A barren land where nothing but the dry and cracked ground paired with the mountainous orange canyons with little water in sight, an occasional cactus helped refresh the scenery as all that remained along this wasteland was a dark paved two-way road. Home to one of the most powerful bases in all of Inkopolis where rumors of supernatural phenomena and other forms of extraterrestrial life were supposed to be found was no more than a hub for one of Inkopolis' most powerful forces within the military. Known simply as the desert base for its location, it's home to one of the Inkopolis military's strongest forces: the Garston splatoon and Tower Bridge Unit. A rival to the legendary New Squidbeak Splatoon, they had as many honors as the powerful unit and were a small group composed of talented individuals much like New Squidbeak Splatoon. Treated as superinklings, the only person allowed to command them was their general-Luke Garston, a top officer among the ranks of the Inkopolis military and a man not too keen on Lime's position as the head general of the Inkopolis army, only believing her to be at the top because of her mother and father's fame and her participation in the latest war against the octarians as a child soldier. At least this was according to the briefing given by Verde before he arrived at the desert base, only there by his sister's request. From what she said, she had some suspicions about the way the base operates and their usage of the Tower Bridge Unit. From what her trusted scouts gathered, and coupled by some floating rumors, it was believed that General Garston was hiding a big secret from the rest of the military and government alike. The reason why Verde was sent by Lime was due to the respect and high level of trust that Garston and his subordinates had for him since he balanced duties as the second in command and oversaw the first division as its leader, a level of workload only rivaled by his sister who commanded all of the military. Another reason derived from his impartiality to anything, willinging to speak his opinions on any matter without consideration for anyone's feelings. As Verde and his truck filled with fellow operatives from his division near the gates of the desert base, he recalls the instructions Lime gave him prior to his departure which placed heavy emphasis on keeping a low profile and avoid tracking any suspicion from anyone-at most, he was only supposed to meet with General Garston. Arriving at the gate of the desert base, which sat on the same borders as Octo Valley, he's greeted by several guards approaching the truck asking for his identification and his purpose for being there. His response was blunt: "Nothing that concerns lowly ranks such as yourself. My business is with General Garston on behalf of Head General Royale." which prompted the men at the gate to chuckle and let him pass, seeing that even after all this time being under his sister's command, he still carried a different attitude to her. Driving through the base with his own group of men, he observes the many activities happening within the base from the hordes of soldiers doing their marches with weapons in hand, all dressed in their infamous black outfits. A tradition started by Garston, he enforced that anyone serving under him must wear black and anything on his base must be black as well, with only the Tower Bridge Unit exempt. From the buildings of the base to the weaponized vehicles, everything on the site is garnished in black to reflect the preference of Garston.
"Unnaturally polished jets that shine with a glimmer in the sun, the black hue's presence as distinct and powerful with certainty as the pilots." he mutters as they pass by a hangar housing several jets, confirming the storied rumors about the base to be true: this place was no doubt General Gartson's turf. Soldiers file in and out-all armed and equipped with the best armor. Out in the fields, there were men performing training exercises and others operating at outdoor ranges. Inside, it looked high tech resembling any top tier military base with the finest installation of technology and weapons displayed at every possible turn. As they made their arrival into the base where General Garston was supposed to be, Verde steps out the truck to reveal his outfit denoting his high position as second-in-command, catching the eyes of several members of the infantry and medic units, who were flustered by his sudden arrival and the very intimidating aura he emitted as his feet land on the ground, his glare narrowing as he spots an inkling emerging from the building dressed in a white outfit completed with a red jacket. The person carried a similar aura to Verde, which was why he his glare was narrowed. Much like his sister, he didn't trust Garston or his men, but for some reason, they really liked him.
"Well, if it isn't the inferior Royale. I was hoping I could catch a peek at that beautiful sister of yours the next time I went to a meeting in the capital." the jovial inkling said, his tone as playful as a child, but his smirk as irritating as a condescending drunkard.
"Sir Lance, you're much of a nuisance as usual. A shame Landon isn't here to supervise you." Verde responded in a casual response, his face as smooth as silk with no smile present. Even though it was meant as a joke, Verde took a subtle jab at Lance, who had a complex when it came to his older brother, Landon, who stood as the senior leader of the Tower Bridge Unit and Garston Splatoon.
The inkling's dirty blonde tentacles swish from left to right with no restraint, dangling like earrings as he shakes his head with a forced laugh, clearly hurt by the comment, "Never hold back, do you? Well, that's what we like about you. You're one of the most skilled fighters on the planet and somehow you wound up second to that beauty? A shame. A guy can only dream of an alternate world."
A cruciform of veins sprout on his forehead, his glare narrowing again as his hand wanders to his hip where his gun laid; his subordinates quickly stop him by grabbing his hand in a desperate attempt to calm down their annoyed captain, many of them sweating profusely as he inched closer to lifting the gun out of its holster. After whispering to him why he was even at the base to begin with, he took a deep breath and let go, patting his subordinates on the back for calming him down; they faces were ghostly though relieved they dodged a bullet. He announces the reason why he's there in the first place and requests an audience with General Garston, to which Lance responds that he's in his office with an important guest but advised that he should wait a bit until Garston is done. But Verde isn't having any of it, adding that this was an urgent request from Lime Royale and must be done with swiftness, to which Lance ceded, letting him pass. On the way past him, Lance whispers under his breath that the rest of the Tower Bridge might not be present at the base but that doesn't give him any right to get confident given the history between them, adding that child soldiers shouldn't get full of themselves. A final attempt to get under Verde's skin and pick a long-awaited fight. But Verde doesn't entertain it, instead continuing along his way and waving his hand. Roaming the corridor of the black building, the interior wasn't any different as the walls and floors all carried the same color as well, and as he walked past several staff members, they too were donning black. Besides the bland choice in uniforms and plain design of the rooms, Verde's thoughts were only of the instructions and information given by Lime. Her suspicions of the base and its staff were deeply rooted to the history tied between her and their leader Luke Garston, but what provoked her to issue such a request in a time where they should be preparing for Rapture under the government's nose, she couldn't turn a blind eye after the new reports given by her scouts. Apparently one of her scouts identified a few members of the Tower Bridge engaging questionable activities ranging from business with some mercenary groups to possible involvement in political scandals. Overall, Verde's mission was to simply visit the base and uncover anything strange. As for his talk with Garston, it was to only be a simple briefing about the statuses Lime issued that ranged from domestic to foreign affairs and if there were any disturbances and concerns that needed to be reported to her. Verde knew it'd be difficult to get anything out of him since he was so unresponsive when it came to working with Lime, but through him as a substitute it might be possible. Taking several turns through the building with his eyes straight but the corners capturing as much subtle hints available, he arrives at the mouth of a long hallway where the general's room sat at the very end. A look from left to right and then behind, he sharpens his senses with each step, feeling every crack in the patterns on the floor to the gentle air blowing on his face from the air conditioning. He could hear a pair of voices in the room as he neared, his side glances at the tinted windows unable to identify what was on the other side.
"No new lead, huh?" a man dressed in a full suit said shrugging his shoulders. It was clear that this individual was of high standing as his short spiked blonde tentacles hold in place no matter how erratic his movements, his eyes beady like a murderer's as he gives a deviant smile.
The man he spoke with had his arms crossed and gave a reluctant head shake, his biceps stretching the short sleeves of his black top and his hat sitting square on his head. His dark skin wore many scars and stitches along his arms and a few on his face, with an eye patch over his right eye. "Haven't found any evidence to suggest he was the culprit behind Henry's assassination. No footage, no fingerprints. Whoever it was, they were skilled enough to avoid our detection."
"But you understand why I had you investigate, yes? You're the only one I can count on. The other organizations are all puppets for those in the Netifla faction and wouldn't dare take any word from me. The media has already done enough to blow this out of the water and cause panic. At this rate, our country is in serious danger of falling if we don't do anything. Foreign powers have placed a target on our back, and for the first time, they might just have a chance to succeed."
"Mr. Liandt, with all due respect, you're suspecting a child of committing murder on an individual of such high standing. I may dislike the Royale family, but to suspect some child from that lineage as the culprit is a little far fetched don't you think? For Cod's sake, his mother is part of our forces!"
"General Garston, I've told you time and time again that the child had his motives for killing that man. I would prefer to not disclose that information for reasons relating to our environment, but we can just leave it at that child being wanted for treachery in the murder of our Prime minster elect." Garston looked uncomfortable with the resolve of Liandt and his insistence that a child he never even heard of who somehow happened to be a Royale had a role in killing the prime minister. Even though he found it strange that a literal saint who turned political would somehow have enemies when he was so famous and prosperous where it was as though everyone was his friends, he didn't think a child of all people would be capable of murder. "Come on, General Garston. You know this isn't so unbelievable. Remember Lime and Verde Royale? They were child soldiers in the war and earned high honors for their actions. Who are we to think that another one of those cursed spawns of Maya isn't capable of stooping so low to ki-"
"Ahem." Verde announced entering the room with a vicious look raising his chin, choosing now to make an appearance once he heard the slander being spoken about his family; both the general and politician quickly looked to him with surprise, but it was Liandt who was almost shaking in his fancy shoes while Garston was unfazed after identifying it was Verde, instead giving a tiny smirk and looking over to Liandt to see what his next move would be now that he ran his mouth about someone behind their back only for them to appear in person. "Before you ask, I did knock. But it seems your conversation was so riveting that you ignored it. Would you mind letting me join? I heard my name out of your mouth, Liandt." Verde said plainly with his eyes locked on Liandt, his dead stare so terrifying it made the politician unconsciously shiver.
"No need to, we were just discussing some minute things. Your name only came up because there has been growing talk about a possible promotion for you to head general should your sister decide to undergo her early retirement if the passing rumors are true." Liandt lied, trying his hardest to not spark any unnecessary flames from Verde, who was known throughout the entire armed forces as the closest in temperament to his mother, having an even shorter fuse and devastating arsenal of moves that'll surely leave Liandt with more than a simple broken jaw. The powerful aura emanating from Verde growing stronger after detecting the lie, Liandt excuses himself under his wary gaze to avoid the growing tension. His final statement towards Luke Garston hints that they will continue their conversation another time where there won't be any interruptions.
"Apologies for not answering…" Garston said with a salute as Liandt made his exit.
Verde pardons it, "Aside from one of our political leaders conspiring with you being enough for me to be suspicious, there are other pressing matters." he puts his hands behind his back; "I'm here by orders of Head General Lime to receive your reports regarding the cyberattack threats."
Garston nodded and reach for some papers on his office, handing them over to the green inkling and waiting patiently for his response as he read through them. The air was painfully cold thanks to the intimidating aura of Verde, who was widely regarded as one of the strongest among the ranks in the military, with rumor that he was on par with his parents when he got serious. Why chose complacency sitting behind his sister was still a mystery. After reading through a dozen pages, he closes the packet and notes that he'll continue reading them on the way back, putting that topic on the back burner; Luke knew there was something up after all, since Verde rarely ever left his post-usually tied to doing his sister's work for her while she does all the traveling. Verde looks him in the eye, "There have been reports of illegal activities occurring from members associated with your ranks. I'm here to confirm it. That's the gist."
"...Come again?" Luke asked, confusion apparent as he struggled to understand what Verde insinuated.
Verde tilts his head to the side, "You don't know? Rumor has it that members from your splatoon are part of these deals occurring. Weapon trade, drug trafficking, even some rumors of a possible conspiracy with certain politicians in the upper echelon."
"And you think I'm guilty of it?" Luke asked, looking to bait Verde into revealing his thoughts.
"I'm here by Head General Lime's request. I'll decide my opinion based on your response." he said while carrying the same aura as always. Silence follows as Garston simply looks him in the eye, testing whether Verde's resolve was as strong as his words, to which Verde never faltered; after a few seconds of this standoff, Garston backtracked.
"Well, I don't believe it. I've never heard any of these rumors nor do I buy it. My unit is innocent! If they were doing anything, I'd know it."
"You're willing to go on the record?"
"Yes." Garston said convincingly. Verde shrugs his shoulders and accepts his word, figuring it would be pointless to try and extract more information from someone as stubborn as him. A team that many considered to be the most prestigious of the armed forces for their accomplishments, and for there to be a negative thought of that team and possibly consider them to be criminals was an offensive take, one that greatly angered Luke as he showed disgust recalling Verde's insinuation. Verde apologizes for the somewhat interrogation and adds that he looks forward to reading the reports revolving around their plans for handling the cyber threats of Ixia, who have been on the move yet again. Luke Garston doesn't carry the topic any further and respectfully asks Verde to leave, preferring to return to work now that his only distraction had already left. Verde leaves. As the green inkling makes his exit, Luke stares longingly to his desk where files of papers are already waiting for his inspection. Even though he claimed ignorance, something was on his mind that he couldn't allow himself to tell Verde-as to what it was would remain a mystery as he takes a seat.
Verde returns to the entrance where his subordinates and Lance are, but he notices another person there that wasn't present when he left. A brown female inkling with shiny brown tentacles that almost flowed down one side of her head, a combination golden jewelry on her ears and in her hair paired with face paint on her cheeks and forehead that brought out her beauty further as the gold ink paired in contrast of her complexion. An indescribable charm that even had the stoic Royale flustered on the inside, her brimming smile welcomes him as she waves her hand signaling for him to join her, much to Lance's dismay. Verde's sharp gaze softens as he meets her eyes, unable to keep himself from having a tiny smirk as she greets him. She was too pure for her own good. The lady greets Verde, her accent heavily resembling one from the western nation known for their monumental pyramids and sandy dunes and refreshing oasis; a nation also growing quickly in prosperity after a stagnant period being overshadowed by the power of Squirabia, the girl hailed from none other than the legendary nation of Sanyrier, the place where Pharaohs ruled and the dunes were as high as the pyramids in the distance.
"Verde!" she called, leaving Lance alone to speak to him; Lance grinds his teeth watching her become even more radiant with Verde's appearance.
"What are you doing here, Handan. As an ambassador of Sanyrier, you should know better than to wander into foreign bases. Stay at the embassy, instead. What would Pharaoh Nefertera do if something to you?" Verde said with concern, surprising his subordinates who rarely saw him show that strand of an emotion.
Handan shook her head with a smile, "Don't worry, I came here at your sister's request." she said fuzzily to hide the thickness of her accent, her hazel eyes shining as she looked up to Verde. Her cheeks redden as she catches his stern look towards her;"I didn't think you'd call me by my first name like that, but I guess this is what time apart does?" she joked.
Verde looks away with a blush, "Just forget I said that."
Handan giggles, "Ever since that day we first met I notice you always try your hardest to hide your feelings. You're not a robot."
"I'm just concerned because you're the Pharaoh's-"
"What about the Pharaoh?" Lance interfered, walking over with a meddlesome aura; "Don't go bringing the Pharaoh's name all of a sudden!"
Handan smiled, though there were nothing but veins starting to sprout; Verde picked up on her annoyance and quickly dismissed Lance away, though he tried his hardest not to follow because he hated the sight of Verde talking to any girl. After some odd minutes of a polite request from Handan to be dismissed, Lance made his exit. The pair picked up where they left off and walked back to their vehicles to avoid attracting any attention by standing at the entrance to the stairway where people were walking back and forth. On the walk to the trucks, Handan couldn't help but smile to herself as she felt Verde's awkward glance from the side; the poor guy didn't know how to carry himself when he was around her. He compliments her on the gold jewelry dangling from her ears and hair, finding himself lost as he looked at her face paint that went well with hazel eyes. Handan jokes that she only did this because she was getting married, which caught Verde off guard, only to respond that right now her nation was holding an important festival and this was her way of showing involvement since she couldn't be there. Tilting her head with a smile once she spots him looking a little bummed that her position as an ambassador kept her from enjoying a festival back home, she waves her hand in front of him to take the conversation back to the original topic at hand: her reason for being there.
"Your sister contacted me and told me you would be here. She said to go and look for you in case things went awry, though I'm not so sure myself what power I would have to get into a discussion between two high ranking officials of a foreign military. After all, I'm just an ambassador!" she laughed; Verde didn't find it funny since he knew this was his older sister playing games on him and this was nothing more than to tease him. "But it is nice to see you again. I was worried you weren't taking care of yourself when you stopped talking to me. I admit I was a little concerned."
"It's not what you think. I've been really busy lately with all the things going on and-"
"You don't need to explain. I understand. I've also had my plate full with work so it's fine. Just, make sure to take care of yourself, okay? You have a really bad tendency to forget the most basic of things sometimes." she said in a sweet tone like a caretaker would, only making it tougher for Verde to keep up an intimidating presence around her. Whenever they were together, he found himself getting too comfortable for his own good, which would look very bad if he got into that comfort right in front of his subordinates from the first division, who already knew all of his flaws but had enough respect to never call him out.
"R-right." he blushes with a slight chuckle, trying to keep it low.
"Anyways, you haven't changed at all. You still have a scary face after all this time. Surely you know you scare your subordinates, right?" she giggled, hinting at her good relationship with subordinates from his division, who saw her as an honorary member of their squad.
Verde rubs his neck knowing she wasn't telling a lie, "That's discouraging to hear when it's coming from you. It's not like I can do anything about it. I remember one of my men came up to me and asked me to smile and when I did, they got spooked unconscious that they had to transfer. I guess it makes sense that you don't like this face."
Handan laughs, "On the contrary, I like your face quite a lot!" she beamed afterwards with lively eyes, hoping for a response from him, but he only looks away with a cough and gives a weak response.
"Really...now?" he said still looking away, unable to face her after such a comment, especially when she said it in her cute heavy accent where she struggled to speak inklish well.
"Yes! Your face is a mixture of cool and scary, just like a sphinx." She added, using that as a jab since he didn't take the bait.
"Y-you're comparing me...to a mythical cat?"
"You're much like a cat!" Her bubbly smile brightened as her hands clap together; "Fickle. You're always ready to go on defensive against any strangers, but when it comes to those you are close with, you want all the love and care imaginable but hate to show such a soft side. It's really cute!"
"Please...let's change the subject." his palm raises to his face, trying to hide his smile.
"Speaking of cats, I remember there was one in your country called...Judd, was it? I wonder if he's still alive..." She said as the pair reach their trucks where their subordinates and escorts await, they decide to leave things at that and resume at another time since. On the way back from Verde, he could he the little jokes being whispered behind his back as his subordinates got to see a rare side of him with his interaction with Handan. Irritated by the chumminess of his juniors, he quickly shut them down, though they all had great chemistry to know he wasn't actually angry with them. As the day ends for them, who will return to Inkopolis to resume their usual work, somewhere within the country, the day is only getting started.
Over in Beacon Hills at the residence of the Sororia family, cars are parked as far as the driveway could manage as it was another gathering like many months ago. From the extended family holding light conversations in the living room to the young children playing in the backyard, the aroma of fresh food being delivered to the plates of those seated in the dining room and outdoor resembled what would be found in any family-owned restaurant. Laughter fills the atmosphere as purple and yellow heads move about. The Galloway family is in attendance for this occasion but for what reason still remains unknown. After supper is served and bellies are filled, the families gather in the backyard for a presentation, one held by none other than Mario. The lone man who attended the meeting held by the New Squidbeak Splatoon. As he stepped into the spotlight grabbing everyone's attention, he removed his fedora and took off his jacket, making a joke about it being a little stuffy with so many eyes on him, hoping to ease the sudden pressure on his shoulders as Santiago and Nina watch on with growing interest after hearing a little from him earlier that day that their daughter Violet was in attendance for the meeting. Without any time wasted, Mario gets down to business and explains the details of what he knew-from rapture's three part plan to the locations and purposes of each, he offered an objective take on each allowed the others to formulate their own views from there. After concluding on the plan and of the other families in attendance, he stepped down to silence from the heads of the family and murmurs from the Galloways, who were invited by Santiago for this moment. With Violet in attendance to also highlight anything important that her uncle might've forgotten, they concluded to a mixed reaction from the families. Joseph of the Galloways was mighty against the alliance with the octarian resistance but all for defending the capital, but his comments on the octarians provoked a negative response from several Sororia members including Santiago, who saw Fuchsia as a fellow member of the family and would as such not tolerate any discriminatory comments towards her or her race. Among the Sororia family, they weren't certain about what stance to take based on what was presented, mostly because it felt like there were plenty of details that seemed to be left out, at least that's what Santiago thought. A decision that's up to Santiago, Nina, and the upper echelon of the Sororia family, they began to weigh the options and debate among themselves, all while the Galloways watch on with the mindset that they'll agree to whatever decision the Sororia make as part of their partnership that was re-established months ago. When it came to Inkopolis, this was their greatest concern. An attack on the capital city where the population was at its densest, they feared not only the cataclysm of a growing number of casualties, but the millions of dollars in damages that might come along with it. As one of the prominent families of the underground, especially in Inkopolis, they couldn't afford to have their nation get massacred by some group of nerds hiding behind computers and a grudging nation stuck underground. Problems still remained on that front however as the question turned to how reliable the sources were, to which Violet stepped in to explain that as a close friend of one of the members of the team, she had their word that their information was authentic. Indeed, this attack was coming, and they only had these couple days to decide their fate in this matter. As both families struggled to come to a concrete decision, finding a new issue at each turn whenever they felt they were on the cusp of reaching an agreement, there's a knock at the door that brings everyone to silence. The knock at the door was a code that only bosses and high members would know, which meant someone of high standing in a fellow family was at their door, and probably not alone. As everyone turns to Santiago for what he'll do next, he simply got out his chair and answered the door without hesitation, met at the door by a fellow boss.
"Akane Yoshikara." he greeted plainly, looking over to her two trusty guards at standing beside her.
"Santiago Sororia." she responded with a grin; "I heard your daughter was home, care if I steal her?"
Santiago furrows his eyebrows, "My daughter?"
Just at that moment, Violet shows herself-peeking behind the door, which prompts Akane to drop her tough act and rush to hug her much to her-and everyone's-surprise. Akane explains that she convinced everyone to join her in the plan and that she wanted to go over all the details one final time in preparation for the next meeting. The other are stunned by how seemingly close the two are, but quickly reach the understanding that if anyone could befriend the leader of the Yoshikara, it'd be Violet. Pardoning their intrusion, the Yoshikara join the fun, and later, explain the gist of the situation. As of now, most of the bosses were on board with the plan known as Rapture, however, many of them noticed that Cap'n Cuttlefish and his team were leaving out important details. Here to confirm whether she might know anything, Violet's response was much like Akane expected which is why she was there to pitch an idea to them. She believed that if they were going to put themselves at risk, they needed to know everything as well as receive something else in return. The idea that they were going to throw themselves in harm's way simply for ideals and character just wasn't enough for some of the bosses. They wanted money, territory, and other benefits, and as one of the gatekeepers to the top of the underground to another, Akane wanted to negotiate with Sororia family on a deal before crafting a response to the New Squidbeak Splatoon. These conditions aligned with what the Sororia were quarreling about, and after hearing how nicely Akane presented the conditions, there didn't seem to be much to lose-especially with a Yoshikara in the mix. Afterwards, Santiago pulled Akane to the side to get one point across: He would attend the follow up meeting. Impressed with what Cap'n Cuttlefish was coordinating, he wanted to know firsthand why the old man was withholding so many important details, picking up that must be more to "Rapture" than what has been discussed. For some reason, he had a strange feeling that something historic was about to go down in the coming weeks, and he wanted to be part of that. In his heart, he could tell that Inkopolis wouldn't be the same if this plan succeeds.
