Captain Cuttlefish watched as the close combat instruction proceeded in front of him. Four mats had been set up with some of the officers acting as instructors, helping things go just that much quicker. Of course, there weren't as many trainees anymore either.
More than half of the trainees they had started with had dropped out, and the way some egos were being bruised out there on the mats along with their bodies, a few more were bound to follow. There were other sources of animosities too.
As a way of sparking some drive and perspective on the arrogant turf war pros that made up the bulk of the new recruits, he'd put all the Xapheerell recruits, ones who had actually seen real combat, into one group and then put everyone else into two other groups. The Xapheerell recruits had been the most receptive to instruction and they were, by far, the sharper trainees with better drill and better teamwork. They could actually fight like soldiers. By putting them together and having them outperform the rest he hoped to spark some rivalry and competition in the others. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked; if anything it made things worse.
As far as the bulk of the trainees were concerned, their individual performance exceeded the Xapheerell recruits in every way that mattered to them. If their group failed then it was the fault of everyone else or it was in an exercise that they thought was pointless. They were still stuck in a turf war mindset as a game with set rules and a "meta" that was predictable and set. Basically, if they weren't having fun, they had no reason to stay.
Other than the Xapheerell recruits, only a handful had the mindset of duty and a desire to protect. They had actually shown some improvement and were starting to come around to the ways of soldiering versus playing turf war, but they couldn't make up the difference. Honestly, he was probably going to have to cut some of the difficult ones if they didn't come around soon. They didn't have time or resources to waste on people who would just get themselves and others killed.
He signalled for everyone to take a break and he leaned back in his chair, feeling exhausted, not due to effort, but frustration.
"You're starting from scratch. Nobody expects miracles from you, Sir."
Nari Vost'yan, the personal adjutant of the National Security Chief, was trying to sound reassuring, but she couldn't hide the worry in her voice or in her mantle. She'd come to observe and report what she saw to the chief but it didn't look like she was going to have many encouraging things to say.
"We'll make good soldiers out of some of them," he offered. "But we aren't running a penal splatoon, and those who aren't willing will just be a burden and have to be cut if they don't leave by themselves. We might get half by the time their training is finished, but it's not an encouraging start."
Kelsar wandered over and grabbed a water bottle. "Captain," he greeted Vost'yan.
She flashed a greeting but otherwise said nothing. Kelsar seemed to take no offence.
"I was just telling the adjutant that we might have to start making some cuts in order to focus on the more motivated recruits." Cuttlefish said. "I'd rather half a class of trained soldiers than a three-quarters of a class full of half-trained soldiers."
Kelsar displayed a begrudging agreement. He didn't like the situation either. "Do you think we might be able to get one more class in by spring?"
"Late spring, maybe. That just might be enough time. It all depends on what they're like."
The sound of the gymnasium door opening and closing caught his ear and when he turned to see who had entered, he was pleasantly surprised.
"Three!" He waved his cane in greeting and she flashed a warm green in return as she walked up to him. Vost'yan stepped back warily while Kelsar narrowed his eyes, assessing her, his mantle displayed doubt. If Three noticed, and he'd be very disappointed in her if she didn't, she didn't seem to care.
"What brings you here?" He asked. He suddenly felt much more energetic.
"I came to see how you were doing, Sir, since I had a little free time. I'd heard things were difficult for you."
He chuckled. "Starting over from scratch is always difficult, but I feel better being able to contribute than not. They're just kids who don't know any better."
"They're all older than me," she replied bluntly. "Even older than I was when you recruited me."
"Ah, but back then you knew nothing and you knew it. These kids arguably know too much."
Three looked out at the assortment of recruits. He could see her eyes, calculating, assessing, comparing her own performance to what she perceived from theirs, devising strategies and tactics. He allowed himself a feeling of intense pride as the one who had introduced her to the life of a soldier and trained her into what she was now; albeit with help from Silvie. His stubborn daughter would never admit it but despite her begrudging attitude at the start, she'd loved training Three. But there was something else in Three's expression, the jagged way the colours in her mantle shifted. She was anxious about something.
"How did you even get in here?" Kelsar demanded. "Only authorised personnel can come in here."
"Then there is no issue," Three replied calmly. "I got in so it must mean I'm authorized."
Cuttlefish shook his head. "You need to spend less time around Marie." That kind of snarky reply was just like her.
"You know what I mean," Kelsar said, still keeping calm. "You shouldn't be allowed in here."
"I didn't see any signs."
"They're on the front gate."
"I didn't come in through the front gate."
"There isn't a second gate."
"I know."
Cuttlefish couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, enough you two. Kelsar, Three is welcome here and we should be glad to have her. Still, Three, you should have called ahead first. With tensions as high as they are, we don't want to have any misunderstandings, do we?"
Three flashed a quick acknowledgement and apology but didn't look especially sorry. Cuttlefish was tempted to send Kelsar to help with the recruits again so he could talk with Three alone but he'd just come off his turn and Vost'yan was there anyway. Besides, he'd been developing trust with Kelsar and he didn't want to compromise that. And that gave him an idea.
"Still, Three, can't have you breaking rules like that. I'll have to have you do something for us."
Three's mantle turned a questioning yellow but the look in her eyes said she already guessed what he was going to ask.
"Right, I'll have you give a little lesson to the recruits here. Some of them are a little cocky so I'll have you throw 'em around a bit."
Three's mantle rippled, her colour lighting slightly. She was eager. "Yes, Sir."
"Good girl. Start warming up and I'll get things arranged."
Three removed her shoes and handed him her phone before walking to another side of the gym to start her warmups.
"Sir," Vost'yan said, "Are you certain this is a good idea?"
"She's just a kid," Kelsar chimed in. "They could be charged if they hit her."
"Oh relax, Three has thicker skin than that. Too many people have been looking down on Calachora's potential enemies. With the exception of a few, these recruits do not respect who they might end up fighting, whether they be crabs or Octarians, and that's going to get them killed. If Three respects the Octarian's ability to fight or how dangerous the crabs are, then these trainees have no excuses not to. They need to learn this isn't a game; for them and for the people they're supposed to protect. Besides, they deserve to see what a fully trained soldier can do, give them something to aspire to."
Once Three was finished her warmups, Cuttlefish stood and clacked his cane against the floor to get everyone's attention.
"Listen up, trainees! We have a special treat for you today. Agent 3 here will be helping us with a lesson in hand-to-hand combat. She'll only be here briefly so make sure you take advantage of it."
A range of different emotions showed on the trainees. The Xapheerellites showed elation and surprise, others scepticism, and still others, total scorn.
"Volunteers to go first?" The Xapheerellites all raised their hands immediately and he smiled. They were eager to prove what they had learned to the one who had helped save their home.
"Alright, split into two teams. Red will go first followed by Blue."
Three stepped onto the mat and Red team formed a circle around her. Their expressions were deadly serious. They knew what she was and they clearly respected her. They even bowed and flashed white in deference. Three even returned the respectful gesture, much to the dislike of the rest of the trainees.
"Buncha' fanboys," Kelsor muttered under his breath. Cuttlefish ignored him.
"Begin!"
Red team attacked swiftly, first trying to restrict her movement by getting in as close as possible before attacking. Honestly, it wasn't too bad a strategy, but of course, Three wasn't going to let them have it their own way.
Three kicked one of them in the gut, making him fall, creating a hole that someone quickly tried to fill, but Three was already on the opposite side of the circle and took down someone else there with a few quick moves, while deflecting attacks from the others, getting in hard jabs here and there, enough to seriously hurt, but not incapacitate.
"Be bolder! If you hesitate then you grant the initiative to your opponent!" She punctuated her instruction by punching one of them in the side of the head, knocking them down. "Protect your more vulnerable areas. Even a light blow to the head can knock you senseless.
Cuttlefish smiled appreciatively. It was good to see her getting into the teaching mood. He remembered long hours of watching her ruthlessly train Four and she had not been gentle.
After he thought Red team had taken enough of a pounding, he ordered Blue team to switch in. Another quick exchange of respect, and then they were off.
Blue team, thanks to being able to observe the bout with Red team, used a slightly different strategy. Since having so many people in such a tight space caused them to get into each other's way, they formed two concentric circles with the inside circle attacking Three first. Again, she was able to defend herself well, holding off their attacks while dealing plenty of her own. They would definitely feel some of those hits tomorrow.
Then, as the inner circle weakened, without a single order being issued, the inner circle moved back and the outer circle took its place. Thanks to all the marching drill, and the sense of timing and spatial awareness that had developed, they performed the manoeuvre almost flawlessly. The fact that they had probably fought and worked together for years helped, but it was a great thing to see the results of their training in things some had called a "waste of time".
Three allowed them to surround her. She was in teaching mode and her objective was to instruct and encourage her students through their performance. Although they still took their fair share of hard knocks.
Again, once the inner circle looked like it was about to collapse, they switched with the outer circle, but this time Three didn't let it happen. Just as the two circles crossed, she struck, grabbing two of them by the face and slamming them back into the mat. The other two nearest her backed away, causing them to stumble into their comrades as their spatial awareness faltered. It was like watching a tower of little blocks collapse as Three continued her attack relentlessly, singling them out, pursuing them all over the mat and not letting them group back together. And by now their cumulative injuries had caused them to slow down.
"That's enough!" Cuttlefish clacked his cane on the floor again, bringing an end to the bout. Both teams managed to get to their feet and flash a respectful thanks to their teacher. Three returned the gesture and waited on the mat while the rest of them staggered off.
"Alright, no more volunteers so the rest of you go. Split into red and blue teams.
The rest of the trainees moved to the mat. They showed some wariness, more so than they had before the first match, but they showed none of the respect. Three, likewise, showed them none. The slight change in her stance indicated her switch from teaching mode into something more sinister.
"Begin!"
This second Red team had none of the cohesion the first one had and they paid the price immediately. They did try to surround her but they just charged in to try and overwhelm her. Three simply moved out of the way of the first two attacks which resulted in them getting into each other's way and allowing her ample time to hit back, and this time she didn't pull any punches.
One went down from a single punch to the gut, a second a kick to the face, another fell to a single jab, she moved from one opponent to the next as if she were following the steps of a dance. She needed to deflect only one attack in all that time. From the beginning of the bout to the time the last member of Red team dropped to the mat, barely twenty seconds had passed.
The members of Blue team stood open mouthed and stunned at what had just taken place. Three stood in the middle of the carnage she had unleashed perfectly calm and her breathing barely elevated. Cuttlefish noted a difference in her fighting style too. She had gone for economy of movement over her previous strategy of all out attack.
Well, I guess this is training for her too.
Cuttlefish ordered the previous two teams to go in and perform first aid, carefully helping their comrades off the mats before tending to their injuries. Once they were gone, it was Blue team's turn.
"Begin."
At first nothing happened. Blue team stood, wary, fearful, none of them wanting to engage the opponent before them. After about ten seconds, more than they should have had, really, Three changed stances and attacked.
Blue team lasted about ten seconds longer thanks to simply being further apart and more defensive, but they all still went down and Three made sure it hurt. Several members of Blue team were taken off the mat bleeding.
"Nice effort, everyone," Cuttlefish said, to those still conscious. "Let's try to improve for next time."
Three returned to his side, ignoring the baleful glares of the instructors and officers. He offered her a drink and she accepted it gratefully.
"Nicely done," he said. "The first-aid practice was a nice bonus."
"You're welcome."
"I see you've been doing some teaching lately."
"Four, more than me. She has a few new… remoras."
"I see. Well, that was inevitable, I suppose."
Cuttlefish sat back down while the instructors, including Kelsar, saw to their battered trainees. Vost'yan remained next to him.
"How's Callie?" He asked, softly.
"She's fine. The trip exhausted her and kept her in bed for a couple of days to recover." She paused. "I don't know if you heard, but Marie has been moved to the Vasilika."
Cuttlefish frowned, his mind going to dark places. "I'm glad to hear she's feeling better but… something about that sounds strange. I don't like her being in the clutches of the Ecclesiarchy."
Three frowned at him. "Clutches?"
"I by no means imply that the Ecclesiarchy has anything nasty in store for her but they have their own agenda. Never forget that."
Vost'yan gave him a reproachful look. "Sir, the Ecclesiarchy isn't some nefarious organisation. We rely on them for the spiritual health of our nation. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have been able to stay united for so long!"
"They've been slacking off on that, don't you think? Have been for decades. Why don't their prophets tell us where the Consortium has been hiding their army?"
Three's mantle rippled then she looked at him. "Marie doesn't like how idle the Consortium has been. They're up to something."
"Of course they are." He adjusted his grip on his cane. Time for another lesson. "So, what do you think they're up to?"
Three looked at him. "I don't know. If I did I'd–" she cut herself off as he sighed in disappointment.
"Use your imagination, Three. Put yourself in their position, try to think about the constraints they're under, their objective, their motives. What are they trying to accomplish?"
Three crossed her arms and stared hard at her feet. "I don't think they're aiming to get rid of or conquer us right now, they just don't want us interfering with their conquest of Bellchora."
"And what's stopping them from doing it right now?"
"We think they're waiting until spring, which means they have to do something by then to keep us out of it."
"What I meant was, who is this 'us' that you're talking about?"
Three pouted. She wasn't the type to think about these sorts of high level things. In her mind, she was supposed to leave these kinds of things to him, Callie, and Marie. She was capable of much more though, and maybe he'd learn what was bothering her.
After a few moments, Three said, "I know they were worried about Calachora, but one of the reasons people were upset with us for the Liberation was that it made us look weak."
"And do you think the Consortium would find us weak?" He risked a glance at Vost'yan who visibly tensed up.
"Probably," she said. "It's obvious Inkopolis Security didn't have the strength or they would have dealt with them a long time ago, that's why they appealed to the NSF, but because most of their strength is in Bellchora or spread across the country, they couldn't deal with it either until the crisis was over. If I were the Consortium I wouldn't be afraid of the NSF's land forces."
Vost'yan's hands balled into fists and her colour darkened, but she restrained herself from speaking, as if she wanted anyone to forget she was there.
"So what are they afraid of then?"
"The Octarians. From their perspective, they're the ones who ruined their plans in the Ward. Even if it was under Inkling leadership, they might not believe that. Most people in the government haven't. Even Nana had a hard time believing it."
"Most people would. How easy do you think you'd be able to convince people how dangerous you actually are?"
Three winced, which was quite telling for her. The frown and far-off look that immediately followed was even more so. Did it have something to do with what was on her mind? Most likely.
"Getting back to it, the Liberation wiped out a large force of crabs but you know there are more. Why?"
"Because of the horde that came from underground at Fortress Seven. They wouldn't have sent a force that big just to deal with Gamma-Three. And the thing with the smoke and the way they seemed so uncontrollable once they were drugged with it, it feels more like a… a field test."
He smiled and nodded appreciatively. So she had noticed. She thought she wasn't smart enough for that level of thinking but she clearly wasn't aware of her own abilities. Well, most kids aren't, that's why it's the job of old coots like me to bring it out of them.
"A field test for a larger force, you think?"
"They wouldn't send everything they had just for that, but if they didn't think they could beat our whole force with what they had available, it still seems like a risk."
"They probably didn't expect any survivors, and any casualties they received wouldn't stand out amongst the rest of the dead crabs without a lot of imagination." He nodded. "They didn't count on the lot of them being wiped out. It would have really spooked them."
Three's lips curled back, and her mantle turned red. "We know they're gathering strength, so they have to be getting to their base or bases somehow, but we don't know how to track them. It isn't as if we can suspect every immigrant crab that comes in."
"Three, did you always find Octarian expeditions because you actually saw the soldiers? No, you followed signs. Footprints, disturbed ground, signs of resting spots. Now think. This is a large force, what are some ways you could track a large group or an army that something as small as a patrol wouldn't have to worry about? Even if they're in a base, they'll have some of the same limitations."
Three's gaze became intense, he could almost see the lit pathways in her brain through them.
"They'd need a supply chain. Food, electricity, sewage management…"
"Right. Food is the big one. 'An army travels on its stomach', as the Wisdoms say. If they're gonna' feed an army, that food has to get there from somewhere. If they spread out their sources too much it means a lot more sources and routes to hide and protect. We're talking about possibly thousands of crabs here, if that horde was only part of their force."
Three's mantle changed to a more malevolent red. "If they're still gathering strength then how big will their force be?"
"That's another thing. If they are bringing in strength, they can't do it by drips and drabs if they want to be ready before spring. They have to get those people in somehow, even if it's smuggling."
"Which would be easier than before with the coast guard putting so many ships to supporting Bellchora," Vost'yan said, her mantle rippling with distress. "If their operation is that big, how are we going to stop it?"
"Never mind that, you have to find it first."
Vost'yan groaned. "We're already so short handed. How would we even begin to narrow things down?"
Three's mantle flashed. "By delegating to specialists." She grabbed Vost'yan roughly by the hand. "Sorry, Sir, I'll be borrowing her for a bit." Then she started to pull the inkyora twice her age away as if she were a reluctant child.
"Hey, it's not like she belongs to me. Good luck Agent 3."
He smiled as he watched them go. Three had a mission now and she wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way.
But I never got to learn what was bothering her. Was that it? No, something like that wouldn't bother her that way, she only gets distracted like that when it's something new and unfamiliar. But what could that be?
—-
The former Coast Guard base was still undergoing preparations to receive the recruits for the new army, but the boardroom in the administration building was fully furnished and ready. All the lights were lit, wheeled bulletin boards covered with charts, maps, and sticky notes filled the space against the walls. In the centre of the room was a large circular table, the source of the thick tension that currently filled the air.
Seated around the table were all the members of the Greater Bastion of Inkopolis Committee: matrons, community leaders, and the executive officers of work detail, sans Marie and Callie, obviously. However, the tension in the room was due to one member in particular.
All eyes were on Three who was standing behind her seat and Four, who probably knew her better than anyone else in the room, was just as anxious as everyone else because it was Three who had called the meeting, and Three was not the kind of person that called meetings.
Four watched from her position to the side, from where she could see the anxious looks on everyone's faces. She couldn't see Three's expression very well, but it wasn't hard to imagine. Standing next to her was an awkward-looking and stiff Narii Vost'yan. Four wasn't sure what an officer of the NSF was doing there and she attracted nervous looks from everyone in the room but Three must have brought her for a reason.
"We need to discuss what we're going to do about the missing Consortium force still hiding in the city," Three began abruptly.
Everyone at the table stared at her bewildered and glanced at each other. Three didn't give them time to ask questions.
"Randomly searching through the underground is not going to find us their base, this isn't something IS or even the NSF or we can do on our own. We have to pool our knowledge and resources together."
"Whoa, back up there speedy." Pearl held up her hands, her mantle a gentle warning colour. "Unless I'm missing something we've already been looking for whatever was left of the Crab Gangs."
"We've been looking the wrong way. We've assumed that the ones left are just stragglers or hidden reserves, but I think that what we're still looking for is actually the main force."
Feet shuffled under the table and Four stiffened. The crab gangs might not have been elites or even proper soldiers, but the Consortium had clearly put a lot of resources into training and equipping them, and then there were those two giant crabs.
Chitin Molter, tapped his large claw on the table. "By what do you say this?"
"Because the crab gangs weren't meant to be the main attack, they were a smokescreen. Their job was to hide the presence of the real force still hidden underground." She looked over at Gangrin. "You still haven't found any supply source for the golden eggs they were using, right?"
Gangrin shrank a little. "N-no. We haven't found any reason for them to do it the way they did. There are so many more clandestine ways they could have smuggled the eggs, if they'd needed to smuggle them at all."
"That's because they weren't trying to hide it, they were trying to make it look like they were hiding it."
Everyone stared at her, and Captain Hooker, the one who'd been unwittingly smuggling those very golden eggs, spoke up. "Are you saying they were supposed to get caught?"
"It's the only explanation that makes sense. After all, since the Liberation, the demand for golden eggs from Grizz Co. has only gone up, which means they're trying to get more to build up a larger force of giant crabs."
Matron Bluegrass half stood, "But that means they were willing to sacrifice every member of the crab gangs, their own people!"
"Not as unlikely as you might think," Molter said soberly. "It's exactly that level of scheming that created the Consortium in the first place. Remember, we're talking about people willing to unleash a horde on children."
"Was that actually their plan or was that another ruse?" The question came from Superintendent Hermut Lavaridge, who had accepted a seat on the committee being the one who oversaw Xapheerell Ward and some of the adjoining ones as well for Inkopolis Security. Callie, Marie, and Scylla had all wanted to have a representative of IS on the committee, and he had nominated himself for the role.
"That is possible," Three admitted. "But I still think they were going to do exactly what they planned to."
"A distraction then?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "From the main force's mission."
"But what could that be?" Matron Mender asked. "There is no underground where most of the government buildings are, that's why they were built there, and it's why The Pinnacle is on an island."
"That would slow them down but not stop them," Lavaridge said, staring at a map of Inkopolis on one of the bulletin boards. "Unless the bay was rough, they wouldn't even need to use the bridge, and they never built that wall they originally planned for."
Jellifer, the jellyfish representative at the table, lifted one of his long tendrils. "I believe we are getting off topic, yes? We are here to discuss how to find these crabs so that these things do not happen. We can speculate on our own time." He pointed his tendril back to Three. "You were saying?"
Three flashed green. "I think they were using Xapheerell Ward to smuggle troops into Inkopolis. Since the crab gangs controlled so much of it, it would be easier to hide, but they can't do that anymore so that must have delayed them. It might be one reason they haven't attacked us already. It also means that a lot of crabs have to be coming through a place where they weren't before."
Lavaridge lightly tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully. "It makes sense. I wonder if they snuck 'em in through the same tunnel that horde came out from. They probably kept it a secret from most of the crabs there."
"But how were they gettin' in tah the ward in the first place?" Scylla demanded. "The sea wall's a sheer drop, and too 'igh to climb, and IS always patrolled it."
"They wouldn't have entered the country through Xapheerell, even if that's where their main entrances to the underground were. Crabs seem willing to handle harsher conditions than most inklings would. Not the sorts you'd make soldiers out of though; it's always been people desperate to just try and get out of the Consortium, and even then it's only a trickle, not the sort of rate you'd rely on for building up an army, not one big enough to take us all on by spring at least."
"Let's try another angle then," Three suggested. "Their logistics. Wherever their base is they have to be getting food and power somehow. She looked at Marina. "Would they be able to power a base big enough to support several thousand crabs just with power eggs?"
Marina brought her hand up to her lips and ran the calculations through her head. "Yes, but they would need a great deal of them. And while golden eggs are useful for food or science experiments they cannot provide fuel the same way power eggs can. But there's no way they could have an operation that extensive in the underground without being noticed if it was big enough to be fully independent. To feed that many it would take a great deal of space for growing food."
"She's right," Lavaridge agreed. "Even if they built it right under Xapheerell that amount of construction and building wouldn't go unnoticed. There would be too much noise and too many vibrations."
"We didn't feel anythin' like that," Scylla said. "And a lot of the most popular 'angout spots in Xapheerell are basements and places built into the underground, so people would 'ave noticed."
"We must examine the mentality of our enemies," Jellifer said sagely. "The Consortium is famously stingy and does not like to spend resources it does not have to, no. This base of theirs will not be a permanent place, it merely serves a purpose. Based on how they used that horde of soldier crabs, they also likely see their troops as expendable assets, yes. They would not treat them or supply them well."
"No they wouldn't," Molter said grimly. "That's why so many of us wanted to get away. There isn't a lot we wanted to bring with us."
"But your people do bring their distinctiveness when they come here, yes? Did you not still import some things from the Consortium before trade was stopped between there and Calachora?"
Molter clicked his mandibles. "Some foods and ingredients are more expensive in other places. That's why crab restaurants had to increase their prices when trade was halted. As for anything else, there are enough crabs in the city by now for them to make anything we'd want or need from the homeland."
"So then, crab food would have to come from one of those other places to avoid being caught as Consortium goods."
"I suppose. If there was a recent large influx of crabs then there would have been an increase in shipping those things."
"And the suppliers would have received new customers amongst their regulars," Lavaridge said, staring down at the table. "If we could find out which new customers there are or if any of the regulars got an increase, say over the past three years or so, we might be able to narrow down the search a lot."
"I think we can narrow it down more than that," Pearl said. She snapped her fingers and pointed to Molter. "Crabs have this meal called… uh…" she made a few clicking noises with her tongue, mimicking the mandible clicking of crab speech. Molter looked at her, impressed.
"That was very good."
Pearl pulsed grey. "It's one of the few words I ever learned. Point is, that meal is probably what they would feed their soldiers, right?"
"Yes, but I'm surprised you know about it. It's not a meal most would care to remember. It's filling and can keep for a long time but it's not the most nutritious and after a while it starts to smell. It was mostly invented to convince the people that food was more abundant than it really was."
"Right so no crab would import it in any way."
"No, they wouldn't, but it isn't difficult to make. You can get the ingredients in Inkopolis."
"But would the Consortium bother? It would be cheaper just to ship the completed product than all the different ingredients, and buying it from Inkopolis sources would leave a trail. And if IS or the Coast Guard happened upon it, it's just harmless food. Why should they take notice of it?"
Marina clapped her hands together, excitedly. "Pearl, that's brilliant!"
Molter nodded. "Yes, that is what they would do. It would keep things simple."
"I can talk to some friends to see if they've noticed any unusual changes in shipping recently," Hooker said. "You'd be surprised by what they notice."
"I have some friends I can talk to myself. But, it's still possible they're shipping the food packaged as something else."
"I doubt that."
Four almost flinched. It was the first time Vost'yan had spoken up since they'd arrived.
"If they did package the food as something else and they were caught with it, it would raise questions. If it's packaged as it is then nobody would take notice of it. It's just an unnecessary risk."
Lavaridge agreed. "Perhaps you and I should have a chat with the Coast Guard and see how we might narrow the search further. It'll still take some time to find anything but at least we have something we can really work with now instead of searching in the dark."
"As long as we try to keep this secret," Three warned. "If this gets out, the Consortium will adapt before we can find them. As far as anyone knows, we're still just as ignorant as we were before."
Heads nodded around the table. A few other small items were discussed but the meeting was soon adjourned. Vost'yan left with Lavaridge, all the community leaders and matrons went out together as well, leaving Three, Four, Scylla, Pearl, and Marina.
Pearl smirked in Three's direction. "Give a girl a fancy new job and suddenly she acts all important, calling people in whenever she likes."
Three flushed, guilt and embarrassment waving through her mantle. "I thought it was important."
Pearl laughed. "I'm just teasin' you girl, get a grip. It was important and it was probably one of the more productive meetings I've ever been in. Glad to see you're confident enough to do it. I was complimenting you, really."
Three bit her bottom lip. "I just did what I had to. There's so much at stake."
"No need to worry," Marina said, standing up from her chair. "Now that you've set everyone else in the right direction, you can focus on your job."
"You make it sound so easy," she grumbled.
Four went over and couldn't help but give her a little teasing prod in the side. "Cheer up. It's not good for the CO to be so gloomy, right Executrix Scarletteri?"
Three's face flushed right up to the tips of her ears and Four just gave her a hug, laughing.
Author's Notes:
Been a while since we've checked in on Captain Cuttlefish, isn't it? This chapter is meant to show that the militia is not the enemy of the Greater Bastion (at least hopefully). They're full of good people, just not necessarily understanding the actual situation. Three's appearance also gives Captian Cuttlefish the chance to give some of them a reality check. With his methods constantly being called into question, having a teenager he personally trained kick everyone's ass in ways they didn't know was possible is bound to vindicate him to some degree, and show that there is a reason he does things the way he does. Another thing I wanted to do with this chapter was to give Pearl a chance to contribute. During the various drafts of this story, I found that Pearl didn't really do much; she was just kind of there, so I wanted to give her more chances to do things. Despite everything, Pearl does know a thing or two about how businesses are run and is able to apply that knowledge to help find the hidden crab base. This chapter also shows what the other species involved, (the jellies and the crabs) will be doing to help. After all, everything that's going on affects them too.
