CHAPTER 2

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Ulquiorra9000: It's good to be here. I love the universe. The first few chapters would be mostly talk with little action, but I have to introduce the character(s) first. It'll pick up the pace shortly, I promise.


Buckminster, Buckminster Prefecture,
Benjamin Military District,
Draconis Combine,
August 15, 3072

Noloty stood in front of an old decrepit building with 'Barrack C' painted on the side wall. It used to be an old storage building before the Word of Blake turned it into a derelict ruin. From where Noloty stood, it looked slightly slanted to the right. Water dripped from the rusty gutter. A few girls chattered by the door, passing something that look like a cigarette between them. They shot a quick look at Noloty, then went about their business. Noloty checked her orders, making sure it was the right building. Confident, she stepped into the barrack.

Nine years had passed since she last saw her father, and little Noloty had grown into a desert flower, with exquisite dark skin, chestnut long hair that she wore in a high ponytail, and a pair of crystal-blue eyes. Her outfit was barely present, with a strapless white tank that gratuitously showed off her D-size cleavage, a denim short, and matching flats. Everything she had, she carried it in a large duffle bag.

Noloty's father never returned from that last job. She held on to his promise for a long time. She waited for months, then years. The Black Dragon Society moved her family to a lower level housing, but Noloty kept her hopes up. She kept on waiting. Her mother started taking jobs to support her and her brother, but Noloty was still in denial. She still believed her father would return, just as he promised.

Then in 3069 the Word of Blake struck Buckminster, carrying with them the bile of Jihad. They laid waste to everything she knew. Everything that was beautiful was gone within weeks. Noloty's family had to move from bunker to bunker with thousands of survivors, praying that Word of Blake's chemical and biological weapons would spare them. Yet in this tragedy Noloty still held a flicker of hope that her father would return and took her and her family out of this misery.

In 3070, the Word of Blake returned. Noloty survived the second destruction. Unfortunately, her mother and brother did not. At that time, Noloty stopped hoping. She realized she was alone in the universe. Everything else was gone.

Not knowing what to do, Noloty resolved to the only thing she knew: the Black Dragon Society. The Black Dragons sent her to boot camps for 2 years, until she was old enough to join the military. The 2nd Sword of Light, an elite DCMS unit with strong ties to the Black Dragon Society, was in need of warriors to fight in The Battle of Luthien. They set up training centers in various locations, highlighted by makeshift barracks and tents and command centers, and a large field which served as a battlemech training ground.

This was one of those training centers.

A stale stench greeted her as soon as she entered the building. Multiple bunk beds were stacked against the walls, leaving the center part empty. Half of the beds were occupied. Most occupants, all girls, were too deep in their own business to notice her. Only a couple turned their heads toward Noloty.

Noloty walked toward an empty bed, but as soon as she put down her duffle bag, a dark-haired girl with the stare of an ice hellion put her leg on the bed.

"This is mine," she said gruffly.

"Sorry," Noloty said dryly. She moved to another empty bed, but the same girl threw a duffle bag on that bed.

"That one's mine too," she hissed.

It was a clear challenge of supremacy, and Noloty was more than capable to take on the dark-haired hellion, but she didn't want to make a scene on her first day. So she just gave the dark-haired hellion a courtesy nod, then moved to an empty bed farthest from the hellion. Nobody contested her when she dropped her duffle bag on the bed. She sat down, took off her shoes, and caressed her tired feet. It felt liberating to let fresh air trickled in between her toes, finally freed from her worn-out flats.

Noloty opened her duffle bag to get a set of fresh clothes, but something blared in the distance, and all the girls scrambled out of the barrack. The dark-haired hellion shot a dirty look at Noloty before going out with the others. Noloty did not know what her problem was. She barely spent 5 minutes in the barrack and the hellion already treated her like a sworn enemy. But she didn't let it under her skin. She put on her shoes then followed the crowd.


It was chow time.

The mess hall was crowded, the line was long, and the meal was typical boot camp ration. If Noloty was not hungry, she would've skipped the meal and gone to shower. But she had not had quality food for months, and although this ration did not quite pass as 'quality' food, it was better than what she had at the other camps.

Receiving her tray, Noloty proceeded to an empty space but just like in the barrack, the dark-haired hellion cut her off and claimed the spot. Only this time, she brought her friends. One was a young man; his bald head was tattooed with a blue arrow. Another young man had a shaggy hair and a burnt scar covering the left side of his face. And another girl with unkempt bang that reached her nose, a green hair band, and a pair of pale grey eyes.

"Seat's taken," the bald man croaked.

Noloty got it. She was a new recruit. She was at the bottom of the pecking order. Those bastards would continue picking on her until she stood her ground. She contemplated shoving her tray on their faces. But 4 against 1 was suicide.

"This seat is not taken. Feel free to sit here."

Noloty turned toward the source of the voice. A young man smiled at her, pointing at an empty seat next to him. He was different than most of the new cadets. He was proud and aloof, and a purple double bar on his collar supported that attitude. Noloty's knowledge of DCMS ranking system was a little hazy, but she knew that he outranked the bullies.

That gave her an idea. She took his offer and sat next to him, giving him a quick salute. From the corner of her eyes she noticed that the four bullies looked at her with helpless disgust. She couldn't hide her smile.

"At ease, cadet, no salute in the mess hall," the man quipped. "I see you have made friends already."

"Who are they?" Noloty spat begrudgingly. "Why did they act like they own this place?"

"Army brats, spoiled rich kids, yakuza, who knows," the officer replied. "You can handle them. Kick someone's ass on the first day, and nobody's gonna mess around with you."

"That's prison."

"Works everywhere. Prison, military, corporate ladder, government, they're all the same." He offered his hand. "Enrique."

"Enrique?" Noloty looked at his rank insignia. "Go-cho Enrique?"

"Gunjin Enrique. But here it's just Enrique. What's your name?"

"Noloty. Noloty Malche," she grabbed his hand.

"Malche?" he cocked his brows.

"Yes, Malche. Is there a problem?"

"No." The man averted his eyes, but Noloty caught a shade of anger in them. He hid something, but she decided not to press forward. "Interesting name, that's all. So, Noloty, what brings you to this training camp?"

"Word of Blake wiped out my family. I'm the only one left. The Black Dragon Society helped me out for a couple years until I am eligible for military training. I have nowhere else to go, so here I am."

"So is this paying your debt to the Black Dragons, or getting even with the Word of Blake?"

"I'm not sure," Noloty munched on the meal. "Probably both."

"If you want a free advice, focus on your Word of Blake scenario. You'll have a lot of support from warriors around the nation whose lives were screwed by the Blakes. It's easier to do, with more discernible result."

"Discernible?" Noloty wasn't sure what Enrique was implying. "Care to elaborate?"

"Word of Blake is a disease. Nukes. Bio-chemical weapons. Reeducation camps. A text book villain. They must burn, and they will burn. The Black Dragon Society…" Enrique sighed. "I don't know what it did for you, but it is not as black-and-white as the Word of Blake. You have to know what you're doing when dealing with it."

"I know what you mean, but the Black Dragon Society has been good to our family," Noloty replied. "It provided food, house, education, in exchange for some 'service' my father had to do. And even after my family perished in the hands of Word of Blake, it took me under its wings."

"And what did your father do for them?"

"I uh…" Noloty stuttered a bit. "You know what, the detail doesn't matter. In our household gratitude still had meanings. That's why I'm here." She looked him, trying to make sense of his logic. "Why are you here, Enrique? If you don't really like the Black Dragon Society, why enroll?"

"I want to fight the Word of Blake, like everybody else," Enrique ate faster. "The 2nd Sword of Light is the only unit holding a training camp in Buckminster. It is tied with the Black Dragon, big deal. I don't care where it stands politically. I just want to get out there and burn the Word of Blake." He leaned toward Noloty. "Maybe you should do the same thing."

"You don't care where it stands?" Noloty took a sip. "Then why do you care if I do? We have our own reason. Why don't we keep it to ourselves?"

Enrique looked at Noloty for a good while, then end smiled and nodded. "Then I hope you get what you're looking for." He finished up his meal then left the table. "If you're having trouble with those brats, find me. I can give you some pointers."

"I appreciate the insight," Noloty offered him a smile. She turned her head toward the 4 bullies, but the space had been occupied by a different group of people. She knew their paths would cross again in the future, and she hoped she didn't have to concern about her standings when it happened.