…
…
…
"Are you good to walk now, Leader?" Vesper asks, watching Altare sitting at the edge of his bed.
Altare steels himself and slowly stands up on his own two feet. Dull pain, muddled further by painkillers, ripple through his days-old bullet wound, but Altare is able to stand.
"I guess so." Altare says, clutching onto his side, "Though… I wouldn't say no to a little bit of help."
Vesper smiles. He hands Altare a rough walking cane and helps the sergeant through his first few steps. Eventually, Altare is able to move on his own, albeit with a limp, and the two of them walk out of the Naval Hospital.
On their way out, they pass through the innermost walls of the Elysian Exclave. Some sections have corroded in time and others have been blackened by the blasts of the previous night's Pavolian air raid, but the wall mostly holds. A myriad of green Starfall Banners fly from their flagpoles, shimmering in the morning sunlight.
"Should these walls fall, then heaven falls with it." Vesper remarks as he and Altare walk through the gates.
"The motto of the Province of Poseidon's Point, and its capital - the Exclave." Altare recognizes the phrase.
Vesper nods.
While the two of them speak, flights of Elysian fighter planes fly in formation overhead. Their engines rumble and their roars echo off of the innermost walls of the Exclave as Altare and Vesper pass through the gates.
There, Elysian Military Police halt the two men at a checkpoint. Vesper produces their papers. The MPs salute them and let them carry on.
Vesper looks up to the old ramparts of the inner walls and sighs.
"Warfare has changed a lot since those words were written. Artillery destroys walls. Warplanes fly over them. Tanks can crush them too - at times, but that phrase still holds." Vesper comments, folding his arms. He lays a hand on the burn scars on his neck and winces, "As a professor, seeing reality blurring with poetry should excite me. But war truly is nothing to celebrate."
"Only people who don't stand to lose anything from war will yearn for it." Altare affirms, tapping his cane on the road, "That is why it is our duty to end it."
"The person we're about to meet claims that she can help us do just that." Vesper continues, "For all our sakes, I hope she's right."
"Yeah." Altare nods.
They take a turn and hobble forward together towards the grounds of the Elysian Exclave Prison. Nestled between the inner walls and the outer walls of the Exclave, the prison complex is a curious mix of old and new. It pairs an old, dignified industrial era star fortress with wings of less fabulous concrete prison blocks.
"This is where it all began for you, isn't it, Leader?" Vesper quips.
"The prison's old star fort being a National Heritage Site didn't make it any better, Ves. If that's what you're thinking." Altare counters.
"Ah, you've read my mind." Vesper chuckles.
Altare snorts. He glances at the place that was, for months, was his home.
"I still remember the day Lieutenant Kureiji marched in there and sold me on a chance for freedom." Altare remarks with a sigh, "Now, there's barbed wires and anti-aircraft guns scattered all over the place - preparing for the worst. I guess the War was going to find me whether or not I took the Lieutenant's offer."
"Our fates aren't set in stone yet, Leader." Vesper reminds him.
"I know, I know." Altare taps his walking cane on the perimeter's cyclone fence, rattling it, "I just really hoped that I'd have seen the last of this place already."
Vesper nods, sympathizing with Altare.
Suddenly, the two men hear boots crunching on the snowy gravel road. They turn towards the noise and find a sharply-dressed lady in a navy blue pinstripe police uniform. She stands in attention before the two men and gives a sharp salute, tapping the edge of the peaked cap on top of her dark blue hair.
"Sergeant Regis. Corporal Noir." She greets them, "I'm the warden of the Exclave Prison, Kronii Ouro."
Altare and Vesper return the salute.
"Well met, Warden Ouro." Altare greets back.
"Is Lieutenant Kureiji not with you?" Asks the Warden.
"She has more important matters to attend to." Altare replies.
The Warden's calm expression starts to falter.
"B-but the prisoner said she wanted to speak with Kureiji." Ouro stammers.
Altare, however, stands firm.
"Corporal Noir was the Lieutenant's aide-de-camp, and I am her adjutant. The two of us should suffice, Warden."
Kronii Ouro's lips twist into a frown. She heaves a sigh and shakes her head.
"Alright then. Here's hoping the prisoner sees it your way." The warden shrugs. She gestures towards the main prison doors of the star fortress, "Come with me, please. And stay away from the prison cells. The old Hakugrenadiers are fiesty."
"Oh, we have first hand experience of that." Vesper comments, adjusting his glasses, "We have the wounds to show for it."
"And you'll get even more wounds if you don't heed my advice." Ouro hisses, "They've been riled up ever since the Pavies bombed us last night. I don't speak a lick of Pavie, but I'm sure they're hankering to break out of their cells and smash some Kanata-fearing Elysian skulls."
"We'll be careful." Altare concedes.
On that note, Warden Ouro shows Altare and Vesper into the Exclave Prison.
…
Loud shouting erupts in the prison blocks and greets Altare, Vesper and Warden Ouro. Prison guards flank them on both sides, clutching their batons. Their clenched hands, however, tremble in the midst of the Pavolian cacophony that neither they nor their now pale-faced warden can understand.
But Altare and Vesper do.
"This place will be your grave!"
"You're standing on Pavolian land!"
"Cry! Lament! Suffer!"
"Baroness Vestia is coming for you!"
"Your demise is nigh!"
Altare and Vesper watch the furious shadows looming over them from the upper floor cells. Even with the prison guards protecting them, the two men wince.
"These fanatics are too far gone…" Altare mutters beneath his breath.
Warden Ouro leans towards Altare and Vesper and whispers to them with a trembling voice, "What the hell… what the hell are they saying?"
Vesper closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Perhaps it is better that you do not know, good Warden."
Altare nods, "The sooner we can get out of here, the better."
Eventually, the two soldiers, the warden and the guards cross through the rowdy prison block. Past a certain point, the jeers and shouting mellow down. Less and less Hakugrenadiers inhabit the inner cells. In their stead, soldiers and officers of the Pavolian Xenokuni City Garrison look on to Altare and Vesper in cautious silence.
The men and women of the old Garrison whisper to each other. Some of them seem to recognize Altare in particular. Their whispers are painted with slivers of familiarity.
Altare glances at them as he passes them by. He recognizes some of their faces too, but he cannot pin down where he saw them - or how they saw him.
After a few more twists and turns, though, the Warden brings Altare and Vesper to the cell of someone that the two men clearly remember.
The icy, murderous, brunette Keris Abu-Abu agent, Anya Melfissa.
Or rather, a humbled husk that looks like her.
Even though Altare has steeled his heart for this encounter, already knowing whom he would see, chills still run up his spine and he gulps. Warden Ouro beside him shrouds her eyes under the shadow of her peaked cap too, avoiding eye contact with Anya.
However, in sharp contrast, Vesper does not flinch in her presence. As a matter of fact, he approaches the cell without hesitation and wears a smile.
"I see you behaved, Miss Melfissa." He speaks in Pavolian.
Altare and Warden Ouro are stunned. Anya looks up to Vesper and snorts.
"Only because Elysium has kept its word so far." Anya comments plainly in Pavolian as well.
Altare turns to Vesper, then to Anya and back.
"Have the two of you spoken before?" Altare asks.
"We have." Vesper nods.
Anya turns away but doesn't rebut. Instead, she sits down on her wooden cot and crosses her arms.
"I asked to see Lieutenant Ollie Kureiji of the Provisional Correctional Armored Platoons." Anya insists, speaking in accented Elysian for the Warden to hear.
Warden Ouro's head droops even lower and mutters, "I told you guys…"
Altare joins Vesper by the bars of Anya's cell and answers the captive.
"Lieutenant Kureiji trusts us, and we understand what's at stake here. If you want to say something to the Lieutenant, then you can say it to us."
"And how do I know that she trusts you?" Anya tests, raising her brow.
Altare glances at Anya's cell and spots the small stack of envelopes with stamps from Xenokuni City. He makes out the names 'Risu' and 'Iofifteen' written there in Pavolian script.
Altare digs into his own jacket and brings out an envelope from Metro Elysium. It is addressed to him from his sister, Kobo Kanaeru.
Then, he speaks in practiced Pavolian as well.
"Because the Lieutenant also went to great lengths to make sure I can still communicate with my family." Altare argues. He points to Anya's own letters, "Just like the Lieutenant has done for you."
Anya's steely gaze falters. Flickers of human emotion permeate her stone-faced expression. She clears her throat, candidly puts away the envelopes and speaks in Pavolian the rest of the way through.
"So, you and I are both victims of her kindness, it seems." Anya remarks, "Very well. Please relay to her everything that I am about to tell you."
"You have our word." Altare promises.
Vesper nods in agreement.
"... uh?" Warden Ouro's jaw drops. Her expression is blank and puzzled.
"The Sergeant and I can handle things from here, Warden." Vesper answers her.
"Right." Warden Ouro sighs. She and her guards fan out away from Anya's prison cell, leaving Altare and Vesper alone with the captive.
…
Once Warden Ouro and her guards are out of earshot, Anya clears her throat. She stands up from her cot and faces the two men.
"I, Anya Melfissa - former agent of the Keris Abu-Abu - am prepared to assist the Elysian Armed Forces. And, I know for a fact, that there are many in this prison who share the same sentiment."
"Are you sure about that?" Altare asks, "The moment we entered this prison, we were met with jeers and insults. Their cries told us that we would be buried here!"
"Those are Hakugrenadiers from the 101st Tank Division and other units under Zeta Vestia's command." Anya counters, facing Altare firmly, "They are loud but they are few, but do not let their words get to you. Many more of the prisoners here are loyal to the late Kolonel Moona Hoshinova - and they know the truth about what happened to her. I told them all."
"The truth…" Altare shudders.
"You know what I'm talking about." Anya punctuates.
He remembers Moona Hoshinova, her throat slit by piano wire, dying in Ollie's arms.
Altare shakes his head and furrows his brow, "That's classified information."
"Hardly classified." Anya explains sharply, "I have to twist a few arms here and there, but I still catch wind from my old network from time to time. A senior Keris Abu-Abu agent ordered the hit. The number two: Kaela Kovalskia."
"La Demonia Rubia." Altare growls.
"That's right." Anya nods, "And the whispers from my network say that Kaela Kovalskia will be the field commander to bring the Elysian Exclave to heel. Zeta herself is besieging Xenokuni City."
"And what exactly are you going to bring to the table?" Altare demands.
Anya spreads out her arms and declares proudly.
"One thousand Pavolian Garrison soldiers willing to fight for Elysium loyal to Moona Hoshinova. They already have their officers to lead them too. Give them weapons and they'll defend the Exclave from Zeta's rage."
As soon as Anya says this, the once-silent prison starts to echo with shouting. The shouts grow louder and louder and morph into an impromptu singing of the Pavolian national anthem. Their song is punctuated with chants of 'martir! Martir!'
Warden Ouro and her guards whirl around, bewildered by the cacophonous outbreak. Anya, meanwhile, looks straight into Altare's and Vesper's eyes.
The two men stand unmoved.
"Still not convinced?" Anya asks them.
"It's hard to take the word of a Keris Abu-Abu agent at face value." Vesper counters. He folds his arms and steps closer to the bars of the cell, "But we're not talking with the Keris Abu-Abu Anya Melfissa, are we?" His gaze becomes sharp and he urges, "Are we finally talking to the girl behind the knife?"
Anya purses her lips. For once, she lowers her head with girlish bashfulness and nods meekly. She keeps her eyes away from Vesper's and Altare's gaze but speaks with her unrestrained voice for the first time.
"I used to look up to Zeta Vestia. Keris Abu Abu agents, especially ones who were plucked from the Pavolian Youth like myself, saw her as a Pavolian paragon who could do no wrong - the anointed one of Mother Towa, and the honorable blade of the Empress herself! Bah! Fairy tales, all."
Anya clenches her fists and shakes where she stands.
"But those fairy tales are fed to children who believe them wholeheartedly." Vesper chimes in, adjusting his glasses, "Those who buy the story will see themselves as heroes and do Zeta's bidding gladly."
Anya nods, raises her head and faces the two men once more.
"Us children raised on those fairy tales saw this War as black and white: Pavolians fighting against the dishonorable Elysians. We sullied ourselves and became gray - Abu-Abu - to reflect the glory of the Empire… but never did I think that we would start killing our own kin."
Altare frowns.
"Kolonel Hoshinova shared what she and her officers saw in the streets of Xenokuni City during the retreat of Zeta's 101st Tank Division. A Xenokunian contact of ours corroborates her reports."
"Are you talking about 'Miss Fenix'?" Anya asks.
"Perhaps." Vesper answers vaguely.
She picks up an envelope from her stack and sighs, "My… old friends told me about her. They saw many Pavolian Garrison soldiers dying beside Elysians from Hakugrenadier grenades and tank shells." She looks out of her cell towards the rowdier prison blocks, "The radicalized Hakugrenadiers who jeered at you on your way here thought that Zeta Vestia will be coming to save them. Haven't they realized that the Grey Baroness takes no prisoners!?"
"They clearly don't." Altare answers bitterly.
"It is a mortal sin for a Pavolian to question Her Excellency's government and her stewards - most especially a Grand Marshall with Imperial Assent." Anya pounds her chest and declares fiercely, "But I will not become a lamb left to the slaughter. With Mother Towa as my witness, I curse Grand Marshall Zeta Vestia, and I swear to avenge Kolonel Moona Hoshinova!"
Again, the nearby cell blocks echo Anya's declaration. They, too, begin cursing Zeta.
Xenokuni City Garrison officers raise their voices. Altare turns to them once more and finally recognizes them. They were the ranking officers of Moona Hoshinova present at the Governor's palace during Moona's formal declaration of surrender.
Altare hurries over to a nearby cell and asks him in Pavolian, "Why do you wish to help us?"
"The Kolonel told us to cooperate with the Elysians if it meant preserving the well-being of our fellow Garrison soldiers." The officer explains, "We won't let the traitor Zeta Vestia make fools of us a second time!"
Altare turns to Vesper and asks, "What do you think?"
"Their words are… as far as I can tell, genuine." Vesper assesses, eyeing the Pavolian officer and the rest of the soldiers in that block, "It's hard to fake fervor this strong. Miss Anya would know."
Anya snorts, but she does not say a word.
Altare returns to Anya's cell, but his face remains stern.
"Even if every soldier here loyal to Moona Hoshinova were to pick up arms, a single infantry battalion might not be enough to hold the Exclave." Altare argues.
"An infantry battalion isn't the only thing I'm offering to Elysium, Sergeant Regis." Anya shakes her head, "I can offer many more things than just that. Weapons and equipment caches. Names of active Keris Abu-Abu agents here in the Exclave and in Xenokuni City." She faces Altare squarely and adds, "I can also retrieve Pavolia's greatest secret - the cipher codebook of Pavolia's MERAK encryption."
Altare's and Vesper's eyes light up at the mention of it.
"So, you understand the value of that codebook." Anya smirks, "Don't you think that your Armed Forces and your OSS can make use of that to turn the tides?"
Altare nods. He turns to Vesper and urges, "Go and tell the Lieutenant about Miss Melfissa's offer."
"Just me?" Vesper asks, "What about you, Leader?"
"I'm going to stay behind for a little while." Altare smiles slyly. He turns towards Anya and adds, "I want to know how Miss Melfissa plans to get that MERAK cipher codebook of hers."
…
…
…
Back behind the inner walls of the Exclave, in the fortified confines of a bomb-shelter-turned-command post, Lt. Colonel Baelz Hakos waits. She paces around the room with her hands behind her back. Her peaked cap droops between her rat ears while she mutters beneath her breath.
Lieutenants Gura and Watson watch Bae from a couch of tarpaulin-covered ammunition boxes and crates of spare parts. They, along with a handful of radio operators and technical staff from the Elysian OSS pore over the bunker's communications equipment.
"You're running a marathon there, chief." Lieutenant Watson comments. She pats on her ammunition box couch, "Why don't you take a seat? Watching you's making me nervous."
"Try being the highest ranking EAF commander on the ground in the continent, Watson." Bae snaps, "Colonel Ravencroft should be calling in any minute but our equipment's busted. I can't just… sit still!"
Lieutenant Watson winces.
Lieutenant Gura, meanwhile, brings out her stash of D-ration chocolate bars and offers them to Watson and Hakos, but neither of them take one. Her attempt to diffuse the situation fails, so she unwraps a chocolate bar for herself and nibbles on it instead.
Bae furrows her brow and flares up again.
"What the hell is taking so long anyways!?" Bae demands.
"Our comms network in the city took a lot of hits during the air raid, ma'am." A radio operator answers her, sweating bullets under Bae's gaze, "We've… w-we've replaced the parts that need replacing. We just have to recalibrate a number of things."
One of the technical staff stands up too and salutes Bae.
"We're also trying to prevent the Pavolians from interfering in the transmission again." He reports.
Bae frowns.
"That whole 'MERAK' business, yeah?" Bae hisses, "Hasn't the OSS cracked the codes of those damn things yet?"
"If we could crack the MERAK codes, we would, Lt. Colonel." Gura answers this time. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and sighs, "Until then, the Pavies will be dancing circles around us."
"We wouldn't know we're in danger until it's too late." Lieutenant Watson adds.
Bae covers her face with her hand.
"The comms better be working by the time Colonel Ravencroft calls in."
"Yes, ma'am!" The operators and staff declare. They promptly return to work.
Bae folds her arms and clicks her tongue.
"Of all the times that Kureiji had to be called aside by that old driver of hers." Bae taps her foot on the concrete floor, "We're deciding the fate of the Continent here. I don't want to make that call alone."
Just as she says this, the speakers of the communications equipment crackles and warps. A woman's voice cuts through the distortion.
The voice of Colonel Nerissa Ravencroft.
"This is CONCOM speaking from Fox-Baker-Niner. BRIGCOM, come in. I repeat! This is CONCOM speaking from Fox-Baker-Niner. CONCOM, come in! Over."
"Shit, that's her." Bae gulps.
The Lt. Colonel rushes towards the communications equipment, swipes a microphone from the OSS crew and answers.
"Acknowledged, CONCOM. This is BRIGCOM speaking from Echo-How-Queen-One. We read you loud and clear, over!"
"Understood, BRIGCOM. Give me a sitrep on your situation. You have permission to speak freely. Over."
Bae clears her throat and answers dutifully.
"Elements of the Pavolian Angkat Udara attempted a large-scale bombing run of Echo-How-Queen-One and surrounding areas. Communication lines were damaged in the initial attack, so I took control of the city's AA and the fighter wings stationed in the airbase. Over."
"How extensive was the damage?"
"Minimal, ma'am. We repelled the bombers and their air wings withdrew after a single run. OSS believes they're still operating from airfields beyond the Monteazulas. I have our fighter wings on patrol 24/7. We'll be prepared to repel them again. That concludes my report. Over."
Colonel Ravencroft falls silent on the other side. Bae grips the microphone in her hands firmly. Ame and Gura, meanwhile, hold their breaths.
Then, Colonel Ravencroft speaks once more.
"BRIGCOM, be advised that Operation Bitter Spring will be accelerated. In light of the Pavolian air raids on your position, evacuating personnel is of the utmost priority. To this end, I will be retaking control of Echo-How-Queen-One's fighter wings to support Admiral Rexford's carrier wings and protect our transport ships from Pavolian submarines lurking in the area. Is that understood?"
Bae's heart aches. She clenches her fist and protests.
"Ma'am… but that means we're leaving the city defenseless from the Pavie bombers! We were supposed to have them for one or two more weeks!"
"You have command of all the anti-aircraft units on the continent, BRIGCOM. Plan your air defenses accordingly. Prioritize the airfield and the docks. Everything else is secondary."
"But those fighters are the only things that turned back the tide!" Bae stomps her foot.
"Now, we need them to make sure that our personnel get out of the Exclave safely, Lt. Colonel Hakos. These are orders from the Top Brass and the office of the Prime Minister. They believe that the Exclave is a lost cause. If you have complaints, then send them through the proper channels and…"
Bae grits her teeth.
"With all due respect, Colonel Ravencroft, are you that eager to leave us here to die!? Can you sleep at night knowing that you signing off on this goddamn order condemns so many fucking lives!?"
Again, silence comes from the other end of the transmission. Bae breathes heavily. Then, the radio crackles again.
Colonel Ravencroft's voice comes through with a pained tone.
"I do not like this order either, Lieutenant Colonel. However, I have not been told to like this order. I have been told to execute it. Unless you have a substantial alternative to Bitter Spring that you can offer me, the Brass and the Prime Minister - and convince us that the Exclave is not lost, you have no choice but to comply with these orders. Speak out of line again and I will not hesitate to relieve you of your command and have you court-martialed for insubordination!"
It is at this time, however, that the doors of the bunker open once more. Lieutenant Ollie Kureiji enters the room along with Vesper.
"K-Kureiji…? Noir?" Bae stammers.
"Excuse me, madams." Ollie chimes in and raises her hand. She grins at Bae and saunters towards the communications device, "If I may have permission to speak, my boys and I might have a plan that all of you might want to listen to!"
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