Notes
Hi to everyone!
I'm back with a new chapter. I must thank you for your support to this story, it's fantastic to have such audience, it gives me even more determination to keep going.
We're officially entered in the second part of the story, probably the longest among the three, but probably the chapters will be shorter from now on.
Well, that's all!
Stay tuned, I could publish again by the end of this week!
See you soon!^_^
Cj Spencer
13
When the massacre ended, the assaulters made a fast check to be sure that everyone in the convoy were dead.
«No sign of survivors, General.» one of them respectfully said when their commander appeared from the darkness.
«Very well.» Octavia replied. «Prepare everything as agreed.»
«Yes ma'am.»
Then most of the soldiers, taking advantage of the ground made soft by the rain, begun to dig a massive grave among the trees, throwing almost all of the corpses inside of it when the hole was ready, even the few of their own killed during the assault.
While assisting, Octavia noticed a young soldier standing in a corner, as pale as a sheet and clearly traumatized.
«G… General…» he said finding a pair of eyes on him
«Problems, soldier?» she asked
«No… no…»
«Don't worry. You can talk.»
«Well, I mean…» he said looking at the common grave, now almost completely filled with corpses. «I know the reason behind this… I too think that negotiating with the barbarians is against our rules, but what we've done here… we betrayed our Empress. Those were their servants. Our brothers.»
Octavia put a hand over his shoulder, almost trying to comfort him.
«We have sworn our loyalty to the Empire, not the Empress. She is a pure and kind ruler, but she has no experience of war and politics. Who can say that the Calibrians wouldn't have betrayed us, or that their intentions are so noble as they want us to believe? We cannot afford to put Reich's fate in the words of a greedy king.»
At the end the young soldier seemed to accept his General's words, even helping his companions in recovering weapons and every usable thing from the mud to put it aboard a chariot.
«Do you want me to take care of him?» asked the division's Captain while walking alongside Octavia
«It's not necessary. At the end, his loyalty will prevail on his honor. Anyway, too many have died tonight.»
A second chariot was charged with a closed leather sack full of dozens of corpses, which was taken outside the road toward a nearby clearing, where a small green dragon was waiting.
The wind dragons were smaller than the usual dragons and even the wyverns, but in return they were incredibly faster in flight, not to mention that they were extremely docile and easy to train.
«Take care of everything as planned» Octavia said climbing on it. «Then rejoin your division and wait for further orders.»
«Sieg Fuhrer.» he replied with respect.
At that point the dragon departed grabbing the sack with the forelegs, and the Captain remained to watch him for a while before returning to his men.
«Ohi, boy!» he called the young soldier. «I have a task for you. Come with me.»
The camp's medic needed almost an entire day to put all of that poor goblin's pieces together after Herera's treatment.
«So?» Dante asked the following morning when Sorru left the prison after having remained for a very long time inside of it.
«It's not as bad as we thought. A couple of broken bones and some scratches.»
«Did he say something?»
«Well, maybe the Guantanamo Style is not politically correct, but it can be really effective sometimes. I simply had to tell him that we were ready to send our aggressive friend back to his cell that he begun talking like a little bird.»
«And, so?»
«He said that his chiefs used to speak about a secret hideout on south.» then both of them reached the map placed on the HQ's table «Since he's never seen it, he doesn't know what we're speaking of. It could be a dirt hole in the mud, but even some sort of fortress» then he pointed a place along the Rho's banks, in the central heart of the Range «If he said the truth, it should be here. Somewhere in the mountains around the village of Masia.»
«Not good.» Dante commented. «The valley is part of the Empire. I would have preferred to avoid getting so close to the Rho.»
«You can take this road which runs along the flank of the valley. It's the same one we use to connect the bases with one another. If you follow it till Sigma Point and then take this path which passes across the Bola Forest, you'll reach Masia avoiding all of the most followed routes.»
Dante carefully looked at the suggested route, noting that it crossed most of the suggested sites where they were supposed to search the new mines, so it was actually a good solution to solve both problems in a single trip.
«A good solution. Very well, we'll follow that route.»
«While you're at it, please go on a search for the guys of Sigma Point. They're quite isolated cause of the winter, and we don't have news from them since last month.»
«As you wish. And the other settlements?»
«Omega Point is the southernmost settlement and the terminal point of our communications system, but it can communicate with Castria already since it's directly connected with the primal center of Omni Point in southern Arlea. When we'll be able to connect our systems too with Omega Point and Omni Point, the antennas system should be finally ready and able to grant a radio signal strong enough to cover the entirety of northern Falmart.
That's why I would like you to go to Sigma Point. If they don't complete their antenna, the system will never be completed, and if the bandits' base is located over there for real…»
«Understood. We'll search for them and we'll assure that they'll conclude their work.»
«Thank you, major. I owe you a drink when we'll be back on Earth.»
The two soldiers then saluted each other before shaking hands in mutual respect.
«Good luck, Major.»
«You too, Lieutenant.»
At that point, Dante returned to his men, regrouped already around the vehicles and ready to depart.
Before boarding the vehicle, the Major crossed Herera's path, which lowered her eyes in shame the moment she saw him.
«I… I'm sorry, Master Dante. I thought… well… I didn't know… Zori told me…»
«Well done.» he ultimately said. «Let's go.»
They were just four words, but for the first time since she was forced to join that mysterious group of humans the girl felt a bit of happiness and a sense of peace.
«Yes, master.» she said with a smile.
«What news from the other side?» minister Scoleri asked minister Giovanardi when they met along Palazzo Chigi's main aisle, both directed to Rigamonti's office for the weekly meeting about the mission.
«The worst ones.» Anselmo answered. «We're completely blocked cause of the winter. At the moment Castria is isolated from the rest of the world, and the climate conditions are so bad that we needed to stop the airport's construction.»
«Any good news from Calibria?»
«Professor Radoni has passed the exam, so there will be no other problems. He and Lady Sadee will face the challenge by the end of the month, then their true mission will finally be able to begin.»
«I hope it's worth it. I heard about what happened to the professor.»
«We received a formal letter of excuses from the Warrior Bunnies, together with their promise to help us. A couple of them have already been enrolled in the FASI. Their skills in assassination and scouting will be really useful for the squad.
And you? What news from our so-called friends in Brussels?»
«The stadium incident has been successfully solved. All proof has been deleted, and the witnesses silenced with the proper instruments. They stopped make questions.»
«That bomb was ready to explode in our hands. But I was forgiving that you're the best, Ivana.» smiled the young man
They were about to knock to the Prime Minister's office, when a loud shout came from the other side before they could do it, followed by a sound of smashed porcelains.
«Porca troia!»
Then they immediately opened, finding Rigamonti hunched over his desk, with his precious lamp in pieces on the ground.
«What's happening, Sergio?» Ivana asked
He didn't answer, but together with the lamp there was also a crumpled sheet to the parquet. Ivana took it: it was a message from the secret service's agents on mission in Japan, so she read it, and soon her face too turned into a mask of astonishment and disbelief.
«What's the problem?» Anselmo asked
«The Japanese have made contact with the Imperial Family.»
«What!?»
«With one of the heirs, according to our spies' information. Princess Pina. The Government is planning to take her to Tokyo for a secret meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.»
«There is no more information?»
«This is all. They're obviously trying to keep all this for themselves. We've been lucky to have known about this.»
«May you burn in Hell, Motoi.» Rigamonti grumbled as if he was at the point to throw even his enormous desk into the air.
«But this makes no sense.» tried to object Giovanardi «A negotiation is against the Empire's code of honor. We received reports that they're trying to rebuild their army to prosecute the war.»
«This young princess has probably a little more brain than the rest of her family.» Scoleri commented
«The Japanese are about to conquer the greatest achievement of the entire human history, and we're still stuck in those goddamn mountains!»
«I suppose this is the bad side of having our gate located outside the Empire. We can act in secret, but they need to make just a few miles to reach the capital.»
At that point Rigamonti turned to them red with anger.
«The Empire is the key. The city-states and the tribes are just small fishes. If we don't make contact with them as fast as possible, all this will have been completely useless.»
«So, what should we do now, Prime Minister?»
«We'll implement the funds for the mission! For now we're stuck cause of the winter, but we can still prepare ourselves for the moment when we'll be able to move once again. I want the airport and the communications system working for the next spring.»
«But, sir…» Ivana objected. «We're already spending more than we're able to hide. The other parties are supporting us for now, but we can't be sure they'll keep doing it.»
«Not to mention the European Laws.» said again Giovanardi. «If someone would decide to check our expenses we would be in serious trouble.»
«We're running the next century's marathon. The one who takes the Empire will have the global upper hand for the next one-hundred years. I swore to make our country the ruler of the Special Region, and God Almighty I'll do it, no matter the risks!»
In that moment one of Scoleri's attendants entered the office and gave a paper to his chief.
«Minister, a report from our embassy in Washington.» he said before leave the three alone once again.
Ivana read it, and her expression was more than eloquent to make Rigamonti and Giovanardi understand that the news from Japan was just the beginning.
«Bad news never walk alone.» the woman commented.
«What's now?» the Prime Minister asked as if he didn't want to know the answer
«The Japanese are not very good at keeping their secrets. Our agents in America have detected a strange increase in contacts between White House and the CIA's division in Japan. Even the Russians and the Chinese have called their agents in Tokyo, warning them to prepare to move. We don't know the reason of this crisis, but if we've been able to detect Motoi's movements I would not be surprised if even the other ones have managed to do it.»
«They'll clearly try to sabotage the encounter.» Giovanardi said. «Or more probably their goal is to kidnap this princess to obtain their own connection to the Empire's political power. Maybe this could turn into an unexpected advantage for us.»
The Prime Minister remained silent for a couple of seconds, then he reached to his desk again and took the phone.
«Call me the Minister Motoi.» he said, leaving his two ministers completely wordless. «He should be in Mexico City for a state visit.»
The call was immediately made, and after a while the St Regis Hotel's telephone rang in the heart of the night.
«I'm the Italian Prime Minister. I need to talk with Minister Motoi immediately… I don't care if he's still sleeping. Wake him up.»
«But… Prime Minister…» Giovanardi murmured «Why…»
«It's already difficult enough in a two-horse race, I have no need for other competitors.»
Finally, Motoi appeared on the other side of the line.
«Prime Minister. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but our agents report that a strange exchange of messages is in course right now between many governments and their embassies in Tokyo. This is just a hypothesis, but we suspect they're planning something regarding your mission in the Special Region. I thought you had the right to know it… Yes, of course… It's ok my friend, you owe me nothing… But I must suggest you to improve your security net around the portal and all involved personnel as fast as you can. Obviously this is confidential information. We don't want to damage our relations with the said countries. I hope our future relations on the opposite will always be so transparent and respectful. Yes… it's always a pleasure. Thank you… good night, Prime Minister.»
At that point the call ended, and Rigamonti came back to look at his two ministers.
«We gained a bit of time. But it will not last for long. We need to find our own way to the Imperial Family, and we must do it now.
What news from our research division?»
Ivana at that point took three copies of the same dossier from her briefcase and gave two of them to her colleagues.
«We put the best of our scholars at work.» she said while the three sat around the desk. «In search of any trace that could testify the gate's existence in the ancient past. Since the Empire presents a clear Roman structure we focused our research in that period.»
«And?»
«We found something interesting. It's part of a chronicle written by a Greek libertus named Dimarchio, a very little-known historian lived in the third century BC in Narni. He speaks of a village, somewhere in the Appennines, whose inhabitants said to have a special connection with the realm of the Gods. There is no geographic information that can help us find out where this village exactly was, but under the circumstances we can assume that he was probably referring to the gate.»
«And that's all?» Rigamonti asked clearly disappointed. «The Secret Service is studying the gate for more than thirty years, and this is all you can give me?!»
«Unfortunately Dimarchio's works never left his hometown, and much of them have been destroyed during Hannibal's campaign in the Second Punic War. But he speaks of a member of the Senate and a little army sent in the mountains to investigate about this mysterious village.
We tried to make further researches in the monasteries' archives, but as of now we've not been able to find further proof.»
«Then the mission in Calibria is more than vital. The elf-girl says that the Imperial Family values the blood lineage more than everything else. If we demonstrate that its origins not only come from this world, but even from our own country, we'll have reached the heart of the Empire. And at that point, there will not be any childish princess able to prevent us from wrestling the control of the Special Region from the Japanese' hands.»
As soldiers, Lunardi and his men were paid for their work, but if the euros were accepted by anyone inside Castria, even the local merchants and owners of taverns, on the outside was necessary to adopt other kinds of money.
For this reason, all of the members of the Italian Army assigned to the Special Region could ask and obtain to have part of their salary in Euros and the remaining part in Soruda and Denari, the Empire's most used coins, to use it if necessary outside the Italian Administrated Region.
As usual, before departing, the members of Falcon-1 had received the equivalent in Soruda and Denari of three months' salary, obviously adapted to the coins' value in the Special Region, with the option to convert them in euro after their return to Castria; each of them was able to use those money as he wanted, but of course in such payment were included the costs for food and other primary needs not covered by the mission's funds.
Usually a prostitute's rate was of one Soruda or ten Denari, with few exceptions; but Parna was a Warrior Bunny, which together with the Avions were notoriously the most talented ones in their work, so their rate was a bit more expensive.
But this was not a problem for Rocco and the other ones which had secretly accepted the girl's offer, since according to the Sergeant, which had been the first to visit her house, she was a true Sex Goddess, capable to steal a man's spirit and leave him breathless and completely exhausted in barely a couple of hours.
To not alarm the companions or being forced to give explanations, Sergeant Rocco had forced all of the other ones involved in that situation to remain silent with the other ones, not to mention the condoms soldier Brugnoni had been smart enough to take with him were counted.
Mama's boy Tassoni's turn was on Monday afternoon, but despite having accepted to keep the secret he always refused to make use of his three hours of "license", finding continuous excuses to justify: a change of guarding turns, a headache, and countless other physical problems.
He and Brugnoni had spent a long time in the same station in Turin before being assigned to Operation Columbus, and Gianfranco was probably the sole true friend that Tassoni had in the Special Region, and right for this at the end Brugnoni decided that it was enough.
«Why don't you accept the fact that Silvana will not come back?» he said putting a condom in his hand after lunch when he tried to offer himself for cleaning. «He left you, and that's all! The more you'll think about it, the more you'll have to wait before being free again. So take this, go out there and prove me you're still a man, or I swear I'll talk of your porcelain dolls collection to everyone!»
«What!? When did you…»
«Now!»
Then, Paolo headed toward the baker shop on Prince Aulas Road as a condemned man headed to the gallows, and when he finally reached the shop he stayed for a long time at the base of the outside stairs which reached the little house at the first floor.
He went up timidly, one step a time, then he subtly knocked praying to not be heard, and when no one opened he thought to be safe.
«It seems no one's here.» he almost smiled.
Unfortunately, right when he was at the point of leaving, someone appeared on the stairs cutting away the escape route.
«Oh, welcome.» Parna said climbing the stairs with a paper sack full of vegetables in hand. «Sorry, I went out for some shopping. This is the best moment for visit the market, since the sun is high and most of the people prefer to stay indoors. And since you never came in the last weeks, I thought…»
«I… I understand.» he stammered while sweating like never before. «So… I suppose you're occupied in putting away the groceries, then I think I should…»
But before he could descend half of the stairs, he found a naked leg leaning against the railing to stop him.
«Don't be fool, my friend. This is your first time, so you need a first-class work. Come.»
At the end Paolo had no choice but to follow the girl and entered her house.
There was a single, but still spacious room, with a table, a bed, a stove for cooking, a chest and few other things, and the entire room was lit by three windows.
The moment they entered, Parna ran to remove the boiling pot from the stove, and when she opened the lid a pleasurable smell of soup filled the air.
«Just in time. I needed carrots and aigmang, that's the reason for which I left.» then she turned to his young client, still standing in front of the entrance. «I'll be with you in a moment, just give me a minute to put those things in the pantry.»
Then Parna disappeared behind the sole other door, and Tassoni took a moment to look around.
He had never met with a prostitute in his life, and he had always imagined the house of one of them as a dirty, vulgar place, but that little studio flat seemed everything except that a whore's nest. Hanging on the wall there were also some paintings and flowers frameworks, the dust was almost absent, and the bed was clean and perfumed.
«It's… a fine house…» he said
«I must thank the baker.» Parna replied from the other room. «There are not many humans in this city willing to rent such a house to someone like me. She offered me this place to stay despite the work I do, and in exchange I help her to care for the shop. I pay attention to not being seen obviously, I work at the oven and other such things; not to mention the work I usually do, it's not a good thing to have a Warrior Bunny as assistant in this side of the city.»
«It's… sad. Why is everyone so unrighteous with your species? You are so kind, so… respectable.»
«It's not always been like this. There's been a time when we Warrior Bunnies used to fight each other in an endless war, and even if our civilization used to be something more of blood and war everyone still sees us as a violent and barbaric race. On the opposite, I suppose you know the way we use to reproduce. The urge to mate with other races in order to have our babies has forced us to become really skillful in sexual affairs, and that's the reason behind all the voices about us being a bunch of horny beast-girls in heat.»
«It's… sad…»
«There's no need to be sad. We don't care of what people say about us. When our kingdom has been wiped away I've been lost for a while, but at the end I thought that after all there was nothing strange in using my skills for eat. And even if I was scared at the beginning, with time I learned that being a whore is not so different from being a warrior: you must simply do your job while avoiding being too much involved. First it was just kill, now is just sex.»
Then, the door opened, and when Tassoni turned the wooden fork he was looking fell to the ground.
Even with her modest human dress one was more than able to note Parna's gorgeous body, but now that she was wearing barely the slips and a skimpy cotton band to cover her breast that same body was right in front of him, absolutely marvelous.
«After all, it's true» she said while provokingly walking toward him. «We're masters of love and sex. From the stinky goblins to the horny werewolves, there's no race that we're not able to send in ecstasy, even if for barely a brief moment.»
Before knowing it, Paolo was sat on the bed, with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen right over his knees, smiling like a cat ready to eat a delicious little mouse.
«Are you nervous?» she hissed in his ear
«Well… uhm…» he hesitantly tried to reply
«Whatever is annoying you, trust me: you'll have nothing apart this in mind when I'll have finished with you.»
Feeling her lips, for a single instant Tassoni thought he was kissing a goddess, but after just a couple of seconds a terrible sensation exploded in his chest, and a wave of fear pursued him to free from the embrace where she was trying to entrap him.
«I… I can't…» he said trembling in fear.
«What!?» she said clearly surprised
«I can't do it, sorry. I knew I shouldn't have to come. Sorry if I made you waste your time, I pay you in any case.» and then he literally escaped even without recovering the belt she had already removed from his pants.