Black Sun

Chapter 16

"Oh, great, it's you people again," Barkeep said as the four of them entered the 100 Rads. He folded his arms as they all approached the counter and laid down bags full of gear. "What the fuck is all this?"

"It's stuff for sale," Jaune told him.

"Yes, I can see that. What I want to know is, where did you get it?"

"That's not the kind of thing that sounds good when said aloud, if you catch my drift."

"Fine, fine." Barkeep opened one of the bags and pulled out a random piece of gear, which happened to be a Kalashnikov with an underfolding stock. He looked it over, then shrugged. "Are they all about in the same condition?"

"Pretty much," Ruby offered. "There should be, like, thirty-something guns in there. They're not all Kalashnikovs."

"Well, I can't be bothered looking through all of this shit, so I'll just offer you a lump sum for it. Twenty-thousand."

"Twenty-five," Cinder insisted. Barkeep opened his mouth to tell her off, but she beat him to the punch. "We're going to be buying a lot of gear from you as well, so you'll get your money back in the end."

"Hell, why didn't you say so?" Barkeep asked. "For this pile of stuff… I can give you a Sunrise Suit, plus the enhanced body armor for it."

"Sold," Cinder instantly said. Before Barkeep could walk off, she slapped a large roll of cash on the counter top as well. "There should be about ninety-five thousand extra in there. Give us two more fully-equipped Sunrise Suits, plus some weapons, magazines, and ammunition to keep them going for a long time."

Barkeep's eyes widened at the wad of money. He instantly snatched it up, then nodded. "You're the boss."

With that, he disappeared into the back room. Jaune listened to him rummaging around for a bit, then turned to Cinder.

"Well, the money certainly kept him from complaining," he commented.

"Money talks," Cinder informed him. "Just you watch – I bet he'll be downright friendly to us when he comes back."

Barkeep returned a few minutes later, three Sunrise Suits thrown over his shoulder and several gun cases in his hands. He set the cases down on the counter, then handed the body armor over to them.

"Hers might need to be resized a bit," he emphasized, pointing to Ruby. "I had a suit for someone a bit bigger than her, but it might not fit out of the box."

"We'll make do," Ruby assured him. "What about the guns? What have you got for us?"

"See for yourselves."

Barkeep opened the cases, and they all leaned in to get a better look. Jaune wasn't sure what to make of anything he was seeing, but Ruby certainly seemed impressed – she immediately reached out and took one of them, some kind of rifle with a folding stock and a long tube at the end of it.

"What's this one?" she asked.

"AS VAL," Barkeep grunted. "It takes 9x39 ammunition. That thing at the end is a-"

"Sound suppressor," Ruby finished, a grin crossing her face.

"Yes. It's designed to run suppressed all the time. Very, very quiet, and the ammunition it uses hits like a truck. Just don't expect to take shots too far out – the rounds tend to drop out of the air like a brick after a few hundred meters."

Ruby just nodded along, inspecting the weapon in her hands. After a few moments, she slung it across her chest, then began slotting spare loaded magazines into the pouches on her body armor.

"What next?" Pyrrha asked.

"Admittedly, I didn't know what to get you," Barkeep confessed. "But you're a big girl, and very athletic at that, so I figured you'd appreciate something that could pack one hell of a punch."

Barkeep pushed one of the cases over to her, and Pyrrha picked up the rifle inside, turning it over in her hands and snapping it to her shoulder a few times before running the bolt and testing the trigger.

"FN FAL," Barkeep reported. "This particular one is a 50.61 model, so it has a folding stock by default, and it also comes with a railed dust cover already attached courtesy of the previous owner, in case you find a scope or something for it. Of course, I'd be happy to sell you one if you'd like-"

"This will do for now," Pyrrha reported. She leaned the rifle against the counter, then began to inspect the magazines. "What type of ammo does it take?"

".308, or 7.62x51. Somewhat expensive, but not that uncommon, particularly for those with ties to the Mercenaries or Freedom."

Pyrrha froze at Barkeep's comment, but relaxed when it became clear that it was simply a passing remark. Instead, she nodded.

"And finally, for you," Barkeep said to Cinder, motioning for her to take a look.

Cinder looked down at the rifle in the case, then picked it up and inspected it. "What is it?"

"AK-104. This particular one has some aftermarket parts attached to it – I think they're from Zenitco? Not entirely sure. In any case, it's the same as a standard Kalashnikov on the inside, the extra parts are just there to let you attach any scopes, lights, or whatever else you may find around the Zone."

"This will do," Cinder reported. "And what about sidearms?"

"I don't need one, and neither does Jaune," Ruby interjected. "I grabbed a… I think it's called a Glock 34? Whatever it is, I got one of those earlier, so I don't need a pistol."

"Sure, sure," Barkeep said, nodding along. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared into the back again while they all got themselves situated with their new weapons. In typical Barkeep fashion, he was back after a short time, carrying two more gun cases with him.

"For you, I have a SIG P226," he said, pointing to Pyrrha. She took the offered case, and he then looked to Cinder. "And for you, I've got an HK45 LEM."

Both girls accepted their new pistols and accompanying holsters. Barkeep then crossed his arms once more, turning to Jaune.

"Was there anything else?"

"Good question." He turned towards Cinder. "How much money do we have left?"

"A few thousand," she reported. "Why?"

Jaune's brow furrowed. He looked back to Barkeep. "We'll be back for it… but until then, we've got some documents we could use your help with."

"Hand them over," Barkeep said. "Along with my fee, of course. Three-thousand should cover it."

Jaune didn't argue, passing over the documents from X-18 along with a few bills. Barkeep swiped them up, then opened the documents and began to look them over.

"Looks like these documents mention another underground lab, X-16," Barkeep reported.

"Of course they do…" Ruby said with a tired sigh. "Does it say where we can find it?"

Barkeep's brow furrowed. "Not exactly, but just based off some of the things I'm reading here… the Ecologists would probably know. Shit, this is weird stuff…"

"What is it?" Pyrra asked.

"I have no idea, and that's the truth. Something about a… noosphere? There's only a very brief mention of it... Whatever that is, it apparently has something to do with the Brain Scorcher."

"What do you mean?" Jaune questioned. "Does it say anything else about the Brain Scorcher?"

Barkeep shook his head. "No… but if you were looking for a place to go next, that'd probably be your best bet. Not the Scorcher itself, of course, but the people who know more about it – like I said, that'd be the Ecologists. They're out in the Wild Territory, and Yantar. You know where to find the Wild Territory?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, we can find it."

"Damn, and here I was, hoping to squeeze a bit more cash out of you…" Barkeep closed the documents, then handed them back to Jaune. "Here. No idea if they'll need these or not, but it couldn't hurt to bring them along. Will there be anything else?"

Jaune's gaze traveled up to Crocea Mors, still mounted above the bar. He couldn't help but scowl at the sight of it, but at the same time, he knew that they didn't have the money to afford it.

"No, nothing right now," Jaune said. "But we'll be back, and you can count on that."

"I'm sure," Barkeep said dryly. "For better or for worse, you four have a habit of sticking around. I won't complain, so long as you keep giving me business. That being said, if you're done, get out – you're holding up the line, and I don't have time for small talk."

Jaune looked over his shoulder to find a couple of other Stalkers waiting to speak to Barkeep. He just nodded, then motioned for the others to follow him out of the Bar.

"Come on," he urged. "Let's go get some rest, and then head for the Wild Territory in the morning."

The four of them managed to find a spot off in a corner of the Bar where they could set up their sleeping rolls.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Jaune said as he laid down. "I am so tired of sleeping in body armor all the time. This stuff is super uncomfortable and doesn't breathe at all."

"With any luck, hopefully it won't be for much longer," Pyrrha told him. "Speaking of body armor… Jaune, would you mind keeping watch while we sneak off around the corner and get changed into our new armor?"

"Sure, Pyrrha," Jaune said. "Go on ahead. And I'll take the first watch, by the way."

Pyrrha and Ruby nodded, then disappeared around the corner. Cinder, meanwhile, hesitated for just a bit before approaching him.

"I will change here," she said. "I do not want for them to see my scars."

"You sure about that?" Jaune asked. "I mean, I'd be here-"

"We've both already seen each other naked, Jaune. It's nothing you haven't seen before."

He couldn't help but flush red at that. "Alright… but you may want to do it in the shadows, so nobody else can see. I'll keep watch, of course, but it'd be better to do it fast."

"Of course. Give me just a just a bit to figure it out."

With that, Cinder stepped behind him, retreating to the shadows. Jaune was careful to keep his eyes focused ahead, watching for any wandering eyes courtesy of the other Stalkers gathered around a campfire a short ways away, but thankfully they continued to mind their own business. After a short while, all three girls came back, dressed in their new Sunrise Suits and body armor. Pyrrha's seemed to fit her very well, while Ruby's was just a little bit big on her, but Cinder…

Cinder's suit somehow fit her perfectly. Jaune found it very hard not to stare at her as she moved, attaching her holster to her hip and slinging her rifle across her front. After a moment, he cleared his throat and looked away.

"All set?" he asked.

"Yes," Pyrrha confirmed with a nod. "You said you would take the first watch, right?"

"Yeah, I did. Don't worry, it's no problem. You three just get some sleep."

"If you're sure," Ruby offered.

Jaune flashed her a grin. "Yes, I'm sure. Go ahead and rest up. I'll be right here."

They all nodded, then took their places on their bedrolls. Jaune stayed facing forward, his hands resting on his shotgun as he searched for any threats lurking in the darkness.

It wasn't long before he heard gentle snoring behind him, indicating that at least one of the girls had fallen asleep. Jaune had to suppress a small yawn himself; sleep sounded really good about now, but he wasn't about to pass out and leave them all undefended.

"Jaune?"

Pyrrha's voice caught him off-guard, and he blinked in surprise before turning around to face her. "Pyrrha. I thought you were asleep."

She bit her lip, then shook her head. "No, I was simply waiting for the others to pass out first. There are some things we need to discuss. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Pyrrha," Jaune said. He motioned for her to move up next to him, and he did, the two of them standing next to each other.

Pyrrha shuffled, clearly uncomfortable about something. Jaune was about to ask her what the problem was when she finally shook her head and cleared her throat.

"I… haven't been completely honest," she admitted. "About my feelings towards you, I mean."

"Your feelings?" Jaune echoed. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha couldn't help but grin softly. "No offense, Jaune, but you really are dense, aren't you? I mean, I even kissed you and everything."

Jaune's eyes widened in recognition. "That…! P-Pyrrha, I had no idea!"

"Yes, I know." She smiled at him. "But it's okay. I already know you don't feel the same."

Jaune stared at her, unsure of how to respond. Finally, he sighed. "...You're right," he confessed. "I just… I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I can't feel the same."

"I understand," she said softly. "Truthfully… I think I've realized that I don't feel the same, either."

Again, Jaune was unsure how to respond. Thankfully, Pyrrha came to his rescue.

"When I showed up in the Zone, I had a lot of time to think things over," she said. "I thought I was never going to see you again, Jaune. And that hurt, but not for the reasons I thought it would. All this time, I'd been looking at you with a crush, but I think the reality is… I was simply blown away that for the first time, there was someone out there – a man, nonetheless – who was able to see past my fame and instead treat me as just a regular person who wanted to make a difference. That blinded me to the way things really were."

"What are you saying?" Jaune asked gently.

"I'm saying that I was, perhaps, a bit too eager to jump into things," Pyrrha confessed. "I didn't realize it until I got to the Zone. But when I finally had time to think about it, I realized a few things, Jaune. I realized you didn't feel the same way and never would, and that I was fine with that because, while I missed you, I didn't miss you in that way. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Slowly, Jaune nodded. "I think I do, Pyrrha. You were afraid you'd never get to see me again, but not in the sense of a lover missing her other half."

"That's correct. I missed you the same way I missed Ren and Nora. And when I realized that… when I realized that, I finally accepted that my crush for you was just that – a simple crush, brought on by being blindsided by someone who saw through my fame for the first time. Nothing more." She bit her lip again. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," Jaune interrupted. "Pyrrha, you've got nothing to feel sorry for. Truthfully… even if you still had those feelings, I don't feel the same way – can't feel the same way. Pyrrha, you're like a sister to me, the same way Ren is like my brother and Nora is like my sister, too. You're my best friend, and I don't want to jeopardize that by trying to push it into a relationship."

Jaune reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not hurting my feelings by telling me this, or anything like that. In fact, I think it's important that you get it off your chest. You deserve to be happy, Pyrrha, but the fact is… I don't think the two of us being together would give you that happiness. Quite the opposite, actually."

Slowly, Pyrrha nodded. "...I agree," she said, her voice muted. She took a breath, then sharply exhaled. "…You deserve to be happy, too, Jaune. I hope you realize that."

Jaune gave her a wide grin. "Then let's work for each other's happiness, however it may come. I'll support you if you support me. And the first step of getting there is making it home."

"You're right." Pyrrha hesitated, then said, "...Admittedly, the kiss took things somewhere I don't think either of us want it to, but would it be too much to ask for a hug-"

Jaune didn't even wait for her to finish, instead throwing his arms around her and pulling her close. Pyrrha stiffened in his grasp, but after a moment, she relaxed and then reciprocated, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's never too much to ask for a hug," Jaune replied. "And I think we both need one right about now."

Pyrrha let out a small laugh. After a moment, they pulled away.

"Do you feel better?" Jaune asked.

"Much better," she answered, the smile still etched across her face. "Thank you, Jaune."

"What are friends for, right?" He looked up at the moon. "You should get some rest, though – it'll be Ruby's shift soon, and then you."

"Of course. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you then."

With that, Pyrrha moved back to her sleeping bag, and Jaune turned back to focus on the rest of the Bar.

And for the first time since entering the Zone, he felt completely at ease.

The next morning, Jaune was awoken by a large drop of rain falling onto his head from a hole in the roof above. He let out a tired groan, then sat up.

"Gods…" he breathed. "Does it ever stop raining here? I'm sick of it…"

"I don't think it does…" Ruby said, stirring awake next to him. "Urgh… I slept terribly…"

"Nightmares?" She nodded, and Jaune let out a breath. "Me too. You're not the only one, Ruby. Don't forget that."

Ruby fidgeted a bit before rising to her feet. Jaune did the same, the two of them collecting their weapons. Pyrrha was still asleep, so Ruby went and gently woke her up while Jaune went to go find Cinder.

"We're up," he reported.

"You three still have another hour of rest," she told him.

"That roof's full of holes. No way we're getting any sleep underneath it, at least while it's raining. Besides, we're all awake now, so we might as well get started."

"I suppose," Cinder conceded. She adjusted her AK to sit a bit more comfortably across her front.

Jaune reached into his bag and tossed her a can of Tourist's Delight. Cinder grimaced as she caught it, but didn't complain.

"Breakfast of champions," Jaune said as he opened his own can and began to eat it.

"The food here is terrible…" Cinder reported, even as she ate out of the can. "It's all preservative-laden meat, stale bread, or cooked mutants. I shudder to think about how many years of my life I'm losing by eating this stuff."

"It's better than starving, at least."

Ruby and Pyrrha came around the corner, both of them chewing on bars of dark chocolate. Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight of it.
"You two had chocolate this entire time and didn't tell us?"

"You didn't ask," Ruby replied.

"Would you trade a piece of chocolate for-"

"No."

"Worth a shot," Jaune said with a shrug.

The four of them finished eating, then stood back up. Jaune turned to Pyrrha.

"You said you were with Freedom," he said. "That means you've been through the Wild Territory, right?"

"I haven't been through it," Pyrrha told him. "But it's very close to the Army Warehouses. I passed by it on my way here. I know where it is, and how to get there. But if it's anything like anywhere else in the Zone, getting there is the easy part."

"Yeah, isn't that the truth…?" Jaune shook his head. "Okay, lead us there. Hopefully, this thing won't be too dangerous, but I'm sure we'll start taking rounds the moment we make it there."

"So pessimistic," Cinder commented.

"More like realistic. Anyway, let's get going."

True to Pyrrha's word, the trip to the Wild Territory hadn't taken them much time at all, as it was very close to the Bar. Upon entering, however, they were all greeted with the sound of far-off bursts of gunfire. The sound made them all flinch and snap their weapons to their shoulders, but they allowed themselves to relax after a moment, when it became clear that they weren't the targets.

"Sounds like someone's having a shootout nearby," Ruby commented. "What should we do?"

"Besides try not to get involved?" Jaune asked. "We're not here to kill anyone, we're just passing through on our way to Yantar. If we can avoid a fight, I say that's what we should do. All in favor?" Everyone nodded, and he took a step forward. "Okay, then. Let's-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a bullet came cracking by his head, embedding itself into the ground just inches away. All four of them immediately scattered, taking cover behind whatever they could find nearby as rounds began to fly downrange at them.

"Who the hell is shooting at us?!" Jaune called.

"I have no idea!" Ruby shouted back. "It's coming from that brick structure up ahead!"

Jaune risked a look around his piece of cover. Just like Ruby had said, there was some kind of brick two-story building up ahead, from which he could see people shooting at them. He did a quick count of the positions of the muzzle flashes; there seemed to be around five people there.

"Pyrrha, Cinder, put some fire on that building!" Jaune called. "Ruby, you're with me!"

They all shouted confirmations, and then Cinder and Pyrrha did as they were told, laying suppressive fire down on the people ahead. Pyrrha's rifle was deafening, but Jaune simply grit his teeth and did his best to ignore the ringing in his ears. The incoming fire died down as Cinder and Pyrrha opened up, and he signaled for Ruby to follow him.

The two of them broke from cover, sprinting through the open until they got close to the structure. There were two men downstairs, dressed in blue camouflage fatigues and body armor; he opened up on one of them, firing two shells into the man's chest before he could raise his rifle. The man stumbled, gasping for breath, but the shotgun pellets failed to penetrate his armor. Before Jaune could finish him with a headshot, Ruby got there, her rifle's heavy ammunition cutting through the man's armor with no difficulty at all. He fell to the ground, and Jaune whipped around to take care of the other enemy, only to find Ruby had already gotten to him, too.

They both reloaded, then cautiously approached the ladder that led to the upper level. Jaune chanced a look at it, only for someone up top to open up on him with several semi-automatic shots. Jaune stumbled back, a pained yelp escaping him as a bullet grazed his cheek deeply enough to draw blood, but otherwise uninjured.

Ruby suddenly surged forwards, a feral yell escaping from her as she laid on her rifle's trigger. The man up top was riddled with bullets, his body jerking with every shot that tore through his armor. His rifle slipped from his grasp, and he fell from his perch, landing on the ground in front of Ruby. For good measure, she fired one last shot into his head to confirm the kill, then rushed over to Jaune.

"Are you okay?!" she demanded.

"F-fine…" Jaune said as he rose to his feet, one hand touching his fresh wound. It came back stained with blood, but the injury didn't appear serious, at least from what he could feel. "A little shaken, but fine."

Ruby's expression narrowed. "Stay back. I'm gonna put a grenade up there."

Jaune's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden ruthlessness, but he didn't offer any arguments, instead backing away while Ruby cautiously approached the opening. From up top, he could still hear shots being fired off at Pyrrha and Cinder, along with men shouting to each other in Russian and Ukrainian.

After a moment's pause, Ruby pulled a grenade from one of her pouches and pulled the pin, then held it for a few seconds before throwing it. A chorus of panicked screams went up for a split-second before the grenade detonated. The entire brick structure shook, and then it was followed by silence. After a few seconds of no noise, Pyrrha and Cinder came bounding up, mercifully without gunfire coming to them.

"Are you both okay?" Pyrrha asked as she came running over.

Cinder focused on Jaune, her eyes narrowing. "You are injured."

"It's nothing," Jaune insisted. "Just a scratch."

"Let me see it."

"Cinder-"

"Let me see," she repeated, stomping forwards. She took Jaune by the chin and angled his head around so she could get a better look at the shallow wound on his cheek, then shook her head. "Be more careful, Jaune."

She let go of his chin, then hefted her AK and began to move out further into the Wild Territory. Pyrrha gave her a baleful glance, but followed after her, while Ruby watched, dumbfounded.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Jaune raised a hand to his cheek, a faint red dusting his cheeks.

"...I have no idea," he offered weakly.

The four of them pushed out into the Wild Territory, their weapons leading the way. They had barely made it a few steps out when Ruby called out to the rest of them.

"Sniper! Get behind cover!"

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted for the nearest piece of safety he could find, which ended up being an old warehouse, Pyrrha running alongside him the entire time. The two of them made it just as the sniper's first bullet ripped through the air, zipping by Pyrrha's head and missing it by inches. Instantly, Jaune saw red, and spun out from behind cover, letting loose with his entire magazine full of shotgun shells. To his dismay, the sniper was too far away for his pellets to have any real effect; the man simply ducked down in his sniper tower, allowing the buckshot to ping harmlessly off the piece of wood he'd sheltered behind.

Jaune grit his teeth, reaching into his magazine pouches for a handful of high-powered slugs. He hurriedly loaded his Benelli full of them, then took aim through the weapon's ghost ring sights, waiting for his opportunity.

"Show your head, fucker…" he growled. "Nobody shoots at my friends like that and lives."

Jaune waited a few more seconds for the sniper to stick his head up again, and the instant he did, his shotgun bucked over and over again, sending slugs screaming downrange as fast as he could pull the trigger. The sniper jerked as the heavy pieces of lead made impact with him, puffs of blood erupting out of his back from where the projectiles passed all the way through; he stumbled backwards, eventually tumbling end-over-end from the top of the tower, plummeting to his ultimate end down below with a sickening crack.

Jaune stood there for a moment, his weapon's barrel smoking and its bolt locked back, and his own shoulders heaving. After a moment, Pyrrha placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump before he managed to regain control of himself enough to face her.

"Are you okay?" she bluntly asked.

Jaune shook his head to clear it of the fog that had enveloped his mind. "I'm fine," he answered. "This place is just getting to me, I think."

Her expression softened. "It's getting to all of us. But you mustn't let it change who you are, Jaune."

"Right…" He took a breath. "...Okay, let's move out."

The two of them pressed out from their spot behind the warehouse, moving steadily forwards. Cinder and Ruby had already advanced on the fallen sniper, no doubt to check him over for gear; they were just about finished by the time Jaune and Pyrrha got there, with the last thing Cinder stripped from the corpse being the scope attached to his weapon.

"What do you make of this?" Cinder asked, passing the scope to Ruby.

Ruby's brow furrowed. "...You're asking me?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I read your file back at Beacon. It said you knew your weapons and gear."

"...I had a file?"

"Every student did. And for the record, the old man didn't do a very good job of keeping them hidden. But there will be time to regale you all with the contents of your records later. For now, I just want to know if that scope is worth keeping."

Ruby blinked, then accepted the offered piece of gear. She turned it over in her hands, examining it for a few seconds.

"Specter by Elcan," she surmised. "Looks like a one-to-four magnification… seems well-built, I guess."

"That's it?" Cinder asked, unimpressed. "That's really all you've got?"

"Hey, I'm only an expert in Remnant weapons," Ruby countered. "But I suppose this thing is worth keeping for now. We can try it out once we've met the Ecologists."

"Then stow it and let's keep moving," Jaune asked. "I don't want to waste any more time out in the open like this."

Cinder nodded, dropping the Elcan into her pack before picking up her rifle and following after the other three.

As they drew deeper into the Wild Territory, the far-off sounds of gunfire they'd heard earlier picked up again, far more intense than they'd been before. Jaune's grip on his shotgun turned white-knuckled as they approached the source of the noise, and from the looks of things, the others weren't faring much better.

"Gods…" Pyrrha muttered. "Just once, I'd like to go somewhere or do something without being shot at…"

"You're not the only one…" Jaune agreed. He shook his head.

Cinder pushed past them all, motioning for them to follow after her. Jaune exchanged a glance with Pyrrha and Ruby, but did as Cinder signaled, trailing behind her by a few yards as she carefully moved up.

The four of them eventually made it to what appeared to be the remnants of a train yard, over which a large concrete structure loomed. The moment Cinder stepped out into the open, someone opened up on her from the top of the structure, but they were quickly put down with several shots from Pyrrha's FAL. On the ground floor, two more Mercenaries came bursting out, assault rifles already at their shoulders, but Ruby and Cinder beat them to the punch, taking both men down with a quick burst of gunfire each.

Jaune stood there for a moment, his heart pounding as the final remnants of gunfire finished echoing off the abandoned buildings and rusted-out train cars around them. He let out a shaky breath and began to relax, only to nearly jump out of his skin when his radio suddenly came blaring to life.

"Finally, some friendly faces!" someone said over the other end of the radio.

Jaune looked to his friends for a moment, but none of them seemed to know what to make of the situation, either, instead focusing on the gunfire that was continuing to reverberate through the area just a short ways away. Jaune frowned, but didn't hesitate to pick up his radio.

"Sounds like you're in a rough spot," Jaune said. "Need some help?"

"Don't I ever! I'm towards the back of the train yard, past the downed helicopter. I'm pinned down by a bunch of Mercenaries, and rapidly running out of ammo. Any help you can offer, I'd be happy to accept. And, of course, I'll be sure to repay you however I can."

"All we need is some information on the Ecologists."

"Then you're speaking to the right man, friend – I am an Ecologist. Name's Kruglov. Help pull me out of this particular fire and I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have."

The line suddenly went dead with a burst of staccato gunfire from nearby. Jaune stared at his radio, then hooked it back onto his gear and hefted his weapon.

"Let's move," he said.

The others didn't argue, and together, they all pushed out into the train yard.

Hey hey people, Minaris here. Hope you're all doing well, and that you had a lovely holiday season.

Now then, normally I'd take the time to regale you all with gun information here or something, but I think there was plenty of that in this chapter, lol. Plus, I mentioned I have an announcement... and no, it's NOT bad news at all. In fact, I think it's very good news. That announcement is this: as of a few days ago, I have launched my first piece of serialized web fiction. It's called An Angel's Retirement, and you can read it over on Spacebattles, Royal Road, or or/HFY. In each case, it's been posted under my name, Obsequium Minaris. I'll try to link it here, but FFN's wordfilter may make that impossible. In any case, let's try it (remove the spaces):

www . reddit r/HFY/ comments / 18xythv / an_angels_retirement_chapter_1/

forums . spacebattles threads / an-angels-retirement.1137358/

www . royalroad fiction / 79445 / an-angels-retirement

And the synopsis:

Captain Eric Anders thought his time in the military was over when the war with the Iprenians ended in a ceasefire. He was content to sit back, collecting his monthly pension and drinking his sorrows away. But everything changed when the government saw fit to drop one of its very own super-soldiers into his life. Suddenly, he finds his retirement interrupted by the need to babysit a socially-maladjusted killing machine who has known nothing but war for almost her entire life.

As it turns out, the war itself may be over for the two of them, but the wounds it left behind are very much still present...

It's a serialized work, so I'm trying to keep the chapters very short for the sake of brevity and ease of reading/posting - around 2k words each. It's not super long, and I'd really appreciate it if you guys wouldn't mind giving it a read-through and upvoting it or even commenting on it if you feel so inclined.

Anyway, because the chapters are so short and it's currently the only piece of original fiction I'm working on, I will be aiming for weekly updates for it. I hope to do more in the future, but for now, weekly updates seem like the way to go.

Also, a note: No, my fan fiction is not going anywhere any time soon. I still very much enjoy writing not only this fanfic, but also Auras and Alibis and Seeing Red as well. I just also wanted to get a start on my originals again very fucking badly, which led to An Angel's Retirement. But yes, I'm going to keep writing my fanfics as well, too, so no worries there.

But yeah, that's about all I've got for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I really hope you enjoy An Angel's Retirement, and I hope you all have an excellent day! I'll see you next time!

Enjoy my work and want to help me out a bit? You can support me, as well as read more of my writing, over on Amazon. My second original story is available for purchase now, you can find it by going on Amazon and searching for 'Dead World' by John Haruspex. The story is available now for three bucks in ebook format (or free with Kindle Unlimited) or twelve bucks in paperback format, if you prefer physical media. (Remove the spaces)

www . amazon Dead-World-John-Haruspex / dp /B0C2RPGXVC / ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1682982861&sr=8-2

My first original story is also still available at the following link as well:

www . amazon dp/ B0BLFL72MX