Come morning, Lena was back to her usual routine of treading the path to the San Magnolia General HQ, though her mind still thought back to that fateful encounter from last evening. The UNSC, if it was real and not some figment of her imagination after last night, had just become her unofficial commanders. She'd agreed to help them for the sake of Shin and the others, but a thought stuck in the back of her mind told her to question everything she'd been told. If she recalled correctly, when the Wartime Peace Preservation Act was put into law by the government, the same was said to the Eighty-Six as they were being dragged out of their homes...
She shook the thought off, entering the building and moving down her usual route, past security and into the Handlers' area. Annette walked out of her control room, a laptop in hand, then turned to face her. With one of her usual half-smiles, the girl gave her the faintest shake of the head, to which Lena smiled. Her friend, now with less bags under her eyes and veins popping out of the whites, said, "Thank you... For talking to the general yesterday."
"My pleasure. Take it there's no radar contacts today either?" Lena inquired, quirking a brow.
Annette replied, "Nothing, not even a single Legion unit that tried passing through randomly... We took them down again for revision, but other Handlers are still conducting their patrols. You weren't slated for an op today, either, though," then she motioned toward the rear section of the base and asked, "Care for some early morning sweets? I made some tiramisù this time. Good ladyfingers were easy to get a hold of, but it was the cream and chocolate that were a bit harder to procure... And I had to use the last of that actual super-coffee for the syrup. Hope you don't mind some tea with it this time."
Lena smiled at her friend's concern, "You know I don't. Let's go."
The two girls stepped out of the Handler area and out into the wider decorated halls of the Palace once more, strolling past lines of other officers and Handlers as they, too, made their way around without a care in the world. Something must've spooked the Legion hard enough not to have them deploy today, either. And if Lena were to hazard a guess, it was the UNSC presence.
There'd been dozens of Gunships coming day and night, reinforcing not only Spearhead's FOB, but, according to reports, some others as well, Lena thought. She had heard the commander of one Brísingamen Squadron say something about hearing extra voices beside those of his own squadron. Lena had wanted to connect to and perhaps talk to Brísingamen's Combat Commander later today, to confirm.
The two girls paused as they watched two fresh faces, a man and woman maybe three years older than Lena, approached. They were Alba and both of them wore uniforms standard to the Republic's military. Their blues and whites, to be exact. The boy had the rank of First Lieutenant on his collar, while the girl bore the pins of a Second Lieutenant and had her cap under her arm. He was a handsome young man. Cropped, short hair, standard military regulation. She was much the same, a young, beautiful lady, but her hair reached to chin-length and she had a few features that didn't fully match Alba, or at least the Celena subsection of the Alba.
They saluted the major, then the man asked rather worriedly, "Good morning... Are you Major Milizé?"
"Good morning," Lena nodded suspiciously, "Yes...? Are you looking for me?"
"Oh, thank goodness..." The girl sighed a bit too melodramatically for Lena to take her seriously. She then began to explain as calmly as she could "We were, yes. General Karlstahl said that new recruits are supposed to report to a veteran for training. I don't think he managed to tell you that that's the reason you came in today. We've been looking everywhere."
"Seems like it's been a hell of a long day, ain't it? For us, it sure was." The man smirked at her, his eyes flashing with mischief.
Lena's heart skipped a beat as she remembered the codephrase and the response. She nodded, then replied mechanically enough for Annette to take notice, "I've had worse... Early days in training were a pretty messy time back when I joined up. You kids must have it somewhat more easy," And she smiled at them. She looked to Annette, then said "You mind keeping some of that tiramisù in the fridge for me? I have to do orientation, I guess..." to which her close friend shook her head.
She looked to them, squinting with suspicion, then said "You two don't keep her too long. We had this whole thing planned..."
"Of course," The First Lieutenant replied, "She won't be long, ma'am..." and he raised a brow
"Tech Lieutenant Henrietta von Penrose," Annette replied coldly, "Take care, kids. And Lena," She looked to her friend, whose brows quirked up, "I'll try to keep your tea warm... Chamomile?"
"Yeah, as usual... And go easy on the cream this time," She nodded. Annette hummed, then stepped away for the R&D section of the HQ once more. Once out of earshot, Lena turned to the two officers in front of her, her eyes taking a moment to process the almost perfect Alba disguises the two wore. The silver irises of the contact lenses perfectly matched those of an Alba, while their hair, though she assumed it was dyed, showed no impurity, not even a mark of deception that could easily be seen.
"Decent disguises, no?" Asked the girl on the left, her accent thick, "ONI 'as been waiting to try out the old infiltration techniques they read about."
"You had me convinced... And Annette, too, if a little less," Lena smiled at them. She whispered to them, "Didn't think the UNSC would send you so quickly," as she watched another group of their fellow officers pass them by, smiles on their faces as they laughed about something or other that was not relevant to their own conversation. Still, that the Office of Naval Intelligence moved so fast scared the young woman the slightest bit.
The man shrugged and the girl chuckled. He continued calmly, "They figured it best to 'ave us here as soon as possible, so we can begin looking into the first matter the Admiral wants resolved. Specifically, communication... Oh, where are my manners. Hello, Major... I'm lieutenant Mathieu Moulin and this is my sister, lieutenant Samantha Moulin. We shall be your contacts"
"Aren't those aliases?" The girl quirked a brow at them, crossing her arms to her chest. No trusting intel officers with anything beyond intel, right?
"Perceptive," 'Samantha' smiled.
"We won't tell you our real names for now," Mathieu added, "Let's just say it's a matter of national security."
"Well," Lena hummed, "You picked decent names. Onomatologically, you picked names that fit pretty well in the Republic."
"We figured they'd be etymologically linked, since even your name sounds like something from Old French and maybe German," The man replied, crossing his arms to his chest. She raised a brow and he explained, "The world we come from, Earth. It has many nations, like yours, each with different languages and different language subsets, accents, jargons and onomatological differences."
"... Huh..." Lena paused, "... You know, at some point, I'd love to visit your world, now that you mention it. I know very little of the UNSC, but I'd like to learn... Wait, more na-"
"You'll learn with us around, ma'am," Sam smiled even as she interrupted the girl, "Don't worry. We'll be your direct link to the Admiralty and to the people you are going to be working with, including, presumably, the UNSC military forces currently deployed among the ranks of the Eighty-Six, as you call them... Let me tell you, learning about the things your Republic does brings back some not-so-good memories about our own world..."
"Oh...?"
"Wars. Dictatorial empires, genocides, that kind of thing," Mathieu clarified as he arranged his uniform. Indeed, the UN's history was filled with trying to combat destructive regimes like San Magnolia's little genocide-by-proxy one. Not that the UN was always successful in these endeavors, but they tried and when they were reformed into a global military with the United Earth Government and all her active organizations.
"... oh..."
"Mhm... Now... Let's talk business, seeing as we know each-other," The man spoke, smiling, "We're here for a multitude of reasons. To learn how your Republic operates."
"To learn how the Military itself operates..." Sam hummed, then looked over to the drunkards in the corner and murmured, "Not very effectively, it seems..."
"To search for a way to ensure the Republic's cooperation and, thus, the safety of the Eighty-Six... And to search for what captain Nouzen has referred to as the Para-RAID Device. A communication system like it, if what he said is to be believed, would allow us to speak to our troops on the ground and coordinate between them with little effort, outright denying the need for conventional communication systems, all of which are very susceptible to the Legion's ECM," The man explained as calmly as he could, while Lena stared on with surprise at him.
"... You want a Para-RAID system...?" She inquired in a whisper. The two nodded and she froze. Truth be told, she shouldn't be surprised. Even for interstellar civilizations, communication via Radio waves to planets that were under constant jamming by a machine force with the wide-band jamming capabilities of the Legion would make anyone want alternatives to communication, doubly so something as important and powerful as the Para-RAID. She hummed, then said, "I'm... Not sure I can provide that easily. Annette may be able to."
"Madame von Penrose?" Sam inquired, "That why she wears that labcoat?"
"Yeah. Her father created the Para-RAID system and she's currently the head of the project on how to improve and upgrade it further than its current standard. If you want to get it, you may have to convince her about the situation... Or you could sign up as a Handler and take one that way," She explained, then added, "Admittedly, the latter one won't seem so suspicious, seeing as I take mine home to talk to Spearhead all the time."
"Hmm..." The two looked to one-another, then Mathieu inquired, "Presuming your friend won't agree to help us, what would it take to become a Handler?"
"Medical checkup to ensure physical and mental stability while operating the Para-RAID, with the added one-week training for coordination of forces and the likes. A lot of San Magnolia military officers don't seem to need more than that," She remarked, then, noticing their skeptical looks, explained, "Listen, to the population of San Magnolia, the Military is just the gateway to new jobs. Some people don't want to be here, but have to be because they're unemployed, others joined because of some sense of duty... And then there's the few like me, who joined because of the Eighty-Six."
"Any other such commanders you can introduce us to, ma'am?" Sam inquired just as a group of military staff passed them by, switching to a more neutral tone and a more broad question series, "So we may get some pointers for when one of us does decide to go the route of a Handler," And all three of them watched the men and women of the group pass by, giving nods to Lena.
"Well, we could find a few," Lena nodded, "Just have to know where to look. For now, let's begin the tour."
Following the Major, the two were introduced to the valuable operational areas of the Headquarters, most of which Lena had access to due to her having the rank. Some areas were, however, restricted, such as the Generals' meeting rooms and quarters. The two ONI Agents made mental notes to scout these places out if and when they found themselves able to, for intel. Lena then took them by a hallway that hand windows every ten meters, stepped in front of one such window and pointed down the boulevard at another large palace building that spread for ten blocks across and seemingly twenty back.
That was the Presidential Palace, the former house of the Royal Government, where much of the current government, including the president herself and her family, were located and currently living. In front of it, about a block away at a roundabout where cars where currently circling and finding their exits, sat another statue of San Magnolia, this one surrounded by Alba soldiers wielding blades. That was the Monument to The Revolution.
Walking past that and another briefing room, this one usually destined for what would've been the NCOs of San Magnolia's squads, platoons, companies and armies(though many of those were currently the unregistered Eighty-Six outside the walls), now laying empty and locked. Passing by it and through a section that pretty much seemed to be the Command Deck, a rather large interactive map laying on the wall opposite where they were going while several consoles lay lined up in five rows of five. Each showed a different Radar and telecommunication screen.
The ONI Agents made mental notes to visit this place later, too, on their own time. They had the equipment to do so. Finally, as midday came, the team arrived at the Research and Development section of the San Magnolia HQ. There, they saw Annette at her station, typing away on notes for future firmware updates for the Para-RAID's systems. She turned and saw Lena with the new arrival and spoke, "Take it I'm the last one on the tour?"
"Pretty much," Lena shrugged, "Sorry..."
"It's fine," She waved it off, then stood up and offered, "Do your two new recruits want some cake, too? I made enough."
"We appreciate the offer, Technical Lieutenant," Mathieu replied, "But I do believe you'd best save it for the people you know, like the major... Anyways, I believe we started off on the wrong foot."
She turned to the man, then hummed and nodded, "We may have. Just a little bit."
"Right... Introductions are in order on our side. I'm Lieutenant Mathieu Moulin. This is my sister, Samantha," He spoke, then motioned to the girl.
"Hello," She nodded.
"Good to meet you both..." She offered, then motioned to Lena to sit as she set up their little tea time. While she was setting the plates with the cakes, she asked the two, "You sure you don't want some?"
"We're fine, thanks," The man nodded, "Looks very good, though."
"Thanks. Worked hard on it," She replied happily, sliding Lena a clean cake fork and her cute mug. She looked to Mathieu for a moment, scanning his facial features, then stated, "... Okay, I'll admit something. You look very good, compared to some of the other fellow Alba I've seen around. Both of you," She offered to Samantha as well. The two nodded in thanks.
"Appreciate the compliment, Tech Lieutenant," Sam smirked while Lena smiled at them.
"You don't look so bad yourself, don't mind me saying," Mathieu replied, crossing his arms to his chest. The girl's cheeks burned a little redder as she was taken aback by the compliment. To have her own little game turned against her had somewhat shaken the girl and gotten through a bit of the seemingly cold exterior she was showing to the two Lieutenants. She hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"So, how was the tour? Lena give you any boring info you didn't need to know?" She switched subjects and grinned deviously as she took off her glasses and cut into the smooth, velvety cake with the fork and took the first bite of her square piece. The two laughed, while her old friend's cheeks glowed red from the teasing tone she took. The girl chuckled, then said "I'm kidding, Lena. C'mon, take a joke."
"Oh, I can take a joke," The major rolled her eyes.
"It was fine. Quite educational, in fact," Mathieu replied, to take the pressure of Lena, "Lots of interesting places in the HQ. Got to admit, this place is particularly so... We'd be glad to assist with research."
"Hmm... If you want to help... Are you any good at research and coding, Mathieu? I need help with something here," She inquired, turning back to her station with the cake and tea. He hummed, approaching the girl's station and leaning in to look over the Firmware update she was creating for the device. He hummed, looking over the item in question as she pointed at it with the cursor of her mouse. She ran the code and pointed at the prototype/testing Para-RAID device on her right, which now glowed a burning red. She spoke calmly, "This thing's been a pain for a while. Crashes the device any time I try to run anything beyond twelve 'Processor' systems. Most squadrons have grown beyond that and I don't want to break anything when I ship this... Any ideas?"
"Hmm..." He leaned in, taking a closer look at the device and somewhat surprising the girl. He spoke, "Looks like a stack overflow in regards to calling up the main data of the device when it's needed. Maybe try deleting lines sixteen through twenty and replacing them with a pair of simpler commands, save on memory usage... Crashes aren't particularly good for normal computers and I can't imagine that'd be better for a device like the Para-RAID, so this should save on the crashes."
"... Maybe..." She murmured looked over the lines in question. Indeed, the code she'd used there was bloated to hell for four simple lines meant to initiate a direct link to the Processors when requested. Saving quickly just to make sure she didn't screw herself with the newbie's suggestion, she selected the lines, deleted them and typed in a pair of commands that would be used to direct-link the twin systems of the Para-RAID Devices, effectively bypassing the mass of memory usually needed to run said code. She then ran the new code on the prototype Para-RAID on her right and...
Saw all four lights on it turn azure. She grinned, clapping her hands together and stating, "Done!" before looking to Mathieu with a smile and offering, "Thank you."
"My pleasure, Tech Lieutenant," He nodded.
"It's just Annette, now. Least I can offer for you saving my behind like that is a real name you can call me by," She offered with a smile, "If you don't mind, I'll call for you any time I have a coding issue. It'll be useful to have another pair of eyes aside from my usual team here to back me up... Not to mention both of you are somehow starting to grow on me."
"It'd be my pleasure, Annette," He nodded, then smiled smugly at his sister. She shook her head and chuckled, while Lena crossed her arms and smiled at her friend's antics. The group of four continued talking as Lena ate her sweets, with Mathieu bringing up a few good points in regards to system security for Annette to consider before making any further modifications to the Para-RAID's core data. At its basest form, the device still needed codes, data, information to operate off of. That it was also utilizing the mind of a human being to communicate with others was not necessary information to understand the underlying Operating System of the small machine.
Lena had left Annette's R&D section thoroughly impressed by the updates she and Mathieu had made on her own machine. It responded much better to commands, it acted properly and with little time delay between each issued order and it seemed more openly capable of giving and receiving communications. As she prepared to depart with her new recruits/ONI Agents, she looked to Annette and said, "We'll see you around, Annette."
"Yup. Take care," She waved, her eyes glued to her computer as she browsed the internet, now that she had some free time again.
As they walked out, the man noticed Lena pocketing her device. He asked calmly, "Huh. Couldn't we just borrow yours?"
"Afraid not," She replied rather firmly.
"Why's that, major?" Sam inquired, crossing her arms to her chest as they walked out into the main halls of the Palace once more.
Lena sighed, then began to explain with a slightly dejected smile, "While the rest of the Republic's Handlers and Military personnel care little for their equipment, I've somehow earned a reputation of being a diligent young woman and, as a major, a person careful with her equipment. I was only allowed to take my Para-RAID Device home because of this."
"... Well, damn," Sam sighed, "Closest device we have and we can't even use it."
"We'll figure something out," Lena replied, then stopped, somewhat startling the two officers. She turned to them, a more serious look on her face as she asked, "Are your people honest? I'm asking this in the interest of continued cooperation between you and me... Are you really here to help the Eighty-Six? To help us fix the mess we've made? Because we've been laying in this messy bed we've made for some time now."
"It's non-classified information that we are here to assist, major. I'm sure even DAGGER squad let you know that we can't leave even if we wanted to. Our current objectives consist of humanitarian and military aid for the Eighty-Six and a solution to the issues that have arisen in the Republic's leadership, with this Wartime Peace Preservation Act we've read about," Mathieu explained, walking in front of her and staring her right in the eyes, unflinching, "We may be ONI. Our organization may have a nasty reputation among the UNSC and UEG, but trust me, Major... Section One and her agents are here to help everyone... No matter what it takes."
"We've got hearts, even though we'll not show it some times," Sam smiled, then walked up to the Major and said, "Trust us. We trusted you enough to reveal ourselves... Admittedly, because of Captain Shin Nouzen. But that's also the other reason we're helping. We want the friends, the people you've talked to and befriended among the Eighty-Six to survive and thrive. And not just them, but everyone in the Republic."
"We can give you our assurance that we're doing this out of both the interests of our marooned fleet, the UNSC as a whole and the Republic and Eighty-Six," Mathieu then added, his gaze made of steel, his face unflinching.
Lena looked upon both ONI Agents before her, remembering that below that silver hair and those silver contact lenses still lay a different race of people, probably more honest about themselves than the Alba and their entire array of subgroups. Even as Spooks, they could probably be halfway honest to her and it wouldn't jeopardize the mission, since she was now a part of it, too. She nodded, "Alright. I'll take your word for it."
"Appreciate it, mon amie," Both brothers said at the same time, then looked to one-another and smirked.
"... I'd suggest keeping your language on the down-low for now," She smiled, "C'mon. Lunch is about to start and for all the crap I give our military, at least they feed their officer cadre decently."
"Sweet," Sam smirked.
"We're right behind you, ma'am," Mathieu laughed as they departed down the halls and up the stairs to the third floor, where the mess was located. Shared by both the few Lower Enlisted of the ranks and the officer cadre, the place had a lot in the way of decent food for both sides of the barricades. To Lena, it was a decent eatery, if a bit overpopulated at lunch.
A good selection today. Meatball spaghetti, lasagna, mashed potatoes, three types of vegetable soup... Good choices for a nutritionally-balanced lunch.
Brísingamen Headquarters
Eighty-Sixth District, Eastern Front, Combat Sector 7
Regarding the rolling aircraft coming in for landing, a young woman of a somewhat darker complexion and with short, red hair stared up at the sky with a grin on her face. She was broader, more well-built than the average Eighty-Six and could be described both as 'handsome' and 'beautiful', considering her standard looks gave her a more tomboyish appearance. She was also less gracious. More rough-and-tumble. She was captain Shiden IIida of Brísingamen, personal name:Cyclops.
Beside her, her polar opposite in form and grace, sat her Executive Officer. A vice-captain, Shana was a girl with a darker complexion, wavy, long black hair that reached to her back and a face of a beauty equated to that of angels in the old fairy tales and religions of the world. Her personal callsign was Melusine. She, too, looked up at the sky as yet another of the UNSC's 'Pelican' Drop Ships touched down in front of them, their clothes fluttering in the wind and dust kicked up by the bird's jet engines.
"Color me surprised the pigs haven't tried shooting them down yet," Shiden murmured, watching as the vehicle disgorged the fifteen soldiers in its back, each packing a rifle of one type or another, their armor and ammo pouches, a duffel bag full of supplies and even heavy weaponry, like twin-barrel AT/AA rocket launchers and 50 caliber GPMGs which were apparently become more of the norm for their troops thanks to the Legion.
She watched a pale young man with green-colored hair poking out from underneath his helmet approach. His two eyes were the color of grass and his features were sharp, thin, cute in a way. He saluted, then said, "Captain Iida. Last unit for now, fifth battalion, tenth Marine Infantry Division off the Nowhere to Run. I'm Captain Stauffer and I'll be commanding the Fifth Battalion henceforth."
"Welcome to our little slice of hell, captain," Shiden smirked, before motioning toward their operations base and stating in a friendly demeanor to the man, "C'mon. I'll get you and your boys to your bunk..." She paused as she saw a pair of troopers unloading a series of boxes off the vehicle, labeled 'Food' and 'Water'. She blinked, then asked, "What's that about?"
"Supplies, captain," He replied, hefting his duffel over his shoulder, "Both for us and for your people. Canned food, pasta, even some perishables like eggs and milk. Someone thought it funny to keep an open farm on an active military ship, including animal husbandry... I guess the Nowhere to Run was a colony ship before she got refitted for combat duty, though..."
She grinned again, "You gotta be kidding me, man. You giving us gifts now?"
"Figured it best to suck up to the people who're giving us beds," He quipped, garnering a short snicker out of the Eighty-Six captain. The woman showed Shana and him to follow along toward the abandoned industrial building that acted as their forward operations base. Several rows of halls and buildings that had been stripped clean of any and all industrial equipment, with towering stalks of concrete and bricks that were once the smokestacks out of which the black clouds of industry flowed.
The main hall of the former industrial facility has been converted to a large motorpool where much of the maintenance of the dozens of Juggernauts belonging to the squadron resided. Lined up neatly, vehicles of the Battalion's scout element sat in rows, facing the Juggernauts. Combat and Troop 'hogs, the latter of which with armored rear compartments and an extension of the bed to fit half a dozen Marines instead of their standard rolling cages and seats, as well as Mongoose four-wheeler scouting ATVs were being tended to by Battalion's maintenance force.
The Fifth Battalion was the mechanized infantry and scouting element of the Division. It was only fit that they'd have that many rapid deployment vics like the up-armored Troop Hogs and their gunnery counterparts. 'Swift, Fast, Beautiful, Deadly' was the motto of the Battalion and it was certainly fitting for them. Not only did they have the fastest damn vehicles in the UNSC Arsenal, they also had some of the prettiest girls and handsomest lads in the squad.
"Yo, Miko," Shiden waved to one of her own unit.
"Capt'n," The girl beamed. She was a redhead, about a head shorter than Shiden and with pigtails. Her eyes were the color of beautiful emeralds and her complexion was pale-white, almost porcelain-like. She was a thin girl, smart, quick-witted and fun to hang around with. She was also the youngest out of the entire squadron at fifteen years of age. She paused, seeing the UNSC officer carrying his kit, then offered, "Don't take this the wrong way, man, but you folks just keep coming."
"I and the squad I arrived with are the last of the UNSC troops destined for this part of the front so far. Command will send more as they see fit, but for right now, we're all you're getting," He replied rather snarkily. She grinned.
"Shame. Your stuff's pretty cool," She offered afterward.
"Forgive her, Captain. This is Miko Satoshi, personal callsign:Odin," Shana offered, glaring to the girl.
"I bring the thunder, capt'n! Just call me when ya need shells to rain on the bastards." She saluted with a grin. He nodded, saluting back, then let Captain Iida lead the way again, while Shana stayed behind to talk to the girl. While Shana had piercing blue eyes, captain Stauffer had noticed that Shiden had a milky-white, blurry eye and a dark indigo one. Right and left, specifically. She must've been blind in the right eye, then.
Eh, he ignored it. Walking out of the main hall/motorpool, the man and the troopers carrying the boxes of foodstuffs and ammo walking behind them were greeted by the Squadron's home. Inside the second hall, several smaller pods rose high on the walls, held in place by support struts and only reachable by the winding staircases on their right. The Marines hauling the boxes sighed as a chorus when they saw the boxes, with Shiden chuckling.
She pointed to the left, at another concrete outcropping, then said "That's where our kitchen is, folks. Ammo for the antipersonnel equipment is over on the right, barrack just below the ones we're climbing to now," And, to her, the troopers' relief was palpable. She and the captain walked up onto the catwalks while Shana stood behind to guide the troops. She spoke to Stauffer, "Your boys and girls seem eager for action... Less so for hauling boxes," then she grinned.
"You can tell why," The man remarked, "We landed here to fight."
"You folks waiting for anything in particular? You could take the fight to the Legion right now," She offered as she popped the door to the UNSC's section of the barracks open, revealing several hundred bunk beds with Marines already having picked their places. Talk, laughter and the strings of a guitar filled the air of the dreary-looking concrete box with hanging lightbulbs for sources of illumination. The wallpaper of what was once a large office room had been stripped clean by either the weathering time or the moss that was growing in patches on the corners of the place.
The large window showing the outside world had been barricaded, with an MG nest made up of the remnants of the office's cubicles and desks and the omnipresent, familiar sandbag. Through the cracks in the rotting planks used to barricade the window, the faint light of noon pierced, showing the dust still floating in the air, stirred by the arrival of the newcomers. On an upright desk, placed sideways, sat one of the SRS99AM rifles that the team had brought with them. Beside it, boxes of 14,7x114mm rounds for the four-round box magazines sat.
A Marine manned the makeshift sniper's nest, one eye peering down the scope of the weapon toward the horizon and toward the areas where the Legion would be coming from in the case of an attack. He hummed in tune with the guitar. Captain Stauffer swore, some of his lads had the weirdest fucking hobbies in the world. He approached the Marine that was playing the mood-souring song and he stopped, turning to salute with wide-eyes. All other Marines in the room turned to salute the captain. He simply ordered, "At ease... Carry on..." before looking around for his own bunk.
"Sorry for the accommodations. White pigs aren't known for being kind to their soldiers," She quipped, laughing dryly.
"It'll do for now," Replied the man just as dryly, his voice unchanging, monotone, almost as if he was used to this. Calmly, he spoke again as the guitarist Marine gently started playing, "Until command decides to send our own Firebases down... Probably when they'll consider it safe to do so is the same time we'll have that new telecom system, the Para-RAID."
"Your folks trying to nab a Para-RAID off the San Magnolia military?" She laughed, "Good luck."
"Thanks... We don't need it," He replied nonchalantly, plopping himself down on his own bunk and removing a flask from one of his pouches. She nodded, then stepped away, arranging her uniform and letting the Marines inside the place rest. She watched the Marines hauling the foodstuffs and ammo as she descended from the barracks. Heavy boxes filled with rounds of all types now sat in the room below the main barracks of the two squadrons, multiple cans of food and perishables like veggies had just restocked their food supply, so there was no need to request food from the White Pigs or grow it beyond what was about to be harvested and the added staff that was deployed was going to prove useful soon.
Still, Shiden couldn't help but feel skeptical. That such a gift was dropped from the very sky itself seemed nothing short of a blessing from heaven, yet the good Cyclops learned not to believe in God some time ago. Sure, faith kept her sane at times, but it was only a temporary thing until she got her shit together. The saying was, after all, 'No atheists in Foxholes'. Outside of'em, though?
"How're they doing, Shan?" She inquired as she approached her XO.
The woman appraised the UNSC Marines as they walked out of the kitchen, one of them with a can of soda in hand. She was young, early twenties, maybe. Her eyes, though sunken and bearing the thousand yard stare so familiar to veterans, were kind, shimmering pearls of azure that stared at the two women with kindness instead of any form of ire that one would expect. Almost like the girl still looked for the good in mankind.
"Good, I guess..." Shana shrugged, "It's... So weird..."
"Big alien fleet that's sitting pretty above our planet and it turns out to be fellow humans? Heh, Miko's little telescope really proved useful this time, eh?" Shiden laughed heartily, saluting the Marines as they passed by her. Shana nodded to her CO, looking over the kit of the Marines, including the BR55 rifles. Iida then added, "I don't know if we can trust them, yet... All this stuff about helping us that one of their Lieutenants said. It all sounds like roses and sunshine, but..."
"Skepticism's healthy, captain," Shana remarked calmly, "It keeps one alive. We've learned that the hard way with any Alba that tried to aid us."
"True..." Shiden sighed, then murmured, "Guess we'll just have to see. Those 'Corpsmen' they brought ain't gonna see a whole lot of use, I'm sure..."
The two watched another Marine stepping up, a rifle on his back and a toolbox in his hand. He set the item down near one of the tables of the place's workshop and walked up the stairwell, to the barracks and to the noise of his comrades' melancholic singing. Yet again, a hundred voices sang in a foreign language a song of tiredness, of warfare and of heroics of old comrades.
According to one of the troopers that sang alongside their comrade, it was called 'Davai za'. Translated from its mother tongue, it meant 'Do it for...' and, in the refrain, the song would enumerate the things one would try to survive their fatal wounds for. Their loved ones, their comrades, both alive and dead and their life in general as something that was worth living through.
"Man, couldn't they pick anything more warm to sing...?" Shiden joked dryly, crossing her arms to her chest. Shana sighed, then looked upon the Corpsmen as they were preparing a makeshift medical area in the back of the base. One of them even sang the song in the language it was supposed to be sung in, with the exact accent, both of them assumed, that you were supposed to have when singing it. Russian, they believed.
Moments later, after the first song ended, they heard another song playing. This one was a more upbeat, if strange song compared to the prior. The soldiers sure seemed to have a bit more fun singing this one, as did the Corpsmen in their little medical tent. Shiden sighed, then chuckled and said "Ask and ye shall receive, I guess... C'mon, Shana. We still have to run diagnostics on our Juggernaut radars."
"Aye, ma'am," The girl replied.
Spearhead HQ.
The Military deployment of the UNSC had come to a stop for now. The presence of Marines and their combat vehicles had grown little in the last couple of hours, but Shin and the others still watched them as they carefully merged themselves into the FOB's daily life, providing help and supplies and working on maintaining cordial relations with Spearhead's entire force.
Truth be told, the entire task force of UNSC troops had become part of the normalcy of the place within days. Pretty much every member of Spearhead had gotten used to seeing them marching about, doing their thing, carrying supplies or helping in other ways. Sure, they hadn't seen them fight just yet, but that was a matter that could be put on the backburner for now.
"Yo, Shin," The young man heard the voice of Raiden call to him. Gazing back, he saw the man approaching, a bag of what seemed to be potato chips in his hands. He shook the bag, letting the rustle of the chips and the scent of what seemed to be a chemical mockup of roast chicken surprise Shin. Raiden spoke, "Their last supply drop just brought this stuff in. Apparently, they've got a lot of non-perishables in their ship's cargo holds, with the perishables held at below-freezing so they don't spoil."
"They must have enough food, considering they need to feed an entire military force and a fleet," Shin replied, watching Raiden sit down next to him on the bench. To their right, there was the mural of San Magnolia herself, thrusting her sword forth. Below it was a dummy with an incredibly creepy smile and half its neck missing, donning a mockup of an Eighty-Six military uniform and with a sign draped over his shoulders which read 'PIG'.
"Well, this stuff's considered snacks by them," Raiden offered, setting the bag between them and leaning back on the bench.
They watched as a large machine, boxy, quadrupedal and with two massive cranes attached to its industrial orange 'torso' strolled up to them. One burning red eye sat in a sensor ball, staring at both of them while it approached. It beeped at them, to which Shin hummed and said "Hey, Fido. They treating you alright?" and received a joyous string of chirps from the machine. He gave him a half-smile.
"What'd he say?" Raiden raised a brow.
"The UNSC got used to having Fido around. It's... Strange. It's barely been a few days since the UNSC Military has decided to join us on the ground. They've been running operations, including light patrols and scouting operations at the edge of the territory for a while. Their Warthogs are fast, light and well-armed, but the Legion has also been awfully quiet." Shin explained while Fido left for the airstrip, "It's like they retreated..."
"Perhaps they got some heads off of the ODSTs and are working on inducting them..." Raiden offered, then a chill shot up his spine.
"It... Isn't that unlikely," Shin sighed, "I can still hear their voices. They're distant, but... There's some new ones among them..."
"Black Sheep or Shepherds?" Raiden asked, faintest hint of concern in his voice.
"Black and White Sheep. One shepherd, though her voice is the faintest," He replied, then shook his head and stated, "They haven't moved from their position, though. Looks like they don't want to entangle with UNSC troops yet... Maybe the intel they have is getting them to prepare more, militarily. They must be gathering more troops beyond where I can hear them right now."
"Hm. Well, that's good for us, I guess... More of a break," Raiden commented, then added absentmindedly, "Means there'll be a load more to face after they've gathered what they'll consider enough to engage the UNSC Troops, what with the intel they must have in regards to their troops now. That's if they got any heads off the corpses before the brains rotted away."
"Mhm..." Shin nodded. He then looked to Raiden and spoke. "We should tell them... Send a briefing to the Admiral."
"Knew you were gonna say that. I already have a rough draft for the report to send to her and her troops... But I think we're gonna be seeing an offensive once it gets out," Raiden hummed, watching as a group of Marines started playing football with Lecca and Haruto as team captains, all of them laughing, all of them in their early to mid twenties, save for their two leaders.
"So, we wait until they get Para-RAID systems?" Shin inquired.
Raiden shrugged, "Could be a good idea, yeah..."
"Good idea," Shin nodded, closing the book he was reading and standing up. He watched Kurena and Daiya join in on the Football match, then looked to Raiden and inquired, "You going to join them?"
Raiden smirked, then shrugged, "I don't know... You gonna go find Theo?"
"I'm sure he's fine where he is," The boy offered, crossing his arms. Raiden chuckled, standing to his feet and waving to Shin before moving to join the teams playing against each-other. Laughter echoed as Shin strolled down and out of the courtyard, toward the airstrip that would usually be where the old planes of the Republic would land with their supplies.
He watched as another Pelican swung in for landing, the roar of its engines washing the place in the dust of the semi-overgrown tarmac. Hanging off the back-mounted magnetic lock was a pallet of a few dozen boxes, each labeled with the different supplies they carried inside. Fido jauntily strode forward on his four legs, to be greeted by the air crew and the transported troops inside the vehicle. As the dropship let the box go, Fido caught it with his crane arms, setting it onto the trailer on his back and chirping.
The Marines and the ODSTs aboard laughed, patting the machine as it walked with them. Shin saw one familiar face among their ranks. Her helmet off her head, corporal Agnieszka had come back down to Earth, a smile on her face. She had a flag plastered onto the right shoulder pad, two thick stripes, one white on top and one red on bottom. He had just now seen the flag itself.
She noticed Shin and saluted, smiling still, despite the scars she bore on her face. Beside her, Shin recognized Sergeant Georgy's armor. He wore something behind his breastplate, it seemed. A blue beret, folded up neatly to fit beneath the armor of the ODST. Finally, leading the group of ODSTs was major Volkov, his helmet slung under his arm and, on his head, that same blue beret.
"Captain Nouzen," The Major greeted him with a salute.
"Sir," He saluted back, "You all seem much better than when you left. How are you feeling?"
"UNSC Medicine. We're patched up and ready to kick ass," Agnieszka smirked, hefting her MA5 by the strap and straightening it out on her back. Shin nodded to them, then motioned for them to follow. They looked around and Shin almost immediately noticed that a few vehicles were missing from the hangar, more specifically a tank and three Warthogs.
"... Why did you bring more supplies?" He asked, looking at the boxes as Fido transported them to the hangar.
"Relief effort. A lot's been going on upstairs. We've got com with the aircraft returning from orbit and the Engineers and Corpsmen here sent a message regarding a possible Eighty-Six camp nearby, courtesy of one Theoto Rikka," the Sergeant replied from behind the Major, "We're sending these supplies to them as per the request of the officer... Theo left with a platoon of Marines and two Corpsmen to that camp."
"How long ago?" Shin raised a brow.
"Not too long..." Georgy shrugged, "We just know he's there because the Marines reported it."
"... A Relief Effort... Was it authorized by the Admiral?" Shin raised a brow.
"Yes," The entire group of Marines and ODSTs nodded.
"And she's coming down, too... To see if the reports the unit are putting out seem to be accurate."
Theo had gone to his old camp. To deliver aid.
Things must've been bad there...
Half an hour ago...
Rolling down one of the many dirt roads that surrounded the hundreds of square meters of barbed wire, mixed mine fields and abandoned watch-towers, a convoy of three Warthogs and one Scorpion tank rolled forward under direct orders from Admiral Nakano. That there were camps around, close to the FOBs of the squadrons, should really not have been surprising. Draftees for the war had to come from somewhere.
Theo's usual snarky demeanor had changed into one of a serious young man. Sitting shotgun on one of the Warthogs carrying the initial supplies that the UNSC could spare from their planetside inventory, watched as the hills and forestry flattened, revealing a barren landscape, filled with mud and the marks of Juggernaut tracks. Smoke billowed into the sky from a makeshift barrel fire.
"Christ..." Mary, one of the Marines that volunteered for the kid to have an escort, murmured while she drove, eyes growing wide as she saw the camp.
Resembling something out of the ghettoes in the Outer Colonies or the picture books on the Second World War, the camp was a ramshackle construct of concrete buildings, rusting corrugated steel and windowless corkboard shacks guarded all around by four watch-towers and barbed wire fences. Children, much younger than Theo, played in the streets with dirty, deflated toy balls and broken tin confections that resembled the military mechs of the Republic and of the Legion.
Theo stared at the camp, a flash of memories flooding his mind. She asked him, "This was your place...?"
"Yeah..." he nodded, then murmured to Mary, "I know a lot of the kids here... A lot of them were toddlers when I and my generation left for battle. Some of us, too sick or wounded to fight, stayed behind to raise them... They're the last generation in this place," and his grip tightened around his own antipersonnel rifle, what looked to be an older model of the FAL. The boy then stood up, waving to the camp and to some of the hobbling civilians.
A hunched-over girl with red eyes gasped. She smiled, then waved to some of the older kids to open the gates for the convoy. Dozens of youngsters, ranging from ten to twelve in age, stepped out from behind the buildings, watching as the UNSC Armored Vehicles rolled into the place as slowly as they could. Many stared fearfully at the Marines and their transports. A few stared with hope and reacted as they saw Theo disembark from the middle Warthog with his rifle on his back.
The red-eyed girl, maybe fifteen in age, cried out to the kids, "Children, lads, c'mon! Theo's back!"
Almost a hundred more kids and their sixteen and seventeen-year-old handlers filed out of a cramped barracks, with the handlers tired, wounded, malnourished, each of them carrying a makeshift weapon. A spear, an axe, a bat, something to defend themselves, but finding that they didn't need it as they stared at their surviving eldest campmate. The children that filed out from the barracks were nine-year-olds, all of them born in the camp itself before their mothers were sent to die in battle. All raised by older brothers and sisters before they, too, shipped out. And now? All cared for by the sick and powerless of the camp's inhabitants.
Mary covered her mouth as she stepped up beside Theo, watching as the emaciated and wounded of Theo's age walked up to him, smiling, patting him on the shoulder or outright hugging the boy, much to his surprise, while the youngest laughed and cheered. He looked to the red-eyed girl, then asked "Tara... Where the hell are the Pigs that were guarding you? This camp had at least two dozen Guards before I left..."
"... They left some months ago... Figured that the Legion was getting close enough to deal with us..." She smiled sadly, "Left with a lot of the food and the guns, too... We rationed what we could... Started growing what we had..." and she pointed a bony finger toward a corner of the camp's barbed wire perimeter. A meager garden lay, with potato and tomato plants and edible mushrooms that grew in the soft, moist soil just beside the walls themselves. The fences reached up at around four meters in height, each, all of them lined with barbed wire coils on top and straight razor wires in the rest.
"... Jesus, fuck..." Another Marine, a sergeant, murmured as he looked around and covered his mouth, his breath catching in his throat, "This is fucking inhumane..."
"Sweet mother," One of the Corpsmen, a soldier clad in white armor with red accents, gripped a cross he had around his neck. He looked to his comrade and said, "Let's start triage... I'm... I'm seeing a shitload of malnourished kids, not to mention some of'em with rashes that don't look right... Necrotizing tissues... Fuck, we're gonna need a lot more medical kits than we thought..."
"I'm sending a fucking single-beam com back to Spearhead HQ... We're gonna need an arseload more supplies than food and water..." The third of the Marines, one that had been travelling on the Scorpion's side, spoke, her accent heavy. She was a Lieutenant from the company command. Pulling up the Single-Beam net and trying to 'aim' the communique as best as possible, she spoke, "This is Relief Team to command... If you folks can hear us... We're gonna need an entire damn Field Hospital down here..."
"Who're they, Theo?" The girl asked, trying to straighten her posture as much as possible. Her eyes glimmered with surprise.
"... They say they're friends to the cause of us Eighty-Sixes. They call themselves the UNSC," The boy replied, his stern demeanor from before now replaced with sadness. He looked to Mary, then asked, "Can we start unloading the supplies?"
The girl, her eyes wide as saucers, nodded. She gave a hand signal to the group of Marines, each of them dismounting their vehicles and climbing onto the transport hogs. They hefted boxes of food and water, gently bringing them down with help from the rest of their squad and the Scorpion's driver, who'd dismounted to assist to the best of his capabilities. Popping the lids as the kids gathered around, bottles of fresh water and cans of assorted food were revealed to the presumably-starving group of kids and their teenage handlers.
At the sight of the food, a young woman, perhaps thirteen years of age, fell to her knees in front of one of the Marines, streams of tears streaking down her cheeks. She grabbed onto the man's waist and hugged him, much to his surprise, while the other kids cheered, laughed, most letting out weak cries. Tara herself stared, wide-eyed at the Marines, looking to a shocked Mary. She asked, "... Are you real...?"
"We are..." Mary replied quickly, "... Just... Can't believe this is... Who does this...?" She replied. Something tugged at her left pant and she looked down, to see a ten year old with stunted growth thanks to the starvation. She gasped, picking him up on her shoulder and looking him right in those pearly blue eyes. He had a dirty face, probably from playing in the mud, and his arms were as thin as her pinkie.
Mouth slightly agape, the girl stared at the blue-eyed, black-haired child as she wiped his face clean of the dirt, rocking him a bit out of instinct. The kid stared at her with eyes full of hope and sadness. Gently, he leaned forward and hugged the girl by the neck, starting to quietly weep into her shoulder. She narrowed her lips and swallowed her spit, forcing herself not to break down.
Theo grit his teeth at the sore sight before him, at the damn camp, his mind racing with hatred, with thoughts of outright crossing the Gran Mur's defenses to shoot the hell out of those White Pigs. Balling his fist, he looked around, watching as the Corpsmen began their arduous work of tending to the sick, one of them hefting a kid that'd passed out from joy onto one of the Scorpion's track housings as he checked him. He called out desperately to the others, "Need Epi! The kid's entering cardiogenic shock! Christ's sake, GET ME THAT FUCKING EPI-PEN!"
"Coming!" Another Marine cried out, hefting one of the heavier bags of medicine at the dirty feet of the boy, handing the man an Epinephrine pen. Said man slammed the flat end of the pen into the boy's skin and pressed down on the button on top, injecting the Epinephrine dose into the young man's bloodstream. Theo, Mary and Tara watched with bated breaths for a reaction from the little boy, worried as the Corpsmen started doing chest compressions.
Relief washed over the spectators to the miracle of medicine as the young boy snapped up into a seated position, clawing at his chest and breathing heavily. The Corpsman sighed in relief, then helped get the boy down as soon as he'd calmed down and started triage all over again for the others that were sick. Theo closed his eyes, speaking to Mary, "This was a test camp... They'd do experiments on people here, not just select them for combat roles as 'Processors'..."
"He's right," Tara spoke, then jabbed a thumb toward her hunchback posture and said, "It's how I got like this... It's how some of these kids have heart conditions they shouldn't have this early... Not to mention the malnutrition and the sicknesses..."
"Christ, what did we walk into?" A Marine whispered from behind Mary as he was distributing food.
"Looks like the tales you'd hear from the Death Camps back in the 1940s... Or the Japanese experiments in Unit 731. Pretty sure these fuckers in here must've taken some cues from them," His comrade replied as he handed out the water. He then spoke, "Please don't shove each-other... More should be coming some time soon with the next supply convoy."
Mary continued to rock the sick ten-year-old in her arms, listening to the choked-out cries of the young boy and whispering to herself, "... I swear, if the Republic's current fucking government doesn't get replaced soon, half the UNSC's military effective's gonna be kicking down their damn door when they hear about this..." before patting the little boy's back and whispering to him sweetly, "Easy, easy, now, little one... You're safe..."
"Frankly, much as I like the diplomatic approach," Theo quipped, watching as the Corpsmen treated a young girl for what seemed to be typhoid, "I'd be fucking glad to hear the Presidential Palace burned to the ground in a Marine Raid..."
"You and me both.." She whispered.
Almost an hour later, the next set of supplies and Marines arrived just as the first group had set up a tent for triage and medical care in the middle of the decrepit camp. The good admiral had also joined the units on the ground and, as she stepped off her transport vehicle, she stared, her gaze full of woe at the very sight around her. The woman gripped the hem of her dress shirt, watching as the Marines filed out of their transports to move on in and provide assistance, her mind thinking back to her own children...
"Ma'am...?" Volkov asked as he approached, rifle in hand.
"... What is it, Major?" She asked, her voice weak.
"What do we do? They said this camp was abandoned by the Republic's military police some time ago, that they took everything they could carry that was worthwhile... Meaning they may not be coming back..." Volkov offered, himself sickened by the sights he was seeing. The admiral looked over everything:The wounded, the sick, the people being tended to by Theo and their Corpsmen and the vehicles they had on hand.
With the blankest look on her face, she ordered, "Once triage is complete... We're taking these children aboard the Serene Mind. Volkov, take your team, take the first bird up. Tell Medical to prepare for the arrival of over a hundred sick and wounded. We're not leaving them here, not as I fucking live and breathe," and watched the Major execute the orders with few words. Agnieszka, Georgy and the other ODSTs in their group had also joined, beginning to distribute the supplies amongst the population before Volkov rallied them to take the vehicles out.
Theo approached the admiral, his right hand wrapped in a bandage. He lifted it and said, "Got a cut while handing the docs a scalpel... One of the kids has a nasty infection. Inner thigh..."
"Are you okay?" She asked, approaching the young man.
Theo shook his head, a murderous grin on his face and hated in his eyes "I knew it was bad, but... I didn't expect the MPs to just leave them with nothing. Makes my fucking blood boil that you folks won't just blast them apart from above... But, I guess that would also injure the good Major in her little ivory tower. If she saw what was going on here, I'm sure she'd agree with it, though... What're we doing now?"
"This camp is getting evacuated to our carrier ASAP. We will gather them at your FOB and bring them upstairs for proper treatment and warm grub," She offered, crossing her arms to her chest. Theo nodded, his face grim again as he looked back at the doctors operating in the tent on another kid, trying to remove some other kind of infection from his wound. She looked over to him again, then said, "Don't go too hard on the major when she calls tonight. She's agreed to help stop this."
"Good... I won't be..." Theo responded, "If she's working with you people... Maybe, just maybe, I'm gonna start believing she's doing it for us."
"She is," The Admiral assured him, "She is... In fact, the ONI Agents that are working with her have just sent their first report... Their work has begun in earnest."
"Heh. Hope y'all get the Para-RAID done and dusted ASAP. It's gonna help a hell of a lot with coms between all of us," Theo smiled at the Admiral, this time genuinely, "Also... I don't say this shit enough according to Raiden, but... Thank you... For what you and your people are doing here. You've proven to one of the most skeptical sons-of-bitches in the Eighty-Sixth sector that you're here to help. Now, all you got left is to prove it to Shin and the commanders of the other squadrons."
"Our forces are already working on that..." She replied firmly, "Companies and Battalions have been deployed to assist them. All units, prepare to depart with the wounded."
... Back at Spearhead FOB, as the sun began to set and the lights of the building came on, Shin and the other Eighty-Six watched as a dozen landed Pelicans were being loaded up with the children of Theo's camp, the young man close beside them and helping the dozen medical personnel corral the kids into the aircraft and into what would become safety. The young woman that'd greeted the UNSC troops, Tara, gave a nod and a thanks to Theo, though she was too far away for Shin to hear it. Anju and Daiya watched together, while Kurena, Lecca and Haruto looked on with a mix of disbelief, anger and relief on their faces.
"Still a bit skeptical, boss?" Raiden inquired from behind him. Shin looked up, then hummed. Even he wasn't sure anymore. This could all easily be a political stunt for them. He shook his head and berated himself mentally. There was no need to think like that of people who were just helping haul a bunch of your own up to their ship to be more safely treated for any medical conditions than in that camp. Raiden continued, "Thinking it's a political stunt?"
"Hm," Shin sighed, then said, "It's about that hour..."
And indeed, their Para-RAID devices activated at the allotted time
"Good evening, maj-" Shin wanted to greet.
"... I know... Captain Nouzen," She interrupted him, her voice full of sorrow. She clearly held back a lot of tears as she spoke, "The UNSC were kind enough to introduce themselves to me, Spearhead, so I know that they're with you, as well as every other squadron currently on the Front Lines... And the ONI Agents working with me have just shown me footage recorded by the Marines' helmets. I'm... So sorry, everyone... What is happening in the Camps is horrible and... I don't think our population, hell, our damn government and military, can ever repent for it."
"Bet you want the president's palace burnt to the ground, too, now, huh?" Theo quipped as he approached the rest of his Squadron.
"Yeah... Ensign Rikka, are you okay...?" She immediately went to check on Theo, "That was where all of your friends and you, yourself, once stayed. Where you grew up..."
He snorted, then stated, "I'll be fine... We're used to it, after all..."
"You shouldn't have to be..." She replied, the audible noise of a fist slamming against a wooden table echoing over the sensory link as she shouted angrily, "Damn it all, you shouldn't have to be!"
"Major," Shin spoke, causing her to stop. He continued, "We've all grown up in the camps and villages of the Eighty-Sixth sector, under the eyes of the Military Police. They always said that the population doesn't truly know what is happening, always stated they wished they could tell their friends inside the perimeter of the walls what was going on, just to laugh alongside them... And many never did, because they knew that nobody would agree. Many wondered how their friends within the walls that don't work would laugh at the sight of us 'receiving what we deserve', or how many of them would scream about this, how many would riot, like you seem to be ready to. Lobbing your people in with the higher governmental structures of your country doesn't seem fair."
"... Captain..." She whispered, her voice cracking. She was on the verge of tears.
"The UNSC is here. They have evacuated Theo's camp and are currently sending them to orbit, to their ships, for proper treatment," He explained somewhat reticently, watching as the first of the dozen Pelicans lifted off with its passengers and crew, high and on into the sky, turning into another star-like speck in the endless, spotted darkness of night. He spoke on, "We will live... Relief efforts for all camps around will begin. We will survive. This isn't your fault and yet you're part of the reason why it's being addressed."
"But..." She wanted to reply, to shout at them to hate her... They stopped her, though.
"Shin's right, major," Anju stated calmly, looking between the kids of the group, "It can't be your fault. You're our Handler, not one of the people currently writing the laws of your country. And definitely not one handling the Camps. You just give us our orders and provide a tactical overview. If we were to all blame you for something that was completely out of your hands, we'd be no better than your government. You're helping in more ways than one."
"Yeah," Daiya stated, "Hell, you agreed to work with the UNSC for us, didn't you?"
"Not to mention all the stuff you keep tossing our way, like sweets and food and other supplies that the UNSC also seems keen to provide now," Kurena joined in, though it really seemed like she didn't want to, at first. She more openly spoke to the girl, "Don't start beating yourself up over this, major. Just keep giving us orders when we're in combat... And if you're working with those ONI folk, make the changes that way. We'll just keep doing our thing out here 'till you manage it." then she murmured, but was audible to everyone, including Lena, "And probably joke about how slow you were..."
The rest of the squadron, sans Shin, laughed.
"I... I..." It was clear Lena was at a loss for words. They heard her sniffles and a few of them smiled.
"Don't worry, major," Raiden joined in, "Theo'll be fine. We will all be fine. We're hardasses like that. You just do whatever you can up there... Maybe you'll manage to change something before..." and he looked to Captain Nouzen. The young man shook his head. It was too early to put the news of the Special Reconnaissance Mission onto Lena's shoulders. To say nothing else, it was closing in, but Raiden understood. He finished, "Before anything happens to the rest of us."
"... Of course... Thank you, everyone..." She replied just after a sigh of relief escaped her mouth. "We'll do our best in here. Get as many people to see things our way as we can... You folks just survive out there until we manage it, you hear? I'd like to meet the people I've commanded in real life, not just as blips on a screen or voices in my head. Plus, I can more easily introduce you to my friend's sweets that way. She makes the best cakes in the Republic. Better than a lot of the local bakers!"
The entire unit let out a loud, friendly laugh at that.
"We'll do our best, major, since our odds look like they've tripled with the UNSC around," Theo quipped, plopping himself down between Lecca and Haruto while smirking at the two, "You just make sure you keep giving us accurate data and we'll all do the rest down here, on the ground, with the footsloggers and tanks..." and he regarded the next few Pelicans as they lifted off with the kids.
"Just the way we like it," Lecca remarked, crossing her arms and grinning, "Keep some cake fresh for us, ma'am."
"... Heh.., Will do..." She chuckled, even sounded more happy that time.
"Take care of yourself, Major. And don't do anything too brash, either," Anju offered, "We'd like to have someone to meet in there, too, once whatever it is this Office of Naval Intelligence is planning to do is over."
"Aye... Captain Nouzen?" She stopped. Everyone else looked at the boy for a moment, waiting for his reaction in this whole mess. Some words of wisdom, perhaps, or just an acknowledgement of his Squadron's acceptance of the Major and of their new arrivals as possible allies. To him, there'd be more required to confirm the UNSC's standing. Helping one Eighty-Six camp was a big step. Helping the others would drive the point home when it happened, he felt. Unless something happened in the meantime to change his mind on the spot.
With a sigh, Shin offered, "They're all right, major. We'll hopefully see each-other some time soon..."
"Understood... Well, good night. To all of you."
"Good night!" Chorused the entire squadron. The Para-RAID line went dead just as the last Pelican departed for the starry skies and the fleet high above them. The UNSC Marines and the ODSTs all filed out from the LZ, moving to their bunks to rest for the evening. With one hand signal, Shin ordered everyone else to go Lights Out. He watched as Fido approached, then patted the machine on the orange container above its head before stepping off as well, a book slung under his arm.
Mary and Theo both stopped, however, turning to see one-another. Mary waved at him, a reassuring smile on her face. He smiled awkwardly, waving back. Both then left for their respective bunks as the moon slowly reached a fourth of the way up to its position at midnight, shimmering through the few clouds hanging in the night sky like a bulb of light. They should probably ask the Marines what they were fighting to warrant this much gear in the first place, Theo thought as he went on into his spartan room.
And so, another day passed...