The Eternal Commander
Chapter 4
Plans for the future
The convoy made its journey through the forest. Despite being tattered and visibly scarred, each vehicle was filled with resolve and elation from the recent victory. Even though they were less in number than when they were on this road, the occupants knew that this is part of their job.
Chris' vehicle was in absolute silence aside from the background noise of the moving machinery and nature outside. Recent events certainly gave him more than enough to think about. He closed his eyes and pondered on what would be the best course of action.
The first thing that troubled him is those creatures. Their menacing, not so subtle, and outright evil appearances were undoubtedly worrying. Typically, when animals are colorful, they warn other creatures that they are poisonous or attract potential mates. But these ones were neither of them. The Commander felt something ominous from the 'Grimm.' Those creatures seemed explicitly designed for warfare. He hypothesised that they are made out of darkness or something. It sounded stupid, but he knew that evolution wouldn't create something like this.
Maybe the reason for the coordinated attack on Brighthill was undemanding: they hated humans, and if not for the GDI, the Grimm would have slaughtered some villagers. Since it was certainly interesting that only some of them attacked the guards, most of them ran to the town, looking for killing anything that moves.
The Grimm use the modern concept to instill a form of fear and, therefore, complacency from the survivors. Whoever is in charge prefers a method of terrorism instead of formal warfare. Because armies that rival each other are only as strong as the support from their nation. General Sherman learned that from the Civil War, and the Mongols conquered and made examples of massacred towns. This has not devolved into total war, currently scattered guerrilla war.
The locals are an interesting bunch. Not just their appearance, although that one is certainly unusual. Human-animal hybrids? What is not to love? Chris suddenly remembered that little kid that hugged him and called him a hero. Although it did not register to the Commander at the time, she had cat ears! She is a real, genuine cat girl! Combined with her cute, youthful appearance, it warmed his weeb heart that this world has loli catgirls. And as long as they exist, there will always be something worth fighting for.
The last thing that troubled Chris' mind was his "assistant." The scars were noticeable, but at this point, they were either healing quickly or had a dulled sense of pain. The Commander had no idea how Raggy moved that wheelbarrow full of books. Despite this, the assistant's expression did not reveal discomfort.
This was a bit unnerving to Chris. The memory of Raquel "defending" him from the drunken guy, the merchant, and the guards was still fresh. He was unusually hostile, and in a way, the manner was... possessive. Like Raquel was worried that his Lord will be taken away. But at the moment, Chris had bigger things on his mind, so he just put this unusual behaviour on the imaginary list on the back burner.
After several minutes of driving, Chris' deployed forces finally arrived back at the base.
Thankfully, the base itself was mostly intact. A couple of buildings had noticeable scratch marks on them, mainly on the defensive turrets. Thankfully the defenders were in acceptable shape for the most part. Although several squads were fewer in number and/or were injured, their faces were filled with joy and determination upon the arrival of the recon force.
"Welcome back to Alpha Base, Commander. We have taken a beating, but I'm glad to report that the base is battle-ready, and our causalities are below 10%." A base rifleman captain said to Chris while the others saluted.
"Well, thank you, soldier. Now let me handle the repairs." The Commander switched into RTS mode.
Looking from above, Chris was reaffirmed in his previous assessment that the base itself was fine. Most of the buildings' health is green, and the turrets were orange.
'Well, that means they did their job well.' Chris thought.
The Commander quickly looked at his UI, and just as he remembered, above the minimap were 3 bottoms: A dollar, a bolt of lightning, and a wrench. Chris clicked on the latter one, and after that, he concentrated on the power plant. The moving wrench symbol appeared on it, and its health was slowly rising again.
Chris quickly repeated on the other ones as well, then he simply deactivated repair mode. And while he was at it, he promptly started building a new power plant, so his future base expansions have enough electricity.
However, he noticed a mistake he made while building this base for the first time: He forgot to build Tiberium silos. After playing so many different C&C games, he must have forgotten that in TW, he needs to create those to store money. After placing the new power plant next to the old one, he quickly built 2 silos, putting them behind the refinery.
When he looked at the refinery, he noticed that the harvester sat in it for a while now. Since he forgot to build the silos earlier, the vehicle was sitting where he would put the unrefined Tiberium, but he could not do so due to the bank being full. But after starting the repairs, he was no longer sitting duck and finally finished this round and returned to harvesting Tiberium.
Chris looked at the building options. By now, he had new buildings to build: a war factory and command post. While both of them were needed, he decided to make the latter since it would unlock more buildings and abilities for the future.
While waiting for the building to finish, he looked at the other building next to the MCV. It looked like that building used during the various campaigns to represent GDI radio stations, intelligent centres, and laboratories, like the Sydney wall or the one in the GDI Munich mission.
"Reggie, can you explain to me the purpose of that building next to the MCV?" He acquired.
"Sire, that is your Future-Tech laboratory, possibly the most powerful thing that someone like you can possess. It allows you to use the different units, weapons, and abilities of different worlds. Also allows you to create other non-weapon items, which you can make similar to your units." Reggie explained.
Chris thought about this for a second.
"Wait, do you mean I can make an army made out of 40k units?" Chris thought that since they tend to dominate when it comes to fictional universe comparison, they would make it easier for the Commander.
"Sadly, Sire, you can't use that universe or any other kind. You only have access to two other universes other than the "Tiberium" one: the ones designated as "Red Alert" and "Generals" Reggie answered his questions.
'Damn, I guess I can't zap those creatures with lasguns after all.' He lamented the fact that he has no chance of leading his own Space Marine chapter. Still, his assistant mentioned two other available universes. He was very familiar with them since they are also from C&C games, which he spent a lot of time playing.
"Can you explain about that other feature you have mentioned?" He inquired further.
"Well, it is simple. You make a request to the scientist in the lab, and they research it for you. This could be a new faction or an item which you can later make in designated factories."
"And that could be anything?"
"From food to amenities, anything non-combat related you can ask for. However, there is a limit?"
"What kind of limit?" Chris acquired further.
"Other than the previously mention universe restrictions, you have to research all of them. The more complicated the item, the more time it takes to finish research on it. The larger ones can take months. And it cost money, and it uses the same pool as you use for your unit productions."
Chris thought about this again. This ability sounded overpowered if adapted carefully. He could...
After realizing this, he looked around and faced his soldiers.
"Continue patrolling this base. If any of you encounter similar evil-looking creatures, shoot them on site."
"Sir!" They bellowed in unison.
While Chris gave the orders, he noticed something. A majestic eagle sat on a branch of a nearby tree. It scanned the region for prey, which he found in the form of a mouse. It flew up and attacked from the air, grabbing it and taking it away.
"Is there something you have noticed, Sire?" Raquel stepped beside Chris.
"Nothing unusual Reggie, I was just admiring nature. It is certainly fascinating." Answered Chris.
After that, walked through the base to find the Mobile Construction Vehicle. The machinery was massive. It dwarfed Chris like he stood next to a four-story building. The tires were massive and reminded him of science fiction novels and movies. On the funny side, Chris noticed there was a thin ladder on the side of the MCV. Feeling adventurous, Chris ascended the ladder.
The walkway of the machine was like that of scaffolding as Chris entered the MCV. Its inside aesthetics was exactly as he imagined it: utilitarian and lacking colour. But the most surprising thing was the size of the interior. It was much larger than the outside looked indicated. It reminded him of those tents from Harry Potter.
The vast, hangar-like interior had many doors in it.
"Reggie, can you give me some directions?" Chris asked why pointing at one of them.
"As you know, Sire, the Mobile Construction Vehicle acts as your central command centre. In it, you can find everything needed to command your new empire but to make yourself at home as well. The one you are pointing to is your office. On the left are the kitchen, the dinner, and a standalone toilet. The kitchen is equipped and stocked with everything, so if you want to request food or a drink of any kind, they will deliver it to you. "The angelic figure explained while glancing at them.
"Also, those on the right are the bedroom, the living room, and the bathroom." He continued.
The Commander was amazed by the sheer magnitude of this building. But the fact he had so much room in it made him even more shocked. That was nothing compared to the little house he lived in back in Chicago. Chris wanted to explore all of them.
"I want to see my office." Chris decided.
"Right this way."
When Chris entered the room, his eyes widened. In the middle were a wooden desk and an office chair. It also had a fancy-looking computer. On the left was a bookcase filled with books of all shapes and sizes. On the right was a music box and a couple of CDs stacked on top of each other.
"This is your office, Sire. You can control everything from here. If you want to read any book from Earth, you can order it, and the bookcase will provide it. If you want to listen to any earth-made produced ever, you can also request it. Not just originals, but also remixes as well."
Chris could only smile. This might be the most significant thing he has received. Forget the ability to control his own army; the fact that he has access to all the books and music is the greatest thing he could have received. If people back on Earth knew about blessing, they would have thrown themselves at the first truck they see.
After looking at the setup, he turned to face his assistant.
"Wow, I am impressed. I have never thought I would have something fancy like this."
"Like I said, Sire, this blessing is amongst the most powerful ones. So use it wisely."
"I see. Now just a moment."
Chris adjusted his earpiece.
"Attention, all units! I am going to be absent for the next couple of days. Until then, guard the perimeter and only report if anything unusual happens. If you see any more of those black creatures, shoot them on sight! Are there any other questions?"
"No, Sir. We will do as you ask." Said the voice on the radio.
Raquel raised his eyebrows.
"What do you mean by 'absent for the next couple of days' Sire?" The inquisitive assistant tilted his head.
"I am going to do some research regarding this place. After this, I will create a plan, and then I will explain everything. I won't go anywhere, so don't worry."
"Apologies for the question, Sire. I was concerned that your intent to venture somewhere dangerous."
This statement confused Chris. Maybe this is a miscalculation, but why would his assistant think that he would just go out into the forest when infested with those creatures?
"You confuse me."
"If this is a problem, then why wait, Sire? I am always open to you." Raquel clenched a fist then bowed respectfully.
"Because I am more worried about the world, and if I understand the world better, then I can understand you better," Chris answered.
"If this is what you believe, Sire, then I can wait."
"Good, now if you be so kind, can you bring me those books?"
"Yes. Sire."
'This is going to be a long couple of days.' Chris thought to himself.
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The days went by without serious resistance. The weather remained calm. Most wildlife was curious about the base, but they were only audible. Several Grimm packs probed the defenses. However, the combined Riflemen forces made it difficult. The firepower of the rifleman squads, missile squads, grenadiers, APCs, and defense turrets was overkill and did not sustain damage to the base.
Meanwhile, the harvesters continued their routine in the Tiberium fields, collecting crystals, returning to the refinery, depositing, and going back out. From an onlooker, it would appear it might be one of the most uninspiring occupations ever. So dull, in fact, that the driver of the harvester was replaced. The driver on "vacation" had time to chat with the other. There was the instance of bored guards. Since they do not require specific physical needs, they had more time, but they had to get creative since there was little to do. Ranging from talking about the meaning of life to weirder and weirder pranks.
Although the emergence of the war factory and a couple of new faces from that and the barracks shook things up, that was only a temporary solution.
While most troopers were in small groups talking about the moon and its weird properties, one of them was alone sitting on the grass, leaning on his assault rifle. His eyes were following the harvester doing his usual routine.
It was around 9 o'clock. The sun only recently came up, but since they did not sleep, this did not really mean anything other than the fact that another day passed. This was the 5th dawn they have experienced.
The Rifleman's mind was blank, lacking anything noteworthy, as the sun was rising behind him.
Suddenly, a shadow emerged. It was long since it belonged to a rather significant individual. The soldier looked behind him. That shadow belonged to the Commando. His demeanor was the opposite of the guy in the grass. The one-man wrecking crew, all fired up.
"What do we have here, buttercup?" The Commando's snarky and graveled voice bellowed.
"Nothing really. The harvester has been diligent. Some of us can certainly learn a lesson from him." The Rifleman's voices indicated that he was younger than the Commando and sounded less eager.
"Well, boss-man has somethin' in the works. There's more life than sitting around and waiting for things to happen." The Commando lugged his LMG over his shoulder.
"Whatever you say. I mean, can you suggest me something else besides seeing the harvester?" The Rifleman pointed toward the said vehicle.
"I can always use a new training dummy!" Said the Commando.
"I have only started to speak with you less than a minute ago, and you think that we should be buddies?!" The Rifleman sounded livelier, almost angry in a way.
"Gotta report to the boss-man if morale's low. Building friendships is something us grunts have to murder the time."
The Rifleman sitting in the grass looked back to see the harvester, sighed, then turned to face the Commando, and raised his hand.
"Private Yuri Antonovich Vlasov, your average GDI rifleman."
"Lt. Gabriel Peter Fullerton, your neighborhood-friendly GDI commando, at your service." The Lt. chimed while he grabbed Yuri's arm and pulled it closer to him, helping him stand up.
After standing up, the Russian looked around for a second. "I hope the Commander and the Divine One will return soon because I'm worried."
"Can't do much about that. Boss-man needs underlings to boss around."
"I gave him my pistol back at Brighthill?"
"Wait, you were the one that gave Boss-man the pistol?! You should have said something sooner! I mean, your weapon scored his first kill in this world. You're fortunate, you know that, right?" Gabriel was both excited and astounded.
"Well, I just did what he asked of me to do." Yuri humbly replied.
"Still, dummy." The Commando signaled Yuri to follow.
"Don't you mean buddy, not dummy?" Yuri raised an eyebrow under his visor.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night!" Gabriel cracked a laugh. Unfortunately, this did not humor the young Rifleman. "Still, you're naked without a backup weapon. Get your rear in gear, soldier!"
"Don't worry, I requested a new sidearm from the quartermaster."
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from their ears. Everybody stopped what they were doing to listen to it.
"All units, gather at the MCV for briefing."
After hearing that, everybody started to walk towards the building. The Commando and the Rifleman glanced at each other.
"Well, you were worried about the Boss-man. Hopefully, he will explain everything, and let's get this party started!" The Commando unslung his LMG then sprinted off toward the brief.
Yuri sighed loudly but remembered he wore a visor, which caused it to fog up. Fruitlessly attempting to wipe the fog away, stood straight, then slowly followed after Gabriel. After ten seconds or so, the fog faded.
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The main hall within the MCV was different. A bunch of chairs was arranged in an orderly fashion. In front of them were a table and projector board. In short, it was perfectly prepared for whatever briefing required. It was primarily dark since the lamps were turned off.
At least, that is what Chris hoped for. The young Commander was tense seeing so many people claiming seats, and more and more eyes stared at him directly, expecting answers.
On his right stood Raquel, his trustworthy assistant. Or at least that is what he was hoping. But after the incident in the village, we had his doubts about him. The Commander could not afford the time to examine him personally since he had spent these last few days eating through those books and coming up with plans for the future.
As the last soldier took his seat, it became eerie quiet. Although he was not inapt since he had to speak in front of his class back in school, Chris was never a public speaker. This was not one of his main talents. After sighing, clearing his voice, he spoke:
"Soldiers! I believe you have waited long enough. It is time for me to explain to you all, not just this world, And our mission." It was clear from the emphasis of the word 'And' it emboldened Chris on his decision.
Nobody seemingly reacted to it.
"As you have discovered, we are not on Earth. The natives call it Remnant. Honestly, I would call it fairy tale land because there are many strange things in it. First, you all have seen these creatures. They are called Grimm. They come from the darkness. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They feel neither pity, nor remorse, or fear. And they will not stop, ever, until you are dead. For them, any humanoid is perceived as a threat, and they kill them on sight. If they survive long enough, they get smarter and develop better tools to wage their war."
Each soldier remained diligent and calm. The thought of a race, which only exists to kill everything else, felt unnatural to them. They were familiar with the universe which they have supposedly come from. Every side had a reason to fight in that universe, even if that reason was not understood. There was never aside, which killed every sentient being on sight.
After that, the projector in the room showed pictures from the books that Chris requested. It led to the murder bears, wolves, scorpions, and aircraft-sized ravens.
"Sadly, these critters come in many different shapes and sizes. Fortunately, they are vulnerable to gunfire if you use the right weapon and aim the right place. All of them have a weak spot in their eyes. In the case of the four-legged ones, shooting them in the abdomen or hurting them with grenades is rather deadly. Hitting them in the legs also stuns them for a moment, giving you more time to kill them. For the flying ones, your best bet is any kind of AA gun. The larger ones called Nevermores, and from what I understand, can be rather deadly, so…."
For the new minutes, Chris elaborated everything he gathered on these creatures. What are they, how to defeat them, and what are their attacks. From the basic Beowolves to the flying lancers and even the large Megoliath, ad while he was talking, he changed whatever the projector board was showing to match the subject.
"…and a piece of final advice: use distance to your advantage, and do not let them come close to you unless you are efficient in CQC. Running away is not an option since they are faster than most humans. Remember: these creatures' main strength comes from their numbers, not from their durability. If we use our entire greatest arsenal of technology on them, they will not stand a chance. I have seen you hold them back in the village. I hope the next skirmish will be smoother. And leave no survivors. We cannot let any survivors evolve."
After saying that, Chris had to take a deep breath since he did not have many opportunities to do so because he spoke relatively fast.
"Questions?"
"Do we even know where the Grimm came from?" One of the riflemen spoke up. Chris recognized him as the one that gave him the gun.
"Sadly, this is not the case. The books mentioned that despite the centuries of research, no one has found the source of them, although some have suggested that maybe one of the unreachable, heavily Grimm infested regions would be the best bet." The Commander answered.
"Commander, do you think we can take them on?" A Rifleman Captain asked from a different side of the room.
"Like I said, with technology and enough firepower, we can take on anything. But at the moment, we need to do many other things at first. Because there is something else, you need to be aware of."
Raquel changed the projected picture again. It showed a group of people standing in a circle. They all had weapons, but there was no uniformity. From swords to rifles, from axes to flails, they had many kinds of them.
"The people here train specialists from different regions within a formal academy system to oppose the Grimm. They are called Huntsmen and Huntresses. And they might be more dangerous to us than the Grimm."
Raquel switched to the following picture. It showed these individuals fighting Grimm.
"These warriors spend years training to fight these things. By the end, they have superhuman agility and reflexes and can take down a dozen normal people no problem."
In the crowd, Lt. Gabriel Fullerton smirked underneath his visor.
"Also, it is worth mentioning everyone in this world has something called the Aura, which is apparently is the manifestation of their souls, and in practice, it acts as a shield from physical trauma and provides immediate medical attention. The natives can use something else referred to as a Semblance, which is basically a personal supernatural ability."
The soldiers were not feeling confident. While some of them were concerned when hearing about the Grimm, they were still optimistic that with the right weapons, they can take them on. But with these Huntsmen and Huntresses, they were somewhat unsure. They seemed more of a threat, and besides their supernatural agility, they had abilities, which are harder to counter. Fear was not the only manifested emotion in the room, however.
"Oh, come on! They are cheating. What can we do against them?!" One of the soldiers spoke up, filled with anger. Soon many others expressed similar thoughts.
"Please calm down for a second. They are not invincible. With the right tools and tactics, we can defeat them." Chris frowned.
After hearing these words, the soldiers calmed down and returned their attention towards him, although their faces still showed some doubt.
"First of all, the Aura: I have made some calculations, and most peoples' Aura can only withstand 1 or 2 shots from a 9mm ammunition. The Auras of the huntsmen are stronger, but even theirs only take 10-15 9mm bullet to break. Larger, more powerful bullets can break them easier, and your weapons have a high firing rate, so Aura is not really a problem."
"Especially if I'm around!" Shouted the Commando, raising his LMG while some of the surrounding troopers started to cheer him.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Fullerton." Said Chris, after looking at the Commando's name tag. "I was about to mention that the Commando corps are expected to train to counteract these fighters. However, Raquel and I will organize with staff for sufficient anti-Huntsmen training regiments will be a top priority." After enjoying the cheer for a couple more seconds, Fullerton lowered his weapon, and the room went quiet again.
"As for you regular grunts, I still have some good strategies for you to use: Your number advantage. Simply shoot them from all directions, and they won't be able to dodge or reflect every bullet. Or simply use some grenades, and area-of-effect weapons, like airstrikes. They can't dodge those as well."
After hearing these words, the soldiers started to speak amongst each other, discussing how they should do these.
"There is also a potent tool at your disposal: the element of surprise. Since the Aura is active by will, you can catch them with their pants down. Snipers will be your best friends."
"But sir, we don't have snipers." Pointed out one of the Riflemen.
"Maybe not. But soon, you will have them, alongside many other toys."
Raquel clicked the projector to reveal a political map of this world, showing the borders and major cities and towns.
"Besides, if all goes well, other than the occasional rogues, we will not have to fight the Huntsmen. In fact, I am thinking about employing a couple of them when we become legal in the future." The Commander added, and he pointed his finger at one of the continents on the map. "Anyway, we are right around here, in the Kingdom of Vale…."
Chris recited the history of this world, from the birth of man to the Great War and the foundation of the anti-Grimm Academies. The Commander mentioned Dust, its uses, and various mining corporations that mine the material. The most noteworthy was the Schnee Dust Company, along with their controversial history with the Faunus.
The reactions to these were pretty standard, although many people were happy when they heard that this world has catgirls and many similar people for everyone to meet. However, their history of persecutions made them angry since they thought these were unjust.
"…even after the Great War and their great revolt afterworlds, they were still not equal, some the fight continued. At first, they were peacefully protesting, but since that seemingly did not affect them, they became more and more desperate. So the White Fang, which originally acted as a symbol of peace and cooperation, became more aggressive. A leadership change four years ago made this more noticeable." Chris explained when a slide revealed a White Fang grunt in uniform and their past and present flag.
Raquel changed the slide again to show a red open pawn in a red circle on a white background.
"This change caused fear amongst the humans, and some of them, due to the fearful atmosphere and being wronged by attacks by the White Fang, became more racist and formed their group in opposition to them: the Red Hand. They mostly carry out against Faunus and are in constant warfare against the White Fang." A slide revealed a newspaper article detailing an attack.
"This, in turn, caused more radicalization amongst the Faunus, and they became more popular. And while these two are in constant with each other, politicians don't seem to care and only pass symbolic anti-discrimination laws, which don't mean anything in practice."
"You know, these two groups remind me of the Black Panthers and the Ku Klux Klan. Only more dangerous and militarized." Said, Yuri. Some soldiers whispered to expressed similar views.
"Any other questions?" Chris asked.
"Sir, so we are going to end racism?" Yuri asked sarcastically. This caused some people to laugh for a bit, but they quiet down after several seconds.
"Well…" Said the Commander while scratching the back of his head. "You could say that. In short, these two groups cannot exist in their current forms since they are in a circle of radicalizing each other. So we need to disband them, one way or another. But if we want to make a permanent change, we need to pressure and convince leaders for more notable reforms."
Since there was no other question after that, Raquel switched to the last slide.
"Towards the people of the world, we will pose as a legal Private Military Company. We gather friends, make alliances, and in the end, we are going to reveal our true abilities and origin. I believe we can make a difference here, people. So let's see what we need to do." Chris nodded at Raquel, then the assistant handed piles of folders to each row of troops. Each one distributed the folders.
Grimm and bandits: The Grimm must be exterminated or even find their source of origin and end their threats. The bandits terrorizing the locals need to be stopped.
Bigotry: Disband the White Fang and the Red Hand. Reform the system. In the case of the SDC, change leadership or impose better labor laws.
Disunity: Create a functioning United Nations, which can act as a mediator between kingdoms and enforce human/Faunus rights
Crime: Fund and equip the police to combat corruption.
Prosperity: Create a post-scarcity society.
The soldiers started clapping, to the Commander's surprise. Their bored looks before going in there were no more. Their faces were lit up with excitement and hope. Like they were happy to have a purpose.
"As on the last point: See that building next to this one? Protect that with your life! If we want to achieve all of our goals, we need that one intact. Protect that with your life. If that fails, we cannot bring the promised prosperity to the world." Chris had to take a big breath for the next one.
"We are going to have to act if we want to live in a different world!" Chris declared.
"That is my slogan as long as I am alive. Because this world need needs a savior who is willing to do what is needed to be done. I believe I was given the power to lead you all for a reason. But I cannot do this alone. Together, we can bring this world into the light! But for me to do that, I don't need your obedience; I need your trust. Are you willing to trust me and my vision?"
The Commander's little speech was met with quiet for a few seconds. Then Yuri, the one who spoke up a couple of times before, stood and shouted:
"You have my complete trust, Commander!"
After that, Lt. Fullerton stood up as well. "Haha! To hell or high water, boss!"
Soon, everyone in the room stood up and saluted.
"Our trust is forever!"
Chris couldn't help but smile and also gave a salute to his men.
"I can't promise that everything will go well, that we won't have to cross certain lines. But in the end, we can end the darkness and make this world a better place to live." Chris pointed his dominant index finger at the world map of Remnant. "For a better future!"
"FOR A BETTER FUTURE!" Every soldier in the briefing shouted.
The shout shook the building as Raquel nodded at the declaration amongst the soldiers.
"Thank you that you are willing to trust me. Now go back to your posts. Tomorrow, our work begins."
After these words, the soldiers started to leave. As they left the room, their mannerisms oozed confidence. They were happier and livelier as well. Soon, the space was empty, with only two people remaining in it.
"You know that they are easy to impress, right Sire?" Raquel dissembled the projector.
"I know that, Reggie. I am also aware that this little presentation was unnecessary because I could have just fed that information directly to their brains."
"Then why did you do it this way?"
"I wanted to practice speaking before a group of people because it will be essential in the future."
"I see. So do you want to speak with me in person?"
"Yes."
They both turned around and headed to the office.
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The office itself was not changed much since the first time. It was still an example for those who like to keep things organized.
Chris and Raquel entered the room and looked at each other. While the latter's face did not express emotion, the latter was the complete opposite: he was thirsty for knowledge, especially anything involving his partner.
"So while I was looking through those books about this place, I have decided to do a little extra looking around since your name rang a bit familiar. I haven't found much, but I have discovered your name in a theological book about angels. According to that book, you are Raquel, the Archangel of Justice, Fairness, Harmony, Vengeance and Redemption, and sometimes Speeches. Tell me: Are you what I think you are or are you simply a powerful being with the same name?"
Raquel's face did not betray him. However, he did look away for a couple of seconds, piquing Chris' curiosity. After that, the assistant finally spoke.
"It hard to explain, Sire, but think of me as the avatar the Archangel. I am not him personally. I was just gifted with his powers and desire sense of justice. My Lord gave them to me, so I can help people like you in any way possible," He answered dutifully.
"And what power do you have?" The Commander asked.
"My body is in peak human condition. I can control my sense of pain, and I can learn things very easily. I have a secret power as well: I can unleash my true form, and with that, I can unleash holy attacks, which can cause an enormous amount of damage to demons and fallen angels. Sadly, I can only use this once for a limited time. After that, I have to return to the Heavens."
"Wow." Chris could only wonder how his 'true form' would look like. He wanted to unleash it in the most epic way possible. Still, this means one more card on his deck. After that, he had the opportunity to get an answer to the thing he wandered the most. "Anyway, I have one last question: What the fuck did you at the village?! Do you realize that you have a lot of unneeded trouble by trying to protect me?! If it wasn't for the fact that we protected them from the Grimm attack, we would have been in a horrible starting position! I want you to answer me in the most honest way possible, or I'm going to shove your head up in your ass!"
This may have been loud, vulgar, impolite, and a little bit dangerous to shout at the guy who can choke him to death if he was allowed, but at the moment, Chris wanted to let it out. He wanted to let him know that what he did back in the town was unacceptable, dangerous, and unwanted.
Raquel did not show any strong emotion to his master's outburst. The assistant just lowered his head while he waited out the shouting. Chris would have commented on it, but at the moment, he was not in a mood for observation. After waiting for the end of that rant, he finally spoke again, although it was slow, almost shy in a way like he did not want to offend him.
"Sire, I… was worried about you," Raquel said while still looking away. "When that drunk approached you, I thought he would hurt you, so I lashed out, so I can protect you."
"Protect me? From Him?! What did you expect? That he would try to kill me on my first day? Are you that paranoid?!"
"It's… complicated."
Chris almost cursed at him again, but he stopped and looked away. He started walking between the left and the right side of the room, and he was much more cordial.
"Look, understand that you are worried about me. But why would you think that he would have caused trouble? I mean, he was just unaware of he, and it would have been resolved without your intervention peacefully."
"You could never be sure, Sire. There are people in the world whose only joy is to cause trouble to others, and there are those who think that good people for their good deeds deserve death. Their only goal is to sow chaos and destruction. They don't listen to words; they have no conscience, no heart, and no moral hindrance."
"Do you know something that I don't?" Chris frowned.
"No. I have just seen the limits of human malevolence, and I don't want you to be the victim of..." Raquel faced Chris again, but he was still avoiding his gaze.
"Sounds like you have quite a history. Care to tell me more?" Chris' question blurred as an order.
"I can't do that, Sire. Not because of divine order, but at this time, I am still uncomfortable sharing with you those stories." Raquel's face turned to regret. Like there is a tragedy, which he wished to conceal.
Chris stopped walking and thought about this for a moment. He understood why his assistant did not want to tell those stories. Most people had things that they did not want to share. He approached and put his hand on his shoulder in the hope of relieving the tension between them.
"I understand. Still, if you want to share them later, I am always open."
Raquel finally looked him in the eye. He was smiling.
"Thank you, Sir, for respecting my boundaries."
"Hey, don't mention it. I actually want to apologize to you for the shouting earlier. I always had problems controlling my emotions. While I could hide this in public, I often let it all out in private. Can you be my emotional support in the future?"
"Of course, Sire. Like I said before, I am always ready to help you."
"Thank you, but feel free to call me Chris. I think if we want to trust each other more in the future, we don't need to be so formal with each other."
"If that is what you wish, Chris, then I will do it as well." Said Raquel, while his voice returned to his normal, almost submissive tone.
The Commander could help but smile. While maybe he did not get all the answers, he was more willing to trust his companion.
Suddenly, he remembered something he wanted to ask earlier.
"Reggie, before heading out to the town, you have mentioned that I have a powerful boon. Can you tell me more about that?" He inquired.
"Sire, do you want to know what the Eternal part of your blessing means?"
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Meanwhile, in the forest, life remained the same. The fauna and the flora in this world were unfazed. Most of these people in the field entered one of the buildings. However, there was one exception.
In one of the bushed, a man was hiding and observing the buildings. He only recently entered this nearby vegetation. When most of the soldiers were still out, he only looked at them from afar.
But now, the guards were fewer in numbers, and the scary-looking turrets did not cover every area, giving him an opening. So hiding behind the bush was not a problem.
The man's clothes were primarily white and black, but his cape's inside was red. His appearance and mannerism were unrefined. While observing, he also took his time to drink from his flask, something that even he was not sure of.
"Well, I'll be damned! There is sure a nice-looking base, which even James would be jealous of."
Suddenly, the door to the main building opened again, and the guards returned to their posts.
"Yeah, I have to go. Oz needs to see this."
After that, he put away his camera and returned back to the forest. The sun was still shining. Everything appeared normal.
A/N: Another chapter is done. This one took more time than I thought. Like I said in the last chapter, I had exams—lots of them. At least I kept my promise to you. But now, things are much quieter, so hopefully, this time, there won't be this long of a hiatus.
Shout out to The95will, as usual.
And now, Comment reply time!
Janny092: You know, you make a good point. However, there is something to be considered: If I make the GDI too powerful this early, people will find it hard to invest in the story if the enemies are too easy to kill. Writing a novel is essentially a balancing act of making the characters facing threats and actually achieving things. But don't worry; I won't downgrade them any further. Instead, I'm going to give them some new fancy toys. Besides, I think the reason (at least partially) the rifleman squad was struggling with beowolves is that they were a new enemy with unknown capabilities. So after this, they will have a better idea of what will come.
Also, I find it kind of funny that you called me Author-san. Although I have to admit I am a pretty big weeb, I don't see it cringy.
Cabal dude: Well, I hope you will like it later, too. I have plans for many things. There will be some changes to the canon, but nothing too drastic. While I don't want to spoil you anything, Ozpin will appear in the future.
Blackbird: Then I hope you will enjoy it in the future, too.
Crazzytony: I promise you that it will remain attractive in the future, too. I have plans for those too.
pedro117: Well, I did not understand your comment entirely but don't worry, I did not forget the ion cannon.