The next day after breakfast, Damia had to meet with Basque Grand for two hours while the other soldiers watched a movie in the hotel lecture hall. During her meeting with Grand, she was given a piece of paper describing what her troop would be doing during their first battle. Apparently, intelligence sources informed them about massive Ishvalan troops that stayed at a ridge near the Amestrian-Ishvalan border, waiting for the opportunity to assassinate any Amestrians in uniform who became visible from the border security area. Grand said that these troops were planning an invasion into Eastern Amestris on January ninth if intelligence was correct.
"Our men at the border are prepared," he told her. "We are to attach them at the ridge early morning of their invasion date. But be prepared to be trucked to battle at any time before the ninth in case they march forward sooner." He paused for a moment and circled the number nine in the date of January 9, 1917 on both of their papers. "What do you know about Ishvalans and the number nine?"
Damia was surprised to hear Grand's question. She did not understand why he would be asking her such a question, even though she knew the answer. She could remember Dante telling her when she was a child how the ninth of each month was always a day when the Ishvalan estate owner would treat his Galiciyan slaves brutally.
"From my understanding, it's sacred in their religion, General," she replied. "It's the number after eight, the number representing eternity. "Nine" means that an Ishvlalan has been elevated beyond the "Eight", the never-ending cycle of reincarnation, and has been accepted into their deity's Heaven."
Grand nodded and the two of them went over what each of their roles in the battle would be. The plan was that Damia's troop would position themselves by the ridge, serving as an assassination troop so the Ishvalans could not march toward the Amestrian border. Grand's troop would be advancing behind the Ishvalans to kill any escapees, as well as to kill any other Ishvalan "patriots" that may arise to join their comrades. After spending another hour going over both troops' roles in the battle so that both commanders knew how every part of the fight was to be staged, Grand told her to take her soldiers and begin engraining the January ninth plan in their heads.
For three days, that was what they all did. All ten soldiers ate breakfast from six to seven. They then relaxed until nine. From nine to twelve-thirty they went over the battle arrangement. From twelve-thirty to one-thirty they ate lunch. From one-thirty to three they had another leisure time. From three to six-thirty they went over drills. From six-thirty to eight they ate dinner. They had eight o'clock to nine o'clock to either relax or wash up. After nine they had to retire to their rooms and rest.
The morning of January ninth, Grand woke up Damia at five o'clock. Her orders were to wake up those under her command, have an early breakfast, and report to their assigned truck by six o'clock. He handed Damia a map to the set of coordinates her troop was to report to for the battle.
"Whoever you designated as the driver needs this map," Grand said before he left to wake up the soldiers under his command: Kimbley, Zeitgeist, Roland, and his ECO-Tech person, Hughes.
There was not another word to be said. Damia followed her orders and at breakfast gave the map to Alex. At six o'clock sharp, all five members of their troop were in the tan-colored truck. The last one to get in the truck was Havoc. After all the others were seated, Havoc placed what resembled a giant grey metal backpack in the back seat, took the final inhalation of his cigarette, looked up at the dark early-morning sky, and got in the truck. They drove off in silence toward a tunnel, which most likely led to the Ishvalan border. After they arrived at the other end of the tunnel, now driving in a desert land with a terrain quite the opposite of Amestris, the last thing Damia saw of Grand's troop was their truck driving off in a different direction.
Roy gently nudged Damia in the side. "How is it so different after a ten minute long tunnel?" he whispered.
"Later," Damia whispered. "An earthquake and water. But not now. Later."
Damia's eyes hardened. She slid the earpiece that would connect her communication to Havoc into her left ear. Her head was held high as her narrowed eyes glared at the desert terrain she could see through the front windshield.
Die, die, Damia thought. You will all die. I want to see this filthy sand painted red.