Chapter 2:

Schale Building Basement

Liam Benson, Benson's Buccaneers, Schale

Kivotos Unknown Star System Unknown Affiliation

20 May 3059

Liam took a deep breath as he tried to rationalise what had happened. Rin handed him an object called the Shittim Chest. He asked for Yuuka's help to activate it. Finally, after turning it on and giving the phrase he recalled from his dream, he and Yuuka ended up here. He doubted they were physically transported anywhere. The tug on his conscience was too similar to that of a Neurohelmet connection. Whatever this LosTech device was, it likely transferred their perception into a digital format. "Mustard doesn't go on rice…" the other girl in this space mumbled.

Ah, yes, the girl who looked younger yet similar to the one he saw in his dream. She wore a blue and white uniform as drool fell from her mouth onto the desk she was sleeping on. The cuffs of her shirt and the bow in her hair had the same shape as the button he pressed. Perhaps this girl was related to their situation. "Don't know why she's mumbling about food in her sleep."

"Sensei, if she was asleep, her halo wouldn't be visible to us." Yuuka's tone gave away her discomfort at the situation they were in quickly, not that he could blame her.

"Is that so?" Liam stopped paying attention to them as they were so common, noting their existence seemed useless.

"Yes," Yuuka glared at Liam as she squinted her eyes, "you were right next to Wakamo. Surely you recall the halo above her head was gone after she passed out."

Liam took a moment to recall that. Yuuka was right. Wakamo did lack a halo above her head at that moment. The girl had to be mocking them! "Well, we are in some strange dimension, yes?" Liam extrapolated, putting aside that weird conclusion for now.

Yuuka tilted her head. "I guess. What does that have to do with anything?"

Liam had a theory in his mind. "Then it is just as likely the rules of this place are different from our physical reality. This girl, in turn, must be different from you or me."

"What makes you think that?" Yuuka's sanity had to be nearing a breaking point. Honestly, what was Sensei thinking?

That thought was definitely not his own. If anything, that was more Yuuka's train of thinking. What the hell was this LosTech device doing!? "Considering I have some of your thoughts in my head, something is abnormal."

Yuuka's eyes shrunk as she stood there. "Now that you mention it, I don't know what the term 'LosTech' means. Why would I call something that?"

"Because it's what I am calling this device. It's shorthand for lost technology." This device must have treated their minds like fruit does a blender. "For the sake of our sanity and individuality, I say we should wake up this girl as soon as possible."

"Agreed." Yuuka nodded frantically. Hopefully, some of his morbid thoughts didn't surface during this situation.

Going up to the young girl, she seemed stuck in a stage of mumbling about food. Liam didn't want to be rude. She looked about half his age, after all. A forceful poke should be enough pressure. As his finger pushed into the unknown girl's cheek, she grumbled. "Not now… I still have more to eat…"

A little more force this time. "You don't even have food in front of you." Liam hoped the combination of words would stir her as well.

"Wha…" The girl says as she lazily starts to move and stand up. Opening her blue eyes, the girl begins to look around the room. "What's going… on?"

"You tell me," Liam said with a frown, "we just got here somehow."

"Huh?" The girl's face flushed with embarrassment as she looked between Yuuka and Liam. "Uh… Huh? Wha…?! Two Senseis!?"

Oh, for Christ's sake. "No, just the one. This here is Yuuka. She is a student who was standing beside me when I turned on the device." Liam tried to maintain his professional demeanour despite the panic in Yuuka's thoughts that assaulted his mind. If he focused, he could zone them out. "As for me, I am-"

"Liam-sensei?!" The girl's panic was evident as she tried to piece together what was happening. "I know you were meant to come, but a student too?! What time is it?!"

"Breathe." Liam knew that this girl had to calm down if he wanted to resolve this. "First, what's your name? It would be rude if I couldn't address you properly."

The girl took a few deep breaths as her frantic attitude subsided. With one last breath, her demeanour changed to what he could only describe as chipper. "My name is Arona!" A big toothy smile rested on her face. "I'm the system manager that lives inside the Shittim Chest. As its main OS, you can think of me as your trusty secretary, Liam-sensei! I'm so glad to finally meet you! I've been waiting a long time!" Arona's halo changed to the shape of a heart as she finished her greeting.

Well, she did have quite the chipper demeanour. It was pretty infectious, Liam had to admit. Although she called herself an AI, her persona was nothing like he had expected. Then again, his only other experience was Bitching Betty. If the DI computer on his 'Mech were to become sentient, even he would be in a state of panic.

"A pleasure to meet you. However, some things concern me." Liam stroked his chin as he considered how to ask the most poignant questions. "I assume this perceived reality is a digital space? If so, is that why Yuuka and I's thoughts are being shared with one another?"

Yuuka pinched her forehead as she gritted her teeth beside him. "Yes, I'd also like to know how to stop it. The conflicting thoughts in my head are overwhelming!"

"I ah…" Arona's face seemed to contort in a panic once more. "I am sorry. I don't know why that is happening! I was only prepared to meet Liam-sensei, so someone else being here…"

Liam patted Arona's head and tried to offer a comforting smile as best he could. "Look, I don't think you did it on purpose, if at all. Considering we are in this place, and it dragged me here, it must have been for some purpose, yes?"

Arona's smile returned as she nodded. "Yes, your biological authorisation." Her chipper voice rang in a somewhat musical way.

"Perhaps doing that may help separate Yuuka's thoughts from mine." Liam hoped that was the case. "With that in mind, we should preferably carry it through for both of us."

"Both of you?" Arona tilted her head as her halo appeared to be shaken again. It was weird how her emotions affected its shape. "Sensei, are you sure there is only meant to be one registered user…"

"It's fine." Liam nodded in affirmation. "I don't know much about this device or why my consciousness is in it, but if you're not too worried about that, then registering me as a user should allow me to return focus to my body. If we don't do it for Yuuka here, I fear she might be trapped inside, and that would not do."

Liam looked over to the student he accidentally dragged in. "Besides, I trust her despite what little I know."

Yuuka seemed to blink several times as her gaze shifted away from Liam. Perhaps his gaze unnerved her, or maybe his wording in Japanese did not convey what he really meant. He would have to apologise to her if that was the case.

Turning his gaze back to Arona, she appeared to have a mischievous smile. "Oh, I see," Arona said as if she understood something he did not. Her little laugh at the incident little to make him feel otherwise.

"Sensei, if you do me a favour, could you get closer." Arona closed her eyes as she had a slight smile on her face. "It's a little embarrassing, but it's all part of the protocol."

Liam nodded as he went up to Arona. Considering he was 189 cm tall and how short Arona was, he knelt down to get at her height. "This good enough?" Liam's eyebrow arched upward. He hoped this was a good enough distance.

"Perfect, thank you, Liam-sensei." Arona smiled bright as a lighthouse as she raised a single finger. "Can you please place your fingertip against mine as well?"

A bit odd, sure, yet considering the entire landscape was odd, Liam didn't seem pressed to question it. As his dominant hand's index finger touched her extended one, Liam felt a slight tingle. The whole thing felt weird.

Arona chuckled with closed eyes again. "It's kind of like we're making a promise or something, isn't it?"

"Feels like a weird way to go about it, if I'm being honest." It didn't help that, considering his clothing and the colourful titles he was called before, he felt like a creep of something.

"This is just how I'm supposed to verify your fingerprint!" Arona pouted as her chastisement flew out.

"Sorry, please, continue." Honestly, the sooner this was done, the better.

Arona's smile returned as she chuckled again. "Don't worry, I have eyes like a hawk!" Focusing on their fingers touching, Arona hummed. "Now let's see."

Arona shifted between looking at that and his own eyes. Her face went through a variety of emotions. First was curiosity, which made sense as she was scanning him. Second, her eyes recoiled in shock. This confused Liam as he didn't do anything unusual, but part of him felt like something was dancing in his brain. Then, finally, Arona had a sombre frown as she looked into his eyes. She was trying to comfort or relate to something if he had to guess, but he couldn't figure out what.

She stayed with that expression for what felt like ten minutes. Liam felt uncomfortable kneeling like this with his hand extended for so long. "I'm sorry. Is something wrong?" Liam interjected, hoping to resolve the issue before either his knee or his temper gave out.

Arona blinked as she shook her head. "Oh, sorry." Arona hummed for a second before taking back her own hand. "All done." She tried to return to her cheery mood, but something was still odd.

"You sure?" Liam said as he stood back up. "You seemed to be lost in thought for a bit there."

Arona recoiled in shock and frantically shook her head. "Everything is fine. I did everything I was supposed to!"

She seemed defensive about what Liam said. He might have worded what he said wrong. "Sorry, I am more used to the neurohelmet just reading my brainwaves and the DI computer taking my activation code. Usually, it's a seamless process."

"Sensei, judging from what I saw, you were meant to type in the password, not vocalise it." Yuuka remarked behind Liam, "I thought it was weird how you just spoke the password."

"Where was the keyboard then?" Liam frowned at Yuuka, "I find it hard to think of a different way to input the command."

Yuuka's expression was blank as she looked him in the eyes. "Liam-sensei, if you had touched the screen, a keyboard would have popped up."

That had to be a joke. Never in Liam's life had he seen an interface work like that. Yet despite the awkward silence, her face remained unflinching. "You're serious?" Liam stated in disbelief as Yuuka nodded in affirmation.

What in the world would have caused that then? A device shouldn't just change its nature on a whim.

"A topic for another time," Liam stated aloud as he focused back on Arona, "For now, if you would be so kind, Yuuka could use your help next."

Arona beamed as she hummed in affirmation. "It will be just a moment, Liam-sensei!"

Liam nodded as he took a few steps away. Yuuka hesitantly stepped forward before Arona. She didn't have to kneel like Liam did due to her comparable lack of height. "So I just press my finger against yours? Like Liam-sensei did?"

Arona nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, leave everything to me!"

Hesitantly, Yuuka reached out her dominant index finger and touched Arona's. The scene seemed similar to what Liam had experienced. He aptly decided to go to one of the desks to sit on while he waited for everything to happen.

"All done!" Arona popped up quickly.

That was way faster than his. Why did it take so long for his authentication to go through? What in Sam Hill was this? Liam shook his head. It's better to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Well, at least we didn't have another moment of silence." Liam walked up to Arona and patted her head. It would be best to be nice to Arona. "Good work."

Arona closed her eyes and laughed, smiling as she did. "I would like to see Airi do that!"

Liam didn't know what this Airi was, but it sounded like some sort of AI of the same calibre as Betty. "As much as I would love to question who this Airi is, we don't have the luxury of time."

Arona tilted her head. "Why's that?"

"For starters, the current President of the General Student Council is missing. This, in turn, has led to this planet's governing body being unable to maintain order." Liam could complain to his employer about why there wasn't a clear line of succession established for the planetary rule. Still, it was pointless to him so long as he got paid. Mercenaries were meant to do what their employer wanted and get paid, not think about what should be done. "As a response, I was sent to activate you to resolve this conundrum."

Arona recoiled in shock. "A lot really has happened…" Her mussing was sombre as she closed her eyes. Opening them once more, she nodded. "Well, I know I can help restore access privileges to the Sanctum Tower. It will only be a minute!"

"My thanks, Arona." Liam nodded, his gaze following her as Arona seemed to enter some sort of trance. He doubted it would be as simple as just asking her. Perhaps she was about to say something else needed to be done.

Arona opened her eyes, and there appeared to be stars in them.

"Sanctum Tower admin permissions acquired. We've successfully regained Sanctum Tower, Liam-sensei. The tower is now under my control. That means all of Kivotos is now in the palm of your hand, Liam-sensei."

That did not even take half a minute. Liam could hardly believe this. Seriously, why did his scan take so long!? "Well, at least I didn't need to go through more hoops to finish it." Liam rubbed his chin. There was but one more thing to do to finish his end of the bargain. "Transfer control to the General Student Council."

Arona looked at Liam with an open mouth. "Are you sure that is what you want to do? You would be giving total control to the General Student Council."

Liam nodded. "Do it. I have my word to fulfil." Sure, he did not have a contract officially, but damn it all, if he and his father didn't work hard to earn a good Dragoon Rating. Betraying their employer, children at that, would be something pirates would do, and Liam was no Pirate.

"All right, then!" Arona smiled as she skipped off. "Control of Sanctum Tower will be transferred to the General Student Council!" She hummed a tune as she appeared to be doing something again.

"Huh!?" Yuuka exclaimed, grabbing Liam's attention. "Th-that's it?! Y-you had all of Kivotos in your hand, and you just let it go?!" Yuuka stammered as her hands shook, as though she was trying to grasp some invisible form of sanity. The look on her face made that clear as day.

"What use do I have for power?" Liam shrugged. The idea of ruling a planet never crossed his mind despite his father being born de facto nobility. "I get orders from my employer. I do it. Does it need to be any more complicated?" If the Knights of the Inner Sphere were content to serve Thomas Marik, why would he not be content doing the same for others? He may have been a mercenary, but the Knights' story inspired him, even if he could not willingly submit himself to any of the Great Houses solely.

Yuuka, for her part, was speechless as she just stared at Liam. Did he say something alien to her? He didn't think he did, yet how she looked at him seemed to not comprehend what he told her.

Liam felt a sharp ringing in his ear.

"Liam-sensei! Hayase Yuuka!" Rin's voice was sharp and annoyed.

It reminded him of the times Wojtek or his father would scold him when he first piloted his Blackjack. Liam blinked twice. Her sharp voice appeared to have broken whatever caused his consciousness to reside inside the device, as his surroundings were once again the basement he had entered under Rin's orders, except now the overhead lights were on.

Liam looked over to Rin, her gaze annoyed as if he had ignored him. "My apologies," Liam grimaced, his thoughts trying to respond appropriately, "when Yuuka helped me turn on the device, I guess it tore our perception from ourselves. Was that meant to happen?"

Rin, for her part, didn't visibly appear to understand what he meant. "No… yet that would explain the look you were making and the one she still is."

Liam looked towards Yuuka. Her face seemed to be in some sort of trance. Her mouth was agape as she stared at the Shittim Chest in their hands. On the device's screen, a confused Yuuka looked frantically around the room he was in. Her search mainly was around the area where he had been standing. If Rin's voice was enough to wake him, perhaps he could do something for Yuuka.

Liam gently touched her shoulder with his non-dominant hand and started shaking her. "Yuuka, wake up." His voice was stern as he continued shaking and consistently repeated those words.

Yuuka's form on the screen disappeared as her eyes appeared to break from whatever trance she was under. Taking a moment to collect her senses, her gaze barreled onto his hand, still touching her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she jumped away, her face red once more as she glared at Liam. "I am going to pretend that didn't happen." Her voice strained as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

For his part, Liam felt a tinge of guilt as he got glares from Rin, Suzumi, and the new arrivals of Chinatsu and Hasumi. "Sorry about that. Figured that was better than you waking up to your ears ringing." Considering the tone of voice Rin had, the fear it could cause lasting damage hung in his gut.

"Perhaps it would be best to move on," Rin interjected as she turned to Liam, "while you were in that trance, I got confirmation of control of Santum Tower being restored. With that, we will be able to manage the city as well as we could before the President's disappearance."

"I see. I was partly concerned something else would have to be done first." It was a relatively simple contract with the out-of-body experience, the weird, inhuman appendages on those around him, and the endurance to take trauma to the body that these halos allotted. To Liam, even though his surroundings made as much sense as a Locust duelling an Atlas and winning, he could not help but feel pride.

"As was I considering…" Rin trailed off as her gaze looked away from Liam for a moment. However, Rin cleared her throat and looked towards Liam, and bowed. "I must thank you, Liam-sensei. Despite my doubts, without you, Kivotos would have fallen into chaos."

Liam smiled slightly. "Was just doing my job, no more, no less," Liam responded as best he could, as he tried to recall the proper decorum for addressing an employer, "my apologies for referring to you as Rinny before, Miss Nanagami. Considering that you are the acting President and the one who should have hired me is missing, it was improper to be casual to an employer's surrogate despite my lack of composure over my surroundings."

Rin glared at Liam. Her gaze spoke as if he had said something he should not have. "Miss Nanagami' is not correct either, and I can't even begin to pronounce what you first called me."

Ah, so she wasn't a miss. Liam didn't think that would have been the case, but considering everything else that was strange, it should not surprise him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were married, Missus Nanagami. I am sure your husband must be a happy man." Liam quickly interjected before he made things worse.

As if he tempted fate, Rin's face turned a minor tint of red as she took a step back. "H-husband?!" She squeaked out. It took Liam a considerable amount of composure not to laugh at the sight, as it would only make things worse. "L-look, Liam-sensei, I am not m-married, and I don't know what made you think I would have!"

"Oh, I'm sorry again. I figured with your appearance and all, you'd at least have a significant other. I'm sure whoever ends up with you will be happy indeed."

If the colour of her eyes and the tint of her face were to mix, it would have made a lovely shade of purple. As it stood, however, Rin's mouth hung a jar, her eyes wide as dinner plates. Desperate, she brought her hands up to her face and used them to hide her visage. A muffled scream could be heard emanating from her.

"Are you an idiot?!" Yuuka screamed next to Liam as she tried to look intimidating again.

"I just thought I offended her." Liam held up his hands defensively. "I thought I accidentally stated she was inadequate and wanted to correct that. Not to say you are any lesser than her. My apologies if it came off that way. This isn't even my third best language."

The glares from the others hardly made things better.

Rin took a series of short, deep breaths as she regained her composure. With a final long, deep breath, she uncovered her face and looked back at Liam. Her face was still tinted red as she looked at him. "I am going to pretend that did not happen," Rin stressed as she closed her eyes, "As for the other thing, Liam-sensei, I fail to understand, given how I explained what Schale is, how I am your employer."

Liam tilted his head, confused by what she meant. "You had a task that needed to be done. You asked me to do it. As you are standing in for the President, who you admitted was missing, it would only make sense that you would be standing in her place as the one to order me what to do."

Rin looked slightly panicked over to the other four conscious students there as their eyes tore away from Liam and back to Rin. "Considering my role, that would be a bad idea. The President wanted Schale to have autonomy from the General Student Council. Considering the circumstances, assuming her authority over Schale would reflect poorly on me."

Liam frowned at this. Why would that be an issue? Indeed, if she was taking over the President's authority, it would be assumed that any sections she'd have been over would also fall under her control. "So let me get this straight," Liam pinched his forehead as he took a deep breath, "not only did the President leave without a proper chain of succession, but due to this, she has left a single person with the authority of an organisation with what may as well be a blank check on power and not a single way to keep it in check!?"

"A bit of a crude way to put it, but yes."

Liam felt the last bit of sanity slip away in that moment. What in Sam Hill was the President thinking!? As a mercenary, he always had some form of individual give him orders, and he would be expected to do so without complaint. Some of the orders he had been given disgusted him in the past, yet his own honour meant Liam could rarely turn them down. The last time he did was when some upstart wanted him to eliminate rebels who just turned out to be peaceful protestors. Even in that case, the Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission deducted his company's Dragoon Raiting as punishment.

"That can't be right! There must be at least something to stop me from doing whatever I please! A review board or something!"

Chinatsu raised a gloved hand as she interjected. "Liam-sensei, we can just post about Schale on social media."

"What is a social media?"

The room fell into deep silence as everyone looked like Liam had just said a cardinal sin.

Yuuka, who, for her part, was once stunned by what he said to her, stepped into Liam's view. "You have a Laser weapon, and you don't know what social media is?!"

Like saying that weird term again was going to change anything. "Is it like an HPG broadcast? Can I watch live recordings on it?"

Yuuka's expression was unamused. "Pull out your phone."

Phone? Liam pulled over his vest, set the Shittim Chest in a pouch with his noteputer, and displayed its contents. "I don't know what sort of phone you're referring to, but this is all I have." Liam used one hand to hold open his vest, while his other he prepared to point out each item in question. "We have where my ammo pouches for the M42B would be that Chinatsu still has, my spare packs for my pistol, the Shittim Chest and noteputer, a lighter, a survival knife, and finally, my nutrition pills. Only enough for two days, sadly."

"Nutrition pills?" The room resounded in a chorus.

"Technically, it is protein paste in pill form. Calling it Nutrition pills is easier, though. They are enough to ensure a soldier doesn't die of starvation in the field if you don't mind the taste."

A deafening silence spread throughout the room as Liam let go of his coat, the aforementioned pills still in his hands.

The five conscious members held faces that were a mix of disgust and pity. Curious why he would need pity. He was a simple Inner Sphere MechWarrior, not a so-called 'Trueborn' Clan warrior. Civilians should be served by him, not the other way around.

"You eat pills instead of food!?" Yuuka barked as she got closer.

"There was hardly much in the way of options." Liam frowned as he stroked his chin. "On the Bradford, a Leopard class DropShip, the space on it was jammed with spare parts, ammunition, repair tools, and medical supplies that storage for anything but the most basic and long-lasting foods were nonexistent. Between having a shower and a kitchen, my father elected the shower, lest anyone gets injured in the field and die of infection." If only that had saved him, a shower can't sew together a corpse. "Wasn't the most popular call, so I'd just try and eat the worst of the rations to try and conserve morale as much as possible."

Yuuka's horror grew even more as she looked at Liam's pills. She stood there in dead silence for a minute. Finally, as if something clicked into her brain, she rugged in her jacket for something. Suddenly, her hands stopped moving as her expression changed to something more determined. Out of her jacket, she pulled out two paper notes in Japanese. The only thing Liam could read on it was the one thousand numerals on the paper. Wasting no time, she shoved the notes into his hands as his nutrition pill container fell to the floor.

"Take it!" Yuuka's voice was sharp as she gave her order. "Get yourself something to eat, anything that isn't those pills!"

"That's not necessary, I don't-"

"No!" Yuuka interjected, infuriated by his attempted refusal. "You can't just eat pills! Why would you even consider that?!"

Arguing with her was just going to be a pointless endeavour. Liam sighed as he pocketed the strange notes. "Fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll do my best to fulfil your request."

"Good!" Yuuka's expression was smug momentarily before she wagged a finger at his face. "Don't think for a second I won't find out. I can't stay much longer, but I will find out tomorrow! There are many things wrong with you that need to be addressed!"

Just his luck. Yuuka's words left Liam with a minor sense of dread. Just what did he get himself into?

"Yes, we have to go as well," Hasumi spoke up with Suzumi behind her, "I know the tea party would very much want to know about this…"

"As would the head prefect…" Chinatsu trailed off as she walked closer to Liam. She removed the ammo pouches and returned them and his rifle to Liam. "Sorry for not giving them back to you sooner, Liam-sensei. It must have been difficult to part with this."

"I've only had it for a year, and it's more secondary for me." Liam sighed as he took his stuff back. "Compared to not having my family's ancestral 'Mech with me, that rifle is worthless."

Chinatsu blinked several times as she hesitantly stepped back. "I see…" she trailed off as she made her way to the exit from which Hasumi and Suzumi had already left, "Still take care, Liam-sensei. As strange as today was, I hope to work with you again in a less awkward situation."

Liam nodded as Chinatsue left. Yuuka approached the same door and turned around one last time. "Don't forget, I will check in on you tomorrow, so don't break your word!"

"I won't, but stay safe out there." His word was all he had, so he wouldn't do that.

Yuuka's smug grin returned as she turned around and left.

Rin, being the last conscious member of the room, approached Liam. "As strange as today has been, I should still properly introduce you to the Federal Investigation Club. As you are in charge of Schale, it would be good for you to know about the building you are being given."

Considering he could not even read the signs of the rooms, that would be a good idea. "Very well, is there a bed in this building?"

Rin tilted her head at the question. "Several, why do you ask?"

Liam shouldered his rifle over his back and went over to Wakamo. He picked up the unconscious girl with little effort and turned back towards Rin. "It would be rude for her to wake up on the floor."

Rin sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Of course…" Rin turned and walked towards the exit, "follow me if you would, Liam-sensei."

He wasn't in a position to decline.

Night came sooner than expected. Fortunately, Rin's tour proved helpful in figuring out his way around the building. The place seemed less like a professional organisation's building and more like some sort of luxury hotel that he used to hear about. The site had several bedrooms, a central office area, a well-stocked kitchen, and a gym and swimming pool! The last time he saw all that was when he was five or six on the Argo.

Just thinking about that ship made him sad.

Still, now wasn't the time to dwell. The attached shop, Angel Twenty-Four, was the name, if he recalled right from what Rin called it, was well stocked. Too bad there was no one manning it at the time. He had to pay and scan the items himself. He didn't get much, primarily things Arona picked out for him. A bar of soap, razors, shaving cream, two so-called yakiniku bento, and a box of Earl Grey teabags. Liam preferred tea over coffee, though that may have been his mother's influence.

'You're welcome, Liam-sensei.'

Arona talking in his head was the weirdest sensation, though. Was she also talking to Yuuka at this moment? Could she read her thoughts like his?

'Only when she's close, right now, it's just you.'

Well, at least Arona had that mercy. She might have been an AI, but having to juggle the thoughts of two people was trying for him.

As for the bentos, beef, eggs, rice and vegetables? What a strange combination of food. Wasn't eggs a breakfast food? Still, if eating that would at least save him from getting yelled at by Yuuka the next day, it'd be best if he ate it. It couldn't be worse than the pills, at least.

'It would. I will tell Yuuka if you don't!'

Liam sighed and grabbed a teapot out of a cupboard. Usually, he'd use the natural heat generated inside of a 'Mech to help brew his tea. And a stove was something he never used before.

'Just leave it to me! I will show you how it works!'

Maybe having the second voice in his head wasn't as much of a hindrance as one would have initially thought. With Arona's instructions being told in his head, the stove usage would be as easy as when he helped the astechs with 'Mech maintenance.

Liam filled the teapot with warm water and placed it on the hot stovetop. He looked out at the setting sun to pass the time. The landscape was similar to that dream he had on the train. Was the place this city then? If so, perhaps the President was just on a train.

What a foolish thought.

Liam noticed the water in the teapot was beginning to boil. Turning off the heat and moving the pot to an area that wasn't as warm, he placed two bags of Earl Grey into the pot. Liam preferred his tea to be a little stronger than average, which calmed him during combat deployment. Liam let it brew for five minutes, and when it was done, he removed the teabags and discarded them. He took a moment to sniff the tea. The bergamot always helped distinguish Earl Grey from other teas; this brew was no exception.

Liam put the teapot on a tray with two cups and the bentos. He couldn't find silverware, just some sticks. It's not like that fact would discourage him. It wouldn't have been the first time he ate food by hand.

'You can't use chopsticks either!?'

So that's what they were called. Liam never encountered these during his many years in Free Worlds League space, and his recent time in Lyran space wasn't different. Still, he might as well take them if it was a common utensil. Wakamo would likely prefer to have them if that was true.

Liam picked up the tray and carefully walked. He still didn't get a chance to talk with the Wakamo figure. Perhaps the smell of food and tea would wake her up. He'd at least like to know why she fainted and her goal in this building.

Pushing open the room, Liam saw the still-sleeping fox-eared girl. The day must have been rougher on her than he expected. Good thing he brought her some food as well. She was likely to be hungry once she had woken up.

He set down his tray on a table in the room. Liam poured himself a cup of tea. As he sat down on a chair inside the room, he took a sip of his freshly brewed tea. Some preferred adding milk and sugar to it. Yet, Liam never had the income to waste on such luxury additions for tea. He was grateful alone that he wasn't stuck drinking coffee. As the hot drink went down his throat, Liam let out a content sigh. His muscles relaxed as the familiar taste graced his tongue. Every time he drank tea, it was a heavenly experience; even with the strange things around him, this was no exception. Liam allowed himself to close his eyes and enjoy his tea momentarily.

The sound of someone stirring came from the bed.

Opening his eyes, Liam saw Wakamo move again. She let out a minor groan as she sleepily fluttered her eyes. Perfect, the tea was still warm as well.

"Well, good evening," Liam announced as he took another sip of his tea, "you were out for some time."

Wakamo's eyes bolted open as her head jerked towards Liam. Her gaze was shocked as her eyes were glued to his visage. The longer she looked, the more red her face became. "I… I…"

If he didn't do anything, Liam felt she would faint again, which would be counterproductive. "Deep breaths. I just want to ask some questions." Liam quickly interjected with a raised hand as he set down his cup of tea. Getting up from his chair, he poured the tea he had made into the other cup and handed her the brew. "This should help calm your nerves."

Wakamo glanced down at the cup and took a deep breath. "Y-yes…" she stammered as she took the cup of tea. Hesitantly taking a sip of the tea, she appeared to settle down.

"Better?" Liam asked as he sat back down. When Wakamo nodded, he grinned at her. "Good. If it isn't too much of an issue, I will ask you some questions. I want you to be honest with me." Wakamo nodded again. This should be a simple process. "First, Your name is Wakamo, yes?"

"Y-yes." Wakamo stammered out, her face still very red. "K-kosaka Wakamo."

So far, so good. "Pleasure to meet you then, Wakamo." Liam extended a hand out to Wakamo. He figured it would be best to give a friendly handshake to ease the tension. "My name is Liam, Liam Benson."

Wakamo set down her tea as she glanced at his outstretched hand, then his face. She repeated such a look several times. "Liam…" she mussed over the name in a way that seemed odd to the MechWarrior. The fact she started giggling didn't help either. She grasped his hands in a way he could best describe as tender as her giggling continued. "Liam…"

What sort of crazy did he stir? "Yes, that's my name," Liam grinned uncomfortably as she tried to feel every crevice of his hand, "if I may, I would prefer to ask my other questions."

Jolted by his voice, Wakamo let go of his hands and leaned back into the bed. "Y-yes, I am sorry. I, Wakamo, will answer everything, my darling." She let out another giggle as she finished her sentence.

Never in his life did a prisoner interrogation go like this. Sure, his were much more humane than what even most house units would do, but this? He had never had someone refer to him affectionately, let alone even have a significant other.

Liam downed his cup of tea and poured himself another cup. He would need it to survive this night without losing his sense of control.

Liam took a deep breath. "If I may inquire so bluntly, the others had a sort of fear concerning you. Yet you seem perfectly passive with me." Even going as far as to pass out at his mere sight.

"Of course!" Wakamo bolts up with a smile. "For a maiden to even think about harming the man she loves, it is unthinkable!"

Alright, this incident was getting far too awkward for Liam's nerves. He took another long sip of tea. This might be the fastest he had ever drunk two cups. "I see…" Liam trailed off. He needed to change the subject. "Yet you seemed to associate yourself with individuals who seemed rather willing to inflict violence on others."

"Isn't it grand, though?" Wakamo shuttered as she closed her eyes. "The fire on the streets, the wave of an explosion! The things such destruction brings can only excite me!" Wakamo's giggling continued.

At least it wasn't directed at him, though.

Still, that sort of thinking was dangerous. It made sense why Wakamo was locked up. She was a walking time bomb of destruction! Yet it wasn't too different from what he had read and seen before. His father had the displeasure of dealing with someone he called Behemoth before Liam was born, and the notes had noted that controlling her temper was near impossible.

As much as he felt uncomfortable, Wakamo was different in that regard.

"Yes, I can see where you are coming from." Liam started. Some of the mercenaries he had seen were quite violent, so dealing with their outbursts was something he was too familiar with. "The sound of battle and destruction excites you, yes?"

"You understand?!" Wakamo appeared giddy as she got closer to Liam. "I knew there was something different about you, darling! From the moment I saw you, I was-"

"Yet it appears to be misguided." It was best to stop her before she went down that rabbit hole.

"Misguided?"

Liam nodded. "There are those who deserve such violence without a doubt. Those who would see a happy couple only wish to see their corpses. People who, in their perception of being far better than others, want only to subjugate. Those that'd see a mother near her child and blow her brains out." Pirates, Clanners, ComStar. Those three deserve no mercy.

Wakamo seemed to recoil in shock. "Wha…" Perhaps the vivid imagery was too much on her, but he needed to drive the point home.

"Imagine if you would, you are just strolling down the street. You're getting your favourite food, perhaps, or drinking your favourite tea. Then you see the thing you most value in your life." Judging from how she had acted before, he considered the possibility it was himself. "As you go up to whatever you thought of, imagine it is in the epicentre of an explosion as the thing you loved is now in pieces." Wakamo appeared to have tears in her eyes. At least she seemed to understand empathy compared to the notes on Behemoth. "Then imagine that someone took responsibility for that explosion, said they did it for fun, to see what would happen, and-"

"Stop!" Wakamo yelled as the tears in her eyes began to pour down. "W-why are you saying these things?!"

It appeared she needed the final lesson. "Didn't you say destruction excites you? Well, that is the end result of untempered destruction, tragedy." The Inner Sphere was an excellent place to see that unfold. If Liam had a C-Bill for every horror inflicted on civilians in the Inner Sphere, he would be rich enough to make a Steiner jealous. "I don't think you want to be that. I would be disappointed in you if you did."

Wakamo's tears flew harder than a river as she looked down. "Y-you, d-disa-diapointed?"

"If that was true, yes, I would be." Liam tried his best to give a warm smile. "I could see why the General Student Council would want you locked up. I don't believe you want that, though." Nor would such an idea work. She had already escaped once before. Perhaps a radical idea would be best to solve this issue permanently. "I have a proposal for you."

Wakamo's tears seemed to slow down as she looked back up at Liam. "A Pr-Proposal?"

"Provided you are willing to stay here under my eyes, I will forgive what you did before. You could instead direct such feelings to those who would do the horrid things you imagined. All the while, you will have residence here, free to partake in whatever luxuries you want. There are several bedrooms here, so we wouldn't need to share a bed, but so long as you can tolerate my presence, you would be free from-"

Wakamo fell backwards. She fainted again.

For a moment, Liam stared at the unconscious girl. At least this time, she wasn't bleeding from the nose.

'Sensei…'

Arona's voice in his head caused him to groan. He downed his cup of tea and poured himself the rest of the teapot. He would need to brew another pot, but he needed it now more than ever. "Christ all mighty, grant me strength…"

To Yuuka, this was strange. She knew her dreams, well, better than anyone else. This was not one of her typical ones.

Where she stood was in some sort of metallic hallway. She didn't recall anywhere in Millennium looking like this. Strange words adorned the place. Was this how Liam-sensei felt about the signage? Was she looking at his language's sign equivalent to basement?

A massive amount of shuffling could be heard nearby. Yuuka turned around. Near her feet was a young boy hiding behind a wall holding some plush toy. It had a skull-like face, but the etchings clearly marked it was trying to imitate something mechanical. A mechanical Skull Man? Did Mono and Friends even have a variant of Skull Man like that?

The boy himself was pretty odd, too. His clothes were simplistic, combining a green tank top and black pants. He had short auburn hair, and his eyes were a familiar shade of silver. Honestly, the boy looked like a child version of Liam-sensei.

"Alright, Buccaneers, sit down and can the yapping." A gruff voice interjected, Yuuka's attention having been grabbed.

He was a coarse man. Not too dissimilar to Liam-sensei. The top of his head was bald, but his blond hair was loose at the back. He looked over the room with eyes very much like Liam's, silver, piercing. He wore a black uniform with green trim with an odd crest on his lapel. A red shield and a gold sea dragon, perhaps? He was standing behind a strange table. It appeared to be showing some holographic projection of a sphere and was standing with four other people by his side.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The room echoed as elven people sat down. They all appeared to be in a similar state of dress as Sensei was. Tanktops, biker shorts, and a jacket. The men and women in the room were dressed like that, except those on the other side of the holographic table.

"Good, let's get on with this." The well-dressed man turned towards a man with black skin who, despite wearing clothes like those sitting down, was at least wearing pants. "Darius, bring up the latest information on the contract."

"You got it, commander," Darius said as he typed a few things into the table's console, the sphere changing into a giant blob of text, "it's all here."

The commander nodded with a smile at Darius, then looked back to those sitting in the room. "Current date is 1 July, 3039. Our employer, with the consent of Captain-General Thomas Marik, has hired us to assist the First Marik Militia here on Andurien." The holographic table showed a picture of a younger man in a white and purple uniform. "we will be mainly taking orders from the newly promoted force commander of the Second Battalion, Force Commander Paul Masters. From what I know, he is pretty close with the Captain-General, so it would be ideal if we were on our best behaviour if we want to keep working in the Free Worlds League."

Yuuka may not have been as observant as her friend Noa, but watching them talk made something evident to her.

The lip movements of those in the room didn't match what they were saying.

A whistle came from the crowd as a giant of a man with skin of a similar tone to Darius chuckled. "Well, isn't that quaint? My C-Bills say that he dies within the year."

Yuuka recoiled at such disregard for human life. How could someone value life so little they bet on them dying?

"Wojtek's pessimism aside," the commander injected, "He's to be considered a high-value asset in the field. Azure and Indigo lances will be supporting him directly."

Yuuka watched as diagrams of machines popped up. Some of them were humanoid, others had digitigrade legs. Some she thought belonged in an Anime.

"Azure Lance, Medusa will be in charge of you for this operation. Despite being a medium, a Phoenix Hawk is an excellent leader for a light lance, and Medusa is our best light 'Mech pilot." The commander looked over the left side of the room and smiled. "Besides, I doubt we want Dekker to lead again after the last time."

A chorus of chuckles erupted from the room as a bald man with a beard stood up. "Fuck you guys, how was I meant to know the ground was unstable!? Besides, I'm still alive, right?"

"Yeah, because Popcorn keeps saving your sorry arse!" A woman with a posh accent speaks up with a grin. "Did you consider that maybe loose rocks near a cliff wasn't the safest place to land with the Spider?"

Dekker gave a look of betrayal as he sat back down. "Even Monarch now? Was it that bad?"

A man in a jumpsuit slams his robotic arm against a wall. "Yes, it was! You need to stop mistreating MY BattleMechs!"

"Enough!" The leader of the group yelled, visibly annoyed at the show. "You can eat him out later, Yang. We got work to do."

"My apologies, commander." Yang faded into the table's background as he took a few steps back.

The leader nodded as he continued. "You will be the first to deploy on the former Hysteria. Sumire, we got the registration changed to Bradford, right?"

"Correct, sir," a squinty-eyed woman in a blue and grey flight suit spoke up, looking at what Yuuka initially thought was a smart tablet. However, a second glance made her realise it was more like Liam-sensei's noteputer. "ComStar wasn't happy with it, but the paperwork finally went through."

"Good work, Sumire," the commander patted her shoulder, "I'll get a bottle of champagne for your trouble. Well, two, you will be working overtime for this operation, too."

"I'm used to it, Popcorn," Sumire sighed as she slumped beside a wall, "though I will still take the champagne."

"Noted." Popcorn nodded before he changed the figures on the holographic table again. "Indigo Lance will be led by Wojtek. Compared to Glitch and Behemoth, he is the most suited for leading that lance, especially with the newbie." Popcorn turned to the right side of the room as most eyes rested on a young man with black hair. "William Barr, was it?"

The man bolted up and gave a stiff salute. "Sir, yes, sir! William Barr, reporting for duty!"

"Relax, this isn't the TDF." Popcorn turned his eyes at what Yuuka guessed was a file on the man. "Sadly, we don't have a light 'Mech for ya now. Yer gonna have to settle with my family's old Blackjack."

William tensed up even harder at that information, "I will bring it back in one piece, sir!"

"I'm sure you will…" Popcorn changed the screen back to the picture of Paul Masters. "You eight will be directly supporting Force Commander Masters. His orders are as good as mine for this operation. I will be personally leading Crimson Lance for this operation. Should any situation get too hot, radio for support, and we'll drop an assault lance right on whatever poor sod thought to mess with y'all."

Nods of affirmation were seen throughout the room. Despite how casual everyone was, Yuuka could tell they were at least very experienced in military operations. She thought even Kaiser PMC could learn a thing or two from them.

"Any questions?" The room was silent once more. Satisfied, popcorn turned off the holographic table. "Good, dismissed, and get ready for drop MechWarriors."

The crowd stood up, and the young boy near Yuuka tried his best to hide from the site. One by one, the occupants shuffled out of the area in an orderly manner. The last one to leave, though, was an Auburn-haired woman. Monarch was what she was called if Yuuka recalled right. Instead of leaving the room, she had a gentle smile on her face as she walked towards where the boy was hiding. "Sweetie, your father will get angry if he catches you out again," Monarch said in a stern but caring tone.

"But mum," the boy interjected with a frown as he clutched his mecha Skull Man toy closer, "I just wanted to see you before you go again…"

"That's very nice of you, sweetheart." Monarch leaned down and picked up the young boy. He appeared pretty easy to lift to Yuuka. "I told you I'll be back before you know it."

"In a few months…" the boy frowned as he leaned his head into her chest.

"Tell you what," Monarch said with a smile, "If you be a good boy while I'm gone, I'll have Doctor Maraud give you your Christmas present early this year."

"Really!?" The boy's eyes lit up as he looked at his mother with a smile.

"Yes, I know you'll love it too, considering how often you like hearing about King Arthur." The mother held up her finger as she bopped him on the nose. "But you have to promise me you will be a good boy for Doctor Maraud and keep that promise."

"Of course, mum!" The boy beamed with glee as he put a fist up to his chest. "A proper MechWarrior always keeps their word!"

The woman chuckled as he ruffled her son's hair. "Right you are, Liam, now let's get you to bed."

Liam?!

Yuuka stumbled back as her back made contact with the wall.

Was that little boy Liam-sensei?! Just what was this dream?! Did he actually experience these things?! Yuuka's mind went a million kilometres per hour as she tried to understand what she was told. She didn't even notice that her surroundings were fading away, the scene before her gone to a black void.

AN: I did say this chapter would come out faster, mainly as I was able to help streamline the editing process. Consider this your early Christmas gift for yinz. I would like to thank everyone who left a review, I do read every single one, even if I don't reply to them all, either because I don't have much in turn to say back, or I don't want to spoil things for you lot. As you are reading this, I am in the process of writing the next chapter, and despite this being the longest chapter so far, I can already see that one is far longer, so it may take some extra time to publish. I thank you all for your understanding and apologize for the wait. My IRl job is not the best considering the season. Please do not annoy your local Walmart employee, the Christmas music alone is enough torture for them this time of year. With that, have a good day everyone.