Ana tossed the thick bundle of papers onto Louis' desk. It hit with the thud of the sheer weight of information.
"What is this?" The deer didn't wait for the response to turn the paper around and read the cover sheet. ANA-G127. ENSIGN.
"Everything to know about me that doesn't outright violate UNSC OPSEC. From birth to now. All my strengths and weaknesses both physically and mentally, though there is more of the latter." The pale Spartan stood tall with her arms crossed, an indifferent expression on her face. "I figured since I already know everything about everyone here, it was only fair that everyone had access to me should they care to know."
Louis looked up to scrutinize the girl before him. She could tell right away that he was looking for a catch. This much information couldn't just fall in his lap without some strings attached.
After a few more seconds of silence, Ana spoke up. "What is it? Something wrong with the translation?"
He looked back down over the papers, flipping to see baby pictures of the girl. There was a copy of her birth certificate along with a tiny handprint that was only a little bigger than his thumb. There was also her full name, Anastasia Petravna Romanov. He flipped the page again to see a family photograph. The man in what he discerned to be a military uniform was reminiscent of a bear with his bushy beard and black glasses. The woman next to the soldier had the same bright blonde hair as the girl before him, with sharp blue eyes that would be fitting on an eagle. Three other girls, all small, surrounded a single boy who lay beside Ana in an open-faced crib. They all shared the same pale skin and smileless expressions. Below the photo was a series of short descriptions.
Pyotr Petrovich Romanov Senior. Enlisted in the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps on June 8th, 2520. Rank: First Sergeant. 8th Shock Troop Battalion. Serial Number: 44860932527. Awarded Good Conduct Medal, multiple Navy Achievement Medals, multiple Joint Service Achievement Medals, multiple Navy Commendation Medals, multiple Joint Service Commendation Medals, multiple Purple Heart Medals. KIA at the Battle of Alluvion. 44 years old at time of death. Awarded Navy Cross Posthumously for Extraordinary Heroism during the Battle of Alluvion.
Sasha Alexandrovna Romanov. Enlisted in the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps on June 26th, 2520. Rank: Gunnery Sergeant. 8th Shock Troop Battalion. Serial Number: 44860932680. Honorably Discharged on April 13th, 2531. Awarded Good Conduct Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Purple Heart Medal. Killed during the evacuation and subsequent glassing of Miridem. 47 years old at time of death.
Olga Petrovna Romanov. Killed during the evacuation and subsequent glassing of Miridem. 10 years old at time of death.
Tatiana Petrovna Romanov. Killed during the evacuation and subsequent glassing of Miridem. 8 years old at time of death.
Marie Petrovna Romanov. Killed during the evacuation and subsequent glassing of Miridem. 7 years old at time of death.
Pyotr Petrovich Romanov Junior. Killed during the evacuation and subsequent glassing of Miridem. 6 years old at time of death.
"Louis." Ana said in a raised, but not stern voice. Only trying to get his attention.
He finally looked up from the paper, but set a hand on the sheet. "You said that you were not my enemy. Is this true?"
"Of course. We share the same goals. To change this world for the better." She deliberated her next words before continuing. "None of us have any interest in becoming a Beastar, not that anyone here would accept or respect it. Actually, if we can cooperate, I will see what I can do about getting Yafya to sponsor you." Ana did not feel good about the name drop, but the effects were immediate on Louis.
"Wait, are you serious?" There seemed to be an almost childlike wonder to the deer's voice.
"Certainly. I know you have good intentions. It is noble to want a place that is safe for herbivores of all types."
He cupped his chin and redonned a serious look as he pondered the offer. She let out a giggle when she saw this, blinding-siding him.
"This isn't some sort of serious transaction. It's just a favor. If I had to ask anything though…" Her eyes peered up and away before centering back on Louis. "Just try to be less of a dick. It's been working for me."
Prideful indignance welled up in the deer before he reminded himself of the opportunity before him. He then considered her request for the briefest moment. Maybe you have been a little… brash. "Very well then. I am sure improvements to our current conditions can be made."
"And we can make them together." Ana stuck out her hand.
Louis returned the gesture, shaking. "Together then."
Ana stepped out of the elevator to the small underground base the Spartans had built up under the police station. Standing around the main table of computers, a rather sizable group was formed in a meeting. There was of course Yafya, Tina, and James, but there were some new additions. Gohin stood across the table from the horse. He held a chunk of bamboo in one hand that he seemed to be grazing on as Tina explained something. Flanking the panda on either side were eight canid animals in full body armor. She recognized a few from the Black Market Hospital. They held specially made helmets in their right hand that looked like an offshoot of the Marine standard issue CH252, translucent orange visor covering the eyes to provide a HUD. They all had Private stripes on their right shoulder, except for a Pitbull that wore a Private First Class. From the briefings that had been going out to the Gammas, she concluded that these were the first animal additions to the UNSC Army Garrison for Earth, The First Infantry Division's "Teufel Hunden."
The first thing Ana did was walk up to Tina and pop a salute. "Ma'am, Ensign G127 Reports."
"At ease Ana. What do you have for me?" The Lieutenant Commander had yet to turn her attention away from the computer, still sharply scanning over a map of a city named Zebuth.
The smaller Spartan dropped her hand, putting it behind her back as she adjusted her stance. "Ma'am I wish to make a proposal to Yafya concerning a possible sponsorship for a Beastar at Cherryton." All eyes, including Tina's, went to the Black Devil who was intrigued by the announcement. He gave a nod to the senior officer.
"Go ahead."
"In line with our mission to better herbivore-carnivore relations and increase stability in the region, I advise a sponsorship for the Red Deer Louis for the position of Beastar. In my tim-"
"You want me to sponsor who?" Yafya cocked his head as though he hadn't heard the girl right. Just as she was about to repeat herself he continued. "That arrogant pampered son-of-a-prick is your suggestion for the next Beastar? This might be the first time I have ever outright opposed an idea from you Spartans. I thought you had better judgment than this. He clearly isn't trying to attain this position for himself. He is attempting to secure power and influence for his father, and by extension, the Horns Conglomerate. I hope you don't seriously believe his whole spiel about a better world for herbivores.'"
"With all respect sir, I disagree. You know just as much as I do about how he came to be Oguma's heir. I do not think that he is just doing this for his father. I think that he truly believes in what he is saying."
"You say 'you think,' but what can you prove?"
Yafya was right. She had no hard proof to say what exactly Louis would do. "I do not have anything, but why not give him the option to distance himself from the Horns and prove he has the resolve to do what is needed."
"What exactly are you suggesting ma'am?" James spoke up. It was always strange to think that pale girl technically outranked the behemoth of a man.
"I am suggesting we put him through an expedited training program to prepare him for augmentation injections. We already know that he is highly educated and-"
"That is enough Ensign. We will take your proposal into consideration. Dismissed."
Like that, the conversation was over. While she was frustrated that she hadn't been able to fully explain herself, she was smart enough to know when to back down. She stood at attention once more, popped another salute, and turned about to head back up the elevator.
Once she was gone the conversation at the table picked up where it had left off.
"I just don't think that this is a tactic we should be using across the board. You said that we would be curing these poor bastards, not turning them into conscripts." The bamboo in Gohin's hand crackled as he bit off another chunk, not taking his eyes off of James.
"You know just what these creatures have done to be here. They are paying their dues to society through service." The petty officer rumbled, as he looked over the dogs who did not make any visible reaction to being talked about. He had made them understand the reality of their situation and changed their perspective on the world through rather brutal means. To top it off, he had given them all implants, similar to the Gammas. Only these devices had a minute amount of plastic explosive to keep them in line.
"We could have just killed them." Yafya said coldly.
Tina did not seem to be interested in the conversation. What's been done is over to her. It was time to plan further, but first… "James. Did you take care of that target I assigned?"
"Yes ma'am. Turned out to be a hybrid. A cross between a leopard and a gazelle. He will not be a problem anymore."
"That explains the agility and strength he showed during the chase. Good work. That's one less issue on the streets. It would be even better if we could just be rid of the Black Market. It's just a hive of scum."
"But unfortunately, a necessary evil that all of our population centers must maintain. It keeps many of the law-abiding carnivores docile. We would have chaos on our hands if it just disappeared." Yafya pointed out with disgust in his voice. "That being said, we have established a solid precedent that kidnapping and live devouring are no longer tolerated even in the market. Now we need to set this tone elsewhere. Tina." He gave the stage back to her.
The LC pulled up a roadmap for the year to come. "We are expanding our range of operations. Hence the need for new blood, Gohin. With the new fusion reactor outside of the city finishing its testing phase, we will have a greater pool of funds to work with once it's connected to the grid." She let out an exhale through her nose. "Our meeting with the Sublime Council produced mixed results. We laid everything out for them. The UNSC, its span, the Covenant, and it got the attention of some. Many, however, did not see how this was pertinent to them and their regions, especially when the projected time of First Contact was almost five hundred years away. As they are representatives of sovereign territories, they make the initial call on whether or not they will contribute to any sort of coalition. We've only managed to get a handful of backers who will try to sway local governments to allow a military presence. In exchange, we provide the expertise for the construction of additional fusion reactors and trading rights with SolTech."
"Excuse me." The panda once again spoke up. "'Trading rights with SolTech?' How do you have access to one of the fastest-growing corporations in this city?"
"Ana made it shortly after arriving. She's analyzed the stock market and put away profits into an LLC. Once we found out, we decided to use it as a way to begin developing smoothers, bio-foam, and other advanced medical devices. It gave us a steady stream of revenue to pay off information brokers in the Black Market and weapons manufacturers to track shipments. We now have exact locations of 24 different crime syndicates on the continent, similar to the Gumis here."
Gohin put his bamboo down on the table as he thought about the scope of what this group was trying to do. They're not just trying to straighten out this city. They're trying to change the whole damn world. "Alright. Thanks for the rundown." He just crossed his arms and looked at the screens before him, feeling more out of his depth than ever.
"Of course. So, with the wealth of resources soon to be at our disposal, our next move is…" Tina looked around her, at the awkward quarters and restrictive ceiling. "To establish a proper base." She pressed a button on one of the touchscreens and an overhead view of a forested area popped up. According to the map, it was less than a kilometer away from the new fusion reactor site. The area was then cleared and flattened before a full installation was built up. It sported barracks, full training grounds, a weapons range, and even landing pads for VTOL aircraft. The top of the layout read: Camp Menagerie
"Camp Menagerie will be our first training and operating base, with further plans to replicate the same layout elsewhere once we have approval from other territories. Yafya and I have already created a list of officers here at the PD who have the drive and abilities we are looking for to establish a strong baseline of commissioned officers for the UNSC. They will be the foundation that we will build on as we begin recruiting drives. We will also be looking towards the prison system for enlisted volunteers, offering full pardons for crimes excluding perjury resulting in the execution of an innocent party, kidnapping, rape, treason, robbery, lynching, crimes of extreme danger to life, burglary, trainwrecking and arson." She took a short breath after that mouthful of a sentence. "In exchange, they will provide twenty years of service in a branch determined by necessity at time of recruitment. If we can still not hit our quotas then James will continue to use his methods to press other syndicate members into service. Any questions so far?"
Most of the group shook their heads as the panda just focused on not getting lost.
"Good. Now we'll move onto potential companies we will want to contract with for logistical support."
After another two hours, the meeting finally reached its conclusion. Gohin and James made their way back out to the Black Market Hospital, along with half of the canines. The other half stayed in the corner of the sub-level that they'd claimed for their team. Tina and Yafya were the last to leave, taking the elevator up to the latter's penthouse.
"I am sure that you have already made up your mind about Ana's proposal. Am I going to like your decision?" The stallion asked as he leaned against the back of the elevator.
The LC turned her head slightly and a little smirk turned up in the corner of her lips. "Nope."
Yafya just sighed and closed his eyes. "What I hate the most is the fact that I cannot even dispute your decisions because you have yet to be wrong."
"That's because you're smart and adaptable. Probably would have made a great officer." She reached out and let her fingers run through his mane before the elevator doors opened.
He snorted at the thought. "From what you told me about your superior officers, I'm sure I would have been thrown in the brig long before I got to make a decision that mattered."
She let out a laugh before nodding her head. "You're probably right."
After removing her armor at a configuring station she'd installed, Tina sat down at the ornate table while Yafya got to cooking. The two had their usual dinner together, having practically made it a tradition at this point. Their talk now was rather mundane, discussing rather civilian topics like the recent weather, music, and how the meal was. When they finished they walked into the stallion's master bedroom and laid down. They could feel each other's breath with how close they were, and for the first time today, they actually relaxed. It was something that the two had come to a realization about. They were not in love, there was no physical attraction, but there was a peace neither could find elsewhere. A trust that had been built through trial and tribulation, and yet, there was always a distance between them.
Yafya reached out to grab Tina's hand and began to feel over the bumpy texture of her titanium nanocomposite bodysuit. It felt akin to scales, bringing back memories of another comrade who had long walked away from the fight.
"Something on your mind?" The woman asked, letting him feel as he pleased.
"No, it's nothing."
"You know I don't like that."
"You can never just leave it alone."
"You're one to talk."
"And there's always a comeback."
"Come on. Stop deflecting."
Despite what might seem like bickering, they both had small smiles. The Beastar pushed his hand forward until he interlocked his fingers with hers. He quickly found a topic that avoided what was on his mind.
"It's a question I've never asked you."
The stallion's focus on her hand led her along enough to infer. "'Why don't I take off the undersuit?'"
"Like I said, yet to be wrong."
She gently tightened her grip on him, always being careful not to hurt him. He was strong of course, but at the end of the day, there was really no comparing the two in terms of power. When Yafya looked up, he saw something rare in the Spartan's eye. Doubt.
"It's because I'm ugly."
Having been blindsided by the statement, he could only let out a half-laugh of disbelief. "Surely you must be kidding. Are you trying to fish for a compliment?"
The woman's smile was gone, replaced by a simmering melancholy that he had seen before on another face just before a goodbye. He felt a small panic rise in his stomach. He knew that he had said the wrong thing, but how was he supposed to know this one thing was somehow different from everything they'd discussed before? His mind went through a long list of things he might be able to say to shift the blame away. Maybe create a distraction from the tension that was building. He could not let this go this way.
"I'm sorry." His mouth moved before his mind could. Words he had not uttered in a long time. An irrefutable display that announced he was wrong. Amongst anyone else he would likely have died before saying such a thing, but with her…
"It's okay." She whispered, bringing his hand to her chest. "Do you want to see why?"
Having avoided a dread that had been hidden in his mind, he did not think twice when he nodded. Tina then reached under her pillow with her free hand, pulling out a thin tablet that displayed her suit. Her finger hovered above a diagram of her body, specifically her neck. She took a breath and pressed down. The bodysuit loosened immediately, and the woman gasped in pain. Her grip tightened a little more on the stallion's hand, enough to make it uncomfortable. He had no clue what to do but watch. Her free hand left the tablet, coming up to the newly formed gap. She gritted her teeth before pulling the gap out further, leaning forward to let him see down to the newly exposed skin. He tipped his head down until he was nearly under her chin, but he didn't need to go far to see what he needed to. Below the undersuit was skin that was red and warped, some parts even blackened and hard. It ran down between her cleavage and beyond. After a few moments, Tina hit the button again and the suit resealed itself. She had tears in her eyes.
"It's my penance for surviving when my team didn't." Her hand came up to clutch the metal names that hung from her neck. "These aren't even their real tags. They melted into their bodies when the refinery blew. I was just on the edge of the kill zone. I could smell myself cooking."
Yafya silently wrapped an arm around her, knowing any words of condolence would ring hollow.
"And then they left me."
The stallion felt a tremble run through his body. Whether it was from him or her he couldn't tell. The two just stayed there in the silence, holding each other.