Chapter 6:

Sensei's Office, Schale Building

Liam Benson, Benson's Buccaneers, Schale

Kivotos Independent Star System Deep Periphery

23 May 3059

Liam sighed as he stared at the phone Yuuka gave him. He had the number of the GSC Financial Office inputted as he recalled the name of the person he needed to talk to. Oki Aoi, the chief financial officer for the GSC. With Rin still on leave, she was the best chance for him to get the funds and arms needed for Abydos. He had produced a directory of the students who inhabited the now desolate school and what weapons they used. He also calculated the amount of ammunition required for each of their guns, assuming a month of constant engagements. The calculus in budgeting his father taught him in his first years on Andurien really did help him here.

Still, Liam knew ammo was not cheap, even here, with the ammunition prices far lower than they would be in the Inner Sphere. He was not asking for a pittance that could be thrown in the trash. Liam still considered alternative options, just in case. He had Wakamo go down to Angel 24 to see how much ammo she could buy with Schale's current budget in case he failed. He still found the whole idea weird that a convenience store would be selling ammunition for firearms. Still, at least it wasn't those discount 'Mech retailers that sold UrbanMechs and Chargers. He'd take a Manticore or two over those any day of the week, and that was a tank.

He should stop delaying this call with idle thoughts. Liam took a deep breath, began the call, and then put the phone to his ear. The phone rang once. The phone rang twice. Perhaps he was going to be sent to voice mail.

The phone was answered.

"Hello, Chief Financial Officer Aoi speaking."

Well, it was time to face the music. "Good day to you. This is Liam Benson calling from Schale."

"Ah, Liam-sensei. Yes, I heard about you. I am sorry to report that Acting President Rin is currently unavailable."

He already knew that, but it seemed that Rin didn't inform others he knew. "I was the one who recommended that she take a break, but thank you for informing me regardless. I actually required your assistance today."

"Myself?" Aoi went silent for a bit on the line as she seemed to do something on her end. "Whatever would you need to call me for?"

To business then. "I need to requisition an ample supply of ammunition on behalf of another school. I have already calculated the minimum amount of ammo and how much it should cost. I wanted the requisition approved and sent to the Schale building as soon as possible." Liam began to list the itemised report to Aoi. For the most part, he doubted the ammo for four of its students would be all that much of an issue. The only student in that school who inflated the cost was Izayoi Nonomi. She carried an M134, an old pre-spaceflight vehicle scale machine gun. The majority of the requisition cost was that it chewed through ammo so fast and fired full rifle-sized bullets on top of that. Had she used a more typical firearm or a laser weapon, she would have saved him the hassle of getting them ammo. He could lecture her about that another time, but complaining over others' choices while he had work to do would be fruitless.

When he finished his report, Aoi went silent on her side of the line.

"Aoi, everything okay on your end?" Liam asked with a concerned tone.

"Is this your attempt at a joke?"

Liam figured he was going to get a response like that. "I can assure you I am deadly serious. That is the least amount of ammunition I need."

"You asked for that many 7.62 cartridges and were serious about this? Give me one reason not to reject you and hang up now."

Liam needed to use all his fast talk skills for this. "Tell me, what do you know about Abydos High School?"

"Abydos?" Liam heard Aoi pull open a filing cabinet. The sound of a folder hitting a desk entered Liam's ear as he heard Aoi flip through papers. "Beyond having gone through a natural disaster a while back, I have nothing on record about them."

That was an answer Liam expected to hear. Liam picked up the letter that was sent to him. He could not read it himself, but thanks to Wakamo, he knew what it was about. "So if I were to tell you that a group of thugs was about to forcibly take over a school, that would be news to you?"

Aoi seemed silent for a moment. "Surely, that is an exaggeration. Something like that would have been reported to the Defense Office."

The fact she did not know was interesting to Liam. "I have in my hands a letter from an individual who identified herself as Okusora Ayane, and she claims that very thing is happening, and they either get supplies, or it will happen."

"Why would a local group of thugs be interested in taking over a school." Aoi sighed on the other line, no doubt pinching her forehead. "What would they gain from a school in a heavily deserted area with only five students, including its vice-president, left?"

Liam was not an expert in politics, but his entire life up till now, he was a mercenary. The incident was either a false flag operation or a plausible deniability attack. "Tell me, if a major outside group were to hold ownership of a school district and its rights, would that potentially give them a lot of political capital?"

"From what I recall, yes. It would grant such a group more a say in the affairs of the GSC and, by extension, all of Kivotos."

"Then let me tell you the possible why this would happen. I don't know who is using this minor incident at Abydos for precisely that, but someone certainly is. The thugs attacking them are being used as proxies for political games and to circumvent and usurp current ruling authorities. This was a common practice in the Inner Sphere. The great houses would hire other mercenary units to conduct raids on their rivals and allow them to deny any accountability. My unit always did garrison jobs and supporting actions to regimental forces. However, other units we did not get along with and competed with contracts over would often take jobs like that for monetary benefit."

"Then who is this exact group, then?"

Liam grimaced as he held back the urge to suck in air. "I do not know at the moment. The state of things on this planet remains largely a mystery to me. However," Liam interjected before Aoi could speak again, "Should you authorise that requisition form, I could go down on the group and look into it myself. Schale is an independent group from the GSC; my going there would hardly cause a fuss. I can either confirm the group doing it or shut down false rumours working to undermine confidence in the GSC."

"And all I need to do is approve the minimum requisition you provided?"

"Correct." Liam hastily answered, hoping his words held value in Aoi's mind. "Ideally sooner rather than later, the longer we wait, the colder the trail gets after all."

Aoi was silent for a minute. The tension in the air was so thick that Liam was not even sure cutting it with a knife would do much. Eventually, though, he heard Aoi write something down. "I will approve your request this time, Liam-sensei. A trailer can be dumped in front of Schale this evening under two conditions. First, you must find another way to deliver the trailer yourself. I can't spare you a vehicle."

"I can jury rig a hitch on the vehicle I salvaged, so that won't be an issue."

"Very good," Aoi stated as she continued to write, "The second thing is I want to receive constant updates on what you see on the ground. If your letter is correct, I want to know why the Defense Office failed to see something like that happening."

"Would do that anyway. Based on what you said, some officials in that office could be taken to bribes and corruption, something that we can't have."

"I hope for my sake that letter is mistaken."

Liam personally doubted it was.

"If that is everything, Liam-sensei, I must prepare your requisition. I will see you tomorrow morning with the trailer and the forms to accept the trailer."

"Indeed, that is everything." If Liam felt doing anything physical on a phone call would be appropriate, he would have done so. "I thank you in advance for hearing me out."

Aoi silently stopped writing momentarily. "Indeed, good day to you, Liam-sensei."

The phone call died out, and she no doubt hung up. Liam let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. At the very least, the first challenge in his way was overcome. He doubted things would get much easier from there.

Liam sighed as he stepped into the lobby of the Schale building. His call with Aoi was a success, but that did not mean the situation wasn't tense. He hoped Wakamo's task, which he sent her on, went smoothly. Liam looked around. It did not take him long to find her, but she seemed to have her face looking at the ground.

"Ah, Wakamo," Liam greeted as he approached her, "back already? How did it go on your end?"

Wakamo still looked at the floor. "I am sorry…"

Not good, then. Liam did not hear any sounds of combat, nor did the area outside have signs of battle. Based on that, he doubted Wakamo fell into her violent tendencies. That was a good thing. That saved him from being disappointed in her. "Whatever happened, I am sure it isn't that bad."

"I… couldn't even get a word in…"

An expected result. However, why Wakamo would need to use words in a store with no employees was a mystery to Liam. Liam could only speculate that something occurred. "I take it the store is no longer without any employees in it?"

Wakamo nodded. "I just walked in and…"

The clerk had likely felt panicked and demanded her to leave. "Well, not like we needed that store for help. I got approval for the listed requisition, so supplementary goods from that store would not be needed." Why a convenience store sold ammunition and gun accessories still confused Liam.

"I see… Sorry, I couldn't be of use…"

Ah, the sting of failure. "Consider it a learning experience; no one starts as a master of everything, and communication takes practice." That was even more true for those who have a record of violence attached to them. "I am sure such reactions are more likely to dull given time."

Wakamo picked her head up slightly at those words. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, it's not a big deal." Liam smiled but then looked over towards the entrance of the building. "I guess it seems though we have some familiar company."

Wakamo stood up, and Liam looked at the incoming guests. The first figure he recognised walking towards him from the entrance was Chinatsu. Liam figured she had a moment of free time. That was some timing he considered. He would need to put notice he was going to be away from the Schale building for some time.

The second figure was new. The girl's hair was navy blue or black with an orange bandana. Her dress was coloured similarly to her hair, but she had on a white apron as well. He doubted that she was from the same group as Chinatsu, as both she and Hina wore an armband that he was told signified their group, which this person lacked. She did have horns coming out of her forehead. Perhaps the new person was support staff for Gehenna?

Liam expected to learn that soon enough. "Chinatsu, it's a pleasure to see you again," He glanced at the student that followed Chinatsu, "and if I may ask, who is this?"

If Liam had to guess, the girl in question had a face that was a mix of anger and pity. With a glance back to Chinatsu, she had an awkward expression. "Well, this is Aikiyo Fuuka. She's my senior from the School Lunch Club."

Liam blinked and looked back at Fuuka. He couldn't understand why someone from the School Lunch Club would be here, as Chinatsu called the group by any means. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, but forgive me if I don't understand why you're here. You work with the Prefect team as some sort of cook?"

Fuuka gave Liam a blank expression as she stared into his eyes. "You seriously couldn't be eating pills, could you?"

Ah great. Liam's cheap emergency military rations were the topic once more. "They are just a last resort food. Interstellar travel in a confined space doesn't grant you the right to be picky with food." Liam looked back at Chinatsu with a frown. "My real question is, how did she learn about those?"

Chinatsu shifted awkwardly as she looked away from Liam. "I didn't want to make things worse for you, Liam-sensei. I just thought she could help you eat normal food on a normal basis again."

So it was from her. At least it wasn't a more important detail that slipped out. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I have some other-"

An explosion.

When Liam's words were interrupted, he dived behind a desk in the lobby. Glass and concrete zoomed overhead as he heard the coughing of the other girls in the room. Once the shrapnel stopped flying, Liam peaked towards the source of the explosion. The entrance to the building was blocked by smoke. No doubt someone had decided now to attack the place. The first thing he noticed as the dust cleared was a girl with white hair. She wore an old Germanic military-style hat that matched her black and white uniform. Most distressing, though, was the strange detonator in her hand, and she had a smile that Liam could only best describe as wicked.

"My, this is even more interesting. Not only is the person offering gourmet ideas outside of this world here, but the one person I could trust to make them a reality would also be here. It must be my lucky day."

Liam suppressed the urge to groan. What sort of nonsense was she blabbering about? Liam looked over to his left. He saw Fuuka. Her expression was exasperated and annoyed as she slid down against the desk. "Acquaintances of yours?"

Fuuka slowly tilted her head. Her expression was unamused by Liam's words. "Not in the slightest!"

"They seem to know you." Liam guessed with a tilted head. Sure, they could have meant Chinatsu, but considering that this unknown person referred to food, it seemed logical to Liam that the second person they were referring to was Fuuka.

"They kidnap me every week! Only one time during that week if I'm lucky!"

Liam frowned as his left eye twitched. This unknown group blew up the entrance of Schale and also kidnaps people regularly!? They might as well be called no better than Pirates in his eyes. Liam took a deep breath as he looked over to Chinatsu. "Judging by the white-haired one's uniform and the fact that Fuuka here says they kidnap her regularly, I assume they are also students from Gehenna?"

Chinatsu sighed, her head nodded in affirmation. "The Gourmet Research Society, beyond what Fuuka just said, also cause havoc in other ways. Blowing up restaurants, emptying store inventories, and robbing of anything they consider rare ingredients. Why they are here, though, I don't know…"

More likely to kidnap him as well, Liam guessed. Liam looked over to Wakamo. She seemed fixated on him at the moment. Perhaps she was worried he got injured or something? Liam gave her a thumbs up. He doubted he was wounded at this stage; adrenaline can last only so long, and Liam would have felt something by now if he was injured. Taking stock of himself, Liam sighed. He only had his pistol on him. He left his rifle in the office after his call with Aoi. Perhaps talking first would be his best option?

Liam peaked his head over the desk slightly once more. The white-haired one was looking towards him with a devilish smile. "Ah, so that's where you were hiding."

Liam frowned as he stood up fully. "I guess that means you want me then?"

"Why yes," the apparent leader giggled as she began to step forward, "We were just having a nice meal last night when we saw your interview. An adult not only from outside Kivotos but from another world as well? The possibilities for a new gourmet seemed endless to us."

"Possibilities, you're going to have to wait to find out," Liam bluntly dismissed as he had his right hand over the holster of his sidearm. He wasn't about to give pleasantries to someone who just blew up the entrance to his current headquarters and kidnapped others on the regular. "I will give you one chance. Walk away now before you live to regret your decisions."

"Now, why would I do that, from my point of view-"

Liam stopped paying attention. She was still speaking but clearly wasn't going to take his warning. For some reason, though, he felt sluggish. He remembered being faster on the draw than this, so why was it taking him so long to pull out his weapon? He looked back at the white-haired intruder. Perhaps he was going crazy, but she seemed to talk slower while her eyes closed. What was going on?

'I can answer that, Liam-sensei.'

Liam fought the urge to recoil as he saw an even smaller version of Arona appear in his vision. Wasn't she bound inside the Shittim Chest?

'Normally yes, Sensei,' Arona seemed smug as she walked around his field of view, 'though it seems this is how you see this ability. Did you have to resort to violence, though?'

Liam had little option and was still annoyed at the group before him. The last thing he wanted to do was surrender to them when he had more urgent things to do. He didn't know how long he and possibly Fuuka would be their prisoner, so it was better to subdue them. However, he was confused by what Arona was discussing and what she was doing.

'Well, Sensei, a part of my power as the OS of the Shittim Chest, I exist to assist you in many ways. Usually by protecting you from getting hurt, but also by fulfilling your role as Sensei.' Arona did a little twirl and then pointed to the bottom right of his field of view. For some reason, there appeared to be ten small bars slowly brightened up. There were pictures of Wakamo and Chinatsu with numbers next to their appearances. 'While active, I can slow down your perception of time to help you better analyse things and even help you better coordinate with students I have met with before. For someone like you, I imagine that seeing this impresses you, right?'

Liam could not lie. The slowed-down perception of reality alone was impressive. Many a MechWarrior would have killed to have a combat computer to induce an effect like that rather than Betty's useless chirping. Though how else did she protect him? Did she do something during the explosion?

Arona nodded as she sighed. 'You were nearly clipped in the ear with some glass if I hadn't done anything, your right ear…'

She didn't need to finish. Losing an ear or even just having it injured would have been a bad situation to be in. To think she could also affect the physical world astonished Liam.

Arona closed her eyes as she had a slight blush on her face. 'Oh please, you're embarrassing me. Though I wouldn't say no to something sweet later.'

Liam could only guess how an AI was meant to eat. Still, he could thank her better later. For now, Liam knew he should refocus on the harlot before him. His pistol was now extended in front of him, and he had the leader lined up in his sights. The trigger's pull was slow, but the laser the pistol emitted came out as fast as ever. Liam suppressed a chuckle as he saw the laser enter her open mouth. He thought to Wakamo for a moment as her icon flashed up. If it were up to him, he would want Wakamo to neutralise the one with the old light machine gun.

As his perception of reality returned to normal and his movements began to feel less sluggish, Liam saw the one he was looking at struck by a series of bullets that he guessed was from Wakamo. He smiled. It was pretty handy that he didn't even need to vocalise what he wanted to happen. Battlefield coordination at that level would be worth working for House Kurita and Liao simultaneously.

Liam shifted his aim towards the tall blonde in the group. She seemed caught off guard as she fumbled, shouldering her rifle. Liam shot her before she could even get her finger on the trigger. Letting her have a chance to fight back was a stupid idea and something he didn't want to risk wasting more time with. Liam had work in Abydos to do. Those twats could have their food play date in prison for all he cared.

The fourth member of the group seemed to panic. She seemed the youngest of them, and her Sturmgewehr appeared to be the most useless weapon for the group. Perhaps she saw the writing on the wall as she threw down not one but two of those old German weapons. Her red eyes seemed shared as she appeared to mouth something with her hands raised. A surrender, no doubt. "Wise choice," Liam said as he holstered his pistol. He nodded at Wakamo to subdue her.

Wakamo slowly stepped forward. Perhaps the fear was too much for her as the young redhead stopped shaking and fell over.

Liam heard Fuuka stand beside him as she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"

A sentiment Liam shared with her if he had to be honest. Liam walked up to the now unconscious Gourmet Research Society members and pulled their firearms away from them. "Chinatsu, could you do me a favour," Liam said as he piled the captured weapons on a nearby desk, "Could you make a call to, what was it, Valkyrie? I think that was it. I need these students detained as soon as possible."

Chinatsu seemed confused as she looked at the unconscious intruders. "I could just call the Head Prefect instead. They are Gehenna students."

"And they committed destruction of public property, reckless endangerment, and conspiracy to kidnap a federal official. At this stage, this goes beyond something that is just your school's internal issues." Liam sat the last pistol on a ruined desk. "This should be handled by the proper enforcement authorities. If they decide to send them off with you back to Hina, then so be it."

Chinatsu sighed as she pulled out her phone. "If that is what you want, Liam-sensei, I can do that."

Liam nodded as Chinatsu walked off. He hoped that the group would be locked up for a long time. For the present, though, he got to work on a bit of security and began to disassemble their weapons. They wouldn't need the firing pins in them.

As he worked, he felt Wakamo's gaze on him. "Darling, what are you doing?"

"Making myself a bit more comfortable in all this, can you keep an eye on our unwelcome guests? If they wake up, put them back to sleep until Valkyrie arrives. We shouldn't have any other fights happen today."

Wakamo hummed in affirmation as she walked over to the unconscious group and stood over them. Liam turned his attention back to the weapons of his assailants. They were old gunpowder weapons to him and easy to take apart. With each one he opened, he removed the firing pins of their weapons. The students here may be bound to their guns like many MechWarriors in the succession wars were to their 'Mechs, but the inner parts of them were always meant to be replaced. He stashed the firing pins of their guns in his vest and reassembled their weapons to appear normal. If they tried to go for them, Liam could only smirk at the shock they would go through to learn that their guns were disabled.

With his work finished, Liam sighed and looked back over at Fuuka. He still had Abydos on his brain, but perhaps Chinatsu's guest could be of use to him. His acquisition order was for weapons and explosives Liam could use. He didn't know if Abydos also desperately needed food and medicine. "Fuuka was it," Liam asked, his voice making Fuuka jump, "forgive me if this is an obvious question, but I take it that you are a cook of sorts, am I wrong?"

Fuuka stared at Liam for a few seconds, then sighed. "Yes, the School Lunch Club does make the majority of food for Gehenna students, even if we go through multiple," she took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, "setbacks while doing it…"

That was clear to Liam, especially if those unwanted guests had a habit of kidnapping her. "Forgive me for what I am asking of you, but I need your assistance for at least a month. I can have you and your entire club compensated through the GSC."

Fuuka groaned as she closed her eyes and braced herself mentally. "I feel I will not like what you say next…"

Liam considered it best to be quick with it. "I will be gone from this building for about a month assisting a school that is, from my understanding, besieged and low on supplies. I will help them lift that issue they face with a massive shipment of ammo and provide hands-on assistance with Wakamo. They were vague about what was in low supply, but I would appreciate it if you and your club could lend rations for them and myself until I can leave."

Fuuka stood still like an old Terran deer would as it looked at the headlights of an automobile. She seemed on the verge of a heart attack as her left eye twitched. "You want me to make food for you and the fox of calamity and a whole other school as well!?"

That was an expected reaction. "I am sorry for this. I figured you have a lot on your plate to also make food for seven people, but this is an emergency-"

"Wait, that few?" Fuuka sighed in relief as she settled down. "You had me worried for a second. I thought you also said you wanted food for a whole school."

"I do. It's just that Abydos doesn't have many students left in it."

"Abydos?" Chinatsu's familiar voice rang as she walked up to Liam. "Liam-sensei, you didn't misspeak, did you?"

An odd reaction. "No, why is there something you know about Abydos, Chinatsu?"

Chinatsu shook her head as she seemed to try and remember something. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I recall the Head Prefect talked about someone from that school in passing once, but I don't remember who it was."

Liam could hazard a guess. Based on information he had Arona gather, it was about the only third-year remaining at Abydos and the only remaining member of its student council. Takanashi Hoshino. Information about Abydos was scarce despite an essential registration of students. Still, there seemed to also be redacted information on her in GSC records. A curiosity for sure, Liam guessed she did something to cause a stir for those outside of Abydos in the past. "I see, though Chinatsu, concerning that school as well, there is something I need of you. I asked Fuuka here for food for Abydos concerning their situation. Still, I could also likely use medical supplies if things are as bad there as I think. I would appreciate it if you could bring any supplies you can spare and deliver whatever rations Fuuka's club can make."

Chinatsu seemed to think as if she were conflicted about something. She went to speak but was interrupted by Fuuka. "If it's just for seven people, I can spare some time each week to make food fresh there. I can make sure that it is perfectly nutritious for everyone."

That was not something Liam had expected in response. He would have been happy with basic rations like ancient Hard Tack or canned food. His unit always had a mess unit for deployments on planets. Still, they were always on the same dropship that held his unit's conventional assets like the Manticores, infantry platoons, Karnovs, Pegasus Scout Tanks, and the recent Longinus Battle Armor units. The last time he had a good meal from the mess was on Coventry before Jade Falcon arrived. He was always too busy after his father's death dealing with paperwork, reviewing tactical data, or assisting elderly Yang and the rest of the techs with the radical refits of his new lance. Useless work now, considering his circumstances.

Liam shook his head to get himself out of that state of mind. "If it isn't an issue, I would greatly appreciate it. It would be much better than I requested, but I do not want to impose anything too hard."

Fuuka shook her head and smiled. "Nonsense, eating anything less than a healthy and nutritious meal is unacceptable. Besides, you only had me worried about having to help a second school. Cooking for seven others is nothing."

Food, medicine, and combat supplies. If Chinatsu were to accept his request, he would have a supply of everything he thought Abydos could need. "Well, Chinatsu, with Fuuka willing to go down herself, considering you might be busy with the Disciplinary Committee if you could just give spare supplies to Fuuka, she could then deliver the medical supplies herself when she goes to make food at Abydos."

Chinatsu nodded once. "I think I can do that, though perhaps we could discuss this later? The Gourmet Research Society might be unconscious, but it will take some more time for Valkyrie to arrive. It would be better if we weren't distracted talking so that they can escape or worse."

That was a good idea. "Very well, I can understand that, though Fuuka, considering the circumstances, it may be best you stay here until those fools are detained."

Fuuka sighed as she looked at the blighters that blew up Schale's entrance. "I would rather not have to see them any longer than I have to."

A sentiment Liam could agree with.

The Valkyrie police experience was quick for Liam. He thought he would have expected a familiar face like Kirino. Yet the students who showed up with matching uniforms were all unfamiliar to Liam. Still, they were able to take away those annoying blighters from his sight quickly. It even left him time to practice the tank's controls and paint a nostalgic emblem on the turret.

Liam heard the sound of a truck pulling up to Schale's destroyed entrance. Without the walls at the front to block the noise, it was much easier to listen to what was going on outside on the ground floor, even if he preferred an intact building. Liam made his way to the ruined entrance. It appeared the truck that had just pulled in had detached its trailer. Not a big deal to Liam. He would likely use the tank to pull the goods to Abydos anyway. Liam saw an unfamiliar figure step out of the truck's passenger side. She wore a uniform similar to Rin and elf-like ears to match. Her light blue eyes looked at the entrance, shaking, and she seemed to be mouthing something, though Liam couldn't tell what. Based on the phone call he made earlier and the ammo trailer, he had an idea of who this person was.

"Officer Aoi," Liam interjected as he approached the exasperated individual, "my apologies for the mess. There was an unexpected incident…"

"H-how did this even happen?!" Aoi yelled as she looked at the rumble in front of Schale.

"I am sure you are familiar with the Gourmet Research Society?" Liam's expression remained stoic as he looked away from Aoi and towards the rubble. "To put it as simply as I can, that group had intended to kidnap me for their own selfish wishes. They blew up the entrance to Schale with little regard for the safety of others and were close to killing me as well. Fortunately, I could detain them quickly due to their hubris, and they are currently in custody with Valkyrie. I assume that is a satisfactory result for you?"

Aoi sighed as she still looked at the rumble. "Costs for fixing the entrance here notwithstanding, yes. However, I still can hardly believe that anyone would be that reckless, considering your consideration of being from outside of Kivotos."

"Explosions and fire nearly killing me is nothing new. If anything, part of me found it nostalgic."

Aoi looked back at Liam and frowned. Perhaps he could have picked a better choice of words to express his feelings, but it was the honest truth. Sure, he was annoyed at first, but even with how odd it was, the near-death experience was something he was used to since he was sixteen, the same age his father was when his family was betrayed all those years ago, or so he was told.

Aoi shook her head and coughed. "Regardless of that, Sensei, I believe this trailer should have all you need," Aoi motioned towards the detached trailer behind her, "Beyond the cost of the ammunition, most of what you requested was simple to acquire. If theory holds any weight, I am more than willing to consider this a worthwhile endeavour."

Liam walked over to the trailer. It was exposed and simple but wide enough to carry all he requested. The boxes of ammunition and the remote explosives and hand grenades were laid out in a way to reduce the risk of any falling out during transportation or exploding prematurely. The trailer seemed capable of connecting to his little makeshift trailer hitch on the tank. Overall, Liam was impressed. "Good work. Honestly, I thought this would take more time to get together."

Aoi sighed and closed her eyes. "This was hardly the largest request placed on me, but still, I appreciate your gratitude." Aoi returned to where she was sitting in the truck and grabbed a clipboard. She extended the clipboard and a pen to Liam and gave a stern expression. "I just need you to sign here, and I am all set. I am sure you already have a different truck to deliver it where you want, yes?"

In a way, if one could count a tank as a truck, Liam did. "I can make do with that." Liam gently grabbed the clipboard and pen, looking down at the contract before him. Liam resisted the urge to groan as he looked at more Japanese text. At least he could infer the box at the bottom was where he needed to sign his name. With a sigh, Liam wrote his name in cursive as neatly as possible and handed it back to Aoi. "I am sure this is acceptable to you."

Aoi took the clipboard and looked down at Liam's signature. Her left eye twitched as she looked at Liam. "Sensei, what scribble did you put where you needed to sign?"

"My signature," Liam bluntly stated, "I wrote my name down like I do with all contracts I've signed. What's the issue?"

Aoi groaned as she handed the clipboard back to him. "The issue is I can't read whatever that is. How am I even supposed to know your name there?"

"Besides the fact I am sure no one besides me speaks and writes in English?" Liam said, resisting the urge to add a hint of sarcasm in his tone of voice, "The alternative is me spending two weeks trying to learn a language for me to be able to sign my name the way you want it, which I am sure neither of us have time for."

Aoi seemed at the edge of losing her last nerve as her eye twitched more. She eventually sighed and took back the clipboard that was in her hand. "Very well, Sensei, I guess that bit of scribble will have to do this time. Do understand, though I will not be more lenient in the future."

That was an acceptable compromise to Liam. "Very well, I was spending what time I could on improvised lessons meant to help me read Japanese anyway. I apologise; neither the Free Worlds League nor the Federated Commonwealth have Japanese in their legal contracts."

Aoi tilted her head at Liam's words, no doubt not knowing of the two considerable Inner Sphere powers' names or perhaps over the fact that some places didn't use Japanese as their primary language. Whichever it was mattered little to Liam.

"Am I correct in assuming you also didn't acquire a way to transport this ammunition then?"

"No," Liam stated bluntly, "If you will, follow me; I can show you the vehicle I have that is more than capable of hauling that trailer."

Aoi seemed hesitant for a moment before she visibly relented. "Very well, lead the way."

Liam only nodded as he motioned her to follow him. The garage entrance was at least unharmed from the actions of the Gourmet Research Society, so he didn't have to worry about tripping over rubble on the way there. Because Aoi also seemed to be wearing high heels, he doubted it would be a good idea for her to try and walk on uneven ground with those less-than-useful shoes.

Liam eventually made his way to the garage door and opened it up. The lights were still on from his bit of practising earlier that day, and the little refit he did to make it capable of doing all he needed it to. "There she be; she may be a museum relic, but she should serve well enough for now."

For her part, Aoi didn't even seem phased as she looked at the tank. Though Liam knew better at this stage, she was undoubtedly overloaded by the circumstances. "You are going to use a tank to haul a trailer of ammunition to a school?"

"Correct," Liam interjected as he went up and patted the spray-painted purple eagle on the front of the turret. "I was going to need this down there regardless. She might not be much, but a thin sheet of steel is better than no protection in a firefight. I'd rather not risk losing my head if I don't have to." There was always a fine line between boldness and stupidity, and Liam preferred the protection of a vehicle or 'Mech over being exposed as conventional infantry.

"Why am I not even surprised at this stage," Aoi stated as she facepalmed. "Also, what is with that purple eagle? Seems out of place if you ask me."

"It's the emblem of the nation I can best call my home, the Free Worlds League." Liam patted the eagle with a bit of eagerness as he smirked. "I might be a mercenary, but League space is where I spent most of my life, so forgive me if I wanted something to remind me of it on this tank."

Aoi blinked as she stared at the emblem for a minute. "Well, I see, Sensei," Aoi stated before she coughed again. "Regardless, it is getting late. I should get back to my office to finish my normal work before the sun fully sets." Aoi made her way towards the exit of the garage door. "I expect a full report on what you find, even if Acting President Rin returns when you are done."

"Very well," Liam stated as he nodded at Aoi. "Good evening then, and thank you for your assistance."

Aoi hesitated at the entrance. She nodded once at Liam and closed the door behind her as she left. She was right, though. It was getting late, and he had a busy morning ahead of him. He thought he should return to the main building and inform Wakamo to tuck in early. With how slow the crusader was, he would need every minute he could spare on the road early to get that ammunition to Abydos as soon as possible.

"I guess waking up at 0200 should be good enough to arrive by morning."

AN: Welcome back, everyone. I hope you are all doing well today. I was able to finish this chapter sooner than I expected despite the heat in my area. A leather chair and hot weather are not pleasant things to mix when you want to write a chapter. I know this is shorter than usual, but other things happened that made my life less than pleasant. Probably the most notable one you all would have heard is a political assassination attempt on someone on my side of the Keystone State. I am not going to go deeper into explaining more than that, but I do not like individuals choosing to kill someone aggressively. Defence is understandable, but attacking and murdering someone is not. The other was a bad experience with a local BattleTech group I was in, and one member who is a part of the Catalyst Demo Team posted ERP and wanted Bryan Young to make it canon. I don't care what you do in your free time, but I don't want to read in a public discord channel how you want an elemental or something to shove his equipment up your arse. Even more so, I don't want you and others to conspire to make it a canon piece of work that others must see. That is not okay, people. Not everyone wants to see stuff like that.

The last thing I had to deal with was Walmart issues again. Christmas might be the average busy time, but for me, college students returning to school is another, especially when they ask for products my Walmart doesn't carry, like beer. My temper gets even more tested when products break and fall, causing me to lose a whole layer of skin. Not fun times, I tell you. Sorry for the rant here in the Author's notes. I just had to get that off my chest. With the summer weather going away, though, I should be able to get a longer chapter out next time fall returns. I hope yinz are having a better go at life than I am. Have a good one.