CHOOSERS OF THE SLAIN
A Battletech Short Story
By Sentinel 28A
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Glad to see everyone liked the first chapter! Hopefully this will be more of the same, though there's not a lot of action here; just a lot of exposition. I have to set the stage, doncha know.
For those who haven't read my earlier Snowbirds Saga, Kahvi Falx is indeed named after the ElfQuest Go-Back chieftess, who also wore her hair in four braids; other than that, their personality couldn't be more different. In the Snowbirds Saga, Kahvi was a fairly inexperienced warrior; here, she's the commander of the Snowbirds. I based her less on a child-woman samurai and more on Ziva David from NCIS, to the point of sharing Ziva's habit mangling foreign idioms. (It was too fun to pass up, and I love Ziva. Kahvi has a better excuse, though.) Louisa's wish to wake Kahvi by banging on a frying pan is a little shout-out to Osaka from Azumanga Daioh; Priss Musashiya shares the same first name as Priss Asagiri from Bubblegum Crisis, while a few of the place names might be familiar to those who know anything about the Dragonlance series. (Originally, when I plotted this story, I was using a map of Krynn. The map didn't have enough detail, so you get an amalgam of Krynn and my home state of Montana.)
REVIEWERS' CORNER:
FraserMage: The Sentinels actually ended up working for the Combine after Sheila ran afoul of Katherine Steiner-Davion. As to why the Black Dragons aren't around—well, it's because I don't know anything about them. Since Catalyst went to PDFs, I've been very limited on Battletech products (because I hate PDFs).
SulliMike: You ain't seen nothing yet!
Bien: As always, good to hear from you, my friend across the Pacific! Thanks for your kind words—actually, I had a short story of mine reviewed by some pretty well known sci-fi authors, who gave me some suggestions. Being a teacher doesn't hurt either. As for the Wobbies, eh, I'll figure something out.
Akalon: "Captain's War" is a book. It was written to give US Army commanders some experience in planning battles in a speculative fiction environment. (I found my copy in a used bookstore about 10 years ago.)
RogueBaron: No, Max and Sheila are still together. I just gave Louisa Sheila's last name so readers would get the connection. (I actually have a whole backstory for this, including that the Vlatas for some reason trace their lineage matrilineally, but it's too long for here.)
ACDoubleEdge and NovelTigger: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too.
Belgrade
Virentofta, Pesht Military District, Draconis Combine
11 September 3070
Another hour and two cloudbursts later, the Lynxes pulled into the assembly area of the Snowbirds SMCAT. The rain had stopped—sort of. What remained was a foggy drizzle. Louisa had been to Belgrade before, and knew the view was magnificent when the sun was out: the city was built on a plain surrounded by towering mountains to the east and south, and covered by a sky that the locals boasted was the biggest in the galaxy. Both were hidden in the gray, low clouds. It merely contributed to the misery.
Harris had radioed ahead, and there was a tracked ambulance, what the soldiers called a band-aid, already waiting. Louisa left her Lynx and went back to help offload the wounded. Maxine Colburn was brought out on a stretcher, and Louisa took her IV bag as four others levered the stretcher through the narrow opening in the Lynx's rear. "How you feeling, Sergeant Coburn?" Louisa felt bad about being so abrupt with Coburn at the ambush site. She knew she wasn't the friendliest person in the regiment, but wondered if she had been unnecessarily harsh.
"Like shit," Coburn replied. Some color had come back in her face.
"Well, get better. I might need a driver if I ever get promoted."
Coburn returned the slight smile. "I dunno, LC. Every time I've driven with you, you get ambushed." They shared a laugh at that. Louisa gently shook hands with Coburn, then got out of the way as the medics arrived. Her part in this was done, other than filling out an after-action report. She asked one of the medics where the command post was, and was directed generally north.
"Hey, Arla-Vlata!" Harris jogged over to her.
Heads turned at that, half-expecting to see the regimental commander. Seeing an average-height redhead instead of a tall brunette, they shrugged and went back to work. "What can I do for you, Sergeant?" Louisa replied.
"Just wanted to thank you again."
"No problem." Louisa saw Lieutenant Schultz being helped from the second Lynx. The lieutenant was paler than Coburn, her eyes staring at nothing. "What will happen to her?"
Harris shrugged. "I don't know. She'll probably be given another chance. Or sent home." He shrugged again. "Kinda hard. It's not her fault. Hell, I pissed myself the first time I heard a shot fired—and that was in basic." He grinned at her, trying to take away her attention from the disgraced lieutenant. "Hey, LC. I don't know what you're doing down here, but if you ever need a platoon of light infantry, you let me know."
"Will do, Sarge." They exchanged salutes—here, they were safe, hopefully—and Harris went back to his troops. Louisa continued on to the CP.
The assembly point held only a portion of the Snowbirds that Louisa could see; the battalion was probably spread out over a good distance to keep Blakist aerofighters from finding them. This was where tanks and BattleMechs were brought back for rest and refit. What had been an open, grassy plain had been churned to mud by hundreds of feet, both human and mechanized, and the rain had only made the mud slicker and deeper. Her boots, which she had shined enough to see her reflection in, were soon rendered a dull brown, and her steps made disgusting sucking noises as she walked. To make matters worse, the detritus of a battalion littered the ground: food cartons, cigarette butts, discarded water bottles, parts boxes, ammunition cans. Louisa smiled a little. If this had been Gamma Battalion, the area would be ruthlessly clean: Danielle Blackthorn was fanatic about the environment to the point of irritating everyone around her; Kahvi Falx, commanding the Snowbirds, was more circumspect about a battalion at war. The whole place smelled of sweat, lubricants, cordite, fuel, and urine, overlaid with the sweet smell of the pine trees that surrounded the area. She wrinkled her nose at it, though Louisa figured she should be used to it by now. Most assembly areas smelled like this.
Louisa also noticed that the Snowbirds had been hit hard in her absence. Various 'Mechs were scattered around under camouflage tarps in states of disrepair or damage. Louisa spotted an Archer, one of the new versions of the venerable 'Mech, with most of its right side missing. From the coincentric pattern of the damage, she instantly identified the hit as a massive Autocannon/20. Another 'Mech, a Cereberus, was nearly hidden behind a metal frame, with large lead sheets hung off the frame. Four techs were swaddled in heavy suits, and a crane moved above them: the techs were changing the engine. That was unusual. Engine changes were usually done in a full 'Mech bay, and Belgrade had one down the road. That meant that the Snowbirds had had so many 'Mechs damaged or destroyed that the bays were swamped. It was not a good sign. Louisa hoped her own lance was all right.
Finally, she found the CP. It was under a copse of pine trees and more camouflage netting, with a Hawkslayer air defense vehicle parked outside, its radar whirring around. The command post itself consisted of four big tents linked together, with a mass of cables snaking out from it to a Pegasus hovertank, its fusion engine providing power. That would be Major David Moore's machine; the other commanders had their 'Mechs parked elsewhere or were gone, she noted. It made sense. Falx piloted a distinctive Sunder, and the presence of that 'Mech would be a dead giveaway of the CP's position.
Louisa entered the CP. She quickly found Kahvi Falx, who was sound asleep next to a computer. The staff acknowledged her with a nod, if that; she was well-known, of course. They simply moved around Falx, going about their duties while their commander napped. Louisa smothered a smile. Kahvi was wrapped in her winter parka, though it wasn't quite that cold, and she had her head down on a collapsible desk, her pleasant face framed by the four braids she habitually wore. Even in the heat of combat, she had taken the time to put on makeup, feathering her eyeshadow around her right eye in the Steiner fashion that, like her braids, was her trademark. Though Kahvi had just turned forty and was now married with a child, she still looked childlike herself.
Louisa crept up behind her, tempted to clap loudly or something; she had the mad desire for a frying pan to bang on. Brefudd Dari, Kahvi's aide, fixed with a look that said she'd damned well better not. Instead, she settled for bending over and blowing gently on Kahvi's right ear. Kahvi stirred, slapped at her ear as if to swat a fly, then opened her eyes. Next her head came up slowly, she blinked, and her eyes settled on Louisa. "Good morning, Commander," Louisa said.
"Uh?" Then Kahvi came awake, blinking. "Oi. Konnichi wa, Louisa-san." She rubbed her eyes. "Ohayo. Ikaga desu ka?"
"English, Kahvi," Dari supplied from around the corner, winking at Louisa.
"Oh." She finally came fully awake. "Right. Terribly sorry, Louisa…I think I'm going on three hours of sleep, perhaps?"
"Would you like some tea?" Dari asked. At Kahvi's grateful nod, he looked at Louisa. "Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee, please."
"You look like hell, Louisa." He motioned at the dried blood on her jacket and pants as he poured their cups.
"Yeah, about that." Louisa pointed at the holomap in the center of the CP. "We got ambushed on the Saddle Peak road. Manei Domini."
Kahvi nodded tiredly. "We heard over the radio. I've some helos heading in that direction, and we will spare some militia to go look." Kahvi caught Louisa's look and her voice sharpened. "We do not have SLI to spare, Louisa. The Virentofta Militia is about all the reserve we have left." She accepted the steaming mug of tea from Dari. "What kept you?"
"I'm sorry I'm late," Louisa began. "I was at that skating meet on Richmond. We didn't hear about the Wobbies hitting Virentofta until four days ago. I got back as quick as I could." Louisa didn't feel like describing the hair-raising dive the DropShip had made into Virentofta's atmosphere at a speed that was distinctly unsafe. The Wobbies had a destroyer in orbit, though the Combine had countered with a frigate, and Virentofta was rumored to still have about two hundred Star League-era shipkiller nuclear missiles buried about. Nobody knew if the rumor was true, much less the Word of Blake, and Sheila Arla-Vlata wasn't about to enlighten them one way or the other. "Mom met me at the DropPort, said you needed me down here in the worst way, and here I am. I hitched a ride with the SLI." Louisa had been troubled by her mother's words. Yes, she was the Commander's Daughter, but she was just a lance commander, albeit one of the best ones in the battalion, if her fitness reports were correct. She simply wasn't that indispensable; no lance commander and few company commanders were. "I didn't really get time for a decent sitrep—I know the Wobbies landed onplanet, of course, but that's about it. Mom told me to organize transport and get my ass down here. What's the news?"
Kahvi took a drink of her tea, got to her feet with a groan, and walked over to the holotank. She brought up a map of Virentofta's central continent. "All of it is bad, I'm afraid. When the Clans used to hit us here, they had the decency to confine themselves to one landing zone. The Wobbies have hit us in three different places—north of Vingaard Keep, east of Last Chance, and south of Sancrist. We've identified two separate divisions and one mercenary regiment—not sure of the WOB divisions yet, though we think the one down here is the 7th, but the mercenaries are the Tooth of Ymir. No great style as a regiment, but no pushovers either, yes?"
Louisa peered at the map and gave the Blakists credit: the fact that the Clans had always chosen one big dropzone meant that the Sentinels had always been able to corral them, build a perimeter, and then go on the offensive. The Blakists had landed in three different places, pulling apart the defenses, and threatening the three cities the Sentinels simply had to defend: Vingaard Keep, since it was Sheila's headquarters; Last Chance, the planetary capital; and Sancrist, the largest city. From the map, Louisa could see that the Sentinels were also divided, with Alpha and Delta Battalions holding Vingaard, Gamma and Delta Sancrist, with Senefa Malthus' Clan Sentinel holding Last Chance. That left the Snowbirds as the sole unit of the Sentinels who were available for offensive operations. Virentofta's mountains kept the Sentinels from assisting each other directly, though they also kept the Blakists from coordinating their operations. She looked closer and saw a single blue circle surrounded by Blakist forces. "Who're these poor bastards?"
"That, Louisa, is the problem—and the reason you are needed down here besides taking command of your lance." Kahvi rubbed her eyes. "What you are looking at there is a full battalion of the Virentofta Militia. They got cut off when the Wobbies did something none of us anticipated." She pointed to Last Chance. "We expected that the Wobbies would drive on the capital and have the bulk of their forces there, with just light forces screening us down here. After all, we have the Vingaard River between us and the WOB dropzone, and it is 200 kilometers to the dropzone from Belgrade—while it is only 60 kilometers to Last Chance. Senefa gave them a bloody nose on the first day, but we've since learned that was one battalion basically probing to see if there was anything besides militia defending the capital. Their main forces were actually coming down here—coming for us, trying to knock the Snowbirds out of the campaign. We collided at Three Forks." Kahvi sighed. "I do not know who got the worst of that engagement. We halted the Wobbies, certainly, but paid a price, as you probably saw outside." She held up a hand at the look of concern on Louisa's face. "Your lance is fine. Senior MechWarrior Habersohn has been commanding Alpha Light in your absence.
"The problem is, the commander of the 63rd Infantry Battalion tried to circle around and strike the Wobbies from the rear while the Snowbirds advanced from the front. He did this without my knowledge, though I would have approved it. When we were…forced to retreat…" Louisa saw the pain in Kahvi's face; though she had long since abandoned her Kuritan heritage when she changed her name from Kimiko Matsushima to Kahvi Falx, Kahvi still considered herself very much a samurai, and saw retreat as dishonorable. "…they were cut off before they could get back across the river. Since the battle, the Wobbies have been concentrating on them. Of course, they have to. The 63rd is sitting on their supply line."
"Poor bastards," Louisa repeated. The 63rd was dead: light infantry and a few tanks would never stand up against a 'Mech battalion or even a company for long. The Blakists would clean up their rear areas, then either renew their offensive against the Snowbirds or against Last Chance. Still, there was an opportunity there that she could see, and knew her mother had: while the WOB was overrunning the 63rd, that would give the Snowbirds time to rest, refit, and attack in a few days, or for Senefa to sortie out of Last Chance. Clan Sentinel was small—basically a reinforced company—but they were made up of former Clan MechWarriors who had defected to the Inner Sphere as Senefa had, or been dishonored, or, in the case of the freebirths, simply got tired of the harsh treatment they received from the genetically-enhanced "trueborn" Clanfolk. Senefa offered them an opportunity to fight, and many knew there was nothing else left—and as a result, they were fanatic fighters, able to inflict damage far beyond their numbers on paper. The fact that they were the only unit in the Sentinels equipped wholly with captured Clantech didn't hurt. Either way, the 63rd was a writeoff, but at least their sacrifice would mean something.
Louisa abruptly noticed that Kahvi had watched the play of emotions on her face and knew exactly what the younger woman was thinking. Kahvi sadly shook her head with a small smile. "You are a poor poker player, Louisa."
"If you're thinking that I was thinking that it sucks to be the 63rd and they're dead meat, then you're right…ma'am," Louisa added hastily. She and Kahvi were old friends and could be informal, but Kahvi was still her commanding officer.
"And you are not wrong, Louisa…except for the political aspect of this." Kahvi sighed and turned back to the map. "As you are undoubtedly aware, having attended secondary school and college on this planet, we are not entirely popular here." Louisa nodded: while the Sentinels tended to be popular amongst the people of Virentofta, who always remembered the Sentinels as the ones who had liberated them from the Clans, they were not as popular amongst the politicians of the planet. The latter saw the Sentinels as having long since worn out their welcome, as little more than occupiers for the Draconis Combine, which had never been welcome on Virentofta, and tended to blame the Sentinels for the constant Clan attacks on the planet. They undoubtedly blamed the Sentinels for the WOB attacking, and there was some truth to that.
"In any case," Kahvi continued, "we simply cannot abandon the 63rd to their fate. If we did, the peace faction in the planetary government would claim that we will fight to the last Virentoftan, while the Sentinels preserve their numbers to be employed elsewhere. The same 'hiresword' mantra we've heard entirely too often, I'm afraid."
Louisa snorted. "Maybe they'd enjoy Wobbie hospitality, then."
"Perhaps, but that is not up to us to decide. So we must rescue the 63rd—and not just for the political reasons. Those are brave men and women, Louisa, and they are worth the attempt."
"Yes, ma'am." Louisa didn't think so, but as Kahvi said, it wasn't up to her. "So I guess Alpha Light will be taking point, then."
Kahvi looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Louisa caught Dari with the same expression, and more than a few quick glances from other people in the tent, in her direction. "Not exactly," Kahvi amended. "Ah, I mean, yes, Alpha Light will likely be taking point for Alpha Company, but…"
Louisa suddenly had a horrible feeling. "What?"
"Alice Atikokan was wounded last night. The Wobbies launched a probe north of Three Forks. We repulsed it, but Alice was hit. She'll be all right, but she sustained a concussion and three broken ribs. She's in hospital."
"Oh, no." Louisa felt sympathy for and liked Alice Atikokan, the fifty year-old commander of Alpha Company, but her words were not for Atikokan, but herself. She knew what was coming next.
"You are the next senior lance commander," Kahvi stated.
"But…no, I'm not! What about Allison Gayheart?"
"Out of action with two broken legs from the battle at Three Forks."
"John Lawson?"
"Missing, presumed dead."
"Well, what about Beta Company? Why can't they command this thing?"
"Because they're needed elsewhere." Kahvi put her hands on Louisa's shoulders. "You're next in order of command, Louisa. I have no one else, and frankly there is no one I trust more."
"But I've only been a lance commander for three years! I'm only twenty-five!"
"Your mother was nineteen when she took command of the entire Snowbirds battalion."
"I'm not my mother, Kahvi." Louisa had secretly thought that her adopted grandfather, Calla, had been crazy to give a battalion to a nineteen year old. Even Sheila admitted that a lot of her success during the Clan War had been pure luck.
"What does that matter? You are in command of Alpha Company, Louisa, until either Atikokan or Gayheart return from hospital. I will hear no more on the matter, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am." Louisa took a deep breath. She was being thrown into the deep end this time. "So do I have a plan?"
"I will lead the details to you, naturally." That was the Sentinels' style: subordinates were told what they were needed to do, not how to do it. "But in broad strokes, your job will be to get to the 63rd Battalion, link up with them, and hold until relieved. The Snowbirds are attacking at 1400 tomorrow afternoon, in conjunction with Clan Sentinel and the 47th Battalion of the Virentofta Militia launching diversionary attacks from Last Chance and Whitehall. We will break through and relieve you, establishing a new line here, at Toston." Louisa nodded. That didn't seem too bad. Of course, if the Snowbirds couldn't break through, the WOB would probably fend off the Snowbirds with one hand while smashing the 63rd and Louisa's force flat with the other. If Louisa was being given all of Alpha Company, then Kahvi would basically only have two reinforced companies to work with.
"Why can't the Snowbirds just attack now, or tell the 63rd to pull their heads in and wait?" Louisa asked.
"They will not last that long. And the Snowbirds need another eighteen hours to repair our damage. You saw that coming in." Kahvi fixed her with a stare. "You will need to jump off no later than midnight."
Oh, great. Night action. Few MechWarriors liked fighting in the dark, when one depended on sensors that could be jammed or fooled far easier than eyesight, and turning on searchlights was just asking to get shot. She checked her watch: it was 1800, six o'clock. That left her six hours to plan and get everything together. It didn't improve her mood any. "Who's my second in command going to be?"
"Priss Musashiya. You'll have your own lance, of course."
Louisa wasn't sure what to make of that. Having her own lance would be nice; at least there would be familiar faces. Priscilla Musashiya—who everyone called Priss for short, which she wasn't-Louisa didn't know, except by reputation, which was that she could be a handful. Musashiya had joined the Sentinels just before the FedCom Civil War, and tended to move in her own circles; she was an assault 'Mech pilot, and they rarely mixed with the "lights," such as Louisa's lance. MechWarrior cliques could be as exclusive as high school girls', and sometimes just as mean. "Air support?"
"None." Kahvi smiled sympathetically. "For one thing, they have taken their own losses, and they are needed more at Vingaard and Sancrist, where the threat is higher. The Wobbies here do not seem to have much in the way of air support of their own."
"And weather's going to be a factor too," Dari put in, handing Louisa a printout. "Fog tonight, with scattered rain, possibly freezing temperatures, and low cloud bases. Naturally, we've got mountains around here, and the flyboys aren't keen about flying in them when the weather's shit. It's supposed to burn off by noon tomorrow, and we'll get some air support then, even if it's just Attack Helicopter Five's Yellowjackets and Pintos."
"Awesome sauce," Louisa grumped. This just kept getting worse.
"It is an improvement, actually," Kahvi added. "The last 48 hours, it has rained cows and dogs. The rivers are at flood stage." She suddenly winced. "Ah, I mean cats and dogs. Raining cats and dogs." Non-Japanese idioms still troubled Kahvi when she was tired.
Louisa smiled despite herself. "Artillery?"
"That you will have," Kahvi reassured her. "All I can give you. In fact, you'll have both 'Mechs of Alpha Fire, Morrison's Spartan and Okueyungbo's Catapult. Three batteries of Arrow IVs."
That was something, at least. The Arrow IV was a highly accurate artillery missile, capable of saturation fire, cluster attacks—which would mBrittanyer infantry—and every MechWarrior's private nightmare, homing shots. The thought of a missile the size of a small house and packed with high explosives following a laser into one's 'Mech was enough for any MechWarrior to suddenly take artillery very seriously. "Wait, both 'Mechs? What happened to the other two of Alpha Fire?" Kahvi's expression told all. "Oh."
"I will also try and get you some regular tube artillery—155 millimeters—from the militia. Use the artillery sparingly," Kahvi warned. "The reason I say that is because the Wobbies have proved themselves very good about triangulating our artillery positions. Whenever they fire, they have to move almost immediately. As expected from a group of people who basically worships technology, the Wobs have also proven themselves good at jamming. You may not get too many chances to use the artillery."
"I thought you liked me," Louisa quipped miserably. "This sounds like a suicide mission, you know."
"It is not, I assure you." Kahvi wasn't very good at playing poker either; her face showed that, while it might not be a suicide mission, she didn't care for sending the daughter of one of her best friends on it.
"What're we up against?" Louisa asked, hoping that there was some good news somewhere.
"The 7th Division of the Word of Blake," Dari replied. "We think. The Wobs have been hiding their numbers and designations. In any case, mostly medium and heavy 'Mechs along with tanks and infantry. They've got those Manei Domini cyborg freaks, but they're using them mainly to raid our rear areas—and they may be ugly looking, but artillery blows them apart like everyone else. That's the good news." Figures, Louisa thought. "The bad news is the Celestials. Blakist OmniMechs. Doesn't sound too bad, but they've got some new weaponry on them. Nothing too horrible—no worse than Clanners, anyway."
"Yeah, but Clantech can be pretty horrible."
"True. Anyhow, most of the Celestials that we've identified are heavy and assault machines, and their pilots are damn good. Luckily, it doesn't look like they've got too many of them, and if the 7th has any brains, they'll have them deployed north, facing Senefa's Clan Omnis. Still, we ran into a few of the bastards at Three Forks, so be careful—but they die the same as any other 'Mech." Dari grinned. "I nailed one of 'em with my axe, and he went down and went boom nicely." That was helpful; Louisa's own 'Mech was a Nightsky, and it had an axe too.
"In any case, we doubt you will be facing Celestials. As Brefudd said, they're likely facing Senefa up north. It is one of the reasons we are sure you can break through to the 63rd."
"What are the others?"
"If you don't, we're screwed." Dari's grin grew wider, though there wasn't a lot of humor in it.
"Yes. Or rather, the 63rd is," Kahvi amended. "At last report, they were down to two reinforced companies, seventeen kilometers behind the lines, and surrounded. They have food and water, but little medical supplies and ammunition. It is up to you, but I recommend taking a supply of both with you."
"I'll try."
"Do what you can." Kahvi took a packet from Dari and handed it to Louisa. "Your codename is Task Force Valkyrie. Maps, intel and orders of battle, plus written authorization for you to take command."
"Priss doesn't know?"
"Not yet. I haven't had a chance to inform her." Kahvi touched Louisa's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Louisa. Truly. I know this is sudden, but you're the best I have left. Just get to those troops as fast as you can. We'll be along as fast as we can. We will relieve you. You have my word on that."
From most other people, Louisa might have dismissed that as hyperbole; too many people had promised her things and never delivered. From Kahvi, though, she meant every word; she was samurai, even if she wore no swords and had renounced her Kuritan lineage. It was a state of mind. She would drive the Snowbirds into hell to get to Louisa, and the Snowbirds would go there willingly.
"Okay…I mean, yes, ma'am." Louisa felt suddenly very young and small.
Kahvi hugged her. "May Buddha's light shine upon you."
"Um…thanks." Louisa turned and went to leave, then stopped on the threshold of the tent. "Commander Falx?"
"Yes?" Kahvi had turned back to the holomap, and regarded Louisa over her shoulder.
"Do my parents know about this?"
"No. Should they?"
Louisa smiled. "No." She was glad for that. She didn't want her parents worrying. Kahvi knew it as well. She had to be Lance Commander Arla-Vlata now, not Louisa Arla-Vlata. She saluted and left the tent.