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At the break of dawn, a convoy of Pavolian armored cars, troop trucks and other military vehicles ply through the blasted highways and rail lines on the outskirts of the Elysian province of Poseidon's Point. That is what the blackened, trampled signs along the highway say, at least. Kaela Kovalskia, seated at the back of a high-end staff car, sees those signs and scoffs.
"This way to the Exclave, Provincial Capital of Poseidon's Point." Kaela reads one of the signs now embossed and impressed with tread marks of Pavolian HaKu tanks and splattered with dried Elysian blood. She heaves a sigh and frowns, "That city's going to be a bloodbath."
"As if Xenokuni and the rest of their so-called 'Poseidon's Point' province hasn't already turned into one," remarks a fellow passenger seated in front of her, "These are the Grand Marshal's orders, aren't they? And it is our role to obey. No matter what."
Kaela glances at the passenger through the rear view mirror, but her face is obstructed by the shadow of a Xenokunian poncho. Only locks of fair brown hair and the edges of the collar of an Elysian Army uniform stand out past the shadows.
"Of course it is, Agent 'Satwa'." Kaela replies firmly, "'We will win a decisive victory here for Pavolia and reclaim our rightful lands…!' is what Zeta would have said."
"Do you have doubts, master?" Agent Satwa pries.
Kaela says nothing at first, but she can feel the gaze of Agent Satwa behind the shadow of her poncho hood.
"We've passed the time for doubts, agent. Our only path now is forward, whether we like it or not."
When Kaela says this, the staff car and the rest of the convoy meander off the highway road and avoid the still flaming hulk of a destroyed Elysian Sherman medium tank. Many other Elysian tanks and military vehicles lay derelict on both sides of the damaged highway.
Kaela peers into the burning hatches of the Sherman tank on the highway and scowls.
"If only the Elysians had no more tanks, then they would surrender to us sooner." Kaela muses, airing her thoughts.
"But they still do have tanks. Intel that we got from behind enemy lines says two to three companies' worth." Agent Satwa replies again, raising two fingers and then three, "They're kept under constant watch, though, so it's been hard to sabotage them. Their OSS blocks our attempts almost daily."
"Their commander, Baelz Hakos, is an Armored Warfare doctrine proponent. Of course she'll keep her best weapons well-guarded." Kaela theorizes, "Come to think of it now, that may be why the traitor Kureiji gravitated towards her."
"Kureiji? Bah." Agent Satwa hisses, "That's the only name other than yours that the Grand Marshal mentions nowadays. I'm sort of jealous."
Kaela closes her eyes and speaks somberly.
"Having Zeta's gaze on you isn't always a blessing, Agent Satwa. And I would advise you to not pry into the Grand Marshal's personal affairs."
"Prying into personal affairs is my specialty." Agent Satwa snickers.
Kaela frowns, so the agent heaves a sigh.
"In the end, it won't matter. Hakos and Kureiji are doomed. We'll outnumber their tanks three to one when the rest of the companies finally arrive here from Xenokuni City, but the Elysians can be stubborn."
"And it's the job of the Keris Abu-Abu to soften them up." Kaela looks Agent Satwa in the eye through the mirror. "You already have your mission, agent. The Empress, the Grand Marshal and Mother Towa will be your witnesses. Strike the Elysians down with great vengeance."
"It will be, quite literally, our pleasure." Agent Satwa smiles slyly, "We will do what Anya-simpai could not."
The agent glances back at Kaela and her sly smile grows wider.
"We will show the Elysians true horror!"
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Meanwhile, at the furthermost tip of the Exclave peninsula behind the two great walls of the Elysian city, dozens of transport planes land on the runways of Elysium's last airfield on the Pavolian continent.
On the tarmac, crowds of people are shepherded by Elysian Army Air Corps personnel and Military Police. One of those people is the dejected Kiara Takanashi who walks with her luggage clutched in one hand and a ten-gallon hat in the other.
Kiara and about three hundred people or more are plucked from the impossibly large crowd. The rest are made to wait for the next airlift.
"Have your travel documents ready for inspection!" cries a military policeman.
Kiara and the chosen people do so. Just about everyone around her brings out their olive green Elysian passports. Kiara, meanwhile, stands out with her maroon Xenokunian travel document.
"Xenokuni…?" another military policeman furrows his brow, "We're not airlifting refugees yet."
A military policewoman hurries over to him and whispers, "Are we even airlifting refugees at all?"
"Hey! Who here speaks Xenokunian?" says another military policeman.
Kiara shakes her head and raises up her hand.
"I don't need an interpreter!" Kiara insists, speaking in accented Elysian, "I was told to come here by Lt. Colonel Baelz Hakos."
"Lt. Colonel Baelz Hakos…?" The military policemen scrutinize her.
"Check your lists, please." Kiara continues, "My name should be there."
"We'll have to talk to our superiors, but we don't have time for that." The military police woman shakes her head, "Everyone here should be first-priority VIP's and we have to get them out immediately. Don't jump the line. We don't know when the Pavies are gonna attack again."
Kiara grips the ten-gallon hat in her hand. She whips her head around, searching for familiar faces.
A couple of lines away, she sees the crew of the ECN war reporters, Gavis Bettel and Flayon X Machina.
"H-hey! Hey! Señores!"
Kiara tries to wave and call out to them, but the two of them are whisked into their transport plane before they could notice her.
The military police shake their heads.
"I'm sorry, miss, but you'll have to go back." says the military policewoman, "If you don't have anyone to vouch for you, then…"
Suddenly, a tall, tan-skinned lady saunters over to Kiara's side and lays a hand on her shoulder.
"Your name is Kiara Takanashi, right?" The lady asks, speaking Elysian with a different kind of strange accent.
The same accent that Axel Syrios and Baelz Hakos have.
'North Elysian…?' Kiara ponders.
"Y-yes." Kiara croaks. She turns to the lady and shows her travel papers, "Lt. Colonel Hakos told me that I'm on the priority boarding list."
The tan-skinned lady checks Kiara's papers, rubs her chin and nods. The military police, meanwhile, wait for her to speak.
"In that case, Miss Takanashi, I will vouch for you." The lady says with a smile. She turns to the military police and insists, "Her name is on the priority list, good sirs and madam. I have seen it for myself, so please let her through."
"Understood, ma'am!" The military police salute her and skedaddle.
"Ah… t-thank you." Kiara stammers. She bows her head graciously.
"Don't mention it, dear." The lady pats Kiara's shoulder again.
"B-but how did you…?" Kiara tries to ask.
"That's because I'm the Governess of the Province of Poseidon's Point. The highest Elysian civilian authority on the land." The lady explains kindly. She offers her hand to Kiara with her same warm smile, "My name is Sana Tsukumo. Pleased to meet you."
"Oh!" Kiara freezes up. She shakes Sana's hand awkwardly, "P-pleasure to make your acquaintance, Governess!"
"You don't have to address me like that, dear. Just 'Sana' is fine!" Sana's smile is unwavering, "You're the one who has put herself on the line for Elysium time and again, Miss Takanashi. In my eyes, you're the hero here."
"You honor me, ma'am." Kiara starts off bashfully, but somberness starts to bleed into her voice, "But I'm not much of a hero if Elysium - and Xenokuni, for that matter - are about to get kicked off the continent."
"That means I'm not much of a governess either, doesn't it?" Sana chides, "A government-in-exile, especially a provincial one, won't be much of a government before long."
Her smile finally wavers.
"A lot of the Military Police come from my Provincial Guard. Many of the Army Air Corps who run this airbase do too. They're staying behind to fight while I flee to Metro Elysium."
"T-that's not what I meant to say, Governe- I mean, Miss Sana." Kiara waves her hands, trying to defend herself. However, when silence falls, she doesn't have much to say.
"There's no offense taken." Sana's smile finally returns to her lips, "I'm just asking you to not denigrate yourself so much. Your life - and your mission - won't end once you board this plane."
"I know that, but…" Kiara clutches the ten-gallon hat again.
"But before you go, you have to ask yourself, Miss Takanashi." Governess Sana looks Kiara in the eye, "What is your mission? And will you be able to commit to it wholeheartedly?"
"My mission…" Kiara repeats Sana's words.
Sana lays her hand over her chest and speaks resolutely.
"I can tell you mine, if you wish. I'll be making a press statement about it the moment I land in Metro Elysium, after all. It won't be a secret for long."
Kiara turns to Sana and nods sheepishly. She waits for Sana to speak.
"I'm going to Metro Elysium to support Prime Minister Ceres. She wants to reject the new conscription bill, but Parliament - as things stand - will throw her out of office if she does." Sana folds her arms and sighs, "Good old Faufau needs all the help - and the votes - she can get in Parliament. I'll make sure the MP's of Poseidon's Point stand with her. I cannot let even more children and youth be sent to die. That is my mission. Something only I can do right here. Right now."
She turns to Kiara again and repeats her question.
"What is your mission, then. Miss Takanashi?"
Calli's last words to Kiara suddenly ring in her heart and mind.
'You're their ferryman now.'
Tears start to streak down Kiara's cheeks.
But then…!
VROOOM!
The roar of a motorcycle engine echoes in the midst of the whirs of transport plane engines. Kiara, Sana and the other people on the tarmac turn towards the noise.
They find a blond woman with an eyepatch weaving past the military checkpoints on an Elysian Army motorcycle and sidecar with incredible skill.
"Lieutenant Watson…" Kiara croaks.
Amelia Watson stops the motorcycle near Kiara's line and she takes off her helmet.
"Kiara!" Ame cries.
"I'm here!" Kiara calls back and waves.
Ame wipes the sweat from her brow and the snow off of her leather riding jacket. She takes a deep breath and dismounts her motorcycle.
"There's been a change in plan." Ame starts speaking in Elysian She looks around at the bewildered Elysians around her and promptly changes immediately to Xenokunian, "No estamos corriendo. ¡Nos quedamos a luchar!"
"Nos quedamos… a luchar…" Kiara repeats, her voice cracking. She mutters weakly, "We're staying to fight."
"La compania Charon necesita una nueva 'capitana'." Ame points to Kiara, "Tú eres eso."
She then smiles at Kiara and speaks in Elysian, "Captain Mori would have wanted it to be you."
Kiara presses the ten-gallon hat against her chest and clutches her heart.
"Miss Kiara…?" Governess Sana tries to reach out to her.
"I'm fine, Miss Sana." Kiara stops her and stands upright. She finally puts on the ten-gallon hat and faces Sana with a small, albeit tearful smile, "My mission is still here after all, it seems. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Not at all." Sana smiles and returns the salute, "Protect my people, Kiara Takanashi."
"I will. You have my word, Miss Sana." Kiara nods.
Kiara turns around, puts away her luggage in the sidecar of Ame's motorcycle. Ame, meanwhile, hops back onto the motorcycle and apologizes to the still startled military police.
Before Kiara boards the sidecar, however, Sana calls out to her one last time.
"By the way, Miss Takanashi." Sana starts.
Kiara pauses and turns around to the governess. When she does, Sana smiles again.
"That hat looks great on you."
Kiara nods back and croaks weakly.
"Thank you."
…
Ame and Kiara zoom out of the Elysian airbase on Ame's motorcycle. Army Air Corps personnel glare bitterly at Ame, but the OSS agent brushes them off with false smiles and half-hearted waving. Kiara, meanwhile, clutches onto her luggage rattling in the sidecar and holds down the ten-gallon hat now perched on her head from fluttering off into the wintry wind.
"What the hell is going on, Ame?" Kiara asks, glancing at the OSS agent driving her, "How did Lt. Colonel Hakos manage to change the plans? Weren't they set in stone already?"
"She didn't change the plans, Kiara. She's just not following them." Ame answers, speaking with a rather pleased tone, "It was about time that she took initiative instead of just following orders. You should have heard Colonel Ravencroft going off!"
Ame clears her throat and imitates the voice of Nerissa Ravencroft, "You're taking after that Pavie adjutant of yours, aren't you!?"
"I-Is that allowed, though? Going against direct orders like that." Kiara gasps. Her jaw drops down to her lap.
"Allowed? No." Ame snorts, "But Hakos and Kureiji are gambling that she'll be able to get results that will justify their actions. They'll tell you all about the details when we get to HQ."
"But isn't this too sudden, though?" Kiara argues.
"We're trading time for the element of surprise." Ame counters firmly, "If we're going up against Zeta's forces and her Keris Abu-Abu agents, then we're going to need every bit of surprise we can get."
"The Keris Abu-Abu…" Kiara mutters, "Just like Miss Anya."
Ame nods.
"The OSS is already hitting the ground running. The Pavie bastards were trying to take tabs of our tanks and sabotage them, but we've finally got the jump on them! We just got some mighty good tips, after all! "
"The OSS…" Kiara repeats the acronym. She then glances at the empty space behind Ame and hums, "I guess that's why Lieutenant Gura isn't with you right now."
Ame flashes Kiara a smile.
"She's a big fish. She'll be just fine." Ame reassures her, "Counterespionage is Gura's specialty. Those Pavolian spies won't know what hit them!"
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Past the inner wall of the Elysian Exclave, in the somewhat warm but run-down confines of what used to be a high-end cafe a block away from the Exclave Prison, Warden Kronii Ouro orders coffee.
"Two cups, please." says the Warden to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper frowns at her.
"We don't exactly have coffee anymore." The shopkeeper shakes his head, "The coffee ration ran out yesterday and I'm waiting for my evacuation orders. All I have is the Army-issue instant sludge water that… got off from a 'friend' for some cigarettes. And even that is in short supply!"
"Instant's fine!" Kronii pleads, joining her hands together and kow-towing to the shopkeeper, "You can water it down too. I'll even give you my cigarette ration for tomorrow! I just need two cups of coffee today."
The shopkeeper snorts.
"Fine, Miss Warden. But I have to say… you're falling fast for this bird 'friend' of yours."
"So what if I am!?" Kronii argues, raising her voice.
The shopkeeper's frown deepens. He takes a deep breath and starts brewing instant coffee.
"I won't judge. I'm sure it gets lonely up in that prison of yours anyways - surrounded by fucking Pavies all day." The shopkeeper shrugs. He then raises two fingers, "I also want your chocolate ration for tomorrow too, though."
Kronii clicks her tongue.
"Fine." Kronii concedes.
She folds her arms and waits for the shopkeeper to finish his watered-down instant brew. Once the shopkeeper pours two cups of coffee onto a rickety tray, Kronii takes the tray with her through the run-down cafe.
She finds the only other patron, a brunette clad in an Elysian Army lieutenant's uniform with feathers in her hair, seated by the dusty shop front window looking out to the Exclave Prison. The brunette is looking out to the snowy scene beyond the glass. Residual sunlight reflecting off the snow illuminates the name stitched onto the chest of her uniform.
'Nanashi.'
"Sorry for the delay." Kronii apologizes to the brunette, "The shopkeeper had to water down the coffee, and..."
"Don't worry. I heard you from here." The brunette smiles. "I'm already quite glad to have the chance to sit down and have some actual coffee again for once. Even if it is instant."
"Yeah." Kronii agrees with a smile too.
For a moment, a thought flutters in Kronii's mind.
'Doesn't the Army get coffee rations, though?'
Kronii shakes her head and brushes off her doubts.
She sits down across from Lieutenant Nanashi and serves their coffees. When Kronii sets down her cup, however, Lieutenant Nanashi reaches out and gently holds Kronii's hands wrapped around her cup.
"G-gwak!?" Kronii panics.
"Don't be frightened, Warden Ouro. You can relax when you're with me." Lieutenant Nanashi coos sweetly, gazing softly into Kronii's eyes, "I just want you to know that I'm here for you and I want to support you. I treasure the time I spend with you."
Mumei's smile twists slyly.
"Even if the Exclave falls tonight, I'll still be with you. I promise."
Kronii gulps. A part of her is unsettled by her words, but the warmth of the Lieutenant's hands contrasts the drafty air of the cafe.
Kronii wraps her hands around the Lieutenant's and replies softly.
"I treasure the time I spend with you too, Lieutenant Nanashi. You're the only one who really listens to me."
The brunette's sly smile grows wider.
"There you go calling me Lieutenant Nanashi again. I thought we were much closer." She retracts her hands from Kronii's and teases with a pout, "Unless those letters and phone calls we've been exchanging don't mean a thing to you."
"They mean the world to me! Seriously." Kronii insists. She leans closer to Mumei and whispers, "I'm sorry, Mumei. It's just that becoming a prison warden has gotten a lot harder lately, what with the war getting this close to home."
Kronii lowers her head.
"Most of my prison guards don't respect me. You're the only one who really listens to me."
"Oh, is that so?" Mumei bristles with pride.
Kronii nods dejectedly.
"I don't know what the hell my prisoners are saying at all - and I'm getting walked all over by BRIGCOM."
"... BRIGCOM? That's a new story. Tell me more about it!" Mumei tilts her head with intrigue, drawing closer with an intense gaze, "What did they do to you, Kronii?"
"They sent a pair of ex-cons to my prison to speak with a prisoner. BRIGCOM can't just step all over me like that." Kronii vents furiously.
"I'm the only one who can do that." Mumei smiles. Then she whispers, "And you like it."
Again, Kronii falls silent. She blushes from ear to ear and sips her coffee to hide her face.
"Speaking of BRIGCOM, have they mentioned anything about tanks to you." Mumei muses, leaning towards Kronii wryly, "I'm in logistics, you see. I wanna know in advance if they're going to make us work overtime again."
"Tanks?" Kronii hums, "They did mention something about it, but I didn't get the gist of it because something bigger came up."
"Something bigger?" Mumei raises her brow.
Kronii opens her mouth, almost as if she was going to reply again. But she stops herself halfway through and clears her throat.
She sets down her cup and turns to Mumei.
"What about you, Mumei? How are things on your end? Things must be tough for the Army."
Mumei smiles wryly for a moment but does not say a word at first.
"It's not something that I want to talk about, Kronii." Mumei answers flatly.
"O-oh, is that so?" Kronii scratches the back of her head, "I'm sorry for asking. It's just that… I can't help but feel like I talk about my day all the time but you never tell me about yours."
Mumei pauses. Her smile sours.
Suddenly, the creaky doors of the cafe slowly open. Wintry wind blows into the already chilly cafe.
The shopkeeper immediately hollers to the door, "We don't have any more coffee!"
"I'm not here for coffee." A young woman's voice answers him, "I'm here to hunt for Pavolian 'animals'."
At the mention of 'Pavolian animals', Mumei's brow furrows.
"Mumei…?" Kronii asks.
"I'm sorry, Kronii. I've got to get going." Mumei says, rising up from her seat.
"... huh!?" Kronii gasps.
A petite figure clad in the Elysian Army OSS uniform saunters into the run-down cafe. Her snow white hair with blue streaks flow gracefully behind her. She grins menacingly with her saw-like shark's teeth.
"I heard that a 'Lieutenant Nanashi' likes to come around here." The short young lady says, sweeping her pistol through the cafe until it points towards Mumei, "Or should I say 'Agent Satwa' of the Keris Abu-Abu? Ringleader of the Exclave chapter."
Mumei scoffs.
The shark-girl doesn't break eye contact with the owl-girl. All the while, she reaches for the M1911 pistol holstered at her hip.
Mumei's gaze sharpens.
She grabs the chair that she had been sitting on and throws it at the petite intelligence officer. The officer blocks the chair with the cafe's rickety door.
WHAM!
But then, Mumei sprints towards the store front windows and charges through it with full force!
SMASH!
Kronii shields herself from the shattered glass. She only catches a glimpse of the brunette pulling a Xenokunian poncho hood over her head before sprinting away from the scene. Military Police officers run after her, hot on her trail.
"What the…!? What the hell is going on!?" Kronii grumbles.
The shark-girl sighs and puts her hand away from her gun. She approaches Kronii and introduces herself.
"I'm Lieutenant Gawr Gura of the Elysian OSS - and I'm sorry to tell you that there has never been a 'Mumei Nanashi' in the Elysian Army. And that's only one of her many aliases."
Kronii's jaw drops.
"That means that I've…" Kronii covers her face in her hands.
"You've been getting honey-trapped by that girl." Gura confirms bluntly. She then folds her arms and looks up to the crestfallen Kronii, "So tell me, Warden Ouro. What exactly have you told this 'Mumei Nanashi'? Don't spare any details."
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Across the street, behind the barred windows of a prison cell, Anya Melfissa watches Mumei Nanashi sprint away from her pursuers in the distance. A satisfied, triumphant smirk rests on her lips. The petite brunette stays facing the window and puts her hands on her hips.
"Do you believe me now, Sergeant Regis?" Anya asks.
Altare, standing inside the prison block outside Anya's cell, folds his arms.
"The OSS has reported a lot of successful arrests since this morning." Altare reveals with awe, "We've practically broken their entire network."
"Not completely." Anya warns, "Stubborn ones like 'Agent Satwa' will be difficult to catch. Even I didn't know what she looked like until now."
"You Keris Abu-Abu aren't close?" Altare tests.
"Not in the slightest." Anya shakes her head, "All agents are competing to earn the gaze of Zeta Vestia and seek her favor. We weren't friends. We were fanatics."
"We can expect them to come back with a vengeance then." Altare rubs his chin.
"Yeah." Anya turns around and faces Altare with a wry smile, "So, it falls unto us to be even more vicious than them, don't you agree?"
"Of course." Altare nods.
The Sergeant brings out a Xenokunian poncho and passes through the bars towards Anya.
"Put this on, Miss Anya. We're going to see Lieutenant Kureiji and the others."
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