Chapter 2
Riley had not fully expected the weight of the choice she made. Jascha deferred the decision to her was logical on his part, because she knew her friends better. She would know if she should tell them about Jascha. No, she would know how she should tell them about Raz could have been alive. But apparently, she did not know them that well.
Neither Leena nor Claude reacted when Riley finished telling them that Jascha survived. Their eyes hid from Riley's gaze, averted from her pleading for a hint of what they were thinking. She did not know what she expected, but not total frozen silence. The silence that reminded her of the long march through the winter to the Crystal Sea.
Leena shook her head a little. Her long black hair let loose and dangled in front of her pale face, fluttered as her head tilted.
Claude curled his fingers into a fist, but his hands looked boneless, laying flat on the table. His knuckles ebbed and tided slightly as he held his breath.
And then the storm came.
"This is insane". Leena shouted and pounded the table with her fist. Riley instinctively grasped Claude's hand as he flinched, knocking over a glass of water. "Don't you say another word." Leena screeched. "Don't give me hope".
"Leena." Riley said.
"No, it is possible. He might have survived. He must have survived. Jascha did. It can be done." Claude meekly uttered. Leena glared at him.
"Then you're insane, Claude. You're as insane as he was. The war is over. What's the point of bringing him up?"
"Because there's a chance. It must be done. I can save him."
"Then go for all you want. I won't go back."
Leena stormed out of the room, leaving behind a stunned Riley. She barely recollected herself when Claude left her side and went for his journal.
"Claude?"
He didn't bother as he sat down with his journal and began going through the pages and scribbling like a mad man.
"Claude?"
He began to murmur to himself, calling names of the old squad members and running his fingers through the pictures and maps.
"Claude!"
"Yes?"
He stopped scribbling and slowly turned his head.
"Are you alright?" Riley asked.
"Yes. I'm fine. Thank you for letting me know. I'll go talk to Jascha and head to the Empire tonight. The border will be closed soon. They won't reopen it until a peace agreement is signed. I'll lose this chance to save him."
"But what about Leena?"
"She'll be fine. In fact, you need to stay with her. Please take care of her until I'm back. I'll bring Raz back. We'll be happy again."
"What do you mean I'll stay? I'll come with you. Claude!"
Never had Riley felt so trapped in her wheelchair as she watched Claude stumbled toward the door, his prized journal left hanging on the table.
Claude boarded the first train heading toward the border between the Federation and the Empire in the middle of the night. The rocking of the trains, the hurried people scurrying back and forth the aisle disturbed his rest, or he told himself. Whenever his eyes closed, the excitement, the possibilities, nostalgia, anticipation, all of them and whatever else he couldn't name surfaced at once and tormented him.
Before he left Hafen, Jascha met him and filled in the information he needed. The Blue Rose resistance smuggled Jascha into the Federation via a cargo ship. Since the Empire still controlled the sea route, the ship made it with pure luck, and understandably would not want to test its luck again. Jascha told him that the resistance would have a contact waiting for him in the city of Ardaha, just south of the Empire's capital, who could assist him in finding Raz.
Getting to Ardaha from within the Empire would be easy. Crossing into the Empire would be the more difficult task. Despite the ceasefire in place, neither sides were willing to give up more than they had lost, and so more negotiation dragged on to decide how peace would look like. In the meantime, the border became the new trenches. Tanks and bunkers aimed at each other across an invisible line, and armies ran drills after drills behind the frontline, anxious and waiting. Besides the obvious threat of skirmishes, border control also prevented spies, defectors, deserters, and immigrants, all sort of people that would risk being shot in the back for a better reason. Claude was now one of them. But at least, he had better odds.
The train arrived in the morning, delivered a fresh batch of recruits, news reporters, and messengers carrying mails to the F-line, supposedly because there was no frontline in peacetime. Amidst this crowd of people battered and disheartened, Claude blended in easily and no one questioned his presence at the military base. He went looking around the base and finally found the people he needed, lounging around in their private quarters.
"Captain Claude in the flesh. What a surprise. Civilian life finally gets bored on you?"
Keigal greeted him. He was sitting on his bed, clanking a bottle to another held by Vancey, whose face remained as red as Claude remembered. She was too busy chugging her prize down to greet Claude back. Claude smiled and joined them at the drinking party.
"I don't suppose you come to check in on us. What do you need captain?" Keigal said as he handed a bottle to Claude. He shook his head slightly and said.
"I need to cross the border. Raz might still be alive."
"Whaa~aa. That's amazing. How did you know?" Vancey said.
"Jascha survived. He came to us in Hafen."
"That fellow lived? Talk about chances. What did he tell you?" Keigal said.
"The Empire X-0 contingent might still be active. They might have captured Raz alive for interrogation. The Blue Rose broke Jascha out, and can help me get to Raz, if he's still alive. But I need to go to Ardaha."
Keigal looked at him and downed his drink before continued.
"That's a lot of odds stacking against you captain. Suicidal even, if you ask me."
"I know my chances. But I will need help crossing the border."
"T~is fine. Crossing is easy. I'll go with you."
"Vancey."
"Boy needs a hand. Look how lonely he is. You should drink more."
Claude scratched his chin and smiled at Vancey.
"Thanks Vancey, but I should go alone. I can't trouble you any further. As Keigal said, this is pretty suicidal."
"A~all the more reason for me to go with you. Two is better than one."
"Perhaps the drunkard is right. You might expect a fight if the X-0 is active. Blue Rose may provide guns, but you need someone as tough as her to shoot it. If that's the case then, I can assemble you a team. Mable's here. Teresa's here, too, but as a combat medic. Let's see who else?" Keigal said.
"No, I shouldn't be…"
"I'm not saying you will force you to join them. But I'll let them know you're here. And they'll decide for themselves if they want to join you. Me though, I'll only help you cross. I'm too old to fight. Sorry captain."
"A~w, old man being sweet. Why can't you be sweet to me and drink half this bottle?"
Vancey dangled the bottle in front of the two, almost smacked it to the bed frame and spilled the liquor. For that night, Claude almost wanted to become Vancey.