Yay! I finally got a new chapter up! It's a little short, relatively speaking, but I feel like I really accomplished something. I haven't had much time lately since I started a new full time job (double yay!) as well as hanging on to my part time job for a couple of months.

Chapter 28

"Is the river still running? I don't want to have gone through all that work for nothing."

It was said half in jest, but it had crossed a lot of minds.

"Yes, Brigadier," Miles replied. "The Halik is still with us."

The telephone lines were down, so they were communicating by radio, just like the old days before Ishval was on the grid.

"The damage is considerable, but it could have been so much worse," Miles went on. "Like I said, the quake was violent but brief."

"Any aftershocks yet?"

"I think there has been at least one. Some of the men have said they felt more, but it could be their imaginations. We don't have any equipment to measure tremors."

"That's something to look into," Brigadier General Mustang mused. "A little bit like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted, though."

"As long as the barn is still standing," Miles added. "The khorovar has called for an emergency council of the district chieftains, the tagma, my military police, and the clergy to create a province-wide network to assess the damage and see to the needs of the citizenry. I'll be relaying reports to you and to Central as soon as I get them."

"Good." Miles could hear release of tension as Roy let out a long breath. "I want to make sure disaster aid is sent out as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir." Miles smiled a little. "But you know, Ishvalans aren't strangers to roughing it. When we first got out here, we had no electricity or running water or telephones."

Mustang was silent for a few moments, and Miles realized he had touched a nerve that was still a little tender, even after all this time.

"I mean to say, Brigadier," he added in a tone that reflected how he understood, "that we're a resilient people, but we still trust you to be the first one to come to our aid."

"Thank you, Colonel Miles," Mustang replied, an appreciative warmth in his voice.


It came to Mitya as no surprise that a man who could stop the earth from quaking could set an entire province into motion with such practiced ease. Or at least, he made it look easy. During the drive back, the three adults, Zhaarad Andakar, Major Armstrong, and Edward Elric kept up a rapid discussion on what was to be done. That is, Zhaarad Andakar seemed to be thinking out loud and the others agreed with or remarked on what he said. Major Armstrong floored the accelerator and he didn't slow down until they reached the fort. Zhaarad Andakar jumped out of the car before it had even come to a full stop, and he rushed to meet Colonel Miles and his adjutant. Mitya and Danika stayed in the car while the adults conferred quickly with each other. There was some damage to the fort, as far as Mitya could see, cracks in the walls and broken windows. There was an atmosphere of controlled excitement everywhere, a lot of animated discussion.

"I hope Mama and everybody is all right," Danika breathed quietly.

Mitya certainly hoped so as well. He hoped they would not be here long. But soon Zhaarad Andakar and the others were heading back to the car even as the colonel began to call out orders to his soldiers. As they got closer to Ishval Proper, Zhaarad Andakar had Major Armstrong stop several times so he could get out and talk to any people they passed by. He asked questions and answered them, issuing urgent instructions and generally reassuring and calming everyone. At each stop, the fear and anxiety in everyone's faces faded away to relief as soon as the khorovar appeared.

Following the network of access roads, they finally made their way back to Kanda. Major Armstrong dropped them off and then headed back to his parents' house. They walked the relatively short distance from the closest access road to Jasmine Court, where they found everyone gathered outside.

"Andakar!" Rada called out, running toward him. He swept her up in his arms and held her tightly for a moment, then bent down to gather up his younger children. They had appeared calm at first but had gone tearful once they saw their father was safe.

Rada grabbed Danika and Mitya together in a tight hug. "Thank Ishvala!" she cried. "I've been frantic with worry!"

"Is everyone all right?" Danika asked.

Rada nodded, stepping back and searching their faces. "And you two! Did you get hurt? What about the people at the dig?"

"They are fine," Mitya answered. "The people in the…library were…" He glanced at Danika for help.

The girl nodded and continued. "The opening to the library caved in and the people still inside were stuck there." She smiled. "But Zhaarana Dot made an opening with alchemy, and everyone got out!"

Rada let out a long sigh. "Well, let's hope that's the last time we have to go through this." She lifted her hands helplessly. "There's no electricity and the telephone isn't working, but those are things we can do without if we have to."

Mitya nodded. He was no stranger to power outages. They occurred in his old apartment block on a regular basis.

"We're going to cook dinner outside," Rada went on. She smiled at Danika. "It'll be like old times, like before our house was built."

After having made a quick inspection of the area, Zhaarad Andakar joined them and gave his wife another hug. "I have to meet with Miles and the chieftains," he said. "I'm not sure how long it will take."

Rada tipped up her chin to receive a kiss. "Just be careful," she replied. "Do you think the house is safe enough to sleep in tonight?"

Andakar looked past her at his house and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It's better to be cautious."

"We could sleep outside," Danika suggested. "It's not too cold at night anymore."

Rada waved her hand. "We'll think of something."

"I'll leave it to you then," Andakar said, moving away.

Mitya hesitated as Andakar walked past him, then he spoke up. "Zhaarad Andakar! May I…come with you?"

Andakar paused, a little surprised, and he considered the boy thoughtfully for a moment. Then he nodded. "Yes, you can come."

Mitya beamed, feeling excited and a bit nervous. He turned to Danika, who was watching him with a curiosity that was a little anxious. "I want to see how Zhaarad Andakar…" He frowned for a moment, trying to think of the word. "Upravlyat'," he murmured to himself, wishing he had his dictionary with him.

"Govern?" Andakar suggested.

Mitya looked up at him and nodded. "Yes! Govern! I want to…learn from you."

Andakar studied the boy's face with a look of understanding, mingled with a brief hint of sadness. "Then I hope I can be a good teacher."

"I hope I can be a good…student," Mitya replied.

Andakar smiled and put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "I'm sure you will be."


Mitya braved the questioning looks from the others gathered at the khorovar's headquarters. One of them, Stanno, the chieftain of Kanda, openly asked Andakar, "What's he doing here?"

"He's observing," Andakar replied curtly.

Mitya took up a position in the corner of the room and listened intently. The discussion was a mix of Amestrian and Ishvalan, and he caught most of it. But what he paid greater attention to was the different attitudes and body language of those present. Andakar dominated the proceedings, but addressed everyone as equals. The others respected the khorovar's position of authority but did not hesitate to speak out, either in agreement or otherwise. Andakar listened to what they had to say and replied accordingly. If any discussion started to stray from the subject at hand, Andakar would steer it back.

The bulk of the meeting had to do with the reporting of damage across Ishval and the prioritizing of necessary repairs. Notes were recorded by Sergeant Benjamin to be passed on to Brigadier General Mustang, whom Mitya had met at Danika's birthday celebration. The Brigadier would then organize any necessary disaster relief from outside Ishval.

Mitya was well aware that, comparatively speaking, Ishval was not a big place, and this handful of people was sufficient for the orderly and systematic running of the local government, even in a disaster situation like this one. Ishval was only a small part of Amestris, which was itself dwarfed by several of the surrounding nations, Drachma chiefly among them. Mitya had no idea when or even if he would take up whatever role he would be called upon to fill when he was returned to his homeland. He had no particular illusions about being treated with the sort of respect afforded to Zhaarad Andakar. But when he did step into that role, he was determined to earn that respect, and he was determined to learn how.