Slava Ukraini!
18 - Like Granite (Mov Hranit)
- Solid (Tverdi)
"This is the Captain speaking. For all units in the field, do not fire upon an incoming red hatchback. It contains Class 1 precious cargo and they have a man down. Which brings me to the gate and to the medical corps; stand by to receive." is called over all available radio channels active within the operation zone.
Which includes most of Corneria City thanks to the clearing of the jammers by Mr Bones and Ms Patches. Or, with a few strikes of his pen to be made soon enough, this was done by Nova 7. Comprised of Corporal Trevor DeLange and Militia-Private First Class Ashley Hare. He just needs those two to reach the base camp alive, which he is really hoping for as he follows the U-GPS tracking the vehicle in real time.
Messages from various forward recon units and radar operators confirm that they are coming closer. All orders to not engage are still standing and obeyed by all. With the special request not to point any barrels or rockets at them. In case they get spooked or someone messes up.
Herg checks his watch and sees that it is 00:32. In less than seven and a half hours does the offensive commence. Time is getting shorter and shorter. The core is coming their way but installing it and getting it working with their equipment will likely take some time. What if it is not in time? Or not working at all? Those thoughts also plague the Captain, but no one can see that behind his stone expression.
Then a message from the gate comes in; the red hatchback is approaching. The Captain wastes no time and tells them to open up. Then he sends out an escort unit to meet them as well as getting the medics to earn their bread.
The gate opens up just in time as Patches was not in the mood for braking at all; Calamity just informed her that Trevor is no longer moving and he has his eyes closed. The spotlights at the gate and just beyond that turn on, showing the bad state of the infrastructure of the base. Going from asphalt straight into the sandy and somewhat muddy underground is a shift but she controls the car well enough to have it parked properly. With the engine put out of its misery because she kept it in too low of a gear the whole time, the car stops and her door flings wide open. So does Calamity's but she remains in place until the medics have arrived.
And not a moment later does base medical personnel arrive on the scene. With a stretcher ready with accompanying rolling medical equipment. Patches guides them over and only then does Calamity get out of the vehicle. Feeling extremely conflicted and helpless about it as she is urgently asked to step aside so that the doctors can work on getting Trevor the help he needs.
She backs off, on the verge of bawling her eyes out as can only watch as her motionless boyfriend is being carried away. She wants to chase after him but Patches holds her back in an embrace. Mostly to console the canine but also a little bit for herself. Calamity then lets go of anything that holds her tears back while Patches gives her some soothing words. Again, also meant for herself.
"It'll be alright. Trevor will be alright. We got the best doctors there are. They fixed us up when we survived Metro and they'll do their utmost to fix him again."
Calamity nods, at least mildly consoled. At that moment, some of the medics that were there only for assisting in lifting Trevor out, then start to busy themselves with the canine and Patches. With special attention paid to Calamity, who also has very nasty cuts. But she declines any help, wanting them to focus on Trevor instead.
"We understand ma'am. But if we are not needed for that. And if we do not address your wounds, you could join him in the operating theater when we have an infection on our hands." one of the medics tells her straight to her face.
Maybe a bit harsh but it is a good wake-up call. With Patches' encouragement to trust them, she relents and lets herself be treated. The wounds are large but not deep. And there is no sign of any Aparoid infection after a quick check-up, despite that nasty blade being coated in that purple stuff. The wounds are clean too so it is just a matter of stopping any leftover bleeding, disinfecting the wounds and putting bandages over it.
Even Patches gets attention, but aside from exhaustion, hunger, thirst and few cuts and bruises, she is alright. Luckily, one of the medics has a chocolate bar with her. She was gonna save it for later but figured it would be better for Patches to get some sugars in her system.
With that nice gesture done, the considerate medic packs up her stuff and leaves to go back to her duties, undoubtedly calling her. From a kind face to one that makes her feel like trouble is coming; she can see the welcoming committee. Headed by Private Second Class Clyde Sharp. If being a tightass was made flesh. And Clyde notices her too.
Astonished, he walks by her as the first priority is getting that core out of the trunk of the car. All the way, Patches glares right at him. Like knives pointed at him. Calamity asks why Patches is leering at him so much. The only answer she gets is that she will see for herself. Then she takes the first bite of the chocolate bar while maintaining eye contact, like she is ripping off his head. A bad shiver from him can be seen.
Once the core is safely lifted out of the boot and carried away in an enclosed box to prevent unwanted attention, does half of the escort stick around along with Clyde while the others run away to bring it to its destination. Clyde then turns his attention to Patches. Standing before her and obviously towering over her, he feels confident. Yet somehow nervous, which he tries to suppress as much as possible.
But the only truly confident person here is Patches. She is not even looking up at the mongrel anymore, whose shadow covers her. She takes another bite from the chocolate bar. Calamity sees this figure's attempt to intimidate her and it clicks in her head what the bunny said about this guy. Slowly a growl starts building and her teeth are laid bare in response. However, Patches simply waves her down. She has fought bigger and more threatening than this piss-ant.
"You're standing in my light." she says as blunt as possible as she puts her chocolate bar away for the moment.
"Last time I saw you, young lady, you were put into a car heading for somewhere. I see you traded it in for a smaller model?" he asks as pedantically as possible before turning to Calamity, who spooked him quite a bit when she just lightly bared her teeth.
"And what is this? Another civilian on the base? This won't do!" he fusses before delegating one of his underlings to get her out.
Which the underling does loyally. Patches then looks up at him, effectively conveying that this is not a battle that he will win. And this is more than true as Calamity reaches for the shotgun she has on her back, baring her teeth completely and snarling like a mad dog. The unfortunate soldier yelps and backs off.
Patches shakes her head with a chuckle. Then she stands up and looks up at Clyde. She lifts up her finger and very obviously points at the patch on her shoulder. She is no civilian. And a Second Class like him better use a more appropriate tone with her.
"I will not ask for a salute… but I will ask you to respect my guest. That man you just saw being taken away, that hero who delivered that core to you… is her boyfriend. And my partner. Now… we are both tired, hurt and frankly disgusted by your very presence so close near us. And I also saw what you did to that one soldier this morning. So unless you want a knee to the moose knuckle, back off and shut up." she orders rather restrained.
It has made its wanted impact however and Clyde takes a step back with a much more bleached face. Then she reminds them of their likely duty; to escort them back to the Captain.
But Clyde is standing still. Flabbergasted at this whole thing. This bunny was never a civilian. Neither was that fox. Moreover, they were the ones designated as having the Class 1 precious cargo. The way he treated them… he is feeling humiliated. Muttering and shivering while being frozen in place.
At that moment, a familiar voice calls out to Patches. It is that clipboard soldier who has not lost his enthusiasm at all it seems. Despite the late hour. He is running like a madman and stops just in time before he would smash his face into a nearby pole.
"Whew! Apologies for… phew… being late. Nelson sent me… he figured there would be trouble with the usual welcoming committee." he pants as the dig at Clyde's escort has not gone unnoticed.
"Well then. That is more like it. See Private? That is a welcome." she says, slamming another verbal nail into Clyde's coffin.
"Say, would you mind fetching Trevor's radio from the passenger seat? I know I'm asking you to be a pack mule again…"
"No no! No problem! I heard what you two have done… Sorry, three! I would be honored to be pack mule for you." he chirps as he gleefully runs to the car and fetches the heavy radio before returning.
"There! Besides, I get paid extra now. Call it hazard pay." he chimes with a big grin on his face.
"Well then, lead the way!"
The clipboard soldier salutes and leads the way. Patches and Calamity follow him, leaving the escort to wallow in their own ineptitude. The clipboard soldier leads the two to Nelson's lair and the guards let the three in. With Frank manning the gun greeting them very friendly and opening the door for them. They descend down the stairs where they see Nelson fiddling with equipment and delegating his team with efficiency.
The clipboard soldier puts the radio down and bids farewell to the two ladies, having other duties to attend to. Once the door closes behind the messenger, does Nelson notice the two. His eyes are wide open, hand in front of his open mouth; total dramatic shock. He takes off his headset and joyfully runs up to them.
"Oh Patches! I'm so glad to see you alive and intact! But where is… Oh! No! Where's Trevor!?"
"The medics took him in…"
"Oh… whew! Then he's in good hands. But I'm still gonna cross my fingers." he quickly corrects himself, interrupting Patches.
Then he sighs again before noticing Calamity standing next to her. It takes a moment to register but when it does, he apologizes tenfold and utters nothing but admiration and the wish that Trevor may recover very soon. Calamity is a little overwhelmed by his behavior but appreciates the kind words.
Nelson then looks around and leads the two ladies to his office. So they can sit down, have a chat, have a drink and get their minds reset until more news comes in about Trevor's condition. Until then, Nelson will make it his personal mission to not mention or about that corsac fox at all. To have them thinking about anything else completely.
- Strong (Micni)
With a quick spit, he gets rid of the little mint he used to freshen up his breath. The last thing anyone wants is to be stupefied by bad breath and strong alcohol coming out of his beak. Although there is a secondary reason for doing this, given how a certain person is inside.
It happened just like that. No love at first sight for him, but more like a gradual thing. When he really connected with her was through conversation and a good amount of fun and laughter. That small bunny managed to leave quite the impression on him. In terms of resilience, vulnerability and adaptability. But maybe above all, a sense of strong loyalty. Despite some short-comings, both in timespan and in experience, she came to trust Trevor. And vice versa.
Speaking of that fox; his watch reads 01:25 and just five minutes before he had received an update regarding him. To him the honor of delivering that news. He buttons up his uniform to shield himself from the cold night and enters the building. The guards know him so they do not hold him up. Neither does Frank, who welcomes the Sergeant-Major back into the world of the warm-blooded.
Commending Frank for producing yet another zinger, he descends into the communications den. Too many people are busy with too many things so he is not going to ask for everyone to stand at attention. Efficiency is the key here and military customs can be considered secondary in this regard. In fact, he finds it much more fulfilling to watch it take place naturally.
After a few moments of this, he shifts back to what he came here to do. The busy bees will do just as well without him watching. He walks closer to the door of Nelson's office and can already hear a completely different vibe. Nothing work related but like people are having… fun? In a competitive sense too. All friendly though, nothing out of the ordinary. Hearing them laugh, gasp and celebrate at even the most marginal thing means that either spirits are very high or all of them are extremely intoxicated. The mentioning of the so-far unofficial nickname of Nelson and his character-appropriate response to it only highlights this.
He almost does not want to disturb this party but he kind of has to. He opens up the door carefully and finds Nelson, Patches and an unknown female canine playing cards together. And Nelson just gained the upper hand. Much to the dismay of the female canine, which just cracks Patches up for some reason.
Then Nelson notices the Sergeant-Major from the corner of his eye. His jubilation is instantly dropped, much like the one leftover card he had in his hand and a few hidden ones he had up his sleeve. Then he quickly stands up and salutes. It is only then that the women present turn around to see the avian standing there, who is quick to subdue his presence there.
"No, no. Don't stop for me. I only come to deliver important news." he mentioned quasi-sarcastically with his hands behind his back.
"H-hi Herg…" Patches stumbles upon seeing him.
However, he seems to have eyes for Calamity right now. Introducing himself as the Sergeant-Major. Rather than Herg. And there is no kissing of any hands. Just an extended hand. That high-class accent is ever still present however, but none of the mannerisms. Or is that reserved just for… her?
"Ah, you must be Calamity. Trevor's girlfriend, am I correct in assuming?"
The canine nods and smiles, returning the handshake. In which the Sergeant-Major is quite gentle with.
"And you must be that kind Sergeant that gave my Trevor and Ashley here a fighting chance. Thank you so much for that!"
"It was my pleasure, miss. However, I did not come by to necessarily introduce myself or ruin the pleasant mood. No; I have news regarding Trevor."
The room goes dead quiet after that. Only contained gasps and anticipation.
"He is going to live. It was close for a while, especially with the amount of blood he had lost, but he clinched it. Fought tooth and nail until the doctors could finally relieve him."
Calamity falls back into her chair, overcome with emotion. First dumbfounded, numb and then progressively it starts to trickle in and tears of pure joy roll over her cheeks as she stands up. She cannot believe it but every time she checks with the Sergeant-Major, there is still that confirmation. There is no way around it and she is unsure how to feel or how to respond. Patches sees this and in her own joy, clamps herself around Calamity.
Nelson lets out a big sigh very gradually as he leans back into his chair. So much stress and effort he put in and suffered through. And it was all worth it in the end.
Herg himself is rather reserved about this news, choosing again to observe. However, when Patches notices this, she does not accept him passively standing on the sight lines. So she leaves Calamity for the moment and turns herself to the big avian. Upon whom she pounces and gives him a nice pecker on the beak for bringing such good news. It is a quick one but the impact is tremendous.
The moment she is back on her own two feet, noticing that the other two did not see what just happened, she personally whispers her thanks to him. For everything and maybe for something in the future too. And as she turns back to Calamity, she could swear she saw him blush underneath that thick feather hide of his.
Once the situation has died down a bit, the Sergeant-Major calls for some calm so he can explain the rest. He details that Trevor may still live, but that the coming months will be very tough. His shin has been shattered because of the rubble. Multiple fragments of both bone and dirt have been found in the wound, which they are carefully removing now. From that point on, they will start on the reconstruction of his shin bone. Which will take some time to mold into place and even longer to recover completely. Along with the others wounds sustained thanks to the rubble falling on top of him.
"He will have to go through rigorous physical therapy and medication before he can even stand on his own two feet again. And then there is also the matter of regaining his shape for military service. However, I believe he will recover fully and be back on the frontlines within about three months." he closes off positively.
He intends to go on but there is a knock at the door. Given how this is Nelson's office after all, the Sergeant-Major allows him to do the honors. The person behind the door identifies as Kip, so Nelson tells her that she never has to knock at all and she could just come in. Which the roo does right away, spots Patches immediately and is so relieved that she could just hug her. She gives a quick salute to the Sergeant-Major and she does hug her bunny friend anyway.
"Oh, I was so worried when I heard what happened to you and Trevor! But some kind of secret clause kept me from knowing the details." she tells her, slightly rambling because of the excitement and relief.
"But I smacked some sense into that Captain of ours. And now this secrecy nonsense is over and I could just… finally! … just be me again without fearing a gun to the back of my head, you know?"
She lets go of the hug but keeps her hands on Patches' shoulders, looking her over and dusting her shoulders off. Proud of how she managed to stay upright throughout the whole ordeal in that infected zone so a light dusting-off is the least she can do. As she does, she notices the locket around her neck that was not there before. Patches shows her the picture of her mother and tells her that Trevor gifted this to her during their excursion. Kip is touched by this gesture but it does not surprise her that much considering who Trevor is.
Speaking of him, she was made aware that a certain important someone to him was also here. Patches takes a step to her side so Calamity is visible to Kip. And much like how she met the bunny, she pleasantly greets the roo.
"You must be Calamity, Trevor's girlfriend. He always spoke highly of you. I hope that the whole thing with the phone getting cut off has been buried between you two?"
"Oh, absolutely! Dead and buried. I was just so glad when he appeared in our apartment for the first time since months. And you must be Kip. Patches told me about you. Trevor's first partner in the field. Thank you for keeping my lazy-bones safe."
"So that's where that nickname came from. You gotta tell me about the origin of that one." Kip suggests, collecting some ammo to be witty towards the self-proclaimed corsac wit master himself.
And Calamity is not dismissive of that idea. She will tell her a few things but there is a time and place for that. Which is not now.
- Unbreakable (Nezlamni)
About three hours later, the Sergeant-Major finds himself standing just across from the entrance. The cold night has not improved but at least the wind is not blowing so much anymore. The calm before the storm perhaps? If the Captain, appearing from behind him, has anything to say about it… there will be a storm for sure.
He stands next to his friend as two troopers march by them. But to call it march would be lying; they are piss drunk. The Captain points this out, as it reminds him of themselves. Although they are about the same size, they do ramble and stumble about aimlessly. Being a massive nuisance to anyone with any sense of good taste and dignity. Something they are definitely above now. When Damian mentions this, both look at each other before cracking up at almost the exact same time.
"Sorry, I could no longer hold that back." chortles the avian as he starts recovering.
"Oh please! You always get corny when you're dead tired. I was exactly here to order you to at least take a nap. Or are you too proud for that?" the Captain teases with a light jab into his side.
Damian takes the jab like a champ but will definitely get him back for this. But the Captain is right; he is extremely sleepy. Constantly having to suppress upcoming yawns, which works varyingly. He would like nothing more than to crawl into his "nest" and sleep until it is next week. However, there are priorities and sacrifices one must make in the army. So even when the Captain says he will take over his duty, the very reason why he is standing out in the cold, he refuses.
"After you're done here then?" the Captain asks.
"Abso-lut-ely!" Damian exclaims rather passionately tired before returning to his more reserved self.
The Captain gives him a supporting pad on the back, saying that it should not take very long anymore. Because if the avian would pluck out the feathers he had ruffled out of his ears, he could hear them coming. And so he does.
"Now that you mention it… sounds like he has not lost his spirit. That is going to be fun for you."
The Captain sighs, now having his arms crossed.
"Come on Clef, lighten up. You are just as happy to see him still alive as I am."
"Yeah yeah…" the Captain admits half-heartedly as he sees the gang come around the corner.
"I'm gonna dislike this so much though…"
It is a foursome, led by Kip. Behind her are Calamity and Patches, holding a wounded but recovering Trevor both company and hostage by their presence. Mainly there for support should that poor man need it as he can now only stand on one leg and has been giving two actual crutches. Learning to walk with those is a pain and his sense of balance is still out of whack because of the anesthetic. So they are there to catch him up should he slip.
Kip in this case is the bullbar or cowcatcher but only using words to make sure people step aside. However, none of her words are kind; just clear and stern. And everyone around who knows her, knows to get out of the way once she gives that order. For those uninitiated, they will be informed. Not out of fear, but because she made quite the impression on them. Then again, it is not that busy in the trenches at this hour so she did not have to be ordering around anyone really. Better safe than sorry.
Before they notice their superiors, it is revealed by Calamity to Kip how she came to the nickname of "lazy-bones" for Trevor. And much to his dismay, Kip laughs heartily at it, saying she will remember that one for sure. For he has seemingly not suffered enough yet.
Upon seeing the Captain and the Sergeant-Major, Kip salutes and steps aside. Trevor attempts to salute but Calamity is quickly to verbally smack that attempt right down. He has to keep a good hold on his crutches.
"Sorry Sirs; doctor's orders." Trevor apologizes, a little woozy and strained.
"It is quite alright Corrrr… I mean, Trevor. We are just relieved to see you up and about. To see all of you, up and about. However, I believe you are here for something other than an empty welcome back party so I will leave the word to the Captain himself."
The avian takes a step back to allow the Captain the stage with a sneaky half-smile. Which allows Calamity and Patches to see this man in person for the first time. He is completely different and in some aspects the complete opposite of Herg.
For one, he is definitely a canine but not a pure-bred; a mutt through and through. Umber fur with a dull gray at the tip of his ears, sides of his muzzle, the front of his neck and at the fluffy, entangled end of his short tail. When it comes to his outfit, it perfectly reflects his looks. Although the colors are more appropriate than the striking black and purple of Damian.
He wears an unbuttoned, moss green, long sleeve jacket with red lapels and a red stripe running along the outline of the sleeves. With three yellow colored rings near the end. Underneath which a pair of black, fingerless gloves grace his hands. The emblem of the Cornerian Army is visible on the left lapel. Underneath that jacket, there is not much room for improvement. A v-necked white shirt with the collar folded down around which a very loosely tied black tie hangs. Below the belt, he wears brown pants with a thigh-holster, two black knee pads worn outside of his pants. And where the trouser legs disappear into his boots, they puff up like Herg's chest would.
That is how he stands before the foursome now. A certain stage fright creeps up with him. Not because he cannot do this but in this regard he has to admit he was wrong. And that is something he always had problems with. To be put on the spot like this.
To mask this, he clears his throat as the four sort-of subordinates before him await what he has to say. One more curious about it, the other more sour.
"Right. Allow me to uh… start off with offering my congratulations on a successful mission. Thanks to your efforts, within about four hours, we can start the clean-up of all of Corneria City. The cores have been installed and this means that every Cornerian soldier can essentially find any Aparoid in the area. No matter where they hide. This will minimize potential casualties and cleanse our planet's capital. The hope is that people will realize that they can rely on the Cornerian Army to always finish the job. And they don't have to put their trust into some jerk-off mercs. No offense, Kip."
The congratulations are received but not with much glee. It was not what the four were waiting for. Calamity, for this reason, has gotten sick with it. She said she was going to do this and she is a woman of her word. She taps Kip's shoulder and gestures to her if she could switch places. Given the Captain's masterful choice of words from just now, she does not hesitate and does so.
Now that Kip is standing beside Trevor, she hears him whispering that she is about to see something incredible. But she has to promise not to mention that he tacitly gave permission for this. Kip's anticipation is going through the roof now.
Calamity approaches the Captain, rather calm. And the man reasons that she must be Trevor's girlfriend. To whom he definitely owes an apology, which he was getting to. But that is not necessary;
"Are you the Captain that sent my Trevor in that war zone without his radio?" she asks relatively restrained.
Trevor hides his face away, knowing what is going to come. But he cannot resist looking anyway.
The Captain, in all innocence, confirms this. Before he could speak another word, he has already received a smack on the cheek. With the flat hand and with an accompanying meaty sound. As the Captain staggers, the Sergeant-Major behind him has to hold back an upcoming snort. He did see that type of comeuppance coming yet this does not make it any less humorous.
Trevor can sympathize; he knows exactly how that feels. That one time he had such a heated argument with her that he almost got knocked out by her. But that only happened one time and she apologized right after. She went too far that time, but not this time. There will be no apology for what she has done.
"Apology accepted… Captain." she bitterly says to him before getting back to the group.
Patches just stares at what had just played out before her. She did hear that Calamity wanted to do some things to the Captain, but she never thought she would go through with it. Kip, on the other hand, appreciates Calamity's directness and is not disappointed with her action in any way. In fact, that deserves a high five.
The Captain rubs his reddened cheek and stands back on both feet again.
"Yeah, I probably deserved that one. Then let me no longer beat around the bush. Trevor, Ashley. Let me start off with you; on behalf of the Cornerian Army, the SCEI initiative and myself… I offer my sincere apologies for sending you two into the Infection Zone without proper gear and without an identity. My reasoning for sending only you two in was well-founded but the execution needed serious work. As my right hand man has pointed out, even with a crumb of identity with you, you not only stay loyal but also confident. My logic lacked tact. And for all of that, I apologize."
He then turns to Kip.
"Kip Starnova. You are owed an apology as well. Given your connection to Trevor, you were horrified to hear about my decision. How you managed to be informed about this, I may never know but rest assured your words and actions made a profound impact. I respect your dedication to a friend and partner, hence why holding you pretty much at gunpoint to not tell anyone else, pained me so much. But I don't expect any pity. No, I am sorry for putting you in that position to begin with. And also, for the continuous references to you being a… well. Nevermind that. You are a full-fledged member of the 55th and you deserve respect for that."
Finally, he turns to Calamity. Although she does not require much more, as that slap clearly communicated how she felt. Regardless, she also does receive a verbal apology from him. Even if it was just for showing he is genuine.
Then the four look at each other and deliberate. It is a short affair so the Captain does not have to wait long. The cohesive answer is that they accept his apology. But they emphasize that it is just a start. Which the Captain accepts. Trust must be earned back and cannot be requested. It might be a long road.
"Then allow me to give a good start to you four; the operation will commence at 8:00 precisely. And you four, will not participate in that. You will instead be confined to your quarters for the duration of that whole operation. I want all of you to get a good sleep. It is the least I could do for you. Your collective actions have saved the lives of hundreds, if not thousands. If we were to miss only four, that is something we can write off on."
The Sergeant-Major then takes a step forward and reminds the Captain that they are at capacity at the base. There are no more vacant places where they could hunker down for the night. That is when Kip steps forward, stating that she still has plenty of space in her tent.
"They are staying with me then. I'll have someone fetch three extra beds and we will have a slumber party." she states with a smile before she spots some patrolling men from her unit.
With a sharp whistle, she calls them over and gives the order. They salute and run away to follow it. Quite awe-inspiring for Patches to see. A leader who takes his responsibility and another leader who leads her troops with respect. Accompanied by people who support them through thick and thin. And she is part of that group too.
"Alright then!" Trevor calls out cheerfully, as he had agreed with that proposal when the word "sleep" was mentioned.
"I claim the top… no, nevermind. I'll just claim a bed, it matters not which."
"Glad you're in agreement with my idea. However, I must borrow Trevor for a moment. I have to speak with him one-to-one." the Captain states.
Whereupon Kip and Patches become a little weary and Calamity straight up protective. But Trevor assures them that he is probably not going to do something odd. The Captain confirms this, quite neutrally. But inside he was ever so slightly worried at the response his words received. A long road lies ahead indeed.
Trevor wants to know one thing before he agrees to come along. Something he feels they all deserve to know. He has always been called "the Captain". Great title, very inspiring. But what is his actual name?
The Captain did not expect that question but appreciates it regardless. And if anyone deserves to know it aside from the Sergeant-Major, it is definitely Nova 7.
"My name is Clef. Clef Rotlinghe."
"Pleasure to meet the real you then, Sir." Trevor salutes with a subtle bow of his head.
Assured, Patches and Kip relax and Calamity lets go of Trevor. But they still escort him inside a smaller building next to the big former-toilet block building with the Captain leading. With only Patches staying behind. Once they are inside and have Trevor seated on a chair, they are requested to leave the building. However, should Trevor call, they would come to pick him back up.
In the meantime, the two can rearrange Kip's condo to accommodate the three guests. They pass by a rather awkward interaction between Herg and Patches but minding it not that much. Preferring to let the love birds find their own way.
And so there they are. The one more awkward than the other, but either of them assume they are the most awkward. With Herg looking away most of the time while holding his left upper arm with his right hand. This is no way to present himself. Where is that pride? That big chest? He is the older one in this situation too! What is this childish behavior? This reminds him only of middle school, in particular the awkward times.
Patches is struggling internally as well. With her hands held behind her back, swaying back and forth. From her heel to her tippy toes while looking straight through Herg's chest. As if that wall of a man was not even there. She has dated and felt those butterflies before but never like this. Only with him. Is it because of his stature? His age? How creepy is that though? Then again, now that she thinks about it, all her previous relationships were always older. Never mind if they were masculine or feminine.
"W-would you… by any chance… like to have tea… together? At sometime?" Patches asks, finally able to get it out of her throat.
Her wobbling comes to a complete standstill when she says this. Their eyes now locked in either passionate relief or awkward silence. It all depends on his answer.
"I-I…"
Herg stumbles desperately over his words before he can finally retrieve that pride of his that sunk so low before.
"I would… love that very much, Ashley." he answers properly this time, while still internally screaming.
The butterflies inside of her are about to burst out of her stomach at this point. He said yes! But, she remembers what Calamity had told her. So with that mindset, she goes into this.
"L-lovely! I'm already looking forward to it. You make excellent tea after all."
Herg chuckles correcting.
"No, mine are not that great. But I know someone who does it many times better than I do. And if his building is still standing after we have freed Corneria, I will take you there. His tea is to die for."
She nods.
"Sounds like a date then!" she says all excited, before realizing that she might have too forward now.
"Then it shall be." Herg says back, preventing her from trying to correct herself.
For she is right; it is going to be a date. And neither of them want it to be anything else. The mood is slightly ruined by the fact that both of them, now that the awkwardness and the accompanying adrenaline rush, start to yawn. First Herg, followed by Patches right away. An obvious sign that they like each other.
"Apologies. Been awake for a long time."
"Yeah, me too. Running and being a tough badass in those streets of the Infection Zone does make you very tired." she boasts lightly.
"Really now? And here I was worrying about you."
"Y-you worried about me?"
"Of course I did. I worried about Trevor too. About the Captain's mental health as well. This war weighs a ton too. But mainly, yes, I did worry more about you in particular."
Those butterflies have multiplied and are now making her heart delirious. How does he do it? But as much as she wants to swoon over him, getting some sleep gets priority. So the two wish each other goodnight with a hug. Before she lets go however… now that the Captain has revealed his true name, maybe he should as well. And ol' Herg does not mind sharing that with her.
"The name is Damian. Damian Warden."
- The March of the New Army (Marsh Novoyi Armiyi)
Pen on paper. That is how the meeting starts. Just a little bit of paperwork that needed to be done. Trevor does not mind; he knows what it is for. Although it is taking longer than expected and that anesthetic is wearing off more and more. Unfortunately. However, just before putting the final touches on it, the Captain puts the pen down and looks up at Trevor.
"Mr Bones. Or would you rather be reinstated as Trevor DeLange? Preferably with the rank of Corporal?" he asks sarcastically yet stone-faced as per usual.
Trevor nods, unable to speak due to a jolt of pain from putting too much pressure on his leg as he touches the ground with the wounded limb.
"Judging by your injury, I fear me trying to imitate your usual sarcasm won't be very useful. Therefore, I will be blunt: Trevor…I never liked your personality. When we first met, you left a bad taste in my mouth that I'm still forced to savor from time to time. However, professionally you are exceptional. Your tactics and methods are unusual. And yet you succeed where others failed. Your way of leading people is unorthodox. Referring for example to how you allowed Ashley, or "Patches", to hit you. You, a superior. I admit, that did not fill me with much confidence and may have slightly influenced my decision to drop you in bare. And yet, you inspire nothing but trust and loyalty in those under you. Because you believe them to be right next to you. You consider her a partner, an equal. Just like you managed with Kip. And perhaps even your girlfriend as well." he assumes before returning to the point.
"Despite my personal misgivings of you, I came to respect what you do and have done for the Cornerian Army. When you went missing during our push South, I thought not much of it. However, when Kip returned on her own, demanding me to send someone out there to rescue you, I knew there was more to you. Hence why I'm saddened that any personal or professional trust you may have had in me is now gone. Because you're fantastic at your job."
Trevor is humbled by his words but he does not know if he can take them seriously. After all, what is respect when you send someone practically to their doom?
"Which brings me to the following; have you ever heard of a White Out unit?"
"Yeah. I've heard of them. Pretty much as secretive as any Special Forces unit could be, just before the point where the government would start denying their existence." Trevor answers.
"Specialized in reconnaissance, but also capable of infiltration, sabotage and good old assassinations. But we haven't had any of those since the Lylat War."
"And it all went down from there." the Captain sighs.
"However, more and more of us were vocal enough to warrant a reintroduction. To have soldiers to look up to, instead of pedantic mercs like Star Fox ruining our reputation. Kip excluded of course. For she is Militia. But you get my point. I was going to be to command one of those units. As a Major as well. Guess what foiled my plans?"
"I have a feeling it were those bugs that have pissed in everyone's favorite breakfast cereal?"
That image is quite correct, which revulses the Captain thoroughly. But also because he does not like cereal.
"Exactly. Thanks for the imagery by the way."
"You're welcome." Trevor chuckles through the pain.
"However, I never gave up on the idea. The candidates for the teams are… dead. All of them. Their bunker was blown up in the beginning stages of the invasion. I needed new blood so to say. Hence why I started up SCEI. To find potential new candidates. Usually small groups. Like you were with Patches. I granted each nice codenames and awaited their potential. For you, it was Nova 7. But there were others too. Sadly, they were not as successful as you were."
"Hold up… there were more? We were told that there was only one of us?"
"Call it operational security. I sent out four teams. Yours and three others. Your team I trusted the most so I sent you North alone. The other three, I sent east. One is confirmed KIA and the other two are MIA. The jammer density in that area was lighter than anticipated so we could track them easier."
"So… process of elimination? To see who will survive? That's kinda Spartan of you. I have a sinking feeling that this was not authorized by the Board?"
The Captain leans back into his chair. A gradually forming grin betrays that Trevor is right. This was all unauthorized. Those old farts would never allow any of this. But that will not stop his passion project. Just thinking about it makes his blood boil and the grin makes way for a frowned disdain.
"Those coots have no idea what goes on on a modern battlefield. They all have "let's do it like the last war and wait for Star Fox to change our diapers" syndrome. I will not have that!" he speaks passionately as he rams his fist on the armrest of his chair.
His elbow then takes his fist's place and the fist itself unclenches to accommodate his weary head. He groans, tired and in suspense.
"They are going to grill me alive for this. Hence, why I want to ask you for a favor. I know, very brave on my part after all of this, but please listen. If there's something I realized throughout all this, is that I always saw my soldiers as chess pieces. But I've come to find that this is wrong. Chess is a game and war is played differently. No rules, just carnage. And sacrificing valuable manpower as if they were pawns… is not optimal. But I stand largely by my decision to send you in. It could have used more tact and emotion but it was the best option. That core would give us such an advantage over those bugs…"
The Captain stops as he realizes he is rambling.
"In short: you've proven to be capable of more than I had expected of you. You survived my tactlessness and gave us the upper hand. I want to use that as my shield during the Board's hearing of my actions. Hence why the favor I ask is not small; testify for me. And if successful, I will make sure you become the squad leader of a White Out unit."
Only then does it click with Trevor what the Captain meant with his Spartan ways of elimination. He wanted them as the basis for his own unit. With all the prestige that comes with being in a unit like that… it would pretty much be a homerun and Trevor would accept that offer instantly. However, he has not forgotten his promise.
Neither the fact that he will be used to defend the Captain's actions and orders. Something he agrees with on a professional level; having a crack White Out unit will do wonders for the reputation of the army. But on a personal level, he hates it. It felt like a personal attack on him and Patches. How could he defend that which he does not agree with?
"You tested us. To see how we would perform at our very worst. Like an experiment on a lab rat. And now that we succeeded, you want me and Patches to become your White Out unit? But before that, I must defend you in front of the Board. Saying that I… what? Like, agree to disagree with your insane decision to put us in the middle of an Aparoid warzone with the equivalent of thoughts and prayers?!" Trevor asks, to make absolutely sure he understands it.
"That is correct. But you are definitely the focus." the Captain says unambiguously.
Trevor stares in disbelief before he smiles and leans back. What a cheeky, ambitious man. Just his type. The superior that will treat you like a puppet but then realizes that cooperation and a close connection is better. Those reformed types still have their manipulate streak but that will now work in his advantage. Like a villain in a story who gained respect for the hero and assists said hero at the end.
"Alright. On a few conditions."
"Name them."
"Firstly, if I get to lead my White Out unit, I need to be in the army again. And so must Patches. I want to be reinstated properly without any deductions to pay. Same for Patches too."
The Captain picks up his pen and signs the two documents he put down before. Then he puts the pen down again, turns the papers 180 degrees and slides them over to Trevor.
"Done. The left document details that shortly after your arrival to this camp, there was an unfortunate accident involving a forklift that was carrying extra supplies for the prop department. That same prop department ignored safety regulations by forcing the warehouse workers to rush it and therefore they could not tie those supplies down well. It inevitably fell off and your shin was crushed underneath the weight of it. From this point on, you have always been on this base. Recovering."
He then taps on the right paper.
"This document details that Ashley saw this happening and immediately helped you out. However, given the weight of the cargo, she sprained a back muscle to such a degree, that the doctors advised her bed rest and pain medication until it was healed. Of course, the both of you were saddened that you couldn't make it for the big push. Same for her; from that moment on, she has always been on this base. Never anywhere else. I mean, with a backache like, how could she?" he snickers.
"So, both of us are reinstated? Our identities and belongings are fine?"
The Captain nods and Trevor sighs relieved. That was quite a weight that was removed from his shoulders. However, this is not all he requests.
"Secondly, I want to pick my own team. No person is off limits."
"You got it. Make sure you pick four good ones then. I won't be held accountable if they cannot handle it."
"Fair. Thirdly, I want proper weaponry and equipment for my team. Top of the line stuff. If we are going up against those rich fly-bastards, we better look the part and be on par if not better armed then they are."
"I like your thinking Trevor. Consider me a big fan of that demand."
"Glad you agree. Fourthly, I want you to call Patches' mom."
"Pardon?"
"You heard me. Call her mom. You know everything about us from the files. You can spin a good yarn and find her mom. I want you to personally contact her and tell her to come to this base. Her daughter wants to see her. It has been too long."
The Captain cannot reason why he would ask that, but then something reminds him of what Nelson mentioned. Trevor had contacted him while he was in a bathroom stall? No, an in-house toilet. About retrieving someone's mom's phone number…
"At this hour, one might not want to pick up."
"Then you'll try again until you get her, I suppose." Trevor fusses.
"Alright, got it. Would you like me to call any of your family? I read you still have a father alive…"
"No." Trevor interrupts bluntly.
"You don't have to. He's in a home. He's probably forgotten about me existing. Just like he has forgotten about everything else around him."
"I… see. I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. Trust me."
Realizing it is still a sensitive spot, the Captain moves on.
"Right then. Do you have another demand?"
"Yes. Last but not least; none of this goes through without me knowing for sure whether or not I will quit the military altogether."
"Oh yeah… you mentioned that before. And your files said so too. I did… not take that into account…"
The Captain leans back, slowly seeing another chance at getting his White Out unit shatter before his very eyes. Then again, what else did he expect proposing this to someone who was already thinking of leaving? Because of a woman of course. But that same woman also holds the key to Trevor staying. It all depends on what she thinks.
"Calamity knows how I think about the army, but I also promised her Katina would be my last send-off. And then this invasion happened. I think I've compensated sufficiently when it comes to that guard duty." Trevor chuckles.
"Naturally. Well, if those are your demands… I hope that I can realize all of them. Which means that of course your fifth demand has be complied with. Because if we pull this off… it will be the start of a new Cornerian Army. One that no longer requires mercs but can fight their own battles!"
"If I had a glass and could lift my arm all the way up, I would toast to that." Trevor says with a smile before he looks over the exit.
A guard is standing in the open door, apologizing for the interruption but Militia Starnova and her civilian guest have requested the presence of the Corporal.
"Already leaving, Corporal?" the Captain asks with a dose of unexpected sass.
"Just as things started to get cordial between us?"
"Eh, you know Captain. I would've loved to share a drink with you but it seems the doctor's orders are that I am to be picked up and likely to be confined to the bed until such a time as my ailments have recovered." Trevor shrugs innocently.
The Captain smiles right back before looking back at his papers.
"Then go, you lucky fox. Some people have to wait until they are home to get back to their girl."
"I hope you get to her soon then."
The Captain looks up. That was a genuine wish from Trevor to him. Unexpected considering that he must hate his guts at this point… right? He does not know what to reply, except for a murmured thank you.
Then the guard steps aside to let Calamity and Kip in. They stand either side of Trevor and help him on his foot and crutches. And with plenty of actual pain and some drama they do manage it. Calamity asks him if the Captain played nice with him, which Trevor answers with a corny remark that the Captain fails to hear accurately. However, before they leave the building, Trevor asks them to stop and turn him to the Captain.
"Captain. You said that you were saddened by… what was it again? That any personal or professional trust I had in you is now gone? I can reassure you; there never was any personal trust from me to you. For the same reason you didn't have any with me. But professionally? I never had anything other than respect from you. With what you pulled, the personal trust is down into the drain and the professional trust has been shattered. However, one can be fished up after a while and I hear glue is on sale nowadays."
With that said, the threesome leaves the building but leaves the door open upon the Captain's request. Once they are out of sight and out of hearing distance, does the Captain look up from his papers and thinks about what has just happened.
"Did he just… forgive me? In a weird sort of way? Wow… that was… very grown-up of him. And here I am judging him on his personality."
While he is deep in thought, Damian enters the building and sees his friend looking out in front of him. Staring at nothing in particular. Him sitting down snaps the Captain out of his trance. And he looks upon a very smug looking avian. The type of smug that would have been illustrated by his tail feathers standing at attention like a peacock.
"Gloating much, are we Damian?" he notices.
"Quite. Someone here was brave enough to ask a certain individual out for some tea."
Clef raises his eyebrow. He does not believe it for a second. And soon enough, the attempt at trying to be manly crumbles like a crouton.
"Alright! She asked me. But I said yes, I'll have you know!"
"I'm not judging. Amelia asked me out too." he admits without any shame.
"Just don't snap her in half yeah? I have a feeling she's gonna be on Trevor's team soon enough."
"How dare you assume I would do that? I will be utmost careful with her." Damian fusses.
"But what did I hear? Trevor agreed to your White Out proposal?"
"As long as his girlfriend is cooperative. Are you sure we don't have the possibility to send out a hit squad anyway?"
Clef receives a very judging look. That was inappropriate, even if meant jokingly. The Captain simply blows it off as Damian having no sense of humor. However, he knows something that will make him funny; that leftover booze.
"One last drink before bed. I'd say we'll get two hours max out of it."
"Two? That is quite the luxury. Next thing you are going to tell me that we can actually sleep on beds."
"We are the big shots of this camp here after all." Clef gloats before pouring in the last amount of alcohol in two glasses he kept underneath his desk.
He slides one glass over to Damian and they toast to the success of their upcoming offense. And to the hopeful future of the army.
"I shouldn't forget to make that call though…"