± Dav¨ªdrius chided as he caught Pierce out of the air and let him down roughly. ¡°This thing is fast, don¡¯t let it catch you in the air!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it can also heal itself after every damn wound!¡± Pierce retorted, brandishing his weapon while uneasily eying the silver dragon. ¡°How the hell are we supposed to beat something like this?¡±


    ¡°It can ¡®heal¡¯, sure, but the pace of that is limited,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°We just need to destroy every nanite faster than they can make more of themselves.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea how big of an ask that is?!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say this would be easy. But what other choice do we got? At least with these Ayas Weapons, we can keep slicin¡¯ away without havin¡¯ to worry about the weapon itself gettin¡¯ corrupted.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡ª¡°


    ¡°Now, enough chat! I¡¯ll distract it; you focus on gettin¡¯ in any hits that you can! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Pierce shouted, quickly dashing off after Dav¨ªdrius as the two Velocitechnics resumed fighting the silver dragon before them.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Get down!!¡±


    ¡°Agh¡ª!¡± Austin yelped in distress as Spike tackled him to the side, just in time to evade a rapid swing from a silvery tethered battlehammer, wielded in the tail of a massive metallic beast. As Austin and Spike tumbled to the side, the monster whipped the hammer around and into Spike¡¯s back ¡ª but Christean¨¦ interjected himself with a hefty punch, blowing the hammer to metallic pieces. The Dean then jumped back, shaking his hand clean of silverish debris; the hammer he had once used to smash the metallic bugs had since been corrupted and assimilated by them, both robbing him of a weapon and granting them a new one.


    ¡°Ngh¡ª!¡± Spike grunted with exertion as he blocked a fang-laden lunge from the massive beast with a fabricated shield, though the raw force of the lunge still shoved him backwards a full meter. Having just climbed back to his feet behind Spike, Austin quickly resummoned his blue and golden claymore; despite wearing energy shields, Austin¡¯s sword touched his bare skin for but a brief moment immediately after being summoned. The shields would then eject the sword, but that brief moment of contact was enough for Austin to impart his Imperator control over it. He then began swinging the weapon through the air, hoping to drive the silver wolf beast back and give Spike a chance to recover ¡ª though the skittering of smaller bugs rushing under the beast forced Austin to focus on them instead.


    In that diverted focus, Austin failed to notice the beast create another tethered hammer anchored to its chest and wielded by its tail; Christean¨¦ spotted the weapon first and lunged forward to punch off the beast¡¯s snout, successfully landing a hit and blowing off its jaw. It reeled back, but as Christean¨¦ made to lunge after it, the beast snapped its tethered hammer down onto the Dean¡¯s head, instantly flooring him under the incredible force of the blow. The beast then seized upon the momentum of the hammer to whirl it around toward Austin. Spike quickly lunged for his friend again, aiming to intercept the weapon, but he stumbled as the shield in his right hand melted into a silver sludge on the ground that tripped up his feet. As he went sprawling to the ground, the beast¡¯s hammer continued on unimpeded, slamming into Austin¡¯s stomach to launch him upwards and smash him into the stony cave ceiling. A pained yelp escaped Austin¡¯s lips before he fell back to the ground, where a pile of silvery bugs were waiting to try and chew through his energy shielding.


    On seeing this, Spike scrambled to his feet, using his raw strength to overpower the silver sludge that sought to keep him down. Quickly, he jumped toward Austin before rapidly punching away the swarm of bugs covering him, all while Christean¨¦ engaged the large, wolf-like beast to keep it distracted. ¡°Damn it, damn it¡­!¡± Spike muttered to himself; each punch of his could easily obliterate two of the basket-ball sized bugs at once, but after each swing of his fists, it seemed that more and more bugs appeared to replace the ones that were destroyed.


    A second later, the gleaming, silver blade of Austin¡¯s claymore appeared in the air and slashed through half of the bugs piling on top of him. Seeing an opportunity, Spike grabbed the weapon out of the air and then made one horizontal slice low to the ground, just above Austin¡¯s huddled body; the slash cleanly cut through the entire pile of silver bugs, giving Spike an opening to reach his hands through, grab Austin¡¯s arm, and yank him out of the swarm. Once back to his feet, Austin frantically swiped at the handful of bugs that still clung to him, simulating Spike¡¯s incredible strength to obliterate each bug in one blow. While he was doing that, Spike turned toward the remaining bugs around them, discarding Austin¡¯s sword in favor of his own guantleted fists before punching and stomping on the metallic creatures as rapidly as he could. A few seconds later, Austin and Spike had managed to destroy the handful of bugs near them ¡ª but just as they did, Christean¨¦ was sent tumbling beyond them, having been launched by one of the wolf-beast¡¯s ferocious blows. It snarled and advanced slowly on the three Chaotics, all while the skittering of more bugs echoed from the caves behind the beast.


    Spike¡¯s body grew tense and he reflexively fabricated a shield into his hands. He then passed a quick glance toward Austin ¡ª who returned the look. There was a moment of silence as they just looked at each other, their expressions grim. Before, whenever they had gotten themselves into deep trouble, they always knew that there was someone around to bail them out. When they fought EA in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, they had known it was only a matter of time before the Eximius Vir would come to their rescue. When they fought EA again aboard his cruiser, they had the help of not just Twy and Sky, but also Pierce, Conrad, Phoenix, and Kestrel. At Compound Goresan, they were backed by Dav¨ªdrius, Relia, and Kar¨ªsah. At Orciid¡¯kas, they were backed by Rebehka, Nil¡¯kin, and the Black Suns. Even during the Bleeder attack on Tresnon, where both Austin and Sky had suffered injury, they all knew in the back of their minds that help and reinforcements weren¡¯t that far away.


    But Nayasis was a Tier 5 World. Less than three thousand people lived on the entire planet, and all of them were an hour¡¯s hike from the caves that Spike and Austin now found themselves in ¡ª and that didn¡¯t even take into account the multiple cave-ins any potential rescuers would have to bypass, or the fact that Shade might still be around, ready to sabotage any rescue attempts. Even Dav¨ªdrius, Mark, Pierce, and Conrad were no where to be seen in the dark caves. And while they had Christean¨¦ with them, the Dean¡¯s two main trump cards ¡ª his Overdrive, and his battlehammer ¡ª were both spent. Standing against the approaching swarm of silver creatures¡­ a chilling realization set in on both Austin and Spike:If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There was no help to come.


    ¡°Argh¡­¡± Christean¨¦ growled, quickly climbing back to his feet and rolling his shoulder in preparation to get back into the fight. As he settled into a combat stance, however, Spike could tell that the Dean¡¯s posture had grown remarkably less confident than at the outset of the fight.


    As if noticing Spike¡¯s concern, Christean¨¦ flashed a confident smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he replied, ¡°we¡¯ll be fine¡ª!¡±


    In that instant, the wolf beast opened its maw, revealing a laser cannon that immediately fired. A blast of energy exploded across Christean¨¦¡¯s energy shielding, flinging him back down the dark caves behind them. Before either Austin or Spike could react, the beast then swung its tethered hammer around, slamming Austin into the cave wall. As the beast lunged forward to close its maw around a stunned Austin, Spike was finally able to leap into action, interposing himself between the beast and Austin with a physical shield ¡ª only for the monster¡¯s powerful jaw to clamp down on the shield, shattering it instantly. With the shield out of the way, the beast¡¯s teeth began to sink into Spike¡¯s energy-shielded arm; he immediately swung his free arm to punch the beast¡¯s jaw off, but just before his fist connected, the beast fired the laser deep in its throat. The blast of energy that exploded against Spike¡¯s arm also obliterated the front part of the beast¡¯s face, but the force of the blast knocked Spike backwards, rendering him unable to take advantage of the opening ¡ª right as the beast whipped its hammer around once more, slamming Austin again, this time generating a bright static fuzz that swept across Austin¡¯s body. A bright, golden fuzz that signaled only one thing:


    Austin¡¯s shields were down.


    ¡°No, AUSTIN!!¡± Spike roared, quickly scrambling back to his feet and lunging for the beast ¡ª but as its maw quickly reformed and it went to lunge for Austin, Spike realized that he was just too far to close the distance into melee range. His only option was to fabricate a shield and throw it at the beast, but it had already displayed its ability to rapidly take control of any matter he threw at it. A thrown shield could delay the beast for a second, but what about the next? Or the one after that? In constantly fabricating shields to protect Austin, just how much matter would he end up feeding to the beast?


    A split second passed as a minute, Spike¡¯s mind racing for a solution ¡ª but none came. As the beast¡¯s maw slowly inched closer to Austin, as Spike¡¯s outstretched hand slowly closed the distance between him and the beast, as Austin¡¯s panicked eyes met Spike¡¯s for only a second ¡ª the only feeling Spike could determine for certain was a helpless wrenching in the pit of his stomach¡­ the feeling that he might just be witnessing the end. No¡­ this can¡¯t be it! he thought bitterly, Austin¡­!


    But a moment later, he could feel an odd surge of power ¡ª a well of strength sweeping through his body. Reflexively, he held his right arm out, preparing to fabricate a shield for throwing¡­ and as he did, he felt an impulse overcome him, and his mouth begin moving ahead of his brain.


    ¡°OVERDRIVE: GUARDIAN!!¡± Spike bellowed, fabricating a massive shield into hand as he did. A surge of Chaos Energy swept across his body, and his head throbbed, but he put those sensations squarely out of mind as he hurled the fabricated shield harder than he had ever managed before. In an instant, the shield slammed into the silver beast¡¯s face, impacting with such sheer kinetic energy that its head and the top of its torso were blown to smithereens. What remained of its body reeled back, already beginning to reform itself from the bugs that skittered up to it and the shield that Spike had thrown¡ª


    The beast faltered for a second as silvery tendrils extended out towards Spike¡¯s thrown shield, sweeping across it like the feelers of an insect¡­ but never actually penetrating it. Spike instantly seized on the opening to lunge forward, fabricating yet another shield in his hands to use as a bludgeon against the beast¡¯s beheaded body. Quickly, a malformed maw appeared out of the remnants of the beast¡¯s torso and clamped down on Spike¡¯s shield, succeeding for a moment in holding him in place ¡ª but no more than that. Unlike before, the beast¡¯s bite failed to shatter the shield. In fact¡­ it seemed that it was failing to gain any control over the shield at all.


    ¡°RAGH!!¡± With a roar of exertion, Spike pushed forward, successfully knocking the malformed beast onto its back. He then fabricated another shield into his hands before tossing it to his left, just in time for Christean¨¦ to leap forwards, grab the shield out of the air, and begin using it as a massive cudgel to smash the injured wolf beast and surrounding bugs to bits. Spike and Christean¨¦ both tore into the metallic horde, their shielded blows driving back the creatures¡­ while never once did either of the shields begin turning silver from Nanocreature corruption.


    As soon as the immediate vicinity was clear, Spike fabricated one more shield ¡ª a massive tower shield, twice as large as him in every dimension. Using his Forcetechnic strength, he successfully lodged the gigantic shield into the cave floor and walls, forming a makeshift wall. Skittering could still be heard from the other side, as well as multiple clangs as the creatures attempted to punch their way through. But no matter what they did, the shield held.


    ¡°¡­Whoa¡­¡± Austin muttered, taking advantage of the brief lull to catch his breath. He then turned to look at Spike in surprise. ¡°That was¡­ did you just use an Overdrive?¡±


    Spike looked at Austin, and then back at the shield barrier he had created. While the shield itself remained unwavering, the rocks all around the shield were slowly turning a metallic silver ¡ª so Spike quickly fabricated several more shields, lodging each one against the wall, ceiling, and ground to create a makeshift shelter.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± Christean¨¦ chuckled, though his laugh carried with it an exhausted, desperate undertone. He stepped up to one of the fabricated shields and knocked on it once before glancing back at Spike. ¡°Indestructible shields, huh? Now that¡¯s what we call a useful Overdrive!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what happened,¡± Spike muttered. ¡°One moment, everythin¡¯ seemed hopeless, but then¡­¡±


    ¡°A Chaotic unlocks their Overdrive in a moment of distress, when facing one of their deepest fears¡­¡± Christean¨¦ replied, and then slapped Spike on the back. ¡°Damn, you¡¯ve really saved us!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Austin gave Christean¨¦ a doubtful look. ¡°You didn¡¯t orchestrate all of this just so we¡¯d unlock our Overdrives, did you?!¡±


    ¡°Hell no!¡± Christean¨¦ retorted. ¡°¡®Orchestrating¡¯ an Overdrive unlock is incredibly, irresponsibly dangerous. Not to mention that it tends to create weaker Overdrives, overall.¡± Upon hearing the echo in his own voice, the Dean grunted in displeasure. ¡°And it looks like mine just wore off¡­ alright, Spike, you¡¯re our ticket out of here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still a swarm of bugs out there, though¡­¡± Spike responded.


    ¡°Yes, but just look,¡± Christean¨¦ urged as he gestured at the shield shelter around them. Not a single one of Spike¡¯s shields bore the telltale silver streaks of corruption, despite all of his crafted shields earlier falling within seconds. ¡°With this, we can force our way through. If we go forward, we should find the nest ¡ª and from there, we¡¯ll find the others, a way out, or both. And your shields are the key to get us there unharmed!¡±


    ¡°What about Austin?¡± Spike nodded toward his friend. ¡°He just lost his energy shields!¡±


    ¡°Well, Pallan said that we¡¯re immune to the Nanocreatures¡­ right?¡± Austin smiled uneasily, and then clapped his hands, using his Imperator powers to begin hovering over the ground. ¡°¡­That said, I¡¯m not too keen on testing that, so, uh¡­ I¡¯ll just hover behind you guys, if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I was about to suggest just that. After all, even if you¡¯re immune to corruption, they can still hurt you,¡± Christean¨¦ remarked, and then pounded his fists together eagerly. ¡°Now remember, Overdrives usually wear off after ten minutes or so, and you can only string together two or three before you have to start worrying about the Cooldown or Berserk states. So we only have 20, maybe 30 minutes to get out of here! You got that, Spike?¡±


    ¡°Aye!¡± Spike replied, and then stepped forward to grab the handles of the giant shield serving as the main barrier forward. ¡°I¡¯ll block those damn bugs!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Christean¨¦ exclaimed as Spike dislodged the shield from the cave walls. The metallic skittering noises behind the shield promptly increased in intensity, as if in anticipation ¡ª but Spike gave the creatures no quarter as he charged forward with the shield ahead of him, scraping against the ground and walls as he shoved a path down the dark cave ¡ª a path that Austin and Christean¨¦ readily followed.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡±


    ¡°Overdrive: Speed Break!¡±


    After renewing their Overdrives for the second time in a row, Dav¨ªdrius and Pierce dashed forward, crossing the space in between them and the massive metallic dragon in a fraction of a second. Blasts of laser fire exploded in their path as the dragon attempted to stop them, but both Velocitechnics managed to dodge around the beast¡¯s aim, allowing Pierce to sink his summoned blade into the creature¡¯s right two paws ¡ª while Dav¨ªdrius sliced through the left two with Conrad¡¯s glaive. Its feet torn from its legs, the dragon began to collapse to the ground, releasing a deafening roar from its maw as it did. As it fell, however, it flapped its massive wings, generating an incredible blast of wind that lifted its body into the air while its severed legs all transformed into laser cannons that aimed at Pierce and Dav¨ªdrius.


    Dav¨ªdrius immediately chucked his glaive at the dragon in an effort to gain its attention. The unfathomably sharp blade of the glaive ripped a clean hole straight through the dragon¡¯s torso, at which point the beast turned all of its laser cannons on the Dean and fired repeatedly, forcing him to focus on dodging. Pierce seized on the opening to leap high into the air toward the dragon and slice at its wings, managing to tear one of them off of the beast¡¯s back; however, the severed wing promptly transformed into a massive hawk and dove towards Pierce, grabbing one of his arms in its talons before whipping him around and straight at the dragon¡¯s torso.


    ¡°Shit¡ª!¡± Pierce scowled as he spied the dragon¡¯s form, brief flashes of his encounter with the silver dragon on Oriciid¡¯kas running through his mind. In an effort to prevent himself from being swallowed again, he threw out his blade in front of him, and then tightly gripped the handle at the end of the blade¡¯s tether before violently whipping it around. The speed at which he was able to yank the blade through the air formed a virtual wall of blades that successfully tore a hole through the dragon¡¯s body, allowing Pierce to sail straight through ¡ª only for a laser blast from below to launch him into the roof of the cavern.


    As Pierce began to fall back to the cavern floor, helpless in regards to altering his own trajectory, the dragon, the hawk, and all of the other pieces that had been sliced off the beast all turned to aim a number of laser cannons at Pierce. Seeing this, Dav¨ªdrius immediately leaped up at the falling Velocitechnic, clearing the distance between them with immense speed ¡ª and then dealing Pierce a swift kick, so as to quickly and suddenly alter both of their trajectories. The force of the kick spiked Pierce into the ground almost instantly, while Dav¨ªdrius sent himself flying a bit to the right, both of them evading the dragon¡¯s laser blasts.


    With Dav¨ªdrius falling to the ground and Pierce recovering from the Dean¡¯s kick, the dragon moved to rapidly consolidate all of its disparate pieces. Its sliced off paws reunited with its stumped legs and the hawk transformed back into a wing on the dragon¡¯s back, all while taking control of nearby rock and stone to create new nanomachines and fill in any gaps. Barely a second passed before the beast appeared as good as new, except this time, it extended the length of its tail ¡ª at the end of which it created yet another laser cannon.


    With lasers in both its maw and on its tail, the dragon moved the two cannons to independently target Pierce and Dav¨ªdrius before repeatedly firing, forcing the two Velocitechnics to began evading its blasts. Pierce was focused entirely on dodging, but Dav¨ªdrius managed to slowly wind his way closer and closer to the silver dragon¡¯s legs¡­ only for the beast¡¯s powerful wings to beat once more, sending it skyward again.


    But just as it did, the thundering crack of shattering rock filled the cavern. Stony debris exploded from the far side of the massive space, followed almost immediately by a massive shield flying through the air and slamming into the dragon, thus staggering it back to the ground. The dragon turned to look at the new hole in the cavern wall, though was scarcely able to react before Christean¨¦ appeared in the air over it, having bounded across the entire cavern.


    ¡°Overdrive:¡­ Omni Crush!!¡± Christean¨¦ shouted just as he reached the dragon. In the instant after the words left his mouth, an invisible forced crushed the dragon into the ground below, flattening its hind legs and almost half of its torso into a pancake-thin slice of pressure-destroyed nanomachines. As Christean¨¦ dropped to the ground, Spike landed just next to him, already in the process of rapidly fabricating and throwing shields to assault the broken dragon.


    ¡°Damn! About fuckin¡¯ time!¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked as he sped over to Christean¨¦¡¯s side.


    ¡°Figures we¡¯d have to come to your rescue,¡± Christean¨¦ replied, holding out his right fist for Dav¨ªdrius to tap with his own. ¡°A Critical Infection, though, huh?¡±


    ¡°Why are there so many of them?!¡± questioned Austin, who hovered in the air above the group with his sword floating near him. ¡°Here, Oriciid¡¯kas¡­¡±


    ¡°A question for later,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°More importantly, this thing is too tough. We ain¡¯t the right kind of Chaotics to take it down on our own!¡±


    ¡°Every time I slice through it, it just pulls itself back together,¡± Pierce pointed out after dashing to the group¡¯s side. ¡°What the hell are we supposed to do, here? Fucking, bring down the roof of the cavern?¡±


    ¡°And trap us all inside?¡± Conrad retorted, having approached the group as well ¡ª though he remained completely invisible.


    ¡°It might be our only option,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°At least in a cavern of this size, it should be easier to maneuver around a collapsing roof. Might even be our ticket out of here. We just need to keep the dragon in one spot.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?!¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s all we¡¯ve got,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said, and then glanced toward the metallic dragon; it hadn¡¯t yet created enough nanomachines to return to its full size, but it was clearly on its way to recovering.


    ¡°Why not just have Christean¨¦ do that crush move again?¡± Conrad asked.


    ¡°It only happens when I activate my Overdrive ¡ª which I can¡¯t do again until it wears off,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°We can¡¯t rely on it. More importantly ¡ª Dav¨ªdrius, Pierce, Spike, the three of you should try to keep that dragon in one place! Austin, you¡¯re with me ¡ª we¡¯re bringing this place down!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I really don¡¯t like this¡ª!¡± Austin responded, but was interrupted as the metallic dragon let loose a deafening, thundering roar. The back of its throat began to glow, a clear sign of a charging laser; in response, Spike fabricated a massive shield and planted it on the ground in front of the group. A second later, the dragon fired its maw laser, hitting Spike¡¯s shield with an intense blast of energy ¡ª yet the shield escaped completely unscathed.


    ¡°A¡¯ight, people, let¡¯s do this! Go, go, go!!¡± Dav¨ªdrius shouted, waving off Christean¨¦ and Austin before turning on his heel to dash off to the side. He and Pierce spread out across the cavern floor while Spike repeatedly fabricated small disc-shaped shields and threw them at the dragon, pelting it across its reformed torso and limbs. Amidst the attacks, Christean¨¦ and Austin disappeared into the darkness of the cavern; Austin left one of his flashlights behind with Conrad, who now wielded three as he attempted to keep the dragon illuminated for the sake of fighting it.


    Forced to begin defending itself before it could fully recover, the metallic dragon now appeared notably smaller than it did before, as it chose to maintain its overall shape instead of missing a leg. With its smaller size came smaller laser cannons and lesser reach ¡ª but also an increase in speed, as it managed to dodge out of the way of a glaive-slash from Dav¨ªdrius. Pierce quickly followed with a slash of his own, tearing through the right flank of the dragon¡¯s lower torso; the beast reared back in response before slamming both of its front paws down on top of Pierce ¡ª or at least, where Pierce had been a second prior. He just barely managed to dodge the dragon¡¯s pounce, but in so doing was thrown off-balance, rendering him little able to evade as the dragon lunged toward him with its maw wide open.


    A second later, however, a large shield suddenly lodged itself inside the dragon¡¯s mouth, followed by Dav¨ªdrius running up its back and slamming his foot down on top of its head. The force of the Dean¡¯s kick forced the dragon¡¯s maw to clamp shut, causing the shield lodged within to shear off half of the beast¡¯s snout. But as the metallic chunk fell to the ground, a half-dozen spikes suddenly manifested on the top of the dragon¡¯s head and shot upwards, flinging Dav¨ªdrius into the air; the dragon then clapped its wings together behind it, smashing Dav¨ªdrius mid-air ¡ª though before it could attempt to attack again, Pierce leaped toward Dav¨ªdrius to deflect him in much the same way that Dav¨ªdrius had kicked Pierce earlier to help them both evade an attack. A barrage of disc shields from Spike prevented the dragon from attacking any further as the two Velocitechnics fell back to the ground, at which point they dashed back to the dragon¡¯s side to slice into it once more.


    CRAAACK!!


    ¡°Holy¡ª!¡± Spike shouted in surprise as an echoing, thundering crack reverberated throughout the cavern. He quickly looked up, expecting to see a collapsing roof ¡ª but a second later, he realized that the sound had actually come from the ground. As soon as he had that realization, another crack echoed through the cavern as the stony floor shattered, followed by a large, metallic silver spike exploding out of the ground underneath the dragon. The beast appeared to be impaled and was even held aloft for a second, but it then seemed to melt together into an amorphous blob atop the spike before descending down to the ground¡­ where a massive pool of silvery, metallic goo could be seen surrounding the spike under the rocks it had broken through.


    ¡°¡­Well that looks like a problem,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°No shit¡ª!¡° Pierce responded with a scowl, only to be interrupted by another loud crack, this one from the ceiling above. Conrad quickly moved one of his flashlight beams to inspect the cracked ceiling, noting that Austin was manipulating a floating rock that Christean¨¦ stood upon while slicing into the cavern roof with Austin¡¯s sword. With Christean¨¦¡¯s strength and the incredible sharpness of Austin¡¯s blade, the Dean was soon able to shatter the ceiling, causing a deep, intense rumble to spread through the entire cavern ¡ª and pieces of rocks and debris to begin falling to the ground.


    Seeing this, Pierce made to grab Conrad and leave, but stopped as a number of silver tendrils exploded out of the pool of metallic goo in the center of the cavern. Each tendril shot upwards, batting away a few pieces of falling debris before anchoring themselves on the ceiling ¡ª an act that slowly dampened the rumbling felt throughout the cavern. Realizing that the nanomachines were attempting to stabilize the collapsing cavern, Pierce quickly pivoted to focus on the tendrils, leaping through the air toward one and slicing through it with his summoned blade. As his blade slashed the tendril in half, he noticed Dav¨ªdrius already doing the same, while Spike was beginning to throw his indestructible shields to sever several more. Within seconds, half of the tendrils had been broken; with each broken tendril, another reached out of the pool of nanomachines to try and establish structural support for the cavern, but between Pierce and Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s speed, Spike¡¯s un-corruptible shields, and Austin¡¯s claymore above, the Nanocreatures remained unable to establish full support.


    With another thundering crack, the cavern ceiling began to collapse, with massive chunks of rock and stone falling over the silver goo. Pierce and Dav¨ªdrius quickly dashed away, dodging around the falling rocks so as to not get trapped. Conrad rendered himself visible just long enough for Pierce to spot him and pick him up, while Spike bounded out of the zone of the cave-in as well. But as the group made way for the rocks, a massive hand reached out of the metallic goo, followed by another ¡ª and then the gigantic snout of the silver dragon, reformed once more in an attempt to blow away the falling stone above it.


    As its giant maw opened, directing a massive laser cannon straight upwards, Spike quickly fabricated more shields to throw at the beast ¡ª only for a dozen small tendrils to emerge from the goo, each just barely managing to bat away Spike¡¯s shields before they hit the dragon¡¯s mouth. Dav¨ªdrius responded by hefting Conrad¡¯s glaive and then chucking it at the beast, but the tendrils grabbed the weapon out of the air by the pole before dragging it down into the silvery depths. ¡°Tch¡­!¡± the Dean scowled as he watched the dragon¡¯s glowing maw, its laser cannon charging for an immense blast that would surely obliterate the cavern roof and prevent the collapse from doing any harm.


    But then, a second later, there was a glint of light ¡ª a small flash of light reflecting off of the blade of an extravagant green and silver halberd, blasting through the cave ceiling above before embedding its impossibly sharp spear-tip right in the back of the dragon¡¯s throat. A burst of energy blasted the halberd back into the air as the energy gathered in the beast¡¯s newly broken laser cannon discharged into its own body, rendering it unable to stop the cavern ceiling as it finally collapsed. A cacophony of stone, debris, and dirt cascaded down into the cavern, fully covering the metallic dragon and the pool of silver goo in which it sat as thundering noise echoed and reverberated through the cavern, staggering all of the Chaotics through sheer volume alone.


    And then, after several seconds of loud cracks and the echoes of shattering rock¡­ everything fell quiet. Tentatively, Pierce and Conrad turned to look at the results of the cave-in. Sure enough, Christean¨¦ had managed to shatter the roof in such a way that it only collapsed in the area around the metallic dragon, leaving the outskirts of the cavern relatively unscathed. In the middle was a massive mound of dirt and stone several dozen meters high, while blinding sunlight shone down through the collapsed roof, revealing a solid dozen meters of stone in between the top of the cavern and the world outside.


    ¡°Oh, thank god¡­ you¡¯re all okay!¡±


    Pierce looked up at the top of the rocky mound. Bright sunlight at first forced him to squint, as his eyes adjusted from spending time underground ¡ª but as soon as he could see, he was able to make out the giant silhouette of Mark, standing at the top of the debris pile.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you go?¡± Conrad questioned as Pierce leaped to Mark¡¯s side.


    ¡°I somehow managed to not get trapped by the cave-in ¡ª well, the first one,¡± Mark explained, looking around as Dav¨ªdrius, Christean¨¦, Spike, and Austin also converged on his position. ¡°I tried to pursue the woman who attacked us, but¡­ she got away from me.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s a Visitechnic, right? Can¡¯t really blame anyone for losing her,¡± Christean¨¦ pointed out.


    ¡°Oof¡­¡± Austin took a deep breath and looked around at the mound of collapsed stone. ¡°¡­Ha ha! Oh man¡­ we lived! Somehow, we lived!¡±


    ¡°Was still way too close for my likin¡¯¡­¡± Spike muttered.


    ¡°Yeah, and it isn¡¯t over yet,¡± Christean¨¦ replied. ¡°The Critical Infection is still down there, under this mound of debris. We¡¯ve bought ourselves time, but without other types of Chaotics, we can¡¯t destroy the infection for good. It¡¯ll recover soon.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± Piece said.


    ¡°We need to make sure the people at the settlement can all evacuate, first,¡± Christean¨¦ urged.


    ¡°We also need to get what we¡¯ve learned here back to Tresnon,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°The Bleeders somehow got to another fucking planet! That means they¡¯ve got way more resources or connections than we thought!¡±


    ¡°How many people need to stay behind to help with evac?¡± Mark questioned, turning toward Christean¨¦.


    ¡°Realistically¡­¡± the Dean mused, ¡°¡­if we carried the Gate directly to the Nayasis settlement, then that would massively speed up evac. At that point, and after getting NSD aid, I could handle this all on my own. The rest of you can head back to Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Spike asked uneasily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I may not know as much about the infection as literally any of the other Deans, but I¡¯ve still faced off with Critical Infections before,¡± Christean¨¦ declared. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. The rest of you, get out of here ¡ª make sure Tresnon is safe.¡± He then glanced toward Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°And make sure that Rebehka and Kaon¨¦ hear about what happened, here.¡±


    ¡°Tch. You don¡¯t need to tell me that,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted, and then crouched down to leap out of the dark cavern and into the sunlit world beyond, with everyone else quick to follow. ¡°Alright, y¡¯all, let¡¯s get the hell out of here!

 V2 - Arc 7: The Bonds of Cultures - Chapter 51: Reunited

    VOLUME 2 ¡ª OLD THREATS


    ARC 7 ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 51: Reunited


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Mondia, Colyath 29, 8054 ¡ª


    ¡°Hey, guys.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Spike greeted back to Twy, offering her a casual wave before stopping and bracing himself for Sky to leap at him in a tackle-hug. He graciously caught her before setting her back on the ground and giving her a disapproving look. ¡°That really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, I missed you!¡± Sky declared, her arms still wrapped around Spike¡¯s torso as she looked up at him.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t even been a week¡­¡±


    ¡°Which in itself is concerning¡­¡± Phoenix muttered as she, Kestrel, Twy, and Danielle approached Spike ¡ª who himself had just entered the public area of Nimaliaka Central¡¯s Gateport alongside Austin, Pierce, Conrad, and Mark. As the two groups came together under the bright Gateport sunlights, Phoenix looked around at each of the Earthians before glancing to the left, where Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ had met to exchange a few hushed words. She then turned to look at Pierce and Conrad. ¡°So you guys came back early, too, huh?¡±


    ¡°Is it related to why Christean¨¦ isn¡¯t with you?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Shit hit the fan,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding,¡± Austin affirmed. ¡°We were attacked by a Bleeder, apparently. And then had to fight against the fuckin¡¯ Nanocreatures!¡±


    ¡°Christean¨¦ stayed behind to help with the evacuation of Nayasis,¡± Mark explained. ¡°We came back to get the news out about what happened.¡±


    Phoenix sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. ¡°So you ran into an infection problem, too? Figures.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. It would figure we weren¡¯t alone,¡± Pierce replied with a snort. ¡°Let me guess, Rebehka stayed behind on Karania to deal with whatever bullshit you ran into, there?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Except we weren¡¯t attacked by a Bleeder¡­ instead, it was that Chaos Knight who showed up and ruined everything. Nil¡¯kin, I think.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Conrad drawled. ¡°Did you guys have to fight, too?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Twy replied. ¡°We were about to, before Nil¡¯kin stepped in¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s a bad thing she showed up,¡± Austin said.


    ¡°Nil¡¯kin ¡®stepping in¡¯ involved her activating the self-destruct of a research facility before we even had the chance to rescue the people trapped inside,¡± Phoenix retorted. ¡°So yeah, it was a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh.¡±


    ¡°At least we¡¯re all fine, it looks like¡­¡± Spike observed.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks to you!¡± Austin remarked as he elbowed Spike in the side. He then glanced toward Sky, saying, ¡°this guy unlocked his Overdrive while we were fighting! Literally saved my life!¡±


    ¡°No way, seriously?!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t that big of a deal¡­¡± Spike responded sheepishly.


    ¡°Dude, we literally almost died,¡± Austin countered. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t broken out those indestructible shields, then we wouldn¡¯t be standing here right now!¡±


    ¡°Indestructible? Wow!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°I wish my Overdrive was that useful!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, Overdrives are cool, whatever,¡± Pierce said. ¡°More importantly¡ª¡°


    ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s sour that their Overdrive sucks,¡± Phoenix retorted.


    ¡°At least I have one,¡± Pierce shot back. ¡°But that¡¯s beside the point. More importantly¡­¡± He turned to look over the rest of the Earthians. ¡°¡­We both ran into infection problems. I can¡¯t be the only one who thinks this is more than a coincidence, right?¡±


    ¡°It does seem suspect¡­¡± Mark admitted.


    ¡°Yeah, remember what Dav¨ªdrius said when we first saw signs of the Nanocreatures?¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°He said, ¡®they really are here?¡¯ You know, like he was expecting them!¡±


    ¡°Karania, where we went, was home to an Infection Research Facility, too,¡± Twy added. ¡°Kaon¨¦ and Rebehka seemed to personally know the woman in charge.¡±


    ¡°She had even heard about us!¡± Sky remarked, finally separating from Spike to address the group. ¡°Uh, the head researcher lady, I mean. It sounded like Rebehka told her about us before we got there.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Danielle looked doubtfully at the rest of the group. ¡°Are¡­ are you guys saying that they¡­ tricked us, or something?¡±


    ¡°It sure seems like they used us, for whatever reason,¡± Phoenix said.


    ¡°But what I can¡¯t figure out¡­ is why?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°If we assume that they had heard about infection issues or sightings before our trip, and just didn¡¯t tell us¡­ well, why not? Was the entire purpose of our trip to provide cover for them looking into the infection? And if it was, then why? Who were they hiding from?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out,¡± Pierce remarked, and then turned toward Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the deal with the Nanocreatures, huh?¡±


    ¡°Oi, quiet down,¡± Dav¨ªdrius snapped back as he and Kaon¨¦ turned to approach the Earthians.


    ¡°We try not to use the term ¡®Nanocreatures¡¯ in public,¡± Kaon¨¦ quietly added. ¡°Not when talking about current events, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°So you really do try to keep things hush,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t explain using us, though,¡± Phoenix said as Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦ stopped next to the Earthians, joining their large conversational circle at the sides of Nimalia¡¯s expansive Gateport.


    ¡°¡¯Using¡¯?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed with a scowl.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, we¡¯re on to you,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°It was weird enough from the start that you Deans all showed up to give us personal lessons on different fucking planets ¡ª but now, both our groups ran into the infection. Do you really expect us to believe that¡¯s a mere coincidence?¡±


    The two Deans exchanged a glance before Dav¨ªdrius released a frustrated sigh. ¡°See, I told ya they¡¯d figure us out,¡± he muttered, his gaze momentarily directed toward Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°And yet you¡¯re the one who wanted to keep all of this a secret,¡± Kaon¨¦ responded, and then bowed her head toward the Earthians. ¡°¡­We¡¯re sorry for getting you all involved in this, especially like this¡­¡±


    ¡°So there really was somethin¡¯ going on? Really?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve left Tresnon for anythin¡¯ other than the damned infection,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied.


    ¡°Why do you care about the infection on a different planet, anyways?¡± Pierce asked. ¡°You sure don¡¯t seem very fond of ¡®outsiders¡¯.¡±


    ¡°My dislike of the NSD and the Union doesn¡¯t mean I hate all outsiders,¡± Dav¨ªdrius countered. ¡°But when it comes to the infection, helpin¡¯ the Union is helpin¡¯ myself. After all, if Nimalia falls, it¡¯s takin¡¯ Tres¨¦d with it.¡±


    ¡°So our trip really was because of the infection, then?¡± Phoenix pressed.


    ¡°¡­It was,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted after a deep sigh. ¡°To be completely upfront with you¡­ we actually received reports of a mild containment breach at the Infection Research Center on Karania about a week ago. And around that time, we also received word of potential infection sightings on Nayasis. When it comes to lower tier worlds, the NSD tends to take the same scorched-earth stance as the Chaos Knights¡­ so, Rebehka, Christean¨¦, Dav¨ªdrius, and I decided to investigate on our own, to try and resolve the issues before the NSD came in to just annihilate everything.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ useless-ass NSD¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°If you were trying to hide our activities from the NSD, then why did we route through Kandieras, the Primary Fortress World of the NSD?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°When dealing with the metallic infection, time is of the essence,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°If we had gone through the civilian network, then it would have taken us several days to reach Nayasis or Karania. So we decided that risking some NSD attention would be worth it; by the time they¡¯d be able to look into the problem on their own, we¡¯d have already completed our own investigations, and would be able to argue for a more reasoned response. Besides, it isn¡¯t uncommon for Rebehka, Kev¨¦rin, Kevken, or I to use the Fortress World network for our work, so we thought that we wouldn¡¯t raise any suspicion¡­¡±


    ¡°At this point, I think it would¡¯ve been better if the NSD had caught on,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Okay¡­ so this explains why we went where we did,¡± Phoenix said, ¡°but why bring us along? And then tell us jack-shit about anything?¡±


    ¡°Over the past several months, we¡¯ve already established a pattern of taking you Keys on trips around Nimalia and Union space,¡± Kaon¨¦ answered. ¡°We figured that if we disguised our investigation as another one of those trips, then it wouldn¡¯t arouse any suspicion from the NSD, or the Chaos Knights. And since Rebehka has tagged along on a couple of your previous trips, and Christean¨¦ is known for often helping out at WCU, them coming along wouldn¡¯t ¡ª shouldn¡¯t ¡ª have been suspicious.¡±


    ¡°And we chose not to tell y¡¯all to make it less likely that anyone would hear about the infection bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius added. ¡°Havin¡¯ y¡¯all leave Tresnon was good cover for me and Kaon¨¦ leavin¡¯, too ¡ª if the Bleeders had any spies or somethin¡¯, they probably just thought you Earthians were up an¡¯ leavin¡¯ on your own. They wouldn¡¯t know ¡®til it¡¯s too late to do anythin¡¯ that Kaon¨¦ and I went with y¡¯all.¡±


    ¡°¡­So basically, the reason we were kept in the dark was because of more political bullshit?¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it any more than you do¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°I would rather have never left Tresnon in the first place.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like your attempts to have no one notice you failed, anyways,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°Nil¡¯kin showed up and ruined everything on Karania, and according to Austin, here, you guys were attacked by a Bleeder!¡±


    ¡°Nil¡¯kin turned out to be far more nosy than even Rebehka expected,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°As for the Bleeder, well¡­ even we¡¯re surprised by that.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to get back to Tresnon as soon as possible,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted.


    ¡°Our transport doesn¡¯t leave for another hour. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you can¡¯t trust the NSD to responsibly handle the infection is¡­ concerning, though,¡± Twy said.


    ¡°Assuming that scorched-earth isn¡¯t the correct solution, anyways¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t ¡ª not when we¡¯ve proven that a cure is possible,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°But now that everything is said and done¡­ I really am sorry for keeping you all in the dark. I promise we won¡¯t do it again, and I hope we can make it up to you, somehow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Well it won¡¯t be a problem anytime soon, anyways,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Now that we know the Bleeders somehow have a way of getttin¡¯ off-world, we know that they¡¯re a much bigger threat than we thought before ¡ª even considerin¡¯ their attempted attack on Tresnon. So until they¡¯re dealt with, I think I¡¯ll be bannin¡¯ any more trips out of Tresnon. All this travel just opens us up more to attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you really do that? Ban people from leaving the entire city?!¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°Well, no ¡ª it ain¡¯t like I¡¯m in charge of the Compound. Tresnon doesn¡¯t really have a leader, in the first place. I guess me or Selind are the closest things to a leader, but we don¡¯t got full control over the place, or anythin¡¯. Most trips out of Tresnon to foreign places are done by WCU, though, and I am in charge of that.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ll be stuck in Tresnon for the foreseeable future, then¡­¡± Austin mused.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t ideal, but I agree with Dav¨ªdrius,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, briefly passing Dav¨ªdrius a glance as he turned away, as if distracted by something. ¡°But on the bright side, with fewer trips and such distractions, we should be able to make better progress on your schooling!¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± Conrad deadpanned.


    ¡°I suppose it gives Danielle and I a chance to help out CSF-1 with their anti-Bleeder efforts, as well,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they doing something while we were gone, too?¡± Danielle questioned, and then cocked her head in thought. ¡°I wonder if they found anything¡­?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like they did, thank the fuckin¡¯ dirt,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked as he turned back to face the group. ¡°I just got a message from Selind. Your SERRCom pals not only got intel on Str¨¦n and the Bleeders¡¯ outside connections, they also rescued a hundred fuckin¡¯ captives ¡ª one of ¡®em the student that got kidnapped on Hunger¡¯s Bane, Minilas.¡±


    <hr>


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°Wow. You guys really are dumb.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª?!¡± Obra spluttered, only to wince and hold a hand to his head. Nonetheless, he continued his objection through a pained grimace. ¡°We ain¡¯t dumb¡­!¡±


    ¡°Really, now,¡± Minilas drawled, staring blankly over at Obra. Both Chaotics currently laid upon a couple of cots within Compound Tresnon¡¯s medical center, left to recover after returning from the northeastern coast of Tres¨¦d. A handful of other cots filled out the rest of the sizable room, each one featuring one of the captives that CSF-1 had freed from the Bleeders, while sitting next to some of the cots were nurses or visitors. Liask herself counted among the visitors, sitting in a small chair in between Minilas and Obra¡¯s cots; while Obra had sustained several bruises and broken bones after their encounter with Str¨¦n, Liask had been lucky to escape unscathed. Minilas, on the other hand, had no visible or obvious injuries ¡ª her presence in the medical center seemed largely to be due to fatigue.


    ¡°Minilas is kinda right¡­¡± Liask admitted as she passed Obra a sheepish glance.


    ¡°Well, maybe, sorta, but¡­!¡± Obra continued to protest.


    ¡°As soon as I got kidnapped, you guys rushed off to Rokres to try and find me,¡± Minilas deadpanned. ¡°Despite the Bleeders havin¡¯ nothin¡¯ to do with Rokres.¡±


    ¡°That was Pierce¡¯s idea!¡±


    ¡°But you still went along with it.¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­ yeah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And then, recently, you decided to try followin¡¯ a group of trained soldiers to try and find me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡°


    ¡°Trained soldiers and Ralak, who are all way better in a fight than you.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡ª¡°


    ¡°And then you went and got knocked out.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Obra stared at Minilas for a second, only to sigh and lay back in his cot. ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep. So, like I said: you guys are really dumb,¡± Minilas replied, but then shifted in her cot to look at Liask and Obra through the one eye that her long bangs didn¡¯t cover. ¡°¡­But, thanks. I¡¯m glad you guys didn¡¯t forget about me, and that you tried to save me¡­ even if you really shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve.¡±


    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t really deny that¡­¡± Liask said. ¡°In the end, we really only got in the way, huh? And now, even Ralak¡­¡±


    She trailed off uneasily, leaving her unfinished thought to linger in the air.


    ¡°¡­She really did fight that Str¨¦n bastard, didn¡¯t she?¡± Obra muttered. ¡°She and those Earthian outsiders, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Am I about to hear Obra praisin¡¯ outsiders?¡± Minilas questioned.


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Obra retorted with a scowl. ¡°I can recognize skill when I see it. And also¡­ admit when I may¡¯ve been wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I really thought I¡¯d be able to help, I really did, but¡­ damn. All I ended up doin¡¯ was holdin¡¯ everyone back.¡±


    ¡°You were at least able to cut Str¨¦n¡¯s arm off,¡± Liask pointed out. ¡°That helped.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I was tryin¡¯ to kill him, not cut off his arm. He dodged, somehow¡­¡± Obra responded. ¡°And the way you tell it, he still kicked everyone¡¯s ass without the arm¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about kicking asses and arms?¡±


    ¡°¡­Pierce!¡± Liask¡¯s expression lit up as Pierce and Conrad both stepped into the patient room before approaching Obra and Minilas¡¯s cots.


    ¡°¡­What¡¯re you doin¡¯ here?¡± Obra questioned.


    ¡°We just got back from our trip,¡± Pierce replied, and then offered a nod toward Minilas. ¡°I heard from Dav¨ªdrius that you were found, so Conrad and I thought we¡¯d check in on you. But¡­¡± He then looked over at Obra. ¡°¡­What the hell are you in bed, for?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to nap, we can leave,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s just suffering the consequences of his own actions,¡± Minilas stated flatly.


    ¡°Minilas!¡± Obra protested.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be more specific¡­¡± Liask started, ¡°Obra and I, kinda, uh¡­ tailed those Earthian soldiers and Ralak when they left to look for Bleeder info. And we ended up gettin¡¯ wrapped up in a fight with Str¨¦n and Feral¡­¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Conrad questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°Dude, do you not pay attention at all?¡± Pierce replied incredulously. ¡°Str¨¦n and Feral are supposed to be two of the most dangerous Bleeders, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Liask said, and then laughed uneasily. ¡°We sure found that out the hard way¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re fine, now, right?¡± Pierce said as he glanced between Obra and Liask. He then looked over at Minilas. ¡°¡­What about you? You feeling okay?¡±


    Minilas turned to look at Pierce, the visible corner of her mouth turning up into a bitter smile. ¡°Would you actually do anythin¡¯ if I said ¡®no¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I guess that depends on why you¡¯d be saying ¡®no¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°What amazing tact.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh¡­¡± Minilas chuckled to herself before turning away from Pierce. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not gonna blame any of you for what the Bleeders did.¡±


    ¡°What the hell did the Bleeders do?¡± Obra questioned.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell, and you think I¡¯m the one with bad tact?¡± Pierce interjected. ¡°C¡¯mon, man. She just got back, right? Give her some time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe we shouldn¡¯t be botherin¡¯ her too much¡­¡± Liask said.


    ¡°No¡­ this is fine,¡± Minilas replied. ¡°¡­I mean, I¡¯m not answerin¡¯ your question, Obra. But you guys bein¡¯ here is fine.¡±


    ¡°Well at least you still have your food-summoning thing, right?¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°If things get too bad, just conjure up a good meal, I¡¯d say.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as Minilas fixed Conrad with a blank stare, only to then turn away, her eyes closed.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ well, then,¡± Pierce commented, filling the silence with an uneasy interjection. With an uncomfortable smile, he looked over at Liask. ¡°Uh¡­ if you don¡¯t mind, I wanted to talk with you. ¡­In private.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­? Okay,¡± Liask responded, slowly standing from her seat ¡ª only to stop a second later and look at Minilas. ¡°Oh, do you mind if we¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Nah, go ahead,¡± Minilas replied, her tone as flat as ever, though the corner of her mouth was turned up into a small smile. ¡°Finally did somethin¡¯ while I was gone, huh?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Did something¡¯ is one way of puttin¡¯ it,¡± Obra said with a scoff. ¡°Liask, seriously? You¡¯re really still gonna talk to that guy?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re askin¡¯ that, then you weren¡¯t really listenin¡¯ to me when we talked back on that shuttle,¡± Liask countered.


    ¡°Gah¡­ I can¡¯t believe you.¡± Obra then released a tired sigh as he allowed his head to plop back onto his cot. ¡°¡­But Minilas is back, I guess, so I don¡¯t got much to complain about, now¡­¡±


    ¡°Obra¡­¡± Minilas said, her voice carrying the same sort of reprimanding tone that a parent would use on their child, ¡°you used me bein¡¯ gone against Liask, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Wow. That¡¯s kind of a dick move,¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Look, I was wrong, okay? I¡¯m sorry,¡± Obra retorted, a scowl covering his features. ¡°Just¡­ go have your damn ¡®talk¡¯, Liask.¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± Liask replied, finally fully standing from her seat and stepping toward the exit of the patient room. Pierce quietly followed her into the hallway beyond, which felt small and cramped ¡ª but more importantly, empty.


    ¡°¡­Well, uh¡­¡± Pierce started, uneasily scratching the back of his head as he searched for the words to describe his thoughts. ¡°You¡­ okay? After running into Str¨¦n, and all that?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ve had better days¡­¡± Liask responded, her eyes dropping. ¡°Fightin¡¯ him was¡­ ¡­well, he¡¯s definitely way tougher than I am. Guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, given he even gave Dav¨ªdrius trouble 20 years ago.¡± She then flashed a forced smile. ¡°But at least Minilas is back, now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. That¡¯s good. I¡¯m glad to see she¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ so¡­ what did you wanna talk about?¡±


    Pierce paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as he sorted out his thoughts. Eventually, he said, ¡°it¡¯s¡­ about the last time we talked.¡±


    Liask simply looked back at Pierce, her expression unreadable as she clasped her hands behind her back. ¡°¡­Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ wanted to apologize. For leading you on, like I did. That was¡­ pretty dickish of me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Part of it was just that I refused to believe what was obviously there, but ¡ª well, that¡¯s no excuse. I¡¯m sorry, really.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ thanks, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not it.¡± With another exhale, Pierce took on a confident demeanor as he looked Liask straight in the eyes. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been thinking, about what you asked me last week. Specifically,  about how I felt about you. After being the dick that I am, I¡¯d fully understand if you don¡¯t want anything to do with me going forward, but¡­ I¡¯d like to give it another shot. You know, our relationship. Except¡­ for real, this time.¡±


    Liask stared back at Pierce for a second, only to glance away and release a bitter chuckle. ¡°Figured that out in less than a week, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯d be a full week, if we were on Earth,¡± Pierce replied cheekily. ¡°¡­But seriously. If you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine, I get it. I tend to fuck these things up a lot, so I¡¯m not going to blame this one on you.¡±


    ¡°¡¯This one¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I meant¡ª I was talking about my other failed relationships. Of which there are¡­ many.¡±


    ¡°Mm. And you aren¡¯t just trying to get back with me for that contest with your friend?¡±


    ¡°No, no, of course not. My contests with Phoenix are usually pretty fucking stupid, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡± Liask briefly smiled before returning to a neutral expression, her gaze wandering across the empty hallway. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been thinkin¡¯, too. About us, and you. You know, I never really understood why you kept blamin¡¯ yourself for Trenon¡¯s death. I always thought, you know, it was just an accident. But, while you were gone¡­ ¡­well, I told you that Obra and I ended up goin¡¯ against Str¨¦n and Feral, right? Well, that¡¯s not the whole story. Ralak and those Earthian soldiers were there, too. And while everyone got out alive, Ralak took a big hit tryin¡¯ to protect me.¡±


    ¡°¡­How big of a hit?¡±


    ¡°She might not have a workin¡¯ arm, anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Pierce nodded in understanding.


    ¡°She¡¯s at least still alive, but at the same time¡­ if I just wasn¡¯t there, or if I had been a more useful fighter¡­ then she wouldn¡¯t¡¯ve gotten injured like that. And when I think about that, I think I finally understand how you feel about Trenon. About why you might¡¯ve felt guilty towards me.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ but it¡¯s still no excuse for leading you on.¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m not sayin¡¯ it is, but I am sayin¡¯ I understand why you were so uneasy with me, before. Knowin¡¯ all of that¡­¡± Liask finally looked Pierce in the eyes again as she flashed him a smile. ¡°Well, how could I not give you a second chance?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ really?¡± Pierce stared back at her in disbelief.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not gonna say you didn¡¯t hurt me, but I wasn¡¯t really upfront with my own feelings towards you, either. And if you really are sorry about leadin¡¯ me on, and you really wanna try a real relationship, then¡­ yeah. I¡¯d like that, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ ha ha, wow. I kind of expected you to turn me down and tell me to never talk to you again. That¡¯s how these things usually go¡­¡±


    ¡°¡¯Usually¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°Agh, sorry, sorry, I¡¯ll stop talking about that stuff,¡± Pierce quickly backpedaled. ¡°But, man¡­ wow, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°So now we¡¯re boyfriend and girlfriend¡­ right?¡± Liask questioned hopefully.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Pierce replied with a smirk. ¡°And while we¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you show me how Tres¨¦dian couples do things? You didn¡¯t seem too fond of the kind of shows of affection that are common on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha¡­¡± Liask responded with a sheepish laugh. ¡°Well, uh, I guess I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s get back to your friends.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course!¡± Liask readily replied, smiling to herself as she and Pierce returned to their friends in the patient room.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°So it really was the SFC? Those sand-eating motherfuckers¡­¡±


    ¡°Do we really know for sure, though¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned, glancing uneasily between Dav¨ªdrius ¡ª who was seated behind his desk in his office at the WCU campus ¡ª and Colonel Saito, who stood across the desk from Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°All I can tell you is the evidence we found,¡± Saito replied, and then nodded towards Selind, who leaned against the side wall of the office. ¡°We turned the two captured soldiers over to the Defense Force as soon as we got back, so you should be able to verify.¡±


    ¡°And I got in touch with your old pal, Kevken,¡± Selind remarked, passing Dav¨ªdrius a quick glance before looking back to Saito. ¡°Accordin¡¯ to him, most of the gear the Colonel here confiscated from the captives is actual SFC gear. The captives even have SFC ID implants. Seems as ironclad as it gets.¡±


    ¡°Kevken¡¯s already told me that he¡¯s bringin¡¯ this information to the authorities in Riverana,¡± Dav¨ªdrius reported. ¡°Hopefully, they¡¯ll listen to him and do somethin¡¯ about all this, but I¡¯m not holdin¡¯ my breath.¡±


    ¡°You think Riverana won¡¯t care that their contracted military is meddling in another nation¡¯s affairs?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°Tres¨¦d ain¡¯t even a nation, in the eyes of other Nimalians. No one cares what happens here.¡± Dav¨ªdrius sat back in his chair and released a frustrated sigh. ¡°Well, at least there¡¯s that incident a few months back where a Bleeder broke into the Ayas research lab. That actually happened in Riverana, so maybe they¡¯ll care enough about that to sack the SFC. We¡¯ll have to see.¡±


    ¡°Either way, we¡¯re on to them, now,¡± Selind said. ¡°And even if Riverana doesn¡¯t do anything, Kevken already told me that he¡¯ll keep us updated on the SFC¡¯s activities as much as he can. So we finally have a leg up on the bastards.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t the two of you on speaking terms with Riverana¡¯s Archon¨¦?¡± Saito questioned while glancing between Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦.


    ¡°We are,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°But the Archon¨¦ of Riverana doesn¡¯t have a lot of actual authority. The country is mostly ruled by the elected Li¨¦pen, and they¡¯re the ones who decide what PMCs their government contracts with. I¡¯m not sure if Pallan can actually do anything¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°This isn¡¯t quite the slam-dunk I was hoping for, but at least it¡¯s progress.¡±


    ¡°As Selind said, at least we got actual intel, now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated, and then gave Saito a serious look. ¡°But what the hell else happened out there? I get back today, and I find that Ralak¡¯s injured from a fight with Str¨¦n?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Most importantly, Ralak¡¯s contact in Compound Falnon informed us that the Bleeders are preparing for another attack on Compound Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Another?!¡± Kaon¨¦ responded incredulously.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m surprised,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°The Bleeders clearly have it out for us, for a number of reasons.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pain, but havin¡¯ confirmation is still good,¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°Now that we know they¡¯re after us, we can maybe use that to lay traps or somethin¡¯.¡± He then looked up at Saito. ¡°Anyways, that can¡¯t be it. You still ain¡¯t explained what happened to Ralak. What the hell else happened out there?¡±


    ¡°A lot,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Ralak¡¯s contact sent us to a Bleeder base to the north. We cleared the base, and found info that led us to the northeast coast of Tres¨¦d, where we ran into Str¨¦n, Feral, and a handful of other Bleeders. Along the way, we ran into two of your students, who got themselves into trouble trying to follow us.¡±


    ¡°It was Liask Rakos and Obra Rivas,¡± Selind reported to Dav¨ªdrius.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Looks like we need to do a better job of teachin¡¯ these kids some fuckin¡¯ restraint.¡±


    ¡°To be perfectly frank, their foolhardiness nearly jeopardized the mission,¡± Saito said. ¡°They attacked the Bleeder base in the middle of my team silently taking out the guards, and almost got captured because of it. Then, when we discovered Str¨¦n and Feral, they rushed headfirst into a confrontation despite multiple urgings not to.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Are they to blame for what happened to Ralak?¡±


    Saito remained silent for a moment, contemplating the question. ¡°¡­On one hand, it¡¯s clear that they were out of their depth in that fight,¡± the Colonel replied. ¡°And if they hadn¡¯t charged in without a plan, then my team should have been able to conduct a proper surprise attack. Their actions put both them and us in incredible danger. However¡­ objectively speaking, we severely underestimated both Str¨¦n and Feral. I can¡¯t confidently say that we would have escaped from a head-on fight unscathed if Ralak was the only Chaotic with us. Those kids of yours may have gotten us into that mess, but they¡¯re also, arguably, the only reason we were able to escape with the hostages.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Str¨¦n and Feral both have cybernetic prosthetics with integrated energy shielding and weaponry. That means my team, practically speaking, wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything to stop them. Ralak and that Liask girl were ultimately on their own fighting the Bleeders, and as skilled as Ralak seems, I really don¡¯t think she would have been able to face both Str¨¦n and Feral on her own.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°¡­Damn. The woman lost her arm, and you¡¯re sayin¡¯ things could¡¯ve been worse?¡±


    ¡°So she really did lose the arm?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°I feared as much¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it really unrecoverable?¡± Kaon¨¦ asked. ¡°I heard from the hospital staff that her arm was still intact when she arrived¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see the wound, Kaon¨¦,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°It was nasty. Looked like somethin¡¯ took a huge bite outta her shoulder. Almost like her arm was hangin¡¯ by a thread. As far as I could tell, the only reason she didn¡¯t bleed to death was ¡®cause she used her Imperator powers on her own blood to keep it from spillin¡¯ out.¡±


    ¡°Will she be okay?¡± Saito asked.


    ¡°I mean, aside from havin¡¯ to get her arm amputated? Yeah, I think so,¡± Selind replied. ¡°Now we just need to convince her to get one of them shiny prosthetics.¡±


    ¡°I offered to make one for her, but she declined,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°I had to convince her just to consider taking a standard, non-mechanical prosthetic¡­¡±


    ¡°With someone of her Chaotic ability and skill, a regular-ass prosthetic might just be as good as a normal arm,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. ¡°All that aside¡­ I¡¯ll have to talk to Liask and Obra later about their stupidity, but was there anythin¡¯ else you found, Colonel?¡±


    ¡°A little more, yes,¡± Saito replied. ¡°We didn¡¯t learn anything new about Feral, compared to her appearance during the attack on Tresnon ¡ª aside from the fact that she had a new arm, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°It would figure. You learn anythin¡¯ about Str¨¦n, though?¡±


    ¡°A couple of things. For starters, his body is heavily augmented. At least one of his arms was cybernetic; that Obra kid cut it off at the start of the fight.¡±


    ¡°Were you able to recover it?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Str¨¦n made sure to destroy it. But despite losing his arm and not having any visible armor, he still had energy shielding, meaning the generator had to be embedded elsewhere in his body. On top of that, he has a laser cannon embedded in his chest.¡±


    ¡°A chest laser?¡± Dav¨ªdrius echoed incredulously, ¡°fuckin¡¯, seriously?¡±


    ¡°Heavy chest augments, like laser cannons, are usually reserved for when someone has already replaced all of their limbs with cybernetics,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°If he really has a chest laser, then there might not be much left of his original organic body. What¡¯s more¡­¡± A doubtful look crossed her face. ¡°That kind of extensive modification is usually something you only see from the Black Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold up, I thought we already decided it was the SFC behind things,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°They got motive, too. They¡¯ve been fuckin¡¯ around in Tres¨¦d for years now, tryin¡¯ to get the land around the Compounds for some reason. The Suns, though? I¡¯m no fan of them, but Gavon is the only Black Sun I¡¯ve ever seen in Tres¨¦d. And I really don¡¯t see what they¡¯d want with this fucking wasteland, when they have entire actual planets to themselves.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that the SFC gave Str¨¦n these augments to try and make it look like the Black Suns are funding him?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s possible¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused. ¡°As with most Black Suns tech, you can buy their cybernetics on the market. Hidden chest-mounted weaponry is technically banned in CSA space, as well as most of the Nimalian Union, but the governments tend to turn a blind eye towards Black Suns soldiers who only use the weapons on the nations¡¯ enemies. And as long as someone is making and using those weapons, there¡¯s always a black market for them¡­¡±


    ¡°If most of Str¨¦n¡¯s body is cybernetic, then that¡¯d at least explain how he survived your friends killin¡¯ him,¡± Selind remarked while passing Dav¨ªdrius a glance. ¡°Sounds like someone found his sorry ass and patched him up.¡±


    ¡°It would also mean that the SFC has had eyes on Tres¨¦d since over twenty years ago¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°I knew they couldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡­Ah, damn, if Str¨¦n has extensive cybernetics, then Feral probably does, too.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Saito said. ¡°But it gets worse. We learned that Str¨¦n has an Overdrive, and it¡¯s a powerful one. ¡®Barbarian¡¯s Roar¡¯, it¡¯s called; it seems to let him shout very loudly, and anyone who hears the shout goes temporarily deaf. It also induces panic ¡ª Liask fully locked-up, and both Ralak and I could feel it.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fuck,¡± Dav¨ªdrius swore. ¡°I had a feeling the bastard had somethin¡¯ up his sleeve, but deafness and panic? That¡¯s a dangerous combo with Feral¡¯s Chaostechnism.¡±


    ¡°Oh believe me, we learned that first-hand.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certain you have to hear his shout for it to affect you, though?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve only gone up against him once, so I don¡¯t know for absolutely certain,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But that seems to be what happened. The rest of my team were out of earshot of Str¨¦n¡¯s shout, and none of them were affected. And now that I think about it, Feral wasn¡¯t affected, either, despite being right beside him when he shouted. She must¡¯ve had a way to ignore the effects, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. She¡¯d know what to expect, after all, so of course she¡¯d be ready for it,¡± Selind mused. ¡°But it looks like I¡¯ll need to make sure the Defense Force has plenty of hearing protection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still no good,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°If we deafen ourselves to make us immune to Str¨¦n¡¯s roar, then we¡¯re still fuckin¡¯ deaf. We save ourselves from a bit of ¡®panic¡¯, I guess, but bein¡¯ deaf on the battlefield is worse, in my opinion. Especially against a Chaostechnic.¡±


    ¡°Can Str¨¦n only do the shout at the moment that he activates his Overdrive?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned, ¡°or can he do it repeatedly, so long as his Overdrive is active? If we know that, we can better plan around it.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t tell you,¡± Saito answered. ¡°¡­But now that I think about it, I¡¯m inclined to think he can shout repeatedly. When we fled the battle aboard the shuttle, it looked like Str¨¦n was about to shout again; he only stopped because Travis and I shot him, and then he had to deal with a Berserk Feral.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ great¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered.


    ¡°At least we know to expect it, now,¡± Selind said, and then glanced at Dav¨ªdrius and Kaon¨¦. ¡°What about the two of y¡¯all, huh? Was that little trip of yours worth leavin¡¯ Tresnon?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°But it didn¡¯t really have anything to do with the Bleeder situation, here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s the thing¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°For us, it did.¡±


    ¡°What? How so?¡±


    ¡°We ran into fuckin¡¯ Shade, of all people, on Nayasis.¡±


    ¡°You ran into a Bleeder on another planet?!¡± Selind questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Are you sure it was her?¡± Saito pressed.


    ¡°I¡¯m damn sure it was,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. ¡°She brought the whole cave down on top of us, too, the bitch. Ugh¡­¡± He stopped to massage his brow for a second before continuing, ¡°well, now that we know the SFC is behind the Bleeders, I guess that explains how one of ¡®em could get off-world¡­ but it also tells us that the SFC gave the Bleeders more tech than we thought.¡±


    ¡°They did have a couple of Nimalian shuttles at the base we found,¡± Saito pointed out. ¡°But, with that said ¡ª what was a Bleeder doing on another planet? If she was there because of you, then she would have had to reach Nayasis within a couple of days, which just isn¡¯t possible with one of those shuttles. Those things don¡¯t have any FTL Drives.¡±


    ¡°The SFC could have smuggled her through the Gate,¡± Kaon¨¦ suggested. ¡°As tight as Gate security appears to be, big organizations tend to get their people and cargo rubber-stamped.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that¡¯s what happened¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°Now that we¡¯re on to the SFC, though, I think their movements will be a lot more limited, goin¡¯ forward¡­ but I¡¯m sure the Bleeders still have plenty of tech. And even if the SFC is stopped or ends up cuttin¡¯ off the Bleeders themselves, the Bleeders will still have all of the tech they¡¯ve already been given to use against the people of Tres¨¦d. All in all, things are probably still gonna get worse before they get better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just life in Tres¨¦d,¡± Selind remarked with a smirk.


    ¡°And there¡¯s a looming attack on Tresnon to consider, too,¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ Bleeders¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°We really need to deal with this. Until Str¨¦n is finally killed for fuckin¡¯ good, I ain¡¯t leavin¡¯ Tres¨¦d again.¡±


    ¡°Stopping our trips with the Keys for the time being really is for the best, as well¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ mused.


    ¡°Well then, my team and I will keep doing what we can to help for as long as we¡¯re here,¡± Saito said.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied as he stood up from his desk chair. ¡°Now, with everythin¡¯ we¡¯ve just discussed, I think we¡¯ve all got too much on our hands to just be standin¡¯ around, here. With the Bleeders hopefully on the back foot, it¡¯s time for us to find a way to get rid of ¡®em, once and for all¡­¡±

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 52: The Progress of Creation

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 52: The Progress of Creation


    The Next Day


    ¡°Creators¡¯ Day is in two weeks?!¡±


    ¡°Less than two, technically,¡± Phoenix replied to Sky¡¯s distressed exclamation. ¡°If you go by Nimalian weeks, anyways.¡±


    ¡°Agh, we still don¡¯t even have a performance put together that we could rehearse!¡± Sky remarked, and then jumped out of the seat behind her desk. ¡°C¡¯mon, everyone! We have work to do!¡±


    ¡°I see someone¡¯s sure fired up,¡± Conrad commented from the back of the classroom.


    ¡°Today¡¯s classes only just ended, too¡­¡± Twy muttered as she passed a glance toward one of the windows in the dreary WCU classroom. Bright mid-afternoon sunlight shone upon the eight Earthian Keys still loitering in the room, with Kaon¨¦ just having wrapped up the day¡¯s lessons.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯re excited for Creators¡¯ Day,¡± Kaon¨¦ said from the front of the room, while still packing up her teaching materials. ¡°But don¡¯t neglect your classwork, either.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I know, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sky insisted, only to turn to Twy and Kestrel ¡ª who both sat near her ¡ª to grab their sleeves and begin tugging. ¡°C¡¯mon, already, let¡¯s get going!¡±


    ¡°You need to chill,¡± Phoenix insisted as Kestrel brushed off Sky¡¯s hand, though stood all the same. ¡°I agree that we need to get serious about this project, but panicking in front of everyone isn¡¯t the way to do it.¡±


    ¡°And Kaon¨¦¡¯s right, we do have homework and studying to do,¡± Twy pointed out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Spike declared. ¡°When y¡¯all are done workin¡¯ on your project for today, Austin and I can help with your studyin¡¯ and other work. Right, Austin?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t volunteer me for studying,¡± Austin protested. ¡°¡­Though I guess workin¡¯ together should make it easier¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Thanks, Spike, I knew you¡¯d understand!¡± Sky skipped over to Spike¡¯s still-seated side to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing toward the classroom¡¯s exit. ¡°Now, Twy, Kestrel, Phoenix, let¡¯s get a move on!¡±


    ¡°My¡­ she¡¯s certainly excitable, isn¡¯t she?¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked after Sky had left the room.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it,¡± Twy drawled as she picked up her things and began moving toward the room¡¯s exit herself, with Phoenix and Kestrel following suit. ¡°Anyways¡­ we¡¯ll be off. I¡¯ll see you two later, Austin, Spike.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, Pierce and Conrad,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to study, yourselves!¡±


    ¡°As if you need to tell me that,¡± Pierce retorted. Phoenix rolled her eyes in response, but said nothing more before she left the room with Twy and Kestrel.


    ¡°Well,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, turning her attention back to the four remaining in the classroom. ¡°Do any of you have anything planned for Creators¡¯ Day?¡±


    ¡°I kinda wanna do something, but¡­ I don¡¯t know what,¡± Austin replied.


    ¡°Knowing you, it¡¯d probably be some nerd shit,¡± Pierce remarked. ¡°You going to try showing the Nimalians your video games, dweeb?¡±


    ¡°You say that like you don¡¯t play games yourself,¡± Conrad said.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with liking video games, anyways,¡± Austin declared. ¡°¡­I dunno if showin¡¯ off any of my games would be appropriate, though. I didn¡¯t make them, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s still art, or a creation, or whatever,¡± Spike pointed out, and then glanced toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that work?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ kind of, I suppose,¡± the Dean replied. ¡°While Creators¡¯ Day was first started to celebrate creations and the act of creating, in practice, most people will only show off something that they made, themselves. Trying to show off someone else¡¯s creation can often be seen as you trying to take credit for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, it makes sense,¡± Austin said. ¡°It makes it harder to come up with something, sure, but I totally get it.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever even made anything, yourself?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°More than you have, I bet!¡± Austin countered. ¡°I¡¯ve actually done a bit of writing and drawing, you know!¡±


    ¡°As a kid? Sure, you and half the planet, dweeb. Even I tried drawing when I was younger. Doesn¡¯t mean I can do it now.¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s Pierce, for you,¡± Conrad deadpanned. ¡°The never-creator. The ultimate consumer.¡±


    ¡°Says the asshole who naps and eats all day long,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°I guess none of us are much good at this creatin¡¯ stuff, huh,¡± Spike mused.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourselves to make something,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Creators¡¯ Day isn¡¯t just a day for making things, it¡¯s also a day for appreciating the things that others have made. Many Nimalians don¡¯t actually make something for Creators¡¯ Day, so it isn¡¯t like you¡¯d be out of place.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Many¡¯ don¡¯t?!¡± Austin echoed incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s still a lot that do, then!¡±


    ¡°How much of that is cooks?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°You fucking unrepentant glutton,¡± Pierce chided.


    ¡°Hey, it isn¡¯t like you dislike good food, either.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how Creators¡¯ Day usually goes in Compound Tresnon¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted, ¡°but given what I¡¯ve heard from Dav¨ªdrius, I think they do tend to have a greater proportion of cooks and material crafters here than elsewhere. People who make more, shall we say, ¡®practical¡¯ items.¡±


    ¡°So they don¡¯t really do stories or singing or art, or any of that stuff?¡± Austin mused.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that,¡± Kaon¨¦ quickly replied. ¡°Tres¨¦dians still like story-telling and art, they just ¡ª on average ¡ª place a higher emphasis on practical, physical goods. They¡¯ll still enjoy a good story or a good game every now and then. Even the ACT was originally a Tres¨¦dian idea.¡±


    ¡°Wait, does physical competition count for Creators¡¯ Day?¡± Pierce asked.


    ¡°Not¡­ usually, no. But if you could find a way to make it work, then more power to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to do something cheesy,¡± Conrad questioned as he looked over at Pierce. ¡°Like ¡®creating muscles¡¯ or ¡®creating records¡¯ or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, I¡¯m not a fucking dweeb,¡± Pierce shot back.


    ¡°A good story or a good game, though¡­¡± Austin mused, a hand to his chin in thought. A second later, realization washed across his features. ¡°Oh, of course! I could do a one-shot!¡±


    ¡°¡­A what?¡± Conrad questioned cluelessly.


    ¡°A one-shot? Like an RPG?¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°Damn, you really are a dweeb.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but how did you realize so quickly what I meant, huh?¡± Austin challenged.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what are we talking about¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ asked.


    ¡°¡¯RPG¡¯ stands for ¡®role-playing game¡¯,¡± Austin explained. ¡°On Earth ¡ª well, I guess they might be on Nimalia, too, but I only know them from Earth ¡ª anyways, we have games called tabletop RPGs, which is basically a bunch of people coming together to play a game and tell a story. And a ¡®one-shot¡¯ is when you set up a game so that the players can experience the entire story in one sitting, usually a few hours long, or so.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I think I recall you mentioning that once, before. I believe that something similar exists here on Nimalia, though I¡¯ve never played them myself¡­¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Oh yeah, it involves lots of dice rolling and stuff, right?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°I think I tried one of those, once, with Pierce and the others.¡±


    ¡°That was years ago,¡± Pierce insisted.


    ¡°Oh reeeaally?¡± Austin passed Pierce a smug look. ¡°Who¡¯s the dweeb now, huh?¡±


    ¡°Playing those games as a kid is way different from playing them as an adult,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°I don¡¯t need to waste my time playing make-believe in some asshole¡¯s own personal fantasy world, not when the real world is right there to admire.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unnecessarily harsh,¡± Kaon¨¦ interjected. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with indulging in fiction every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Austin affirmed. ¡°I take it you never read, then, Pierce? Or watch movies? Play games?¡±


    ¡°Shove it, dweeb,¡± Pierce retorted, finally standing from his desk and sweeping all of his things into his bag. ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from outing yourself as a nerd to the people here, just don¡¯t get me involved in it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more fun than you¡¯d think,¡± Spike said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Pierce deadpanned as he approached the room¡¯s exit. He stopped to give a quick wave and a smirk, remarking, ¡°later, losers. I have a date to get to.¡±


    ¡°¡­How the hell does a guy like him get dates?!¡± Austin questioned once Pierce had left the room.


    ¡°I ask myself that all the time,¡± Conrad said, and then looked over at Austin. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re going to do this ¡®one-shot¡¯ thing, huh?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ maybe. It¡¯s just an idea. With two weeks, though¡­ that should be long enough to set something up. Yeah, yeah¡­ maybe I will do this.¡±


    ¡°If you need any help, feel free to ask,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°With the twins workin¡¯ on their own project, I¡¯ve got plenty of free time.¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m kinda curious about this, too,¡± Conrad added. ¡°As long as there isn¡¯t too much effort involved, at least.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s usually a lot less effort on the player side, with these things,¡± Austin declared. ¡°¡­Oh, that could be it! I¡¯ll make the one-shot and teach you the basics of the system, Conrad, and then on Creators¡¯ Day, you can play the mentor-type character to help get any newbies into the game!¡±


    ¡°You want me to teach¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just brainstorming. ¡­But the more I think about it, the more I think this can actually work. After all, you seem like the passive type, Conrad, so I won¡¯t have to worry about you trying to steal the spotlight if I give you the mentor character!¡±


    ¡°I feel like I should be annoyed that you said that, but¡­¡± Conrad shrugged. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. Sounds good to me, I guess.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve worked something out, then!¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked with a smile. ¡°If you need anything from me, don¡¯t hesitate to ask!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, got it!¡± Austin replied as he readily stood from his own desk, prompting Spike and Conrad to finally do so themselves. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s planning time! Spike, Conrad, I¡¯ll get back to y¡¯all by the end of the week with a plan! It won¡¯t be as elaborate as what the girls are doin¡¯, but we finally got a plan for Creators¡¯ Day!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°So we really are going with a Japanese song, huh.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah?¡± Sky regarded Phoenix with an annoyed look as she waved a piece of paper through the air. ¡°I thought we already decided on this! I wrote this forever ago!¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I half expected you to give up halfway through editing it and just rewrite the song in English¡­¡± Twy admitted.


    ¡°Well, screw your expectations, I did it!¡± Sky slammed the piece of paper down on top of the desk in her room, where she, Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel were currently meeting to discuss their Creators¡¯ Day project. Mid-afternoon sunlight shone through the room¡¯s lone window, which Phoenix was standing beside, her attention split between the discussion and watching the world outside. Kestrel sat cross-legged on the floor, her expression stoic as ever, while Twy sat on Sky¡¯s bed with a handful of sketches to her side.


    ¡°Did you actually do an editing pass on that?¡± Phoenix questioned while gesturing toward Sky¡¯s paper. ¡°You know, to make sure the grammar is all right?¡±


    ¡°Meh, it¡¯s fine,¡± Sky insisted.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very inspiring response¡­¡± Twy muttered, and then passed Kestrel a glance. ¡°But have you had a chance to work on the music yet, Kestrel? Is it done?¡±


    Kestrel shook her head. ¡°A couple days,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Right¡­ I guess typical songwriting has you write the lyrics before you make the actual music, huh? And we didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of free time, last week¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand you wanted to write a pop song, Sky,¡± Phoenix remarked, ¡°but¡­ are you sure these lyrics actually make sense? What do they even say?¡±


    ¡°Well, at first I wanted to do pop, but then I realized it didn¡¯t really fit very well with the ¡®nature¡¯ theme,¡± Sky said. ¡°So I went with something a little slower, less energetic, you know? And the lyrics are just about mountains and snow and stuff, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Mountains and snow and stuff¡¯?¡± Phoenix echoed incredulously. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly filling me with confidence, here!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this is okay¡­?¡± Twy questioned.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, guys, this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve written a song, you know!¡± Sky exclaimed.


    ¡°Sure, but I think it is the first time you¡¯ve written a song in a language that isn¡¯t English,¡± Twy replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m allowed to branch out every now and then, aren¡¯t I?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you aren¡¯t, but¡­¡± Phoenix paused for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose in mild frustration as she thought out her next words. ¡°¡­Maybe we should at least get someone fluent in Japanese to review your lyrics?¡±


    ¡°Meh,¡± Sky responded dismissively. ¡°It isn¡¯t like anyone here will actually understand the song, so why does it matter?¡±


    ¡°Should do this right,¡± Kestrel said.


    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± Twy affirmed. ¡°We can¡¯t just use the fact that no one will understand your song as an excuse to write gibberish. That would be pretty disrespectful, I feel. Besides, weren¡¯t you the one who argued that lyrics are supposed to be meaningful?¡±


    ¡°¡­I guess¡­¡± Sky reluctantly admitted. ¡°But¡­ who would I ask, who knows Japanese? Trying to reach our family over Relaynet is really hard, and even if it wasn¡¯t, our siblings are both busy. And you know Mom would sooner lecture me about ¡®wasting time on useless stuff¡¯ than give actual feedback on a song I wrote.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s Colonel Saito,¡± Phoenix pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t like having to rely on him, but he is Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m sure a military Colonel is gonna want to help me with a song,¡± Sky drawled.


    ¡°He might,¡± Twy said. ¡°Mark and Danielle both seem to think highly of the Colonel, and everyone else in CSF-1. Luke seems to like him, too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about the guy who worked us to the fucking bone the second SERRCom picked us up!¡± Sky insisted.


    ¡°Well¡­ yes,¡± Twy admitted, ¡°but I think that was just him putting on a drill sergeant persona. He¡¯s never acted anywhere near that harshly since the first day.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to speak to him that badly, then I can do it for you,¡± Phoenix offered.


    ¡°No, no¡­ I can do it,¡± Sky responded with a sigh. ¡°So we want to run my lyrics by someone else, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Just to make sure they make sense,¡± Twy quickly added. ¡°I¡¯m sure they sound great, I just want to make sure that we aren¡¯t bastardizing the language.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I still have something to work with for the outfit, though¡­¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°A slower song, in Japanese, huh? ¡­The first outfit that comes to mind is a kimono, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°A yukata would probably be more appropriate,¡± Twy interjected. ¡°Kimonos are more formal.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, I hadn¡¯t even thought of that!¡± Sky exclaimed. ¡°Do I finally have a reason to wear a yukata?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worn one before¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change my question.¡±


    ¡°I see you really like the idea,¡± Phoenix remarked, only to frown. ¡°The thing is, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to get our hands on a kimono or a yukata before Creators¡¯ Day. They don¡¯t sell them here ¡ª hell, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to find one on Nimalia, at all. We¡¯d have to get one shipped from Earth, which would be hella expensive and take forever, to boot.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Sky replied, dejected.


    ¡°I can see about replicating the style with Tres¨¦dian robes, though¡­¡± Phoenix mused as she turned to look out over the buildings of Compound Tresnon through the window in Sky¡¯s room. ¡°A needle and some thread will do wonders. Although¡­¡±


    ¡°With some sewing skill, you can make any outfit that you want, sure,¡± Twy replied, ¡°but that still depends on the fabric, right? You don¡¯t need silk for a yukata, but the fabric they use here in Tres¨¦d seems a little too coarse, or thick¡­¡±


    ¡°I think the stuff here is still cotton, or something similar to cotton, right?¡± Sky said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely rougher than my own clothes, but it washes the same. It¡¯s probably usable, right, Phoenix? ¡­Phoenix?¡±


    Phoenix didn¡¯t respond; instead, her expression had fouled up into a nasty scowl as she stared at something outside. Twy and Sky passed each other a clueless glance before Sky got up from her desk chair to see what Phoenix was looking at. Down on the sands below, in the middle of WCU¡¯s courtyard, Sky laid eyes on Pierce ¡ª just as he met with Liask, the two exchanging smiles and some conversation before turning toward the campus gates.


    After spotting this, Sky turned to give Phoenix an incredulous look. ¡°Really? This is what you¡¯re staring at?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Phoenix muttered. ¡°He broke up with that girl, right? So why are they back together? He¡¯s never made up with someone before, this just doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡± Twy questioned, still seated on Sky¡¯s bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s Pierce,¡± Sky deadpanned, and then glanced back at Phoenix. ¡°Hey, why does it even matter what he¡¯s doing, huh?¡±


    ¡°It matters because he¡¯s faking it¡­ he has to be,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°This isn¡¯t like him, at all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Contest?¡± Kestrel said.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Twy looked uneasily between Kestrel and Phoenix. ¡°You mean¡­ that ¡®dating¡¯ contest you had with Pierce? Is that really a thing? You¡¯re taking that seriously?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just let him win,¡± Phoenix countered.


    ¡°Really,¡± Sky responded flatly. ¡°You know, you talk shit about Pierce a lot, but you sure act like him a lot, too.¡±


    Phoenix¡¯s nostrils flared and her brow deeply furrowed, as though she had just received the most grievous insult of all time. ¡°I do not act like Pierce!¡± she declared indignantly.


    ¡°I dunno, Pierce gets pretty defensive like that, too,¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°Sure, but so does Austin¡­¡± Twy pointed out.


    Sky shrugged in response. ¡°Look, Phoenix, I¡¯m just saying. If you think you¡¯re so much better than Pierce, then why bother taking petty shit like this seriously, huh?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like, being friends with Pierce,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°He¡¯ll hold even the smallest of victories over your head. You can¡¯t give him any quarter.¡±


    ¡°As toxic as that is¡­¡± Twy said, ¡°I¡¯ve only really noticed him doing that with you and Austin. Dav¨ªdrius, too, to a lesser extent, but what the three of you seem to share is that you keep reacting to Pierce¡¯s provocations. Do you think that, maybe, that¡¯s the only reason he taunts you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just not react to an asshole being an asshole!¡±


    ¡°Why are you even friends with him, then?¡± Sky questioned. ¡°I mean, I see Conrad hang out with Pierce a lot, too, so I guess he can¡¯t be all bad, but, like¡­ I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also not what we¡¯re here to talk about,¡± Twy pointed out.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Kestrel offered a single but enthusiastic nod of affirmation. ¡°Creators¡¯ Day.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ right. Sorry¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, turning away from the window as Sky drew the blinds shut. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ no. Nevermind. Anyways, what were we talking about? Fabric, or something, right?¡±


    ¡°Yukata.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wanna wear a yukata while I sing!¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Can you make that happen, Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°That kind of depends on a handful of things, like¡­¡± Phoenix mused, finally returning her attention to the matter at hand and continuing her planning with Twy, Sky, and Kestrel for their Creators¡¯ Day performance.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 53: Colonels Assistance

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 53: Colonel''s Assistance


    ¡°So it really was those SFC bastards?¡±


    ?So it would seem,? replied Kievkenalis¡¯s voice through a loudspeaker on the desk in Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s office. ?I was already investigating them, myself, after the incident with the Ayas earlier in the year. Your tip was just what I needed to connect a few dots.?


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked as he leaned back in his office chair. He then glanced up at Colonel Saito, the only other inhabitant of the office at that moment. ¡°Can¡¯t say how much I appreciate your help, here, Colonel.¡±


    ¡°My team and I just try our best, that¡¯s all,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But, Dean Yumach ¡ª just what have you found regarding the SFC? How far up does this go, and have you made any arrests?¡±


    ?It seems to go up much further than I¡¯d like¡­? Kievkenalis responded. ?One of the members of SFC High Command is involved, a man named Varifun Lanius. I took the evidence to Archon¨¦ Culana, and we managed to convince the Li¨¦pen to put Lanius on temporary leave while the SFC is more deeply investigated¡­ but that could take quite some time.?


    ¡°These things always do¡­¡± Saito lamented.


    ¡°Are you fuckin¡¯ serious, though?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned incredulously. ¡°Bleeder involvement goes all the way up to SFC High Command?¡±


    ?I found it just as surprising as you,? replied Kievkenalis. ?The SFC is really interested in Tres¨¦d, for some reason ¡ª or at least, Lanius is. I haven¡¯t found anything saying why they¡¯re interested in Tres¨¦d, though.?


    ¡°It clearly isn¡¯t to help, if they¡¯re funding the Bleeders,¡± Saito said.


    ¡°I bet the SFC were playin¡¯ the Bleeders to try and wipe out everyone in Tres¨¦d,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°Or at least, everyone who could resist the SFC. They¡¯ve been tryin¡¯ for years to get control of Compounds across the continent, but they ain¡¯t succeeded. Fundin¡¯ the Bleeders was probably their attempt to get rid of the Compounds. And once that¡¯s done, they could swoop in themselves to wipe out the Bleeders, pretend they¡¯re ¡®doin good¡¯ to the rest of the planet, and just take control of the land in the process. Those fuckin¡¯ bastards.¡±


    ¡°That just sounds like speculation,¡± Saito countered. ¡°Dean Yumach, have you found anything to suggest what the SFC¡¯s actual intentions were?¡±


    ?Unfortunately, no,? Kievkenalis replied. ?I¡¯ve only been able to determine that Lanius and his command intentionally colluded with the Bleeders to give them technology, as well as let them access the Ayas last month. I don¡¯t know what their long-term plan is, but to be frank, Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s speculation lines up with what the SFC has done in the past. They¡¯ve always favored achieving their objectives through subterfuge rather than brute force. They don¡¯t have ¡®Stealth¡¯ in their name for nothing.?


    ¡°Fair enough. It¡¯s a good thing we caught them, then.¡±


    ?True, but I¡¯d still urge you to be careful, Dav¨ªdrius, Colonel. Lanius might be on temporary leave, and the SFC is now under official investigation, but their activities aren¡¯t completely locked down. There¡¯s a chance that Lanius¡¯s people might make one last desperate attempt at whatever their objective is in Tres¨¦d, before they can all be found out and locked up.?


    ¡°We¡¯ll be ready,¡± Dav¨ªdrius declared. ¡°We¡¯ve finally got a leg up on these assholes. We won¡¯t be slippin¡¯ up now, not this late in the game.¡±


    ¡°Although, I feel that something doesn¡¯t add up¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°The SFC knows we¡¯re on to them, now. Wouldn¡¯t it be in their own best interests to turn on the Bleeders, and hope that doing so curries favor with Riverana¡¯s government?¡±


    ?I do wonder, myself¡­? Kievkenalis admitted. ?Oddly, it seems that Lanius and his men value the ownership of Tres¨¦d quite highly. As I said earlier, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re looking for¡­ but it can¡¯t be just the land. That wouldn¡¯t be worth losing their whole organization over.?


    ¡°I dunno what the hell else it¡¯d be,¡± Dav¨ªdrius remarked. ¡°I mean, the land ain¡¯t great ¡®round here, but there ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ else of value in Tres¨¦d. I should know, I¡¯ve lived here my whole damn life.¡±


    ?Hmm¡­ still, be careful, Dav¨ªdrius. Whatever the SFC is after, they seem to still be teaming up with the Bleeders to get it, and they¡¯ll likely act soon.?


    ¡°What kind of time frame are we talking, here?¡± Saito questioned.


    ?As I said earlier, these kinds of organization-wide investigations can take quite some time,? Kievkenalis replied. ?It might be a year or two before the investigation is complete. In regards to an element of the SFC going rogue, however, I think that¡¯s mostly likely to happen within the next month. Any later than that, and rogue elements won¡¯t be able to escape the eye of investigators.?


    ¡°If you speculate a month, then we can extend that estimate to three months, just to be safe¡­ hmm.¡± Saito nodded. ¡°Being vigilant for three months won¡¯t be pleasant, but it¡¯s certainly doable.¡±


    ¡°I can only assume the Bleeders will act soon, as well,¡± Dav¨ªdrius said. ¡°They¡¯re a damned proud lot. After you raidin¡¯ their base last week, and then bustin¡¯ open their connection to the SFC¡­ the Bleeders will be out for blood and vengeance, soon, I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ?I¡¯d offer to help, but I¡¯m afraid my hands are a little tied dealing with the SFC, right now¡­? Kievkenalis said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. You finally puttin¡¯ a stop to those SFC fucks is more than enough, in my book. Besides, Kaon¨¦¡¯s here. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ?True. Now, I¡¯m afraid I have to go. Be careful, Dav¨ªdrius.?


    ¡°Same to you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied as the comms connection cut out, leaving the Dean and Saito alone in the office. Dav¨ªdrius then turned to look at Saito. ¡°Like I said earlier¡­ I don¡¯t think I can overstate just how much you¡¯ve helped us out, here.¡±


    ¡°We were just at the right place at the right time, is all,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°If your own Defense Force had found the lead that we did, then I¡¯m sure they would have managed just fine.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. Between your gear, trainin¡¯, and attitudes, you did a lot better than most folks I know would¡¯ve. You also had the sense to retreat from fightin¡¯ Str¨¦n, and prioritize the hostages¡­ most Tres¨¦dians would¡¯ve been like Liask and Obra. Too much skin in the fight to just let Str¨¦n go. Honestly, I probably would¡¯ve made that mistake, too.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re ready to face the Bleeders if they attack Tresnon, again?¡±


    ¡°Defense, we can handle. Defense is what the ¡®Defense Force¡¯ was trained for. We¡¯ll still need to be careful, of course, which leads me to ask¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius shifted uncomfortably in his chair, as if contemplating whether or not to actually say anything more. Eventually, he continued. ¡°¡­Colonel, to be blunt, you¡¯ve already done more for Tres¨¦d than Nimalia¡¯s own fucking military. And I don¡¯t wanna seem like I¡¯m demandin¡¯ more of you, but, how much longer do you think you can stick around?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± Saito replied. ¡°I still haven¡¯t heard anything from SERRCom, so we can stay here for the time being. But if we get orders, then we¡¯ll have to leave ¡ª and it might be sudden. SERRCom has its own enemies to deal with, after all.¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius sighed. ¡°Fair enough. We can¡¯t keep relyin¡¯ on outsiders, anyways. That goes for both you and Kaon¨¦, really¡­ damn.¡±


    ¡°Even after all we¡¯ve done, we¡¯re still ¡®outsiders¡¯, eh?¡± Saito questioned with a smirk.


    ¡°¡¯Outsider¡¯ ain¡¯t an inherently bad term,¡± Dav¨ªdrius insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve met plenty of outsiders more reasonable and pleasant to work with than folks from Tres¨¦d, or even Tresnon. And with that said ¡ª Colonel, I know it don¡¯t mean much, given the shitheap we got, here. And I¡¯m not exactly in charge of Tresnon, or anything. But as far as I¡¯m concerned, you and your people are welcome to come and go from Tresnon as you please. You¡¯ve more than earned that right.¡±


    ¡°Does that apply to the students, too? Or the ¡®Keys¡¯, as I hear Dean Densalin has been calling them?¡±


    ¡°Eesh¡­ I still don¡¯t like that they got shoved onto me, but that ain¡¯t exactly your fault, I suppose. And they¡¯re pretty damn uppity at times, too, but then again, so are most of my Tres¨¦dian students. But when it comes down to it¡­ those ¡®Keys¡¯ have got spirit, at least, and a surprisin¡¯ level of skill. Don¡¯t tell them I said this, but if not for the boys, I¡¯m not sure if Christean¨¦ or I would¡¯ve made it back from Nayasis.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°I¡¯d heard from Mark that you ran into a Critical Infection, there¡­¡± Saito mused. ¡°¡­And I also heard from him that you were using the recruits as a pretext for your trip. Is that true?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius grimaced. ¡°¡­I¡¯d be lyin¡¯ if I said ¡®no¡¯. But it wasn¡¯t the only reason to bring ¡®em along, either.¡±


    ¡°Care to explain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the reports. The Nanocreatures seem to be comin¡¯ back, and Critical Infections are happenin¡¯ more often. We might have to face ¡®em sooner, rather than later. And after what happened on Oriciid¡¯kas, Kaon¨¦ and I realized that the Keys need more trainin¡¯ on how to handle the Nanocreatures. That¡¯s part of why we brought ¡®em along: so that, if we did run into some of those metallic bastards, we could help teach the Keys better how to handle ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t deny that the infection is a growing threat. My team actually ran into a Critical Infection ourselves a few months ago, so I know how dangerous they are, too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? Damn. It¡¯s even happenin¡¯ in Earth space?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we weren¡¯t in SERRCom space at the time. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t say much more than that, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ figures. Still¡­ I can assure you that I didn¡¯t mean to put anyone in danger. That damned Bleeder bitch showin¡¯ up on another planet was completely unexpected, but hopefully we can put an end to that kind of surprise real soon.¡±


    ¡°Right. And about the Keys ¡ª do please be more careful with them. Although, at the same time, I¡¯m getting the same impression as you: things are starting to happen very quickly in this galaxy, and we might not have much time before the next crisis. Do what you have to to train the Keys, just¡­ don¡¯t put their lives directly in danger, if you can help it.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Course not. Anyways, I got some stuff to coordinate with Selind and the Defense Force, so I¡¯m gonna have to leave now. Thanks again, Colonel ¡ª you really don¡¯t know how much your help means to me. You Earthians seem like a pretty reasonable bunch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve got our own problems,¡± Saito remarked as Dav¨ªdrius stood up and rounded his desk to approach the office door. ¡°Given everything I¡¯ve heard and seen on Nimalia, I think the only real difference between Nimalians and Earthians is what planet we were born on.¡±


    ¡°And yet, where you were born can determine a whole damn lot about you,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied as the two men stepped out of the office. The Dean stopped for a second to lock the door behind him before offering the Colonel a nod. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m off. Talk to ya later.¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm,¡± Saito replied, though Dav¨ªdrius had dashed off almost as soon as he finished his farewell, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Saito simply shook his head and softly chuckled to himself; from what the Colonel had heard, Dav¨ªdrius had been incredibly prickly towards the Earthians since the moment they set foot in Compound Tresnon. For the Dean to now be thanking and welcoming him into Tresnon, Saito couldn¡¯t help but be amused by Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s apparent about-face in opinion.


    He¡¯s the kind of guy who appreciates people who can get the job done, it would seem, the Colonel mused as he began walking down the corridors of WCU¡¯s administrative building. Him defaulting to disliking us at first wasn¡¯t pleasant, but given how things seem to be here in Tres¨¦d, I can¡¯t fault him too much for disliking ¡®outsiders¡¯. It sure seems that most outsiders are perfectly content to ignore Tres¨¦d¡¯s problems, or abuse Tres¨¦dians for their own goals¡­


    Saito¡¯s thoughts turned to the meeting he had had with the NSD Commander a month ago. In that meeting, Commander Komman had made it clear that the NSD would only help Tres¨¦d if Tres¨¦d gave something up in return ¡ª despite clearly not having much to give. If even the NSD Commander was so dismissive of the problems of the Tres¨¦dians, then Saito could scarcely imagine just how little the average Nimalian cared. The people of Tres¨¦d really did appear to be alone in dealing with all of the problems of the wasteland.


    However, what was truly concerning in Saito¡¯s mind was that the Bleeders had proved themselves multiple times over to be a threat to not just Tres¨¦d. Over two months ago, they attacked the Wanl¨¦on-Tchir¨¦on Academy of Chaotics in Rel¨¦diaka; a month and a half ago, they attacked the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana; and now, just the last week, a Bleeder showed up on an entirely different planet to sabotage Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s travel group. Clearly the Bleeders are a threat to more than just Tres¨¦d, but the Nimalians still refuse to take them seriously¡­ Saito thought bitterly. Do the Nimalians just look down on Tres¨¦dians THAT much? At least Riverana is finally taking action against the SFC for working with the Bleeders, though even that seems to only be because a Bleeder attacked Dean Yumach¡¯s school¡­


    As the Colonel finally exited the administrative building and stepped into the evening light outside, his thoughts drifted to other issues. While dealing with the Bleeders was a priority in his eyes, the fact still remained that SERRCom had several problems of its own, ranging from the Drakkars to EA¡¯s actions against the PMCs of the galaxy ¡ª all on top of the political issues between Lead and Shepherd, and the many secrets in the organization¡¯s closet.


    Like Earth¡¯s old Gate coordinate¡­ Saito mused. As soon as Mark had returned to Compound Tresnon the previous day, he had discreetly filled Saito in on the results of the tests with the Gate coordinates ¡ª and lo and behold, both Earth¡¯s current coordinate and the supposed old coordinate formed valid Gate connections. I honestly didn¡¯t expect it to work¡­ is that old coordinate REALLY supposed to connect to Earth? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. The Gateport in New York logs every Gate activation, at least, so when I get back to Earth I can check to see if there was an activation at the same time that Mark dialed the old coordinate. If there was, then that would mean that two different coordinates can reach the same Gate, which would be confusing as all hell. But if there wasn¡¯t, then where, exactly, does the old coordinate lead¡­?


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± Saito glanced off to the side, where he spotted none other than Sky running across the campus grounds in his direction, all while waving a piece of paper at him. In bemusement, he stopped walking and turned to face her just as she stopped in front of him. ¡°¡­One of the Chao twins, right?¡± he remarked. ¡°Do you need something?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even remember my name?¡± Sky responded with a pout.


    ¡°Is your name not Chao?¡±


    ¡°Well, my last name is, but¡ª that¡¯s beside the point. You¡¯re Japanese, right?¡±


    Saito looked down at Sky in mild surprise. ¡°Uh¡­ I am, yes. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Sky promptly shoved her paper in the Colonel¡¯s face. ¡°Can you take a look at this and see if it makes sense to you?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, what¡­?¡± Saito waved her back before grabbing the piece of paper and looking it over. ¡°¡­Are these¡­ song lyrics? In Japanese?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Sky replied.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Saito briefly glanced at Sky before returning his attention to the paper. ¡°¡­Nihon-go o hanasemasu ka?¡±


    ¡°Uuuhhh¡­¡± Sky stared back at the Colonel with a clueless look. ¡°Ko¡­konnichiwa??¡±


    Saito responded with a resigned sigh. ¡°You don¡¯t know Japanese, do you?¡±


    Sky laughed uneasily. ¡°That easy to tell, huh?¡±


    ¡°You handed me a bunch of Japanese lyrics¡­ written in romaji,¡± Saito retorted. ¡°No one who actually understands the language writes in romaji. Not to mention that this looks like an edited machine translation.¡±


    ¡°Really? You can tell? I thought translation tech was supposed to be super advanced¡­¡±


    ¡°It is, for normal conversation. But the moment you start trying to make things rhyme, the auto-translators have a bad time.¡± The Colonel then passed Sky a questioning look. ¡°Why are you trying to write a song in Japanese, anyways? Aren¡¯t you American?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t try to get in touch with my roots!¡± Sky protested.


    ¡°Your¡­ roots. Right¡­¡± Saito deadpanned. ¡°You Americans¡­ do you even have any Japanese blood in you? Your last name is Chinese.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because my mom took my dad¡¯s name when they got married, and my dad is Chinese. My mom is Japanese, though. She was even born in Japan!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ and why can¡¯t you ask her about this?¡±


    ¡°Have you met my mom? If I tried to ask her about a song, then she¡¯d just get mad at me for not focusing on schoolwork, or something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose I¡¯m not surprised. Still¡­¡± Saito looked down at the piece of paper in his hands again. ¡°¡­I¡¯m no songwriter or language teacher, so I don¡¯t know if I can give you any tips on writing a song in Japanese. But, why this language? Aside from some random mentions of Mount Fuji, I don¡¯t see anything actually ¡®Japanese¡¯ about the contents of this song. It seems like it¡¯s more about Earth, in general.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for Creators¡¯ Day,¡± Sky replied. ¡°I wanted to sing a song, you know? But all of the students here at WCU have those translation implants, so if I sing in English, then my words will get translated into the Nimalian language for them, and that¡¯ll ruin the song!¡±


    ¡°But Japanese won¡¯t get translated, since we¡¯re in a Nimalian translation region¡­ right, I see.¡± Saito nodded in understanding. ¡°If that¡¯s the reason you chose Japanese, though, then why do you even care if the lyrics are perfect? As far as I know, I¡¯m the only person on this entire planet who knows the language. No one else would be able to tell that there¡¯s mistakes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said! But then Twy and Phoenix said that it would be ¡®disrespectful¡¯ to use Japanese if we can¡¯t get it right.¡±


    ¡°You Americans¡­ ¡­I suppose I can understand where they¡¯re coming from, though. If I can hazard a guess, you¡¯re trying to do a performance that will show off some things about Earth, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah! How¡¯d you know?!¡±


    ¡°Your song¡¯s all about Earth, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess. Well, if your goal is to show the locals here a piece of Earth, then I can understand why your friends would want your song lyrics to be as accurate as possible. If I¡¯m completely honest, I¡¯d be more than happy to show you or your friends more about Japanese culture and the language in the future ¡ª but I don¡¯t have the time to do so right now, and certainly not in the two weeks before Creators¡¯ Day. So I can¡¯t help you with this song.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sky responded dejectedly.


    ¡°Why not just write the song in English, anyways?¡± Saito suggested. ¡°You can try telling the audience to turn their translators off for just a couple minutes. If they refuse, then they aren¡¯t likely to appreciate your song about Earth, anyways.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true¡­¡± Sky mused. ¡°Writing and singing the song in English would be a lot easier for me, too¡­ alright, I¡¯ll just do that, then!¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it, and sorry I couldn¡¯t be of more help.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Thanks!¡± Sky replied and turned to run off back to the dorms.


    ¡°Oi, while you¡¯re here,¡± Saito called after her, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn back to face him. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen much of you ¡®Keys¡¯ since you left for Nimalia. Has everything been fine, around here?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Sky¡¯s face fell, as though she had just remembered that Saito was a Colonel in SERRCom. ¡°¡­Some things could be better, I guess, but we¡¯ve seen a lot here that we wouldn¡¯t have if we stayed on Earth.¡±


    ¡°I see. And what do you make of everything you¡¯ve learned, so far?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this feels like a pop quiz, or something¡­ well, some of it is pretty crazy. I don¡¯t know what the hell we¡¯re supposed to do against the Nanocreatures, even though that Pallan guy thinks we¡¯re really important for that, and everyone else seems to listen to him¡­¡±


    ¡°With any luck, we won¡¯t have to find out.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, yeah, I guess¡­ ¡­though I like all the chances I¡¯ve had to actually use my flames! That part¡¯s kind of cool.¡±


    ¡°I also heard that you and several of the others ran off to fight Bleeders a month ago, and that you got injured in the process.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah ha ha¡­!¡± Sky laughed uneasily. ¡°Well I¡¯m fine now, so it¡¯s fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Just be careful,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°Never be reckless in a fight ¡ª it¡¯s the fastest path to an early grave.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll let you get back to what you were doing,¡± Saito said. ¡°Good luck with your performance.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah! Thanks!¡± Sky awkwardly waved farewell to Saito before turning around and rushing back to the dorms, leaving the Colonel to return to the tavern where CSF-1 was staying ¡ª with little but the orange-tinted evening skies to accompany him and his thoughts.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 54: Elites Aid

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 54: Elites'' Aid


    2 Days Later


    ¡ª Wednesday, February 1, AD 2130 ¡ª


    ¡°Reading those stupid books again, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, too,¡± Mote drawled as he glanced up at Kate. She simply made a face at him before dropping her food tray onto the cafeteria table Mote was sitting at and taking a seat across from him.


    ¡°You even started and finished lunch without me,¡± Kate remarked, eying Mote¡¯s empty food tray. ¡°Do you hate my company that much?¡±


    ¡°Do you want the honest answer, or the polite answer?¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, asshole.¡±


    Mote smirked despite himself, in response to Kate¡¯s harsh comment. He then grabbed a small bookmark and slotted it into his book before closing it and setting it aside, while Kate readily began to dig into the sloppy joes served that day for lunch. ¡°¡­You really do have the messiest way of eating,¡± Mote commented.


    ¡°Shush,¡± Kate retorted around a mouthful of food. ¡°I have too much damn work to do to take my time fucking around with lunch.¡±


    ¡°And yet you wanted me to waste my time waiting around for you?¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you could use the break. You¡¯ve somehow managed to be even fuckin¡¯ busier than me, and I¡¯m working 12 hour days! Or more!¡±


    ¡°By force, or by choice?¡±


    ¡°By choice, sure, but it¡¯s still work. I wouldn¡¯t even need to work that much if that Hamasaki bitch would just fucking cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Director Hamasaki is a member of High Command. Don¡¯t refer to her in such a disrespectful manner.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, you fucking brown-noser. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that she¡¯s getting in my fucking way. Hell, it even affects you!¡±


    Mote regarded Kate with a doubtful expression, watching as she ate her sandwich so sloppily as to leave sauce all around her mouth. With a frustrated sigh, he grabbed a couple of nearby napkins and placed them next to her before asking, ¡°how does this affect me? I¡¯ve been on and off of the station very frequently, lately.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Kate replied, grabbing the bundle of napkins and wiping her mouth clean ¡ª only to take another, equally messy bite. ¡°Something about looking for that EA fucker, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close to finding him. It should only be a matter of weeks before we locate his base, at this point.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Whatever.¡± Kate paused for a moment to swallow before continuing, ¡°regardless, the fact that you¡¯ve been gone is causing me headaches, because that stupid fucking armor and Corvette only do anything if you¡¯re around. But then, I had a thought: this ¡®Raen Technology¡¯ shit responds to a specific gene, right? So if I just had some of your genetic material, then I could activate the armor that way, instead of having to drag your ass around.¡±


    ¡°You want my¡­ genetic material?¡± Mote echoed incredulously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound dirty, you ass,¡± Kate shot back. ¡°I tried plucking one of your hairs and using that, but the armor didn¡¯t fucking respond ¡ª maybe the hair just wasn¡¯t a large enough sample, or maybe the armor¡¯s gene detection has a way to tell if you¡¯re trying to fool it, I don¡¯t fucking know. But the best way to find out would be to try out a bigger sample, right? So I tried to get some of your blood.¡±


    ¡°My what?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. We have our bloodwork run every year as part of the annual checkups, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ I¡¯m surprised they insist on it, since they can¡¯t even get a needle through our skin. They always have to use super-precise beaming to get our blood¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fucking annoying as fuck. But it also means that they¡¯ve got blood samples of all of us. And where there¡¯s blood, there¡¯s genes. So if I could get a vial of your blood, then I can see if your armor responds to it.¡±


    ¡°I thought the shelf life of blood was rather short, and our last checkup was months ago. Are there really any samples left?¡±


    ¡°We live in a galaxy where stasis tech exists, and you doubt that we can keep around a couple vials of fucking blood?¡±


    ¡°¡­Right. I see. Well, I suppose I can¡¯t complain about this idea. If you got it to work, then you wouldn¡¯t have to bother me so frequently. Sounds like a win/win.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Except, fucking Hamasaki won¡¯t give me the blood sample!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a matter of permission, you can tell her that you have mine.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was that, but then she wouldn¡¯t even let me get a sample of my own damn blood!¡±


    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Mote frowned. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hmm. Well, I suppose it makes some sense, right? We Eximius Vir are very important to SERRCom, and we¡¯re currently Earth¡¯s most powerful Chaotics. If our genetic material were to leak, then, theoretically, our enemies could devise a bioweapon to target us.¡±


    Kate scoffed. ¡°Bullshit. I mean, that¡¯s what Hamasaki said, but I don¡¯t fucking believe it for a second. The blood samples of High Command are kept all secret, too, but they can still see their own fucking blood whenever they want. So why not us, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some reason for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that, you fucking sycophant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a sycophant.¡±


    ¡°Then stop blindly defending High Command¡¯s stupid as fuck decisions. Our blood came from our bodies, and yet they¡¯re trying to tell us that we don¡¯t have the right to see it? That¡¯s fucked up!¡±


    Mote responded with silence, his arms crossed and brow furrowed as he thought about what Kate had just told him. ¡°¡­And you¡¯re certain the Director wasn¡¯t just writing you off because you¡¯re¡­ well¡­ you?¡±


    ¡°Rude,¡± Kate retorted. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s always possible the bitch just wants to spite me, but this is still a whole ¡®nother level!¡±


    ¡°Right. I suppose I¡¯ll ask her about it and see if she says the same to me.¡±


    ¡°Urgh, when you say it like that, you make me sound like some useless fucking kid running to her big brother for help. Fuck, this is so stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you weren¡¯t so brash with the Director, she would hold you in higher esteem.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m so brash with her because she hasn¡¯t earned my respect, you ever think of that?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the Director of the EIIC. She should have your respect by default.¡±


    ¡°And that is where you and I differ.¡±


    ¡°¡­Right,¡± Mote drawled, watching as Kate finished her second sloppy joe and began licking the sauce off her fingers. He shook his head in disapproval before releasing a tired sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that SERRCom has been making some odd decisions, lately, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no fucking kidding,¡± Kate remarked. ¡°But it isn¡¯t like the rest of the galaxy is much better.¡±


    ¡°If we can find and destroy EA¡¯s base, then we can at least take some steps toward rectifying that,¡± Mote declared, and then began to stand from his seat at the table. ¡°And speaking of that, I need to be going¡­¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, more recon?¡± Kate questioned incredulously. ¡°Take a break, sometime!¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you,¡± Mote countered. ¡°¡­Once there¡¯s no work to do, then I¡¯ll take a break.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. But if you collapse from fucking overworking yourself, then don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t tell you so!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ same to you, Kate. Be careful about working 12-hour days nonstop.¡± Mote then turned to begin leaving the cafeteria. ¡°But I do need to go. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡°Sure. And don¡¯t forget to talk to Hamasaki!¡± Kate shouted after him. He responded with a wave of acknowledgment before disappearing from the cafeteria, leaving Kate to finish up her lunch on her own.


    <hr>


    ¡ª Windia, Colyath 32, 8054 ¡ª


    Knock knock


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    ¡°Pardon my intrusion¡­¡± Mark said as he opened the door to Sky¡¯s room. He briefly surveyed the place; afternoon sunlight shone through Sky¡¯s lone window as she and Kestrel huddled over a laptop on the edge of her desk. Phoenix sat on Sky¡¯s bed, seemingly sorting through a pile of fabric, while Twy laid on the ground, managing a stack of sketches.


    ¡°Wow, you guys sure look busy!¡± Danielle remarked, bounding into the room just after Mark.


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± Phoenix drawled, and then dropped her attention to Danielle¡¯s hands ¡ª which had currently taken the shape of handles on a cooler that she carried in front of her, attached as it was to her body. ¡°¡­What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Given how hard everyone¡¯s been working, lately, I figured that people wouldn¡¯t have much time for regular dinners around the table,¡± Mark commented, at which point the lid to Danielle¡¯s cooler opened upwards, revealing a handful of brown bags inside. Mark reached in to grab one and handed it to Sky as he finished, ¡°so, I thought I¡¯d bring dinner to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sweet! Thanks!¡± Sky exclaimed, readily accepting the bag and unfurling it to look inside. ¡°Sandwiches, huh? You sure like making those.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, well, they¡¯re quick and easy to make, relatively speaking,¡± Mark replied as he continued handing out bags to the rest of the women in the room. ¡°Even with foreign ingredients, it isn¡¯t too hard to make a good sandwich.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Thanks,¡± Kestrel said before readily biting into her own food.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I really appreciate this,¡± Twy added as she unwrapped her own sandwich, ¡°but you don¡¯t have to go out of your way for us¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Mark insisted. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly help much with your schoolwork or your Creators¡¯ Day project, so this is my way of helping out.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, schoolwork, don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°What, is it hard?¡± Danielle questioned as the lid to her cooler closed shut.


    ¡°Not if you pay attention in class, it isn¡¯t,¡± Twy stated while shooting Sky an annoyed glance.


    ¡°Regardless, it certainly is a lot of effort to keep up with both that and preparing for Creators¡¯ Day,¡± Phoenix said, and then joined Twy in giving Sky an annoyed stare. ¡°Especially when a particular someone decides last-minute to change her entire song.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, you were the ones who didn¡¯t want Japanese in the first place!¡± Sky protested.


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m glad you actually talked to Saito about this, but¡­¡± Twy released a weary sigh. ¡°Switching to an English or American theme this late in the process¡­ I had to scrap all of the progress I made so far on the mural painting, you know.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re making a whole mural?¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°That¡¯s cool! Can I help?¡±


    ¡°No, I should be fine on my own¡­¡±


    ¡°What she really means is she hates other people getting in the way of her art,¡± Sky commented in a loud whisper.


    ¡°I can hardly blame someone who¡¯s skilled at their craft for being picky about who they work with,¡± Mark said. ¡°You said that you asked the Colonel about all of this, though? Why him?¡±


    ¡°Sky wanted to write and sing a song in Japanese,¡± Phoenix replied. ¡°But none of us know the language, so we convinced her to speak with Saito about it. Apparently, he could instantly tell her song was machine-translated, which is a bad look.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, he is Japanese, isn¡¯t he?¡± Danielle commented. ¡°Though he did take us to Japan a little bit ago, so I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember this¡­¡± Mark responded with a frown. ¡°Was this while I¡¯ve been away from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ you weren¡¯t there. The Colonel took us to his favorite ramen place in Tokyo, or something. It was really cool!¡±


    ¡°You have the free time for that?¡± Phoenix questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°The Opportunity space station has beaming tech, though,¡± Mark pointed out. ¡°If you¡¯re a high enough rank, they sometimes let you use the beaming systems to go wherever on Earth you want. Within reason, of course. So a lunch outing to Japan or something isn¡¯t out of the question.¡±


    ¡°I sure wish we had beaming tech around here,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°Instead of having to drive or fly everywhere¡­¡±


    Kestrel nodded. ¡°Annoying.¡±


    ¡°At least they have cars and planes, here,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°It could be worse ¡ª we could have to walk everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be very feasible, given the size of the wastelands¡­¡± Twy commented. ¡°But either way¡­ Mark, Danielle, I¡¯m really glad for the dinner, but we need to get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon, we have over a week,¡± Sky insisted.


    ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a way to say that we only have a week,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°You might have your lyrics set in stone, now, but you still need to actually make the song with Kestrel, and then rehearse the damn thing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, well, we¡¯ll get out of your hair, then,¡± Mark said with a smile as he and Danielle stepped out of the room. ¡°Good luck with your project, everyone!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± replied Twy and Phoenix in unison before Mark closed the door behind him.


    He looked over at Danielle, whose arms were still attached to the cooler she held in front of her. ¡°You sure you have that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I might not be as strong as you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m weak!¡± Danielle remarked, already approaching the stairs to the second floor of the dorms.


    ¡°True, true. Sorry,¡± Mark apologized as he followed Danielle up the stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy to see how you¡¯ve been living life over the past few months,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Even after I got here with CSF-1, we haven¡¯t had much time to hang out, you know? With all of the guard duty and travel and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Also true,¡± Mark replied. ¡°But from what I hear, the Tres¨¦dians finally have a leg up over the Bleeders, so hopefully their alert state will end soon. I should have more time to show you around, then.¡±


    ¡°Looking forward to it!¡± Danielle declared as she and Mark approached the rooms of Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel. All but one of the doors were shut; the door to Conrad¡¯s room was wide-open, with Pierce leaning against the door jamb, an amused smirk on his face as he focused on something within the room. He soon noticed Mark and Danielle approaching.


    ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Just handing out dinner,¡± Mark replied, moving up next to Pierce to look into Conrad¡¯s room. Conrad himself laid casually atop his bed while Austin sat in his desk chair, a laptop resting on his lap; Spike stood in the corner, leaning on the wall much like how Pierce was leaning on the open door. ¡°¡­Well, this is an unexpected gathering,¡± Mark commented.


    ¡°Huh¡ª? Oh, hey, Mark.¡± Austin nodded toward him, and then shot an annoyed glance at Pierce. ¡°Three of us are actually doing something productive, for the record.¡±


    ¡°Productive?¡± Pierce scoffed. ¡°You¡¯re talking about a stupid game.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you¡¯re still here, listening to us talk about it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind Pierce,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things he likes that he refuses to admit that he likes, because he thinks it¡¯s lame.¡±


    ¡°This tabletop make-believe shit is lame,¡± Pierce insisted.


    ¡°If you really thought that, then you wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, tabletop what?¡± Danielle questioned, glancing cluelessly between Pierce, Conrad, and Austin. She then peered into the room, noting that the only furniture within was the bed, a small desk, a desk chair, and a couple of dressers. ¡°I don¡¯t see any table in here¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s figurative,¡± Austin explained. ¡°Tabletop RPGs are usually played on a table, though you don¡¯t really need one. The ¡®tabletop¡¯ part is mostly there to distinguish it from video games and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a tabletop RPG!¡± Danielle¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to try one of those!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, another dweeb,¡± Pierce groaned.


    ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not judge people for their interests,¡± Mark responded.


    ¡°Anyways, why¡¯re you here?¡± Spike questioned, looking toward Mark and Danielle before nodding toward the cooler attached to Danielle¡¯s hands. ¡°Have anythin¡¯ to do with that cooler?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Danielle readily popped the lid on the cooler, exposing the remaining brown bags stored within. ¡°Mark made dinner for everyone!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short. You helped,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Dinner? Sounds great,¡± Conrad remarked as he held his right hand up and gestured toward Danielle. ¡°Toss one over.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Danielle replied, using her shapeshifting ability to grow an arm out of the cooler attached to her normal arms and use the new appendage to fling one of the bags toward Conrad.


    ¡°Well that was¡­ weird,¡± Austin muttered as the newly-made arm melted back into the cooler as though it had never existed.


    ¡°Still, thanks for the dinner,¡± Spike said, readily grabbing one of the bags for himself and tearing into the sandwich within. After chewing for a few seconds, he passed Mark an approving nod. ¡°Man, Mark, how are you so good with food?¡±


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re just sandwiches,¡± Mark replied. ¡°What about you guys, though ¡ª are you all meeting for a Creators¡¯ Day project, like the girls are?¡±


    ¡°Sorta,¡± Austin replied. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find a tabletop RPG that Conrad¡¯s willing to learn so he can help me out with a one-shot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, cool. ¡­What¡¯s a one-shot?¡±


    ¡°A gateway drug to dweebery,¡± Pierce replied.


    ¡°Only if it¡¯s done right. Bad one-shots can turn people off of the game entirely,¡± Austin countered. ¡°¡­And it isn¡¯t ¡®dweebery¡¯! It¡¯s cool!¡±


    ¡°If you have to say that something is cool, then it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But, to the point¡­¡± Spike interjected, cutting the argument short before turning to look at Mark. ¡°A one-shot is basically when you sit down and play through a whole ¡®story¡¯ in one sittin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Mark nodded in understanding. ¡°So you want to do this for Creators¡¯ Day? As a way of showing off the game?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just showing off the game,¡± Austin insisted. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of creativity that goes into planning and playing a session, both on the GM and the player side. I think it¡¯s really fitting for Creators¡¯ Day, personally.¡±


    ¡°You only say that because you want to pretend to be a dragon, or some shit,¡± Pierce retorted.


    ¡°Hey, dragons are cool!¡± Danielle protested.


    ¡°See? She gets me!¡± Austin remarked.


    ¡°Wait, does that mean you get to be a dragon in the game?!¡± Danielle asked excitedly.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Austin passed her a doubtful look. ¡°Well¡­ as a player, no, not usually.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t there a dragonborn thing that you can be?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°Is that not a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Well, no. Dragonborn are a humanoid player race, sometimes said to be descended from dragons, but they aren¡¯t dragons themselves,¡± Austin explained.


    ¡°¡­And you wonder why I call you a dweeb, you fucking dweeb,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not antagonize each other,¡± Mark said, and then passed Pierce a glance. ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t actually helping out with this?¡±


    Pierce shook his head. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m just here because I have nothing better to do.¡±


    ¡°What, did you get dumped, again?¡± Austin shot back.


    ¡°That would be pretty impressive, wouldn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­?¡± Mark and Danielle both turned towards a newcomer approaching down the hallway, a young woman with pale skin and long, black, oily hair that obscured half of her face.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Minilas,¡± Pierce greeted her with a casual nod. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just checking in¡­¡± Minilas responded in a deadpan tone. She stopped next to Pierce and peeked into the room, taking quick note of everyone standing inside.


    Upon seeing her, Conrad offered her a casual wave. ¡°Yo,¡± he said, his mouth full with sandwich.


    ¡°Yo,¡± she responded flatly, and then looked back to Pierce. ¡°So Liask ain¡¯t with you, huh.¡±


    ¡°She and Obra have detention, or something like that,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°You know, since they apparently ran off from Tresnon without permission.¡±


    ¡°That was today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s every day for the next month, the way I hear it. Detention from the end of the school day until after sunset.¡±


    ¡°With the summer solstice comin¡¯ up soon? That¡¯s rough.¡±


    ¡°Who got detention?¡± Austin questioned in confusion.


    ¡°Liask,¡± Spike answered. ¡°We met her on Hunger¡¯s Bane, remember?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the girl goin¡¯ out with Pierce,¡± Conrad remarked, all while chewing.


    ¡°Oh¡­ right,¡± Austin responded. ¡°Yeah, I remember her¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d heard from the Colonel that two WCU students interfered with CSF-1¡¯s activities last week¡­¡± Mark mused. ¡°So was that Liask and Obra, then?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Minilas replied. ¡°Pretty stupid of them, huh?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they trying to rescue you?¡± Pierce questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Do you never call your friends stupid?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Point taken.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the correct response, there¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°That seems kinda messed up, though, to give someone detention for trying to rescue their friend!¡± Danielle said.


    Minilas shook her head. ¡°They aren¡¯t bein¡¯ punished for tryin¡¯ to rescue me, they¡¯re bein¡¯ punished for underestimatin¡¯ the Bleeders. Which is fair. They could¡¯ve died. Or worse.¡±


    ¡°You were with the Bleeders for a month or so, though, right?¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°And you look fine!¡±


    Minilas turned to give Austin a deadpan stare.


    ¡°Austin¡­¡± Spike muttered, his hand on his face in frustration. ¡°You can¡¯t just say shit like that.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, right¡­¡± Austin adopted an uneasy smile. ¡°Uh, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys really are outsiders, huh,¡± Minilas remarked with a wry smile.


    ¡°On another topic, though¡­¡± Mark quickly interjected, and then glanced down at Minilas. ¡°Are you doing anything for Creators¡¯ Day?¡±


    Minilas shrugged. ¡°Mm. Maybe. Liask said I should do a food stall, or somethin¡¯ like that.¡±


    ¡°You can summon food out of thin air, can¡¯t you?¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°A food stall sounds like a good fit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?!¡± Austin exclaimed. ¡°What kind of food?¡±


    ¡°Basic, uncooked stuff,¡± Minilas replied, and then nodded towards the half-eaten sandwich in Austin¡¯s hands. ¡°Kinda like what you¡¯re eatin¡¯, now.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s really cool!¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t just gotten dinner from Mark, I¡¯d ask if I could try whatever food you can make,¡± Spike added.


    ¡°Eh. It isn¡¯t that good,¡± Minilas replied.


    ¡°I remember your sandwiches tasting pretty good, actually,¡± Pierce refuted. He then looked thoughtfully at the sandwich in his hands, prepared and provided by Mark. ¡°Actually¡­ what if you and Mark had a cook-off, or something?¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s an idea I can get behind,¡± Conrad quickly affirmed.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even the one participating,¡± Austin countered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really ¡®cook¡¯ my food, anyways,¡± Minilas commented, and then fabricated a sandwich into her right hand. ¡°This isn¡¯t cooking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a pedant, you know what I mean,¡± Pierce insisted, glancing between Minilas and Mark as he did. ¡°Just make a bunch of food and see who gets the most people to eat their stuff. Cooking is one of the things celebrated for Creators¡¯ Day, so it isn¡¯t even a stretch!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Mark responded uneasily. ¡°I cook as a hobby. I¡¯ve never tried setting up a food stall or anything like that, before¡­¡±


    ¡°You could totally do it!¡± Danielle replied. ¡°Your food is really good, Mark!¡±


    ¡°You know how to make a well-balanced sandwich, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°There¡¯s some quality cold cuts in here, along with some good cheese, but not so much cheese that it overpowers the meat, you know? There¡¯s some lettuce, and tomato, too, for texture¡­ or, something that kinda tastes like tomato, at least. The texture¡¯s a little sandy, gonna be honest, but I assume that¡¯s just a local produce thing, so I won¡¯t dock points for that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re grading the sandwiches, now?¡± Austin responded incredulously.


    ¡°That¡¯s Conrad, for you,¡± Pierce said with a smirk. ¡°When he isn¡¯t napping or slacking off, he¡¯s pigging out on food. It¡¯s a wonder he¡¯s so thin.¡±


    ¡°I just sleep off the calories,¡± Conrad declared.


    ¡°That really isn¡¯t a thing.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, well, if you like my sandwiches that much, then¡­¡± Mark paused in thought before continuing, ¡°well¡­ I guess I could consider making food for Creators¡¯ Day.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, now that I think about it, there¡¯s an interesting angle to this competition, too,¡± Austin remarked as he glanced between Mark and Minilas. ¡°We can see what¡¯s better: hand-made food, or something that¡¯s fabricated on the spot by a Chaotic!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about a competition¡­¡± Mark responded uneasily.


    ¡°Some people really do love their competitions, huh,¡± Minilas said while passing Pierce a glance.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothin¡¯ wrong with a little friendly competition,¡± Spike replied. ¡°So long as everyone¡¯s havin¡¯ fun.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something Saito would say,¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°Yes, and speaking of the Colonel¡­¡± Mark offered a quick wave to everyone in the room. ¡°I made dinner for CSF-1, as well, so we should probably make sure they get their food, soon.¡±


    ¡°See ya later, then,¡± Spike replied.


    ¡°And thanks for the food!¡± Conrad called after them.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. We¡¯ll see you all later!¡± Mark responded with a smile before he and Danielle left down the dorm hallway, ready to distribute the rest of their dinners.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 55: History Atop the Walls

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 55: History Atop the Walls


    ¡°¡­This doesn¡¯t seem safe at all.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I disagree, Major,¡± Gavon replied as he passed Hackett a glance. ¡°But sometimes, you just have to make do with what you have.¡±


    ¡°And what we have right here is tons and tons of empty space!¡± Selind remarked while taking aim through the scope of her laser sniper. The sprawling, sandy wastes of Tres¨¦d seemed to reach in every direction from her position atop the northern walls of Compound Tresnon, making for long and clear sight lines across the remarkably flat terrain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Hackett muttered, looking at each of Gavon, Selind, and Luke as the three set up their guns on the edge of the wall. ¡°I mean, I get it. You don¡¯t have space for an actual gun range in the city. But firing out into the wild with no backstop, no warning signs to passersby¡­¡±


    ¡°The warning sign is the sound of gunfire,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°To put things more charitably¡­¡± Luke quickly added, ¡°since the terrain outside the Compound is so flat and sprawling, with minimal obstructions, it means that we can spot any bystanders long before they would actually enter our firing lanes.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the romantic ideal of three friends shooting the shit atop a quiet, dreary wall,¡± Gavon quipped.


    Hackett responded with a sigh and a shrug. ¡°Alright, alright. I suppose this way, you¡¯re also helping to keep watch, too. Still¡­ I can¡¯t say this is what I was expecting when I heard about you going shooting with friends, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Major,¡± Luke replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°Guess I¡¯ve been here for long enough that this just feels like normal.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you ain¡¯t the normal one, Luke,¡± Selind said. ¡°After talkin¡¯ with your teammates some more, it¡¯s pretty clear that you¡¯re the odd one out, when it comes to carin¡¯ about rules and such!¡±


    ¡°¡­Captain?¡± Hackett turned to give Luke a level stare, her arms crossed.


    ¡°She just means that I don¡¯t sweat the small stuff,¡± Luke replied uneasily. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually done anything out of line!¡±


    ¡°I can attest to that,¡± Gavon affirmed. ¡°He¡¯s certainly more conscientious than many other soldiers I know.¡±


    ¡°What I was really talkin¡¯ about is how your Colonel keeps grillin¡¯ Dav¨ªdrius about those kids of yours,¡± Selind explained. ¡°Saito makes good points, no doubt about that, but I don¡¯t see many people try to put a fire to Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s ass, ha!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Major, are you going to join us?¡± Gavon questioned while glancing back at Hackett. Of the four standing on the wall, Hackett was the only one without a gun.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a sniper,¡± she replied. ¡°The Captain here has always had much better aim than I, and from what he¡¯s said, the two of you are at least as good as him. I can¡¯t hold a candle to that.¡±


    ¡°So he talks about us, does he?¡± Gavon turned to give Luke an amused look.


    ¡°Nothing bad, I hope,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t said that much¡­¡± Luke said with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°All I¡¯ve really heard from him is how the both of you are snipers,¡± Hackett answered. ¡°I know you¡¯re the leader of the Defense Force, Selind, and I know you¡¯re with the Suns, Gavon¡­ but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°So you want to get to know us better, is that it?¡± Gavon asked.


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Gavon paused for a second to take aim with his rifle and then fire into the distance, sending a hypersonic bullet into a small piece of scrap about a kilometer away. His rifle used electromagnets instead of chemical propellants to shoot bullets; when coupled with him putting the weapon on a lower-power setting, he was able to fire the weapon without generating much of a ¡®bang¡¯, allowing him to turn back toward Hackett and address her in his normal speaking tones. ¡°Well, what do you wish to know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I came here with prepared questions,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°This isn¡¯t an interview. I just wanted to talk, is all.¡±


    ¡°We could share a little bit about ourselves,¡± Selind suggested, taking aim and firing with her gun as she spoke. ¡°Now that I think about it¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve actually heard much of anythin¡¯ about either of y¡¯all, Luke, Gavon. Not outside of shootin¡¯ and workin¡¯ ¡®round here.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s a good point¡­¡± Luke mused.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tell, on my end,¡± Gavon remarked as he set his rifle down, just as Luke began taking aim with his. ¡°I was born and raised over in Riverana, in the city of Fendr¨¦na, up in the north. It¡¯s a nice little town, right on the edge of a big lake and a river ¡ª kind of like Tresnon, but surrounded by plains, instead of desert. I got my Chaotic powers at 8, then got drafted into the military later on, as all Chaotics do ¡ª into the Riverana Protection Force, specifically, since they were still Riverana¡¯s military at that time. But the RPF had just had its interstellar arm ripped off and absorbed by the recently-formed NSD, so they were just floundering when I joined. Shortly after that, Riverana replaced the RPF with the SFC as their official military. It was around that time that I jumped ship to the Black Suns, where I¡¯ve been for around, oh¡­ 15 years, now?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Not much to tell¡¯ my ass,¡± Selind replied. She paused for a brief moment as Luke fired his rifle, only to glance back at Gavon and continue, ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s Riveranian friend that it was pretty wild over in Riverana, in the years after the NSD¡¯s creation. And you¡¯re sayin¡¯ you lived through that, yourself?¡±


    ¡°It was wild from an administrative standpoint, but to the boots on the ground, not much about the day-to-day changed. Aside from some supplies being harder to get, I suppose,¡± Gavon said. ¡°Still, it was sad to see the decline of the RPF, and the SFC did not look like an appealing organization to work for. They always struck me as incompetent, at best.¡±


    ¡°And now, they¡¯re the ones who were behind the Bleeders coming back,¡± Luke pointed out as he leaned his rifle against the ramparts and stood up, joining the other three. ¡°Sounds like you dodged a bullet.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that.¡±


    ¡°The NSD existed by then, though, right?¡± Hackett said. ¡°Did they not force you to join them?¡±


    ¡°I slipped through the cracks,¡± Gavon responded with a wry smile. ¡°You see, when the NSD was created, the RPF managed to negotiate a deal in exchange for losing its interstellar arm. That deal allowed them to have the ¡®first pick¡¯ of Riveranian Chaotics, while the rest get shunted off to the NSD. That¡¯s how I ended up with the RPF, instead. And the RPF still technically exists, too ¡ª I could still be working for them, if I really wanted to. But it was pretty clear that neither the RPF nor the SFC would be accomplishing anything of note anytime soon, so I decided to leave. The NSD was an option, of course, but the Nimalian Union didn¡¯t exist in 8039 ¡ª we were still the Nimalian Territories, back then. So the NSD seemed like little more than putting a military commander in charge of an interstellar nation. I wasn¡¯t too keen to be a part of that.¡±


    ¡°That sounds a lot like some of the criticisms people levy at SERRCom¡­¡± Luke commented.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly something to be wary of,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°So, in the end, I decided to join up with the Black Suns. Started out in Sector 4, as most people do, and managed to work my way into Sector 1 in about five years. And the rest, as they say, is history.¡±


    ¡°If you joined the RPF shortly after the NSD was created, then¡­¡± Luke mused, ¡°¡­you must be around 40 years old, right?¡±


    ¡°Close. I¡¯m 38. In Nimalian years, at least. Then again, Nimalia¡¯s year is only five days shorter than Earth¡¯s, isn¡¯t it? 38 Nimalian years is probably still 38 Earth years.¡±


    ¡°38?¡± Hackett echoed doubtfully, her eyes reflexively flicking up to Gavon¡¯s silver hair. ¡°I thought you were older¡­¡±


    ¡°What, because of my hair?¡± Gavon reached up grab a strand of his hair and hold it in front of his face. ¡°¡­While not exactly common, many Nimalians have silver or white hair from birth, independent from albinism. Some Citans and Dra¡¯kis have naturally silver or white hair, too. This isn¡¯t age-related graying, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty rare in Tres¨¦d,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a Tres¨¦dian with silver hair.¡±


    ¡°You mostly only see it in Nimaliaka and Riverana, or in people who can trace their ancestry to those two continents. The royal family in Nimaliaka, the Nimals, is the most prominent example.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a nice color, though,¡± Luke said. ¡°I think it fits you pretty well.¡±


    Gavon offered Luke a smile. ¡°Glad you think so!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re 38, though, huh? You¡¯re closer in age to me than I thought.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°30.¡±


    ¡°31,¡± Hackett corrected. ¡°Your birthday was last month, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it was?!¡± Luke glanced incredulously toward Hackett. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s today?!¡±


    ¡°February 1st, 2130.¡±


    ¡°Ah, damn¡­ I guess I¡¯ve been on Nimalia for so long, I lost track of Earth¡¯s own calendar¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll happen,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°My work takes me all across the galaxy, so I often have to remind myself what the date is on Nimalia to keep things straight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have to deal with that,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But by the sounds of it, I¡¯m the oldest of us all, you young fucks. I even have two years on Dav¨ªdrius.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius is only 40 or so,¡± Gavon said. ¡°You can hardly complain about being old until you¡¯re 90 or 100, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a high bar!¡± Luke exclaimed.


    ¡°Most Nimalians live to see 120,¡± Gavon refuted. ¡°If Selind is in her early 40s, then she isn¡¯t even middle-aged.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that isn¡¯t too much longer than us,¡± Hackett remarked as she and Luke exchanged a glance. ¡°The life expectancy on Earth is around 100 years right now, I believe. I myself am 37, so we¡¯re about the same age, Gavon.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all are forgettin¡¯ about the harshness of Tres¨¦d,¡± Selind interjected. ¡°Maybe most Nimalians live to the ripe ol¡¯ age of 120, but you¡¯d be hard-pressed to find a Tres¨¦dian older than 70 or 80, if that. Hell, seems like half the people born in these wastelands don¡¯t even make it to 40.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ pretty bad,¡± Luke said with an uneasy frown.


    ¡°Practically unsustainable, I¡¯d think,¡± Hackett remarked.


    Selind shrugged. ¡°Yeah, well, it is what it is. At least things seem to be gettin¡¯ better, recently. Until Str¨¦n showed up, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Any stories you¡¯d be willing to share?¡± Gavon questioned.


    ¡°Ha! Too many to count,¡± Selind remarked with a bitter smile, her gaze drifting over the streets and buildings of Tresnon. ¡°If we¡¯re startin¡¯ with the basics, though¡­ well, I was born and raised right here in Compound Tresnon. Place wasn¡¯t quite as busy when I was a kid, but we were still the biggest Compound this side of Tres¨¦d, even then. Interestin¡¯ thing, though, is both my parents were Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Luke replied. ¡°But you aren¡¯t one yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°That happens more frequently than you might think,¡± Gavon explained. ¡°While your race ¡ª and therefore, to some extent, your genes ¡ª can affect how likely it is for you to become a Chaotic, or what kinds of Chaotic abilities you might get, actually being a Chaotic isn¡¯t hereditary.¡±


    ¡°And that seems to be what happened with me,¡± Selind said. ¡°My parents were the Guardians of Tresnon, and they were really hopin¡¯ for a kid with Chaotic abilities. But when I turned out not to have any, they decided to train me to be a Guardian, anyways. Even took me out to the dumpin¡¯ grounds by the Eastshield Mountains to scrounge about for my own personal weapon¡­¡± She lightly tapped the laser sniper resting atop the battlements. ¡°I¡¯ve had this thing for over 25 years, now.¡±


    ¡°Wow. And it still works?¡± Hackett questioned incredulously. ¡°That gun must be incredibly hardy!¡±


    ¡°It is a laser sniper,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°Laser weapons have less moving parts than mag rifles.¡±


    ¡°Certainly makes maintenance easier, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Selind declared. ¡°But findin¡¯ replacement focusin¡¯ crystals can be a real pain in the ass ¡®round here. Either way, this trusty sniper of mine has gotten me out of quite a few scraps, heh.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s a weapon your parents got for you, huh?¡± Luke commented. ¡°Must be pretty nice to have something to remember them by. ¡­Uh¡ª wait, are they even¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Yep, they¡¯re dead,¡± Selind responded airily, as though discussing something no more impactful than what she had eaten for breakfast ¡ª though despite her light tone, her expression had grown somber, her eyes idly sweeped across the distant wastes. ¡°They were both killed on the same trip I got this rifle, actually.¡±


    ¡°Bleeders?¡± Gavon questioned.


    Selind nodded. ¡°Yep. Like I said, my parents were Guardians, and that made ¡®em Bleeder targets. In those days, the Bleeders would never dream of attackin¡¯ Compound Tresnon, so they never had a chance at my parents¡­ but when we left to look through the dumpin¡¯ grounds, the Bleeders took their chance.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I still remember the look in my mother¡¯s eyes when she told me to get back to the aircraft and leave, while she and my father fought off the Bleeders. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about us¡ª we¡¯ll be fine,¡¯ she said. ¡®The Bleeders have nothin on your ol pa,¡¯ my father said.¡± Selind released a wistful sigh. ¡°That was the last thing I ever heard either of ¡®em say.¡±


    A momentary lull fell over the group, as Luke, Hackett, and Gavon failed to find the words with which to respond.


    ¡°¡­Buuut that was over 20 years ago,¡± Selind spoke up again. ¡°I¡¯m over it. And besides, compared to folks like Dav¨ªdrius or Kar¨ªsah who lost their entire home Compound, I ain¡¯t got room to complain.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see how this is even remotely sustainable,¡± Hackett said. ¡°I keep hearing about how Tres¨¦dians have lost both parents, or entire families, or even entire Compounds, all thanks to the Bleeders. But if that were really true, then how are there still people left on this continent?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot less of us than there used to be, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°You can find the ruins of old Compounds all across the continent. They¡¯ll¡¯ve been picked clean by Bleeders and scavengers, of course, but the signs are there: Tres¨¦d used to have way more people than now.¡± She then turned to look out over the wastes again. ¡°There¡¯s a kind of ebb and flow to it, too. Bleeders only get by by raidin¡¯, after all, so if the population drops low enough that the Bleeders can¡¯t survive by raidin¡¯, then their numbers drop. And with less Bleeders, the remainin¡¯ Compounds get room to grow, again¡­ and when they grow big enough, people start joinin¡¯ the Bleeders again, and the whole thing starts all over. Over an¡¯ over, for hundreds of years¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite the vicious cycle¡­¡± Gavon replied. ¡°I take it, then, that the Bleeder resurgence today is just a part of that cycle?¡±


    ¡°Eh, kinda. I think the real Bleeder comeback was 20 years ago, with Str¨¦n¡¯s first rise. Today¡¯s problems are just the aftermath of stuff from 20 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me if this is an insensitive question, but¡­¡± Luke eyed Selind uneasily. ¡°Str¨¦n first rose 20 years ago, and you said that the Bleeders killed your parents over 20 years ago¡­ is there a connection, there?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be surprised,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But if Str¨¦n was the one behind my parents¡¯ deaths, he never admitted it ¡ª and you just know that he¡¯d gloat about that if he could. My bet is that the murderers were some outside group of Bleeders who were tryin¡¯ to get some favor with Str¨¦n by killin¡¯ high-profile Guardians. Either way, like I said, this was over 20 years ago. No use stewin¡¯ over it, now.¡±


    ¡°If you insist,¡± Gavon said. ¡°You have a daughter, though, right? Surely there¡¯s a happier story, there.¡±


    Selind laughed. ¡°Ha! I wonder. Did you know, I almost left her father before she was born? Young, stupid me was afraid of that kind of commitment, ha ha. Not to mention believin¡¯ in the ol¡¯ lifeforce superstition¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°Oh, right. Outsiders ain¡¯t familiar with that, huh,¡± Selind replied. ¡°So, a common superstition in Tres¨¦d is that becomin¡¯ a parent is the end of you. Some folks think that your own ¡®lifeforce¡¯ or whatever disappears into your kid, and then you just die ¡ª so, we Tres¨¦dians ended up callin¡¯ the whole thing the ¡®lifeforce¡¯ superstition. Of course, the truth is that parents don¡¯t have that much higher chances of dyin¡¯ than non-parents. It ain¡¯t like Bleeders or disease or whatever target parents specifically, after all. But there are lots of Tres¨¦dians out there who¡¯ve lost one or both of their parents, so that superstition still hits hard. I mean, you ever wonder why Dav¨ªdrius refuses to call Kar¨ªsah his daughter, even though he took her in, raised her, and for all intents and purposes, is her father?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Luke mused, ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard something from Mark about how Kar¨ªsah is reluctant to call Dav¨ªdrius her father.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because Dav¨ªdrius is convinced that if he admits that he¡¯s basically a parent, then some cosmic force will conspire to kill him. I¡¯m pretty sure he knows it¡¯s an irrational fear, but he lost both of his parents, and Kar¨ªsah lost hers, and I lost mine¡­¡± Selind sighed. ¡°You put all that together, and it¡¯s hard to shake what it does to you. Hell, I almost let it get to me, 20 years ago. I almost refused to have Relia.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine how that feels¡­¡± Hackett muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty shitty mindset to be stuck in, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But at the end of the day, I made up with Austilad¡ª uh, that¡¯s Relia¡¯s father, and my husband. And we both went on to become Guardians of Tresnon, just like my parents.¡±


    ¡°Pardon my candidness,¡± Gavon spoke, ¡°but I can¡¯t help but note that this Austilad fellow doesn¡¯t seem to be around. Is he¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Selind nodded, a bitter smile again finding its place on her face. ¡°¡­After Str¨¦n was stopped 20 years ago, Austilad and I ¡ª and Dav¨ªdrius, too ¡ª we all realized the need for the Compounds to work more closely together, to stop the Bleeders from becomin¡¯ such a threat, again. As part of that, Austilad and I founded the Tresnon Defense Force, and started tryin¡¯ to negotiate defense pacts and such with other Compounds in the region. While we were on one of those trips¡­ the Bleeders attacked. And Austilad died during the defense of the Compound.¡± She stopped, taking a deep, thoughtful breath before continuing a second later. ¡°¡­That was 5 years ago, or so. Relia was 16, at the time. She¡¯d already been accepted to WCU, and was gettin¡¯ ready to go to school, and all that. But then, one day, a month later¡­ she tells me that she wants to wander the wastelands and fight the Bleeders! Alone! You cannot imagine the fight we got into about that.¡±


    ¡°She started wandering when she was 16?¡± Luke questioned incredulously. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kinda¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Young?¡± Hackett finished.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Selind replied. ¡°But she wasn¡¯t havin¡¯ it. Kept sayin¡¯ that other people in Tres¨¦d were forced to fend for themselves at even younger ages, kept sayin¡¯ that she knew how to handle herself. She is a Chaotic, that much is true, but I wasn¡¯t about to let my 16-year-old daughter wander Tres¨¦d all alone. But¡­ she left anyway. Not much I could¡¯ve done to stop her.¡±


    ¡°You can hardly blame yourself for that,¡± Gavon insisted. ¡°A Chaotic who decides that they want to do something isn¡¯t easily stopped, especially if they can teleport like Relia can.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s at least still alive and around, right?¡± Luke pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, I know now that she can take care of herself just fine,¡± Selind said. ¡°But at the time¡­ well, I¡¯d just lost my husband, and then my daughter just up and left! I must¡¯ve lost ten years of my life from how much I worried about Relia over the next year or two. The heartless child didn¡¯t even visit Tresnon at all until she was 18!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your relationship with her, now?¡± Hackett asked.


    ¡°Better¡­ but still not where it was before Austilad died.¡± Selind released a lofty sigh. ¡°¡­But I think that¡¯s just how things are gonna be. She has her way of dealin¡¯ with Tres¨¦d¡¯s problems, and I have mine, and that means that we don¡¯t see each other often. At least I know she¡¯s alive and well, out there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Luke eyed Selind uneasily, and then moved to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You have nothin¡¯ to apologize for,¡± Selind replied as she casually brushed Luke¡¯s hand aside. ¡°You ain¡¯t responsible for what¡¯s happened in my life. Ain¡¯t really anyone to blame except the Bleeders, really.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you still endorse that Bleeder Reformation Program,¡± Gavon said.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna write off the whole gang just ¡®cause some of ¡®em are psychotic bastards,¡± Selind declared. ¡°There¡¯s some good buried deep, there. Some folks who get trapped with the Bleeders ¡®cause they didn¡¯t see a better way to survive, or ¡®cause they were forced to join. And even if those people didn¡¯t exist, from a fully practical standpoint, the Reformation Program is important. After all, the most important step to makin¡¯ Tres¨¦d a better place is to get rid of the Bleeders, right? Well, if you can ¡®get rid¡¯ of ¡®em by tellin¡¯ ¡®em that you¡¯ll overlook what they did in the past and give ¡®em a job, food, and a roof over their head so long as they don¡¯t act up in the future¡­ well, it¡¯s sure a hell of a lot easier than tryin¡¯ to hunt down and kill every damn Bleeder on the continent.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even punish them at all?¡± Hackett questioned.


    ¡°Can¡¯t afford to,¡± Selind replied. ¡°Remember, a lot of the Bleeders are hedonists, and only do what they think is ¡®easy¡¯. If we can make it easier for ¡®em to get shelter, food, and drink by workin¡¯ an honest job than by raidin¡¯, then we can get ¡®em to stop raidin¡¯ ¡ª and from there, we can work on turnin¡¯ ¡®em into upstandin¡¯ members of society. If you throw a punishment on there, then that route is suddenly a lot less ¡®easy¡¯ for the Bleeders, and they¡¯ll stick to raidin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very calculated take on things,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°I can see the logic, but¡­ hmm. I believe I¡¯ve mentioned this before, but the Black Suns have a similar program for ex-cons, where we seek to rehabilitate them and give them a job. But that only applies after they¡¯ve done their time for whatever crime they committed. Here, though¡­ with your program, it sounds like nasty people can get away without ever taking responsibility for their actions. That¡¯s a hard pill to swallow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we got a choice,¡± Selind replied. ¡°Believe me, I don¡¯t much like it either. But if you had to pick between lettin¡¯ a murderer go free ¡ª on the condition that they don¡¯t murder again, of course ¡ª between that, and lettin¡¯ this endless cycle of violence just go on and on and on¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Maybe a more stable society could properly punish criminals, but in Tres¨¦d, the Bleeders have too much power, relative to the Compounds. We can¡¯t force them to do anything. Hell¡­¡± She held her hand out towards the wastelands. ¡°What you see here is the result of generations of the Compounds tryin¡¯ to ¡®punish¡¯ the Bleeders, tryin¡¯ to force the Bleeders to stop doin¡¯ what they do. It just doesn¡¯t work. Not in Tres¨¦d¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Luke muttered. ¡°And¡­ well, obviously I don¡¯t have the same background and experience as you, but I¡¯m still having a hard time believing that this is really the right way forward. Is forgiving criminals really working out for you? Is that really all it takes to get Bleeders to stop being Bleeders? Surely there¡¯s people who abuse that lack of responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Well there¡¯s more work to it than that, obviously,¡± Selind retorted. ¡°And sometimes, yeah, it doesn¡¯t work out, and a former Bleeder starts actin¡¯ up, again. Or someone hears about the program and uses that as an excuse to do a bunch of heinous shit before tryin¡¯ to join us, thinkin¡¯ that we¡¯ll just ignore their willful malice. When that happens, me and Dav¨ªdrius deal with it in a way that makes it clear that we don¡¯t tolerate bad faith actions when it comes to the Reformation Program. But 9¡­ well, maybe 8 times outta 10, the former Bleeder stays a former Bleeder, and becomes a useful member of Tresnon. Like Ralak!¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still an immensely heavy burden that you¡¯ve taken on,¡± Gavon said. ¡°If I had suffered through the things that you did, Selind, then I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to be so empathetic. I¡¯m certain I¡¯d have devolved into a hateful bastard.¡±


    ¡°Eh. I just do what needs to be done for Tres¨¦d and her people. Turnin¡¯ to hate sure hasn¡¯t solved anythin¡¯, so far¡­¡± Selind replied with a shrug. ¡°¡­Anyways, I think that¡¯s enough sob stories, for now. What about the rest of you, what¡¯s your stories?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s even less to say on my front, compared to Gavon,¡± Luke remarked, though his tone indicated that he was eager to turn the conversation away from the dark place Selind had taken it. ¡°I was born and raised in the suburbs of Dallas, over on Earth. My oldest brother is the father of Austin, one of the recruits we have here at WCU, and I¡¯m only ten years older than Austin ¡ª so he was a lot like a younger brother to me, growing up. That¡¯s how I got to know Spike, Sky, and Twy, as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a coincidence,¡± Gavon pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re a member of SERRCom¡¯s only Chaotic Support Fireteam, and your nephew ¡ª and his three friends ¡ª then become one of SERRCom¡¯s only 12 Chaotics?¡±


    ¡°It struck me as weird, too,¡± Luke replied, only to shrug. ¡°But I don¡¯t really see any connection. Sure, I¡¯ve worked with the Eximius Vir, but I don¡¯t see how that would have any effect on Austin and his friends becoming Chaotics. Pierce, Phoenix, Conrad, and Kestrel all became Chaotics despite having nothing to do with either me or the Eximius Vir, after all.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Is your nephew becoming a Chaotic why you joined SERRCom, then?¡± Selind asked.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯ve been with SERRCom for about ten years, now,¡± Luke replied. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked guns ever since I was a kid, and joining SERRCom was a way for me to use guns as a job while also getting to see the galaxy. Somewhere along the way, I ended up on CSF-1, and¡­ the rest is history.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really brushing over how you became one of the best unaugmented marksmen I know,¡± Gavon said with a smirk.


    Luke shrugged. ¡°There isn¡¯t much to say. I don¡¯t feel like I practiced especially hard, or anything.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention that we technically aren¡¯t unaugmented,¡± Hackett added.


    ¡°Translation and AR implants barely count as augments,¡± Gavon retorted. ¡°Those kinds of implants are as common as stars in the night sky among interstellar travelers.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should¡¯ve expected a member of the Black Suns to say that.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I may be biased, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d hear the same opinion from anyone in any of the galactic militaries.¡±


    ¡°Is that your whole story, then?¡± Selind questioned, turning back to Luke. ¡°Sounds pretty light, to me.¡±


    ¡°I did say that I didn¡¯t have much to say,¡± Luke remarked.


    ¡°Ha ha, true!¡± Gavon replied, and then glanced toward Hackett. ¡°Well, that just leaves you, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid my life story isn¡¯t any more interesting than the Captain¡¯s,¡± Hackett said. ¡°I was born and raised near Los Angeles, went off to an officer¡¯s school when I turned 18, and then joined SERRCom at 22. While in school, I met the woman who¡¯d eventually become my wife, and married her a couple years after I joined SERRCom. And¡­ yeah. That¡¯s my story.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be it!¡± Selind exclaimed.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°There isn¡¯t much to say about my childhood, and most of the story-worthy things that I experienced in SERRCom are still classified.¡±


    ¡°That is how things go, sometimes¡­¡± Gavon lamented. ¡°Still, in a way, it¡¯s good that your childhood wasn¡¯t remarkable. It means that nothing too bad happened to you.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can just gloss over your wife, however. Most people I know would jump at the chance to gush about their significant other!¡±


    ¡°¡¯Gushing¡¯ isn¡¯t really something I do,¡± Hackett countered.


    ¡°Surely you can at least tell them how you met her, Major,¡± Luke suggested.


    Hackett passed Luke an annoyed glance before sighing in resignation. ¡°¡­There isn¡¯t much there, either. Like many couples before me, I met Allison in a bar. We were both in college at that point, so we commiserated about schoolwork, talked about sports a little, and then hit it off from there.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, give us more than that!¡± Selind urged. ¡°What¡¯s she like? What do you like about her?¡±


    ¡°Well, uh¡­ she¡¯s¡­ smaller than me, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t say much,¡± Luke remarked. ¡°Hell, Major, you¡¯re the tallest member of CSF-1, and I¡¯m no shortie, myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me,¡± Hackett retorted dryly. ¡°I¡¯m not usually put on the spot, like this.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean to imply that you haven¡¯t seen the Major¡¯s wife, either?¡± Gavon questioned, passing a glance toward Luke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen pictures here and there,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Mostly of her and Hackett going surfing or snowboarding or something. And I¡¯ve heard that Allison is a civil engineer. But otherwise, the Major doesn¡¯t really talk about her that much.¡± He then passed Hackett a cheeky look. ¡°It¡¯s one of the few things she gets embarrassed about!¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t see what my wife has to do with my work,¡± Hackett insisted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but disagree!¡± Selind countered. ¡°¡­Uh, well, I dunno how it is on Earth, or in any of the proper militaries. But at least here in Tres¨¦d, the knowledge that I¡¯ve got folks who depend on me, who love me, is what keeps me goin¡¯. The idea of lettin¡¯ down my daughter by just up and dyin¡¯ is terrifying, so I do my damnedest to make sure I don¡¯t die, and to try and make this world a better place so that when I do eventually die, my daughter won¡¯t need me. Surely, it¡¯s the same for you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Now now, Selind, let¡¯s not squeeze her too hard for more info,¡± Gavon remarked. ¡°Some people just don¡¯t like to talk about their personal lives, and that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad someone understands,¡± Hackett said.


    ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun, Major,¡± Luke quipped.


    ¡°If you want to gossip, then get your own spouse to talk about,¡± Hackett shot back.


    Luke grimaced. ¡°Oof¡­ right where it hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± Selind glanced between Luke and Gavon. ¡°Neither of y¡¯all have romantic partners, huh?¡±


    Luke and Gavon exchanged an unreadable glance before Luke put on an uneasy smile. ¡°Nope¡­¡±


    ¡°Romance is difficult, for Chaotics,¡± Gavon said. ¡°You know how we¡¯re all forced to be a part of a military. And every reputable military has anti-fraternization regulations. Which means that most Chaotics only really meet the people that they work with, but aren¡¯t even allowed to establish romantic relationships with them. It¡¯s a mess.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I hadn¡¯t even thought of that¡­¡± Hackett commented. ¡°That¡¯s really unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°It is. But it isn¡¯t all bad. Since the major militaries of the galaxy are rarely, if ever in conflict with each other, it¡¯s become fairly commonplace for Chaotics to have ¡®cross-military¡¯ or ¡®inter-military¡¯ relationships. I know several of my colleagues in the Black Suns who have relationships with people in the NSD, or one of the CSA militaries.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a security concern?¡±


    ¡°Technically, pragmatically¡­ it probably is. But as I said, the major militaries of the galaxy don¡¯t fight each other. The Drakkars and the Riaxen are our main opponents. Sure, the PMCs will sometimes be used to put down uppity colonies here and there¡­ but even that doesn¡¯t involve us fighting a national military.¡±


    ¡°I bet the folks in charge probably overlook it to let people blow off some steam, too,¡± Selind pointed out. ¡°The way I hear it from Dav¨ªdrius¡¯s friends, Chaotics are often given a lot of leeway compared to regular soldiers, as a way to make up for bein¡¯ forced into the job in the first place.¡±


    Gavon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true, to an extent. To put it cynically, it¡¯s a balancing act. The politicians in charge know that Chaotics are powerful, and want to use our abilities for their own ends ¡ª but they also know that if they push too hard, then they¡¯ll have a rebellion on their hands. It¡¯s happened multiple times in the past; hell, the Black Suns, Chaos Knights, and Light Keepers were all originally founded in the aftermath of a Chaotic rebellion, for the simple purpose of giving Chaotics some vague semblance of choice when it comes to their career.¡±


    Luke laughed uneasily. ¡°You¡¯re right, that does sound pretty cynical¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s also just the truth¡­¡± Hackett said. ¡°Chaotics are the playthings of powerful governments and militaries. We¡¯ve seen it play out exactly that way in SERRCom with our own two eyes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°Hard to believe that Chaotics are the ones bein¡¯ forced into doin¡¯ things,¡± Selind remarked. ¡°Here in Tres¨¦d, it always seems to be Chaotics runnin¡¯ the show. It¡¯s always a Chaotic in charge of the Bleeders, for example. So how¡¯d things get flipped around in the outside world?¡±


    ¡°Technology,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°Guns, energy shielding, and especially CENT fields are incredible equalizers. Throw in some propaganda for good measure, on top of the fact that Chaotics can go berserk, mixed with the fact that Chaotics make up far less than one percent of the entire galactic population¡­ and you¡¯ve got a recipe for the majority stomping all over the minority.¡± He shook his head warily. ¡°Chaotic rights are a travesty. ¡­Well¡ª there¡¯s no denying that, before the invention of the firearm, Chaotics would frequently abuse non-Chaotics in just about any society in the galaxy. It¡¯s in Nimalian history, Siion history, Dra¡¯kis, Citan, Syraus history ¡ª everywhere in the galaxy, you can find stories of Chaotics acting as dictators or warlords, or even posing as gods. And once non-Chaotics developed the technology to even the playing field, they were quick to turn the tables on their once oppressors. But that societal vengeance quickly turned into oppression of its own, which developed into today¡¯s conscription paradigm, where all Chaotics across the galaxy are forced to join a military. It¡¯s outdated and ethically suspect, but it¡¯s a boon to the people in charge, and the common person hates changing the status quo¡­ so it¡¯s what we¡¯re stuck with for now.¡±


    ¡°Well that sounds fucked,¡± Selind replied.


    ¡°And also in line with SERRCom¡¯s own answer to Earthian Chaotics¡­¡± Hackett muttered.


    ¡°SERRCom is certainly taking after the other national militaries, for better or for worse,¡± Gavon said. ¡°The only difference so far is that you¡¯re incredibly insular. There are no Earthians living long-term on non-Earthian planets, no Earthians in any of the PMCs. There are no Earthians working in any non-Earthian organization, for that matter. Even relationships between Earthians and non-Earthians seem to be non-existent.¡±


    ¡°The PMC part is probably because PMCs have a distinctly negative reputation on Earth.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve gathered from interacting with your students, here. It still seems, to me, that SERRCom is keeping a tight grasp on any Earthians who wish to leave Earth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because of the economy,¡± Luke replied. ¡°Earth doesn¡¯t really have anything to offer to the rest of the galaxy, aside from Subspace Drives. So our currency isn¡¯t worth much. As a result, traveling is just too expensive for most folks. It¡¯s part of why I joined SERRCom ¡ª because it was the only way I could reliably see the galaxy.¡±


    Gavon raised an incredulous eyebrow. ¡°¡­So, to re-iterate: it seems, to me, that SERRCom is keeping a tight grasp on anyone who wants to leave Earth.¡±


    Hackett¡¯s brow furrowed as she gave Gavon an annoyed look. ¡°Are you saying that SERRCom intentionally sabotages Earth¡¯s economy, just so people have incentive to join?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s intentional at all, or even that they¡¯re sabotaging Earth, necessarily. But it certainly sounds like SERRCom stands to gain a lot from Earth¡¯s current political and economic position.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± Luke admitted.


    ¡°Y¡¯all are makin¡¯ it sound like life outside of Tres¨¦d is actually fucked,¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°Ha, well, that¡¯s what happens when we only talk about the negatives!¡± Gavon replied with a smirk.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I expected you to be so anti-establishment, though,¡± Hackett said.


    ¡°One might even argue it¡¯s why I was sent way out here,¡± Gavon commented cheekily. ¡°Anyways, I seem to have taken us all down one hell of a tangent. Sorry for that.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what were we talking about before¡­?¡± Selind questioned. ¡°Life stories¡­ romance, right!¡± She then looked at the other three incredulously. ¡°How did we get from ¡®romance¡¯ to talkin¡¯ about how the galaxy¡¯s elites are keepin¡¯ everyone down?¡±


    ¡°Heh, that¡¯s just how conversations go, really. You follow tangent after tangent until you end up somewhere you didn¡¯t expect,¡± Luke remarked. He then passed Gavon a quick glance. ¡°¡­But I think I get what you were talking about. Chaotics have a rough time with relationships, because the people in power use that to keep Chaotics in check.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ don¡¯t interpret that as me trying to pressure or guilt-trip you, or anything,¡± Gavon responded uneasily. ¡°I just tend to complain a lot, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Pressure¡­?¡± Hackett echoed, glancing between Gavon and Luke in confusion ¡ª followed quickly by a look of realization. ¡°Oh¡­ I see what¡¯s happening here.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­?¡± Luke questioned.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s up to you,¡± the Major replied. She then sighed and crossed her arms, her gaze drifting out across the wastelands outside the walls. ¡°¡­To be perfectly candid, I¡¯m still not sure that I trust the Black Suns. I think that a future clash between SERRCom and the Suns isn¡¯t out of the question.¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope you¡¯re wrong, Major, but¡­¡± Gavon smiled bitterly. ¡°Your concern, I think, is justified.¡±


    ¡°What, are you sayin¡¯ that y¡¯all can¡¯t be friends with each other?¡± Selind questioned.


    ¡°If I wanted to be fully, coldly pragmatic, then I probably would,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°¡­But Gavon here has a point. A lot of rules and regs exist more to enforce the status quo, than to actually keep people safe and responsible. Those rules, it¡¯s possible to break without too much consequence, so long as you keep your wits about you.¡±


    ¡°Major¡­?¡± Luke looked up at her in confusion. ¡°Are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Captain. I¡¯m just thinking out loud,¡± she said. ¡°Now, Gavon mentioned how there aren¡¯t any documented relationships between an Earthian and a non-Earthian, even though we¡¯ve been in contact with the rest of the galaxy for around 30 years, now. And on that note¡­ I know that SERRCom explicitly forbids relationships between members of SERRCom and members of a national military or government on Earth, but I don¡¯t actually think the rulebook says anything about the militaries or governments outside of Earth¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°¡­Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t quote me on that, of course. And¡­ while SERRCom undoubtedly has many problems, I¡¯m still loyal to them ¡ª so if I see anything that could legitimately threaten SERRCom¡¯s operations, then I¡¯ll report it. But outside of that¡­ I don¡¯t think anyone would care what an officer of SERRCom gets up to on their own time.¡±


    Gavon chuckled. ¡°¡­You remind me of some of my superior officers, Major.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ lost,¡± Selind muttered. ¡°What are we talkin¡¯ about, now?¡±


    Hackett shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just¡­ thinking out loud.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ okay¡­?¡± Selind responded in confusion, only to turn to the side, as if distracted by something.


    Luke passed Selind a quick glance before looking back at Hackett. ¡°Those sure are some¡­ interesting thoughts, Major.¡±


    ¡°They are what they are,¡± Hackett said with a shrug. ¡°Just¡­ be careful, Travis. And don¡¯t do anything that you think will come back to bite you in the ass.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t judge. I might be in to that,¡± Luke quipped.


    ¡°Are you into that?¡± Gavon questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Whether you are or not, I don¡¯t want to hear about it,¡± Hackett interjected crossly.


    ¡°Ha ha¡­ sorry, Major,¡± Luke replied with a sheepish smile. ¡°And¡­ thanks. I think those ¡®thoughts¡¯ of yours have put some of my own to rest.¡±


    ¡°Speakin¡¯ of rest¡­¡± Selind interjected, turning back to face the three with a serious expression on her face ¡ª while simultaneously packing up her gun. ¡°It looks like we ain¡¯t about to get any ourselves anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gavon questioned as he, Luke, and Hackett all stiffened their posture in response to Selind¡¯s sudden seriousness. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, somethin¡¯s happenin¡¯, alright,¡± Selind remarked with a grim look. ¡°I just got word from the Defense Force. Just a few minutes ago, the Bleeders launched an attack on Compound Falnon.¡±

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 56: Falnons Fate

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 56: Falnon''s Fate


    Several Hours Later


    ¡°I see smoke!¡±


    ¡°Of course there¡¯s smoke, the Compound¡¯s under attack,¡± Ralak responded tersely. ¡°But are the Bleeders still around?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone, but I¡¯m still looking¡­¡± Captain Travis replied, his eyes glued to the back of his binoculars as he peered through the dark desert skies.


    Colonel Saito tensely glanced back at Travis before looking out over the desert himself. Several hours had passed since Compound Tresnon first got word of a Bleeder attack on Compound Falnon; shortly after, Saito had gathered CSF-1 as well as Mark and Danielle to go reinforce Falnon. Ralak, despite still recovering from her lost arm, had insisted on coming along, reasoning that the attack was a response to her and CSF-1¡¯s recent visit to Falnon ¡ª and Saito had decided that they didn¡¯t have the time to argue with her.


    The group now approached Falnon by aerial transport, with one side of the craft opened up to the winds to give a better view of the Compound below ¡ª and the smoke that embroiled it. Amidst the dark of night, only raging fires illuminated Falnon, making evident the incredible damage to the Compound¡¯s walls and buildings even to those without binoculars.


    ¡°Is there anyone left¡­?¡± Hackett questioned as she beheld the smoking Compound.


    ¡°The only way to know is to go down there¡ª!¡± Ralak started, beginning to shove her way past Travis, only for Saito to grab her arm.


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know what¡¯s down there,¡± the Colonel insisted. ¡°And, more importantly, you don¡¯t have any energy shields! Do you want to lose another arm?¡±


    Ralak looked back at Saito, her brow deeply furrowed. A second later, she shook him off, but nonetheless retreated from the open doors. ¡°¡­We still need to do something,¡± she insisted. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t come here earlier, then Falnon¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shit! It¡¯s the infection!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Everyone on the aircraft turned to give Travis an alarmed look.


    ¡°The metallic infection, you mean?¡± Mark questioned uneasily. ¡°Here? Are you sure?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± the Captain replied. ¡°There¡¯s people down there, walkin¡¯ around, but they have that silver rash all over them. It seems like that¡¯s all that¡¯s down there, actually ¡ª I don¡¯t see any Bleeders, or any other survivors.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good¡­¡± Danielle commented.


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than that,¡± Hackett asserted. ¡°If the infection is here in Tres¨¦d, and spreading freely, then¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Look out!!¡± Mark shouted, quickly grabbing Travis and Hackett to shove them aside just as a man leaped up at the aircraft, clearing dozens of meters in a single bound. Red light from the fires glinted off of the metallic rashes stretching down his neck and arm as he bared down on the aircraft, only for Mark to summon his giant halberd and slam the infected man out of the air with the flat of his blade.


    ¡°MacTavish, evasive maneuvers!¡± Saito shouted toward the cockpit, and then turned toward Mark and Danielle. ¡°You two are up! Contain the infection at all costs! ¡­Wait!¡± He then reached into his pack and grabbed two small disc-shaped devices, that he handed to each of Mark and Danielle. ¡°These are Infection Capture Devices. You should be able to throw them at an infected person to capture them in a containment field. I only have two with me, since I wasn¡¯t expecting this ¡ª but if you think you can save someone, then capture them with that and we¡¯ll bring them back to Tresnon!¡±


    ¡°Will this really work?¡± Mark questioned.


    ¡°Hard to say. The Nimalians gave us a bunch of those devices, but we haven¡¯t had the chance to try using them ¡ª until now. If nothing else, this is a good chance to see how effective they are.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll try to bring someone back, then.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Saito nodded as he waved Mark and Danielle off. ¡°The rest of us will offer fire support from up here!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Danielle replied as she and Mark moved to jump from the transport.


    ¡°I¡¯m goin¡¯ with you,¡± Ralak insisted. ¡°If that infection is spreadin¡¯ among Falnon, then¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯d be a perfect target!¡± Saito cut in, stepping in her way and grabbing her shoulder to force her into one of the transport¡¯s seats. ¡°Sit your unshielded ass down! The infection is even worse to fight than the Bleeders, especially if you don¡¯t have shields! It only takes one injury, one cut, and you¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°¡­Rgh¡­!¡± Ralak growled, a deep glare directed at Saito, only for her to eventually shake her head. ¡°¡­Damn it! Fine. I¡¯ll stay here.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the Colonel replied, and then glanced back at Mark and Danielle. ¡°Now, Mark, Danielle, get going!¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, sir. We¡¯re on it,¡± Mark replied, though his gaze lingered on Ralak for a second. As close to Falnon as they now were, the light of the raging fires shone upon Ralak¡¯s contorted face, exaggerating her already deep scowl and furrowed brow into the likes of a furious monster. Nevertheless, Mark quickly turned his attention to the task at hand, and leaped from the aircraft to the streets below, with Danielle following soon after.


    A mere second after leaping from the aircraft, a massive boulder slammed into Mark, causing his energy shielding to flare up as he was sent flying into the dirt just outside of Falnon. As soon as he landed, Mark jumped to his feet, just in time to fend off two women who lunged at him with fingers that tapered off into sharp, metallic claws. In reflex, he moved to cleave through them both with his halberd ¡ª but just as the blade was about to sink into the flank of one of the women, Mark quickly rotated the polearm to instead slam her with the flat of the blade, throwing her into the other woman. His brow furrowed in consternation as he quickly backed away, uneasily eying the two women as they scrambled back to their feet. ¡°¡­Hey!¡± he called out to them, ¡°can you hear me? Say something!¡±


    Only a guttural growl, followed by a hideous snarl, came from the infected women as they turned back towards Mark, their teeth bared. They both pounced toward him again, prompting him to dismiss his halberd and intercept their lunge with his bare hands. Effortlessly, he grabbed their wrists and used their own momentum to yank them to the ground in a pile, where he quickly pulled out the Infection Capture Device and attached it to the back of one of the women. Immediately, a golden sheet of energy exploded from the device and completely surrounded the two women, holding them in place as they lashed out at the energy field that now contained them. Mark eyed them for a moment, watching uneasily as they clawed at both the field and each other in what could only be described as a feral rage; the spark of intelligence was completely gone from their eyes, replaced by the bloodshot eyes of a rabid animal.


    An eerie howl from within Falnon tore Mark¡¯s attention away from the captured women. Quickly, he crouched down and then leaped over Falnon¡¯s wall with a massive bound. Smoke and fire passed by beneath him as he cleared several blocks before crashing down to the ground, just in time to see Danielle tangling with five infected people all at once. Deftly, she dodged around each of their lunges and feral thrashes, occasionally making use of her shapeshifting to contort in unnatural manners while attempting to lead the infected into the middle of the street. While the group was distracted with Danielle, Mark charged forward, smashing down the burning buildings surrounding Danielle so as to make some room for her.


    The thundering echo of crumbling stone immediately drew everyone¡¯s attention to Mark, however, and two of the infected people soon turned toward him. As they did, Mark looked into their eyes, glazed over and slightly silvered ¡ª a sight that, when combined with the ominous dark red lighting of the Falnon inferno, gave Mark a moment of uneasy pause. That moment was enough for the two infected to pounce on him, one of them attempting to sink their teeth into his thigh while the other latched onto his chest and began banging on his head. Flaring energy shields protected his bare skin from contact, enabling him to leverage his massive size and superior strength to simply grab the two infected and yank them off of himself, at which point he chucked them out of the ruined building and into the street.


    ¡°Mark!!¡±


    He quickly turned around, just in time to spot Danielle as she dove straight toward him ¡ª with the remaining three infected tight on her heels. Immediately, Mark planted his feet wide apart to let Danielle roll between his legs; as soon as she was behind him, he crouched and spread his arms to intercept the three infected people in front of him. As with the others he had faced, they all lunged at him, particularly at his torso. But instead of bracing for impact, Mark allowed the three to bowl him over, using the momentum to roll backwards out of the ruined building and into the street. After one roll, he easily jumped back to his feet while the three infected people remained on the ground in an unorganized heap. Before they could recover, Danielle stretched her right arm toward the heap and transformed her right hand into a small containment field generator. A golden sheet of energy promptly surrounded the three infected, trapping them in place; immediately after, Danielle bloodlessly severed the fabricated generator from her arm, at which point she drew back to Mark.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve figured out how to fabricate those capture devices¡­¡± Mark observed.


    ¡°Well, not perfectly, but it works well enough¡­¡± Danielle said, and then looked back at the last of the five infected she had been dealing with ¡ª which she had captured just before turning to deal with the three on Mark. Before either she or Mark could say anything further, however, a chorus of howling and snarling from a block away drew their attention.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Mark muttered as he and Danielle began running in the direction of the snarls. ¡°Just how many more are there¡­?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ this is what the infection does to people, then?¡± Danielle questioned uneasily, and then passed a glance toward Mark. ¡°Do¡­ do you think we¡¯ll be able to save them?¡±


    Mark looked down at her doubtfully, and then returned his attention forward. ¡°¡­We can¡¯t think about that, right now. We need to make sure that the infection is contained and doesn¡¯t leave Falnon. That¡¯s our priority.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­¡± Danielle responded weakly, though nevertheless continued on with Mark as they fought to contain the situation in Falnon.


    <hr>


    1 Hour Later


    ¡°Good job, Mark, Danielle.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks¡­¡± Danielle replied despondently.


    ¡°It sure doesn¡¯t feel like it¡­¡± Mark muttered.


    Colonel Saito looked between them before releasing a sigh and turning to their left. Thanks to Mark and Danielle¡¯s quick action, Compound Falnon and everything within had been successfully contained. The infected populace ¡ª what remained of it, at least ¡ª had been captured in containment fields fabricated by Danielle, and the Compound itself was now protected by a massive containment field, also fabricated by Danielle. CSF-1, Mark, and Danielle now all stood outside of Falnon¡¯s walls, their aircraft parked on the sands nearly a half kilometer out. Mark had brought two of the captured infected with him; Hackett and Travis were now working to secure them in the aircraft, so as to bring them back to Tresnon for study and, potentially, help.


    Saito watched the two officers wrestle with the captured infected before turning his eyes to the sky, where the lights of another several aircraft had come into view. ¡°Selind was quick, to mobilize this many¡­¡± he muttered to himself, watching as one of the Defense Force aircraft broke off to circle Falnon while the remaining craft began landing nearby.


    ¡°Olkath!!¡±


    The Colonel glanced toward their own aircraft in surprise, finding that Ralak had disembarked and rushed over to the infected man that Captain Travis was attempting to drag aboard. On a closer look at the man¡¯s short, stocky, and slightly overweight build, accompanied by his broad, tan-skinned face, Saito realized that the man was the same as the one he and Ralak had met with in Falnon a mere week ago ¡ª only now, silver rashes stretched across Olkath¡¯s face, and down both of his arms. His eyes were bloodshot, holding not the sly spark of an information broker, but the feral fury of a rabid animal.


    ¡°Olkath¡ª!¡± Ralak called out, reaching out to him with her arm ¡ª only for the infected man to gnash his teeth and lunge for her. Only the containment field surrounding him held him in place, though his sudden lunge still knocked Travis to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s not him, anymore.¡±


    Ralak whipped around to look at Saito as he approached. She stared at him for a moment, her mouth constantly opening and closing as she sought out the words with which to form a reply; eventually, she settled into a resigned, yet furious scowl. ¡°¡­This¡­ this is the metallic infection?¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°Yeah. Although¡­¡± He turned toward Olkath, watching as the man thrashed about wildly. ¡°¡­This is the first time that I¡¯ve seen a human be infected.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, sir,¡± Travis remarked through gritted teeth as he attempted to grapple with Olkath. ¡°But maybe you could give me a little help, here¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Mark declared, striding onto the scene and effortlessly restraining Olkath with his superior strength. He then hefted the infected man onto his shoulder and stepped onto the aircraft to secure Olkath for transport.


    ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s one way to do it,¡± Travis commented.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t¡­ this ain¡¯t right,¡± Ralak muttered. ¡°What¡­ what even happened, here? I ain¡¯t ever heard of the infection bein¡¯ in Tres¨¦d. Did the Bleeders do this?¡±


    ¡°That seems like the obvious answer¡­¡± Saito responded as he watched the activity around him. Hackett had just stepped off of the aircraft while Danielle jumped aboard to begin creating rope to secure the infected passengers; amidst that, the Defense Force aircraft had securely landed, with the Defense Force members rapidly disembarking to secure the area. Among the 20 or so that now joined CSF-1 on the ground, two familiar figures appeared, both of them quickly approaching Saito and Ralak.


    ¡°I see you already got everythin¡¯ under control, huh?¡± Selind remarked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ muttered, her gaze turned upward at the smoke that continued to billow into the dark skies over Falnon.


    ¡°Selind, Dean,¡± Saito acknowledged the two women as they stopped in front of him, Ralak, and Travis.


    ¡°Were there any survivors?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned hopefully.


    Saito and Travis exchanged a wary glance before the Colonel turned back to Kaon¨¦. ¡°¡­Depending on how you define ¡®survivors¡¯, I suppose you could say ¡®yes¡¯,¡± Saito replied. ¡°However¡­ they¡¯re all infected. Every last one of them.¡±


    ¡°Where? Can I see them?¡±


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Travis declared, at which point he stepped away from the group to lead Kaon¨¦ aboard their aircraft.


    Selind watched the two go before releasing a resigned sigh. ¡°So¡­ the infection finally shows up in Tres¨¦d, huh?¡±


    ¡°So it would seem¡­¡± Saito responded.


    ¡°If we were just faster¡­¡± Ralak muttered.


    ¡°Y¡¯all left Tresnon just about as fast as possible!¡± Selind remarked. ¡°You got here a full hour before the rest of us!¡±


    ¡°As much as it pains me to say,¡± Saito added, ¡°I think that Falnon was doomed from the start.¡±


    ¡°And I had even left some Defense Force folks, here, too¡­¡± Selind lamented. ¡°But even they weren¡¯t enough to stop this from happenin¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°At least they were able to get the word out about the attack. If the infection had been allowed to linger here for much longer, then the situation in Tres¨¦d would have gotten a lot worse.¡±


    ¡°True. This whole situation, though¡­¡± Selind trailed off, her gaze looking out over the remnants of Compound Falnon before turning back to Saito. ¡°When you got here, were there any Bleeders?¡±


    The Colonel shook his head. ¡°None. All we found were some of the infected populace.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ were the Bleeders really behind this, then?¡±


    ¡°It has to be,¡± Ralak stated. ¡°This attack¡­ it¡¯s got all the signs of bein¡¯ a revenge attack. We came here a week ago to get info on the Bleeders, which led to us smashin¡¯ a base, savin¡¯ a bunch of hostages, and findin¡¯ out about their connection to those SFC outsiders¡­ after that, we should¡¯ve known that the Bleeders would strike back in revenge. We should¡¯ve known¡­¡±


    ¡°We did know,¡± Selind corrected. ¡°I made sure to alert the Defense Force here about what y¡¯all did to the Bleeders. What we didn¡¯t know is that the dirt-damned metallic infection would show up. And if you¡¯re so certain that this really is the work of the Bleeders, then that would mean that the Bleeders are fuckin¡¯ around with the infection, now. And if that¡¯s true¡­¡± Selind released a wary sigh. ¡°¡­There¡¯s little worse than this¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­We should never have involved Olkath, or Falnon¡­¡± Ralak muttered. ¡°Not if it meant the people here would be slaughtered, like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you let the Bleeders get to you, now,¡± Selind insisted. ¡°The Bleeders are thinkin¡¯, actin¡¯ people who can make decisions all on their own. You can¡¯t blame yourself for atrocities that they commit. As soon as you start that, you¡¯ll suffocate under all the guilt.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ¡®but¡¯ me. You tried to come out here and fight, even though you lost your fuckin¡¯ arm less than a week ago! You ain¡¯t usually that careless, Ralak.¡±


    Ralak responded with silence, her face still wearing a scowl as she looked out over what remained of Falnon. Saito and Selind exchanged a glance, only to then turn toward the aircraft as Kaon¨¦ disembarked.


    ¡°¡­Well?¡± Selind prompted as the Dean stepped up to the group. ¡°¡­Do you think you can save them?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ wordlessly looked up at Selind, and then at Saito. She then looked down, her lips pursed. Eventually, she replied, ¡°¡­we¡¯re too late. The infection has reached their brain¡­¡±


    ¡°I wondered if that might be the case¡­¡± Selind responded.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Saito muttered. ¡°¡­Does the infection really spread that quickly? These people were only infected a few hours ago, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Without having been here, myself¡­ it¡¯s impossible to say,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted. ¡°You¡¯re right, the infection usually takes several weeks, maybe even months to get this bad in a single person. But that isn¡¯t universal. It¡¯s rare, but I have heard of cases like this that progressed at a lightning¡¯s pace, usually if there¡¯s a mass outbreak all at once. Or if their wound was especially large¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be consistent with the idea of the Bleeders unleashing the infection on Falnon,¡± Saito mused.


    ¡°Of all the things to worry about, now we have that fuckin¡¯ infection on our doorstep¡­¡± Selind remarked. ¡°And here I thought we¡¯d never see it in Tres¨¦d. Should¡¯ve known that things could get worse.¡± She then sighed deeply. ¡°¡­Speakin¡¯ of worse¡­ Kaon¨¦, if you say that the people here can¡¯t be cured, then¡­ we can¡¯t bring ¡®em back to Tresnon. We can¡¯t afford to spend time and resources keepin¡¯ ¡®em contained and alive, not when we also have to worry about Bleeder attacks.¡±


    ¡°I thought you might say that¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ responded quietly.


    ¡°¡­I hate my job, sometimes¡­¡± Selind muttered as she unshouldered her rifle. ¡°And by the sounds of it, there¡¯s plenty of infected folks, captured here in Falnon.¡± She passed a glance toward Saito. ¡°Those Eximius Vir of yours sure are thorough, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Saito replied. ¡°Mark and Danielle can be¡­ optimistic, at times.¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine. They did the right thing. No use killin¡¯ someone if you think you can save ¡®em. Still¡­ leaves a lot for me and the Defense Force to deal with.¡±


    ¡°If you need help, my team is here.¡±


    ¡°I am, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ added.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Selind looked down at Kaon¨¦ in surprise. ¡°You wanna help? You understand what we¡¯re about to do here, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not naive,¡± Kaon¨¦ retorted. ¡°I understand what you meant when you said that we can¡¯t bring everyone back. But with my abilities, I can put them to rest quickly and humanely. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s what they deserve.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m helping, too,¡± Ralak insisted. ¡°I¡¯m the one who suggested we come to Falnon, last week. So these people¡¯s deaths are on me. I can¡¯t shove that responsibility onto everyone else.¡±


    ¡°What did I just tell you about blamin¡¯ yourself?¡± Selind countered.


    ¡°Selind¡­¡± Ralak turned to look Selind straight in the eyes, pleading desperation replacing the scowl she had been wearing until that point. ¡°¡­Please.¡±


    Selind stared back for a moment, as if looking deep into Ralak¡¯s soul ¡ª and still, the former Bleeder didn¡¯t budge. Eventually, Selind looked away, sighed, and shrugged. ¡°Alright. Can¡¯t really stop you, I guess. And the sooner we can clean up here, the sooner we can all return to Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Saito replied. ¡°I¡¯ll let my team know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Colonel,¡± Selind responded, and then turned to face the walls of Falnon once more. ¡°¡­The Bleeders really have crossed a line, endangerin¡¯ the entire continent like this. Once we¡¯re through, here, we need to make sure that Str¨¦n pays for this.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Ralak curtly replied as the group dispersed, preparing to put a close on the sordid night in Compound Falnon.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 57: Infections Progression

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 57: Infection''s Progression


    The Next Morning


    ¡°Are you fuckin¡¯ serious? The metallic infection, here? In Tres¨¦d?!¡±


    ¡°I hate to say it, but it¡¯s true,¡± Colonel Saito reported.


    ¡°Damn it all¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered, his brow furrowed as he leaned back in his office chair. Across his small desk from him stood Saito, Ralak, and Kaon¨¦, meeting early in the day to discuss what they had discovered at Compound Falnon the previous night.


    ¡°The entire Compound had gone up in flames,¡± Ralak added. ¡°And there weren¡¯t any survivors. ¡­I should¡¯ve seen this comin¡¯, after talkin¡¯ to Olkath¡­¡±


    ¡°No one expected the Bleeders to have the means or desire to spread the metallic infection,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°You can¡¯t blame yourself for that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned that you ran off in the condition that you¡¯re in,¡± Dav¨ªdrius stated while looking Ralak up and down. Her right shoulder was still heavily bandaged, drawing attention to her complete lack of a right arm. ¡°You still need to recover from that wound. That means not runnin¡¯ around the fuckin¡¯ wastelands, tryin¡¯ to get into fights!¡±


    Ralak pursed her lips, but otherwise responded with only a reluctant nod.


    ¡°And on top of that¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius eyed Kaon¨¦, Ralak, and Saito. ¡°¡­I heard from Selind what y¡¯all had to do in Falnon before you left. I understand and agree with why, but¡­ are y¡¯all sure you¡¯re okay, after that?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant,¡± Saito responded. ¡°¡­But it was the only option we had.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ looked down, obscuring her eyes from the others. ¡°¡­If¡­ if only I had more practice, if I had better developed my ability to cure people, then¡­¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, Dean: the infection had gotten to their brains,¡± Saito said. ¡°No one¡¯s blaming you for anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s the Bleeders that did this,¡± Ralak said, only to look away herself. ¡°¡­And if we hadn¡¯t gone to Falnon in the first place, then¡ª¡°


    ¡°A¡¯ight, c¡¯mon, now,¡± Dav¨ªdrius interjected. ¡°Y¡¯all ain¡¯t at fault for anything that happened at Falnon. You did as much as you could. It¡¯s fucked up that the Bleeders would release the infection on the Compound, sure, and I¡¯m not about to say that you should just ¡®lighten up¡¯ or whatever. But don¡¯t go blamin¡¯ yourselves for any of this.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ glanced up at Dav¨ªdrius, only to look away again. She released a silent sigh, and then forced a small smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°The big problem now is that the Bleeders have the dirt-damned infection with ¡®em¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius muttered. ¡°¡­Fuckin¡¯ hell. How¡¯d they manage that?!¡±


    ¡°I can only assume that they got a few specimens from the SFC,¡± Saito replied. ¡°As for the why, your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the SFC just wanted revenge for us exposing their activities in Tres¨¦d?¡±


    ¡°That would be incredibly short-sighted,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°To doom all of those innocent people who had nothing to do with them, with a ¡®weapon¡¯ that could very easily backfire¡­ just what would the SFC stand to gain, from this? Or the Bleeders?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a spiteful bastard, then you might not care about any gains,¡± Dav¨ªdrius pointed out. ¡°I should know, I¡¯ve met tons of spiteful bastards here in Tres¨¦d. Most of ¡®em Bleeders. And to circle back to them, we¡¯ve got a big fuckin¡¯ problem. We can¡¯t expect the Bleeders to handle infected animals with the right amount of care! The longer that shit stays in their hands, the greater the chance that wild, infected animals will get let loose into the wastelands!¡±


    ¡°I agree that it¡¯s a problem¡­ but, thinking about it, it might not be as bad as you think,¡± Kaon¨¦ suggested hopefully. ¡°The metallic infection has become endemic to Rel¨¦diaka¡¯s Giant¡¯s Forest, but that¡¯s only because the forest floor is so vast and dark, and there¡¯s wildlife everywhere. Here in Tres¨¦d, the continent is mostly a wasteland ¡ª and remember, the infection can only spread through living creatures. So having less wildlife around, and less places to take cover, should help contain it. Not for forever¡­ but it should help.¡±


    ¡°We still can¡¯t just sit around and let this problem fester,¡± Saito pointed out.


    ¡°No, I agree,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that the infection, if left to spread on its own, wouldn¡¯t be as bad as it is in Rel¨¦diaka ¡ª so we can take the time to come up with a proper response. Assuming, of course, that the Bleeders or SFC don¡¯t take action to accelerate its spread¡­¡±


    ¡°Knowin¡¯ the Bleeders, they¡¯re definitely gonna try to use the infection against Tresnon,¡± Ralak said. ¡°We needa be ready for it.¡±


    ¡°What a pain in my dirt-damned ass¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°¡­We¡¯ve lost two Compounds, now, after reinforcin¡¯ ¡®em with the Defense Force. And Str¨¦n and Feral alone almost killed you and you Earthians¡­¡± The Dean began massaging his brow, his mouth turned down in a frown of resignation. ¡°¡­I hate to say it, but I don¡¯t think Tresnon can handle any incomin¡¯ Bleeder attack on its own. We need outside help.¡±


    ¡°Even when you have Dean Densalin?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°My powers don¡¯t work on Nanocreature nanites, remember?¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°If the Bleeders really do use the infection against us, then I won¡¯t be able to help much, there. Not as effectively, at least.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that the Bleeders are resorting to using the infection because you¡¯re here?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ and Dav¨ªdrius exchanged an uneasy glance, at which point the former turned to Ralak. ¡°Would they really do that¡­?¡± Kaon¨¦ questioned.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past ¡®em,¡± Ralak answered. ¡°¡¯Specially if they¡¯ve had contact with outsiders like the SFC, who¡¯d be familiar with what you can do. You don¡¯t really hide your abilities, after all, or the fact that you¡¯re friends with Dav¨ªdrius. Someone like Str¨¦n would definitely want a plan to deal with you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then me simply being here is putting everyone in danger! Maybe I should leave¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°The Bleeders already got their hands on the infection, they ain¡¯t gonna not use it just ¡®cause you were nice and left. Bleeders don¡¯t believe in de-escalation.¡±


    ¡°Well, you said that you need outside help,¡± Saito said. ¡°Would the NSD help you?¡±


    ¡°Bah.¡± Dav¨ªdrius scoffed. ¡°They ain¡¯t never helped Tres¨¦d, not without demandin¡¯ that they take over the whole damn continent.¡±


    ¡°Surely that¡¯s preferable to letting the Bleeders win, or letting the infection run wild.¡±


    ¡°Even if it was, the NSD has a scorched-earth policy when it comes to infection outbreaks,¡± Kaon¨¦ explained. ¡°Admittedly, they tend to make exceptions for highly-built-up areas, like Rel¨¦diaka. But I doubt they¡¯d extend that leniency to Tres¨¦d¡­¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius snorted. ¡°Hell, given how little they care about us, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised at all if they just bombed the whole damn continent and called it a day.¡±


    Saito glanced incredulously at Kaon¨¦. ¡°Is that an actual possibility?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied, only to look away uneasily. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    ¡°Are there any other options, then? It sounds like you¡¯ll have to look at the PMCs. The Chaos Knights, maybe?¡±


    ¡°The Chaos Knights are worse than the NSD,¡± Kaon¨¦ countered. ¡°And after what they did on Karania, Rebehka and the Academy have cut all ties with them ¡ª and frankly, I wouldn¡¯t trust the Knights with Tres¨¦d, either. We can¡¯t bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, okay. The Light Keepers, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°This kind of protection mission does fit within their purview, but¡­ I don¡¯t know if we can afford them.¡±


    ¡°Something smaller, then.¡±


    ¡°Is there anythin¡¯ smaller?¡± Ralak questioned.


    ¡°There has to be,¡± Saito insisted. ¡°The Black Suns, Chaos Knights, and Light Keepers are known collectively as the ¡®Big 3¡¯, right? You wouldn¡¯t need that moniker if they were the only PMCs around.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ acknowledged. ¡°Of the smaller options¡­ well, the present-day RPF is too ineffectual for this kind of request. And before a week or so ago, I actually might have suggested the SFC, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re right out,¡± Dav¨ªdrius retorted. ¡°Never trusted ¡®em in the first place, honestly. They had the same problem as the NSD, always tryin¡¯ to get land and control in exchange for their ¡®protection¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± Saito responded, ¡°and I understand that you¡¯re in an unfortunate position, here, but people rarely give their help for free. It¡¯s nice when they do, of course, but you can hardly expect it ¡ª definitely not from PMCs, anyways. So what else would you give a PMC for their aid, if not land? What else do you have?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± Dav¨ªdrius spat. ¡°We don¡¯t got shit to give. And it ain¡¯t our fault that we gotta deal with shit like the Bleeders. So why do we have to give up our own freedom to make the problem go away, huh?¡±


    ¡°I understand that many people and organizations seem surprisingly uncaring toward Tres¨¦d, but at some point, you have to figure out what matters more to you: your safety, or your pride. It¡¯s not an easy choice, but it¡¯s one you have to make.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, it is an easy choice. And our choice is to tell those outsiders to go to hell.¡±


    ¡°You said yourself that you need outside help to defend Tresnon. How do you intend to get that help, if you aren¡¯t going to pay?¡±


    Dav¨ªdrius glared at Saito, only to look away with a scowl. ¡°¡­Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°I can speak with the other Deans,¡± Kaon¨¦ suggested. ¡°Between us all, I¡¯m sure we have enough money to hire protection. It¡¯s probably the least we can do, after forcing you and WCU to accept so many, uh¡­ trial programs on our behalf. Not to mention how me being here might have been what inspired the Bleeders to get involved with the metallic infection¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Do you got an idea on who to hire, then?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ glanced uneasily toward Saito before turning back to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°I was thinking the Black Suns.¡±


    ¡°¡­The Suns, you say¡­?¡± Saito echoed, his brow furrowing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t got anythin¡¯ against ¡®em, really¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius mused. ¡°But you¡¯re talkin¡¯ about the biggest PMC in the galaxy, here. If you don¡¯t think you can afford the Light Keepers, then what makes you think the Black Suns will even give us the time of day?¡±


    ¡°We have sympathetic contacts in Sector 1,¡± Kaon¨¦ pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s Gavon, here. Rebehka and I met a Colonel Petro D¡¯Tan when we visited Oriciid¡¯kas, as well, and he shares our goals regarding the infection. He¡¯s the one who set everything up to let me have another chance to hone my ability to cure the infection. If nothing else, we could leverage the Chaotic data that I gave them during that trial.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°And you think that¡¯ll be enough for us to get the Black Suns, here?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s at least worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°And you really believe we can trust Sector 1?¡± Saito questioned.


    Kaon¨¦ nodded. ¡°Yes, I do. They¡¯re consummate professionals. And Sector 1 has never been known to pressure their contractors for additional or unreasonable pay, unlike the SFC or Chaos Knights.¡±


    ¡°Did somethin¡¯ happen between you Earthians and the Suns?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned. ¡°I remember Luke bein¡¯ cagey like this back when Gavon first showed up, too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to say,¡± Saito replied. ¡°¡­I can at least say that I¡¯ve never had personal experience with Sector 1, outside of speaking with Gavon.¡± He glanced at Kaon¨¦. ¡°So if you believe they¡¯re trustworthy, then I¡¯ll take your word. Besides¡­¡± He then turned to Dav¨ªdrius. ¡°This is your Compound. You call the shots, here, not me.¡±


    ¡°Well, hold on, now, it ain¡¯t like I¡¯m the sole guy in charge, or anythin¡¯,¡± Dav¨ªdrius quickly refuted. ¡°¡­Still. Sounds like gettin¡¯ the Suns over here is our best bet, then. You really sure they won¡¯t try to take advantage of us, Kaon¨¦?¡±


    ¡°Certainly less than the NSD would, at least,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Tch. Guess that¡¯s all we can really hope for, right now¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius sighed loftily. ¡°¡­Guess they¡¯re probably the best equipped to figure out exactly how the Bleeders got their hands on the infection, too. ¡­Alright. Let¡¯s do it, then.¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll get right on that,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared as she began preparing to leave.


    ¡°And what about you, Colonel?¡± Dav¨ªdrius questioned, his gaze turning to the Earthian. ¡°You and your team have already helped us out a ton, without even askin¡¯ for much in return. So I don¡¯t wanna be too greedy. But for the sake of our defense plannin¡¯, I gotta know ¡ª how much longer can we expect your help? Do you still not know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a perfectly reasonable question,¡± Saito said. ¡°¡­But, unfortunately, I still don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t heard anything from SERRCom brass just yet, but my warning from a few days ago still stands ¡ª we could be called away at a moment¡¯s notice. You¡¯re probably better off assuming that we won¡¯t be around to help fend off a large attack.¡±


    ¡°Figured as much¡­¡± Dav¨ªdrius grumbled. ¡°¡­Looks like we really will be relyin¡¯ in the Suns, then.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t perfect, but I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t regret it,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will,¡± Dav¨ªdrius replied. He then stood up from his chair, his hands on his desk as he looked at each of Saito, Kaon¨¦, and Ralak. ¡°¡­Well, I think that covers everythin¡¯ then, huh? I probably don¡¯t need to tell y¡¯all, but the infection is serious business, as are the Bleeders. Keep on your toes. But for now, this meetin¡¯ is over.¡±


    <hr>


    *


    Bright sunlight shone down through clear skies upon the beige buildings of Compound Tresnon, casting long west-ward shadows as the sun began its dayward march. A soft, cool breeze swept into the Compound from the adjacent lake, the waters serving as a mild mitigating element to the growing desert heat. After all, Tres¨¦d was now a mere month out from the summer solstice ¡ª and daytime temperatures had risen considerably. As such, most inhabitants of Compound Tresnon had been reducing the amount of time they spent out in the sun, preferring to stay inside or under large tarps. Accordingly, the roof of WCU¡¯s dormitory building was practically devoid of all human presence¡­ save for one man leaning against the guardrail, peering idly out across Tresnon.


    Mark released a long, lofty sigh, his gaze sweeping slowly across the low skyline of Tresnon and the waters of the adjacent Mirage Lake. Barely an hour had passed since he had prepared breakfast for CSF-1 and the Keys, as he always did. At this point in the day, he would usually be helping to clean the dorms or engaging in some training, but today, he found little motivation to partake in his usual habits. Barely twelve hours had passed since he had left Compound Falnon, after all. Barely twelve hours had passed since he had helped to subdue the infected populace¡­ only to then learn that they had all been doomed before he even arrived.


    ¡°Oh, Mark¡­ there you are.¡±


    Mark glanced over his shoulder, finding that Danielle had just stepped onto the roof. He offered her a subdued nod before turning back to look out over the roof¡¯s guardrail; Danielle promptly joined him, though her movements notably lacked her signature energetic bounciness.


    ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡±


    Mark glanced down at Danielle, noting that she was looking up at him with concern in her eyes. He offered a bitter smile in response before looking away. ¡°¡­Sorry. Was I that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Well, I noticed that breakfast tasted a little off, today¡­¡± Danielle replied. ¡°I mean, it was still good, but¡­ ¡­well, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ fair enough.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t really remember the last time I saw you like this, either, so¡­¡±


    ¡°I think both of us can say that. You¡¯ve been pretty quiet today, too. Is there anything you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Sorta¡ª hey! Wait!¡± Danielle¡¯s face turned down into a pout. ¡°I came here to cheer you up, not the other way around!¡±


    Mark chuckled briefly in response. ¡°Fair enough. Though I think we¡¯re both thinking about the same thing¡­ aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ last night?¡±


    Mark nodded slowly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Danielle slowly replied, and then released a resigned sigh as she joined Mark in gazing idly over Compound Tresnon. ¡°I guess¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to say, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you,¡± Mark said. ¡°Last night wasn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve seen the metallic infection in action, but¡­ it was definitely the first time I¡¯ve seen it affect people. It was¡­¡± He paused to chuckle uneasily. ¡°¡­Stressful, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, true¡­¡± Danielle agreed.


    ¡°But the worst thing¡­ is knowing that there was never anything that we could¡¯ve done for them. According to Kaon¨¦, by the time we arrived, it was too late.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but it just seems so, I dunno¡­ weird, I guess. Like¡­ those people were still alive, you know? I get that they weren¡¯t really ¡®them¡¯ anymore, but¡­ it still doesn¡¯t seem real. They were acting so much like animals, too!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the infection¡¯s fault. As I understand it, the infection drives people and animals crazy like that to try and draw blood from other animals, so as to perpetuate the infection. So I suppose that seeing them behave like that should¡¯ve clued us in that it was too late to save them, but¡­ I just¡­¡±


    Silence reigned for a moment, as Danielle quietly waited for Mark to gather his thoughts.


    ¡°¡­In the end, it wasn¡¯t even the infection that killed them,¡± he eventually continued, his shoulders slumping. ¡°It was¡­ us. CSF-1. Dean Densalin. The Defense Force. We had to put them down.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ do you think there was another way¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. No, I don¡¯t think there was. If even Dean Densalin thought that they were too far gone, then¡­ well, they were. And aside from just putting them all out of their misery, we needed to be sure that the infection wouldn¡¯t spread outside of Falnon. So I understand why what we did was necessary. But¡­ I just don¡¯t understand why it had to come to that in the first place.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°All signs point to the infection being let loose on Falnon by the Bleeders. That is, everyone there suffered, just because the Bleeders wanted them to. But why? What do they have to gain from doing something so barbaric?¡±


    Danielle looked up at Mark for a moment, but he didn¡¯t return the gesture; his furrowed brow was still directed out over Tresnon. With a sigh, Danielle turned away herself. ¡°¡­I dunno. I don¡¯t really get it, either. It¡¯s just¡­ mean.¡±


    ¡°Evil, even.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°And the more I think about what happened last night, the more I realize just how deep the problems really run. I¡¯ve heard plenty of times that the Bleeders are rotten, but I never really internalized it until now. But, given how the locals talk, the Bleeders have always been like this. Which makes you wonder¡­ why does no one outside of Tres¨¦d care? Why is everyone willing to just let the Bleeders keep inflicting these nightmares on the people of this continent?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they just don¡¯t know¡­?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I think¡­ I¡¯m starting to think that it¡¯s because the rest of Nimalia just doesn¡¯t care. I¡¯ve seen for myself just how other Nimalians treat Tres¨¦dians. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the kind of discrimination that you¡¯d think, that you¡¯d hope an interstellar nation like Nimalia would have moved beyond. But no. It still happens.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ well, I can easily handle specific threats. If an attack happens, then I can help fight it off. I¡¯ve done that before, tons of times. But when you look at the problem from afar, you realize¡­ the problems run so deep, there¡¯s no way any one person can solve them. Driving off one attack won¡¯t stop more from happening in the future. So sometimes, I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­ what¡¯s¡­ what¡¯s even the point?¡±


    Silence fell again, with Mark and Danielle quietly staring into the distant horizon. Several moments passed, interspersed only with the soft sound of their clothes flapping in the breeze.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Danielle eventually said, drawing Mark¡¯s attention. ¡°¡­I think, that we can actually do a lot more than you think.¡±


    Mark¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I mean, just think about it: we already have, in the past,¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°I mean, maybe not here in Tres¨¦d, but, like, in general. We¡¯ve helped out on Earth a bunch, right? And we even found a bunch of cool stuff for SERRCom that Kate says will be really important in the future. Last night, too¡­ we may not have been able to save everyone, but at least we were able to keep the infection from spreading, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I think that¡­ yeah, some of the problems we have are pretty big, but, like¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t do anything, you know? We can still help, here and there, even if only a little. And if you do it, and I do it, and Mote and Kate do it, and CSF-1 does it¡­ it all adds up. Right?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, the corners of Mark¡¯s mouth turned up into a small, genuine smile. ¡°¡­True. As long as everyone works toward the same goal, eventually, we¡¯ll get there¡­¡±


    ¡°And, I mean¡­ I don¡¯t think everything will be perfect, or anything,¡± Danielle continued. ¡°Sometimes, bad stuff will happen, like¡­ last night. And sometimes, I think, we just won¡¯t be able to understand why other people do what they do. But¡­ that won¡¯t stop us from helping out the people who need it. Right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right,¡± Mark affirmed. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how I managed to forget that. I guess I¡¯ve been stuck inside my own head too much, haha.¡±


    ¡°You and Mote do that a lot. Kate, too, kinda.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really argue with that.¡± Mark then turned his gaze up to the cloudless skies above as a lofty sigh escaped his lips. ¡°I still¡­ ¡­I don¡¯t think Falnon is going to leave me anytime soon. I still find it hard to accept that all of those people had to die¡­ but, you are right. We did still contain the infection, I suppose. And we¡¯ll still have chances to help in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly. But I was there last night, too. You aren¡¯t the only one who had to deal with what happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, true, true. Sorry.¡± Mark sighed again, and then turned to give Danielle a small smile. ¡°¡­Thanks, Danielle. For talking things out with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you do the same for me all the time,¡± Danielle replied. ¡°And Mote, and Kate, too. I kinda¡­ wanted to talk about this, anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah. And instead, you had to cheer me up¡­ sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine! That¡¯s the main reason I came here, anyways. I¡¯m glad that I could help.¡±


    ¡°Still, if there¡¯s anything you need from me, I¡¯d be happy to help.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ what about a hug?¡±


    Mark chuckled briefly as he drew back from the guard rail and turned toward Danielle. ¡°For that? You don¡¯t even need to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± Danielle replied as she practically jumped into Mark¡¯s arms, readily embracing him. With an amused smile, Mark gently hugged her back, softly patting her on the back.


    ¡°Now if only Mote and Kate were okay with hugs, too¡­¡± she said, her eyes closed and mouth turned up into a contented smile.


    ¡°Ah, well, you know how they are,¡± Mark responded. ¡°They both have trouble expressing their true emotions, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°True!¡± Danielle remarked.


    Then, for the third time since Danielle had stepped onto the roof, silence fell over the duo ¡ª but this time, the quiet was much more serene. As Mark looked out over Tresnon, he still couldn¡¯t completely tear his thoughts away from what happened in Falnon¡­ but now, at least, he didn¡¯t feel quite so hopeless.


    ¡°Is there anything you were gonna do today?¡±


    Mark glanced down at Danielle, who was looking up at him with questioning eyes. ¡°¡­Well¡­¡± he began to respond, ¡°we do have a guard shift this afternoon, but before that¡­ I do still have some daily cleaning to take care of. And maybe I¡¯ll make everyone lunch, after that, as an apology for breakfast being ¡®off¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it wasn¡¯t bad, it was just¡­ less good, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If nothing else, making lunch will help take my mind off of things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good point¡­ can I help, then?¡±


    Mark smiled as the two finally separated. ¡°Of course, Danielle. You know you don¡¯t have to ask to help me with my cooking!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Danielle cheered, and then turned toward the roof exit and began bouncing toward it. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then!¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Mark replied, readily following behind her ¡ª the both of them more than ready to move beyond the dark events of the previous night.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 58: Creating Involvement

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 58: Creating Involvement


    2 Days Later


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to help the dweeb with his RPG thing, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon, it sounds fun,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°You should give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°No fuckin¡¯ thanks,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°I have better things to do with my time than playing make-believe.¡±


    Conrad responded with a sigh and a shrug as he and Pierce stepped outside of the WCU dorms. Bright, midday sun shone down on them, heralding a warm weekend day ¡ª made warmer still by the complete lack of clouds in the blue skies above. Nevertheless, Pierce and Conrad both still wore their Tres¨¦dian desert robes, so as to protect their skin from the unrelenting sun.


    ¡°¡­It has more structure than ¡®make-believe¡¯, you know,¡± Conrad eventually remarked. ¡°We aren¡¯t just trying to one-up each other all the time. There¡¯s actual rules and game mechanics and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yeah huh. Sure,¡± Pierce deadpanned.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man. You like playing video games, right? Imagine that, but with more freedom to do stuff that the ¡®developers¡¯ didn¡¯t account for.¡±


    Pierce passed Conrad a brief glance before shaking his head. ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t play games that much, anyways. Not as much as you, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Always with the excuses,¡± Conrad replied with a sigh. ¡°Oh well, your loss.¡±


    ¡°Hardly a loss,¡± Pierce refuted as the two continued walking down the WCU grounds toward the campus gate. ¡°I was never interested from the start.¡±


    ¡°You never say that when it¡¯s actually true,¡± Conrad countered, and then adopted a cheeky smirk. ¡°Ah, I bet you actually are interested, but you feel awkward admitting it because that would mean that Austin was right!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just making shit up,¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°I don¡¯t care what the dweeb does, I just don¡¯t want any part of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah huh. Sure,¡± Conrad deadpanned. He then passed Pierce a questioning look. ¡°What are you planning to do on Creators¡¯ Day, then? Just walk around?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what most people do at festivals and stuff. After all, if there isn¡¯t anyone walking around and enjoying the stalls and sights and everything, then is there even any point to making stuff?¡±


    ¡°Ah, taking on the role of the benevolent consumer, I see. How gracious of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, you smartass. Like you weren¡¯t ready to do the same, before the dweeb roped you into this RPG shit.¡±


    ¡°Heh, got me there. I kinda wonder, now, what kinds of stuff the Tres¨¦dians create, though, or exactly how many of them do it.¡± A sour look soon crossed Conrad¡¯s face. ¡°Aw man, this is gonna be one of those holidays where the crowds are huge and everywhere, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Are you really only just realizing that?¡± Pierce retorted with a smirk.


    ¡°¡­Well, even more reason to hang with Austin¡¯s plan, I guess. Only a handful of people can play at a time, so crowds are right out.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, you fucking dweeb. Though I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t planning to just spend the day sleeping in your room.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t sleep all the time, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah huh. Sure,¡± Pierce drawled, just as the two passed the far end of the campus buildings. Before them laid the training fields, occupied with a handful of students engaged in exercise or practice with their abilities. But most notably, off to the left, a small group of students appeared to have gathered around something in the shade of WCU¡¯s classroom building.


    Upon noticing this, Pierce nodded in the direction of the small crowd. ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡±


    ¡°¡­I think they¡¯re watching something?¡± Conrad suggested as he turned his ear toward the crowd. ¡°¡­Some kind of fight?¡±


    ¡°Are you doing that eavesdropping thing?¡± Pierce questioned flatly.


    ¡°Hey, they¡¯re gathering in public, this is fair game,¡± Conrad countered. ¡°¡­There¡¯s commentary, like it¡¯s a sport. And I think it¡¯s between Chaotics? ¡­Hey, they¡¯re talking about Kar¨ªsah!¡±


    ¡°Oh, they must be watching that Chaotic tournament!¡± Pierce readily turned toward the group. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to check that out. Let¡¯s go take a look!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª? ¡­Aw¡­¡± Conrad sighed in resignation as he followed after Pierce. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡¯ve said anything¡­¡±


    The two quickly crossed the courtyard to reach the shaded gathering. On a closer look, everyone seemed to be gathered around a small television screen, featuring a camera feed of some kind of stadium. Glistening white marble, accented with silver and accompanied by grandiose water features, made clear the stadium¡¯s presence within Anika, the capital city of Riverana. A trough of water surrounded the actual play area within the stadium, as well as the actual focus of the cameras: two Chaotics duking it out while thousands of people in the stands watched on, awed by the impressive displays of force below.


    Flashes of light blasted outward from one of the Chaotics as they bobbed and weaved around the arena, all while firing off laser after laser at their opponent ¡ª who, once the cameras focused on her, was clearly Kar¨ªsah. The brawny Tres¨¦dian simply charged forward through the lasers, allowing her protective energy shielding to soak up the hits as she rapidly closed the distance between her and her opponent. Another blinding flash of light momentarily obscured the action, and the loud sound of crumbling stone made clear that some devastating blow had been dealt to the arena. By the time the light subsided, the light-controlling Chaotic could be seen careening through the air towards the edge of the play area, while Kar¨ªsah readily tore massive chucks of stone out of the ground and chucked them at her opponent.


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s a lot flashier than I expected,¡± Conrad commented as he and Pierce continued watching the bout.


    ¡°That¡¯s just because Kar¨ªsah¡¯s up against a Solartechnic, it looks like,¡± Pierce said. ¡°Just look at that light control. And they¡¯re still losing against dumb, brute strength? Ha!¡±


    ¡°Eh, I dunno,¡± Conrad replied. ¡°They both have energy shielding, see? And I doubt this tournament allows deadly or incapacitating force. So maybe that Solartechnic is just holding back.¡±


    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s just how strong Kar¨ªsah is.¡±


    ¡°¡­Liask!¡± Pierce exclaimed, turning to the side as Liask, followed by Obra and Minilas, approached. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you, here. I thought we were going to meet in the city?¡±


    ¡°She said she was going to leave a little bit ago,¡± Minilas stated, and then offered a wry smirk as she elbowed Liask in the side. ¡°But then Kar¨ªsah¡¯s matches started, and she¡¯s been glued to the screen since.¡±


    ¡°Looks like the fight caught y¡¯all, too,¡± Obra remarked while staring levelly at Pierce and Conrad.


    ¡°Just wanted to see what was going on,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been interested in the ACT from the start, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well you picked a great time to watch! Just look at Kar¨ªsah go!¡± Liask exclaimed excitedly, her attention turned back to the screen in front of them. Sure enough, Kar¨ªsah appeared to have her opponent on the defensive with a fierce barrage of stone and debris. Flashes of light frequently obscured laser blasts that obliterated many of the incoming boulders, but Kar¨ªsah continued tearing into the ground and hurling forward the debris as she pressed steadily onwards herself. The Solartechnic was backing away just as quickly in a clear attempt to make some space, but a moment later, they found themselves at the edge of the water surrounding the play area; as soon as they felt their foot touch the water, they stumbled uneasily, as if unsure of how to proceed.


    But that moment of weakness was all that Kar¨ªsah needed. In an instant, she bounded forward, the incredible strength in her legs allowing her to clear the several dozen meters between her and her opponent in a single leap. The Solartechnic spotted her and dived to the side in an attempt to evade, with Kar¨ªsah crashing down to the ground right where they had previously stood ¡ª but Kar¨ªsah¡¯s arm was already outstretched, managing to grab the Solartechnic¡¯s leg just before they could escape. Kar¨ªsah then followed by whipping the Solartechnic around and slamming them into the water trough surrounding the play area, holding them down with her superior strength while ensuring that her own body remained in the play area.


    ¡°Six¡­ Five¡­ Four¡­!¡± counted down an announcer, all while the Solartechnic attempted to free themselves from Kar¨ªsah¡¯s grasp ¡ª by struggling, by blasting her with light, by attempting to blind her with incredibly bright flashes. But Kar¨ªsah remained unyielding. ¡°Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­! Riiiiing out!! That¡¯s a victory for one Kar¨ªsah Lekai! And with that, the Tres¨¦dian favorite ¡ª Team Tresnon, led by Tres¨¦d¡¯s very own member of the Elite Six ¡ª advances to the next round!!¡±


    ¡°Woooo!!¡± Liask cheered, along with the rest of the students crowded around the screen. ¡°I knew she could do it!¡±


    ¡°She is WCU¡¯s member of the Elite Six,¡± Obra pointed out. ¡°If she couldn¡¯t do this much, then it¡¯d be embarrassin¡¯ as hell for the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, that was so straightforward,¡± Pierce declared. ¡°I could¡¯ve defeated that Solartechnic just as easily.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but could you have done it after fightin¡¯ two other Chaotics, all on your own?¡± Obra challenged.


    ¡°Sure I could. Probably.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who failed to even qualify for the ACT,¡± Minilas deadpanned.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Pierce looked down at her indignantly. ¡°That¡¯s just because we weren¡¯t properly ready!¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Pierce, let it go,¡± Conrad interjected. ¡°We showed up in the middle of that fight, anyways. There was probably a bunch of stuff that we missed.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, you sure did!¡± Liask remarked. ¡°Like Obra said, Kar¨ªsah had to fight three Chaotics in a row, and she still pulled it off! An Aerotechnic first ¡ª they almost managed to time out Kar¨ªsah, but she tired ¡®em out over the whole match and then forced an opening right at the end, where she grabbed ¡®em to force a ring out! And then there was a Velocitechnic that seemed really fast, but Kar¨ªsah read them like an open book! They barely lasted at all!¡±


    ¡°She trains with Dean Wrikax a ton, of course she¡¯d be used to fightin¡¯ Velocitechnics,¡± Obra stated.


    ¡°Sure, but it was still impressive,¡± Liask insisted. ¡°And then there was this Solartechnic fight ¡ª you saw the end of that. None of them stood a chance against her!¡±


    ¡°Those flashing lights must¡¯ve been hell to watch in person,¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Let alone fight against¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Can¡¯t really argue with that,¡± Pierce mused. ¡°¡­But you say that Kar¨ªsah fought three different people? Why? Isn¡¯t the ACT a team-based tournament?¡±


    ¡°It would figure that you don¡¯t even know how this shit works,¡± Obra drawled.


    ¡°The ACT is team-based, yeah, but the whole team doesn¡¯t fight at once,¡± Liask explained. ¡°They take turns fightin¡¯ 1-on-1. Each team chooses an order to fight in at the beginning of the round, and the winner of each match goes on to start the next match. The round ends once all of one team¡¯s members have been defeated.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let me get this straight¡­¡± Pierce mused. ¡°¡­So, let¡¯s say that me, Conrad, and Phoenix go up against you and your two friends. We each pick an order to fight in, so, I dunno, Conrad, then Phoenix, then me. And you put Minilas first, then Obra, then you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m winnin¡¯ a fight,¡± Minilas remarked. ¡°I just make food. Remember?¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t have any way of taking someone out,¡± Conrad added. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a ¡®fight¡¯ between me and Minilas just be a draw?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still bigger than her,¡± Pierce pointed out. ¡°¡­Although, you aren¡¯t exactly in the best athletic shape, either.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯d end in a time out,¡± Liask said. ¡°Then you¡¯d both be ¡®defeated¡¯, so the next match would start with the next two people on the list.¡±


    ¡°So, Phoenix vs. Obra,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Now, let¡¯s say that Phoenix wins.¡±


    ¡°What? Hey!¡± Obra protested. ¡°Why do I lose?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Phoenix wins. By a¡­ ring out?¡±


    ¡°Either a ring out or a shield out,¡± Liask answered. ¡°A ring out is when you force someone to be outside of the ring for more than ten seconds across the whole match. And shield out means that you drop their energy shields to below fifty percent.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So let¡¯s say that Phoenix wins by shield out. So Obra would be out, and then the next match would be¡­ between Phoenix and you, Liask?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And then, if I beat Phoenix, I¡¯d go on to the final match against you.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I see. Interesting. So when you say that Kar¨ªsah had to go against three Chaotics in a row ¡ª does that mean the rest of her team was defeated by the opposing team¡¯s second Chaotic? Since the teams have four people?¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Minilas answered.


    ¡°Kind of sounds like her team sucks, then,¡± Pierce remarked.


    ¡°I mean, they aren¡¯t as strong as her, sure,¡± Liask replied, ¡°but I think they still outplayed the other team. See, the other team¡¯s first Chaotic was a Duratechnic, like Kar¨ªsah. I think they were hoping that Kar¨ªsah would go first, so that their Duratechnic could stall her out and the rest of their team would sweep Kar¨ªsah¡¯s. But instead, Kar¨ªsah had a Visitechnic on her team, and they went first against the Duratechnic ¡ª and stalled to get a time out. So the enemy team lost their only counter to Kar¨ªsah, while Kar¨ªsah herself hadn¡¯t even gone, yet!¡±


    ¡°Wait, so the teams don¡¯t know the order that the enemy team is going in?¡± Conrad questioned.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s interesting!¡± Pierce declared. ¡°So the tournament isn¡¯t just about the fights, but also about predicting the enemy team¡¯s actions and outplaying them, huh? Damn, I can¡¯t wait to play in this tournament, one day!¡±


    ¡°Still as over-confident as ever¡­¡± Obra muttered.


    ¡°It really is excitin¡¯ though, ain¡¯t it?¡± Liask replied with an enthusiastic grin. ¡°I hope I can play in the ACT one day, too!¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, you guys and your competitive streaks¡­¡± Conrad remarked. ¡°Glad to hear Kar¨ªsah won this round, though. Who¡¯s she up against, next? Will that be later today?¡±


    ¡°No, the ACT only runs one round a week,¡± Liask explained. ¡°To let everyone recover, you know? Although¡­ the next round might be really hard for Kar¨ªsah¡¯s team to win¡­¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Pierce questioned.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be up against that asshole, Sm¨¦than Leta,¡± Obra answered. ¡°He¡¯s the Elite Six member from the school in East Nimaliaka, KCC. He has a really offensive way of fightin¡¯ that I don¡¯t think Kar¨ªsah can match.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Offensive¡¯ as in, he pisses people off?¡± Conrad questioned. ¡°Or as in, he fights really hard?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± Minilas replied.


    ¡°He does try to piss off his enemies, to make ¡®em lose their cool and fight less effectively,¡± Liask said. ¡°But he has the skill and the powers to back it up. He¡¯s a dual-type Chaotic, like Kar¨ªsah, really ¡ª but he has Pyro- and Geotechnism. What he usually does is just turn the entire field into lava to drain his enemies¡¯ shields ¡ª he¡¯s done it in every single match of his, so far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of damage,¡± Conrad said. ¡°Actually, Kar¨ªsah just ripped up the field a ton, too. How¡¯s the stadium still standing?¡±


    ¡°They have Geotechnics and other Chaotics around who fix up the battle damage after every match,¡± Obra explained.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Liask nodded. ¡°Which means that people like Sm¨¦than are free to wreck the field as much as they want. And with how he does it, he¡¯s pretty much guaranteed a win by shield out against any opponent who can¡¯t fly¡­ like Kar¨ªsah.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s bullshit,¡± Pierce replied. ¡°Isn¡¯t Kar¨ªsah a Duratechnic? Doesn¡¯t that mean that she¡¯s super durable? How can she lose when lava wouldn¡¯t even do anything to her?¡±


    ¡°I dunno if she¡¯s that durable. It¡¯s just kinda one of those things you have to accept about the tournament, though. You can¡¯t have people actually killin¡¯ each other, so you need energy shields, which changes the strategy for a lot of Chaotics.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it is just a sport,¡± Conrad said. ¡°Nobody expects sports to reflect real life, after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still bullshit, even if it makes sense,¡± Pierce countered. ¡°¡­But everything else about how this tournament works seems pretty damn cool, so I guess I can give the shield thing a pass. For now.¡±


    ¡°How gracious of you,¡± Conrad deadpanned, and then turned back towards the screen. ¡°¡­Hey, looks like the next match is about to start.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s between an Academy team and a YCUR team,¡± Obra responded dismissively. ¡°Who cares about that?¡±


    ¡°Hey, just ¡®cause there ain¡¯t a WCU team involved doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be fun to watch!¡± Liask countered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a date with playboy, here?¡± Minilas questioned with a smirk.


    ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Liask turned to give Pierce a sheepish smile. ¡°Uh, sorry, I guess I got carried away¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine,¡± Pierce replied coolly. ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty interested in watching the ACT, myself. Besides, it isn¡¯t like this thing is going to run all day, is it? We can go out later. Maybe for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s a good idea! Thanks, Pierce!¡± Liask cheerfully responded, and then held her left forearm in front of her, across her chest. ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°¡­Uuuh¡­?¡± Pierce stared at her arm in confusion. ¡°¡­Am I¡­ supposed to do something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s, uh¡­ it¡¯s a Tres¨¦dian show of, you know, uh¡­ l-love.¡± Liask sheepishly diverted her gaze, but kept her arm held in front of her. ¡°Y-you¡¯re supposed to¡­ w-well, I mean, I guess it¡¯s kinda stupid¡­¡±


    ¡°No no, out with it,¡± Pierce insisted. ¡°I forced you to put up with Earthian displays of affection, so I owe you at least this much.¡±


    ¡°Uegh, get a room, you two,¡± Obra retorted.


    ¡°Be quiet, you,¡± Minilas chided. ¡°We don¡¯t get to see Liask flustered like this very often.¡±


    ¡°H-hey¡­!¡± Liask protested.


    ¡°Ignore them,¡± Pierce replied, and then held out his own left arm across his chest, mimicking Liask¡¯s motion. ¡°¡­Is this right?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re supposed to lock arms, and, uh¡­ pull each other close.¡±


    An amused smirk spread across Pierce¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He then stepped toward Liask, threading his arm around hers and locking at the elbow. As soon as he had done so, he pulled her in, looking down into her bewildered eyes while raising his eyebrow suggestively. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Uh-uuuh¡­¡± Liask¡¯s face flushed red, though she couldn¡¯t keep herself from smiling. ¡°Uh¡­ m-maybe not this close, but, uh, y-yeah.¡±


    ¡°¡­You know what? I¡¯m with Obra,¡± Conrad said. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna gag.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s funny,¡± Minilas remarked with a slight grin, half-hidden behind her long bangs.


    ¡°You all are just jealous,¡± Pierce retorted as he released Liask.


    ¡°Jealous my ass,¡± Obra countered. ¡°Now be quiet, the next match is starting.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who didn¡¯t wanna watch ¡®cause there weren¡¯t any Tres¨¦dians involved,¡± Minilas commented.


    ¡°Alright, you¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shush, it¡¯s startin¡¯.¡±


    Pierce merely chuckled to himself as he turned his attention to the screen, content to spend the rest of the afternoon watching the ACT with his friends.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°Alright, y¡¯all! Creators¡¯ Day is in eight days ¡ª that¡¯s less than one Nimalian week!¡±


    ¡°Why are you urging us on?¡± Twy responded incredulously. ¡°You¡¯re half the reason we have to crunch, now!¡±


    ¡°Ah ha ha ha¡­!¡± Sky laughed sheepishly before turning to look over the rest of her room. Twy, Phoenix, and Kestrel all sat around the room; Twy had with her a large stack of poster-sized paintings, Phoenix was carrying a tote bag full of clothing, and Kestrel had brought her laptop, all of them prepared to continue working on their Creators¡¯ Day performance.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be close, but I think we can make it,¡± Phoenix remarked as she began rummaging through her bag. ¡°My biggest concern is you, Sky ¡ª you¡¯ll be the one actually singing on stage. Do you think one week is enough time to practice?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I have the lyrics, so I can practice that already,¡± Sky replied, and then gestured toward Kestrel. ¡°But she¡¯s the one writing the backing track. That¡¯ll set the tempo and the tone, so I can¡¯t really practice until she¡¯s done!¡±


    ¡°Sent draft two days ago¡­¡± Kestrel responded.


    ¡°What?!¡± Sky quickly jumped over to her desk and began fiddling with her own laptop. ¡°¡­Oh! Ha ha, guess you did!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Sky¡­¡± Twy muttered as she held her hand to her face.


    ¡°The two of you really are hella different, huh?¡± Phoenix said as she glanced between Sky and Twy with a smirk. ¡°Twy¡¯s already almost done with the mural, and yet Sky is barely on top of things!¡±


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯ll be fine!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°After all, if I fuck it up somehow, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯ll get publicly embarrassed!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still attaching our work to this performance, you know,¡± Twy argued. ¡°Can¡¯t you take this at least a little seriously?¡±


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it¡¯s just a little talent show, kinda. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything actually on the line.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can just¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I didn¡¯t mean to start an argument,¡± Phoenix cut in. ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re both right. Sky, you should take this at least a little more seriously ¡ª after all, what¡¯s the point in performing if you aren¡¯t going to bring your best? And Twy, let¡¯s lighten up at least a little bit. This is just an extracurricular, after all. Hell, not even that, really.¡±


    Twy sighed in resignation. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Sky readily apologized, at which point she grabbed her laptop and made for the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go practice the song, now¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Phoenix quickly interrupted again. ¡°We only just met for the day! Let¡¯s at least make sure we¡¯re all on the same page!¡±


    ¡°Final draft by tomorrow,¡± Kestrel declared as Sky slowly backed away from her room¡¯s door.


    ¡°I should be able to put the finishing touches on the mural by tomorrow or the day after, as well,¡± Twy stated, and then gently patted the stack of posters nearby. ¡°There¡¯s four more pieces of the mural left to paint, but they¡¯re all simple. Just clouds and sky, really.¡±


    ¡°Damn, almost done in just five days, huh?¡± Sky remarked. ¡°That¡¯s my sis, for you!¡±


    ¡°Five days because I closely followed a reference, this time,¡± Twy refuted. ¡°We didn¡¯t have time for me to freehand a mural of Yosemite¡­¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯ve done impressive work, nonetheless,¡± Phoenix said. ¡°But I didn¡¯t know you were so close to being done. I suppose that leaves the rest to me and Sky, then.¡±


    ¡°Have you picked out an outfit, yet?¡± Sky questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting there, but I¡¯m still considering a few things. We switched to an American theme, which makes this easier. And since you¡¯re Texan, I briefly thought about some kind of cowgirl outfit¡ª¡°


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Twy pleaded.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, it sounds really fun, to me!¡± Sky remarked.


    ¡°Yeah, but your song isn¡¯t actually about Texas,¡± Phoenix countered. ¡°Enough of Earth already associates the US with Texas or California, as is; I don¡¯t want to introduce that trope to a whole new planet.¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­¡± Sky pouted.


    ¡°Other ideas?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°The song is about both the people, and the natural landscapes. And the mural is of Yosemite valley¡­¡± Phoenix mused. ¡°It¡¯s hard to think of a flashy performance outfit that would fit all of that. A park ranger outfit comes to mind, but it¡¯s way too drab¡­¡±


    ¡°Would you even be able to put together an outfit like that, using only clothing here in Tresnon?¡± Twy asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate my sewing ability. I already have Sky¡¯s sizes, so I just need to design an outfit. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely have something before Creators¡¯ Day ¡ª by the 5th, we¡¯ll say.¡±


    ¡°That would give me two days to practice with the outfit¡­¡± Sky mused. ¡°It isn¡¯t much, but it should still be enough, I think.¡±


    ¡°We really are cutting this close¡­¡± Twy muttered.


    ¡°We are, but we¡¯ll be fine,¡± Phoenix insisted. ¡°Worst comes to worst, I can just give Sky one of my outfits. Nothing says ¡®American¡¯ better than an informal style!¡±


    ¡°Will they fit?¡± Kestrel questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that short!¡± Phoenix immediately snapped back.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve only got a couple inches on you,¡± Sky remarked. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the hips, though. Yours are a lot more impressive than mine.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll make it work. You just need to hold up your side of the performance and practice that song until you know it better than the back of your hand!¡±


    ¡°¡­You know, I¡¯ve always thought that was a weird phrase. Do people really know the back of their hands all that well?¡±


    ¡°Sky¡­¡± Twy muttered as she facepalmed again.


    ¡°Ha ha, sorry! Point taken!¡± Sky remarked, and then moved to grab her laptop again. ¡°Anyways, it sounds like we¡¯re all making good progress! I¡¯m gonna go practice my singing, now!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll get to thinking about the outfit, some more,¡± Phoenix replied with a nod. She then turned to look at Twy and Kestrel as Sky practically bolted out of the room. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the two of you to it. Let¡¯s make this a Creators¡¯ Day to remember!¡±


    <hr>


    *


    The soft tapping sound of keys being depressed on a laptop keyboard filled a dark tavern room, the only signs of Kirstin¡¯s presence in Tresnon at that moment. Closed curtains prevented the bright midday sun from reaching the room¡¯s interior, leaving Kirstin¡¯s laptop screen to be the sole source of light illuminating her cross-legged, somewhat hunched over form, sat on the ground between the wall and her bed.


    The SFC is really, uh¡­ bad at information security, huh¡­ she mused as her fingers continued to fly across the keyboard. Ever since CSF-1 returned to Compound Tresnon with two SFC captives, Kirstin had been tasked with pulling as much information from their implants as she could, as well as analyzing whatever could be relevant to the defense of Compound Tresnon and Tres¨¦d as a whole. She had expected the task to be a bothersome one, given that the SFC were an alien organization with advanced technology ¡ª yet she had managed to break their encryption with just the most standard of hacking and decryption techniques. All that remained was to sift through the information that was present, much of which was interesting, but little of which seemed relevant to Tres¨¦d.


    I even have limited access to the SFC¡¯s internal network, just because I hacked these implants¡­ Kirstin shook her head in disapproval. That just seems so sloppy. I already let the Nimalians know, and they said it¡¯s fine to keep looking around, so I guess it¡¯s fine, but¡­ I really wonder how these people are supposed to be the official military of Riverana¡­


    A knock at the room¡¯s door startled Kirstin out of her thoughts. Before she could begin to reply, she heard a voice call through the door, ¡°hey, is anyone in there?¡±


    Is that¡­ Austin¡­? Kirstin glanced uneasily toward the door. ¡°U-uh¡­ c-come in¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh. There is someone here,¡± came Austin¡¯s voice, followed a second later by the creaking of the opening door. Light spilled into the dark room from the hallway, causing Kirstin to flinch away as both Austin and Spike peered into the room.


    ¡°Why¡¯s it so dark¡­?¡± Spike questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Uh¡­ well, I thought someone was here¡­¡± Austin said while scanning the room. ¡°Was I just hearing things?¡±


    ¡°N-no, I-I, um¡­¡± Kirstin stuttered out, while meekly raising her hand to make herself more easily seen from behind her bed. ¡°I¡¯m, um, here¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Oh, there you are,¡± Austin replied. ¡°Why did you leave it so dark, in here? Do the lights not work, or something?¡±


    ¡°I-I just, um¡­¡± Kirstin responded uncomfortably, while fidgeting in place. ¡°¡­Uh, w-well, did you, um, n-need something¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Austin nodded once. ¡°We were looking for Luke, but he¡¯s not in his room. We were wondering if you might know where he went.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Um, I, uh¡­ d-don¡¯t know.¡±


    Austin released an annoyed sigh. ¡°It would figure¡­¡±


    ¡°H-he might, um, be on g-guard duty, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess that would make sense,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Well, thanks anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­Uhh¡­!¡± Kirstin started to reply, halting Austin and Spike just as they were turning away. With their attention drawn back to her, she began fidgeting uneasily, but she eventually managed to ask, ¡°w-why¡­ do you need him? J-just curious¡­¡±


    ¡°We were hopin¡¯ he could help us out with some Creators¡¯ Day stuff,¡± Spike replied. ¡°But, if he ain¡¯t around¡­¡±


    ¡°C-Creators¡¯ Day¡­?¡±


    ¡°Have you not heard? Half the Compound is buzzin¡¯ about it!¡± Austin exclaimed.


    Kirstin looked away uneasily. ¡°O-oh¡­ r-right¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn, Austin. Read the room, man,¡± Spike admonished, and then turned to look at Kirstin. ¡°It¡¯s a Nimalian holiday, apparently. Somethin¡¯ about celebratin¡¯ creators and creations and stuff. Austin here wanted to run a game, so we¡¯re goin¡¯ around tryin¡¯ to find people to help out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just me, Spike, and Conrad, for now,¡± Austin said. ¡°It would¡¯ve been nice to get Twy on board, too, since she could draw everyone¡¯s characters. That would go a long way towards getting new people invested. Too bad she¡¯s doin¡¯ that thing with Sky¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, that¡¯s the reason you wanna work with Twy,¡± Spike teased.


    ¡°Sh-shut up, man,¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°D-drawing characters¡­?¡± Kirstin echoed. ¡°And, um¡­ r-running a game? D-do you mean, um¡­ like a¡­ t-tabletop game?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you know what I¡¯m talking about?!¡± Austin responded excitedly. ¡°Have you played one before?!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª!¡± Kirstin drew back, startled by Austin¡¯s sudden interest. ¡°¡­N-no¡­ j-just, um, h-heard about them¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh. Well, are you interested? I could teach you how to play!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gettin¡¯ too excited, again,¡± Spike cut in. ¡°We need someone to help setup the game, not to play it. Remember?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure,¡± Austin replied, ¡°but we could still have her play on Creators¡¯ Day!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ th-thanks, but¡­ n-no thanks,¡± Kirstin responded uneasily. ¡°It¡¯s a, um¡­ h-holiday, right? So, uh¡­ c-crowds, and stuff¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, and I hate crowds, too,¡± Austin said. ¡°But that¡¯s what makes the game great ¡ª you can only really have a few players at a time. So it never gets too crowded!¡±


    ¡°St-still, um, st-strangers, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ true. ¡­Actually, you¡¯re right. Do I really want to be DMing for strangers? Aw, fuck, I didn¡¯t think about that part¡­¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man,¡± Spike insisted as he gave Austin a slap on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t be gettin¡¯ cold feet now! Creators¡¯ Day is in barely a week!¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, but¡ª¡°


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the whole point of this to introduce tabletop gamin¡¯ to the Nimalians, anyways?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± Austin began to retort, only to slump his shoulders and release a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right. Although¡­¡± He perked up, a new idea clearly forming in his head as he turned back to face Kirstin. ¡°Hey, what if I taught you how to play the game so you could help playtest my one-shot? Then you¡¯d get to play, but you wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the crowds on the day of!¡±


    Kirstin regarded him with surprise. ¡°Wh-what¡­? R-really¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± Spike remarked with an amused smirk. ¡°He just gets really excited when he gets the chance to play this stuff.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man, I have to take what I can get!¡± Austin retorted. ¡°My games with you and the twins never actually last!¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the one who loses interest!¡±


    ¡°Details, schmetails.¡± Austin turned back to Kirstin. ¡°What do you think? You in?¡±


    ¡°U-uh¡­¡± Kirstin glanced away and fidgeted uneasily. ¡°¡­W-who¡­ would be there¡­?¡±


    ¡°Me, Spike, Conrad, and you. For the playtesting, anyways. Oh man, having more than two players would be a big help, actually!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away, now,¡± Spike insisted. ¡°She still hasn¡¯t said ¡®yes¡¯.¡±


    Kirstin fidgeted uncomfortably again when Austin and Spike turned back to her. ¡°¡­M-maybe¡­¡± she eventually replied.


    ¡°¡­Well, at least it¡¯s not a ¡®no¡¯,¡± Austin said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we do the playtest run. You should show up, it¡¯ll be fun!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ th-think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Suppose we should probably leave you to your work, then,¡± Spike remarked. ¡°Sorry for interruptin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Kirstin quietly responded.


    ¡°Well, I guess we can go back to the dorms and work on the one-shot a bit¡­ see ya, Kirstin,¡± Austin commented as he and Spike retreated from the door, closing it behind them.


    Once again alone in the room, Kirstin¡¯s gaze lingered for a moment on the now-closed door. Gaming with the recruits, huh¡­ she mused, only to shake her head and return her attention to her laptop. M-maybe later. For now, you have work. Focus, focus¡­

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 59: A Forward Step

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 59: A Forward Step


    3 Days Later


    ¡°So you really found him, then?¡±


    ¡°Sure seems like it,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°If the base we found wasn¡¯t his main one, then he¡¯s a much bigger problem than anyone expected.¡±


    ¡°EA¡¯s base, huh¡­¡± Colonel Saito mused as he strolled through the streets of Compound Tresnon, alongside Major Hackett, Captain Travis, and Master Captain Gavon Sav¨¦nos. All four of them carried their guns with them, as they had just been relieved of guard duty atop the walls of Tresnon; it was on this walk back to their living spaces that Gavon broke the news of the Black Suns discovering EA¡¯s base.


    ¡°What makes you so sure that it¡¯s EA¡¯s?¡± Travis questioned with a side-glance toward Gavon.


    ¡°According to the report, the defenses were automated to an extent that no other organization in the galaxy has ever been able to match,¡± Gavon replied. ¡°On top of that, many of the buildings and defenses have EA¡¯s insignia painted on them: that blue ring with the double cross-bars running up and down and side-to-side.¡±


    ¡°He certainly isn¡¯t subtle about claiming what¡¯s his,¡± Hackett remarked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that he¡¯s too different from Austin, there,¡± Travis mused. ¡°I remember when he was younger, he loved to slap little insignias and things on everything he made.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a bad idea for someone who¡¯s trying to fly under the radar, though.¡±


    ¡°In general, I¡¯d agree,¡± Gavon said. ¡°But for EA, I think it¡¯s fully intentional. In most cases that we¡¯ve seen his insignia, I fully believe it¡¯s because he wanted us to see it. He wants us to think that he¡¯s a threat.¡±


    ¡°How much of a threat is he, really?¡± Saito questioned. ¡°I¡¯m not being glib, either. I hear he¡¯s attacked all of the Big 3 PMCs, but is he really too much for you all to deal with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say ¡®no¡¯, but¡­¡± Gavon responded uneasily. ¡°The Black Suns, the Chaos Knights, the Light Keepers ¡ª we all individually have the size to take on EA, I¡¯m sure. And the incentive, too; he¡¯s been attacking all of our supply lines and stealing those supplies for himself. It¡¯s a massive pain. But his tech is too much for us to handle. Between his beaming, cloaking, Subspace Drives, automation, enhanced Chaos shielding, and his overall reliance on spacecraft, I suspect that only a national military will be able to launch an effective attack against him. Especially given that the base we discovered is far too heavily defended for a ground incursion without accompanying naval cover. There¡¯s even orbital defenses!¡±


    ¡°Is there a Gate?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°There is, but it¡¯s been blocked every time we connected to it,¡± Gavon said. ¡°That¡¯s part of what clued us in to something being wrong with the planet.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t travel there by Gate, then how did you discover the base?¡± Hackett pressed. ¡°I thought the Black Suns didn¡¯t operate a navy.¡±


    ¡°Just because we don¡¯t have a navy doesn¡¯t mean that we don¡¯t have any ships,¡± Gavon refuted. ¡°Most of them are just transport craft or freighters, but we do have a few scouting Frigates, allowed to us by the standard PMC charter. They¡¯re slow and lightly armed, compared to national recon ships. But they do the job well enough.¡±


    ¡°And this base was large, you said?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°A massive industrial complex, by the looks of it,¡± Gavon said. ¡°The exact details should¡¯ve been forwarded to SERRCom already, but from what I hear, it appeared to be a large manufacturing facility for those robots that EA uses.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only been around for half a year,¡± Hackett stated. ¡°How the hell did he set up a massive factory in that time?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s actually just old Aldredian tech that he managed to get working, again?¡± Travis suggested.


    ¡°I have no idea, personally,¡± Gavon said with a shrug. ¡°But given the defenses around the base, it certainly seems important. I¡¯d bet that wiping it out will do a serious blow to EA, if nothing else.¡±


    ¡°I hope,¡± Saito said, ¡°but were there any spacecraft foundries in orbit around this base?¡±


    ¡°The report didn¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point¡­¡± Hackett mused. ¡°EA had to have gotten his ships from somewhere. So if they weren¡¯t produced at this facility¡­ then does that mean he actually has multiple production bases?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a real pain in the ass,¡± Travis remarked with a uneasy chuckle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s reserve judgment until we see SERRCom¡¯s own scouting reports,¡± Saito declared. ¡°A SERRCom recon Frigate will be able to more thoroughly scan the base than a Black Suns Frigate; we¡¯ll know more, at that time. But, either way¡­ I have a strong suspicion that the brass are going to call us back, soon, to help deal with this issue.¡±


    ¡°¡¯Soon¡¯, meaning¡­?¡± Travis prompted.


    ¡°Within the week, I¡¯d bet. Maybe two, but certainly no longer than that. EA¡¯s technology is incredibly advanced, after all ¡ª and the Suns don¡¯t even have PCSes. Chances are, EA was able to detect the Black Suns Frigate, which means that he knows that we¡¯ve found him. We don¡¯t want to give him enough time to pack up and leave.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± Hackett replied. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready to move out whenever necessary.¡±


    ¡°This timing, though¡­¡± Travis muttered. ¡°Tresnon is still in danger of a Bleeder attack, and you¡¯re saying that we¡¯re going to have to leave¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Luke,¡± Gavon remarked as he offered the Captain a reassuring pat on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll still be here. On top of that, the Deans hired some Black Suns reinforcements that should be here within a week or two. We¡¯ll make sure the place is safe while you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s just how things turn out, sometimes, Captain,¡± Saito said, and then nodded toward Hackett. ¡°But we won¡¯t be leaving just yet; with luck, we¡¯ll be sticking around at least until Creators¡¯ Day, so make the most of what time you have. Meanwhile ¡ª Major, let¡¯s go speak to the Deans about this news. They deserve to know that we¡¯ll likely be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Hackett replied as she and Saito broke away, turning down a side street toward the WCU campus.


    Gavon and Luke watched the two leave for a second before sighing in tandem.


    ¡°Thanks for bringing this news to SERRCom,¡± Luke eventually said as the two resumed walking down the street, ¡°but I have a really bad feeling about this, for the Nimalians¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said, you can leave everything to me and the Suns,¡± Gavon insisted. ¡°I hear the reinforcements will be led by my superior, Master Colonel Sinstis Krydonin. She has plenty of experience, and has even worked with the Deans, before. Tresnon will be perfectly safe in her hands.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. I¡¯m just concerned about the period of time where we¡¯re gone, and your people haven¡¯t shown up, yet.¡±


    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯m a little concerned, as well, but there isn¡¯t much that we can do about that. At this point, it¡¯s better to focus on what we can do¡­ which might be better achieved after a good drink.¡± Gavon passed Luke a glance. ¡°You up for hitting the bar?¡±


    Luke briefly looked skyward; the sun still shone brightly over Tresnon, but the western horizon was just barely beginning to tint the golden color of late afternoon. ¡°¡­Might as well,¡± he responded with a resigned sigh.


    Gavon grinned as he steered them towards the nearest bar. ¡°Glad to hear it! Don¡¯t worry, Luke ¡ª even if worst comes to worst, I¡¯ll make sure your nephew is safe.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not the only one I¡¯m worried about,¡± Luke refuted. ¡°It¡¯s his friends, and Tresnon, too. There¡¯s a credible, immediate threat, out there, and it just feels bad to leave before it¡¯s dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know the feeling¡­¡± Gavon responded. ¡°Will you at least be returning, afterward?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but I imagine so. I was sent back after the Sunova op, after all. Still, even if I¡¯m only gone for a week¡­ anything could happen in that week.¡±


    ¡°True. Though I must admit, I¡¯m a little surprised to see that you care so much about Tresnon. I didn¡¯t think that SERRCom cared.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that SERRCom does. I just care about this place on a personal level. They¡¯ve been through too much shit for no one to care about them, and besides, it¡¯s like I said¡­¡± Luke paused to take a deep breath before throwing a quick glance toward Gavon. ¡°¡­Austin isn¡¯t the only person I care about, here.¡±


    Gavon returned the glance. ¡°¡­Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve been a good friend. Well, Selind has, too, but¡­ ¡­she hasn¡¯t propositioned me, haha.¡±


    Gavon raised an intrigued eyebrow. ¡°But if she had, would you have accepted?¡±


    Luke shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But that¡¯s not the point, right now. I know it¡¯s been a month, but¡­ well, if your old offer is still open¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about a relationship, then I¡¯d gladly accept!¡± Gavon replied. ¡°But, I have to ask. That night, the concerns you raised were perfectly valid. Are you sure you¡¯re alright with dating a Black Suns officer, despite all of that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a little uneasy, but I¡¯ve kept you waiting for an answer for over a month. And after hearing the news just now that I might have to leave Tresnon behind in the face of an imminent Bleeder attack, well¡­ let¡¯s just say that I don¡¯t want to have any regrets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting real heavy on me, now, Luke! But, I certainly understand where you¡¯re coming from. In this line of work, it¡¯s always dangerous to leave things for later.¡±


    Luke nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡± He then passed Gavon an uneasy smile. ¡°So, just to be clear¡­ I¡¯m sorry for makin¡¯ you wait, but would you have me?¡±


    Gavon responded with a warm smile as he patted Luke¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°Of course! I¡¯d be more than happy. But now, I have to ask: are all Earthians this proper when it comes to matters of the heart? Or is this just your nerves speaking?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± Luke laughed sheepishly. ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s the nerves. I¡¯ve never been good at this kind of thing. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever held down a relationship for longer than a couple months.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s always a first ¡ª and, failing that, even just a few months can be something worth remembering,¡± Gavon declared. ¡°But I digress. We were going to get drinks, weren¡¯t we? And I¡¯d say that we have quite a bit more to drink to, now!¡±


    ¡°That we do,¡± Luke agreed with a smile as the two continued on through the streets of Compound Tresnon.


    <hr>


    *


    ¡°So. ¡­They¡¯re definitely together, aren¡¯t they?¡±Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°More likely than not, at this rate,¡± Hackett replied as she glanced over her shoulder.


    Saito responded with an amused laugh. ¡°What, are you afraid that they¡¯re listening in?¡±


    ¡°You should always be wary when gossiping¡­¡±


    ¡°You really can be a bit stiff, at times,¡± Saito remarked as he led the duo down the streets of Tresnon toward WCU. ¡°We¡¯re just talking about Travis and Gavon, here.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like to speculate about this sort of thing,¡± Hackett pushed back. ¡°It¡¯s quite rude.¡±


    Saito shrugged his shoulders. ¡°A little, I suppose, but it¡¯s not as though I¡¯m spreading rumors.¡±


    ¡°Until either Travis or Gavon says that they¡¯re actually together, it is just a rumor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I get your point.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you concerned, though, sir?¡± Hackett passed Saito a wary glance. ¡°Gavon is with the Suns, after all.¡±


    ¡°What happened to not speculating, hmm?¡± Saito retorted as he passed Hackett a smirk. She rolled her eyes in response, at which point Saito turned forward and continued speaking. ¡°I am a little concerned about them getting together, I suppose. But Gavon is with Sector 1, and more than that, Travis isn¡¯t the type to leak confidential information to someone he¡¯s dating. This whole thing is worth keeping an eye on, but I¡¯m not so joyless as to stop it completely.¡±


    ¡°Do you just want to experience a relationship vicariously through the Captain?¡± Hackett teased.


    ¡°Well you never talk about your wife, so I can¡¯t very well live through you,¡± Saito replied with a smirk. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m fine with being all on my own. It gives me more time for me.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed what most single people tell themselves, sir.¡±


    ¡°Haha! I¡¯m glad you only say these things to my face, Major!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the job, sir. I can¡¯t let my commanding officer get too big in the head.¡±


    ¡°That aside¡­¡± The Colonel released a lofty sigh, as though preparing to change the subject ¡ª but before he could, he noticed something out the corner of his eye. Turning to look, he remarked, ¡°¡­well now, is that MacTavish?¡±


    ¡°¡­Huh, so it is,¡± Hackett said as she turned to look in the same direction as Saito, where Researcher MacTavish had just stepped onto the main street. As soon as she had, she almost shrunk away into a side alley, her eyes fully squinted in the bright sun. ¡°Can¡¯t say I expected to see her out and about by herself¡­ I wonder what she¡¯s up to.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to know,¡± Saito replied, and then waved toward MacTavish as he called out to her. ¡°Hey! MacTavish! Fancy seeing you, here!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± The Researcher jumped at Saito¡¯s call, her attention immediately snapping to him. As soon as she recognized him, an obvious sigh of relief escaped her lips, only for her body to tense up again. ¡°W-what are you, um, d-doing here¡­?¡±


    ¡°This is the main street,¡± Hackett pointed out with an amused smile.


    ¡°We were just headed up to the campus,¡± Saito remarked. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯re you up to? It¡¯s rather novel to see you out and about on your own.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, w-well¡­¡± MacTavish fidgeted in place. ¡°¡­I-I was, um, a-actually going to the, uh, th-the campus, as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, great! Let¡¯s walk together, then!¡± Saito declared, gesturing for MacTavish to tag along with him and Hackett. She looked up at him uneasily, but she eventually stepped out onto the main street to join the two other members of CSF-1.


    ¡°¡­It is pretty bright, isn¡¯t it,¡± Hackett remarked after observing MacTavish¡¯s furrowed brow from how hard she was squinting ¡ª even though her glasses had transitioned into full shade.


    ¡°U-uh, y-yeah¡­¡± MacTavish replied quietly as the trio began walking down the street again.


    ¡°That¡¯s the desert, for you,¡± Saito said. ¡°It¡¯s been getting quite warm, lately, as well. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan.¡±


    ¡°I doubt most people are,¡± Hackett pointed out.


    ¡°True.¡± Saito then glanced toward MacTavish. ¡°So what brings you out here? Or, to the campus?¡±


    ¡°Oh, j-just, you know¡­¡± The Researcher responded uneasily. ¡°Uh¡­ s-stuff.¡±


    ¡°I take it this isn¡¯t work, then.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ n-no¡­¡±


    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t happen to have anything to do with that Creators¡¯ Day holiday, would it?¡± Hackett questioned.


    MacTavish turned to give the Major a wide-eyed stare. ¡°H-how did you know?!¡±


    ¡°It was just a guess. A lucky one, it would seem.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so embarrassed about it, MacTavish!¡± Saito remarked. ¡°What you do in your own time is entirely up to you. I don¡¯t judge.¡±


    ¡°Uh, right¡­ u-um¡­ thanks¡­¡± MacTavish responded slowly.


    ¡°What¡¯re you doing for Creators¡¯ Day, then? Are you teaming up with the recruits for something?¡±


    ¡°¡­S-sort of¡­ I, um¡­¡± The Researcher fidgeted a bit before continuing, ¡°I-I¡¯m just, um, h-helping with some¡­ game testing¡­¡±


    ¡°A game, huh?¡±


    ¡°I recall Travis saying something about his nephew running some tabletop RPG,¡± Hackett said. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re helping with?¡±


    MacTavish nodded once, though never made eye contact.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Saito responded with a smile. ¡°Finally getting to know the recruits, huh? I¡¯m glad to hear it, MacTavish!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ th-thanks¡­?¡±


    ¡°Now, not to put a damper on your fun, but¡­¡± Saito lowered his voice as he spoke to MacTavish. ¡°Chances are, we¡¯re going to be called back, soon ¡ª possibly within the week.¡±


    The Researcher eyed him uneasily. ¡°¡­Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We finally found EA¡¯s base, so the brass are no doubt putting together a plan to take it out. A plan that I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be a part of.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ o-okay.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, MacTavish. This should be the kind of mission where you excel! I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be tons of tech for you to hack and salvage. In fact, you and Kate might even be necessities on this mission.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks¡­?¡±


    ¡°It was a compliment, I¡¯m sure,¡± Hackett stated. ¡°You do good work, MacTavish.¡±


    ¡°And speaking of your work¡­¡± Saito continued, lowering his voice again. ¡°I was finally able to cross-reference Mark¡¯s report from last week, in regards to Earth¡¯s Gate.¡±


    Hackett and MacTavish shared a glance before the Major quietly responded, ¡°you mean, about Earth¡¯s old coordinate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Mark said that he dialed both the new and the old coordinate, and made a connection each time. Well, I took that information and pulled up the Gate activation logs from the New York Gateport ¡ª there were no scheduled activations when Mark performed his experiment, but there was one unscheduled activation from an unknown location.¡±


    ¡°Just the one?¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°Yep. And based on the timings that Mark gave me, that connection was using Earth¡¯s current coordinate. So when he dialed the old coordinate¡­ he must have reached a different Gate.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­¡±


    ¡°B-but, h-how is that possible?¡± MacTavish questioned. ¡°I-if the old c-coordinate was also used for Earth, a-and the new one was, too¡­ th-then why don¡¯t both reach Earth?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping that you¡¯d know,¡± Saito replied.


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± The Researcher looked down uneasily. ¡°¡­I¡­ ¡­I c-can¡¯t think of, um, a-anything¡­¡±


    ¡°This is a pretty radical departure from everything we know about the Gates, though, isn¡¯t it?¡± Hackett pointed out. ¡°We know that the old coordinate used to reach Earth, but now, it doesn¡¯t. And a significantly different, new coordinate is now the one we use to reach Earth. From everything we know¡­ there should only ever be one coordinate per solar system, and they don¡¯t change often.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, exactly¡­¡± MacTavish said. ¡°I¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what this, um, m-means¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t ask the ETAA about it, either, as that would show our hand¡­¡± Saito mused, and then released a resigned sigh. ¡°¡­I guess this might be the end of the road, for now.¡±


    ¡°But we still know barely anything,¡± Hackett replied.


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s still something. I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s a pretty significant something, too, but¡­ for now, there¡¯s nothing more we can do with this info.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± MacTavish responded, her shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Never fear, MacTavish, you still did a good job finding that coordinate,¡± Saito declared. ¡°Without you, we wouldn¡¯t even have this lead. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to follow up on it, one day.¡±


    ¡°Either way, we¡¯re finally here,¡± Hackett said, gesturing up at the gates to the WCU campus. Late afternoon sunlight shone down on three dreary campus buildings, as well as the practice fields that were nigh-abandoned in the heat of late spring.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± MacTavish looked up at the gates herself, and then passed an uneasy glance toward Saito. ¡°U-um¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on, don¡¯t let us keep you.¡± The Colonel waved her off with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving soon, so make the most of the time you have, here!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ r-right!¡± The Researcher offered a meek smile in response before whipping around and jogging off toward the dorm, as though she were trying to escape the wide-open campus as quickly as possible. No sooner had she entered the building, however, did Mark and Danielle step out, with Mark carrying two large, empty canvas bags with him.


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t this a coincidence,¡± Saito called out to them as they approached.


    ¡°Oh, sir!¡± Mark commented, giving Saito and Hackett a quick salute as he and Danielle joined them at the gates. ¡°This is a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, first Kirstin at the door, and now you guys!¡± Danielle exclaimed. ¡°Did something big happen?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, but MacTavish isn¡¯t here for that,¡± Saito answered. ¡°That part really was a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°As is us meeting you here,¡± Hackett added, and then nodded toward the bags in Mark¡¯s hands. ¡°Going shopping?¡±


    ¡°Just for some groceries,¡± Mark replied.


    ¡°Mark¡¯s been practicing his cooking skills!¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°All for Creators¡¯ Day!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re getting involved as well?¡± Saito questioned as he turned towards Mark.


    ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± Mark laughed sheepishly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t really my idea, but¡­ it sounded fun.¡±


    ¡°I hardly think you need practice, though,¡± Hackett commented. ¡°Not when it comes to cooking, at least.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for saying so. It¡¯s not all just practice, though. The Keys have been hard at work on their own Creators¡¯ Day projects, recently, so I just thought that I¡¯d keep them fed so they can focus on their work.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re all doing something, then?¡± Saito responded, his brow raised in surprise.


    ¡°Everyone except for Pierce, and Danielle, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯ll probably just help you out with your cooking,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You know, like I¡¯ve been doing!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure there isn¡¯t anything you want to do on your own?¡± Saito questioned.


    ¡°On my own¡­?¡± Danielle echoed. ¡°¡­I hadn¡¯t really thought about it. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d even do¡­¡±


    ¡°You seemed interested in Austin¡¯s game,¡± Mark suggested. ¡°Maybe you could help them out?¡±


    ¡°But I was going to help you¡­¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s really what you want to do, then I¡¯ll gladly take your help. But don¡¯t feel like you need to. I¡¯d say that you should think it over, see if there¡¯s anything you want to do, yourself.¡±


    Saito nodded. ¡°Exactly. This Creators¡¯ Day thing is a good opportunity to express yourselves, so I¡¯d encourage you to at least think about it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Danielle mused, her hand held to her chin in thought. ¡°¡­Okay!¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Hackett remarked, and then passed Saito a glance. ¡°But unfortunately, the Colonel and I do have some business we need to tend to.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Sorry to keep you, then,¡± Mark apologized, only for his face to light up as though he had just remembered something. He then reached out for Saito and Hackett, who had already begun to leave. ¡°Actually, sir, hold on! Before you go, I wanted to ask. Is there a plan for us to do anything about the Bleeders?¡±


    Saito and Hackett exchanged a glance. The Colonel then released a wary sigh as he and Hackett turned back to face Mark and Danielle. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some speculation that they¡¯re going to attack Tresnon, soon,¡± Mark continued. ¡°If there¡¯s anything we can do to stop or mitigate that attack, then I want to be there for it.¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± Danielle quickly added.


    ¡°Yes, well¡­ about that,¡± Saito responded. ¡°Chances are, we¡¯re actually going to get called back to SERRCom within a week. Maybe two.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mark¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We found EA¡¯s base. SERRCom only just recently got the tip, but I have no doubt that we¡¯ll be launching an attack on him, soon ¡ª and CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir are likely to spearhead that assault.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Cool!¡± Danielle remarked.


    ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s going to take us away from Tresnon when they need us most!¡± Mark protested. ¡°Sir, this timing is terrible!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that,¡± Saito replied. ¡°But that¡¯s just how the cards fell. EA has been harassing the Big 3 PMCs, and they¡¯re all putting pressure on SERRCom to do something about him. Hell, given his showcased manufacturing capabilities, it¡¯s in our own interests to take him out as soon as possible, as well.¡±


    ¡°That may be, but even so¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand your concern, Mark. But the locals aren¡¯t useless without us ¡ª they have their own Defense Force, after all. They also have Dean Densalin with them, and she¡¯s a powerful Chaotic. On top of that, they¡¯re hiring Black Suns help ¡ª and the Suns should arrive within a week or two, from what I hear. They should be fine without us.¡±


    Mark regarded Saito with an uneasy stare. Eventually, he sighed. ¡°¡­Alright. If you say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re really going to be fighting EA, then?¡± Danielle questioned. ¡°It¡¯s been a while! Are we gonna bring Austin along?¡±


    ¡°What, because EA is supposedly Austin¡¯s evil twin?¡± Hackett scoffed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be quite so quick to laugh off that claim, personally,¡± Saito said. ¡°A lot of weird things have happened in our galaxy. Hell, we only have the Genesis because it literally popped into existence twenty years ago; I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there¡¯s a similar force behind EA¡¯s existence. And if there is, then Austin could potentially have some valuable insights, if we brought him to EA¡¯s base.¡± He then turned to address Danielle. ¡°But with that said, no, we won¡¯t be bringing Austin, or any of the other recruits. They still need a lot more training before they¡¯re ready for combat missions.¡±


    ¡°If the threat of a Bleeder attack is real, then leaving them here could be just as dangerous,¡± Mark pointed out.


    ¡°At least here, they have plenty of other experienced Chaotics to protect them,¡± Saito replied. ¡°And the Bleeders, at this point, are a fairly known quantity. Whereas we have little idea of what to expect at EA¡¯s base. Best to only bring our best in that situation.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ll get to see Mote and Kate again, right?¡± Danielle remarked. ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple weeks, but I still miss them.¡±


    ¡°Well, for better or for worse, we¡¯ll all be together again, soon,¡± Saito said. ¡°And on that note, the Major and I were actually here to inform the Deans about everything we just told you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Mark stepped aside. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to keep you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We¡¯re the ones who called out to you, after all,¡± Saito replied. He then nodded at each of Mark and Danielle before moving towards the campus¡¯s admin building. ¡°You two take care of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ you too, sir!¡± Mark responded, at which point he and Danielle continued on through the gate to tend to their afternoon activities, all while putting their uncertain future out of mind.

 V2 - A7 - Chapter 60: Creators Distractions

    OLD THREATS ¡ª THE BONDS OF CULTURES


    <hr>


    Chapter 60: Creators'' Distractions


    2 Days Later


    ¡°¡­Alright! And with that, today¡¯s classes are over!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Austin looked up in surprise, and then glanced out the classroom window ¡ª where midday sunlight shone through. ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Weren¡¯t paying attention at the beginning of class, dweeb?¡± Pierce retorted. ¡°Class is short today.¡±


    ¡°And for the rest of the week, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ added. ¡°It¡¯s WCU tradition to shorten classes and reduce workload for the last few days before Creators¡¯ Day.¡± She then smiled, looking out over each of the eight Keys who sat in the desks before her. ¡°I hope you can make use of the extra time to further refine your plans for the big day!¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s in just three days, huh?¡± Conrad remarked.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Sky exclaimed as she leaped to her feet, her chair tumbling backwards behind her. ¡°We¡¯re so close to being done, but we still have a lot of work to do! Phoenix, Kestrel, Twy, let¡¯s go!!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ what?¡± Phoenix groggily lifted her head to look up at Sky, only to then rest her head back on her desk. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± she groaned. ¡°Do we really need to meet?¡±


    ¡°Huh, now this is a first,¡± Spike said. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you like this, before. Usually it¡¯s Conrad tryin¡¯ to sneak in some sleep.¡±


    ¡°I maintain that there¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± Conrad declared.


    ¡°On your own time, perhaps, but I¡¯d still prefer that you not nap during class¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ replied. She then turned to give Phoenix a concerned look. ¡°Are you alright, though? Did you get enough sleep?¡±


    ¡°¡­Ngh¡­¡± Phoenix groaned again, and then finally lifted her head to massage her brow. ¡°¡­No. I was¡­ kept up.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Your stamina must¡¯ve gone to shit, then,¡± Pierce remarked with a snide smirk. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯ve just gone for so long without any action, that you forgot how to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up¡­¡± Phoenix muttered, but never once looked at Pierce.


    ¡°¡­Wait¡­!¡± Realization, followed by deep annoyance, washed across Sky¡¯s face as she planted her hands on her hips and turned to glare at Phoenix. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you stayed up late because of a fucking date!¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t,¡± Phoenix replied.


    ¡°Damn it! Creators¡¯ Day is three days away! We still have work to do, you know! You haven¡¯t even finished making my outfit!¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll have it ready by the end of tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen you this tired¡­¡± Conrad observed. ¡°You really should get more sleep, you know.¡±


    Phoenix shot him a quick glare, only for her furrowed brow to shift toward Pierce.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± he quickly retorted. ¡°I¡¯ve never let my dates get in the way of actual work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re the reason I can¡¯t get anyone to stick around!¡± Phoenix accused. ¡°Every damn guy in this school thinks I¡¯m just trying to beat you in some stupid fucking contest!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you fucking are!¡± Sky interjected angrily. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even care, but you keep letting it get in the way of our work! Can¡¯t you not think about sex or this stupid contest for two seconds?!¡±


    ¡°I dunno if you can really lecture anyone about sex¡ª¡° Spike began to say, only for Sky to whip around and glare at him.


    ¡°Alright, alright, this is clearly getting out of hand,¡± Kaon¨¦ said, stepping away from her teaching podium to approach the Keys. She then turned to Phoenix. ¡°Phoenix¡­ are you sure you¡¯ll be able to finish what you need by Isdia? If you need help making something, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Phoenix glanced toward Kaon¨¦, only to sink into her seat with a sullen expression. ¡°¡­No. It¡¯s my responsibility. I can handle it on my own.¡±


    ¡°Good. Just remember that if you make someone a promise, you should try your best to keep it.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Phoenix snapped, and then rapidly climbed out of her seat and gathered her things. ¡°I can handle myself, alright? Now, I have work to do¡­ and sleep to get.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like someone had a bad time last night,¡± Pierce snarked; Phoenix offered him naught but a snort in reply as she stormed out of the classroom. ¡°¡­Damn,¡± Pierce muttered after watching her leave. ¡°What a piece of work¡ª¡°


    ¡°You need to watch your words, as well,¡± Kaon¨¦ sternly interjected, startling Pierce. ¡°Provoking people can only make matters worse. When someone is angry or irritated, it¡¯s best to keep to yourself, if you can¡¯t say anything helpful.¡±


    Pierce stared at her in surprise before glancing toward Austin, who was giving him a knowing look. ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Pierce snorted, ripping his gaze away from everyone else as he made for the classroom exit himself. ¡°¡­Sure. Classes are over, right? So I¡¯m out.¡±


    ¡°¡­Oof.¡± Conrad sighed as Pierce stepped out of the room. ¡°¡­Never thought their little contest would get this bad.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Sky remarked, her arms crossed. ¡°Phoenix was perfectly fine about everything until just a month ago, or so. Why is she suddenly so careless now?¡±


    ¡°¡¯Cause she¡¯s losing,¡± Conrad replied simply.


    ¡°Is she really that sore of a loser¡­?¡± Twy questioned with a frown.


    ¡°She and Pierce both are sore losers,¡± Conrad declared. ¡°Especially when they lose to each other. It¡¯s always been this way. But, usually, they can at least keep their contests out of the way of their regular lives¡­ not sure what¡¯s different, this time.¡±


    ¡°Liask,¡± Kestrel simply stated.


    ¡°Who, that girl Pierce is going out with?¡± Austin scoffed. ¡°C¡¯mon. There¡¯s no way she actually likes him, right?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dismiss someone¡¯s feelings so easily,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°Most people aren¡¯t completely bad, or completely good. This goes even for Pierce and Phoenix; flawed as they are, they¡¯re both ultimately good people, I think.¡±


    ¡°What? Pierce, good?!¡±


    ¡°I know that he¡¯s harsh with everyone ¡ª something that I should really say more about¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted. ¡°But I can tell that neither he nor Phoenix are dumb. A little short-sighted at times, yes, and they sometimes get carried away, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that they both have repeatedly jumped at the opportunity to help others ¡ª even when doing so would put themselves at risk. If they were all bad, they wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Sky muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not convinced,¡± Austin declared. ¡°I think Pierce legitimately doesn¡¯t realize the risk, most of the time. He just wants to play hero.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Kaon¨¦ refuted. ¡°Everyone has their demons. That goes especially for someone like Pierce.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is there something about him that you¡¯ve noticed, or something?¡± Twy asked.


    Kaon¨¦ shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not my place to say.¡±


    ¡°Ugh. All this fucking talk about Pierce and Phoenix¡­ we¡¯re wasting precious time!¡± Sky gestured toward Kestrel. ¡°We can at least work on the music. C¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°Already done¡­¡± Kestrel responded.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, and your final draft is great, but having access to the composer is still important, as a singer!¡± Sky urged, and then whipped around toward Spike. ¡°You¡¯re coming, too! I need a test audience!¡±


    ¡°Wait, but we¡ª!¡± Austin began, only for Sky to whirl around and glare at him.


    ¡°You can have him back later!¡± Sky insisted. ¡°But for now, he¡¯s coming with me!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sorry, Austin,¡± Spike apologized quietly as he began to stand from his desk. ¡°When she gets like this, there¡¯s no sayin¡¯ ¡®no¡¯. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll meet up with you later.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Austin muttered as Spike and Sky moved toward the classroom exit, only for Sky to stop and look back at Kestrel.


    ¡°C¡¯mon already!¡± she demanded.


    Kestrel looked blankly at Sky, and then off to the side toward Conrad. Upon noticing this, Conrad released a sigh and a shrug. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll tag along,¡± he responded in resignation.


    Upon hearing those words, Kestrel began gathering her things, and soon had joined Spike and Sky, alongside Conrad. A second later, they all departed from the room.


    ¡°¡­What the hell just happened?¡± Austin questioned incredulously.


    ¡°Everyone was so irritable, today¡­¡± Twy commented.


    ¡°It¡¯s stress¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ said.


    ¡°From what, fucking Creators¡¯ Day?¡± Austin retorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just that,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°It took a few days, but after the fall of Compound Falnon, people are starting to realize just how dangerous the Bleeders are, and the lengths they¡¯re willing to go to make the people of this land suffer. Anxiety and tension permeate the air, and it¡¯s affecting everyone. Everyone¡¯s on edge. I can feel it¡­¡±


    ¡°But we weren¡¯t even there¡­¡±


    ¡°No, but we¡¯ve still heard about what happened,¡± Twy pointed out. ¡°And we have personal, first-hand experience with both the Bleeders, and the Nano¡ª uh, the metallic infection.¡±


    ¡°Dav¨ªdrius told me that you guys even ran into both while on Nayasis,¡± Kaon¨¦ remarked as she passed Austin a glance. ¡°¡­Do you really think nothing of it?¡±


    Austin returned the look, his expression blank, before eventually diverting his gaze.


    ¡°I thought so,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied.


    ¡°While you¡¯re here, and it¡¯s just us, I have to ask¡­¡± Twy began, and then paused to take a deep breath. ¡°¡­Is it¡­ is it just me, or¡­ are things actually getting worse, around here? And in the galaxy, in general?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking about the infection, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Not just that. The Bleeders, too. And I can¡¯t help but feel that something¡¯s up with all of the PMCs around here, too. The SFC, the Chaos Knights, the Black Suns¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, we know that the SFC was behind the Bleeders, now, right?¡± Austin pointed out. ¡°Stands to reason you don¡¯t feel so good about them.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but¡­¡± Twy trailed off, and then looked back to Kaon¨¦. ¡°I just wanted to know your thoughts on everything, since you have so much more experience than us.¡±


    Kaon¨¦ returned the gaze, only to release a deep sigh. ¡°¡­When it comes to the Bleeders, at least, I think everything is looking up,¡± she eventually replied. ¡°It¡¯s true that they may attempt one more attack on Tresnon, but we¡¯re on to them, now. We know who was suppling them with their technology, and we¡¯ve cut them off, so the Bleeders only have so much steam left. And as long as I, Dav¨ªdrius, and the Defense Force are around, no harm should come to Tresnon.¡±


    ¡°And everything else¡­?¡± Twy prompted.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hard to say, to be honest. I can¡¯t speculate much about what the PMCs are up to, you¡¯d have to ask someone more familiar with their activities. Like Gavon, or Rebehka. Or maybe even your uncle, Austin. In regards to the infection, though¡­¡± Kaon¨¦ looked down, as if in thought. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t want to believe it, before, but¡­ I think Archon¨¦ Culana might be on to something.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you sayin¡¯ that us being ¡®Keys¡¯ actually means something?¡± Austin questioned.


    ¡°It might,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted, looking up to meet Austin and Twy¡¯s eyes again. ¡°I was there twenty years ago, when I and everyone else in Hero Machina fought Morcii. I saw Siyuak¨¦n put him down. And just before she did, he said something. At the time, I thought he was just trying to get into our heads, or that he was just full of himself, but with the infection seemingly resurging like it is¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember any ¡®final words¡¯ being part of the story¡­¡± Austin muttered.


    ¡°The official story isn¡¯t complete, Rebehka¡¯s said as much herself,¡± Twy replied. ¡°But even when she recounted the actual story, she didn¡¯t say anything about Morcii¡¯s last words. What did he say?¡±


    Kaon¨¦ remained silent for a second, as if contemplating whether or not to actually answer. But eventually, she said, ¡°his last words, were¡­ ¡®this is only the beginning¡¯.¡±


    ¡°¡­I mean, that sure sounds like he was just fuckin¡¯ with you, to me¡­¡± Austin said.


    ¡°Maybe. But you don¡¯t understand the hoops we had to jump through just to stop Morcii temporarily,¡± Kaon¨¦ insisted. ¡°Arc¨¢n ¡ª the Prior we spoke with at the time ¡ª made it sound like it was all just a desperate stopgap to account for there not being any Keys. And now that you¡¯re here, and the infection is returning¡­ I fear that he might have been right. Maybe ¡®Keys¡¯ really are the only people capable of putting Morcii down for good.¡±


    A poignant silence fell over the classroom as Austin and Twy exchanged wary glances.


    ¡°¡­Ah, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kaon¨¦ eventually apologized, adopting a sheepish smile as she did. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said any of that. You shouldn¡¯t feel forced to accept this responsibility¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m glad that you were honest with us,¡± Twy insisted.


    ¡°But how the hell are we supposed to stop a fucking infection, huh?!¡± Austin remarked. ¡°I don¡¯t get it!¡±


    ¡°The Nanocreature War made it clear that Morcii is the prime driver of the infection,¡± Kaon¨¦ declared. ¡°If he dies, I¡¯m reasonably confident the infection will disappear, as well. But¡­ well, if Arc¨¢n is right, then ¡®Keys¡¯ are the only ones who can end Morcii for good.¡±


    ¡°But how?¡± Austin insisted.


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Kaon¨¦ admitted. ¡°What we did, as Hero Machina, clearly wasn¡¯t enough¡­ but I don¡¯t know of anything else. Arc¨¢n never told us. I suspect that only the Oraculm or a Prior would know the solution, but no one knows where any of the Priors are.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s in the Oraculm, then that means that Pallan would know, right?¡± Twy questioned. ¡°But he hasn¡¯t said anything.¡±


    ¡°I mean, the bastard¡¯s clearly keepin¡¯ secrets from us,¡± Austin retorted. ¡°He doesn¡¯t think that we¡¯re ¡®ready¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Even if he does know, though, it isn¡¯t immediately relevant,¡± Kaon¨¦ said. ¡°The infection is a problem, but the Ayas are all safe, and Morcii can¡¯t come back without them. For now, you all should be focusing on training and honing your abilities. With luck, you won¡¯t need them. But if you do, it¡¯s best to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°¡­Got it,¡± Twy responded.


    ¡°And, again¡­ I¡¯m sorry for putting you all through this,¡± Kaon¨¦ apologized. ¡°At least for the next few days, try to focus on Creators¡¯ Day, instead. Use that to relax, lighten your spirits. It isn¡¯t healthy to stress about everything all of the time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would focus on Creators¡¯ Day,¡± Austin drawled, ¡°but half my group got kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same, effectively¡­¡± Twy said. ¡°I¡¯ve finished my mural, anyways, so I have some time to spare. Maybe I could help you with whatever you need, Austin?¡±


    ¡°I mean, if you¡¯re offerin¡¯, I¡¯ll take it. Maybe you could draw some things for me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, but remember that we only have three days¡­¡±


    ¡°That should be more than enough! I just need some quick character art. Maybe a battlemap or two, if you can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Three days, Austin¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it, I get it. Still, thanks for offerin¡¯ to help,¡± Austin said as he began climbing from his seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Twy replied, and then turned toward Kaon¨¦. ¡°And thanks for hearing me out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Kaon¨¦ replied with a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m here to do what I can for all of you. I won¡¯t claim to be perfect, there, but please, if you ever have any other questions, or even if you just want someone to talk to¡­ I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I might take you up on that, sometime¡­¡± Twy muttered, only to then glance back at Austin. ¡°But for now, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Aye, for sure!¡± Austin declared as he lead the duo out of the classroom, ready to continue preparing for Creators¡¯ Day themselves.