Chapter 4:

Schale Basement

Liam Benson, Benson's Buccaneers, Schale

Kivotos Independent Star System Deep Periphery

21 May 3059

Liam tried his best to explain himself to Rin. He failed to follow through with the practised words Yuuka made him rehearse. Still, improvising was something Liam was familiar with. He had regurgitated all he knew about what possibly happened to the GSC President. He reiterated that he only had hazy memories that made little sense for him to go on. Yet judging from the look in Rin's eyes, the news still was hitting her hard.

"I apologise for what has occurred, yet I feel it would have been worse for everyone to simply hide it." Liam took a deep breath as he sat across from Rin. "Honestly, I would rather be wrong about what I had told you."

Rin held a solemn look as her gaze fixated on the ground. "Are you sure that is everything?"

Liam scratched his chin as he tried to recall that strange scene on the train. "For whatever reason, anything behind me disappeared in this black void with every step I took. That is part of why I dismissed it at first as a dream. Yet things were too vivid to be a mere dream if you ask me."

"If I may, Liam-sensei," Noa interjected with a raised finger. "It may be possible that what you experienced was neither a dream nor a memory in the traditional sense."

Now, that was a curious conclusion. Even Rin perked up at that news. "Go ahead, Noa, if you know something I lack, the information would be beneficial."

Noa smiled as she turned to Yuuka. "You recall what C&C reported regarding the Tea Party, Yuuka?"

Yuuka pinched her forehead and bit her lip. "You mean about the current chair?"

Noa nodded with a smile. "They did report rumours of her being able to dream of the future. It could be possible that Liam-sensei didn't experience a past event but a dream of a future one."

Liam pinched his chin. He heard some people having dreams where stuff happened in their dreams and then happened the next day, but those were minor things like what people said in a meaningless conversation and the like. However, These déjà vu moments were likely just tricks on the mind in the Inner Sphere. Then again, girls without any more muscle than him were able to do feats of strength comparable to an elemental and seemed to be unable to be fatally wounded by firearms. Perhaps there was truth in what Noa was saying about this unknown leader.

Yet how did that apply to him?

Liam didn't want to voice that. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Rin appear to chin up slightly. "So there is a chance the President is just missing?"

Liam nodded as he focused in on Rin. "It is possible, yes. Yet, just in case, I would consider the worst-case scenario as being equally probable. In my line of work, it is better to have a backup plan and not need it than to need it and not have it."

"Of course," Rin nodded as she seemed to gather her wits more and more, "still, I would prefer for that possibility to be wrong for many reasons."

"As would I." Liam always welcomed being wrong about the possible death of others. Death is a sad thing as much as it is trivial in the Inner Sphere that Solaris VII makes a mockery of it through their games. "To that end, it would likely be best for the other prominent leaders to know what I told you all. I am not suggesting telling every single person that the President may be dead. That would only cause more trouble. Yet if they somehow find out and we didn't tell them, they may see it as an insult and spread it out of spite."

"That would mean Trinity and Gehenna." Yuuka frowned as she pinched her forehead. "I guess the Tea Party knowing is fine, but I would not suggest the Gehenna student council."

Liam frowned. He immediately knew what Trinity was a stand-in for when the name was first mentioned to him. However, he still couldn't recall what Gehenna was, even though he felt he should. It would be better to think about that later. "Why is that? Is there something about them that I don't know?"

Rin winced as she closed her eyes. "The Pandemonium Society is…"

"Trouble," Yuuka groaned as she shook her head, "I only heard basic things about them, but compared to the endless troubles I have to deal with due to President Rio being too busy to do her job, it would pale compared to what they do. Nothing too surprising considering Gehenna, but still, just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Assuming that Chinatsu was a Gehenna student, Liam couldn't understand the issue. Perhaps his biased view blinded him, yet he didn't seem to think she was a troublemaker. "I may lack experience with Gehenna, but Chinatsu was from Gehenna, yes? If so, I don't understand the issue."

Yuuka shook her head and sighed again, "That would be because she is in the group I would suggest as an alternative, the Disciplinary Committee."

Liam frowned and grasped his hands in front of his face. "What can you tell me about this Disciplinary Committee?"

Yuuka bit her lip as she seemed to try and think hard on the matter. "Well, I know they handle much of Gehenna's internal issues, and considering Gehenna's nature with groups like the Gourment Research Society and Hot Spring Development Department, it is impressive that they haven't become like them." Yuuka closed her eyes and looked defeated. "beyond that though I don't know much, I never met them personally, and with how much work I have on my hand, I barely had enough time for anything outside of my extra duties."

"You still made time today to make Liam-sensei a bento, Yuuka." Noa laughed as she looked at the treasurer in question. "I wonder why that is?"

"T-that was because he would eat pills if I didn't do it, nothing more!" Yuuka stammered out as she glanced away. To Liam, it seemed like she was trying to hide her face, which was odd to do from his point of view.

Still, he had other things to think about. He would have preferred more precise intelligence on all parties involved, but with Rin not appearing to be the most talkative and Yuuka seeming to know little of outside parties, that line of thought would go nowhere. He was desperately low on a battlefield's most prized ammunition, information. "I won't ask about the Tea Party, mostly because I figured I would only get a similar response. I know you said you have a lot of work, Yuuka, but if you can at least help me set up a meeting with them, I would most appreciate it."

Yuuka looked back up at Liam. He was sure that her face was red now that he had a decent look at it. However, the colour quickly faded as she closed her eyes and gave a smug smile. "I can spare a little more time since you seem helpless to do that yourself," Yuuka opened her eyes as her smile turned into a frown as she wagged a finger in front of Liam's face, "but I absolutely can not help you more than that, I am busy enough as is with President Rio's responsibilities that you're on your own tomorrow!"

"Wouldn't want to impede you more than needed anyway, Yuuka." Liam held up his hands defensively as he tried to diffuse the situation. Lowering his hands, he tried to give Yuuka a friendly smile. "Still, I thank you once more for the assistance."

Yuuka seemed happy with that and gave a nod.

Liam then turned his attention over to Rin. Despite her not being as out of it when he informed her, it was apparent she wasn't herself. "I am sorry for the less-than-stellar information, Rin. I honestly did not wish to ruin your day." From what he recalled, when he was younger and whenever a recruit had their first taste of combat and survived, there was only one acceptable response. "I understand if you need time alone to process everything, but I am entrusting you with that information. Tell others whom you feel I am out of the loop on, or keep it a secret. I don't know much about Kivotos to confidently make those choices for you. I would rather not act hastily. That causes problems for everyone in the long run."

Rin shook herself out of looking at the floor as she wasn't all there. "Y-yes, I should be going anyway. I…" she trailed off as she could not find the words and looked away from Liam.

"It's fine. Get some rest, destress, and come back at it with a fresh perspective." Liam stood up, walked up to her, and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Take as much time as you need. I assure you things will be alright." Others have always considered him a bit too lenient, but Liam preferred efficient work, not simply more.

Rin blinked once and turned around towards the door. "O-of course, Liam-sensei. Good evening to you then."

With that, Rin exited the basement. Looking back to Yuuka once more, Liam grinned at her. "Let's be quick about this, don't want to impose on you for too long."

Yuuka's classic smug look returned as she pulled out her device, which she called a cellphone. "Well, that will be easy. Pull out your phone, and I will show you what to do."

Remarkably, using a cellphone was simple, and sending a message via e-mail was even more so. It was surprising to see a messaging system invented over a millennium ago in use. Then again, this planet lacked a Hyperpulse Generator. Hence, he supposed a more primitive means of communication was to be expected.

The twilight of Kivotos reminded him once more of the train and its possibility of being a future event. Noa had to be speaking nonsense. No one could actually see the future, could they? At least anyone who was bound by their human nature. Perhaps it is merely accurate guessing that was being done, and people just assumed this current chair could see the future by getting lucky with guesses.

That had to be the case. Anything else was illogical.

Walking Schale's ground floor, he found Wakamo hiding behind a wall. She momentarily glanced at the front entrance and ducked back behind the wall. A process which repeated several times. Most curious was that she also seemed to have a somewhat panicked expression.

Walking up behind Wakamo while she was distracted, Liam coughed. "Something the matter, Wakamo?"

His voice caused her to momentarily jump out from her hiding spot with a yelp. "Darling, wha-" she started before shaking her head and pulling him behind the wall with her. "Forgive me, but I can't let you be seen." Wakamo let out in a hushed voice.

Liam frowned as he was pinned to the wall. "What are you on about? Seen by whom?" What sort of nonsense did he accidentally stumble into?

Wakamo tilted her head around once more as she seemed fixated on something. "Forgive me, darling, but there, the person outside on the street is dangerous, I can't let her take you from me…"

Liam wished he had a cup of tea to sip on as he sighed. Looking around the corner, the only person Liam saw was some student with large fox ears and pink hair. Despite the shotgun hanging off her shoulder and the fried goods she had with her, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. "Am I missing something here? Looks like a student just trying to sell food on the street. It doesn't look like she sold anything, though. It's a bad location, I guess."

Wakamo frankly shook her head as she pulled him away from the corner. "I remember her quite well and the rest of FOX Platoon."

Now, that was getting somewhere. "FOX Platoon?" Liam mused as he held back a chuckle at the name. What was next, a platoon of students with rabbit ears called RABBIT Platoon? "I assume you have a history with that group?"

Wakamo nodded as she glanced down at the floor. "They were the SRT platoon who captured me before…" Wakamo squeaked out as she couldn't even look at them in the face. "I may not have been out long, but I read that their school was disbanded. I was hoping to never see them again…"

A disbanded school and students that restrained Wakamo by force rather than his own circumstances? Why would one be in front of the Schale building, then? Recon seemed to be the most obvious. Perhaps they are trying to measure him up for a possible attack, or someone else who had sway over them was having them spy on him.

Cloak and dagger constantly agitated Liam. Sure, he was not above using ambush tactics in war and simply chatting to learn about possible rival mercenary units, but that was always his least favourite thing to do. Liam always preferred a more direct approach.

"Well, hiding behind a wall isn't going to do anything." Liam shrugged as he went out from Wakamo's hiding spot.

"Darling, it's-"

"Wakamo, I doubt I will die if I chat with her for a minute." Liam turned his head sideways as he continued walking. "I appreciate the concern, but I will be fine. If anything does happen to me, I trust you will swoop into the rescue." Liam smiled at Wakamo as he tried to placate her.

A red tint fell on Wakamo's face as she nodded hastily. "Y-yes, of course, darling, can trust me."

Liam nodded one last time before he exited the building and stepped outside. The pink-haired fox girl did little to not stand out. Besides her shotgun, she had a bag with what Liam had to guess would be her old school's markings and flashbangs hanging off it. Were people that gullible here, or was she just that unsuited for hiding in plain sight? Liam didn't want to consider which of those stances was worse. She did seem outwardly friendly, and at a distance, even he wasn't set off by her appearance. Then again, lack of information does cloud one's judgement. Perhaps because he was actively looking for something, he noticed these things.

"Hot, delicious oinarisan right here!" The girl yelled out to the empty street. She didn't seem to notice Liam yet. Hardly surprising. Liam never made much sound when walking anyway.

Stepping behind her, Liam coughed into his hand. "Excuse me, miss?" Liam interrupted with his best attempt of a polite voice as possible.

The girl jumped as her rather large ears stiffened. Her blue eyes did little to hide shock as she looked up at Liam. "Oh my," The pink fox-eared girl exclaimed "you startled me! How long were you there?"

"I am sorry, didn't mean to frighten you." Liam held up his hands defensively as he spoke with care. With how Wakamo was startled by her, he half expected her to hear him coming up. "I was just curious what you were doing here at this hour, so I decided to ask."

The girl blinked before she smiled and fished inside a bag until she pulled out a box. To Liam, it seemed similar to a bento box but had more insolation, perhaps to keep the objects warm.

As she opened the box, the girl seemed very happy to display what appeared to be fried creations. "I am selling oinarisan! I used to make them for my friends and kouhai, and since they always enjoyed them, I thought selling them would be a good way to earn some yen part-time." She laughs awkwardly as she glances around the barren street, her face becoming more saddened as she glances down. "Though I haven't sold any for two days now. Yesterday, there was that massive attack, and today, with those rumours of some Sensei of Schale, no one seems to want to be around here anymore…"

Assuming that she was telling the truth, Liam felt a tinge of guilt, considering he would have been the result of her lack of business. Still, part of him thought that was just a cover story for her. "What rumours have you heard, if you don't mind me asking?" Liam thought to play along still. If this girl wanted him dead, she would have acted already rather than talk to him.

She laughed awkwardly as her eyes closed. "Well, the fact he runs around naked, for one, those social media pictures were quite revealing..."

"Ah yes," Liam sighed as he tried not to react to the reactions towards attire he was unfortunately stuck in yesterday, "social media, that thing I've heard so many people talk about…"

The girl's eyes shot open as she glanced at his holstered laser pistol, then back up to him. She seemed to mouth something before laughing even more strained, "Yeah, those pictures were…"

It might not have been the biggest giveaway in the world. Still, it did show that this so-called salesperson was either holding back something or wasn't honest with what she was doing here. If Liam had to guess now based on past experiences, she would have likely been gauging him personally but didn't want him to catch on. If she was indeed a unit member who had restrained Wakamo before, it was likely that the others were acting as a lookout from somewhere.

Perhaps a sniper was aiming at his head at this very moment.

It would be better to still play along for now. The girl gave away more than she thought, but it was proof to Liam that if the fox-eared girl really wanted him dead at this very moment, they could have done so quickly. "My apologies for that was hardly the ideal situation to be in myself, considering where I found myself."

The girl put her act on her own quickly as she held a hand up to her mouth. "So you're the Sensei from Schale?" The girl stated in a vain attempt to not know who he was. "I couldn't tell with the black tactical pants and the white collared shirt. I guess that leather vest is the same, though."

Liam nodded as he held out a hand towards her. "My name is Liam, Liam Benson. If it isn't too much to ask, what is your name?"

The girl smiled and bowed slightly. "My friends and kouhai always called me Niko. You seem nicer than what the pictures suggest, Liam-sensei."

Well, at least Liam had a first name to call her now. With an affirmative hum, he looked back at the oinarisan she had shown him. "If you don't mind, could I try one of these, oinarisan? Never seen food like that back in the Free Worlds League."

Niko's smile was best described as bright as she lifted the box closer to Liam. "Of course! I am more surprised you never heard of it before."

Liam nodded and thanked her as he lifted and examined the fried object. It didn't seem large, as it was smaller than his hand's palm. Nor did he smell any meat in it. Perhaps it was a sweet or used tofu? Considering that Yuuka made him tuna and rice for breakfast, this could be anything, really. Hopefully, these weren't poisoned, either. It would be a clever way to eliminate him, even if it made it a bit obvious who the culprit was. Still, Liam was not afraid. He wasn't bound by the spirit of fear after all. Besides, it'd be easier to shoot him with the shotgun she carried with her.

Liam opened up and bit down on the food before him.

He chewed and chewed and played with the feeling of the food in his mouth for a bit before he swallowed. Fresh tofu had a unique taste when fried, which he had never considered. If Niko had poisoned the food, she would have done an excellent job hiding it. He couldn't help but smile as he swallowed it down. "I must admit, probably some of the best food I ever had." Considering he mostly ate the worst military rations his unit had, that may not be the highest bar one could go for, but it most certainly was the truth, even if it was one Niko didn't need to know about.

Perhaps it was for the best. Niko seemed elated at Liam's words as her bright smile shined more, and her ears twitched slightly. "Really? I am so glad you like it!"

At least she was happy. Liam fished in his vest pockets to get out the change from the money Yuuka gave him yesterday. "It may not be much, but I will at least buy as much as this can afford." Liam didn't have the best idea of the value of the local planetary currency, as he was more familiar with c-bills and house bills. He doubted that eight hundred yen was significant, though.

Niko looked at the sum of funds in Liam's hands, then his expression in a back-and-forth pattern. "T-that's…"

Ah, so he did have too little for even one. "Look, I am sorry, but it is all the cash I had on me. I don't have much useful currency on me."

Niko shook her head frantically. "It's not that! Even if I gave you everything I made, I'd still have to return the extra..."

Wait a moment. Did Liam accidentally overstate the value? Well, that left him with an issue. He was always a man of his word, so buying her entire stock was his only option now. Yet he also didn't want to waste any food either. Being wasteful is a bad habit for a successful MechWarrior, let alone a mercenary MechWarrior. He doubted Wakamo would care to eat anything that Niko made, at least now. Yet eating all this himself was something even he, on his hungriest days, would be hard-pressed to do.

A compromise would be needed then.

"Well, I can't eat all that myself, and I said I would buy up all I could." Liam hummed as he looked Niko in the eyes and gave a sheepish grin. "Why don't I buy it all, and we share it then? We can split it here on the steps in relative silence."

Niko blinked a few times as her face turned a tinge of red. "I…" she looked down at the ground for a moment, then at her bag. When her blue eyes refocused on Liam, she smiled, "If that is alright with you."

Liam nodded as he sat down on the steps and handed Niko the change he had from the other day. As the two sat down at the steps of Schale, with a box of food before them, Liam noticed that before Niko took a bite, she held the food in front of her. "Itadakimasu!" With that, she finally bit in.

Liam struggled to find an English equivalent to what she was saying. Languages were always like this, with unique sayings that lacked real counterparts to other ones. He guessed he could say thanks for the food in his head, but that wasn't wholly accurate. Probably best to not think too hard about it.

Without hesitating, Liam resumed his rather simplistic way of eating. Time on the battlefield and working on the Leopard never gave him time to eat slowly, which was good considering that most of the food was terrible. His fast eating likely had spared him the worst parts of the taste. It was a habit at the end of the day, even when he had the opportunity to eat fresh food.

He glanced at Niko between bites. She seemed happy as she ate at a much slower pace than him. Her eyes closed as she savoured every bite, and her ears twitched as she seemed to enjoy what she had made. Pride mixed with happy tastebuds, perhaps? She still had a tinge of red on her checks, though, as she sat there.

Liam himself couldn't help but smile as he decided to slow down. He rarely ever had time to reflect on things in peace. If he was pressed to answer as to what the ideal retirement was for him, it would be to own a plot of land somewhere far away from the Inner Sphere, merely watching nature and sipping tea. Nothing too grand compared to drinking the finest wines on a yacht and partying all the time, but such desires were fleeting at best.

When Liam went to grab another oinarisan, he felt himself touch a hand instead. Looking over, it appeared that he and Niko had gone to grab the last one. She jolted her hand away after contact and seemed to have chosen not to look him in the eyes. She seemed to want it, and Liam wouldn't deny it from her. "You can have it if you want," Liam said as he retracted his hand, "I had the first one after all. I'd feel bad if I denied you the last one."

Niko seemed to hesitate for a moment as she looked at Liam. "Are you sure?"

Liam partly understood why she was hesitating since he had bought the thing, but he also had more than her at this stage already. Liam simply nodded as he motioned for her to take it.

Niko slowly went to grab it as she took her gaze off Liam. "Thank you." She said in a near whisper as she finished the last bit of food she made. With the food finished, she closed the box and put it back into her bag.

Liam stood up first and stretched upwards. "That was enjoyable. We should do this again." Liam felt his mouth was slightly parched. Perhaps he should have been more prepared. "I can even brew us some tea if you'd like."

Niko blinked as she looked up at Liam. "I thought someone like you would prefer coffee, honestly."

"Most mercenaries do. The extra caffeine helps them stay alert. Beyond not liking the taste of coffee, I find once the caffeine runs out, I crash soon after." It also helped that a nice cup of tea helped calm his nerves. The anxiety could kill just as much as being ill-prepared in his line of work.

Niko smiled as she stood up and began to walk down the steps. "I think I'd like that. I'm not from Trinity, yet even I enjoy tea now and then."

Liam nodded as he waved her off. Though stopped from leaving as he thought to say something. "Can I ask of one other thing, though?"

When she cleared the final step, Niko turned around, her head tilted in confusion. "Sure, what is it?"

Liam smirked as he looked around the desolate surroundings and then back to Niko. "Next time, could your unit not have their weapons trained on my head the entire time? It is quite uncivilised. I'd rather chat face to face."

Niko stumbled back in shock as her pupils dilated. "W-what, y-you, what!?"

Liam laughed as he turned around and gave a two-fingered wave back at Niko. "The offer also extends to them, Niko, if that is what they want!"

With that, Liam entered Schale. He didn't know if they were there, yet he was pretty good at bluffing.

Returning back to where Wakamo was, she found that his compatriot had a deep pout and a look of envy, perhaps? Liam was confused. He thought Wakamo didn't like that Niko was out there. Maybe she saw the food and wanted some. "If you like, you can join next time too."

Wakamo blinked as her pout faded away. Her face turned red as she began to shake again. "I… I…"

Wakamo fell onto the floor once more.

Liam tilted his head before sighing. He couldn't understand what made Wakamo faint this time.

'You really don't know what you're doing, do you?'

Liam didn't even have to look at Arona to know she was giving him a dead-eye stare.

Yuuka found herself in the familiar metal walls from her dream last night. However, perhaps it was better to describe Sensei's memories at this stage. Yuuka elected that if she found herself here again, she'd try better to memorise what she saw, even if she wasn't as capable as Noa.

"Yuuka, what is this place?"

"Noa?!" Yuuka turned to see what appeared to be her friend standing next to her. Not just her, but the acting President and the Fox of Calamity?! Wasn't this that place where she saw young sensei?! Why were they here?! "What are you all doing here as well!?"

The acting President looked downward as she took a breath. "I was sure I went to sleep…"

Liam-sensei was rather direct with the news despite being told to be careful with his words. Yuuka felt a tinge of guilt on that. Perhaps this wouldn't have been the case if she had more time to prepare and think through the matter rather than act rashly.

"Liam! Slow down!" A voice Yuuka was unfamiliar with echoed in the halls.

She saw the same young boy from her previous dream turn a corner. He seemed excited to get somewhere as he barely avoided tripping over himself.

A second figure turned the corner. A slightly overweight woman with jeans held up by a belt with various tools dangling off it. She wore a vest that seemed too small over a t-shirt, and her head seemed covered by a scarf if she had to guess. She appeared out of breath as she tried to catch up with Liam, sweat dripping from her olive skin.

Yuuka looked back to Rin and Wakamo, who seemed even more confused than she was. "Wait," Wakamo said as she looked at the boy; their forms seemed to be dragged by his movement through the strange halls they found themselves in, "is that boy Liam-sensei?"

Her friend Noa hummed in affirmation. A glance from Yuuka showed she had a smile as her eyes closed. "Considering his hair and eye colour match, and his face while younger is very similar, I would say yes."

His hair colour? Wasn't Sensei bald? Noa did say he was younger than she had thought, but that would also mean. "Is Liam-sensei shaving his head!?" Yuuka hoped that was not the case. The implications of that alone were not pleasant.

Noa turned towards her as their incorporeal forms were dragged around another corner. "Ah, so you noticed it too, Yuuka?" Noa confirmed as she tapped a finger on her chin, "Though it seems odd, I don't know what he's asking forgiveness for as I am pretty sure the worst thing he did was walk with less clothing than he should. Hardly something that drastic, in my opinion."

Yuuka thought for a moment. Sensei said he could be called a mercenary as well. He seemed very concerned about her being shot. Did that mean…

Her thoughts were interrupted as the young Liam ran head-first into someone. The man was heavy for his side. His right eye was covered with an eyepatch, and his head was bald, much like Liam-sensei. He wore blue scrubs with an armband that housed a cross-shaped emblem that seemed to fit a Trinity student better. Dangling from his neck, a gold necklace with a simple cross pattern similar to that on his armband hung freely. The man offered a soft smile as he knelt down to the younger Liam, who rubbed his head in pain. "Careful there," the man said as he comforted Liam. "You could hurt doing that. Are you okay?"

Liam nodded as the overweight woman from before finally caught up and looked at the man. "Chaplain Kessel," the woman said in between gasps for air, "W-why are you heading down to the 'Mech Bay?"

Kessel smiled as he looked up to the woman. "Ah, Doctor Murad, I see young Liam here was excited. As for your question, the commander called me down; he wanted to give out some orders before heading down to collect salvage, and I wanted to join him on the trip down. The fighting down there might be over, but I am sure many people could use medical assistance on the planet."

Yuuka squinted her eyes. It seemed very weird a counsellor was talking about offering medical assistance while wearing medical clothing. Perhaps he offered both? It made sense to save money for a mercenary to have people who could fill multiple non-combat roles, but what did she know about that sort of life?

Murad finally caught her breath and walked forward. "I see. We may have different faiths, but it is good to see someone else care about the well-being of others." Murad said as she helped Liam back up to his feet. Yuuka, though, was confused. She didn't understand what was meant by the word, faiths. Did the iconography on the counsellor signify something?

Kessel hummed as he got up and patted Liam's head. "Never liked to see others suffer. What brings the commander's son here, though? I figured he would be in another lesson about math or reading right now."

Murad sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "Well, Liam here wanted to see his mother and father again, and-"

"And Papa said something about practical lessons!" Liam chimed in with a bright smile. "But I wanna see the planet below, a sky that isn't dark, and ground that isn't cold and hard…"

"Ah yes," Kessel gave a jolly chuckle, "you have never been off the Argo since the day you were born. I remember days when I played outside with friends. Maybe you can play with some boys or girls your age, too."

Liam looked down as he glanced sideward, "I don't know, I don't…" He didn't seem to finish his thought.

"Ah, I am sure you'll be fine with them, my boy." Kessel tried to reassure the boy before him. "For now, though, how about we meet your parents first? I am sure your mother and father will be happy to see you."

Liam seemed to beam in excitement again as he sprinted off once more. Yuuka saw Kessel and Murad chuckle as they followed behind him.

"Noa, what was just said about the dark sky and cold ground?"

Yuuka's friend hummed as she glanced around the passing scenery until she seemed to have an idea. "We're in space." Noa confidently declared.

"What!?" Yuuka could hardly believe this. Shouldn't Liam and the others be floating if they were in space? Was there some sort of artificial gravity in place?

"Well, based on the ship's design from what I have seen, it is either generating thrust to produce gravity or some device is allowing it," Noa said like she had reread her mind, "I guess it's like one of those science fiction stories, perhaps Sensei could answer himself?"

Yuuka would rather die than attempt that. Liam might be dumb in social skills, but even if there was a slight chance of him finding out what would happen, the embarrassment would be too much for her. "Noa, please don't ask…"

"Oh, I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to take that away from you, Yuuka."

Yuuka wished she could hide.

Eventually, after some time passed, the young Liam went through a final doorway, revealing a massive hanger bay. Yuuka could best compare it to the areas in which the Engineering club worked. Various machines and people in orange jumpsuits worked with welding tools or bringing in what she could only guess was ammunition and spare parts. Strangely, though, in little cubical areas stood ten to fifteen-metre-tall robots with their heads exposing a place for someone to sit in. She recognised the designs from her last dream and looked at them. She was sure she saw a Dougram and an Abitate Blockhead. Why were these anime designs in what should be Liam's memories? Yet still, there was another question in her mind.

Why were eight of the cubicles empty?

"Ah, David, Farah, and young Liam." Yuuka shook herself out of her thoughts and looked over to see the man she remembered from the last dream, Wojtek, call over. If what Liam was wearing was like an exhibitionist, what this man was wearing was even worse. The same short shorts were there, but the tank top was gone. He now had a more padded vest with wires protruding all over. Why did this man need to strip down that much!? "You arrived just in time. The commander's lance was about to come in."

With his words, the ground began to shake.

It was unnerving to Yuuka, but it distracted her from the burly man's lack of clothes. Even though she was just a form in a dream, she could feel the tremble in the ground as she felt something come closer.

"'MECH BAY DOORS OPENING! STAND CLEAR!" A robotic voice echoed louder than the machinery revving and clanging in the background.

Twenty-meter-tall doors slid open as she saw more of those strange machines coloured black and purple, with a hint of green and gold. The one up front looked like it had a massive cannon in its right arm and a head that looked like a television. The left side was charded, but she could see missiles on the chest and arm. The arm-mounted ones appeared somewhat more prominent, if less in number, but she wasn't sure at this distance.

The second one, she remembered a bit from her last dream. It was a near copy of the plushie Liam carried. It was missing the right arm, but all that did was expose a massive cannon she was sure the engineering club would love to mount on anything. With a look at the head now, Yuuka could not help but feel intimidated by the painted skull it carried. It looked much Like the patch on Liam's vest, though it did lack the eye patch his insignia had.

The other two were less scary, at least, and somehow funny. One could be best described as a blimp with legs, and the other a walking brick with strange cannons in the chest and the right.

As the four robots walked uniformly, each step shook the ground more. Unlike the mecha Yuuka had briefly seen in anime, these machines were like lumbering giants. They lacked finesse and speed but demanded attention as they moved, daring something to try and stop them.

The robot with the TV-like head stood still and rotated to allow the others to pass by it. It was a subtle movement, but it got the desired result. At least, it seemed like that to Yuuka. Once the other three cleared by it, the machine lumbered to where they all stood. Yuuka could barely see on the head the lettering HGN-732B. What that meant was unknown to her.

"Doctor Murad, Chaplain Kessel. I didn't expect you both to be down here this fast." Come, the voice of the man Yuuka remembered was called Popcorn. Was he alone controlling that machine from inside it?

Kessel looked around the hanger sadly until he finally looked up at the machine. "Where are Medusa and the others? I thought they would have been here first."

A sigh came from the machine's intercom. "They didn't make it." Popcorn said with a sombre tone. "They were unfortunately stuck in with an incident with the Sixth Defenders in November. Only a single mongoose from that company made it back…"

Made it back? The tone was much like when Liam said he thought the GSC President was dead, if less blunt. She could hardly keep her composure over even thinking about something like that. Such a thing did not happen in Kivotos.

Kessel pinched his index and middle finger with his thumb, and his pinkie and ring finger dug into his hand. He touched his head, brought it below his chest, then brought it back up to his left shoulder and dragged it to his right. What a strange hand motion. "I pray they are resting easy now."

"As do I." The machine then turned slightly over to Wojtek. "Get Barr ready as well; we have salvage to collect."

Wojtek looked over at Liam and then back up to the machine. "So that's why you wanted him to come along, showing him the ropes early, eh?"

"Better now, then later. The missus nagged me about not spending enough time with him."

Wojtek laughed as he picked up a strange bucket-looking helmet that was earby him. "I don't envy you on that front. Monarch has quite the tongue, but I guess surviving Sarna would do that."

The machine sighed, then looked at Liam, "I'll see you on the Bradford, buddy. It'll be like a father-son adventure."

Yuuka saw Liam get excited as he ran towards what she assumed was Bradford. But as he ran off, everything became dark again as she, Noa, Rin, and Wakamo were left in an empty void. She had hoped they were just part of the dream and would disappear. She really wanted this to just be something she had…

Liam sipped his morning cup of tea. As he sat patiently at the desk, he was told that would be where he would be doing paperwork in the future. Liam mentally prepared himself for today. After all, he had no idea who was in the Tea Party or the Disciplinary Committee beyond just titles. Would they be willing to cooperate? Did they possibly have a hand in the disappearance of the GSC President?

He hoped that things would turn out well. Wakamo stood beside him. Liam noticed a crowd of reporters swarm the Schale building below.

That was another complication he didn't wish for; local reporters were always annoying, yet humanity created an unfortunate creation, and he would have to suffer its existence again.

His thinking was stopped as he heard five pairs of steps in the distance. He would deal with those issues another time. For now, he had to face the one of his own making.

AN: Howdy folks, it has been a little while. I did this earlier this month, but my editor had some issues. I am glad to report he is fine, though, and I got this out for yinz. It is funny how time flies, no? I was fortunate enough to get a week off from work in mid-June, so I may be able to get another chapter out even sooner. I only have about three more chapters of content to go before I get to volume 1's stuff here, but I also wanted to do set-up before getting there; I hope you all can forgive me for that. Though I guess if you want Vol 1 content right now, the BA anime was released first in the East and is now for NA. Thank you all for coming back; it does encourage me to see others, at least partly like what I write in my free time. Until next time!