07/26/20
Look who it is with a timely update? Am I even the real writer? Maybe, maybe not.
Either way this chapter was actually very easy to write and I greatly enjoyed it! Nothing else of note, aside from me playing FFVIII for the first time and getting back to writing so I can hopefully keep the updates at a normal pace!
(Verb) Travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Explore
August 3rd, 2056 - Three Days Into The Expedition
The wide expanse of green fields, rocky structures, mountains and lakes that made up the region all around them was a wonderful sight.
These last three days that Elma and Frye spent wandering the alien wilderness was filled with marveling at the foreign sights. After two years aboard a government crafted spaceship with nothing to see but endless black and stars, being on actual land once more was a change neither of them had truly come to understand or appreciate until this very moment.
"Sometimes if I just...stop myself from thinking...I could swear I'm on Earth. I could swear that...nothing has changed."
Frye had told her that on their first day out.
"But then I start thinking again and the reality of all of this just...comes flooding back."
The man took a deep breath before turning to her, that familiar smirk on his face.
"I can't bring myself to stop thinking about the past. Not for one second…"
Elma looked to the horizon, shaking her head.
"I have no desire to...not until…"
Falling silent, Elma continued walking with Frye not far behind.
The pair had taken to mapping the surrounding area as best they could with the limited resources they had. It became immediately apparent that if they wanted to have a better understanding of this new world they needed the Frontier team.
On the second night, Elma and Frye looked over the form that Elma had drafted with the IDs of those aboard the White Whale that they were in desperate need of as well as the ones she wanted to find.
Eleonora Reeve was needed to aid with setting up the new government.
Kirsty Allen and Tobias Smith were the lead members of the Frontier team.
Kriss Fowler, simply put: a genius that they could all benefit from.
Constantine and Kruse Voliff, engineers, they needed all the technical help they could get.
Phog Christoph, Frye's brother. A request from their father to Hideo Kumon and now something Elma had to see through.
Once she brought up Phog's name, Frye had fallen silent. Elma could see that Frye had no desire to talk about his brother. In any other situation, Elma would lend her ear but with all the turmoil in her mind following Starfall, she knew she was in no condition to take on someone else's burden. Not another one.
"How will we know when we're close to one of the Lifepods?"
Elma looked to Frye as she held up her datapad.
"We don't have much of a signal this far out from the Habitat Unit but the Lifepods have their own built in signal, when we get close to one we'll start to receive signals that should lead us to it, assuming its in a relatively intact condition. Otherwise we just have to rely on our eyes."
Frye nodded before falling silent once more, the pair focused on the campfire before them, no longer having any words to share.
Elma watched the fire burn, licking at the wood that gave birth to it. In the small conflagration she saw it, the same shine that was in Jaynix's brilliant red eyes. The glow that her hair gave off in the midst of combat.
A small smile formed on Elma's face as she imagined her once more. As quickly as the image came, it was drowned out by pain and horror. Excusing herself, Elma moved to where they had set up their sleeping bags and decided she needed to rest. Or at least, attempt to.
Frye sat alone, keeping watch. His gaze moved to Elma's form on the ground, as much as he wished a peaceful night for her, he knew better. Looking back at the flame he sighed.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for ya Jaybird…"
Reaching into his supplies, Frye pulled out a beer and held it towards the fire.
"Like old times eh?"
Opening the can, he smirked.
"I remember being...thoroughly impressed by your ability to knock these back. You could drink with the best of them…"
Frye laughed.
"You drank with me, so of course! Damn girl...I hope to find a woman half as capable as you were…"
Frye's smile faded.
"As you were…"
Closing his eyes, he remembered that night.
It was a night that always reminded him of the kind of person Jaynix was when the thoughts that troubled her were far away. The kind of person Frye was proud to call his friend. On this night they were at the bar they always frequented when they had time to get together. The Cabin.
"So the wife is out of town for work? And you didn't go with her? Instead you opted to hang out with me? Is there trouble in paradise?"
Jaynix laughed, turning to face Frye.
"Are you asking? Or hoping?"
The man smiled.
"C'mon Jaybird, ya really think I'm the kinda guy to hope for someone's relationship to fail? Talk to me girl!"
Jaynix looked to her drink before her, smirking.
"No trouble at all. Lyla and I are pretty kickass so she's trusting me to hold the unit together till she and Tai get back. Tai is second in command y'know."
"Not really. I never understood that."
Jaynix raised an eyebrow as Frye took a long swig.
"Why ain't you second in command Jaybird? No offense to Mr. Alistair. I've seen his combat records and it goes without saying that the man is a machine, well respected but you outclass him in almost every way. You even have him beat when it comes to eyes. By one only but it's a win nonetheless."
Frye watched a smile grow on Jaynix's face before she burst into laughter.
"I've never EVER thought about it that way before wow."
She continued to laugh, bringing a smile to Frye's face. She would never admit it, but being apart from Lyla had brought her mood down these last few days. The whole reason he invited her out drinking...was for this.
"But seriously. Why him? Why not you?"
Jaynix took a deep breath, a few more giggles escaping her before she took a long drink.
"You want the honest answer or the Jaynix answer."
"Both."
Jaynix nodded.
"I hate paperwork. I have to file enough as the Corporal, I don't want to deal with what Tai has to. Nah."
Frye tilted his head.
"How does Tai file paperwork?"
"C'mon Frye. It's all holograms with him. Learning keyboard placement was one of the first things he did, with ease. Not to mention all the voice activated systems we have."
"Keyboard placement eh? That take long?"
Jaynix shrugged.
"By the time I met Tai he was well adjusted to any kind of work regardless of his being blind."
"Alright. Does that include fighting?"
Jaynix thought back to her first meeting with the man who would become the Major.
"Yeah. He had a good grasp on it. He relies on sound for nearly everything but having someone there to tap on his shoulder helps a lot too. I took that role often. It's like morse code...kinda."
Frye whistled before taking a long drink.
"I couldn't imagine doing that. Too much to juggle."
After Frye fell silent, no doubt waiting for her other answer. Jaynix tapped her fingers along her drink, thinking of how to phrase it.
"Tai was recruited by Kumon first. He has seniority."
Jaynix tilted her head.
"Something about the positions we're in...the tasks I have to deal with at our home base and the tasks that he has to handle. It just feels right to be in the positions that we're in."
Jaynix smiled.
"Being a higher rank was never something I cared about. All I ever wanted to do was be recognized. For my mom. For my dad. For my sister. The rank, my position, it didn't matter. I could achieve that goal wherever I wanted to as long as I did the right thing…"
Falling silent, Jaynix took another drink as Frye spoke.
"Which one was the real answer and which one was the Jaynix answer?"
With a shrug, Jaynix replied.
"Who knows."
The pair remained seated, ordered round after round and sharing laughs until a very noticeably drunk man approached the table.
"Hey there, aren't you red hot?"
Frye shook his head.
"Listen. Buddy. If I were you, I wouldn't."
"Wouldn't what? It's just a compliment. You get it, right babe?"
Jaynix looked at the man.
"Yeah. I get it. That all you wanted to say?"
"Say sure. Do? Not. At. All."
Jaynix's gaze moved from the man to Frye who made a gesture before Jaynix looked to the bartender, Mick. The moment they locked eyes, Mick sighed and ducked behind the bar.
Turning to her drink, Jaynix shrugged.
"Fuck it."
Finishing it off, she stood up and took hold of the drunk man, lifting him up with ease before turning and tossing him across the bar. He crashed into a table several other men were sitting at. Roused from their drinks they turned their gaze on Jaynix and began yelling at her.
"I'd apologize. But I kinda want the fight."
Frye chuckled as the three men charged Jaynix and fists began flying. One of the men was shoved into Frye, acting quickly, he hooked his arm around the man and tossed him aside before standing.
Finishing off his drink as well and slamming the empty cup on the table, Frye laughed.
"This is how you spend the night!"
With an excited yell, he tackled an approaching drunkard who was holding a broken bottle. He'd never forget this night.
Staring at the flames, Frye smiled. His now empty beer can was resting on the grass at his feet.
"You know how that night ended...right Elma?"
Having been unable to sleep, Elma listened to Frye recount the events. Clearing her throat she tried to say something, anything, but couldn't think of what. Instead she simply nodded.
Frye looked up at the sky.
"It's late. I'll try not to keep you up anymore...get some rest."
Standing, Frye began his inspection of the perimeter.
On the ground, Elma thought back to that night and what happened once she and Jaynix were alone.
Closing her eyes, Elma focused on that memory, hoping for it to bring her to a peaceful sleep. At least for tonight.
Now, on this, the third day, Elma and Frye found themselves by a lake. Strange creatures both of all sizes gathered around the lake to drink and largely ignored the pair as they approached their bounty.
The first Lifepod of their journey sat before them, Frye kept watch for any creatures that got too curious as Elma looked over the Lifepod before opening its control panel.
Sighing in relief she began running through the required commands and entered her passcode when asked.
The Lifepod began to respond and finally opened up to reveal the person within.
As they groaned, Elma stepped back, allowing them to exit the Lifepod and examine their surroundings.
"Where...am I? What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
The person looked to Elma.
"Vaguely…"
They then turned to the Lifepod.
"How long was I in there?"
Frye looked up at the sky.
"Well, if we go by how many times the sun has come up, it's been about a week."
Elma nodded.
"You're probably experiencing the inverse effect. A long time under could be bad in some cases, but a short time also has some risks."
The person turned back, their eyes searched Elma until some small glimmer of realization sparked. Soon it filled their features.
"Colonel Elma?"
She nodded, a smile on her face.
"That's me. Now, do you remember who you are?"
The person nodded.
"Y-yeah. Yes."
Standing at attention, the person brought a hand to their head in salute.
"Senti. White Whale Security at your service ma'am."
Elma shook her head.
"No need for formalities. How are you feeling, Senti? Woozy?"
"Yeah, that's the word for it."
Senti took one step back and almost fell over, Elma took hold of her arm to keep her upright before guiding her to the ground.
"I hate to pile on the questions but do you remember anything else? Where were you stationed on the White Whale? What was your position back on Earth?"
Senti seemed confused by Elma's last question.
"Earth?"
Just then, Elma's datapad began to beep. Retrieving it she watched as it responded to some signal nearby. Frye was at her side immediately.
"Is that a distress call?"
Elma attempted to gather more information but the datapad's weak connection prevented her from doing so.
"All I've got is the cardinal direction but not how far. If someone is in trouble…"
Elma turned in the indicated direction.
"Could it be...her?"
"What about Senti? We can't just leave her here and she's in no condition to fight."
Frye said, prompting Elma to turn back to their new companion.
"We can't exactly tell her to go home on her own either…"
Elma whispered as Frye crossed his arms.
Senti wasn't at 100% and this planet was far more alien to her than them. Even if they pointed her in the right direction, she'd be at risk.
"It's no big deal Colonel. Let me come with you. I won't slow you down. Promise."
"Senti."
The woman gestured in the direction Elma's datapad had pointed out to them.
"It's important right?"
Elma nodded as Frye moved past them to inspect Senti's Lifepod. Reaching inside he pulled out a case and opened it to find a handle.
"Photon Saber eh. I take it, this is yours?"
"Indeed it is, thanks mate."
Senti took her weapon in hand and attached it to her belt as Elma began moving towards the distress signal with Senti and Frye following.
"So are we just gonna...leave the Lifepod there? I know we're not equipped to deal with it but..."
Elma shook her head.
"I checked its systems, it's working now. Properly. I also upped its signal output. A clean up crew will be able to find them with ease once we get Frontier set up."
"Frontier?"
Elma turned to Senti.
"A White Whale project for mapping planets. One of our primary goals is to find the members of that team."
Senti nodded.
"I see. Finding me was just luck then?"
Frye smiled.
"Indeed it was, so let's make the most of it."
The three exchanged quick looks before picking up their pace across the alien plains, their destination uncertain.
The afternoon sun painted the landscape before them as a rather...familiar sight came into view for Elma. Picking up her pace she began running, Frye calling out to her.
She only came to a stop when she reached the object, it was a Skell. A heavily damaged Skell.
"Jaynix?"
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the Skell was not Firebird. Elma felt her heart sink as Frye ran up next to her, he took one look at her and any words he had to say faded away.
Reaching over he put a hand on her shoulder and waited until she raised her head once more and continued moving.
"Oi! Loves! Over here!"
The pair turned to find Senti standing near two more totaled Skells. Senti then gestured around and the pair noticed at least a dozen creatures torn apart by edged weapons and gunfire.
"Our people."
Frye noted. Elma brought up her datapad once more and continued following the signal, Frye and Senti right on her tail.
It wasn't long before they heard the gunfire and the yelling as well as animalistic roars. Drawing her blades, Elma charged ahead first. Frye pulled out his assault rifle and handed it to Senti.
"Keep your distance alright!"
"I can take care of myself sir!"
"We're not out to lose anyone! Not today! Understood?"
Senti kept her eyes on Frye for a moment before nodding and taking his weapon. With that the pair took off after Elma as she leapt off a cliff and hit the ground below.
In front of her she saw several Coalition soldiers as well as one more wrecked Skell. The group was armed with longsword and assault rifles, they were engaged with several four legged creatures.
The beasts roared, howled and attempted to tear the soldiers apart. Upon closer inspection, Elma noted that the three engaged in battle were heavily injured and their combat performance was slipping.
The light of Overdrive covered her body and she shot towards the conflict, one beast turned to her and roared as she leapt high into the air and landed on its head, both blades tearing into its skull.
The Coalition soldiers shouted amongst each other and began falling back as Frye shot past Elma, fire was trailing along his blade and body as he delivered a savage strike to one of the beasts, tearing its body open.
Elma turned to see one more headed towards her only for a burst of automatic fire to push it back.
Senti called out to her and with a determined nod, Elma fell upon the injured creature and cut it down.
The rest of the beasts began to fall back as Frye gave chase and Senti fired off several more explosive rounds. A couple more were felled by the blade and gun as the rest disappeared over the horizon.
Taking a deep breath, Elma let the light fade away and sheathed her blades.
"Colonel Elma?"
Approaching the man, she nodded.
"Yes. You are?"
"Oh right."
Coughing into his hand he saluted. The man had short blonde hair and he looked relatively young.
"Dirk. Dirk Matthews, Coalition Rear Guard."
Frye and Senti approached the pair as Elma spoke.
"Good to find you and yours alive, Dirk. What happened here."
"It's a long story."
Another man yelled.
"Not that long."
A woman's voice.
Elma looked to the two others approaching, the first was the woman. Reddish brown hair, two small tails of which were tied up behind her head.
"Grette Lash. Rear Guard."
Then was the taller man. His dark hair made the single white stripe stand out all the more clearly. His blue eyes held a serious light.
"Raymond Penn. Forward Guard. We were actually all in the same division on Earth..."
"Jaeger."
Dirk stated which drew recognition from Frye.
"Jaeger? Then...is Adelbert here?"
The three soldiers nodded and gestured toward a nearby cave.
Elma let her gaze stray to the last destroyed Skell, it was clear as day that it wasn't Firebird either. Letting out a sigh, she focused on the path ahead.
Inside the cave was a small alcove with the last two members of Jaeger, the team leader Adelbert and fellow Forward Guard soldier Phina.
"Colonel."
Elma raised her hand.
"No need to move Adelbert, you do not look to be in the condition for it. What happened?"
The man groaned, bringing up one of his hands to run it through his dark hair.
"We were securing the escape of our Lifepods...when everything was going to shit, the Ghosts started targeting them so we deployed in their defense."
"The Ghosts were...I don't want to say desperate but…"
Elma looked to the blonde haired woman, Phina.
"...they attacked us with such immense force. We crashed not too far from here, our Skells were almost inoperable and none of us could fly so we couldn't return to the Habitat Unit."
Senti turned to look back the way they came.
"Your Skells looked damaged by claws as well…"
Adelbert chuckled.
"Perceptive...yes...apparently we landed in those...things' territory. Every day since we've been here they've been raiding us. Our Skells lost all functions gradually and so we had to abandon them and hole up here to fight them off. Phina and I got overwhelmed during their last assault."
Frye smirked.
"Adelbert Ipsen, brought to his knees by a few alien dogs, eh?"
Adelbert looked at Frye, something shining in his eyes.
"The Killer Ostrich...Michael's boy...of all the people to come to my rescue."
Elma gave Frye a look to which he waved her off.
"No time for any of that Adelbert, we're gonna get you guys out of here and back to the Habitat Unit."
Elma moved closer to Adelbert and Phina.
"Can you two walk?"
Phina nodded as Raymond spoke up behind them.
"We've tried to leave before but the local wildlife is really determined to kill us. Moving out with them isn't the best plan."
"Then what do you suggest, boy?"
Raymond turned his attention to Frye who was moving closer to him, undaunted by Raymond's height.
"Keep chillin' in this cave? Let those things continue to wear you down till you all die?"
"If we try to move out with them in their current condition, we'll all die anyway. I think it'd be better to send for aid from the Habitat Unit. We didn't lose all our Skells to the Ghosts right?"
Frye crossed his arms.
"We're three days out from the Habitat Unit. Can you tell me you'll all still be here when we get back?"
Raymond fell silent as Elma moved next to Frye and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll all go together. Frye and I will be the Forward Guard. Grette, Dirk, Raymond you will protect the rear and we'll keep Senti, Adelbert and Phina between us."
"Hey, I'm feeling better already, love. No need to baby me."
Raymond looked to Senti.
"Were you out here alone?"
"Sort of. The Colonel just got me out of my Lifepod."
Raymond brought a hand to his chin.
"Lifepod eh…"
"What? Have you seen any out there? Any at all?"
Raymond's gaze moved to Frye.
"Probably best to save this conversation for later. Last thing we need is more people to add to our caravan."
"All of you shut up. Take up the Colonel's positions and let's move."
Adelbert called as he and Phina rose to their feet. Dirk and Grette saluted their captain before taking up the rear with Raymond. Elma and Frye drew their weapons and led the group out of the cavern.
"With any luck the edge of these things' territory is close. Once we clear out maybe they'll leave us alone."
Frye stated to which Grette sighed.
"If only. We've killed a good number of them all the time we've been stuck here. I don't expect them to forget that."
Frye looked around the field as they began moving towards the cliffs, his eyes landing on each one that he and Elma had killed not long ago as well as more bodies that have clearly been lying around for longer.
"Well then...here's hoping they're not intelligent enough to recognize the cause for a grudge…"
The group continued their relatively slow pace, walking around and up the cliffs before setting their sights on heading back south to the Habitat Unit.
While it wasn't the end result for her first trip that she wanted, Elma recognized that bringing back Senti and all the members of the Jaeger team would greatly bolster their offensive forces as well as allow them to send more teams out. As long as they all survived the trip home.
As they approached a gathering of rocks, boulders and other such pillars jutting out of the ground, they heard the first howl.
"From behind!"
Raymond called out, drawing the group's attention to a solitary creature in the distance. As it howled, several more appeared around it and charged the group.
Dirk leaned forward.
"Is it just me...or is the one howling...bigger than the others?"
Frye cursed as he moved past the group.
"The leader."
Elma gave her blades a quick twirl before joining Frye, watching the eight creatures charge their position as the supposed leader hung back.
"Rear Guard. Senti. Maintain distance and focus on gunfire, Frye and I will take care of this."
"You have a lot of faith in me, Colonel."
Elma turned to Frye, a small smile on her face.
"You were the one I called on to help with Ethos and his ilk. I've always had faith."
She could see that Frye was caught off guard. Looking away he scratched the back of his head and laughed.
"Well then. I won't let you down. Time for the Killer Ostrich to carve his name into this planet's history!"
With that, Frye shot forward, colliding with the first creature. His blade slicing through its head, gouging out one of its eyes and drawing a piercing cry from it.
Elma moved towards the next one charging, her blades carving through its skin as another one leapt over it and crashed into her.
The force of the beast's body threw her to the ground.
"Now!"
Raymond, Dirk, Grette and Senti opened fire on the other creatures, keeping them away from the group as Elma leapt back onto her feet.
Another creature launched itself towards her, jumping out of reach, Elma threw one of her blades, the weapon cut deep across the beast's hide before hitting the ground. Spinning around, she sheathed her second blade and drew her guns, opening fire on one attempting to get her from behind and forcing it elsewhere.
Frye stood surrounded by three, his blade weaving through the air and cutting flesh, the sounds of gunfire, rabid howls and roars of pain filled the air as the sun set all around them.
Frye turned and brought his blade and arm up to protect himself as a beast's tail struck him and threw him across the floor, another creature followed him as he rolled back to his feet and struck, his blade cutting into the beast's open mouth.
Alien blood stained the field as the battle continued, Grette and Dirk focused their automatic fire on whatever beasts got too close while Senti and Raymond relied on explosive rounds to cover Elma and Frye's blind spots.
A loud roar cut through the carnage, drawing Frye's attention. The larger creature, the leader charged forward at a speed unmatched by any of its smaller brethren.
Frye moved to meet it, his swing missing as it ducked low. Cursing, Frye braced himself as one of its claws struck his body and threw him into the air, the beast swung about and smacked him with its tail, throwing him back and into a pillar.
"Frye!"
Elma moved to join him when more of the beast's got in her way. Explosive shots from Senti knocked the creatures away allowing Elma to slip past them and retrieve her second blade.
Hearing a growl, she turned and dodged another whipping tail, her gaze focused on Frye as the man struggled to his feet.
"Not a bad shot you bastard."
The beast charged Frye once more, with a smirk he leapt out of the way at the last second, allowing it to slam into and destroy the pillar before tumbling across the ground.
Charging after its fallen form, Frye cut through it with a massive strike.
Howling in rage, the beast rolled back to its feet and charged again, teeth gnashing and claws swiping. Frye dodged what he could but this one was faster, tougher, more adept, all made clearer as it struck him once more and forced him to the ground.
The beast leapt on top of him, its gaping maw open and ready to devour.
Elma attempted to get close but was sidelined by another beast, Senti aimed at the massive creature. Uncertain about the effects of her explosive rounds, she couldn't pull the trigger.
Frye however, smirked before bringing a knee up and against the beast's body. Overdrive flowed through his body, allowing him to keep its gnashing maw away long enough to retrieve the serrated dagger from his boot.
"I always come prepared!"
Frye rammed the shorter blade into the side of the beast's head over and over until it disengaged. Senti and Raymond capitalized on the opportunity, firing explosive after explosive against the beast's body.
Activating her own Overdrive, Elma broke through the remaining creatures and threw the full weight of her body against the leader, tossing it over and to the ground.
On his feet, Frye charged, he and Elma roared as they raised their blades and buried them deep into the beast's body.
It let out one final piercing cry before falling limp.
Tearing their weapons free, the pair turned to the rest of their allies. Raymond broke the silence with a laugh before giving them an energetic thumbs up.
Frye returned it before facing Elma.
"No problem."
"I suppose not…"
Frye sheathed his blade before twirling his dagger in hand and returning it to his boot.
"A spare...something Michael taught you."
"My old man was good for a lot of things."
Frye said, a light tone in his voice as he stood tall once more.
"I took all his advice to heart."
"And all the beatings I imagine."
Frye chuckled.
"I'm the one who challenged him. I deserved it."
"Of course...I'm glad my faith was not misplaced."
Frye turned as the rest of the group approached.
"It never will be. Colonel."
That night, after getting as far from the sight of the battle as they could manage, the group settled down and made camp.
Adelbert and Phina were the first to pass out, exhausted from the trek. Grette and Dirk took first watch as Raymond and Senti looked over all their weapons.
Elma sat on a small rock and gazed into the fire once more. Frye saw that and knew what she was thinking about. He decided to leave it be and instead joined Senti and Raymond.
"So. Team Jaeger. I take it you had some more information that could be beneficial to our cause."
Raymond laughed.
"Not how I expected the Killer Ostrich to phrase his question."
"Maybe not. But we're on a mission kid."
"Kid? I doubt you're that much older than I am."
"He may be talking in terms of experience, mate."
Senti mentioned as she examined the assault rifle she took apart before looking up at Frye.
"Sorry for not asking in advance, just wanna make sure what's what."
"No problem. I'm sure my old man would knock me one for not managing my own equipment but what can ya do."
Sitting himself down next to Senti, Frye watched Raymond, waiting for the man to finish working on his own assault rifle.
"Team Jaeger deployed to the eastern area around the White Whale and when everything was falling apart, we set up a perimeter around Lifepod Bay Delta."
Frye nodded, turning slightly to see some form of recognition in Senti's eyes. She brought a hand to the side of her head, a pained grimace followed shortly after.
"You okay?"
"Yeah...I think. Sorry, love. Maybe I need to take a nap…"
Senti left them, moving towards Adelbert and Phina as Raymond cleared his throat.
"We were engaged in combat when we received a distress call from the White Whale. Several."
"What about?"
Raymond looked up at the sky, thinking.
"The first was a call from the Reserve Hangar. A Ghost Gigantic was tearing through the defenders down there...their lines were moments away from collapsing which put all the alien refugees at risk."
Frye nodded as Raymond continued.
"If they were unable to hold it back, it could cut through the reserve hangar, into our ship and destroy the White Whale from the inside but...it was intercepted and destroyed by the Reaper Strategist Eren Hills…"
Frye closed his eyes.
"...her Skell was destroyed moments later…"
Raymond nodded.
"It was...we...we couldn't have made it...not as fast as she did...so we...we focused on the second call from Delta."
"Do you know who issued the distress call?"
Raymond nodded once more.
"A researcher. Kirsty Allen. I believe she was a part of-"
"Frontier."
Raymond looked over Frye's expression.
"She's who you're looking for?"
"We're looking for a lot of people but yes, Frontier is one of them...alright...Delta was on the eastern side of the White Whale, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Good. That'll narrow our search window just enough. Thanks a lot, Raymond."
The man nodded before looking past Frye. Following his gaze, Frye saw it focused on Elma.
"Is she...okay?"
Frye could only shake his head.
Elma stared into the fire, speaking barely above a whisper. Swearing that she'd never give up. No matter how long it took.
August 6th, 2056 - End of the First Expedition
Many of the newly formed BLADE teams that set out days ago were returning to the Habitat Unit as early as August 4th, it all depended on when they were able to track down at least one Lifepod or some other vital information that would aid in future expeditions.
Near the East Gate stood two Interceptors, waiting for the few remaining teams who hadn't reported back yet. One of the Interceptors, Gwin, paced back and forth while sighing.
"I still can't get over the fact that nothing out there seems to be friendly. Not a single thing!"
As he shook his head, Irina next to him who was mostly silent shrugged.
"I wouldn't go that far...it's more likely this place has its own set of rules and we just don't know it yet. We don't know anything really."
Gwin nodded.
"Could be. Though you've gotta admit that we did a lot more fighting than either of us expected."
Irina let out a heavy sigh as she dropped her weapons onto a bench. Gwin moved next to her and did the same.
"We did sign up to be Interceptors. This will definitely be our new normal."
"I guess."
Gwin sat down on the bench as Irina walked several steps away, looking out of the Habitat Unit's East Gate. The afternoon plains stretched out to the horizon and no one appeared.
Irina tapped her fingers along her arm as she waited for anyone to appear. Most of the teams had come back already but one of the teams still missing was Elma's.
Irina had wanted to accompany her but deep down knew she wasn't the best person to deal with such...overwhelming grief.
She shared a look with Frye almost a week ago and knew he'd be in a far better position than her. Despite his own struggle with his father and brother, Frye had it in him to put that aside in aid of someone else. He cared to a surprising degree. Given his appearance, language and how he carried himself it was hard to imagine someone with such a caring heart.
She supposed it was the same with most people who lost someone they held dear. Some people struggled to get past that, while others managed it in a way that allowed them to help even more.
Irina didn't understand it, but she appreciated Frye for his capability.
"Hey! Lieutenant, look!"
Irina snapped out of her thoughts to see a rather large group approaching the Habitat Unit. Stepping through the gate and into the plains, Irina waited for them to draw closer.
She felt herself smile and sigh in relief upon seeing Elma and Frye. Aside from those two however, there were three other women and three other men.
Gwin couldn't help but chuckle.
"Really? Showing almost everyone up on the first trip? That's our Colonel I guess."
Once Elma and Frye were close enough, Irina saluted and greeted her. Elma looked up at the women, the moment they locked eyes Irina could see that same pain from almost a week ago still evident in Elma's gaze.
"Irina. It's good to see you."
"Colonel. Looks like you and Frye were busy."
Elma nodded as Frye gestured at the people behind them.
"We found Senti here in a Lifepod near a lake."
Senti smiled and waved.
"Glad they did! Happy to be here!"
"As for these five, they were holed up in a cave fighting off the local wildlife."
Frye placed his hand on Raymond's shoulder as the man nodded.
"Team Jaeger. All present and accounted for."
Gwin looked the group over.
"Jaeger? Right, after your comms went down I...well, I didn't think things ended well."
"To be honest, neither did we."
Grette stated.
"Our Skells have been totaled, we'll need a pickup team but I don't imagine we can spare the manpower yet…"
Raymond said as Elma moved away from the group. Irina looked to the departing Colonel before eyeing the rest of the group. Frye caught her gaze and nodded before returning to his conversation with Gwin.
Sighing Irina turned and approached Elma, falling into step beside her. They walked in silence for a bit before Elma slowed her pace.
"Did the other teams recover anyone? Did you?"
Irina nodded.
"Every team was able to find at least one Lifepod in the vicinity. My team found two though we spent a lot more time fighting than I wish we did."
"We had a few scraps as well. Everything worked out…"
Elma came to a stop, Irina doing the same. She watched and waited as Elma tried to ask her next question. Irina placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No. No one found her."
There was a long silence before someone approached them. Irina looked up first, recognizing the man.
"Ah yes, Elma. This is one of the people we found. He-"
"Senti!"
The man rushed past Elma and Irina, straight towards Senti who turned to the approaching man with shock evident in her eyes.
The man laughed loudly as he picked her up and spun her around.
"I can't believe it! What luck! Senti!"
Before she could reply, he put her down and kissed her. It was a touching moment until Senti pulled away and slapped the man with all the strength she could muster.
Everyone around was shocked into silence as anger filled Senti's features.
"I don't know who the hell you are but that was beyond uncalled for!"
"What?"
"Unhand me!"
Tearing herself from his grip, Senti turned and stomped away. The man tried to follow when Frye took hold of his arm.
"Look. Buddy. That reaction was very telling."
"N-no! You don't understand!"
"Frye!"
Irina stepped closer.
"Leave him alone."
"But-"
The group kept silent until Frye took his hands off the stranger. Irina gestured towards him.
"This is Penta. A doctor and researcher aboard the White Whale. My team found his Lifepod sticking out of the side of a mountain."
He nodded, his tone notably more dejected. Any joy in his face long gone.
"Yeah...thanks again…"
"What does that have to do with Senti?"
Frye asked, to which Penta turned to him.
"She's my wife."
Frye raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't look like it."
"He's telling the truth.
Gwin stepped forward.
"He wouldn't stop talking about her the whole time we were out there. Showed us pictures and everything. No way he could fake all that."
Frye looked from Gwin to Irina, seeing them nod in confirmation. He trusted them of course. He then looked to Penta, heartbroken was the most apt descriptor for the expression on his face.
"Why did she…"
Penta shook his head.
"C-Colonel...did she...did she forget me?"
Elma turned to face Penta.
"She seemed...normal to me. She knew her position on the White Whale but she mentioned nothing else to us. Certainly not a husband…it's...likely that she forgot you."
Penta's eyes widened in shock, sadness evident as he looked away, whispering something to no one in particular.
Irina moved closer, attempting to comfort him only for the man to take off and disappear around the corner.
With a heavy sigh, Irina looked back to the group, Frye scratched the back of his head.
"Poor guy...as if we didn't have enough hardship to deal with…"
Irina looked in the direction Penta took off in as Gwin approached.
"If it isn't too much trouble Gwin…"
"Not at all."
"Thanks, Gwin. I don't think he should be alone right now…"
Gwin nodded.
"Can't forget Bills either. Gotta make sure he got checked out.
Irina crossed her arms.
"I'll get to it soon enough."
Gwin gave Irina a thumbs up before walking away in search of Penta. With a heavy sigh, Irina turned to face the rest of the group. She cast Elma one more look to find her expression downcast.
Clearing her throat, Irina spoke up.
"We can't do anything more today...Frye, if you wouldn't mind would you show Adelbert and his team to our facilities? It isn't much since we're missing most of the doctors but it should get you all back to fighting shape."
Frye nodded, gesturing for the team to follow with Adelbert speaking.
"I suppose I owe you one, Ostrich."
Frye chuckled.
"Nah. You owe me five."
Adelbert rolled his eyes as Frye led them through the streets of the Habitat Unit towards the rather crowded Mimeosome Maintenance Center.
Irina watched them go before focusing once more on Elma who stood rooted to her spot. Moving towards her, Irina placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I miss her Irina...and I can't stop blaming myself for what happened…"
"Colonel…"
Taking a deep breath, Irina tried again.
"Elma...I...nothing I say can or will change anything but...you can't give up."
"I'm trying not to...but every night...I see Firebird torn apart and vanish from sight...I think of her out there, alone and it tears me up inside…"
Elma let out an empty laugh.
"Not just that...my brother...he's gone and everything is once again on my shoulders. Danny and Boris gave their lives for me on our first day here and I have…"
Elma stopped herself.
"I'm sorry, Irina. I know this isn't what you want to hear from me, of all people…"
"Nonsense. Say what you need to say. Get your feelings and emotions out there...it'll help you see what really matters…"
Elma looked back at Irina.
"Is that how you cope?"
Irina shook her head.
"I don't cope...I...I just…"
Elma placed her hand on top of Irina's.
"Thank you."
Irina could only nod. The pair stood there as the sun set on the planet Mira and the stars began to twinkle in the skies above. Irina excused herself minutes later, not just needing to check in on Bills as promised but also needing a moment of her own.
Elma watched her go before turning to the bench on which sat Irina and Gwin's discarded weaponry. Slowly, Elma moved towards it and sat down, lost in her thoughts. Time seemed to speed up everywhere around her, the rest of the day flashed by with people constantly coming and going, at one point a technician took the gear from the spot next to her. The voices all around her and the sounds of activity began to fade away as night set in all around her, soon enough there was no one near the East Gate. No one, except for her.
She had no idea how late it had become when something pulled her attention. Yet she couldn't be bothered to move from her spot.
It wasn't much longer after that when footsteps approached and Nagi appeared, having been searching for her for a while now. He stood not too far, watching her for a moment before joining her, sitting next to her in silence.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he placed a hand on her leg.
No words were needed.