KS: Hey, I'm back! Plus, I just turned 18 yesterday! (cheers) Yeah, yeah, I know. And, I got someone with me on the free chat. So, let me introduce you all to the former leader of Squad 422... No. 7! (applause)
Kurt: ...You can call me by my name, KnightSpark.
KS: Yeah, well I'm so used calling you No. 7... (chuckles awkwardly) I forgot.
Kurt: You forgot. Right.
KS: Anyway, how have you been doing? How Riela and Imca?
Kurt: (blushes) Uh... about that...
KS: (grins)You lucky dog, you. Come on, spill.
Imca: (grabs Kurt's left arm) No.
KS: Imca? Where did you come from?
Imca: I was looking for Kurt. (blushes lightly) And I found him.
KS: Okay. Now, back to my original question-
Riela: KURT! (grabs Kurt's right arm) I've been looking all over for you!
KS: Okay, okay, girls, let's give Kurt his arms back, shall we?
Imca: What are you talking about?
Kurt: (pained) I... can't feel... my arms.
Imca: (embarrased) Oh.
Riela: Sorry, Kurt.
(they both let go of Kurt's arms)
Kurt: Much better.
KS: As I was saying... Kurt how are these two?
Kurt: (hugs Riela and Imca) They are both wonderful.
KS: Really? How are they in bed?
Kurt: (blushes heavily) Well, uh-
Riela: (dreamily) He's amazing.
Imca: (dreamily) I felt like I was going to melt in his embrace
KS: What else?
Kurt: Get on with the damn chapter, will you.
KS: What? Oh, I almost forgot. It's going to be a double update today.
Riela: Double update?
KS: Yeah, I got two chapters written down and I'm posting them at the same time.
Imca: Sounds good, I can't wait
KS: You don't have to. Here it is.
"Come on! We got 'em on the ropes!" Avan called out to his squad mates. It was an intense battle between the cadets and the rebels in the woods. Squad G immediately went on the offensive and capture two of the rebels camps. However, the rebels stayed strong and continued to protect the camp leading to the supply base. Erik, being the hotshot that he is, charged in with reckless abandon and took out at least five scouts and rushed towards the camp, only to be taken down by a fencer who was hiding in the shurbs. Had Magari not been near them, Erik would've been in a lot of trouble.
"Damn it, they're putting up a hell of a fight," Avan growled, narrowly avoiding fire from shocktrooper. "They must really not want us to get our hands on that base."
"Thank you for the update, Avan," Zeri snarked while firing at a few lancers. "While you're at it, maybe you should tell us what weapons they're carrying."
"You guys!" Cosette whined as she repaired the tank. "Settle this later! We're in the middle of an important battle here!"
"He started it," Avan said under his breath.
"What was that?" Zeri asked.
Avan turned away from him. "Nothing."
"Hmm…"
"This plan is going better than I thought," Baldren said, standing near the base camp alongside his sister. "Those cadets are tearing through our men like sharks to paper."
"Don't get too comfortable, Baldren," Audrey said, looking through her binoculars. "They won't be our men for much longer after what we're going to do."
"You got a point there."
"Also, I've been meaning to tell you something."
Baldren turned to his sister. "Oh? What is it."
"What are we going to do after we surrender to Lanseal?"
Baldren looked away while scratching the back of his head. All he planned to do was go out on a mission, run into Lanseal, wait until their troops ran thin and surrender. He didn't think ahead of that or thought of what he and Audrey were going to do afterwards.
"Well… about that…"
Audrey sighed in frustration. "You did not plan this through, did you?"
Baldren looked down at his feet. "No, I did not."
"Well, we can't expect them to just let us walk away from this. Not after what we've been doing," Audrey explained.
"As far as I'm concerned, we'll be lucky that they don't put us to death," Baldren replied.
"This is no joke, Baldren. We need to think of something to show that we're willing to right whatever wrongs we caused."
"First of all, I never joke about anything, especially not this. And second, I'm aware of that fact."
"Oh, really? My fool of a brother finally grew a brain cell in that empty skull his. Someone stop the presses," Audrey quipped dramatically. Baldren let out a low growl. He didn't particularly like being called an idiot by anyone, least of all his own sister.
"Now who's the joker?" he shot back.
"Shut up."
"But getting back on topic, you have a point. We need to give them a solid reason why we're surrendering. But what?"
Baldren and Audrey went deep into thought for a moment. Then, a lightbulb clicked in Audrey mind.
"The note," she said. Baldren turned to her her in confusion.
"I beg your pardon?"
"We show them Mother's note. That will surely give them a reason not to shoot at us," she explained simply.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Baldren, when was the last time I have ever steered you wrong?"
"Do you want me to get my list?"
"…Fine, I'll give you that."
"What's taking those brats so long anyway? They should've been here by now."
"They would be here if our men weren't guarding the camp leading to our base with their lives."
Baldren sighed. "I have the feeling that we're going to do something completely out of the blue."
Audrey nodded. "Yes. Yes we are."
"Avan, we can't go on like this!" Zeri called out. "At the rate we're going, we'll be out of ammunition before we reach the camp!
"Tell me something I don't know!" Avan shouted. Zeri was about to make a comment on that last sentence, but quickly decided against it.
"It will probably take a miracle to get us out of this mess," Cosette muttered.
As if an angel heard her plea, a rebel captain arrived, ordering to troops to stop firing.
"We got orders from Lord Baldren! We need to retreat immediately!" he barked. The other rebels looked at him in confusion.
"Why, sir?" a fencer asked.
"The Gallian Army has arrived and have surrounded the base! We need to fall back now!"
Needless to say, panic couldn't even remotely describe the state the rebels were in. They dropped their weapons and exited their tanks and ran off in multiple directions just to get away from the army. The members of Squad G just stood where they were, dumbfounded and bewildered by what just happened.
"Well, that was random," Cosette said to no one in particular.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Zeri added.
Avan turned towards his squad who looked shocked and confused by the rebels' sudden retreat, then shrugged, heading towards the base camp.
"Well, no use standing around," he said. "Besides, that base isn't gonna capture itself. Then again, it would make our job a lot easier."
"Wait a minute, Avan," Zeri said, grabbing him by the collar, stopping his advance.
"What's up, man?" he asked, turning around.
"Do you honestly believe what that rebel just said? What if they're just setting a trap for us. Just think about it-" Zeri stopped himself in mid-sentence and let out a small huff. "Oh, wait. I almost forgot that thinking wasn't your strong suit."
Avan shot him a dirty look. "Man, you can't go ten minutes without insulting me, can you?"
"I can if you didn't give me any reason to."
"What reason would I give you to put me down?"
"It's simple, really. All you need to do is open your mouth and-"
Zeri was cut off once more, only this time it was not of his own volition. Cosette grabbed his head, along with Avan's and smashed them together, causing them to writhe in pain. She crossed her arms while pouting at the two.
"Seriously, I don't know why I bother with you two," the engineer sighed. She, along with the rest of her squad left for the base camp, leaving the two behind.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" Avan said, catching up to his squad while holding the side of his head. Zeri followed suit, although he staggered a bit.
As Squad G reached the rebels' base camp, they witnessed something that was unusual. Surprisingly enough, the Gallian Army was nowhere in sight. The base camp was practically deserted. Not a single person was there… okay, okay, there was a person at the camp. Two, in fact. Take a wild guess as to who they are.
"What the hell are they doing?" Erik asked.
"It… it looks like they're waving the white flag," Marion stated.
Unbelieveable, isn't it? One of the rebel commanders waving a white flag. Looks like it's a cold day after all.
"I can't believe I'm the one who has to wave this thing," Baldren muttered.
"Suck it up, Baldren," Audrey hissed. "You lost that coin toss fair and square."
"Whatever. I still say you rigged it."
"How do you rig a coin toss?"
"You're a resourceful girl. You would've thought of something."
"Hey man, what should we do?" Joachim asked, cautiously gripping his warpick.
"Wait here, I'll go check it out and make sure they don't pull a fast one on us," Avan said, walking towards them.
"Hold it, Avan," Zeri said, gripping his shoulder.
"What now, dude?" he sighed.
"Can I just say something for a moment?"
"Are you going to follow it up with another backhanded quip?"
"AHEM!"
They both turned to Cosette, who had her cheeks puffed out in annoyance and was tapping her foot.
"You know what? Let's just get this over with."
Avan nodded. "For once, we agree on something."
Avan and Zeri walked over to Baldren, who stuck the flag on the ground as they approached. Audrey climbed out of her tank to join her brother.
"I suppose you are wondering why we are surrendering to you," Baldren said.
"Yeah…" Avan started, looking around the once-empty camp. "That bit about the army suddenly arriving was a gag, wasn't it."
"In a way, yes," Audrey answered. "It is us alone who decide to surrender."
"And exactly why do you want to surrender?" Zeri asked coldly, getting back on topic. Baldren and Audrey understood his sudden tone. They did lead soldiers to cull many of his bretheren, after all. Baldren turned to his sister, who nodded, knowing what he was thinking.
"This is the reason," Baldren said, reaching into his back pocket. Avan and Zeri quickly raised their weapons in his direction. Baldren was surprised by the unexpected hostility. "Hey, calm down both of you. I'm not carrying a gun."
"What are taking out of your pocket, then?" Avan asked, still holding his rifle.
Audrey reached into her brother's pocket and pulled out the note. "This is what was in his pocket."
Zeri carefully reached out to take the note from her, hoping not to provoke the tank commander.
"Just take the thing," Audrey urged, pressing the note against Zeri's chest. "I'm not going to bite you."
Zeri held back a sharp remark and took the note. He read it as he walked back to his squad, leaving Avan alone with the commanders.
"Okay, spill. What made you want to surrender?" Avan asked.
"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Baldren joked. "Because it seems to me that you're not the brightest candle in the chamber."
Avan's eyebrow twitched a little. "Are you saying that I'm dumb?"
"You said it, we didn't," Audrey said with a small grin.
"Okay, if you're not taking this seriously, then I'll have just have to-"
"Avan!" Zeri called out, running towards him. "I spoke with Professor Brixham. We're taking them in."
"What for, man?" Avan groaned. "We just captured these two and already they're insulting my intelligence."
"Because A: this note they gave me might prove that they've seen the error of the ways. And B: what intelligence?"
Avan sharply inhaled, then let out a huge breath of frustration. "Is Brixy still on the line?"
Zeri nodded.
"Good. I need to talk to him for a sec. Watch these for me, will you?"
"I will."
"So, Professor, I take it Zeri told you the good news?" Avan asked through the radio.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it good news, but yes, he did inform me about the current situation," Brixham replied. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect their change of heart."
"Well sir, I believe I speak on behalf of my squad that we didn't expect it either."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. The military has already been informed about their capture and will rendezvous with you shortly."
"Alright then. If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way."
"Very well. Carry on."
The transmission ended after that. Avan whistled sharply, getting his squad's attention.
"Okay, listen up! The military will meet up with us to pick up these two, so we got to get moving!"
What, you mean like, now?" Rene asked.
"Pretty much. If we move out now, we might be lucky enough to run into them. Once we do, we'll hand the commanders over and they'll take care of the rest. Does that sound good with you?"
"It's fine with me, so long as I don't have to see that old witch over there," Anisette sighed. "Honestly, her outfit is beyond hideous."
"I heard that!" Audrey barked.
"Right… so, let's go, people! Seems like the Gallian Civil War is going to end early!"
"Don't jinx it, Avan!" Zeri scolded.
Imca: So... is the Civil War going to end early?
KS: Can't tell you. Spoilers.
Imca: Oh...
KS: But I can tell you this: expect to see someone familiar next chapter.
Riela: Who?
KS: You'll know him when you see him. Now, I got to go get him. (runs off)
Imca: Who he's going to bring here, Kurt?
Kurt: Your guess is as good as mine.
Meanwhile...
KS: Hey, you.
CR Soldier: Yeah, what you do you want? Who are you?
KS: I'm the author of this story and I need to talk with your leader.
CR Soldier: So?
KS: (produces lightning in hands) 'So' what?
CR Soldier: ...He's in the main tent.
KS: Thank you.