Chapter One
The Southern front's ninth squadron was not dead yet. Not all of them were, at least. Ash rested her hand gingerly on the chassis of her juggernaut, caressing the bullet-scarred metal with the tips of her fingers. The hangar around her bustled with activity, but the mechanics ignored her. Nearly every processor took time alone with their machines every once and a while, especially the experienced ones. Ash had experience. More than most in this squadron.
There had been others. Just last week the ninth had boasted fifteen name bearers, some entering their fourth year of service. Now there were eight name bearers, and only one among them besides Ash had even three years of war at his back. One month in this squadron. It had only been one month since Ash had come in with the last batch of reinforcements, and they had already been whittled down to the dregs, the nightmare culminating in a devastating battle that had killed so many, including their previous captain. Ash slammed her fist into the juggernaut, stinging her knuckles with the impact. The thin alloy armor rang like a funeral bell, a unique sound familiar to the eighty-six. The mechanics graciously continued to ignore her.
Her reverie was interrupted by a call on the para-RAID.
"Ninth squadron, form up! Personnel transport inbound. They'll officially be changing around our ranks when the new kids arrive, so I want everyone to be there. Anyone absent for their own demotion will be stuck on patrol for the next year, you hear me?" Eliezer's voice, the acting captain. With a sigh, Ash turned away from the war machine.
"What if we're absent from our promotion?" someone else asked.
"You won't have to worry about that, Titus," Elizer replied. "Command would sooner tear down the Gran Mur than promote you." A few more voices chimed into the conversation, but none had any real passion behind them. They bantered out of habit, nothing more.
Leaving the hangar, Ash strode across a small courtyard to the base's humble airfield. She deactivated her para-RAID as she approached Eliezer. He was tall, tanned, and had more scars than anyone their age had any right to bear. He acknowledged her with a nod.
"Any news about the new guys?" she asked. He grunted.
"Some news."
"Good news?"
"Some of it is good news." Talking to Eliezer could be a pain sometimes.
"Some of it is bad news then?" She pressed. Eliezer nodded.
"Most of our empty slots will be filled with recruits. Fresh ones from the camps." The internment camp Ravenholt wasn't too far from the ninth's base of operations, just behind the part of the line they were assigned to patrol.
"I'm surprised they have any recruits left to send," Ash said.
"They still have a few," grumbled Eliezer. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You think you could talk that 'queen' of yours into sending us a few more veterans?"
Ash bristled. Her last unit had been under the command of the infamous Bloody Regina. She had been one of the "queen's knights," as they called themselves sometimes. She still was one of them, though that label held little sway here. Lena kept most of her attention on the Eastern front.
"There's only so much she can do, for now at least." Eliezer took that as well as could be expected. He didn't know Vladilena, and so it was obvious that he didn't really trust her. As they spoke, Ash caught sight of a transport plane streaking through the air. Their new recruits and supplies would be inside.
"Fair enough. Well, we've at least got one bright spot with this new batch," Eliezer said, eyeing the aircraft.
"And what would that be?" Ash asked.
"I won't need to be in command. We have a new captain on that plane."
"What? I thought you said it was full of recruits?"
"Mostly full of recruits. There's one namebearer up there, and he's got a reputation."
"Who?"
"His callsign is 'Bridgeburner,' they're pulling him down from the Western front." Ash cocked her head, staring at the plane. She had heard the name before, but she couldn't exactly place where. Some processors were legendary, and their stories were passed from squadron to squadron like scripture. Heroes like the late Undertaker, reaper of the Eastern front. They achieved a transient immortality through their place in the memories of the eighty-six. Immortality, because their stories transcended death. Transient, because those who remembered them seldom lived much longer themselves.
This Bridgeburner evidently had some stories of his own. Ash recalled the name, but couldn't remember any specifics.
"We'll see if he lives up to that reputation," Ash said. A smile crept across Eliezer's lips.
"That we will."
By the time the aircraft landed, what was left of the ninth had gathered themselves into a haphazard line. Some watched the plane's door eagerly, anxious to see who their new comrades would be. Others were more despondent. Ash felt herself drifting toward that camp, but forced herself to remain alert. She was a leader to these kids. She had to be. Not only was she one of the eldest among them, she represented the movement that Bloody Regina was trying to inspire among the eighty-six. She needed to put on a good face. Her cause was greater than herself.
The first people to step out were the Alba MPs. They watched the boys and girls of the ninth, wary and disgusted. From behind them filed a nervous column of children. These kids were not yet hardened by the crucible of the battlefield. They held onto their innocence.
And yet… Ash thought, the internment camps have made their mark. Children? Perhaps. Nothing could prepare them for the horrors of war. But they were not unscathed, and their innocence not entirely untouched.
One person among the arrivals stood out. He walked at the back of the column, taller than the rest with a shock of jet-black hair. His features were hawkish, all hard lines and angles, deep set with cold eyes. He was obviously the eldest of these. Bridgeburner then. As he strode out onto the tarmac the littler recruits kept close to him, like chicks huddled around a mother hen. There was deep respect in their eyes, as well hints of fear. The combination spelled worship, a dangerous attitude for any soldier to hold, especially if misplaced.
The MPs took photos of the recruits then assigned the squadron their new ranks. Bridgeburner as their captain, with "Reverend," Eliezer's callsign, as his Vice Captain. The MPs called "Mousetrap" among others to be platoon leaders. That was Ash, the callsign being the only name she had in the eyes of the Republic. As the final organizational details were resolved, Ash stared at Bridgeburner. He didn't speak except to give curt responses to the MPs when prompted. She didn't approach him. None of the others did either, other than the gaggle of young recruits that dogged his heels, anxious and silent.
Soon enough, the MPs returned to the aircraft and left, eager to be away from the "pigs" that defended them. Only then did Bridgeburner address the ninth.
"My name is Khalid," he said with a voice like flint, casting his eyes across his little army of children. "I hope to know each and every one of you for a very long time. Don't spoil it by leaving us early." A few people released nervous, mirthless chuckles. "Our squadron will be rotated back into service in one week's time, but we'll resume patrols tomorrow, with some changes. You'll get more details in the morning. You are free to prepare until then."
Ash furrowed her brow. Patrols would be unnecessary until they were returned to active service. Other squadrons were covering their territory, and would continue to do so until the recruits passed through the bare minimum training they needed to pilot the juggernauts. One week wasn't nearly enough, but was this Khalid implying they would have even less time?
"Platoon leaders!" Khalid barked, continuing. "Get the recruits acquainted with the base. Lieutenant Eliezer, you're with me." With that, Khalid turned on his heel and strode off toward the equipment hangar. Eliezer joined him. The rest of the squadron stood dumbfounded. Few of the eighty-six were as rigid as Khalid seemed to be, and they were not used to such behavior from their officers. As he trailed away, conversation picked up. Quickly, Ash rushed in to greet the recruits and acquaint them with the base as Khalid had ordered. Not because he had ordered it, but because it was the right thing to do.
Acclimating the recruits was heartbreaking in its ease. The youths had nothing in the way of possessions and posed little complaint to the base's accommodations. In truth, it was far nicer than what most of them had experienced in the camps. These children, more than any of the other eighty-six, were pure products of those cruel places. They had never experienced anything else, so they were meek, and hard, and ever so resilient. They would do well on the battlefront. The ones that survived the first year would, anyway.
The falling sun had just kissed the horizon when Khalid returned to the barracks with Eliezer at his side. She walked out to greet them.
"You owe us an explanation," Ash called out, crossing her arms sternly and blocking the barrack door.
"Do I?" Khalid asked, a hint of amusement in his tone, though the smile never touched his lips.
"You do. Patrols shouldn't begin until the squadron returns to active duty. Our priority is to train them, and heaven knows we have little enough time for that as it is!"
"Training will be our priority, and not just for the recruits. Tomorrow the entire squad will be put to work refining their skills," Khalid replied, meeting her eyes with that piercing stare of his.
"Good luck wrangling the vets into doing that!" Ash said with a wry laugh.
"I will manage," Khalid replied. "Surely, with your help it would be no issue at all."
"Oh? And why is that?" she challenged.
"Eliezer speaks highly of you, Ash. I trust that the others will look to you with respect as well." She raised an eyebrow at the scarred vice-captain. Eliezer just shrugged. Khalid continued. "The lieutenant tells me you are one of the 'queen's knights,' followers of that young operator, right? You more than most should appreciate the value of preparation." Ash once again leveled her glare at Eliezer. He didn't even have the decency to look ashamed for talking about her behind her back.
"Don't presume to understand me," she warned.
"Nor you I." With those words, Khalid brushed past her and swept into the barracks. Ash watched him go with a wary eye before turning back to Eliezer.
"What's his deal?" she asked. "No eighty-six acts like that. He seems to expect us to work like a real army." Eliezer grinned, baring his teeth like a hound.
"I told you. He has a reputation."
"And what else does this reputation say about him?" she asked. Eliezer snorted.
"Just enough to raise more questions than answers. I never did get the story behind his callsign. Not the real one at least."
"You didn't ask him when you two talked? You seemed pretty chummy, sharing gossip and the like."
"I did, but if you hadn't noticed he isn't really the 'sharing' type. He asked most of the questions."
"That figures," she whispered under her breath. "What sort of training is he planning?"
"He'll explain tomorrow. He doesn't want to repeat himself, and I don't either. You'll survive until then Ash, so there'll be no wringing it out of me. I'd like to sleep anyways, and I suggest you do too." Eliezer left as Khalid had, sliding past her towards his bunkroom.
Insufferable, she thought. She respected Eliezer, she even liked him when she was feeling particularly charitable, but he was not the easiest man to work with. This Khalid promised to be no easier. Still, despite the vice-captain's recommendation sleep did not beckon her. Instead, she leaned back against the doorframe and stared as the stars emerged, contemplative. She still held the pose over an hour later when a voice connected over her para-RAID.
"Mousetrap?" Clear and confident, the voice was familiar, and good to hear again.
"Captain Melizé!" Ash answered, bolting upright, surprised." This unit wasn't under Vladilena's command… why was the Bloodstained Queen calling her? They'd never been particularly close, even when Ash had been directly under her authority. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Hello Mousetrap," Lena continued, voice dripping with amusement. "Nothing's wrong. I'm connecting because the records here say that your unit received new recruits from the internment camps today, is that right?"
"It is."
"Good," the Alba girl said. "Their names weren't recorded while in the camps, and I don't have any contacts there. Now that they're where I can reach them, where we can reach them, I want you to tell me who they are."
"Of course," she said with a smile. Bloody Regina always took the names of the eighty-six, and had done the same thing when Ash had first been transferred here to the ninth. Lena couldn't command every squadron on every front, but she could learn the names of those she could, or at least try. That woman seemed to have unfettered access to the para-RAID, able to connect to whoever she wished, regardless of traditional command structure or assignments.
Ash listed off the new recruits from memory, as she had spent the afternoon getting them situated. She then, at Lena's request, reported the squadron's recent casualties. She could sense Lena's dissatisfaction with those numbers. Her old squadron had fared much better on average. Not so here.
"How old are they?" the Alba asked. "The recruits, I mean."
"Young enough. Younger than I was when I joined." Ash heard a sigh through the para-RAID.
"Make sure they're taken care of. At least, as much as they can be."
"I will," Ash promised, "I'm not sure about this new captain of ours… but I'll do my best."
"Oh?" Lena asked. "Why is that? Is he trouble?"
"Not sure yet. He's different. He acts like… like a soldier. A real one. He's firm. Maybe too firm for the little ones. That doesn't stop them from looking up to him though. I don't know what he did in transit to earn their loyalty like he has, but if he may ruin it all if he keeps acting as strict as he does
"Hmmm… The military keeps track of veteran processors for logistics' sake. I may look into this captain, see what I find. We need the Southern front strong just as much as anywhere else, and I'd rather your unit stay out of undue trouble. The legion is a big enough problem as it is. I'll contact you if I find anything useful. Stay strong and be ready, Mousetrap. The enemy is preparing something, I can feel it. We'll need every soldier we have when that time comes."
"Yes, my queen," Ash said, using the title her old captain had addressed Lena with. The call ended. Finally, Ash felt tired enough to retire to her bunk. If Khalid the Bridgeburner had training for them tomorrow, she would very much prefer to face it well-rested.