XX Author's Note XX
I am going to start including more 3rd Person scenes in the upcoming chapters. I want to paint a much broader picture of the war then the simplified one presented in the games. It is also a way to more solidly connect all three legs of the trilogy.
X With Tim X
After we all returned to the shelter, the Captain decided to speak to the entire population. It was music to my ears: We were going to war. Well…that last part wasn't entirely decided yet.
Things were like this: A Admiral in the Capital had reconstructed the government. Then remnants of the Lazurian military attacked Rubinelle survivors, and caused a lot of damage. So the Admiral gathered up all surviving Rubinelle military members and made a new military: The New Rubinelle Army (Kind of stupid and unnecessary if you ask me, but whatever worked for the sap). Apparently, everyone that was here were the only good soldiers, because they weren't having any luck out there; it was a stalemate. That was why those Marines had come looking for us; they needed all the help they can get. The Captain hadn't explicitly said we were fighting, just that we should go see how well civilization was doing for itself. We were going to war; everyone knew that. Had to give the guy credit for not forcing it on us though.
"Hot damn, we're going to war!" Jessie rubbed his hands together. "Not just this small scale junk either, big fish! Naval landings, massive armor assault, airborne landings, all that shit."
"Hell, bastards won't know what hit them!" Dominic agreed. Everyone was in groups, blabbering on about the news.
"They won't know what hit them? You'll probably crash on the way there! I saw the way you flew back in the islands." Darren raised an eyebrow. "I'm amazed you didn't sink yourself."
"Hey man, that's just how I fly." Dominic reared back with a cocky grin.
"Keep at it and your black skin's going to be crispy black." Jessie laughed. "When the hell are we leaving anyway?"
"Sometime soon I hope." I crossed my arms. "Once you get a taste of blood, it's hard to get rid of."
"I hear that!" Dominic said. His grin faded slightly. "Hey man, I think something's up with your old lady."
"Call her old again and I'll snap your neck." I retorted. But I turned where he had been looking. We had been talking in one of the million identical halls in this damn place. Sarah was leaning quietly against the wall down the hall. Now, if a woman does not, it means something. "I'll be right back." I started walking towards her. "What does she want to talk about?"
"What is it?" I asked, glancing back to make sure the others weren't trying to listen in.
"Walk outside with me." Her tone was a familiar one, as was the look on her face.
"More philosophy, probably. What now?" It perked my interest. I'd come to realize that she actually thought a lot deeper about these things then I did. If she was going to suggest something, I better damn well listen. She was usually right anyway.
Once we were outside, she sat on a semi-flat rock on the ridge that had a decent view of the city. I simply stood nearby and looked at the city while I waited for her to start talking. After about a minute, I realized she was staring at the city too. "What is she thinking about?"
"Have you ever thought about having a normal life?" She asked me. The question was random enough that it took me a moment to answer.
"Normal life? Like a job, house, all that stuff?" She nodded. "Well, it never really crossed my mind, you know?"
"Is it something you'd be considering to try?" She turned to me. Her eyes betrayed a hint of hopefulness. I scratched the back of my head to buy me some time. Would I?
"I…guess." I admitted. What harm could there be? "Why? What are you getting at?" I asked. She wasn't a random person; there was a point to these questions.
"I talked to those Marine's we rescued." She said. "Society is all back together out there, kind of a socialist state they said."
"That's where everyone is equal, isn't it?" I asked. She nodded. "That'd be a first for us."
"Yeah, and about this war that's going on-it's complete total war."
"Total war?" I asked. Total War, was complete un-restricted chaos. Civilians were targets and all buildings were free game. Total war usually ended with populations wiped out and lands left barren. Not really my kind of thing, but I was fairly sure it was banned anyway.
"Yep." She nodded. "And if they win, they keep saying it'll be the end of it- no more Lazurians, no more war."
"Which means we're gonna be discharged as a victory gift." I finished. Win a war, get kicked out. How fun. "We'd be civilians…" I realized something. "Which is what you're talking about, isn't it?"
"I want a normal life." She laid down on the stone. "I know you've looked at how little we've always had and wished you had more."
"Yeah, and being a pessimist about it wouldn't help." I hadn't been that jealous or antagonized about it…at least not after a while. "Never really had the opportunity…"
"That's what this is, don't you get it?" She jumped up and grabbed both of my hands. "This is a second chance! We've both wasted the past ten years of our lives- we ran away from our pasts- but that's only because that was all that was available to us. We can start over, we can actually make something serious of ourselves." She looked up at me hopefully with big eyes.
"Damn, she really has it all thought through." A second chance to start equal with everyone else… The idea was actually kind of tempting. Though I didn't jump into any new plan headfirst. And something about this just sent off a red flag in my head. "It's a big change, isn't it?"
"Think of everything we've survived so far." She suggested. "It be child's play compared to all that." I must've still looked skeptical, because she went on. "I know how it looks now, but once we actually try it, it'll all be easier."
"You've really thought this through, haven't you?" I asked. She let go and sat on the rock again.
"Honestly, I've always wanted a way out. But nothing ever materialized."
"…This is something you really want, isn't it?" It actually kind of made me feel dumb; I would've never thought of something like that. As I've mentioned before, thinking ahead isn't one of my strong points.
"Yeah. Don't you?" She asked.
"I suppose I do, I just don't realize it right now." It was the best answer I could come up with. Still, if it was something she wanted… "I am completely whipped." She smiled.
"That's something I never thought I'd hear you say."
"Yeah, well, you've been rubbing off on me." I responded.
"Your actually smart if you try to be." She told me. "You really need to start thinking big."
"Maybe." I shrugged. We started walking back towards the shelter. "Why the hell do you even bother with my slow ass?" I asked. "If anything, I've been a bad influence, and you're pretty damn smart and ambitious." She laughed and leaned against me.
"No, you helped me be strong. And anyway, women are always smart and ambitious, it doesn't matter where they come from." Her eyes glittered mischievously.
"So I've learned."
"You weren't that hell bent of being bad either." She went on. "You had some ambition, even if it was small. And aside from that, you're the only one who has any idea what I've been through and don't think of me any less for it." She added.
"Same reason I'm with you."
"For some reason, its like being raped makes a woman unworthy of being in a relationship." Her tone became sad and she looked down at the ground. I quickly tried to think of response.
"I don't see how." I said. "I'm pretty sure it takes a kind of strength only the bravest and determined people have." I couldn't really think of a further reply, but I thought I saw her mouth curve up.
"I already think I know something we can do." She went on in a normal voice.
"Oh yeah?" I asked.
"Mmhm." She nodded. Compared to here, there are plenty of options out there now. For instance, helicopters are still needed in civilian life." She looked at me. "We could still be pilots."
"The freedom of flying minus the killing power." I mused.
"If we get to start over equal to everyone else, no need for weapons to make us feel big, right?" Her point was very blunt.
"You make it sound like we do it only to actually feel superior to everyone else." I said uneasily.
"That was really my only reason at first." She admitted.
"I can…kind of see where you're coming from."
"What?" I realized I had been too quiet.
"That was my reason too. The rest came after." I said a bit more loudly. "Makes me sound like an ass."
"We can't be the only ones who joined just for that reason." She said.
"I suppose not…" I shrugged. The shelter seemed a lot further away then I remembered.
"Scared?" She asked.
"Of what?" I looked over at her in confusion.
"Of trying to live a normal life." She explained. "Neither of us really know a whole lot about it, do we?"
"Not really." I agreed. The idea seemed less appealing now.
"A lot of soldiers have trouble adjusting." She tried to comfort me. "We just have to pick up as we move along." I tried to think ahead and grasp the idea. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't really imagine myself.
"Is that a good or bad thing?" I couldn't figure it out. "I think I'll let you handle the planning." I told Sarah. "I can't really wrap my mind around it for now."
"I don't blame you." She reassured. "Just always remember that there's nothing holding us back this time; we can choose for ourselves. No more running, no more hiding." I nodded at her enthusiasm; It was like she processed. Then again, she had a lot more to gain from it.
"This could be a new start for the both of us." I nodded inwardly. "Though shouldn't I feel more eager about it?" Even though I realized the stupidity of how I lived the most of my life up to this point, mending it just didn't seem to register like it had with Sarah. The whole concept of starting over was beginning more and more to sound like it wouldn't work. I scoffed at myself and a bit of my former self came back. "Why should I be scared?" I wasn't scared of anything! Why the hell had things become so uneasy since last years revelation? My personality up to that point may not have been the best, but I realized that it could still help, should I use it correctly.
"We'll make this work somehow." I said out loud, catching Sarah's attention.
"Now you're thinking." She said in approval.
"Moving up." I marveled at the thought. "Seems like only yesterday we were kids stuck behind a rusting iron fence."
X With James X
"Onwards we go!" Sam declared, hopping onto the hood of a Humvee and pointing up. "To battlefields! To glory! To justice!" His speech received several cheers and claps, though only from a certain population.
"I serious wonder if he got brain damage when we weren't looking." Peter said, watching the spectacle.
"Not really a occasion to be over eager for." I agreed. Around us, soldiers moved back and forth, observing vehicles and supply crates and barrels. Everyone was in the city now, gathering up the supplies and vehicles we had stored there. So far, everything seemed to be in working order. Though it was quickly becoming apparent we didn't have that much food, fuel, or ammunition saved. With any luck, the new military would have a surplus to lend us a hand.
"Corporals, got your kits yet?" Sgt. Anderson appeared.
"Yes sir." I patted my pack. "Food, water, ammunition, medical, survival, and navigation tools."
"Good." He nodded and went to check on the other soldiers.
"Not exactly how I imagined us entering a war." Helen came and sat down with us.
"Some say war is human nature." Peter shrugged. "There will always be conflict between humans."
"All we can do is reduce the scale of it."
"Hmm." Helen trailed off to think for herself.
"Board the helicopter." Sgt. Anson walked up to us. "All planes and helicopters are leaving first to a allied base. The ground forces will follow shortly."
"First to the line. Alright, let's go!" Sam, having overheard, rubbed his hands together. We all started walking.
"What do you think it's like there?" Helen asked.
"Probably martial law." I theorized. Even with everything brought together; supplies and living space wouldn't be plentiful enough to accommodate every being.
"Do you think we'll have to shoot our own people?" Helen asked. Her words were true; civilians were capable of causing a lot of damage. Angry civilians were raw force left to run wild.
"I hope not." I answered. "It would go against everything I signed up for." The discussion seemed to strike a nerve with everyone, as we all remained silent till we reached the helicopter.
"Nice set up you boys got here." It was one of the NRA Marines. He was observing all the planes and helicopters we had in our inventory. "We can assign you pretty much anywhere and you can stand on your own."
"We've come a long way." I said modestly.
"Well, I enjoy working with professionals." He came over and shook all of our hands. "I look forward to working with you guys on the battlefield."
"Yeah, well once we're there, no Lazurian is going to get us out." Sam beat a fist on his chest. "The bastards won't know what hit them."
"Hope so, cause we haven't got them to move in months." He started walking off.
"Wait a damn minute boy, I got a question." Sgt. Anderson had arrived with other members of the unit in tow. "What type of war we got going on? Limited?" Limited war was a war fought to accomplish a certain objective: removing a influence from a area, destroying a figure's military forces, or just repulsing a enemy presence from a area. I was going to take a wild guess and say we only had enough manpower to protect our land, not anything more.
"But if both countries reform, given two hundred years, everything will be back to how it was." Nothing will have changed…
"Total, fucking, war." The Marine said. It caught me by surprise. Total war? We were trying to occupy what was left of Lazuria?
"So uh…what's the plan? Set up a new government? Or just demilitarize them?" Even Sgt. Anderson seemed surprised.
"Complete extermination." The Marine said smugly. Everyone in the immediate area stopped. The reactions were to be expected: shock. Some people had a mortified look on their face.
"Genocide?" The idea was repulsive. Soldiers were guardians, not murderers.
"What?" The Marine didn't seem to realize he'd said anything wrong. "Think about it!" He tried to reason. "No Lazurians, no one for us to fight. Eternal peace!" The prospect was lost due to the shock blocking it.
"That" Sgt. Anderson growled, "Is bullshit." I felt disgusted myself. We all took our roles are soldiers seriously. The fact someone could suggest we'd sink to such a level was insulting.
"We wouldn't be any better then the raiders we died fighting."
"Ah, you guys remind me of a myself a year ago. Just wait." He warned as he started walking away. "Spend a few days out there and see what YOU think." He did not keep the bitterness out of his voice. Silence.
"Man, what was his problem?" A pilot asked.
"He's probably been at war for over a year now. It isn't healthy." Sgt. Anderson shook his head. "The new government must be so strapped, they can't give soldiers R&R." The statement caused a new thought to materialize in my mind.
"We have the equipment…but do we have the sensible manpower?"
X Darrett, Lazuria X
General Forsythe strode dutifully down one of the many hallways of Fort Lazuria. In recent weeks, he had adapted to a sleep schedule that allowed him to wake when most of the reports came in. Before hand, reports had to usually be sent by air or ship, which was ineffective, which could keep Forsythe from having a clearer picture of the entire war. But thanks to Dr. Caulder, he could know exactly where his soldiers where and what had happened. Though reports arrived at different times, and urgent ones giving reason to wake him, many of the standard reports from field officers arrived at generally the same time.
At once, the intelligence and communication staff stood up in salute. "At ease. We needn't do this every morning, gentlemen." Forsythe said with a chuckle. "What are the happenings this morning?" He observed the large pile of papers.
"Well General, most of the reports are standard supply requests." Said Major Karev, on of the intelligence officers. The young man acted as a filter, effectively and professionally isolating reports that required Forsythe's immediate attention; the rest he could receive a summary of later. "But we have several important ones." He pushed a much smaller stack of papers his way.
"There has been some overnight develops with our special operatives." Colonel Chepurin pushed himself to the front of line of Forsythe's advisors and staff. The man did this every day. Though annoying and aggressive, Forsythe did realize the need to listen to the man.
War was ever changing. As technology advanced, so did strategies. The change was often rapid. Intelligence and espionage had evidently come a long way since Forsythe commanded. War was now filled with black operatives, sabotage, and political and military assassinations. The days of a simple lookout with a camera had been dying then, and was already long dead now. Personally, he found this new form of war very unethical; un-wanted killings from strategic bombings were bad enough, but even he could not deny its worth and need. Luckily, others handled much of these efforts, so that Forsythe would not dirty his own hands.
"Very well Colonel, what has happened in the past eight hours?" Forsythe had learned this new form of war changed much faster then more traditional forms.
"Many things, General." First off, several of our agents managed to blow up several oil rigs that were supplying the Rube's navy."
That will slow them down slightly. Forsythe nodded. "Go on."
"I must regretfully report that a pair of agents were captured and executed while trying to plant a bomb at a naval port near where the Rubinelle 5,6, and 7th fleet remnants are operating."
"Oh dear." Forsythe murmured. He privately wondered how people could work a job with so many risks. The Colonel nodded in sympathy. "Is that all?" Forsythe asked. Though usually significant, there weren't many reports.
"Oh no, General." He grinned. "There's one more report."
"An ace up your sleeve I suppose?"
"Better." He handed General Forsythe a piece of paper, which only contained a single transmission: INFILTRATION SUCCESSFUL.
"We finally got one of our agents inside the Rubinelle Capital." Chepurin explained.
"Splendid news!" Forsythe exclaimed.
"Jack of all trades; she can do just about anything." Chepurin nodded. "So what'll be the order, sir? Blowing up their barracks? Poisoning their water? Hell, why not just order her to slot the bastard in charge?"
"No, no, that's fine." Forsythe shook his head dismissively. Any acts resembling terrorism or ones that killed a very influential person would most likely spur Rubinelle into fighting even more. The war was dragging on and Forsythe realized peace was the only sensible solution, but any requests for negotiations were completely ignored. While messy, a bombing of their Capital might change their leader's mind. "I want her to gather up detailed reports about local defenses: AA units, air fields, the likes." Colonel Chepurin looked surprise.
"With all due respect sir, Makoto is a very skilled operative. She could do much more damage by-
"Are you defying my order, Colonel?" Forsythe asked boldly. Complete silence took the room. As odds increased in their favor, many officers were becoming aggressive and encouraged the carrying on of the already bloody conflict till there was no one left. Forsythe couldn't let that happen sitting down.
"No sir." The Colonel's attitude evaporated under Forsythe's glare. "I'll go transfer the order." He left the room to spare himself more embarrassment.
"Couple of military reports came in today." Major Polyakov said.
"Go on." Forsythe told his aid.
"The Rube's 2nd Fleet took back to the seas yesterday." His mouth curved upwards. "They certainly spent a while licking their wounds. That Trojan horse strategy worked like a charm, didn't it, sir?"
"I suppose so…" Forsythe said uneasily. The Trojan horse in question had happened nearly a month ago, and ended with the Rubinelle 3rd fleet destroyed and it's 2nd Fleet crippled. There were two odd facts about this operation: Number 1 was that no Lazurians had lost their lives in it, and number 2 was that Forsythe had not authorized it; Dr. Caulder had.
The weapons manufacturer had gone to a notoriously eager General and proposed a secret deal: Secure a intact Rubinelle battleship, and he'd receive infinite glory. And so he had, using air power to destroy its escorts and naval commandos to kill the crew. What Caulder then had done was take the Battleship into one of his own facilities and modified it. A week later, the ship easily sailed into a secure Rubinelle port and opened fire on the unsuspecting and largely unmanned ships. Just inside of an hour, over 12 ships lay sunk and many more damaged, the town was burning and nearly 17 thousand people killed. No definite figure on civilian casualties could be found. The results for morale on both sides had been indescribable. Everyone had simply believed it had been a group of devoted Lazurians, but Forsythe knew the truth.
"Automated troops, General." Dr. Caulder had offered the event as a sales pitch later. "All ships, all planes, and all tanks can be controlled with the touch of a button. No more risk for your men. "So to where do you want these upgrades first?"
"No where." Forsythe had said adamantly, surprising the scientist. Forsythe had already been insulted when Dr. Caulder cut in on his authority (he had had the General involved detained), but he had been absolutely horrified when he learned of the event.
All that power in one person's hand? Using machines to murder men? Madness! Such a thing could only cause more problems. Forsythe had denied the aid constantly; despite the other mans continued insistence. General Forsythe was starting to worry about Dr. Caulder; a man with that much power and influence could be dangerous. The sooner the war was over the better.
"We got an excerpt from one of their newspapers. 'Captain Ryman swears to lead his fleet on the warpath straight to Darrett.'" Polyakov quoted the cut out.
"Daring and angry, which makes him very dangerous." Forsythe observed. "It may be worth increasing defenses in the area. What else?"
"Our 9th fleet, with support from air units, attacked the Rubinelle 1st fleet in a deadly but indecisive battle." Forsythe shook his head. That seemed to happen a lot, and would keep occurring unless the stalemate was broken.
"A Captain Levsensky reports increased enemy submarine activity in his area of operations." Polyakov went on.
"Hmm." Forsythe went over to the large map posted on the nearby wall. It was covered with pins representing ships, air squadrons, and troop concentrations. He had no immediate knowledge of a Captain Levsensky, so he searched the outer edges of the mass of pins.
"Right here, sir." Polyakov pointed to a island some 90 miles away from the rest. According to the pins, there were four frigates guarding the island, which held a radar facility. "Not much is it?" He looked at the tiny dot.
"No, but it is important." Forsythe turned back to his aid. "Are there any ships to be launched soon?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Caulder delivered two battleships yesterday." Polyakov nodded.
Caulder again Forsythe thought and suppressed a frown. He had been using many of the materials offered to build industry, making Lazuria independent again. Needed materials from Lazurian mines and refineries were doing much more then trickling in, and several factories and ports had begun producing war machines again. Rubinelle bombing disrupted these efforts, though. And often all Lazuria could make smaller units. In particular, all Capital ships had to be supplied.
"It would be a waste." Forsythe decided. "Any smaller ships?"
"I believe there's a cruiser we haven't assigned yet." Polyakov flipped through the papers he had brought himself; his job required him to carry all the information Forsythe needed.
"Assign it under Captain Levsensky then." A cruiser could help with the submarine problem, and stave off any small-scale invasions. Polyakov picked up another report and frowned at its contents.
"Well sir, I have some good news and bad news from Admiral Golovkin." He said.
"Oh dear." Forsythe said. Forsythe had appointed the Veteran Admiral (and a former member of his staff) to the east with the goal of orchestrating a landing on and then capture of a large stretch of desert on the Rubinelle main land. This land was the country's main supply of oil. Capturing it could also serve as leverage in negotiations. There were a lot of troops concentrated in that part of the channel. It had been a constant worry that the enemy would figure out these plans.
However, there was no enemy activity in that area. And the enemy showed no notice to the ships, men, and planes disappearing from their previous posts. The coastline and the air and oil fields, while already heavily defended, hadn't been reinforced. But anything related to operation was important.
"Yes sir. Well, the good news is he received that company of tanks we sent for the landing. He also reports one of the Rube bomber squadrons defending the area were reassigned. I'll wager they'll show up here soon." Forsythe waved him on; the bombers could wait. "The bad news? One of the carriers we assigned to him was sunk en route."
"That won't work." Forsythe realized at once. There would have to be a lot of naval support to ensure the men got ashore safely. "Major, assign those two battleships you mentioned to Admiral Golovkin. Send a escort. There support will be crucial."
"Sir." His aid immediately pulled out a sheet and scrawled the message before giving it to once of the radio operators. Forsythe again turned his attention to the map. Each of those pins represented people: people with families, people with lives. It was Forsythe's job to ensure as many of those pins returned home as possible.
Forsythe began plotting various flanking maneuvers that would allow Lazurian forces to take control of the channel in his head. The war would no doubt accelerate in the upcoming month, and much would be lost. But at the same time, so much would be preserved.
X NRA Headquarters, Rubinelle Capital X
A young and recently commissioned Major panted up the stairs to the upper levels; the elevator was reserved for more important figures. In her hand were several disturbing reports about Lazurian units that had been disappearing off of the intelligence staff's maps.
She paused in front of the doors. "Important reports." She showed the Marines standing guard her I.D.
"Sorry ma'am," One of the Marine's took the report. "The Admiral is requesting only to be disturbed for important matters. We need to verify." His eyes scanned the paper. His partner peered over his shoulder.
"Well where the hell did they go?" He asked.
"That's just it: we don't know." She explained.
"This is definitely something the Admiral should see." He nodded and turned around to unlock the door. The two Marines escorted her into the large dining room. Admiral Greyfield looked up from the lobster he was eating.
"Yes? What is it?" He demanded.
"Important reports you need to see, sir." The Major handed over the papers. Frowning, Greyfield set down the knife and read the reports. "Considering our available manpower, our intelligence is usually very good, but no one can explain this one. Greyfield read three of the reports…and then started laughing.
"This is excellent!" He exclaimed, much to his audience's confusion. "Davis!" He yelled. On occasion, Greyfield forgot that Davis had already been sent away, but the officer now filling in showed no outward signs of offense. As the officer worked over, one of the Marines asked,
"What is it?"
"Look!" Greyfield showed the officer the reports. "Our efforts are working! Those inferior Lazurians are running from the fight!"
"But-but sir!" The Major stammered. "Our reports don't say they retreated back to the mainland! Some of us think they may be building up another front."
"Nonsense!" Greyfield shook his head. "The only front is the channel. You!" He addressed his aid. "I want orders drafted to send more troops to the channel. We can brake through their defenses."
"S-sir?" He wasn't even listening to the Major.
"All of you out!" Greyfield demanded. "I must pass on my plans to my subordinates."
"But-" Before she could argue a point, the Marines and the aid were pushing her out of the room.
"Don't bother." One of the Marines whispered. Once they were back in the hall, the professional look on his face vanished. "Biggest load of BS I've ever heard." He waved his hand. "I got back from the front last month. Those bastards don't retreat-they regroup and attack again." His companion nodded, the two sharing a memory only they knew. "Fat bastard can't see past his own nose."
"If he looks down, I bet there's something else he can't see." The two Marine's laughed. Having glanced around carefully, the aid approached the three.
"Can you guys keep a secret?"
"Maybe." The Marine said casually. "Our ears don't work quite as well as they use to." The aid grinned.
"Then I doubt you'll hear we say that the Admiral is going to start withdrawing forces from the channel."
"He's stopping this damn war?" The other Marine asked in surprise.
"But how?" The intelligence Major asked.
"He's withdrawing all regular forces." The aid explained. "He's going to put them on home duty and steal most the equipment. He's turning all the irregular forces into his own private army, going to make THEM do the fighting." His mouth curved up. "Shame you couldn't hear that. I- he started using hand signals- am going to send those orders."
The Marines had to take a minute to compose themselves to avoid laughing. "Dumbest idea I've ever heard." One scoffed.
"Those bastards are nothing but a mob with guns." The other agreed. "Not that I'm complaining. We sit here, do the work that actually needs done, and relax."
"Once those bastards get themselves killed we'll just step in again. Who knows, maybe they might be able to kill some of them." The Marine turned to the Major. "You best get going, but remember- you didn't hear anything." The Major looked life she was going to reply, but nodded and put a finger to her lips before quickly departing.
"Better them then us." One suggested.
"Better them then us." The other agreed.
XX Author's note XX
Sarah does seem to be a deep character and get a lot of character development, doesn't she? Trivial fact: she was one of the original main characters. First time around, I wasn't sure how to write a female character. I was more focused on the idea this time around; I even got the prologue and first chapter in her POV still saved. But I decided against it again. This time around, it wasn't the awkwardness; I could refer to the problem is vague terms. It was more that I couldn't get through the prologue without revealing a certain plot point (that I haven't revealed yet), and through the first chapter without revealing what happened to her. I felt these needed more build up. Besides, she does make a excellent supporting character, does she not?
Though only mentioned by name for the time being, the agent Makoto is a OC submitted and owned by user CO Raven, as are the rights of use.
As always, I accept OCs, criticism, suggestions, or just a friendly review.
