ME: Now time for common decency from both sides in addition to brutality. A/N: Interlude.
"Get down on the ground!" Lawrence ordered the two pilots.
"Please," the male one pleaded, "we're unarmed-."
"We'll see about that, now shut up and get down on the ground before I put a burst of bullets through your chest."
Although Enobaria was uncomfortable about the Victor's threats, they worked. Both of the pilots laid down on the ground obediently. "Cadets," she ordered, "frisk them."
Nero and Claudia patted the rebels down; no concealed pistols or knives were detected.
"Anyone else onboard your hovercraft?" The Lieutenant asked the prisoners.
"Just us eight!" Said a middle-aged male voice in a District Thirteen accent. A man in a gray medic uniform with red cross markings came out with seven other people. "Doctor Aurelius, I'm a combat surgeon!"
Four of the others were in Thirteen uniforms, while the other three were a more hodgepodge outfit undoubtedly from the continental Districts, one of them looking to be a District Two native with blonde hair, blue eyes and an athletic build.
"Why are you here?" Thread asked.
"Orders from Defense Minister Boggs and Commander Lyme!" Replied Aurelius. "As a show of good faith, myself as well as one nurse and six medics have been dispatched to provide medical aid to both wounded Peacekeepers and Loyalist Militia members in addition to injured civilians!"
"What?" Lawrence asked, stunned.
"I say we arrest the doctor and nurse but crucify the medics," one of the SSS PFCs suggested. "We'll need to be terrifying to drive Johnny Reb out of District Two."
Nero glared at the soldier; Enobaria noticed his amber eyes were hardened by combat and now had the strength and resolve of steel. "I hope I never look forward to torturing someone to death, you're a sadist if you willfully wish that on medics."
"Why you little-."
"Go suck my non-existent dick, asshole," Claudia snapped.
One of the SSS sadist's friends drew a baton. "You petulant bitch!"
Laura drew her sidearm and pointed it at his head. "You just brough a baton to a gunfight, punk."
"Enough!" Homma ordered. "We can't win a firefight with these cannon-fodder."
"Oh really?" The Lieutenant challenged him. "I have never seen you SSS bitches in a real firefight, I bet the street urchins the rebels threw at us could kick your asses."
The Captain glared at her. "Shut up, you whore-."
Thankfully Thread cut him off. "Why don't you shut up, Homma? Before I tell everyone about how you got through OCS via sucking your superiors off!"
He then turned to the POWs. "Doctor Aurelius, you are the highest ranking of your comrades, correct?"
"Yes," the medical officer replied. "I'm a Colonel, the Nurse is a freshly-commissioned Lieutenant-."
The Head Peacekeeper held up his hand. "Not important, sorry to interrupt. Here's the deal: You and the rest of your medical team will be allowed to treat the wounded in Fort Cheyenne, but under the supervision of armed guards. Try anything, and they'll put five-point-fifty-sixes in your heart. Understood, Doctor?"
"Yes, sir," Aurelius replied. "Wait, what about the pilots? You see, the male one is my son, sir!"
Thread nodded. "I see your concerns for him, but they are unfounded. He will be taken to a secure facility along with the woman."
The SSS Lieutenant and one squad of the armband-wearing goons were ordered to escort the medical team to Fort Cheyenne, much to their chargin. Meanwhile the pilots were taken into custody.
Enobaria dug into an MRE, which wasn't her mother's home cooking but tasted like a Victor's feast after a battle. It was a spaghetti and meatballs one-according to a District One Militiaman whose peacetime occupation was a restaurant chef, the dish was a North American one whose creators immigrated from a land known as Italy, the proud birthplace of the Romans. She savored every morsel.
Suddenly one of the cameramen, Manius by his nametag, ran up to her. "Ma'am, come quick! Captain Homma and some of his men are torturing the new prisoners!"
ME: Cliffhanger, I know. I've never eaten MREs, but after seeing 5/6ths of your battalion mowed down or too injured to fight they'd be pretty tasty to a grunt like Enobaria.