Welcome back to The Will of Repay! Last time, we've seen what some of our heroes were up to in the years following the end of 2nd Galactic War and Andromeda Defense War. Operation: Uncharted Shores is slowly building up resources needed to perform it and it will launch soon. But before that, there are things that need doing.
So, let's get to that, shall we?
Chapter 2
January 13, 2169
12:09
Narum Prime
Fleet Admiral Tyuule stood on top of a ridge overlooking an expansive plain. Or rather, former expansive plain. Now, for kilometers, she could see nothing but glassy structure. No trees, no grass, nothing of the sort. Just glass. It was a scar that would stay on Narum Prime for generations, if not forever. It all happened in opening days of the Defense War, Narum fell within just a few days. The invasion was preceded by an orbital bombardment, which turned one fourth of the planet's surface into pure glass. Tens of thousands died in the bombardment, while ecosystem of the planet was changed completely. It used to be a rural colony. But now…
Most of the population left, leaving only a fraction of what it used to be in the capital city. She couldn't blame them. Especially when the Border Battles started and Narum and Taurus Systems found themselves on the frontline of the constant enemy raids. She would leave as well.
"Well, that's a solemn sight."
Tyuule looked to her left, to see the owner of the voice. A dark-skinned Warrior Bunny approached her from behind and stood next to her.
"Can't argue with that."Tyuule admitted."When did you get here, Sar?"
Colonel Sarla, commander of Falmartian Special Forces, looked at her old friend.
"Just half an hour ago."she said."They told me I'd find you here."
"And what business to do you have?"
"None, actually. I just wanted to see what you're up to. And after that, I'm just gonna go and prepare a place for grouping of special forces operators for Uncharted Shores."
"Right. The operation. It's just a few weeks away."
"Yup. Few weeks from getting back to what we should do for all these years."
"You know the situation. We didn't have enough forces. And now, we're gonna have entire galaxy by our side. I'd consider this a good situation."
"If you say so."
Sarla looked out into the distance.
"You know what's funny?"she asked.
"What?"
"I was gonna come for a little vacation to my home on Narum a few days before the war. But I was stopped by some paperwork. If I wasn't, I might not have been here today. Said home was on the territories that were glassed."
Tyuule looked at the glass plains.
"Surprising how small things can sometimes save our lives."
"Or take them."
"Or take them."
Fleet Admiral then looked up, towards the skies. There, among the clouds, she could see several shapes in low orbit. Tens of them. All of them were warships that have already come from Milky Way or Andromeda. There were still more coming. She knew that the majority of the force will be formed out of UNSA, Nashini, Shakayans, Chakdrik and Tertans. But there will also be smaller or bigger contingents from all the other nations of Milky Way.
"This is gonna be a weird time."Tyuule said.
"Hm?"Sarla looked at her.
"It's been almost twenty years since all of this went down on Flare Prime. And now, we're gonna be taking part in the biggest military operation at least since the end of Great Galactic War. It's kinda hard to believe."
Sarla nodded.
"Can't argue with that."she said."Uncharted Shores indeed."
"Yeah."
Next, they just stood there for a few more minutes, just observing and not saying anything.
"Alright, I guess I'll go and take care of everything."Sarla said.
"Me too. I have to go back up."Tyuule said, pointing towards the sky."Take care of the fleet stuff, you know."
"I know. I guess we'll see each other on the battlefield next time?"
"Most likely. There's a lot that needs to be done."
"So let's get to it."
They glanced at the glassed area one more time, before turning and walking to continue performing their duties.
12:34
RFNS Queen's Light, hangar, Narum Prime's low orbit
"Faster, just three more rounds left!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
She watched as the group of new recruits ran past her, panting heavily. She had them run circles around the hangar of the Dreadnaught for at least five hours now. She was actually surprised they didn't fall down with no life yet. Then again, they were Fighter Infantry recruits. Only the best of the best had the chance to join FI. And it seemed, that she was given another batch of them to bolster up the Royal Falmartian Fighter Infantry Corp.
"You're not done torturing them, Deli?"
Colonel Delilah, commander of the 1st Falmartian Fighter Infantry Regiment, looked at Emmy, her deputy and closest friend.
"These are three last laps."she said.
"Well, I hope so."Emmy took a sip of her coffee."I'm surprised they survived this long. This hangar is HUGE after all."
Delilah looked around the hanger. The ship they were on was formerly known as Dark Vengeance and it was used by Sons of Sadera as a flagship for their invasion. It was captured in the final weeks of the Defense War and since then, it was turned into flagship of Royal Falmartian Navy, replacing Selene. It also replaced the Battleship RFNS Flare, one of the Mont Blanc-class Battleships operated by RFN. Renamed Queen's Light, the ship was given a new paint job, crew and was quickly brought to UNSA standards. Which was no hard, considering how advanced it was.
And because it was the biggest ship currently in Andromeda Branch's service, it meant that it's inside compartments were big as well. Hangar itself was large enough to fill in two Corvettes next to each other.
"At least it means they will be fit for service."Delilah said, crossing her arms.
"Not the times when we accept anyone anymore, huh."Emmy said.
"Yeah. That was when we were still building up our army."
"I remember as if it was yesterday…"
Delilah nodded.
"And yet, it's nearly two decades."she thought."Time sure goes fast when history changing events happen."
She looked at her rank on her arm. She was one of the best examples. Following the 2nd Galactic War, she was promoted to the rank of colonel, which was a surprise for her. They told her it was for her performance and actions during the war in Milky Way and gave her the position of the Commander of Fighter Infantry Corps after the last one was assassinated by SoS near the end of the war. Since then, she was hard at work preparing RFFIC for what was to come. She would herself say, that she was doing a pretty good job at it. The Corps only grew in size and was basically ready for the operation.
Hopefully.
"Anyway, I'm sure you got this, fam."Emmy said, patting her back."Or should I call you ma'am? I can't remember anymore…"
Delilah giggled.
"You five have an exclusive right to call me by name whenever you want. We're friends after all, aren't we?"she asked.
"Yeah. Yeah, we are."Emmy nodded her head.
Commander risen her eyebrow.
"Something wrong?"she asked.
"No. I'm just getting nostalgic, that's it."
"I never thought of you as the thoughtful type."
"You learn something new everyday, heh. Okay, I gotta go. I got this coffee to finish."She took another sip."You try not running them down to death."
"You got it."
Emmy then turned away and left. In the time they were talking, the recruits already finished their last three laps.
"In line!"Delilah exclaimed.
Recruits did as ordered immediately. They formed a single line in front of her, standing at attention.
"At ease."she ordered.
They all shifted and stood at ease. Delilah walked in front of them, observing their faces. All fierce, battle ready. They may have been recruits. But many of them actually had a fighting experience.
Most of this batch came from Taurus III, after all.
She stopped in front of the line.
"You did very well today."she said."But remember. What you're doing here is but a training. It will be different when it comes to a real battle. You have to keep constant vigilance and be ready for any possibility."
She paused for a moment.
"Our enemy is one we know close to nothing about. We know their fleets, their ships and their weapons. Some of their tactics as well, thanks to the events of the Defense War. But even though that seems like enough, we don't know many things. Their culture, society and other things we could possibly exploit against them."
Another pause.
"This will probably be one of, if not the most, dangerous operations we will ever partake in. Once we leave Narum System and cross into the next system to it, it will be an unknown ground. Since then, the task force will be completely alone. But I believe, that you will be able to carry out the orders and missions assigned to us with no problem."
One of the recruits stepped forward.
"You can count on us, ma'am!"she said."We will show these lizard freaks where they belong!"
"Yeah!"other recruits followed.
Delilah nodded.
"That's the spirit."she said."Now disperse. You're free for now. Around 15:00, we're having shooting exercises. I want to see you at the shooting range by then."
"Yes, ma'am!"They saluted.
Soon, they started dispersing. Meanwhile, Delilah looked out through the force field that made up the protection of the hangar. Beyond it, she could see Narum Prime, gleaming in the blue glow of the system's star. The gleaming part specifically was the one that was glassed. Blue hues shined on the glass making up the planet's surface now. Not long ago, there were millions of people living on this planet. Now, it was just a few thousand. So much for the 'paradise world' that Narum Prime was supposed to become.
"And all of this because of Zorzal."Delilah thought."When we get him, I will make sure he will be thrown down the gravitational well."
With these grim thoughts in her head, she turned around and left the hangar.
19:57
Skies above Highlands of Ice and Fire, Falmart
Highlands of Ice and Fire were the proverbial foothills of the Mountains of Ice and Fire, a place where the mountains officially started climb up. They were covered in vast grasslands and forests, still untouched by the still developing society of Flare Prime. They were probably some of the last places where nature ruled without anyone's intervention. It was a place many people liked to go on treks to admire the natural beauty, which was accented by the snow still covering the ground, since winter was particularly strong this year.
But today, it was not a trek. It was a flight. A deadly flight. And not meant to admire the beauty.
Three Stealth MN-43 Sapphire dropships were flying through the night skies. They were, however, not of any nationality. Instead, they were bearing an insignia of a certain military company.
Insignia of a shark jumping out of water and word 'Shakrline' surrounding it.
Aboard each dropship were twelve operatives, thirty six in total. They were on a mission, assigned to them by the Falmartian government, which currently purchased their services.
"ETA: 4 minutes."the pilot said in the PA.
"Alright people!"commander of the group said."Let's go over the mission one last time!"
She stood up from her chair, the sword strapped to her back shaking a bit. She grabbed onto the handle above her head and displayed a hologram from her hand terminal. It showed a compound of buildings and a cave network under it.
"According to the info given to us by RFIS, this compound is where the Imperial Reestablishment leadership is currently hiding."she declared."The compound in itself is a pretty tough looking fortress, since it's a re-purposed castle. Walls with towers and machine guns on them. Barbed wire around the moat. Probably also some guard dogs."
"How many enemies can we expect inside?"one of the mercenaries asked.
"Satellite images showed us around twenty people on the outside. It's possible that there are more hiding in the buildings and underground. So, if my estimates are right, from eighty to one hundred and twenty."
"Another day in paradise."another merc said.
"That's the life of us mercenaries, Falco."commander said."But returning. We will be split into three groups. Groups 1 and 2 will be attacking from the front. Group 3, you attack from the flank. We will draw their fire, so you can infiltrate the compound and open the gates for us. After that, groups 1 and 2 move underground, while 3 stays and covers the top. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!"they all exclaimed.
"Good! Now, who are we?"she asked.
"We are Sharks!"
"What do we do?"
"We tear apart our opponents!"
"Exactly! Now get ready!"
She quickly relayed the orders to the other groups and soon, one of the dropships left them and started preparing for it's part of the mission.
The commander then returned to her seat.
"You know Dora?"a person sitting next to her asked."I missed this so much."
Commander Dora Hiedel looked at Rory Mercury, an Apostle of Emloy who once more wore Shakrline armband.
"Missed what?"Dora asked.
"You, firing people up for a fight."Demigoddess replied."Works on me too."She winked, shifting her axe.
"Someone has to do it."she said, shifting the sword on her back.
"You still carry that thing around?"
"I could ask you the same about that axe."
"It's a holy relic, you know."
"And that sword is an artifact of an ancient alien civilization. Finder's keeper's."
"Didn't know you like to go on a banter like this."
"We've known each other for nearly two decades and NOW you notice? Unbelievable."
"It certainly is one way to relieve tensions."
"Yup."
Rory nodded and went silent. The rest of the flight went with almost no talking and soon, the dropship stopped in the air and it's side doors opened. Dora stood up.
"Go, go, go!"she exclaimed.
Mercenaries immediately stood up from their chairs and quickly grabbed onto the ropes that fell down towards the ground and started sliding down on them. Dora watched them go and smiled, seeing how well they did it. She herself made sure they were so organized and well trained. This was what differed Sharkline from the other PMCs. While others didn't care much about proper training, more about the best weapons, Shakrline cared about making sure their operators won't shoot themselves in the foot while taking a smoke. That's why they were such an elite group. And expensive one.
Fortunately, because they knew each other, Dora gave Pina a sizable discount on their services.
One other mercenaries were out, it was time for Dora and Rory. Commander approached the rope and slid down towards the ground, while the Apostle just jumped out of the dropship and landed among the mercenaries, who were already used to her stunts.
Once they were all there, Dora activated her radio.
"Patrol the area and make sure enemy gets no help."she said to the pilots."We will call you if we need you."
"Copy."two dropship pilots replied.
Machines flew away, while Dora counted the group. All twenty four. Good.
"Okay, let's not make them waiting. Move out!"Dora ordered moving to the front of the group.
"Yes, ma'am!"mercenaries replied.
They formed four rows and started moving through the forested area. Dora was in the front, together with Rory. All around them, sounds of the forest could be heard with birds singing and other animals moving about. It almost made everyone sad that they would soon make this forest a place of war.
But then again, they could only blame it on the IR.
"We defeated Zorzal and yet, we have to deal with his supporters still."Rory said."I won't lie, I expected them to just lay down and die."
"It's never easy like this."Dora replied.
"I know."Rory pouted.
Dora looked at her. She didn't show it, but she was really disgruntled by the fact, that in her mission to eliminate all enemy intelligence cells on in Falmart, she missed a few and it came to bite them in the ass. Because of that, she joined with Sharkline again, to finish the job.
"You know, I didn't really expect we'll be working together again."Dora said."First HO Remnant, now this…"
"You know, I have a thing for making sure an enemy will be eliminated fully. No matter in which galaxy."Demigoddess replied.
"Fair one."
"Speaking of which. This is a bigger operation, right?"
Dora nodded. Their group was not the only one on a mission today. There were more groups of Sharkline mercenaries who were also at work in other parts of Falmart. Today was supposed to be the final day of Imperial Reestablishment. RFIS caught enough enemy troops that they could pinpoint and locate all remaining enemy hideouts. If everything goes smoothly, there will be no insurgents by the next day's morning.
"Yeah. If it works, IR will be done for."commander replied.
"Finally, you could say."
"Indeed."
The rest of the march went in relative silence. Mercenaries scanned area around them, searching for possible enemy ambushes. Fortunately, enemy was not smart enough to actually set up any ambushes or traps.
After around forty minutes of walking, Dora lifted her fist, showing them to stop. Mercenaries quickly approached the edge of the forest and prepared for battle. Looking past the trees, Dora could see the walls of the fortress used by IR. Between them and forest was an open field.
"So, what now?"Falco asked.
"That's simple."Dora replied, pointing at the two mercenaries carrying a rocket launcher."Take out the MGs."
"Yes, ma'am."they said.
They took their missile launchers and pointed them at the walls.
"Fire."Dora ordered.
The two pulled the triggers and the missiles went flying. Screams came from the walls once the missiles were spotted, but before anyone could do anything, they slammed into MG nests on top of the towers next to the gate. Immediately, IR insurgents started lining the walls and opening fire on the forest. Mercenaries quickly started doing the same, firing at the enemies.
"Group 3, move in!"Dora exclaimed in her radio."Rory, go help them."
Demigoddess nodded and started running towards the walls. Meanwhile, the dropship that was waiting for it's time finally appeared again and targeted the enemies on the walls, firing the chainguns at them. Surprised, IR insurgents tried to turn to fire at the machine, but before they could, Rory ran up the wall and came in, slashing her axe at them and killing many of them in the process. This gave the dropship enough time to reach the walls and drop it's group of twelve mercenaries on them.
Once on the walls, the twelve men team split into two and started clearing the walls in two directions, with one of them securing the stairs leading off of the walls towards the ground, while another made their way towards the gatehouse. Rory helped, making sure nobody would get close to the mercenaries and before long, the resistance on the walls was taken care of and the gatehouse was in the control of Sharks. They went to work and quickly opened the gate.
"Now, move, move, move!"Dora exclaimed.
Mercenaries immediately left the cover of the forest and ran up to the gate. Beyond it, they could see more enemies pouring out of the buildings, but the allies on the walls were quickly picking them off one by one. Rory also jumped off of the walls and started swinging her axe at them, allowing Dora's group to reach the gate and enter the fortress.
Inside they joined in on the fun and quickly proceeded to eliminate as many enemies as possible. Seeing that their chances were low, especially with Demigoddess around, the insurgent in charge gritted his teeth.
"Bring out the big gun!"he ordered.
Soon, the big door in one of the buildings opened and much to Dora's irritation, a tank drove out of it.
"Leave that one to me!"she exclaimed in the radio.
She reached for the sword on her back and pulled it out of it's sheath. The blade shone a green light and she took a swing with it. As she did, the blade let out a green crescent of energy that flew towards the tank and hit it in the place where turret connected with the hull. As it flew through, cutting through metal and bodies inside alike, it additionally cut through the ammunition, causing it to detonate. The turret flew high into the sky and smashed into one of the buildings.
Seeing how swiftly the tank was dealt with, the IR started falling back, but the mercenaries and Rory didn't allow them to. They eliminated them with deadly precision. It took them fifteen next minutes to complete the clearing of the upper part of the fortress. Soon, whatever remained of the IR was gathered in a neat stack of prisoners.
Dora stood there, observing as remaining enemies were placed on their knees, with arms behind their heads. Each of them looked at her with nothing but hatred.
"How many do we have?"she asked.
"Twenty."Falco replied."We killed sixty."
Dora nodded. So there was definitely more than eighty. She approached one of the prisoners and knelt next to him. The man looked at her and almost spewed in her face, but before he could, she slapped him so hard he almost choked on his own spit.
"Don't you fucking try, bitchhead."she said."I had people spit in my face more than you can imagine."
"Rightfully so!"he exclaimed."You're nothing but wardogs sent on us by that usurper in Sadera!"
"Oh, and you're gonna cry?"Dora asked mockingly.
"You may eliminate us! But there are hundreds of us, thousands, all across the continent!"
Dora shook her head.
"There were. There will not be, not after tonight."she said.
"What?"
"Don't worry about it. All I want to know, is how much more of you is there?"
The man just growled.
"Okay. Let's do it the hard way."Dora said."Falco."
Falco nodded and approached the man. He put him on his feet and pulled him away from the others. Next, he threw him on his face and uncuffed him.
"Drill, help me with him!"Falco exclaimed.
Another mercenary approached.
"W-What are you doing…?"the insurgent asked.
"A little game."Dora said, unsheathing her sword again.
Falco grabbed one of the insurgent's hands and stretched it, forcing the man to open his hand and straighten his fingers. As he did, Dora placed the tip of her sword at the man's little finger.
"The game is called 'Truth or finger'."she said."It's pretty effective."
"I won't tell you a...AAAAAAAA!"
Tip of Dora's sword sank in the man's little finger, cutting it off.
"One."she said."There are nineteen more."
"Fuck you…AAAAAA!"
"Two."
"I will never…FUUUUUUUUUCK!"
"Three."
"Okay, okay!"he exclaimed, tears in his eyes."I will tell you what you want!"
Dora nodded.
"Nice. You actually took longer than normals. Others usually give up after two."
She sheathed her sword again and knelt.
"So?"
"There are thirty more of us, stationed in the underground tunnel."the insurgent said.
"Is that all?"
"Yes…The underground is so deep, that they probably don't know about you and what you did…and we didn't manage to inform them…"
Dora nodded. At least they had that working for them.
"Alright. Thanks for the cooperation."she said and walked away, while Falco told the other mercenary to take care of the insurgent.
Dora walked up to Rory, who stood leaning against the destroyed tank.
"So? What did your little game give you?"Rory asked.
"We have thirty more enemies in the underground. They don't know about us. Most likely."Dora replied.
"So it's gonna be easy."
"You forgot how hard it is to deal with tight spaces?"
"I know, I know. Fortunately, you have me."Rory said, puffing her chest proudly."I will take care of every enemy in tight corridors. You can take care of bigger rooms."
"Sounds good to me. Let's start then."
She turned towards two mercenary groups.
"Okay people! We're moving underground!"she exclaimed.
"Yes, ma'am!"they exclaimed and followed the two.
They approached a large cave in the rock the fortress was built into. There, they could see metal door and a panel mounted next to them. IR was sure hard at work making sure this place was in modern standards.
One of the mercenaries approached the panel and opened it with his knife. Next, he pulled out a thin cable from his hand terminal and attached it to it. He started clicking and after a few minutes, the door started sliding open. Once they did, Dora and Rory stepped in, with soldiers following them.
"Okay, let's be careful."she said."We don't know what can await us down there."
"Yes, ma'am."
With that, they stepped into the darkness.
Half an hour later…
Upon entering the underground part of the fortress, the two groups of mercenaries, which, as Dora noticed, didn't take any losses yet, were sneaking through the corridors. Until now, they ran into eight enemies, which Rory or Dora took out quickly and deadly with their melee weapons. This allowed the mercenaries to move deeper and deeper. Surprisingly, there were no cameras in the facility.
"They should really ramp up their security."Falco said."Somehow they could afford reinforced blast door and they don't even have cameras? Unbelievable."He shook his head.
"Hey, at least it's easier for us."Dora said.
"I know boss. I'm just sayin'."
Dora looked at Rory.
"What do you think about this?"
"I'm with Falco on this one."Demigoddess replied."Security here sucks cock."
Dora blinked.
"You must stop spending time with Rodgers."
"It's Falco that taught me that one."Rory pointed out.
"Hey! That was supposed to be a secret!"Falco exclaimed.
Commander just rolled her eyes. Right then, however, she stopped.
"Halt."she said, lifting her fist.
As everyone stopped, they all could hear rustling and bustling coming from ahead of them. They all looked at each other.
"Rory, investigate."Dora told her.
"On it."Rory saluted.
She ran forward, surprising silent, even with the axe she held, and disappeared behind the corner. She came back a few minutes later.
"I think I found all the remaining enemies."she said."They gathered in a big chamber in front of us."
"Seems like they're going for numerical advantage."Dora said.
"They don't really have that now."Falco noticed."I mean, if I count correctly, there is two more of us."
Everyone looked at each other.
"I guess you're right."Dora said."But still…Rory. Could you distract them?"
Apostle smiled.
"Always."she replied.
"Alright. Get ready people."Dora ordered.
Mercenaries quickly approached the corner beyond which the enemies waited and Dora stood in front of them. She glanced at Rory and nodded to her. Before long, the Apostle shot past them and ran into the chamber in front of them. Insurgents, who were just setting up some kind of barricade, looked at the black-crimson shape surprised and before they could react, some of them were already laying dead.
"Okay, go!"Dora ordered.
Mercenaries quickly ran into the chamber and started firing at any enemy that didn't immediately try to surrender. Even though it should be expected a chaos would ensure, surprisingly, everything went in an organized matter. IR was not as organized and was taken care of quickly.
Among the whole firefight, Dora spotted a single figure running towards a tunnel leading out of the chamber. It didn't take long for her to figure out who it was.
"I see the leader!"she said on the radio."I'm going after him! You take care of the rest!"
Without waiting for the answer, she ran through the Sharks and insurgents, some of which tried stopping her, but soon, they were met with a fate known as shot in the face. She left behind the quieting down fire exchange and ran into the tunnel the enemy leader ran into. She could see him in front of her, turning a corner time after time, keeping in front of her. But she wasn't going to easily let him go.
Taking the sword from her back, she swung it again, sending a low flying wave of energy. It flew towards the enemy leader. Before long, it connected with his ankles, getting out a shout from him as he fell on the ground.
Dora approached him, passing by his cut off feet and walking through the trail of blood he was leaving in his wake. To make sure he didn't die before they could question him, Dora placed her sword's blade at his ankles, burning the wound and causing the man to scream again.
"Stop whining like a little bitch."she said.
"You…bitch…"the man hissed.
"Yeah, yeah. I hear that a lot."
Not long after, the rest of mercenaries arrived. Dora pointed at the man with her sword and they picked him up, carrying him away.
"That was effective."Rory said, looking at the cut off feet.
"Yeah. But he was surprisingly fast. So that was the best option."
"I'm not saying it wasn't. Let's go now. We have some prisoners to transport."
"Right behind you."
The two then followed the other mercenaries.
Few minutes later…
After getting back to the surface, mercenaries took care of enemy bodies, getting them out of the underground and setting them up with the others. They already called for some more help from Falmartian Army, which was on the way.
Dora was sitting next to the destroyed tank, while other mercenaries watched over the IR insurgents with Rory. With the Apostle present, there was a certainty that they will not try anything funny.
"Commander."Falco said, approaching her.
"What is it?"Dora asked.
"We just got information from Sharkbite."
"What do they say?"
"Other groups have already completed their missions successfully. We eliminated majority of IR forces."
Dora nodded. Majority. Which means, that there were still some out there, that probably managed to escape from the carnage. They're gonna be a problem, but she doubted they will be able to rise back up after the defeat they sustained today.
"Good. Thanks for the info."she said.
"Ma'am."Falco saluted and walked away.
As he did, Dora's phone suddenly started ringing. Looking at it, she was a bit surprised to see Ester's number. But she accepted the call, of course.
"Hello?"Dora asked.
"Do, I have some news."Ester said, a smile clear in her voice.
"What news?"
And with that, Ester proceeded to summarize everything that Aquexymeva told her.
"Wait. She wants to what?"Dora asked.
"She'll lead the Tertan forces in Uncharted Shores personally."Ester replied.
"That's crazy."
"I told her the same thing."
"And she wants you to rebuild the White Squadron?"
"Yup."
"And SOF is to be recreated?"
"Also yes."
Dora whistled.
"Seems like you're gonna be busy."she said.
"Yeah. So…will you get back to White Squadron?"Ester asked.
Dora then looked at her mercenaries.
"As much as I'd want to…Pina signed another contract with us."
"What contract?"Ester asked, sadness clear in her voice.
"After eliminating Imperial Reestablishment, we're to partake in Uncharted Shores."
There was a moment of silence.
"Oh."was all Ester said."You know, I more expected her to hire you to guard their planets while their fleets are away."
"How would we do that? Out entire fleet consists of only three Heavy Cruisers and five Destroyers. Not enough to guard the whole space. But enough to join the expeditionary force."
"So…you're gonna join me in recreating White Squadron?"
Dora stopped for a moment to think.
"You know. I have an idea."she said.
"What idea?"Ester asked.
"Since we're both gonna be in Uncharted Shores, how about we join Sharkline and SOF forces together?"
"Elaborate."
"Under a single command structure, at least for as long as Uncharted Shores lasts."Dora explained."This will give both us us much more capabilities."
Ester was silent for a moment, probably mulling it over, even though Dora knew what her answer will be.
"That's…actually a good idea."she said."It can work."
"Yup. I just have to talk it through with my boss."Dora pointed out.
"You do that. Meanwhile, I will go and ask the others if they want to get back on it."
"Don't be discouraged if they say 'no'."
"I won't. Because it's their choice."
"Good. So. See you during the operation?"
"Absolutely! Can't wait to see you again! I love you, Do!"
"I love you too. Bye."Dora ended the call.
Dora hid her phone in her pocket and started thinking. It's been some time now since she was home with Ester and the twins. Last time was on Christmas, so maybe not that long, but in their lives, it felt like several lifetimes.
"I need to come home more."she thought, standing up.
Time to talk to the boss about the idea.
XXX
And this is where we end for today! As always, feel free to leave a review, follow and favorite. It will be highly appreciated!
See you next time!