October 12th, 2016
Nearly six weeks after I had left home I was sore, tired, and desperately missing Bass. My team and I had been in Parris Island for two of the six weeks, convincing the remaining military leaders in the area that they should not only align with the Republic, but that they should immediately come to our aid in defense of the treaty against the Plains Nations.
After that we had traveled to North Carolina to both Fort Bragg and Cherry Point, rounding up support in both locations before we would be able to move on to the locations in the north of the Republic.
To say that our interactions with the military in each city had been difficult would be a drastic understatement. Many of the men who had survived were tough bastards and few of them were the type who liked taking orders from women.
Despite the fact that they lived in the Republic, and had for years now, they still saw themselves as citizens of the United States of America. I couldn't say I blamed them, I had grown up in the United States, gotten my education so I could be a politician for my country and now I was using it to try and forge something new, something that was no longer the USA.
It was a tough pill to swallow, for all of us.
I had never that I would be part of something that killed so many people, and yet here I was, growing colder to the death, more used to it every day, more used to the incredibly draining decisions that I had to make for everyone around me.
Maggie's words haunted me constantly, urging me to fight for something better, always.
As we rode north through Maryland I shivered in the cold air, burying my nose in my scarf as the bitter air whipped through the tree branches. It was only the first few weeks of October, and a cold front was already moving in it seemed—winter was well on its way to starting early.
We were heading for Fort Detrick after a long week of travel from North Carolina, and my head was pounding from a cold that I had somehow picked up during one of our meetings with the military leaders.
I frowned, grumbling softly at the memory of one of the Captains from Cherry Point coughing and sneezing during the meeting, his seat next to mine. The man had shown barely concealed contempt for our mission, and especially me, his words biting and harsh, and I had hardly been able to bite back a nasty response every time he spoke.
If we hadn't needed his men and women to fight in our militia I would have been tempted to verbally bitch slap the man, but as it was, we needed his help. Sighing, I nudged Beda faster and headed for the looming buildings ahead that compromised the outskirts of Frederick, Maryland.
The communities surrounding Fort Detrick had fled and then come back to the Fort, the survivors pulling together to form a community within its walls that had grown and thrived within the past few months.
Now I was riding in at the head of a growing militia-nearly a thousand strong, and would hopefully be leaving with more. I knew these military leaders were old guard and didn't like answering to me, but when it came down to it, the need to serve was in their blood, and they weren't about to let their country devolve into madness.
That's what I was relying on anyway.
Wrapping my blanket tighter around my shoulders I leaned toward the fire, watching as the militia moved around me in smooth efficiency, setting up camp and hobbling horses, the smell of cooking food filling the air. Natasha strode through camp with three other women, making sure that things were laid out in an organized, defensible pattern that would leave us able to decamp at a moment's notice and still be able to fight if necessary.
We were only five miles from the Fort, but I had wanted to make camp here and give our people time to rest, the past three days had been nothing but cold, wintery air and rain bursts that had chilled everyone to the bone. It was a slightly warmer day today than yesterday, and it only being mid morning, I had plans to send a messenger to the Fort to set up a meeting for the next day.
Our current encampment provided quite a bit of shelter from the wind; the trees ringing the large public park we had stopped in made an excellent wind break, even if they provided cover for anyone who might try to sneak up on us.
Natasha was already ordering teams out to scout the woods however, and I knew within the hour people would be stationed on a rotating watch that would last until we left—no matter how many days we stayed.
Turning into my tent I shivered as I sat at my small table, pulling out my writing kit so I could compose a message for the General in command of the Fort. I wrote quickly but thoughtfully, knowing that these men and women had most likely heard of the plague that had affected us, and may have even received word of Miles's mission to the NIH to retrieve the cure.
When I had finally finished the letter I folded it carefully and sealed the envelope before carrying it out to my messenger pool, camped close to my own tent for efficiency. I watched as one of the young men in the messenger pool rode off, carrying the letter to the Fort, two militia members flanking him.
There was no reason for the Fort to be violent or aggressive, but that didn't mean that there weren't rebels or citizens with anti-Republic sentiments that wouldn't hesitate to harm our people on the roads. Every precaution was one that came from a hard learned lesson, and we actively tried to prevent further harm befalling our people as we travelled.
I caught Natasha's eye and lifted my chin, jerking my head towards my tent as I lifted a hand and held up a closed fist, tapping it against my chin—our signal to gather my private security force for a meeting.
She nodded and a smile flashed over her face before she turned and began winding through the crowds of people, gathering my people. I turned back into my tent and began assembling things for the meeting.
A few minutes later when the women began filing in I had a boiling teapot, warmed flatbread and dried apples ready for consumption. The women murmured their thanks as they settled into the chairs and on my cot—I didn't have enough seating for the 25 of us, but we made do.
The guard had grown since we had left the city, with more recruits filling the ranks of the militia Natasha was able to have her pick of women who were suitable for our purposes, and as such, had found women who were not only physically capable, but intelligent, deft, and most important, loyal.
I sipped my cup of tea and smiled at the women around me before beginning.
"How is everyone feeling?" I asked softly, looking carefully at all of them, inspecting them for signs of injury or illness.
The women shook their heads and murmured words of assurance—they were fine.
"They're all well Ambassador, though I don't think the same can be said about you," Natasha murmured with a wry smirk as I began to cough, my shoulders shaking from the force of the fit.
I shook my head and tried to catch my breath, sipping on my tea. "I-I'm fine, it's just a cough. If that Captain had covered his damn mouth like any normal human being, I wouldn't be sick" I gripped, feeling my brows furrow in annoyance.
Natasha grinned outright and a few of the women laughed, nodding. "Even my kid knows—knew better than that," one of the women said, shaking her head ruefully, her words barely stumbling as she corrected herself.
It was the moments like these that reminded me forcefully just what people had lost when the power had gone out. The woman was probably in her early thirties and had lost her kid…probably her spouse too. Smiling grimly I sipped on my tea and shook my head, "Well, there's no accounting for manners anymore I guess," I murmured.
The women nodded and munched on their food, sipping their tea, chattering amongst themselves for a moment before I cleared my throat, giving them a brief smile.
"Well, we're likely going to be meeting with the leadership here tomorrow morning, should they accept my terms. I'd like half of you to come, and the others to continue training our newest recruits. We need to make sure that they're ready for deployment. I want to be out of here in no more than two days and split the majority of our force between Jersey and Maine. Neither is fully secured and they'll need the help before winter turns nasty, got it?" I asked firmly, eyeing everyone.
The group nodded and I sighed, running a hand over my face, feeling weariness creeping up on me. Truth be told, this cold was sucking the energy from me, and continuous travel on top of long nights of negotiating, arguing, and headaches were leaving me road weary.
"You should rest ma'am," one of the women commented, nodding to the other women as she stood. The rest followed and filed out of the tent, carrying their cups of tea with them, leaving just Natasha and I in the cold air inside the tent.
She smiled at me, tucking a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "You really should rest ma'am," she murmured.
"Ma'am?" I replied incredulously, my brow lifting.
"Sorry; Becca." She smiled, "But she was right, you need rest. You've worked on reports till midnight at least for the past three nights and been up at dawn with us to practice your combat skills—on top of a cold. As the commander of your personal security, I'm ordering you to rest," she replied firmly, giving me an arch look.
There were times when I would have argued with her, just for the sport of it. Today was not one of those times. Nodding I waved a hand at her, brushing her arm, "Get out of here. I'm going to lie down and nap, I promise," I murmured tiredly.
Nodding, she smiled briefly at me before stepping outside, and a moment later I heard her voice murmuring—most likely ensuring my guard was in place before she went on to train the newest members of our militia.
Shaking my head I sank down on my cot and kicked off my boots, wrapping my jacket around me as I pulled the blankets up around me, my eyes sliding shut. Burrowing into the pillow and blankets I hummed in contentment, warmth spreading through my limbs.
The next two days passed quickly as our negotiations went smoothly, the General in command of the Fort being a more agreeable sort than the last few men I had had the pleasure of meeting with. As we pulled up stakes and rolled onwards for Virginia, I sighed heavily and coughed, my cold still pressing me down and making my bones ache.
The only real remedy these days was tea, and whatever medicine could be scrounged together. Our medical supplies were running low as it was and I wasn't about to start wasting them on my simple head cold, not when things like cholera were cropping up.
We were swinging by the NIH on our way to Virginia in an effort to bolster our supplies, and when the remainder of the militia parted ways with us, a small force would be heading back to Philly to deliver the supplies.
Our messengers had been rotating on runs back to the Capitol in order to keep Miles and Bass informed, but it was slow going. Every time I wrote a letter and watched a messenger ride out to deliver it I longed for the days of texting and emailing, when communication was no slower than how fast your fingers could press send.
It was a two day ride to the NIH, and from there it was another day's ride to Quantico. After that we would be riding to Pittsburgh and New England, making sure that any recruits we had spoken to on our pacification visits would now be joining us.
Sighing, I pulled my gloves on as a sharp wind blew; the further north we rode the colder it was going to get and I really, really, disliked the cold…especially without someone to cuddle up with at night.
Smirking, I nudged Beda forward, eager to get this mission over with.
November 24th, 2016
"Fuck! When did it start getting so cold?" I griped, shivering beneath a heavy wool blanket, my skin damp and icy. Our camp had been snowed in for two weeks now after an unexpectedly large snow storm had passed through, cutting us off from our destination—Brunswick Landing.
The navy base had closed officially in 2011, but after the power had gone out, people had taken refuge there and formed a community of nearly five thousand, farming, hunting, and maintaining a society.
Natasha shook her head, her lips blue, "I told you going out while the storm was still going on was a bad idea," she muttered, sounding annoyed.
I sighed heavily, settling my feet against the hot brick we had pulled from the coals a few minutes earlier and wrapped in a blanket so we could prevent frostbite after being out in the snow and freezing winds.
"Yes, well, admittedly, not all of my ideas are good ones. No one is perfect," I muttered, closing my eyes as heat seeped into my bones.
"Mmmhmmm," she hummed sarcastically, shoving her feet against mine on the brick. I smirked and moved mine aside slightly so we could share, leaning back against the wall of the school we had holed up in, the shivers running over my body subsiding slowly.
The smell of cooking food wafted through the school, teasing my empty stomach with the delicious scent of roasting meat and vegetables. Our people had scrounged and gathered, hunting until we had shot and killed a turkey, dressing it and placing it over the fire to roast slowly for a Thanksgiving dinner.
The smell of it was driving me slowly crazy, knowing that it wouldn't be done for hours when my body was hungry and demanding to eat now. My breathing slowed as my body heated back up, my muscles unclenching and a moment later my head fell onto Nat's shoulder.
"Everyone's been pulled in, yea?" I murmured softly.
"Yea, they're all safe, everyone is resting."
I nodded and sighed, haziness flooding through me, my brain slowing and my thoughts slipping away as I began to fall into sleep.
"What are you grateful for Nat?" I asked, taking a sip of wine from my chipped mug, smiling at her over the rim. Our group was gathered together to eat our Thanksgiving dinner, and we were slowly going around the circle, revealing what we were grateful for.
Nat sighed and stared down at her cup of wine for a moment before speaking, "I'm grateful to be here with all of you, my family." She smiled faintly, "I'm grateful that my husband is gone and I don't have to have bad sex anymore," she murmured wryly.
A laugh burst out of my chest, quickly followed by others in the group and soon enough we were sharing stories of relationships and dirty stories that brought blushes to cheeks and laughter to the air.
Plates were filled with delicious food and glasses were filled with wine many times before the evening was over. I leaned back against the wall and watched as my friends laughed and shared their lives, loves and stories, the light of the fires flickering on faces.
Sighing, I stood and waved goodnight to the groups and walked unsteadily back to the principal's office where I was staying, collapsing onto my cot with a grunt. Rolling the covers on top of me I closed my eyes and groaned as the lights behind my eyes swirled unpleasantly.
We were stuck in this hellhole until this latest storm passed and we could dig our way out and make it to the base. We still had to secure more men and women for the militia before making our way back to Philly.
The last I had heard from our messengers the city was recovering well after the cholera outbreak, but the Jersey front was opening up again. Miles and Bass were on their way there with reinforcements to make sure that the rebellion was finally put down; fifteen hundred militia at their back.
The fighting had grown more intense on the front from all the reports that I was hearing, and I was worried that something was going to happen to the men I loved. Rubbing a hand over my face I sighed and rolled over slowly, peering up at the dim stars through the iced over windows.
My eyes slid shut slowly.
"Becca, you need to put on your earmuffs before you go out to play in the snow."
I peered up at my mom, huffing as I struggled with my boots. She lifted a brow and propped her hands on her hips, giving me a serious look. There was no arguing with her when she looked like that, so I nodded and struggled to my feet, taking the earmuffs she was holding out to me.
"You need to come back in when it gets dark. Don't make me come find you," she ordered.
I nodded and danced in place, eager to get outside and play with my brother. A smile crossed her lips and she opened the front door, pushing my shoulders gently until I stepped outside.
With a soft giggle I ran outside after my brother and began pelting him with snowballs, shrieking when he started throwing them back.
The sun faded slowly as we built snowmen and played with our friends, slowly growing tired and hungry. Eventually the sky grew dark and we trudged back to the house, teeth chattering. Mom opened the door, warm white light spilling out onto the porch as she greeted us with a smile and two mugs of hot cocoa.
We eagerly shed our layers and reached for the mugs, burning our tongues on the cocoa, but refusing to slow down our gulps. Mother sat with us on the couch, her arms wrapped around us, smiling as we told her about our adventures, her laughter bright and warm.
She pressed kisses to our heads and I snuggled into her, sighing happily.
Beda struggled through the snow, her hooves crunching through the crust as she carried me forward. After the latest storm had passed we had immediately begun clearing the snow and ice, wrapping the horse's legs in blankets so that they could be used to break the ground up ahead of us and make it easier going.
Still, it had taken two full days to clear a path from the school to the road, and we were just now getting to the base, with no idea if anyone was alive inside. The storm had dropped over eight inches of snow and a half inch of ice on top of that, making it an extremely precarious situation to be travelling in, let alone trying to survive in.
As we approached the gates there was a loud commotion from inside and moments later they began to swing out, revealing a group of armed soldiers waiting for us. I waved and urged Beda forward, keeping my gaze focused on the tall older woman in the middle.
The single star on each side of her lapels marked her as a Brigadier General, and the woman in command of the base, the person I wanted to talk to. Lifting my hand in greeting I pulled Beda to a halt five feet away and leaned forward, smiling in greeting.
"General, thank you for opening your gates to us. Would you do us the honor of receiving us inside to discuss your participation in the militia and the Republic?" I asked, smiling politely.
The woman studied me for a moment before nodding, her lips pursing together in a thin smile, "Please come in," she called, waving a hand to our group. I nodded and glanced back at my followers, waving a hand briskly before urging Beda forward through the gates and into the compound.
A few minutes later we were all through the gates and they were closed firmly, metal bars sliding into place to secure them. Dismounting quickly I held onto her reins as I stepped forward squaring my shoulders as I met the General's eyes.
"Ambassador and Policy Advisor for the Republic, Becca Flynn." I held my hand out to the General and smiled faintly when she took it, gripping firmly.
"Brigadier General Holly Moore. Welcome to Brunswick Landing," she murmured. "Please allow my men and women to stable your horses so your militia can get out of the cold," she offered, holding out her hand towards a man standing beside her.
I held onto Beda's reins for a moment before nodding slowly, "Please take good care of her, she's got a lot of attitude," I told the man with a soft laugh, "Sort of like her owner," I joked. A gentle laugh rippled through my friends and my cheeks flushed as I joined them; it was an inside joke, but it was true enough.
The man smirked and nodded, "You sound like my wife," he joked as he reached for Beda's reins. I handed the reins over and patted her neck, watching as they walked away for a moment.
I smiled faintly at the general and pointed to the compound and buildings ahead of us, "Should we proceed?" I asked.
She nodded, "Follow me," she murmured, turning to lead us further into the large compound. Holly pushed open the door to a large building marked as CENT-COMM, and as we walked down the hallways I shivered, amazed to feel how warm the building was.
"How do you keep this place so warm?" I asked softly, peering around curiously.
Holly smiled warmly at me, "We built fireplaces and stoves in each building, placing them strategically so that they heat the buildings even in the worst of weather."
My brows lifted, "Smart," I murmured in admiration. We needed to do this in Philly, and in all the places that people were settling to make sure that they survived these hellish winters. We walked into a medium sized room filled with computer and tv screens, the floor tiered down to a large screen filling one wall.
Holly waved a hand, "This used to be the Central Command Center for this base when Navy operations were underway, now however, it's useless. We hold meetings here when the community needs to discuss something, and I believe for our purposes today, it will serve us well."
I nodded and motioned towards the seats, "Well, then, let's get started," I replied, eager to proceed. Holly nodded and walked to the front of the room, motioning to the two seats arranged on the floor in front of the screen.
Settling in, I unwound my scarf and pulled my hat off, frowning as the static made my hair crackle. Running my fingers through it quickly I leaned forward and smiled at Holly, "Thank you again for welcoming us into your home, we appreciate it, especially after the weather we've been caught up in."
She nodded, "We've just finished digging out here, it's been rough on our food supplies and our houses. Two roofs collapsed under the weight of the snow and ice."
I frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that, was anyone injured? We have a doctor and nurse with us, perhaps we could help," I offered.
Holly shook her head, "Fortunately everyone was fine, but thank you," she replied, smiling tightly. Fine lines appeared at her eyes, her mouth tense, "You've come to request our men and women for the Republic's militia, haven't you?" she asked softly, her voice worried.
I nodded, "I am, but I assure you, we aren't here to take all of your soldiers that protect you. We need to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial, so do you think we can do that?" I asked softly.
I was acutely aware that both of our people were watching us negotiate this agreement, so everything about this deal had to be compromised on and negotiated in good faith.
"I do. Tell me, how many people do you want from us?" Holly asked lightly, studying me with a firm set to her jaw.
I contemplated for a moment before nodding briskly, "Anyone who might have specialized skills—Marines, Seals, they're of special interest to us. But we'll take police and any other branch of military from the US or foreign military that might be here."
Holly nodded thoughtfully, her almond shaped eyes gazing at me intelligently. "Very well. And what do we get in return?" she asked softly, her eyes narrowing faintly.
I smiled, "In return you become an official part of the Monroe Republic, with all the privileges that entails. For the next year you will be tax exempt, and anyone who joins our militia will receive double pay and rations, along with their families. Also, should you need protection, our men and women will be at your disposal."
I leaned forward and gave her a firm look, "I'd also like to ask you to come to Philadelphia and serve as a Major General in our Militia. No one else I've spoken to has your kind of experience in both combat and intelligence, you're the kind of person we need to help run and expand our militia."
It was a risky proposition, but one I was fairly certain she would accept. Long minutes passed in silence as Holly contemplated my offer, her gaze lifting from my face to scan the small group of people gathered to watch us.
I studied her profile, examining the strength in her face and the small flecks of grey in her black hair, her coppery skin rough from the winter's wind biting at it. She reminded me of my mother in a way, of the way she used to look when I was a child, the strength she used to exhibit, before everything changed.
Holly turned back to me, her eyes lighting with a warm look. She nodded sharply, "I can send fifty people with you without compromising the base. But there's no one here who can take over for me competently. I'm sorry, as much as I would like to come with you, I can't," she murmured regretfully.
I sighed deeply, "I think you'll find that may not be true. Lieutenant General Collins from North Carolina's Cherry Point has travelled with us to take your command, if you would be willing to relinquish it to him. He's happy to assist here; he was among three other generals in Cherry Point sitting on their thumbs, going to waste. We've redistributed them among our own forces, and he's eager for a place to call home. What do you say?" I asked, my stomach twisting nervously.
This was the hardest part of the negotiations; if Holly decided she didn't want to give up control of her base, we could very well end up with the short end of the stick, with less people than we wanted for the militia.
After a long moment of silence she nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, I'll want to meet him first, but I'd say we have a deal," she murmured.
A smile broke out across my face and I lifted a hand to shake Holly's, "Thank you, I really appreciate you working with me on this; I know it's the best thing for both of us."
She nodded and stood, "I believe you, surprisingly. I've met a lot of politicians in my time, and when I heard that some young blood politician for the new Republic was coming to speak with us, I was hesitant, to say the least," she quipped.
I laughed softly and followed her up the steps and out of the room, "Well, I don't blame you, especially with what the Plains Nations have been saying about me," I murmured wryly.
Holly laughed mirthfully and lifted a brow, "I was expecting a female Chuck Norris frankly."
I belted out laughing, "Hardly, I like to think of myself more as Leslie Knope, idealistic, but unafraid to kick some ass when I need to."
Holly grinned at me, "I miss that show, she made me laugh," she murmured.
I nodded, "Me too. I wonder how many fancy stars in Hollywood have survived," I mused contemplatively.
"Probably not too many," she replied with a lift of her brows. She led me to a small cafeteria where the majority of my people had gathered and were eating and talking softly amongst themselves.
A tall well built black man caught my eye and at my nod, stood and walked quickly over to us. He stood ramrod straight, hands tucked behind his back, amber eyes assessing Holly and myself. Holly peered up at him for a moment before nodding, "Lieutenant General, I presume?" she murmured, extending her hand.
He nodded, "Kyle Collins ma'am," he replied, taking her hand firmly.
I clapped them both firmly on the shoulders, "I'll leave you to get to know each other, hmm?" I murmured. They nodded and I smiled faintly, slipping away to sit with my security and enjoy a plate of food.
I watched as Kyle and Holly sat at a table, conversing softly, their faces intense but polite, gradually relaxing as they spoke. I sighed in relief, this deal, and the others I had made on this trip, they would help protect my home, my Republic.
Our long journey home would begin now.
I peered out the window of Brunswick Landing base and sighed, watching as yet more snow hissed against the windows. We had been working around the clock, shoveling to clear the roads and sidewalks in the compound and the surrounding area in an effort to make it easier for us to leave, but at the rate the snow was falling, it was impossible to keep up, even with everyone in the base helping.
It had been more than a week of near constant snow storms, and wood supplies for the furnaces and fire places were running low. Families were huddling together in the rooms to try and conserve heat, but everyone was feeling the pinch of the cold, blankets and fireplaces notwithstanding.
I sipped on my mug of coffee and shuddered as the heat of it seemed to warm my blood. My fingers clenched on the mug, aching as they were seared by the fiery heat from the coffee.
"Still coming down?"
At the sound of Holly's voice I startled, sloshing coffee over the rim and onto my hand. "Shit!" I hissed, wiping it off quickly onto my jeans.
Holly quickly stepped forward and grabbed my hand, inspecting it, "It doesn't look like a bad burn, you should be okay," she murmured. "I'm sorry for startling you," she sighed with a tired smile.
I shrugged, smiling softly, "Its fine, I was just lost in thought. Why are you still awake?" I asked softly.
She sighed and lifted a shoulder, "Mmm, I've not been sleeping well all week. I'm worried that my people are going to starve if this weather keeps up. It hasn't been this bad in years."
I nodded and looked out the window, "We're trying not to put a strain on your supplies and use our own, but we can't use our own up or we won't have anything left for the trip home."
"I understand, trust me, I'm not blaming you. We have supply stores in the other buildings, but if we start going through them, we won't have enough for the future. It's a lose-lose situation."
"If the snow slows in the morning we'll head out, we can't linger much longer or we'll be snowed in for the winter," I murmured.
Holly nodded, "We should get a crew together and start clearing the roadways if we want to make it out."
I nodded in agreement and turned away from the windows, "Let's go wake some people up then," I sighed.
We worked through the night; shoveling and using the horses to pull plows until the roads were clear a mile down the road and all through the compound. By the time we were finished the storm had passed and those who were on the work detail had drank nearly a gallon of coffee, exhaustion sinking into all of our bones.
As the sun rose higher in the sky we loaded our wagons with supplies and said our goodbyes quickly, eager to be on the road and out of the path of any more snowstorms that might be heading our way. I smiled over at Holly who had mounted up onto her own horse beside me and a moment later we were riding out through the front gates, the sun shining down on our backs.
We were finally going home.
December 23rd, 2016
I slid from Beda's back, my legs wobbly from riding for so long, my skin feeling like it was stiff from the cold. I could barely straighten my fingers after clutching the reins so long, and my back felt like it was perpetually curved into the shape of a C.
I led Beda into the barns and began unsaddling and cleaning her, making sure she was dry and warm before ushering her into her stall. I turned and found my personal security militia members doing the same, along with Holly, and smiled faintly, proud of all of them for making it back here.
I walked slowly, achingly back to Independence Hall and bit my lip as I climbed the stairs, making a small hand motion to the militia on guard. Warmth enveloped me as I stepped inside and I groaned in relief.
The furnaces and fireplaces were in full blast, heating the building so that it stood like a glowing beacon against the snow falling outside. I shuddered and strode a little quicker down the hall to my quarters, eager for a hot bath.
I paused and course corrected, heading for Bass's rooms, my feet aching with every step. Knocking on his door a few moments later I waited impatiently for the door to open and frowned when it remained firmly closed.
Suspicion filled me like a dark heavy cloud and I spun away clomping heavy footed down the hall to Miles's rooms, pounding on the door. "Miles! Open up!" I demanded, worry gnawing at me.
His door too, remained shut, despite my repeated knocks.
"Uh, Ambassador? The General and the President aren't here…"
I spun and found one of the militia guards standing behind me with a cautious look on his face. I realized I probably looked like a crazy woman, and tucked my hands behind my back, smiling faintly at the young man.
"Thank you, can you ask the staff to start heating water for a bath for me? I would appreciate your help," I murmured.
He nodded before stepping away, retreating respectfully. I sighed and ran a hand over my face, wondering where the hell Bass and Miles had gone. I trudged slowly back to my room, every bone in my body aching, my very soul seeming to ache.
I was so glad to be home that I wanted to cry, but I couldn't even seem to summon up the energy for that, let alone the energy to be mad at Bass and Miles for being missing. Unlocking the door to my quarters I slumped against the wall and sighed heavily, my eyes sliding shut in relief.
A knock at the door made me jump and open my eyes. I turned and found two of my personal guard carrying buckets of hot water for the bath I had asked for, grins on their faces.
"Shit, sorry ladies, come in," I murmured softly, stepping out of the way so they could walk around me and fill the tub. They nodded and walked quickly over to the tub to fill it, stepping out of the way as three more women filed in and dumped steaming buckets of water in.
I frowned, "How did you guys get the water heated so quickly? I just asked for this," I murmured.
A short curvy blonde, Katie, stepped forward and grinned, "I rode ahead and made sure they had water heating so you could get a hot bath as soon as you got in." She shrugged, "It's our job to make sure you stay alive and healthy, and you looked like you might freeze to death on Beda."
I laughed softly and patted her arm firmly, "I appreciate what you did," I looked around the room at the women, "All of you, thank you," I uttered gratefully. The women nodded and smiled at me before filing out of the room, leaving me to bathe in peace.
I shut the door and quickly stripped, shivering in the cool air. As I slid into the water I bit back a yelp, my half frozen skin tingling painfully. I sank beneath the water and scrubbed at my hair until the ache in my head lessened.
Surfacing, I let out a sigh and leaned my head back against the metal rim of the tub, a smile spreading across my lips as the heat eased away the cold from my limbs.
A knock at the door broke my light doze and a moment later the door cracked open, "Becca?" Nat's voice called softly.
"Come in," I replied with a faint sigh, lifting a hand to wipe across my face. When the water had dripped from my eyes I saw her sitting in a chair beside my tub, an envelope hanging loosely in her fingers.
"What's that?" I asked tiredly.
Her bright eyes met mine and I felt something hit my stomach, already knowing what it was.
Bass and Miles.
She sighed and held it out to me, not saying a word.
My fingers left water marks on the paper where I touched it and when I flipped the letter open, some of the words had blurred. It didn't prevent me from reading the letter Bass had left though.
Or from feeling an aching sense of loss and worry at the words on the page.
Becca,
I'm sorry that we won't get to be together for Christmas, but the reinforcements you've sent are needed in Trenton, where the fighting has grown steadily worse. If Miles and I cannot defeat the rebels there, I fear we will lose the entire Republic. The Trenton Campaign has begun, and it looks like it's going to be bloody. Please guide the Republic; I know yours are the only hands it could possibly remain safe in.
I will see you soon, I hope.
I love you.
Bass
Miles and Bass were in Trenton, and there was nothing I could do to keep them safe. I had to stay here and make sure the Republic didn't fall to pieces in their absence.
My eyes slid closed and I heard Natasha walk softly away, the door closing behind her. The letter in my hand drifted to the floor, making a soft whispering sound against the hardwood.
I stayed in the tub until the water began to cool, hardly aware of the shivers that had begun to pass over my skin. Worry gnawed at me, the two people I loved the most were in the greatest of danger, and there was little I could do about it.
The Trenton Campaign had begun.