Sitting in one of the various administrative rooms that filled the Viceroy's Palace, Ciaran could feel himself nodding off. His vision dimmed slightly as his eye lids grew heavy before a sharp pain in his ribs jolted him awake. Hissing with the pain, he turned to look at the offender. Looking to his side, General Darlton gave him small smirk before their attention was drawn to the large table before him.
"What do you intend to do about this, your highness?"
Looking around the table, Ciaran couldn't help but frown at what he saw. Seven noblemen, each man wearing outfits that seemed to belong in a pantomime rather than a meeting table, sat around a long rectangular table, with Princess Cornelia sitting at the head of the table, the ever-present Guilford sitting on her right, the two Knights of the Round standing behind each side of her chair, with himself and Darlton sitting on her left.. Compared to the outfits worn around the table, the Princess' and the Knight's uniforms were tame compared to the riot of colour: a horrible combination of lace coupled with various shades of greens, purples, reds and blues.
"Well, Lord Ratzinger, we fully intend to stamp this scourge out once and for all." Cornelia said simply, sounding like a teacher repeating a lecture to a child.
"But we have done everything we can, your highness, and we have been unable to stop them." A heavy-set noble, a goatee and wearing a monocle on his face, intoned.
Cornelia fixed the man with a lazy stare. "'You' have been unable to stop them, you mean. Not 'we'".
"Yes, your highness. My apologies." The man said, sitting back in his chair, a layer of sweat beginning to form on his forehead.
"Needless to say," Cornelia continued, leaning forward in her chair and lacing her fingers together. "I fully intend to close off the Kyushu Route and stop the trafficking of Refrain in to Area 11. Guilford?"
Nodding at the command, Guilford politely cleared his throat. "Thank you, my lady. As I'm sure you're all aware, the Chinese Federation has been using the Kyushu Route out of the Korean Peninsular to smuggle Refrain in to Area 11 for the past five years. Whether the drug is being manufactured on the peninsular or somewhere else, is open for debate."
Reaching under the desk, Guilford took out several thin folders which he began distributing to each person in the room, starting with the Princess, before working his way around the table, culminating with Darlton and Ciaran.
"Lieutenant."
"Thank you, my lord."
Taking the folder, the young man opened it and began leafing through the pages. Refrain. Even if he hadn't been raised by a member of the police, Ciaran was certain he'd still find drugs a thing to hate. Princess Cornelia was kind enough to inform him about the drug, about it being a psychotropic, effecting the users brain chemistry, although to what end she didn't say.
Turning to another page, Ciaran's eyes focused on a map showing the northern edge of the island of Kyushu, with a large red arrow coming from the direction of the Korean Peninsular, through the Sea of Japan, before stopping short of a body of water labelled as the Kanmon Straits.
"As you can see from the maps provided to you," Guilford spoke, taking his place beside Cornelia once more, "Through information taken from captured smugglers, along with analysis of distribution routes of Refrain, our intelligence division has determined that the city of Kitakyushu is the most likely point of distribution."
"Certainly the most likely route I'd use." Ciaran heard Darlton mutter, which made him nod.
Cornelia's Knight continued, not hearing the General's remark. "However, the problem that we are facing is not discerning the point of entry in to the country. The problem is discerning the true distribution point.
"Now, as you can all see from the map, several areas have been pinpointed as possible off-loading points for the smugglers to use, yet we have been unable to identify which ones are true points of use for the smugglers and which ones are merely façades.
"Our agents have been unable to penetrate the ring, but a small few have gotten close. We have received word from those agents that, in a few days, information would be sent regarding whether or not they had successfully infiltrated the smugglers operation," Lord Guilford continued, folding his hands together as he sat down at the table. "If we knew where the legitimate points were, we would have been able to shut down the route for good. But, as I'm sure you are all aware, that is not the case... as proven by the ineptitude of Lord Ratzinger."
"Now wait just a minute..." The large man began angrily, before a glare from Cornelia silenced his protests.
"Lord Guilford is correct," Darlton spoke up, pushing his chair back as he stood before pacing slowly around the table. "If the Princess' agents were able to to infiltrate the smugglers, then we would be able to pinpoint the locations in mere hours, before sending a force in to Kitakyushu to shut down the operation.
"It is due to your actions, or inaction rather, that we've made so little, if any, progress in finding the distribution points. If I was a more suspicious man, I'd say that you were deliberately impeding this mission." Darlton muttered, staring down the rotund noble.
The room filled with silence as all present stared at either Darlton or Ratzinger, the latter beginning to sweat profusely.
A loud bout of laughter broke the silence, all present turning to look at the man laughing heartily. Looking down the table, Ciaran saw a slim man in a dark green jacket and black lace, a monocle over one eye, smiling broadly as he clapped his gloved hands together.
"Is there something funny, Lord Hasselbach?" Princess Cornelia asked, annoyance plain on her face.
"Just the assumption that Alfred, that is Lord Ratzinger, can be part of the drug trade," The man said, wiping under his uncovered eye, "You have to forgive me, your highness, but I find it quite hard to believe."
Several of the nobles nodded, muttering agreements, glad that the situation had been diffused.
"Now, I dare not question you intelligence officers, or their sources, but I am afraid to say that finding these smugglers is just hard. The Kanmon Straits are a large body of water with lots of areas to hide in. If we knew where to look, we would find them."
"So why haven't you?" Princess Cornelia asked testily, which brought a shrug from Lord Hasselbach.
"Prince Clovis didn't deem it important at the time."
Cornelia 'tsked' in reply. "Carry on Guilford."
"As you wish, my lady," The bespectacled Knight said, "Now, our intelligence operatives have succeeded in narrowing down the suspected area of operations to be close to Kitakyushu proper although, as I said earlier, finding the true point of origin is a bit difficult. However, using common sense rules and previous experience with the drug trade, we have eliminated several areas as being unlikely."
"Such as, my lord?" Ciaran spoke up, drawing the attention of several of the nobles present, but Guilford answered the question regardless.
"Well, the inlets further from the city for example, since common sense dictates that the time to transport them would be too long."
"So it would have to be somewhere where containers could be off-loaded quickly, but not in such a way as to draw too much undue attention." Ciaran mused.
"Like the dock's for example." Lord Hasselbach said offhandedly as he looked over the map.
"Who mentioned anything about the docks, my lord?" Ciaran asked flatly.
"What?"
"I'm just curious as to why you'd mention the docks of all places," The young man picked up the map and appeared to study it. "I mean, looking at this map, there are all kinds of places small boats could go in to and unload their payload without being detected. But the docks... tad bit on the nose, don't you think?"
The man didn't say anything in reply. He just clenched and unclenched his fist.
"So why, of all places, did you happen to mention the docks, my lord?" Ciaran asked, a sincere look of confusion on his face.
"Well... I... Uh..." The man began stammering, his gaze shifting between the occupants of the table and the room. The others at the table were simply confused, while Cornelia and her entourage looked at Hasselbach with minor contempt.
"I'm sure you're a smart man, my lord," Ciaran continued, folding his hands underneath his chin while staring down the noble. "So I highly doubt you'd pay undue attention to movies and television shows. But I'm really curious as to why you'd mention the docks." The young man leant back in his chair, keeping his fingers crossed while not taking his eyes off Hasselbach.
The air in the room seemed to have dropped a good few degrees, as all eyes were on the pair. Cornelia and her retinue had their eyes fixed on the lord in the green jacket, while the nobles had their attention split between the young man and Lord Hasselbach.
"I'm starting to think of the reason why you mentioned the docks, my lord," Ciaran said sternly, "I'm starting to simply think that you know about the true off-loading point of the Refrain. And I'm starting to think that you're in on the operation itself."
Stunned silence filled the air, everyone in the room seeming to hold their breath.
"Am I wrong, my lord?" Ciaran simply said, putting his hands palm down on the table.
Lord Hasselbach said nothing, his face impassive.
What happened next occurred simply as a blur of activity to those who weren't in it. Hasselbach, his face suddenly morphed in to a snarl of rage, tried to reach his hand in to the breast of his jacket, the two nobles seated beside him clambering out of their chairs in fear. However, the sound of wooden chairs clattering on to the carpet closely followed as both Darlton and Ciaran suddenly surged to their feet, pistols held ready in their hands. Even besides Cornelia, Nonette had advanced forward, her pistol levelled straight at Lord Hasselbach. Throughout the whole commotion, the only indication of surprise from Cornelia was a slight widening of her eyes.
"And that proves me right." Ciaran said simply.
"Tch. This proves nothing," Lord Hasselbach snorted, his hand still underneath his jacket. "Anyone would have-"
"No innocent person would have reached for a pistol first, Lord Hasselbach," Cornelia snarled, practically spitting out the man's name. "Guards!"
Almost a split second later, the door to the conference room burst open, a squad of assault rifle armed guards rushing in, quickly surrounding the angry noble, their rifles levelled at his head. Ciaran, Darlton and Nonette lowered their pistols as the soldier's completed their cordon around the man.
"Lord Augustus Hasselbach," Cornelia said, standing up from her chair, "You are hereby placed under arrest, pending investigation, for your involvement in the illegal trade of Refrain. Lord Guilford, please escort this... man, out of here."
Walking forward, Guilford held his palm out in front of the noble who, after letting out a sigh, withdrew his hand along with an ornate, short-barrelled revolver which he placed in the Knight's hand before standing up. As he rose, Lord Hasselbach shot Ciaran a sharp glare before stalking out of the room, flanked by the guards and followed by Guilford who pressed the lord's own pistol against his back.
When the group had left, Cornelia coughed lightly in to her hand, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
"Well, it seems our little meeting was interrupted so rudely, so for brevity's sake, I will consider this meeting finished. All agreed?"
A chorus of 'ayes' sounded around the table.
"All right then. Good day to you, gentlemen." Cornelia said putting on a disarming smile.
It didn't take long for the six remaining nobles to vacate the room, leaving Ciaran, Darlton, Cornelia and the two Knights of the Round alone in the room. When the door closed shut, the two officers let out a collective sigh, Ciaran leaning forward to rest his hands against the table.
"Bloody Christ, that was close."
"I'll say, Ciaran." Darlton replied, holstering his pistol before turning to look at Cornelia as she stalked around the table to come behind the young man. As Ciaran stood up, Cornelia brought her hand up and smartly hit the man in the back of the head hard, which brought a quick snigger from Nonette.
"Ow!"
"Are you insane?" Cornelia said, her eyes boring in to Ciaran's head.
The young man rubbed the back his head as he shrugged. "I think the jury might be out on that one, your highness."
The princess rolled her eyes at the remark. "Seriously, lieutenant, you're going to get yourself killed one of these days with the way you're going."
Ciaran shrugged at the remark. "It worked though, didn't it? I mean, I got him to practically confess, right?"
Cornelia rolled her eyes again before Darlton spoke up. "So, what's the plan, your highness?"
"The plan remains unchanged, but we're advancing the time-frame since Lieutenant Forsyth here," She fixed the young man a withering stare, "Has just so helpfully revealed to us the primary location for the smugglers."
"Understood, your highness." Darlton said nodding his head.
"So get ready. You'll be leaving in two hours. I trust you can get your preparations done in time?"
"I can get it done, your highness." Darlton said flashing a grin.
Cornelia nodded her head in reply, before turning her gaze on Ciaran again. "And you," She levelled a finger at the young man. "I want a word with you. In private."
Ciaran swallowed as he watched Cornelia stalk out of the room, his eyes fixed on her white cloak as he heard the three other occupants of the room came to stand beside him.
"You're screwed." Nonette said, somewhat sympathetically.
"Royally screwed." Ciaran said, which brought a small grin to his face and another smack to the back of the head from Darlton.
Standing again in the spacious Viceroy's Room, Ciaran stood before the desk as Cornelia, seated in her large chair, drew to the end of a phone conversation, her left side facing towards the young man.
"Okay. Thank you, Guilford. You can take your time coming back. Goodbye." The princess said, replacing the phone on it's receiver, before turning to look at the Lieutenant. "That was Guilford. Lord Hasselbach has just been placed in custody and is being quite cooperative."
"Understood, your majesty." Ciaran said, nodding his head.
Cornelia sighed, rubbing her hand against her forehead. "I will say, that was a very ballsy move you pulled. Tell me that you didn't plan it before hand, right?"
Ciaran shook his head. "No, your highness. It kind of came as a spur of the moment thing." At that revelation, Cornelia let out a small sigh.
"I never got to ask you, but how are feeling after what happened at Lake Kawaguchi?" The princess said softly.
"Better, your highness."
"During the operation, I noticed you were quite hesitant to send Warrant-Officer Kururugi in to the access tunnel." Cornelia said, resting her head against one of her hands. That made Ciaran lower his gaze to look down at the floor. The princess said nothing, waiting for the young man to speak his mind.
"You'll have to forgive me, Princess, but the idea of sending a young boy to his likely death just doesn't sit well with me." Ciaran said, raising his head to look at Cornelia with a blank face, making her sigh again.
"But you did it anyway."
The young man nodded as a reply.
"I guess that Darlton didn't prepare you for that sort of thing, did he?"
"I doubt he could, your highness."
Cornelia nodded her head before moving her hand to under the desk, opening a drawer and removing a small envelope. Standing up from her chair, the Princess walked around the desk to stand before the young man. Upending the contents of the envelope, two stylized metal stars, in to an open palm, Cornelia reached forward and attached them to the young man's jacket shoulder.
"I'm sorry for this, Ciaran," The Princess said, the fact that she used his first name surprising the young man, "But I'm sending you to the wolves again. I'm gazetting you Captain, fully this time, and you'll be in charge of the operation."
"Wha-pardon?" Ciaran sputtered, his eyes wide.
"Well, you'll be in charge of the operation on the ground. Darlton will be assisting with logistics and all the rest, but you'll be in charge of the men on the ground when the operational clock hits zero."
"In charge of the operation?" Ciaran asked, to which Cornelia nodded.
"Indeed. I'll also be assigning one of the Knights of the Round to be your second-in-command."
"But why me?" Ciaran questioned, a look of confusion on his face. Cornelia let her hands rest on young man's shoulders, her eyes looking at one of the buttons on his chest before speaking.
"Because I believe there's more to you than meets the eye, Ciaran," Cornelia said, raising her head to look the man in the eye. "Darlton seems to believe it, and he's never been wrong about this sort of thing as long as I've known him."
Ciaran nodded his head before letting it slump down, feeling quite ashamed but still unsure. Noticing the look, Cornelia used a finger to raise his head up.
"Nil Desperandum." Cornelia said with a small smile.
"Never Despair." Ciaran translated with a small smile of his own, nodding his head. Cornelia gave him a small pat on his shoulder.
"General Darlton will be waiting for you in the garage. I suggest you hurry up to meet him. You'll be leaving in under an hour." Ciaran saluted by bowing his head, before turning around and walking out of the room. If he had turned around, he would have noticed the thin, worried smile Cornelia gave his back. Instead, Ciaran just jogged quickly through the corridors of the Palace, working his way quickly towards the elevator that would lead him to the garage below.
Exiting the elevator as it descended, Ciaran was again struck by how large the structure was. Although this time, the garage echoed to the din of activity as men and machines moved around the open space. Engines of APCs purred idly, while the stamp of marching feet and shouted orders assaulted his ears as Ciaran moved through the space. Soldiers saluted him as he worked his way past them, looking for Darlton.
"Where's General Darlton?" He asked a soldier, taking a hold of his arm, who pointed off towards the centre of the room. Nodding his thanks, Ciaran made his way towards the centre, finding the going much easier as he passed a small squadron of armoured vehicles until, passing through the gap between two of the vehicles, he spied the General. The man was deep in thought over a PDA, his brow furrowed in annoyance, standing in front a large truck-like trailer painted in a simple grey colour scheme.
"General Darlton, sir!" Ciaran called out as he approached the large man, snapping off a smart salute as the General turned around. Darlton's face morphed in to a large grin as he saw the young Captain, tucking the clipboard under his armpit.
"Ha-ha! I am glad to see you," Darlton said happily, returning the salute before clapping the young man across the shoulder. "And a Captain now? Is it official?"
"So the Princess tells me, sir." Ciaran replied somewhat glumly, which made a frown form on the General's square face.
"Hey, cheer up," Darlton said, keeping his voice amicable. "Being in command is nowhere as hard as you think it is, trust me. Especially with this sort of mission."
Ciaran didn't say anything but offer a wry smile before leaning sideways slightly to see past the larger man to look at the large trailer. "Doesn't seem that a bit conspicuous?"
"Would you prefer we use the G-1?" Darlton asked in a snarky tone.
"Point taken." Ciaran said with a shrug, before cautiously looking around. "So what's the plan for tonight?"
"Nothing too complicated. We'll just be going in on foot with one company of infantry with one held in reserve. We won't be using Knightmares either, so it'll be an old school brawl. Although the Knight who's coming with us tonight might bring her own."
"Okay. So, remind me again, why are Lady Nonette and Lady Dorothea still here?"
"They're here because they feel they'd do more good helping fight the Black Knights then going back to the Homeland. At least that's Lady Dorothea's reason. As for Lady Nonette... I don't know. She's always been an odd one."
"Charming!" A voice called out from behind the duo, startling the two men as they turned around.
Behind them, with her arms crossed across her chest and a strong scowl on her face, stood Nonette, with Dorothea standing a few paces behind her.
"He's not wrong, you know." Ciaran said with a soft grin.
"Shut up." Nonette snapped, her scowl not leaving her face, causing Ciaran to take a step back in fear. Behind the champagne-haired woman, Dorothea let out a low chuckle.
"Don't mind her, Lieutenant. She's just sour because I beat her in a simple game of rock-paper-scissors. Again."
The Knight of Four's words caused Nonette to turn around with a deeper scowl on her face, while Darlton and Ciaran shared a small, hopeful look.
"So does that mean you'll be accompanying us tonight, Lady Dorothea?" Darlton asked.
"Indeed I am." Dorothea head with a sly smile.
"Best news all day," Ciaran said with a smile, "Also, it's Captain now, my lady, not Lieutenant."
A look of happy surprise came to her face as she nodded her head. "Good to hear."
"Okay, enough!" Nonette said testily, spreading her arms out with a flourish. "I'm going to go see Nellie. See you later."
"Who shoved a stick up her arse?" Ciaran said bluntly as the Knight of Nine stalked out of earshot.
"No clue," Dorothea said with a shrug. "Are we ready to leave, General?"
"Almost, my lady," Darlton said, pulling the clipboard out from under his armpit to look at it. "We're just making sure the last squads are loaded up and ready."
"Right then. Captain Forsyth, will you join me in the command trailer to oversee the plans?" Dorothea said, nodding her head and motioning to the large vehicle, her eyes falling on the young Captain.
"By your command, my lady." Ciaran said, bowing his head before moving towards the trailer followed closely by Dorothea, leaving Darlton alone in the garage to oversee the last few details of the mission be tied together.
Before the clock struck the hour, at ten minutes to two in the afternoon, the door of the last APC closed with hiss and a clank as the last soldier took his place among his squadmates. As the clock struck the hour, ten minutes later, the order was given and with the (slightly underwhelming) noise of over a dozen engines, the APCs and command trailer rolled out of the garage and on to the main road. The journey from the Tokyo Settlement to Kitakyushu took just a little over seven hours, the armoured convoy taking the main highway straight there. Not that traffic would be any problem, since no-one wanted to get in the way of a heavily armed and armoured Britannian military convoy.
It was close nine in the evening that the convoy passed through the city boundary in to Kitakyushu, crossing the bridge just as the sun began to set. The sight of many military vehicles would have tipped the smugglers off to the soldiers ready to pounce on the illegal activity, so the convoy was split in to three groups: one taking the direct route through the city to meet at an empty dock a mile or two from the main dockyards, the second going through the back streets with the third circumventing the city entirely.
It was just before ten that the last troop carrier rolled in to the designated meeting point, the vehicle guided by a soldier with a fluorescent baton, even as the darkness was being brutally chased away by the glare of large floodlights. Soldiers stood clustered around their vehicles as they began final checks on their equipment and weapons before the mission started: ammunition was counted and recounted, magazines distributed. Pouches were tightened, checked and tightened again, while radios were set to designated frequencies.
Inside the command trailer, the newly promoted Captain, wearing the same combat uniform as the rest of the soldier's present, stood with the Knight of Four and the General as the plan was told again using a holographic map that showed the lay-out of the targeted dock. Darlton was right: it would be done old school. First company, split between four fire-teams, with one fire-team acting as overwatch, would assault the building suspected as being the base of the smuggler's operation. Ciaran would lead the first company, while Dorothea in her Knightmare would lead the second company in support in case something went wrong. Darlton would oversee the entire operation and, if the worst case scenario happened, would take over full control of the mission. The mission parameters were simple: any found Refrain was to be destroyed. If possible, smugglers were to be taken alive as prisoners, if not, lethal force was authorised. There was no reason to suspect civilians were to be present, but Darlton stressed the need for proper fire control. The final part of the plan was the inclusion of a quarter of Royal Britannian Naval Heracles-class Destroyers, two stationed at both ends of the Kanmon Straits.
"A nasty surprise for anyone who tries to escape by the water." Darlton quipped.
The last notes of the mission plan repeated, the young Captain excused himself, citing the need to oversee the final organization of the forces present, leaving Dorothea and Darlton in the trailer to prepare.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Darlton said, his baritone voice rolling out as he crossed his arms over his large chest. Standing in the large command trailer's changing room, the general had his eyes fixed firmly on the wall in front of him. Behind him, separated by an opaque screen, he could hear Dorothea slipping in to her pilot suit. Darlton was, if anything, a gentleman, and he was certainly not going to look at one of his former students getting dressed. "Your first mission as an officer was something similar, wasn't it, Dorothea?"
"Your memory is still as good as ever, Andreas." The woman replied, and the general was sure he could hear a smile on her face as she said it. If it was anyone else, barring the Princesses' and Guilford, calling him by his first name, he'd correct them. But with Dorothea, he had no such qualms.
The sound of a zip travelling upwards followed by the sound of the screen being moved away told Darlton it was time for him to turn around. Standing before him, Dorothea was clad in her white pilot suit. The chest and neck area down to her navel were made of a black material, a small gold design set in to the centre of her neck. Her suit was completed by her forearms being covered in royal blue up to her elbows, green patches on her upper arm and finally gold inlay than ran in straight, geometric stripes up her outfit. Her long black hair was tied back in a bun with a braid that hung over the right side, which showed her high cheekbones and angular face well.
"Nervous?" Darlton asked, a sly grin on his face as he watched the Knight of Four attach a white belt covered with several pouches and a pistol holster to her hips.
Dorothea responded with a small chuckle as she clipped the belt in place. "A drug bust, with a full two companies of soldiers and the use of my own Knightmare? What's there to be nervous about?"
The general nodded his head as he chuckled too. As far as military operations went, this was an easy one.
"Although there is something I feel I need to ask." Dorothea said, her eyes taking on a confused look, which caused Darlton to cock his eyebrows in confusion. "Are you really sure that he can carry this out?"
Darlton let out a small sigh, knowing who he was referring to. "I did try and say to Princess Cornelia that Cia... I mean, Captain Forsyth was not ready to be out in the field, let alone leading a mission. But, once the Princess has made her mind up..."
"There's nothing we can do." Dorothea finished his sentence for him, nodding her head softly. "Is that why you volunteered to oversee this mission, then?"
Taken aback by her words, Darlton couldn't help but chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I guess there's no pulling the wool over your eyes, is there?" Dorothea only shrugged as a reply.
"To answer your question: yes," Darlton continued, "Maybe because he reminds me of a certain dark-haired woman when she was his age."
The look that Dorothea shot him could have boiled an egg at ten paces, but Darlton only gave a sharp bark of laughter.
"But in all honesty," The general said, dropping his jovial tone instantly, "That boy's not been here in Area 11 for very long, let alone in uniform. I've done my best to prepare him, but I don't think I've prepared him enough." His tone was remorseful as he spoke, sounding like a man who failed at something important.
The Knight of Four nodded her head sympathetically. "We all have to face that road when it come to it, Andreas. We both know that as well as anyone. If I didn't know you, I'd say you were soft."
Darlton couldn't help but smile at the jab as he watch Dorothea walk through the door of the command trailer in to a small recreation area, which he followed her in to. It was a Spartan room; small, with grey walls and floors broken up by dark blue chairs and a table, all bolted to the floor. To the side of the room, a small fridge was connected to the wall along with a small television mounted on to the wall, a large window covered by blinds opposite.
Walking over to the window, Dorothea flicked open the blinds, letting the light from the various vehicles and floodlights that lit up the staging area enter the room. Darlton joined her as she looked out of the window, seeing the soldiers going about their various preparations, officers giving instructions. In the midst of it all, both could see the form of the newly promoted Captain Forsyth standing before a small group of junior officers, talking animatedly over a small map held in his hands. General Darlton smiled inwardly at the sight. Even though the young man was shorter by a full head that many of the officers around him, he had them hanging on his every word.
Looking at the scene playing through the window, Darlton couldn't help but smile as a memory surfaced. A memory of a young woman, with emerald eyes and dark-skin, just newly given her captaincy. Even if she had already risen through the ranks from a private soldier, the general knew that her new role still filled Dorothea with equal parts fear and pride.
"I remember your first command," Darlton said, crossing his arms over his chest, "I was certain you were going to wet yourself." The large man's voice became a chuckle as Dorothea shot him another glare, before the General took on a more placating tone. "But you pulled through it perfectly, and became the woman you are now."
"What's your point, Darlton?"
"I'm just saying that I had faith in you then, and I have faith in Captain Forsyth now."
The woman didn't say anything in reply, so Darlton continued talking.
"The young man arrives here, without a family, without any sort of knowledge of the area and nearly winds up dead in the process. But instead of succumbing like most people would, he chooses the military, a hard path for most people already, and even becomes a member of Cornelia's Royal Guard. The lad's strong. I just want to make sure he's strong enough."
Mentally, Darlton grimaced at what he had said. It was far too close to the truth for comfort, but seeing Dorothea nod solemnly brought relief.
"Looks like he's finished." Darlton said, nodding towards the window. With a small flurry of salutes, the group outside dispersed, leaving Ciaran to fold up the map and put in one of his trouser pockets, before tilting his head back, seeming to take in a deep breath.
"Come on." Darlton said, walking towards the exit in the side of the trailer. His hand was centimetres away from the handle before Dorothea's voice stopped him.
"Andreas," The woman said, pausing for a moment before speaking, "If you trust him, then so do I. I just wanted to make sure."
Looking at her, Darlton let a thin smile come to his face as he nodded. Taking the handle, he stopped before looking at the woman.
"Dorothea. On the subject of Captain Forsyth, what are your thoughts on him?"
The woman seemed taken aback by the question, eyes widening in surprise, before her face became a neutral mask.
"He's proven himself enough to gain your trust and confidence. As your former student, I have no reason to doubt your belief in the man."
The answer was too text-book for his liking, but Darlton didn't pry. He simply nodded his head before exiting the trailer, Dorothea following close behind, the duo making their way to the Captain.
"Everything all set, Captain Forsyth?" Darlton called out, drawing the young man's attention.
"We're just waiting on the word, General." Ciaran said, straightening his back up as he met the General's gaze.
Turning to Dorothea, the General spoke again. "You'll find your Knightmare in second company's staging area, Lady Ernst."
"All right, General," Dorothea said before moving forward to offer the young Captain her hand. "Good luck to you tonight, Captain. I honestly hope you won't be needing me tonight."
Ciaran took the hand and shook it. "I hope so too, my lady."
Parting hands, Dorothea jogged off as Darlton drew closer to the young man. "Are you ready, lad?"
Ciaran replied with a simple nod of his head. Satisfied, Darlton smiled broadly. "Go to your station, Captain. Jump off's in fifteen minutes."
Nodding his head, the young Captain turned and jogged away to meet with his designated fire-team, leaving Darlton alone in the staging area. Tilting his head to look up at sky above, Darlton frowned at the lack of visible stars, before walking away to enter the trailer. Unaware that on the other side of the dock, a small force of men and women in black uniforms, led by a masked and caped man were moving in to position.
AN: Uggh... this blood chapter! This chapter!
First off, let me say this: to all of the people who have favourite and followed this story, especially those of you who have followed it from the very beginning, I just want to say thank you for your patience. It shows that you trust me enough to deliver you good content, and I hope I'm delivering.
Secondly, a big thank to A. , whom I've been in contact with over the last month, practically throughout the entire length of time it took to write this sodding chapter. Without him, I doubt I'd have gotten anywhere off the ground with this one. So, thank you, man, for letting me bounce ideas off of you and for helping get this chapter up.
Umm, okay. So yeah. There are several reasons for this chapter coming up so late, the main ones being simply the fact that I didn't know what to write for certain bits of the chapter, the fact that several scenes were just scenes that I hadn't done before and also for the that I have very recently lost my job and, as I'm sure some of you know, that had seriously knocked my writing drive off for six.
The scene at the beginning is... to be honest, I know it's quite bad but, as I said, it was a scene I had not written before, so it was quite hard to do. But no matter how many times I rewrote it, I just couldn't get it sound believable. Although considering the setting, I think a good amount of suspension of disbelief is all right. Plus, I did try and make sure I didn't go too far over my own limit for a chapter length (8 or 9 pages) so I had to write out the ending the way I did. And because of that, chapter 11 will be LONG.
But on the plus side, I hope this chapter will be the start of something more serious in the series, since I feel I've been writing a few too many comedy bits so far.
So... that's all I've got to say on this chapter.
As normal: read and enjoy.