SAPPHIRE

05: The Luchar Treaty

A week had passed since that morning when Rena had talked with Tovo in the showers. Since that morning Rena had placed the matters of their discussion aside and concentrated on fulfilling her duties as an Otome. The July weather allowed the group to go outside and begin its first team exercise. Rena was told by Connor to meet the doctor or nurses on the base and see if she could participate or if she was required to rest until her injuries had healed. The doctor gave Rena a clean bill of health and noted that the young Meister's body had a remarkable ability to heal itself. Rena shrugged it off and replied, 'I eat healthy.' The doctor was sceptical and wanted to know exactly what she ate but Rena simply restated her previous answer. 'I eat healthy. Nothing to worry about, Doc. I'm just like everyone else.' Exactly how much she was the same like everyone else was a mystery to the doctor and even the patient. Without further questions Rena was permitted to leave and rejoin her team, which was currently running over their exercise in the operations building a few blocks away. Emmett, wearing the standard woodland green fatigues and brown suede boots, had been waiting outside of the doctor's office for his partner. He was sitting in a chair, reading a magazine, when Rena left the room. He looked up at her and asked, 'So did he let you go?'

Rena pressed against her fully healed ribs and replied, 'I'm all good to go, Emmett.'

He smiled and said, 'Well let's show the guys what we can do out there.' He stood up from his chair and the two left the base hospital.

The base, Fort Santa Ana, was located at the southernmost part of the city, near the greener fields than the northern desert to the exterior of the nation. Like Garderobe, it was a secure and private facility open to members of the military and government only; visitors had to make an appointment and undergo a background check if they wished to step onto base grounds. Security at the base was taken extremely seriously – a company of guards kept watch at all times and a quick reaction force of Otomes was on standby. Like Garderobe, the military facility was like a small town of its own. Fort Santa Ana, though, was nearly five times the size of the Otome academy, and a population nearly ten times greater; however, only a centralised area was populated and the rest were training grounds. A portion of the thick forest that was used during the entrance exam into Garderobe belonged to the base; the area had been leased to Garderobe for the duration of the fitness exam. Throughout the day one could hear Otomes spar intensely with each other in the gladiatorial stadium; flashes of light and small shockwaves could be seen and felt. Of course, as the base was also home to the regular ground forces, the chatter of automatic and semi-automatic weapons at the shooting range could be heard from time to time.

'So what's on the schedule today?' asked Rena as they walked across the grounds towards the operations building.

'Well we're planning on running a few drills – mainly responses to a certain crisis,' answered Emmett. There was a brief pause and he continued, 'Although I think Nate's going to get us back inside as quickly as possible.'

Rena frowned. 'Oh? Why's that?'

'He's been pretty dead set on having everyone know their stuff,' explained Emmett as they passed the barracks. 'Although it's important that we all know how to fight, Nate wants us to know the area we may be involved in, as well as the people we may work with, so we can diffuse a situation if possible.' Rena looked at her Master in confusion. 'Let's just say he wants us to do our homework. Know the people, know the customs, and know how they think. No need to fight if we can prevent it, right?'

'I still don't know what exactly it is we're supposed to do,' Rena admitted with embarrassment, 'and it's been more than two weeks.'

Emmett chuckled. 'Well that's because nothing's been happening in the world so far. You really don't come to grips with your job until the first mission.'

'How many "missions" have you done?' Rena asked Emmett curiously.

'Oh, just about three since I was assigned to Nate's team,' he replied. 'We mainly went along with the royal family to Artai. While the King and Queen was over at the Grand Duke's palace, we were meeting a trusted underground resistance force,' added Emmett, sensing what Rena's next question would have been. 'The Free Artai Forces, or FAF, have been working with us for the past couple of years. Ever since the Grand Duke took power they've been working to overthrow him and restore some sense of freedom in that country. Higher-powers-that-would-be decided that we should play a part in training these people, so that's what we've been doing.'

Rena stopped in her tracks, looking at Emmett with disbelieving eyes. 'Are you telling me we're helping train rebels?'

'Its part of the job, Rena,' said Emmett, looking at the Otome quizzically. 'Oh…' His face suddenly dawned with comprehension; he looked at her with a newfound understanding. 'I know it might not sound like a good thing, but you have to remember the conflict that happened to cause all of this.'

It was now Rena's turn to look at him quizzically. 'What conflict?'

Emmett frowned at the Otome. 'Don't you know? It only happened like four years ago. It was all over the news,' said her Master, looking at Rena with an odd expression. 'You really don't remember any of it?'

She had said too much, or rather she did not do her homework prior to becoming an Otome. Rena had remembered hearing something about Artai when she was living in the Black Valley, but she did not know what all the commotion was about. Now as an Otome, the case about Artai was likely to be her first operation, and she knew very little about the subject. Drawing attention to herself, especially to matters like this, was always a risk she had to be wary of. Already the warrant officer was looking at his Otome with slight suspicion, but whatever he thought he kept to himself. Miss Maria and the Garderobe doctor were aware of her background, which was two too many than Rena had wanted. If Emmett found out – Rena did not dwell on the possible consequences. She made to recover her error and said, 'Well I guess I might… I didn't pay that much attention to what really happened.'

'Let's just say the current Grand Duke was upset with the republic government and took over,' explained Emmett bluntly. 'No one actually thought he would succeed, though, but he did. It took nearly a month for the Grand Duke and his army to overthrow the government and defeat the federal army.' The young Master pursed his lips, remembering the headlines that covered the front pages of every newspaper in Windbloom. 'It was like one step forward and two steps backward. While I admit that the previous leadership wasn't that great, the one under the Grand Duke is worse. Few people actually benefit; the majority of the citizens are living in abject poverty and want things to change.'

'So that's where we come in,' added Rena after the fact. 'We're going to help make things change.'

Emmett seemed to weigh the answer in his head. 'Well in this case, yes, we're going to help make change, but the overall mandate of our job is a bit more than that,' said Emmett slowly. 'Remember how Irene said we're something like diplomats?' Rena nodded. 'Well it's true that we do act, in a manner, as ambassadors for our nation, but we specialise in a different field. I know it doesn't sound like much right now, but when you actually go out there and do it, well you'll see for yourself.' He paused and looked thoughtful for a minute. 'I guess it is true,' said Emmett with a grin, 'you really don't know what you're doing until you get out there.'

The two resumed walking towards the operations building; Rena was left wondering about her Master's last statement. You really don't know what you're doing until you get out there. The idea of learning how to do her job when it mattered most did not sit well with her. Added to the fact that she was in a high-risk position where the death of her Master resulted in the same fate for her and vice versa, Rena did not find the vagueness of her job comforting. 'Are we responsible for the twelve kingdoms or are we only dedicated to a certain region?' asked Rena.

'Responsible for all the kingdoms? Hell no,' replied Emmett in a manner that would suggest thinking otherwise would be insanity. 'The Otome Defence Group is divided into different sub-groups. There's us, the Royal Security Detachment, which works alongside with the royal family and the Royal Guards; but there's also the National Defence Unit, which is the main battle group, if you will. There's more Defence Units than Security Detachments as the job of following the royal family doesn't require that many people.'

'So how do the kingdoms get divided up between you guys?' Rena asked, still trying to get an answer for her question.

'The twelve kingdoms are usually reserved for the Royal Security Detachments,' replied Emmett. 'The kingdoms are divided into four separate groups called Conflict Zones; each Conflict Zone is assigned to a set of Detachment groups. We're responsible for Artai, Zipang, Cardair, and Florence – that's Conflict Zone One.'

'Four kingdoms? That still seems like a lot for a small group like us,' noted Rena with concern.

Emmett shrugged his shoulders. 'It's not that much when you look at what we do,' her Master began. 'We're not a public force trying to pressure our way through anything. We try to keep a low profile and remain invisible on the radar, so the smaller the numbers the better for us. Besides, we only work with a small group of people anyway,' Emmett reasoned.

The operations building was like any other building on the military base. It was an old, three-storey, stone-built structure that looked more like a prison than a place for military planners to congregate. The bars on the windows were for "security reasons" but Rena found it to be more of a safety hazard than anything else. The Master and Otome entered the building and went up to the top floor, meeting their teammates in the designated room. The interior of the structure wasn't any more appealing – walls painted with dull colours and bulletin boards propped up every here and there with notices – which had the Meister wondering if whoever constructed and decorated the building was in deep state of depression, or if they even worked here.

Like the conference room used to introduce the two Garderobe graduates to their new team, the planning room was similar in design. A long oak table was situated in the middle of the room – everyone was already present and sitting around the table. A map of the twelve kingdoms was posted on the side of the wall; many more, smaller but detailed, maps of the four nations belonging to Conflict Zone One were posted on another wall. Rena couldn't help but notice an exorbitant amount of thumbtacks and markings on the Artai map. Notes were posted alongside several tacks; the markings around cities had photographs of several buildings. Rena didn't want to know what she and her team had in store but she was sure it would be revealed to her at one point. Emmett and Rena promptly took their seats at the table with the rest of the team.

'I know you were all expecting some exercises today,' began Connor, 'but we're going to have to scratch that.' No one said anything in response but the change in atmosphere was noticeable. Though no question as to why there was change was asked, the team leader explained, 'A situation is developing in Artai and there's a good chance a diplomatic team from Windbloom will go down and have a talk.' Wherever diplomats go, Rena knew a Detachment would follow as well. Looking at Connor, she also noticed a closed folder lying before him.

'Do you know what's going on?' Hurst asked in regards to the developing situation in Artai.

Connor shook his head. 'Negative. No one is telling me anything so we're pretty much in the dark. Just expect to move out within the next couple of weeks,' he advised. The team leader turned to Eileen and Rena, smiling sympathetically, and said, 'I know you two were pretty anxious in getting out there to run through the exercises, but that's just going to have to wait.'

'We'll hit the ground running,' said Rena confidently. She met Eileen's gaze and they nodded. Though it would be a new experience for them, the two recent Garderobe graduates were confident in their abilities.

The team leader gave the two new Otomes a nod and said, 'It's great to have confidence but don't get too cocky. Things are different out there. Now, on to business.' Connor opened the folder in front of him and handed out several documents to the soldiers and Otomes at the table. 'We haven't been told what's going on in Artai, but reading this should give you a general idea of what's up.'

Rena took the stapled document passed to her and began skimming through the pages. 'Increased budget for the military has drawn concerns from the governments of… movement to rebuild Otome force… Kingdom of Artai will declare their separation from the Luchar Treaty…Artai routinely conducts joint military exercises with the nation of Florence…' The document went on for another three pages; Rena placed it down before her. She only needed to look at the first page to know what the grave concern was. Artai was building up its military force and wanted to retreat from the peace treaty, which drew concerns from several nations including Windbloom.

'So let me guess: we have to train those FAF guys some more?' asked Lutz, looking over the top of the document.

'I don't think we have much to worry about,' said the Otome of Lutz, Sena Miles. 'Judging from the reports we've received prior to this, Artai hasn't made any aggressive moves.'

'Yet,' added Emmett, sitting next to his Otome. 'Although they haven't done anything extreme yet, this might just be a build up to something bigger.'

Connor looked thoughtful and asked Emmett, 'So you think Artai is up to something?'

'I'd like to think they're not, but it's apparent that something is causing them to boost their military power. Here are simple reasons why I think they should be doing this: they might be trying to defend themselves from an invasion, or they might be launching a pre-emptive strike. Both of which are not the problem so I don't see why this is happening. To answer your question, Nate, I'd have to say "yes". Yes, I think Artai is up to something,' Emmett replied.

'So what's the government of Windbloom going to do?' asked Eileen. 'Do they think they can just talk Artai out of this? From what I've read it doesn't seem like Artai has committed any wrongs. I mean, aside from the fact that they might pull out of the Luchar Treaty, Artai is still safe.' The Luchar Treaty, Rena knew, was a treaty signed by the twelve kingdoms after the Dragon King War, restricting the use of Otomes in battle and the promise of never warring with one another again. Rena knew such a treaty was foolish and was not meant to last. It was not because she was a pessimist that she thought such things, but she was a realist. Rena grew up in the Black Valley and knew peace was only the period of calm between one war and the next.

Hurst nodded in agreement with his Otome. 'Eileen's right on the matter,' he acknowledged, turning to her and giving the young girl a nod. 'Right now Windbloom and the other nations will be made to look like the aggressors if we ask them to stop what they're doing. Artai doesn't have to listen to us; it doesn't have to listen to anyone at all. We can't stop them from building up their military because it's totally within their right. Don't get me wrong, I have my concerns as well, but legally there's nothing we can do.'

'Which is why we're in the business of doing things clandestinely,' reminded Connor to his team. Everyone at the table understood that, many of them grinned mischievously.

'But we don't have dates set, right?' asked Miles for clarification.

Connor made to answer but his Otome beat him to the punch. 'Not as of yet but we should be ready to move out at a moment's notice,' said Tovo. 'In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we were called out as an advance team.'

'What's an advance team?' blurted Rena She had remained silent up to this point and needed to speak her mind.

'An advance team is usually a team, or multiple teams, that are sent before the main force. They usually act as lookouts and set up ground stations prior to a main operation,' answered Tovo.

'I think the concern here is that Artai might pull out of the Luchar Treaty,' began the team leader. 'If Artai pulls out then that might encourage other nations who are not fond of the treaty to pull out as well. Call it a domino effect. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to know what happens if Artai does pull out of the treaty.' Connor looked at the two new Otomes and asked, 'Are you sure you girls are up to this? If – no, it should be when – we go, are you guys going to be ready?' Rena and Eileen found each other across the table and knew instinctively that they were ready to battle anything out. They had graduated from Garderobe together to become Meisters; they certainly would not let anything get in their way after coming this far.

Ω

Although Connor had officially cancelled their outdoor exercises, the Otomes of the team decided to do some sparring of their own. The Masters had consented and watched from the sidelines as their Otome went at it, equally sharing the pain of defeat and damage sustained. Rena was the top student at Garderobe, but here she and Eileen were at the bottom of the food chain. She apologised profusely to Emmett with each loss, knowing he was likely hurting from the beating she received. As it was normal to her, Rena healed almost instantly as the fight had not been intense, but her Master was still feeling the pain she sustained. 'Just know that you can always do better,' he said with a grin, clutching his sides. Rena simply smiled meekly and said, 'Sorry.' Irene Tovo, the veteran Otome, was no doubt the most talented and skilful fighter of the team and perhaps all of the other teams. Her age and experience marked her as one of the best Otomes in the kingdom. Rena heard rumours that Tovo was offered the position as the King and Queen's Otome, but that she had declined the offer in order to remain part of the Detachment.

With their sparring practice done with, Rena and her teammates retreated to the showers to clean up. The room was hot and humid, as well as active – another Otome team was already in the changing room when they arrived; the two Otome groups were socialising with each other and catching up on some news. Rena and Eileen had their work cut out for them during the exercise, but for Tovo and Miles it was just another day on the job. Miles was busy humming a tune to which a friend of hers in the other group was singing a song. Tovo was speaking loudly over the shower to anyone who would listen. Rena came to learn that while the veteran Otomes did not often share their stories of success or failure during operations outside of the changing room, inside it was all open for discussion.

'So then the chief – or I suppose he was the chief by the way he dressed – came up to me and asked for my Master,' said Tovo over the running water to someone in the stall next to her. 'I told the chief that Nate couldn't make it so he had to talk to me.'

'Is that the same guy that brushed off Mila?' the Otome next door asked.

'The very same,' said Tovo. 'I told the guy that if he wanted our help he would have to deal through me. It didn't take him long to realise that I wasn't kidding.' Tovo paused briefly before continuing. 'Well in the end everything worked out okay. Although I don't trust him completely in particular, I think he held his end of the bargain.'

'You don't think he's trying to set you guys up?' asked her friend.

'I can't say for sure but I guess we'll find out soon enough,' replied Tovo grimly. 'Say, do you know if we'll actually be going to Artai any time soon?'

'I don't know, but I guess with word going around that Artai might pull out of the treaty, who knows might happen?'

Rena and Eileen were in the shower stalls at the very back of the room, listening attentively to the different discussions. Rena listened as Miles discussed with her friends of a possible date they would be called on to escort a diplomatic team currently being assembled for a mission to Artai. They were anxious to embark on their first mission, but the thought of travelling to another part of the world was also nerve-racking. Perhaps the stress was more for Eileen than she, but Rena knew this would not be any normal trip she would make. Unlike her travel to Windbloom, she was now an Otome and had a job to do. A person's life could be affected by whatever she did. Add to the fact that she still had to find a cure for the disease slowly killing her people, suddenly the weight on her shoulders increased even more; Rena closed a hand on the pendant around her neck and prayed for strength. Rena believed she had understood stress while she was at Garderobe or when she was training in the Black Valley, but all those experiences seem to pale in comparison to what she was currently feeling. The Meister did her best to breathe normally, but instead there only came short gasps. She leaned back against the side dividing the two shower stalls; her head tilted up, eyes closed, and letting the water run down her face and body. This is what I wanted, she thought, remembering her dream. I've gone this far; I'm not going to back out over a bit of stress. She wished for better times but knew hard work lay ahead.

A tap on the wall snapped the Otome out of her reverie. 'Hey Rena, do you think we'll actually go to Artai?' It was Eileen.

'I don't know,' admitted Rena slowly. 'By the looks of it, we might just be leaving in the next few weeks. Are you nervous?'

'Am I nervous? C'mon Rena, you know me. Of course I'm nervous, but I'm always ready for a challenge,' replied her friend. The two were speaking loud enough to ensure that they could hear one another, but low enough as to not have their voices carry. 'Are you nervous?'

Rena pursed her lips. Am I nervous? 'I guess curiosity is getting the best of me,' said Rena, 'because I'm a bit excited.'

'Same old Rena, eh?' Eileen said, grinning on the other side.

'I suppose so,' she agreed. 'Well you'll be with me, right? We'll get through this like Garderobe.' Suddenly she remembered something she swore she would never forget. 'Oh damn! We forgot to write to Marion!' Rena placed a hand to her forehead, cursing her forgetfulness. 'Damn it… We promised her we were going to write to her!'

Eileen remained silent for some time. 'We can write one when we're done here,' said Eileen after a thought. 'We'll tell her that we were busy for the past several days.'

It was true that they had been busy the previous week, but that didn't mean they couldn't take some time out of their schedule to write their best friend a simple letter. Rena felt as though she had betrayed Marion and let her down. How long had their best friend been waiting for them? Had Marion given up waiting? Simply thinking about her friend only made the knowledge that they had forgotten her even worse. Rena shook her head, muttering to herself, 'How can I forget?'

'Don't worry about it too much, Rena,' said Eileen, trying to soothe her friend. 'I'm sure Marion will understand. You know what? I think she's been busy as well. She's an Otome like us. She'll understand.'

'I hope so,' Rena said quietly.

Suddenly the door of her shower stall burst open. Rena fell back on the wet, tiled floor in shock, her arms instinctively covering her chest. Standing before her, a towel covering her bare physique, was an irritated looking Otome from the other group. 'Are you done yet? It's been thirty minutes!' exclaimed the Otome in annoyance, staring down at Rena with impatience. 'There are people waiting you know!' Rena simply sat on the floor, looking up at the barely clothed Otome with a meek expression.

Ω

Fort Santa Ana was cast under a starry lit sky later that night. The ruckus of the day had been silenced; everyone, except for the guards, was inside. The temperature had fallen somewhat during the night; the weather was cool but there was not a breeze to be felt. It was one of those rare occasions when Rena had nothing to do. She had spent the last two hours sifting through documents of Artai and reading up on the people she may be working with in the coming weeks – assuming they left to Artai, of course. Rena and Emmett had gone through their regular game plan for the mission: meet with the locals, establish a sense of trust, and then communicate with them. The FAF, the group they were most likely to work with, had been infiltrating all levels of the Grand Duke's government and was ready to give the Detachment any information necessary. She had done her homework and now it was time to rest. Her head was aching and what she needed most was time to cool off. Emmett told his Otome that she didn't need to be with him at all times, and that it was okay for her to wander off now and then when they were on the base. Rena looked up at the full moon and wondered when Marion would receive the letter. After being evicted from her shower stall, Rena and Eileen quickly dressed and headed off to write a letter to their forgotten friend.

Rena was walking along the fence of the base when a noise behind her caught her attention. The Meister quickly drew her two daggers and prepared for a quick fight. As Emmett was not around, Rena could not materialise into her robe. Regardless of this little drawback, Rena had been trained quite well – here and back in Black Valley – to fight by hand and with an assortment of weapons. The daggers in her hand were no standard issue weapons given to her by the military; Rena had used some of the spare money she had earned while being employed by the royal family to buy her own set of custom daggers. They were a lot sharper and much more durable than the ones that would have been issued to her.

'Who's there? Identify yourself!' ordered Rena, standing guard. Although she felt relatively safe inside the confines of the base, her heart skipped several beats as she waited nervously for the stranger to identify him or herself. Rena turned to where the sound had originated – a dark patch of bush along the fence line. Though she battled to stay calm, the daggers shook in her hands. If she was going to fight, this would be a real fight and not some sparring match where she would escape with scrapes or bruises. If this would become a real fight, someone would get hurt and possibly killed. She tried to calm her nerves but that proved to be quite impossible. 'Identify yourself!' Rena called out again, this time in a more threatening tone. She waited for an answer; there was no answer, only silence.

'What's wrong?' Rena turned around to see a pair of sentries hurrying to her position.

Rena turned to the bush and said, 'I heard movement in that area.'

The two sentries approached the fence line and shone their lights on the bush. The guards checked the area thoroughly but came up empty. The sentry looked back at the Otome and said, 'Nothing here, Miss.' Rena nodded and watched as the two sentries walked off. She couldn't help but feel embarrass. She had believed that something was hiding in the bush, but nothing had been found. Were the guards laughing at her? Were the guards laughing at the brand new Otome? Rena sheathed the daggers and kicked the dirt beneath her in frustration. Her nerves and imagination had gotten the best of her, causing her to overreact.

Something by the bush caught her attention. Rena squinted, muttering, 'What the…?' The Otome walked towards the object and found that it was an envelope. She crouched, picking up the letter and examined it in the moonlight. Her eyes widened in shock and fright. Rena Sayers. The letter was meant for her. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Rena quickly opened the envelope and retrieved the letter inside. She unfolded it to read its contents. Rena had expected a long letter, not knowing why, but instead there was only a small sentence in the middle of the page and nothing more. There was no name of the sender or the date it was written. There was simply one short sentence, or rather it was a demand. It was an order.

The one line read: Find the cure.