Chapter 9: Uncovered and Brussels
September 23rd
Europe
Netherlands
2200hrs
Amirah was stealthily making her way through the train sleeping cars. She had told her friends that she was getting some fresh air but in reality, she was on the hunt. She had seen a trio of Karlslander officers board the train in Potsdam who had set off red flags in her mind. She had observed these three men throughout the journey. She was approaching the cabin that they were residing in. As she stood near the door, she began figuring out what methods to use. Then she heard voices.
"…kill the outsiders and put the blame on those bitches?" A voice said.
"Ja that will put an end to their accursed existence" A second voice said.
"And it happens tonight?" The first voice said.
"Ja, this is our greatest opportunity to rid the world of those witches" The second voice said. Amirah was about to open the door when she felt something press against her back. She immediately stiffened when she immediately recognized what it was, the barrel of a pistol.
"Well, well, what do you have here?" A man said. Amirah internally kicked herself for not accounting the third man, "Where do you think you are going?"
"I was just lost" Amirah answered.
"Very funny" The man said, "I know what you were doing, you were spying on us weren't you?"
"Maybe" Amirah answered.
"Open the door" The man ordered. Amirah hesitated but the man pushed the gun into her back, "Do it now"
Amirah opened the door to face the two other men in the room.
"Hans, what are you doing with this witch?" The first man said.
"I caught her spying you two in front of our cabin, Edward" Hans answered.
"Damn it Ludwig, you spoke too loudly" Edward scolded.
"How should I know she was there" Ludwig defended himself.
"It doesn't matter" Hans said, "We have already captured the spy, now our plans are no longer in danger"
"So what do we do with her?" Edward said.
"Simple, we end her" Hans smiled as he raised his pistol to the back of Amirah's head. Amirah couldn't help but grin as she found this all too familiar. Amirah immediately ducked down and punched Hans in the guts, taking him out for the time being. She looked around and saw the radio and turned up the music. She then turned on Edward and attacked him. She began to strangle the man until Ludwig got her into a stranglehold with a headlock but she shook him off. This however gave enough time for Edward to push her off, knocking her into the table in the cabin. Edward soon pounced on her and tried to strangle her but Amirah was able to distract him by spitting into his face.
"ARGH! YOU BITCH!" Edward barked as he recoiled from the spit on his face. Amirah then punched him in the face. Amirah saw Ludwig coming at her with a knife so she pulled out her own knife from her socks. Ludwig swung his knife at her but Amirah dodged with little effort.
"Just die already" Ludwig barked as he lunges forward attempting to stab Amirah but she sidestepped him and stabs him instead. The Karlslander fell into a heap as he drew his last breath. Amirah saw Edward stagger as his got on his feet while Hans got back onto his feet as well.
"Ok, who's next?" Amirah taunted. Edward charged at her however Amirah bent over backwards. She then kneed Edward in the chest, knocking the air out of him. Amirah immediately flipped over but she got shot in her right foot as she did so however she didn't realize it because of all the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
"This is your end spy" Hans barked as he aimed his pistol. However, Amirah closed the gap between her and Hans and she kicked his pistol arm towards his body. She then kicked him in the stomach to which Hans flinched which caused him to shoot his own brains out. Amirah straightened herself up as Hans slid down the wall. Amirah took a few short breaths as she relaxed. She then heard Edward groaning. She turned to see him stretching to get the knife that Ludwig had dropped. She was faster and grabbed the knife and Edward. She immediately tied Edward's hand and feet with a rope she found. She then threw Edward into a chair. She immediately pulled out her High Standard HDM from her front pocket and aimed it at the wounded Edward.
"Talk" Amirah said.
"Well, hello there, bitch" Edward smiled. Amirah flipped her pistol over and smacked him across the face with the pistol grip.
"Intelligence, not shit, please" Amirah growled.
"You will never know bitch" Edward grinned. Amirah stared at him before she sighed. She unbuttoned her jacket, "Wha-What are you doing?"
"I have ways of making people talk" Amirah smiled as she unveiled her collection of knives.
"What are you going to do?" Edward gasped as Amirah delicately pulled out a knife from her large array of knives. She then began playing with the knife like sliding between her teeth or twirling it on her finger.
"What am I going to do?" Amirah maliciously smiled as she stabbed Edward in the right leg.
"AAHHH!" Edwards screamed from the pain.
"I am going to show you why they call me Lady of the Knives" Amirah smiled as she stabbed another knife into Edward's left leg.
"FUCK~!" Edward screamed.
"Come on, let's hear that information" Amirah said as she twirled another knife in her hand.
"Is this the best you can do?" Edward smiled but his smile disappeared when he saw Amirah's face.
"Oh, you want more…?" Amirah said before her lips curved slowly and soon Edward could see her teeth that changed to that of a tiger as she grinned maliciously, "I will comply"
"AH!" Edward cried as Amirah stabbed his feet with knives and then his arms. Amirah just smiled as she watched Edward panted erratically.
"Had enough?" Amirah asked innocently as she pushes down on one of the knives deeper into Edward's legs.
"AHHHHH! I GIVE! I GIVE!" Edward cried from the pain.
"Spill or you get worse" Amirah beamed.
"We were ordered to kill the people from the other world in a way that the witches in charge of them were the culprits" Edward confessed.
"What's the end goal?" Amirah asked.
"What?" Edward asked, "AAH!"
"What's the end goal, I asked" Amirah said as she pushed another knife down.
"To get rid of witches, please stop!" Edward yelped.
"What organization are you from? And who sent you?" Amirah asked. Edward wasn't answering, "What organization are you from? And who sent you? I want those answers or I will twist these two"
"NSKAP! We were from the NSKAP! General Amsel sent us!" Edward answered rapidly.
"See, wasn't that hard" Amirah smiled as she stood up. She looked out the window and smiled. She then walked up to the window. She could see the Holland Diep in the distance and closing. She could hear Edward panting from the pain but that was drowned out by the howling wind as she opened the window, "Well, looks like it is your stop"
"Wait what?" Edward exclaimed as Amirah slowly pulled out her knives and washed them and stored them. She then grabbed him and dangled him out the window.
"Next stop, the bottom of the river" Amirah grinned as she hung Edward's shirt on the window's hinge.
"Please! Don't do this! I already confessed! Please spare me!" Edward pleaded. He then saw a figure looking at him. It was Amirah, she was bending over him.
"Sorry chap, can't let you live, don't want you to haunt me" Amirah said as she brought her HDM and shot him in the abdomen twice.
"I will haunt you!" Edward barked as Amirah let him plummet into the Holland Diep.
"Wait in line, chap" Amirah said as she closed the window. She looked at the corpses in the room and found that they were in a special operative's dream come true as it looked like a murder then suicide. Amirah couldn't help but smile but think of the reaction of her fellow SOE and SAS when they hear about this. She then decides to leave the room only after she turned the radio off, picked up her knife and washed her face. She did also take souvenirs from her prey, a pair of Kampfmesser 42 bayonets which had swastikas engraved on them. She was walking towards her own cabin. It was now that she realizes that she was shot in the foot.
"Ah fuck, I am getting sloppy" Amirah grimaced as she stopped and checked for any bullets stuck there. She found that the round grazed the side of her right foot. She then slipped her sock and shoe back on and headed back to the cabin. She found Yoshika just finishing up in the bathroom. Yoshika was surprised to see Amirah all bruised up.
"Amirah, where have you been? You look horrible" Yoshika said.
"Oh, this, I got into a bit of a scuffle with a drunken officers but I won though he did injure my right foot" Amirah created a story as she took off her right shoe and sock now drenched in blood.
"Let me fix that up for you" Yoshika said as she used her magic ability on Amirah's wounds.
"Thanks, Yoshika, but I am tired-lah, *yawn* I stayed up all night because that drunk ass" Amirah grumbled though she actually just fine, she has stayed awake for much longer but she thought no harm in getting some rest.
"Alright, don't sleep for too long, we are arriving in Brussels soon" Yoshika said to which Amirah nodded. She lay down in her bunk and secretly watched everyone slowly wake up and get ready. She waited for everyone to dress before she cleaned herself up. She then came out of the bathroom in her fresh new uniform but as she stepped out. She came face to face with Rory who stood in her way.
"What can I do for you?" Amirah asked. Rory just smiled as she bent closer to Amirah.
"You have the scent of battle on you" Rory smiled as she looked at Amirah.
"Well, I did get into a fight with a drunken man" Amirah replied as she walks past Rory.
"I saw you fight those three men" Rory said which made Amirah immediately froze when she heard Rory's line.
"What? How did you see?" Amirah turned around, "You were in your cabin"
"I saw your figure pass our cabin and I sensed your warrior aura so I followed you and I was about to reveal myself but I saw you have a face one wears when they prepared for a fight and I saw how you fought and you could outfight some apostles" Rory said as she smiled at Amirah, "You look plain and simple but I know that you are a fighter, a warrior but you are a skilled one, I saw how you disposed of those men… it was entertaining"
"Wait, you speak English?" Amirah asked, "Since when?"
"That is not of importance right now" Rory said, "What is important is why is it you hide this from your fellow companions like Madam Yoshika?"
"I have too, I am not only part of the 501st JFW but in the Special Air Service, an elite infantry unit that conduct assassinations and other high risk missions and that makes enemies for me and I don't want my friends to get into danger because of me also my skills are nothing like my fellow comrades" Amirah said.
"So you are not only a skilled warrior but a noble and caring one as well" Rory smiled, "Fine, I will keep your secret for you"
"Thank you" Amirah said as Rory left the cabin.
"But you will have to tell them" Rory smiled as she stood at the door for a second before disappearing from the door.
"I hope I don't have" Amirah said as she stood there as she pulled out a cigarette and proceeded to smoke it.
September 24th
Belgica
Brussels
Supreme Headquarters United Nations Armed Forces
1000hrs
Lelei looked in amazement at the large building built of stone and glass. It was larger than any building she had ever seen. She could see the flags of all the nations that were in the United Nations flying high and proud in front of the building. She was surprised how simple some of the flags were. She looked at the sign that stood outside of the building's entrance; it read "SUPREME HEADQUARTERS UNITEAD NATIONS ARMED FORCES SHUNAF Administrative Building"
"Wow, so this is the United Nations Council?" Tuka asked. The group stood in front of the headquarters building for a few minutes to look at it. Tuka and Rikaya were wearing Fusoan and Liberion dress uniforms so they wouldn't look so casual during the meeting. Lelei, Rikaya and Piña had noticed that Katherine had disappeared. This didn't sit with them well especially after hearing about the two deaths on the train they were on.
"It is the United Nations Armed Forces Council not the United Nations Council, Tuka" Itami corrected.
"Now, let us enter already, the Council is waiting for your presence" Steiner said.
"Alright, please behave yourselves when you are inside" Itami said.
"That includes you two" Shirley grinned as she wagged her finger at Piña and Bozes who immediately stiffened by that.
"Come on, let's go" Itami urged. The group led by Steiner to a large room where there were rows of chairs that took a third of the room which were filled by officers, soldiers and men and women in what Lelei takes as civilian clothing. The rest of the room were mostly empty space but this is because there were three long tables that were arranged in a curve while in the space in the middle were three rows of desks, two rows were side by side while facing the other row of tables between them was a podium. Lelei looked at the long tables and was surprised to see that there was Katherine seated with the other officers of the UNAF Council that they had met the day before.
"Wait, she is a member of the United Nations Armed Forces Council?!" Piña exclaimed as she pointed at Katherine.
"Yes, she is the Commander of the United Nations Aerial Forces" Itami said.
"Aerial Forces what is that?" Tuka asked.
"Well, she in charge of the flying forces" Shirley said. Piña just stood there in disbelief.
"Alright, can everyone please take their seats" Itami and Shirley said as they gestured to the row of tables between nearest to other occupants of the room as there the other row of tables nearer to the UNAF Council was occupied by officers and politicians. The room was buzzing with voices. Lelei could make out some words but they were quickly drowned out by other voices. She then noted that the conversation soon shifted to around Rory who had her face covered by a veil and her halberd which she demanded be allowed to be brought with her that also covered by cloth. It seems that everyone there were curious who Rory was.
"Order in the meeting" Lelei looked at an officer from the row of desks in front her said as he stood up, "We are assembled here today to inquire the conduct of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in the liberation of the Hugar Slave Settlement and the conduct of Reconnaissance Team Three in the Special Realm during the evacuation of the village of Coda, representatives of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Lieutenant Colonel Imperial Knight Gertrude Barkhorn, Lieutenant Colonel Charlotte Elwyn Yeager and Wing Commander Sir Amirah Aisyah Sulaiman and the commanding officer of the Reconnaissance Team Three Lieutenant Youji Itami have summoned to give their testimonies over the events. Liberion Senator Jeannette Rankin, you can begin the inquiry"
"Thank you, Lieutenant General Graham" Jeannette Rankin as she stood up and place two large cards on the table which written on the first one was the civilian casualties, 150, total number refugees, 600 and how many entered the refugee camp, 40, from the Coda Village Evacuation while the second one had the number of bunny warriors found dead: 750, estimated total number of bunny warriors in camp, 900 and how many entered the refugee camp, 150 from the Hugar Slave Settlement Liberation. Lelei watched this lady look at her papers, "Now, representatives of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, all of you were flying on a combat mission 5 km northwest of Fort Glory near the town of Hugar, what was your mission exactly?"
"Can the members of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing choose their representative" Graham asked. Gertrude, Shirley and Amirah discussed before Amirah stood up and walked to the podium.
"I, Wing Commander Amirah Aisyah Sulaiman will answer that question" Gertrude said as she walked up to the podium.
"Please proceed with your testimony" Graham said.
"On September 16th 1945, the 501st Joint Fighter received a radio call from the UNAF Reconnaissance Team Two requesting for air support as they had encounter a large hostile enemy force made up of survivors from the enemy armies that attacked Fort Glory in the early days of September. The recon team reported a number of wyverns were also present. We flew in at around 0650hrs and engaged the enemy wyverns and their riders while at the same time providing close air support to the Second Recon Team against the soldiers. The enemy soon ran westwards towards the Hugar slave settlement which we assumed was a normal village at the time. That is when Air Marshal Katherine Ivana Litvyak and Major General Lord Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke made the decision to pursue the enemy before they entered the settlement. We wiped the retreating enemy out. We then flew over the settlement but we found that Imperial soldiers were busy finishing up in the settlement so we decided to fly in and attack them while the Second Recon Team entered from the east. We liberated the settlement at 0710hrs and it was only when we came in to land that we realize what the settlement actually was. Then it was agreed between Litvyak, Wilcke and Lieutenant James Brown that we relocate the survivors from the village to Fort Glory where they will be taken care of" Amirah explained the mission that the 501st flew that day.
"Why is it that the United Nations Armed Forces didn't know that such a settlement existed in the first place?" Jeannette asked, "Surely the United Nations Armed Forces had caught wind of the slave settlement"
"With due respect, it is difficult to catch wind of anything when the nearest settlement is 20 km away from the base and the men haven't left the general vicinity of the base" Amirah answered.
"What about the fliers in the air, surely the pilots and witches had spotted the slave settlement because why else would they be flying if they had bad eye sight?" Jeannette asked.
"Well, Senator Rankin, it is true that we had aerial reconnaissance however that was to only plot the geographical surface of the special realm so our main concern was to map out the area" Amirah answered.
"But still, the question remains, why didn't the UNAF notice that they were flying over the slave settlement?" Jeannette asked.
"That is because the 501st, 502nd and 504th Joint Fighter Wings had been flying at 10 000 m altitude so we could map the area using less photographs therefore it was impossible to differentiate between the slave settlement than any other villages moreover it didn't help that the slave settlement looked like a village from that altitude" Amirah explained.
"Alright now, my question is" Jeannette said before she pointed to her card, "Why is it, 750 over four fifths of the inhabitants in the slave settlement were killed, how could have this happen?"
"How?" Amirah asked back as she smiled, "That is simple, they were being raped and murdered by the brigands but they left so to engage the Second Recon Team however a small number remained to kill off the rest of the inhabitants as they didn't want the warrior bunnies fall into our hands"
"Why didn't you move in faster? Wouldn't have prevented more of them from being killed?" Jeannette asked.
"Senator, did you think that question or did you just blart out whatever is on your closed mind?" Amirah asked.
"What?! How can you be so rude?" Jeannette raised her voice.
"Well, it seems the senator has completely forgotten what I had said earlier" Amirah smiled.
"What are you talking about?" Jeannette asked.
"Can Wing Commander Sulaiman…" Graham said
"Amirah, please sir, Sulaiman is my father's name" Amirah interjected.
"Sorry, can Wing Commander Amirah, please refrain from giving vague answers" Graham said.
"I am sorry, I was a debater in my school years, so my debater skills showed up" Amirah smiled.
"That is understandable, now Senator Rankin, you may continue the inquiry" Graham said.
"Now, my question remains, why didn't you move in faster? You could have prevented more lives from being lost" Jeannette asked.
"Well, Senator, that would have been impossible for three reasons" Amirah said as she lifted four fingers, "First of all, we were busy engaging the brigands outside the settlement so we can't fly into the tank, second, we didn't know it was a slave settlement in the first place, for all we know it could have been a camp for the brigands, third if we moved in earlier than we will have confusion as the brigands will use the slaves as meat shields and finally most of those who were killed were dead hours before we arrived"
"How did you know that many of them had died before hand?" Jeannette asked.
"Simple, asked the survivors" Amirah said.
"Alright, I would like witness Rikaya to step forward" Jeannette requested.
"Can witness Rikaya Nippon, please step forward" Graham asked. Rikaya then stood up and walked up the podium.
"Now, do you speak English?" Jeannette asked.
"Yes, I can" Rikaya answered.
"Good, now forgive me for asking but are your rabbit ears real?" Jeannette asked.
"Why yes they are, look" Rikaya said as she twitched her ears around, "And someone is eating something behind me at the back of the room"
Immediately the entire room turned to look at the one slightly scruffy Britannian soldier who was eating a biscuit.
"Baldrick" A Britannian captain barked, "Didn't I tell you to not eat in the courtroom?"
"Sorry sir but Private Samokhin here gave me a biscuit and I couldn't let it go to waste so I ate it" Baldrick said.
"So you were the one who stole my biscuit" An Orussian lieutenant raised her voice.
"Sorry sis" Samokhin nervously chuckled.
"Order in the court!" Graham said.
"We will settle this matter later, Baldrick" The Britannian captain said.
"Same with you, Samokhin" The Orussian lieutenant said. Soon the court return to a similar state as it was before.
"Alright then, now can you describe how the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and the Second Recon Team conducted their operations?" Jeannette asked.
"Well, they wiped out the Imperial soldiers guarding the camp" Rikaya answered.
"Yes, they did that but did they cause casualties amongst you and your fellow warrior bunnies?" Jeannette asked.
"No, they were very accurate with their fire; they made sure they didn't hit any of us" Rikaya answered.
"How about the soldiers of the Reconnaissance Team Two, did they cause any trouble?" Jeannette asked.
"No, they didn't, they were very helpful" Rikaya answered.
"Well then, that is all I have to ask you, you may sit now" Jeannette said.
"Thank you" Rikaya said as she sat down.
"Now, we move onto the inquiry on the Coda Evacuation, can we call witness commander Lieutenant Youji Itami to the stand" Graham said as Itami walked up the podium. Jeannette then took down the board that showed the data on the Hugar Settlement.
"Lieutenant Itami, let me get straight to the point. It is reported that 150 casualties that is a quarter of the refugees under the United Nations Armed Forces' protection were killed or wounded. How did they fall victim to this so called dragon?" Jeannette asked.
"Lieutenant Itami, your testimony" Graham said as Itami stood up and walked to a podium.
"Well, I think the answer is that it's because the dragon was strong" Itami said bluntly. This made Rikaya giggle while Amirah and Shirley grinned as everyone in the room just stared in disbelief.
"What kind of answer was that? I wasn't expecting that! Didn't the newsreels say that he was the Hero of Hannah-Arendt-Straße and an excellent soldier? You can't be serious!" Jeannette thought as she glared at Itami.
"How can he be so blunt?" Gertrude thought, "But then again, he is a commander"
"What I'm asking is, was there anything wrong with your policies and tactics or the response from the high commanders?" Jeannette barked as she slapped the desk, "As the field commander, how will you take responsibility for the resulting casualties? Aren't you simply going to put the blame on the lack of resources?"
"Lieutenant Itami, your response" Graham asked.
"I feel sorry for the lives that were lost and my lack of power in the face of that…" Itami said as he stood at the podium.
"Yes, I got him to admit the UNAF's mistakes! We can end this pointless war once and for all" Jeannette smiled slyly.
"Lack of firepower and the failure of the civilians to understand the situation" Itami reiterated his last statement. This was a surprise to Jeannette and the other politicians. The military officers in the room couldn't help but smile.
"One thing is certain, this man has bravery" Zhukov said to Katherine who just nodded.
"Anyway, why are you trying to cast the military as the bad guys when you don't know about it or how it operates?" Itami asked, "The military has helped advance aviation technology and the fields of medicine, would you stop using them because of that? Also you fail to take into count what military units are and their roles are. So when you ask a recon team, which is lightly armed and its primary mission is to scout fail to prevent a dragon attack then that begs for you be labelled unknowledgeable on military matters"
"Is what he saying true?" Jeannette asked.
"This committee calls on Head of the Karlslander Military Research Institute Lt Colonel Ursula Hartmann on this matter" Graham said. Just then the female officer who looked like Erica Hartmann but with glasses next to Graham looked at her papers, she then waved slightly to the girl she looked like who was waving to her happily.
"Why is she waving to her?" Tuka asked Kuribayashi.
"That is because Ursula is Erica's twin sister" Kuribayashi answered to which Tuka nodded.
"Thank you, Lieutenant General" Ursula said as she looked the crowd, "After examining the arm that was left from the dragon that attacked Itami and his unit, we discovered that dragon scales are as hard as tungsten, second only to diamond on the Mohs scale but are only a seventh of the density. It has been confirmed to breathe fire as hot as those of the flamethrowers. It is with all of this considered a flying Flammpanzer or flamethrower tank" Ursula explained.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel" Graham said to which Ursula nodded and sat down.
"*Cough* Well then, I would like Witness Lelei to step forward" Jeannette said. Itami then headed back to his seat.
"Witness Lelei La Lelana, please step forward" Graham said. Lelei then moved forward to the podium. She adjusted the microphone to suit her better.
"Do you understand English?" Jeannette asked.
"Yes, to some extent" Lelei answered.
"You are currently living in the refugee camp, are there any restrictions in your lifestyle?" Jeannette asked.
"Restrictions?" Lelei asked, "I don't understand how you define restriction, if you mean a lack of freedom, I do not believe a human is ever free from the moment they are born"
"Let me rephrase that" Jeannette said, "Do you lack any of the necessities for living?"
"Clothes, food, a place to live, employment, leisure; all of our needs are fulfilled" Lelei answered, "We have no reason to complain"
"So, regarding the casualties was the UNAF at fault on any account" Jeannette asked.
"Seriously, what is with her obsession to put us in the bad light?" Amirah asked softly.
"She is a diehard pacifist, so diehard that when the vote came to declare war on the neuroi, she voted against when the entire congress but her voted for the declaration" Shirley said.
"Mein Gott, that pacifist even against the neuroi" Gertrude said.
"No" Lelei answered Jeannette's question after staring at her for a few solid seconds.
"Thank you very much" Jeannette said, "Next, I would like to question Witness Tuka"
"From here on, Witness Lelei will be translating" Graham said which Lelei nodded to.
"Looks like she doesn't trust our troops" Keitel said to Eisenhower.
"Well she is a pacifist, she doesn't like military involvement" Eisenhower answered back.
"Witness Tuka Luna Marceau, please step forward" Graham said. Lelei translated and Tuka moved forward to the podium.
"She looks like a junior officer" A Fusoan officer commented.
"Wow, such beautiful hair" A Liberion witch admired
"Would you mind telling us where you are from?" Jeannette asked.
"I'm an elf" Tuka smiled, "From the Rodo Forest Tribe, Marceau Clan, Daughter of Hodoru Rei"
"She is an elf from the Rodo Forest Tribe, Marceau Clan, daughter of Hodoru Rei" Lelei translated.
"Once again, I am sorry but forgive me for asking but are those ears real?" Jeannette asked.
"Senator Rankin asks if your ears are real" Lelei asked. Tuka moved her hair behind her ears.
"Yes, they are real" Tuka smiled, "Would you like to touch them?"
"She says they are real and she asks if you would like to touch them" Lelei translated. Immediately the room began to fill with flash as those from the media took as many pictures as they could. The crowd there immediately began to talk among themselves especially the news correspondents.
"Everyone, please be silent!" Graham ordered, "Please calm down"
"Quiet down now or I have the MPs take action" Katherine barked. The room was dead silent, "Good, you may continue, Senator"
"Thank you, ma'am" Jeannette said, "No, that won't be necessary. Tuka, did the UNAF act inappropriately during the dragon's attack?"
"I don't know" Tuka answered with her head down once Lelei translated to Tuka.
"Why is that?" Jeannette asked.
"…I was unconscious when it happened…" Tuka said sadly.
"Thank you, now can witness Rory Mercury, please step forward" Jeannette said.
"Witness Rory Mercury, please step forward" Graham announced. Itami, Tomita, Kuribayashi, Sullivan and Amirah watched nervously as Rory walked up the podium. For reasons unknown other to Rory, she stamped her halberd down.
"A black dress and a veil… those must be mourning clothes. This girl will definitely give a reason to criticize the UNAF and get it disbanded, they are a waste anyway. Gently does the trick…" Jeannette grinned internally, "Can you tell about your life at the refugee camp?"
"As an apostle of Emroy, I live according to my faith" Rory said. "Live when I wake up, pray, take lives, pray, sleep when the night comes. Since I am of flesh and blood, there are other things I must do as well"
"T-Take lives?" Jeannette repeated in surprise.
"Yes" Rory smiled, "Eating, killing, offering to Emroy. Many things…" Rory smiled.
"Luckily the killing part didn't get much attention since it came second" Itami thought, "Kuribayashi, Tomita and I were the only ones here who saw Rory in action in Italica… unless Amirah saw her in action as well"
"Was it the actions of the UNAF that led you to lose your family?" Jeannette asked.
"As an apostle, Rory's family should be long gone" Lelei thought
"Miss Lelei, is there a problem?" Graham asked.
"Are you asking about Rory's family, or the refugees from Coda Village?" Lelei asked.
"Is she trying to change the question in her translation? Just ask as I did, Miss Lelei" Jeannette said as she now wonders if Lelei had been changing her questions in translation with Tuka. She observed careful as Lelei translated to Rory. Rory then reacted by putting her hand to her face. Jeannette smirked, "Nailed it! I managed to pull on her heartstrings!"
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" Rory barked as she leaned into the microphone. Everyone in the room excluding those who had seen heavy combat recoiled or at least winced from the sudden shout.
"Wha-What did you just say?" Jeannette as she tried make sure she was hearing right.
"I asked you, are you an idiot? Young Lady" Rory asked.
"Young…" Jeannette grumbled, "You are being rude! Who are you calling an idiot?"
"Did you catch that?" A Karlslander reported asked.
"Yes but she is suddenly speaking English and better than my fellow Britannians" A Britannian reporter said.
"A stupid question" Rory said as she raised her veil, "Is parroting the only thing you can do? Itami and his team did something that no one has done before. One quarter dead? Wrong. Three quarters were saved. The soldiers of this coalition must have a hard time with senators who can't even understand that"
"Witness, please assume a more civil tone" Graham said.
"Young lady, you should show more respect towards those older than you" Jeannette said as she shook in anger.
"Young lady? Are you talking to me?" Rory asked. Amirah and Itami glanced over to each other and both had a face of fear.
"That's right you disrespectful brat! It is my duty to remind you that you must have respect for your elders!" Jeannette pointed to Rory, "Don't they have these customs on the other side?"
"…This is surprising" Rory smiled as she began to tug at the cloth covering her halberd, "For someone who is only…"
"LIEUTENANT GENERAL!" Itami shouted as he shot his hand up, "Crap! If this goes on, the SHUNAF will be a repeat of Italica!"
"No Rory, not here" Amirah barked as she gripped on Rory's hand.
"I would like to say something" Itami said, "I believe Senator Rankin is committing a grave mistake"
"In that case, you have permission to speak, witness Itami" Graham said.
"Everyone" Itami said as he took the podium while Amirah brought Rory back into her seat, "We sometimes use our age to our advantage but we mustn't forget that looks can be deceiving"
"Your point is?" Jeannette asked.
"What I am saying is Rory Mercury is older than anyone here" Itami said.
"What? Even older than me at 78?" Mannerheim asked.
"Yes" Itami said.
"You shouldn't ask a woman for her age" Rory smiled mischievously.
"…How old are you?" Jeannette asked.
"Nine hundred and sixty one years old" Rory smiled in a cute manner.
"Mein Gott" A Karlslander reporter gasped.
"Holy cow" A Liberion cameraman uttered.
"She only looks 12 or 13…" A Suomish major said.
"She looks like my granddaughter" Cunningham said.
"Is she immortal?" A Fusoan captain asked.
"Tuka… Miss Tuka, how old are you?" Jeannette asked.
"One hundred and sixty five" Tuka answered. The audience then looked at Rikaya and Lelei as they wondered what their ages were.
"Could it be…?" Jeannette lost her voice as she tried to prepare for the answer.
"I am fifteen" Lelei answered.
"I am nineteen" Rikaya answered. Everyone in the room except the UNAF council and those 501st members and Recon Team Three's members sighed in relief. Then Lelei walked to Itami.
"Itami, switch with me" Lelei said.
"Eh?" Itami replied in surprise.
"I can explain" Lelei said.
"S-Sure" Itami said as he stepped back allowing Lelei to take up the podium.
"I belong to the race of humans from the other side. Our lifespan is about sixty to seventy years. The majority of the population consists of humans" Lelei began to explain, "Rikaya is a warrior bunny, they live to between eighty to a hundred years old. They mostly consist of females. Tuka is ageless elf. Even among elves, she is a high elf who is said to possess eternal life. Rory is a demigod, a god in the flesh. Originally, a human, she stopped aging when she ascended. Normally, they transcend their physical bodies and become spiritual beings as apostles. After that, they ascend to true godhood. Because of this, they do not possess the concept of lifespan"
"Does Senator Rankin have any additional questions?" Graham asked after a solid minute of silence.
"That… That is all" Jeannette said.
"Now with the evidence laid out here, has the UNAF council reached a verdict?" Graham asked. Now attention shifted to the high ranking officers in the courtroom. Itami looked at them as they discussed for a bit.
"Well, seeing what is laid in front of us, we can reach no other conclusion than that 501st Joint Fighter Wing and the Third Reconnaissance Team had done nothing criminally damnable but have done everything in their power do conduct their operations to the United Nations Armed Forces policies and doctrines therefore that clears them of any wrongdoing" Eisenhower said with the other members of the UNAF council nodding their agreement.
"With that, this court session has been adjourned" Graham said and with that the meeting with the UNAF Council came to an end.
