When Shin and Lena were busy with their excursion, the cottage bustled with people coming to the celebration. Raiden and Bernholdt were busy heating the equipment, with the musty coal from another place hindering their task. They cursed at the flames refusing to take over, discussing if adding the fuel would be a good solution.

"Absolutely not. You youngsters knew nothing about the art of grilling. Using any boosters will make the food stinky, ruining the flavor. I know you didn't have any cooking classes in the Eighty-Six Sector, but come on, it's obvious! Gasoline reeks!" Brent Bernholdt was a grill veteran, mastering the technique over the years. The blasphemy of using any additives was not something he could permit on his watch.

"Gasoline smells fucking awesome! I've seen people opening their tanks just to take a sniff or two. It'll evaporate after a few minutes, why are you making a big deal out of it?" Raiden defended his idea, sick of their constant failures.

"Hey! How long will it take to fire it up? Everything is almost ready…" Anju called out from the kitchen, hungry from the wait. She, Rito and Shana occupied the inside, inventing creative dishes with the available ingredients. Since all of it was made for the barbecue, unless the boys started the grill, none of them could've started eating.

"Shit, another minute! Old prick stalls our progress with some obsolete rules. I'm telling ya, let's add something flammable, it doesn't have to be our fuel…" The tall man gesticulated intensively, also suffering from a growling stomach.

"I guess we can add some kindling. There are some birch trees in the back, I'll try to get their bark. If it's dry, it should neatly light up. You go and gather thin twigs from under the conifers. We'll do it the old-fashioned way." He instructed agreeing to the compromise.

Theo ceaselessly tinkered with the equipment, not bothering to help with the preparations. Another journey could further damage the fragile electronics, so he wanted to finish the job by tomorrow.

"Jeez, you're no fun since you started this new hobby. The drawing was way cooler to look at." Kurena nagged her friend, watching from above how he concentrated. Her task was to set up the tables with the rest of Nordlicht Squadron, but it was long ready. She roamed around the stations, judging the progress of the work. Theo was by far the least helpful, refusing to drop his radio for an hour or two.

"If you're bothered by it, go and berate those two. We all are starving, and they only bicker with each other. Shiden went to check up on Lena and Shin, don't you wanna to join the hindering? What if they had decided to ditch us completely, seal off in the secluded bedroom, and-" The girl covered his mouth with her hand, red with anger, worry, and shame.

"STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I know Shin has a crush on her, but maybe it's only temporary. I STILL HAVE A CHANCE!" Kurena yelled way louder than she intended, making the whole gathering overhear. Once she had realized her mistake, all she wanted was to curl up and die. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! STUPID THEO…"

When she stormed outside to get some fresh air, Theo couldn't help but burst out laughing. Teasing her was so easy, it was almost regrettable. Chuckling he accidentally nudged the apparatus with his elbow, and the sound got unbelievably clearer. The boy rushed to get a note and a pen, to write down as much as he could. There was no telling if the change was temporary, so this could've been his only chance. After a few repetitions, the junk jammed again, ultimately falling silent. Theo stared at the pad in dismay, unable to comprehend what he just witnessed. When he snapped out of the frozen state, he rushed towards his friends, almost bumping into the heated grill.

"GUYS! I'VE GOT IT!" He wasn't making any sense to the onlookers, swinging his sketchbook in the air. "I decoded the message!"

"Congrats, bud. Don't you wanna eat first?" Raiden took the news laid-back, as they thought of this more like their friend's pet project, not realistically life-changing news.

"No, you don't understand. IT'S HUGE! Look at it!" Theo dragged all his friends to one table, showing them his scrawl. When they managed to go past the terrible handwriting, the following message appeared:

Iteration 400172

If you hear this message, something must have gone terribly wrong.

I'm Zelene Birkenbaum from the Imperial Institute of Weapon Development

This device should've been disposed of after completing the Legion's mission.

It is a safety precaution against Legion's interception or defiance

Chosen Imperial Family Servants had the duty to input a special code every day,

to delay activating this message for a year

they wouldn't had abandoned their duty unless made so forcibly

LACK OF CONTACT FOR A YEAR MEANS FAILURE OR A CATASTROPHIC EVENT

It is imperative for you to cooperate for the safety of Giadian Empire

or the fate of all humanity depends on you

Contact Imperial Family immediately for further instructions

If you're unable to do so, go to the Marques Seymour

Glory to the Great Empire

I sincerely hope no one ever hears it.

The notepad was making rounds in everyone's hands, making each person who read it bewildered. The air was tense, no one wanted to be the first to speak up. Was it true? Was it all a ruse? Was there a chance to end the war for good? The unspoken questions whirled in their minds, as they all knew hope was a double-edged sword. If they believed the woman affiliated with the Empire, it could have easily turned out to be a trap. None of them wanted to trust it without any proof.

"...so, the Empire wasn't so stupid after all?" Kurena was the first to break the stillness surrounding the Eighty-Six. "It was said they never considered the option of failing, but it turned out they had some cards in their sleeve."

"We don't know if this damned message is true. Remember, the camp wasn't so far from the Republic's border, it would have been a perfect setup." Raiden was skeptical about a sudden magical solution. There wasn't anything specific in the content, making it dubious in his eyes. He didn't want to get caught up in the moment, falling hard into reality moments later.

"But isn't it a big deal? I mean, we know the Imperial Family isn't a viable option, but maybe this Marquess something is still alive?" Theo felt he had stumbled upon a bigger mystery than he thought, but it didn't scare him. On the contrary, he felt more alive and motivated to continue.

"If he was alive, I'm sure he would've done something in the past few years…" Anju pointed out the flaw in his thinking. She didn't know if the message was true, but she expected all the mentioned people to have been six feet under for a long time.

"Maybe he is evil, taking pleasure in seeing the destruction as revenge?" Kurena speculated even further, coming up with a detailed villain origin story of the Marquess.

"Alive AND evil would not change a thing. Even if he was aware of something, why should he share it now? I'm sure the Federacy screened all the imperial people linked to Legion's creation, if nothing had come up, there is no story. Sorry Theo, but I assume this is a relic of the past." Frederica shook her head in resignation, knowing her country had searched for an answer for a long time. Rito also wasn't keen on the idea, with many Processors sharing his skepticism.

"Damn you guys! I know it's probably nothing, but would it hurt to fucking try? And what is taking them so long, right when they are needed? I'm sure Shin will back me up. Come on, let's at least talk with Ernst when we come back!" Theo was close to bursting from frustration.

"Okay, if Shin agrees, we'll take your side. But don't hope for too much." The tall man with scars on his face promised reluctantly. "You're right though, I wonder what's taking them so long..."

August 26th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)

1 day since the start of Legion's Large-Scale Offensive

Everything was going according to the plan. Pale Rider performed better than expected, shattering the Prime Targets with excellent accuracy. His fiery personality sometimes posed a risk to the calculations, but his determination was unrivaled. No Face had long forgotten such trivial feelings like anger or resentment, finding his underlings' volatility to be a nuisance. His mind was not guided by those primal instincts, motivations, and desires. In that aspect, he was similar to the original Legion. Driven purely by orders, he put efficiency over the petty whims of his former self.

The Republic of San Magnolia had stood no chance, with the intel gathered confirming their poor preparation. The quality and quantity of the defenders had decreased over the years, leaving a shell almost begging to be taken. With their useless human fortifications crumbling under Pale Rider's missiles, the resistance was minimal. A small fraction sheltering in the center tried to stand up against the army, but it was a matter of time before they had fallen. There was no rush. The concept of time was solely a suggestion, as they had no lifespan limiting the schedule. Step by step conquering the continent, until there will be nothing left.

"Destroy the Enemy."

Such a simple yet complicated task. It didn't impose any timeline, nor did it have any specifics on how to do it. Without the Human Commander, their restrictions were almost nonexistent, giving them unlimited freedom. He disapproved of the instinct engraved in all of them to fill this void. It was inconvenient, but as a machine, he had no right to an objection.

United Kingdom of Roa Gracia had their robotic little girls, units Legion could have never done. So similar yet so different. Their core might have a similar origin, but the coating was the complete opposite. No Face never regretted the restriction of building human-like units, considering the human shell useless. He could not fathom why having all the possibilities in the world, someone would still have chosen to repeat the inconvenient design. That is why mortal sentiments are an impediment. It was clear they would survive this offensive along the Alliance of Wald and a few other countries, but it was only a beginning. Constant dropping wears away a stone.

The Federal Republic of Giad posed the biggest risk, with the High-priority Target Báleygr unconfirmed presence. The former mother nation of Legion was Pale Rider's area of interest, so No Face had allowed him a narrow autonomy to test a few theories. If his predictions were correct, soon they could test the scope of Báleygr's abilities. As the Mad Hatter was starting the experiments on the human-machine full fusion, they were getting closer to fulfilling their needs.

He monitored the situation from above, currently residing over the Republic. The further sectors were annihilated, the biggest surprise being it was not from their doing. No Face admitted his mistake of not expecting any talented tactician to reside in the country of cowards. The place was expected to have fallen before daybreak, but they strenuously resisted with their laughable forces. Those citizens would make fine specimens for their army.

The Shepard lowered his altitude, knowing the country had no more weapons capable of hitting him in the air. Another wave of reinforcements charged towards the falling nation. There was no sense of win or satisfaction, just calm taking note of the situation. Many units however were driven by their past grudges and resentments, sending unknowingly the messages of joy and fulfillment. Those were distorted echoes of the past, imperfect recreations put into the killing machines. One of such was placed in the incoming Dinosauria, a Shepard named the Strangler. He was a former Eighty-Six long taken away from this place. His hatred resonated in Legion's communication, making him forge ahead to kill as many Alba as possible. No Face did not mind those yearnings if they didn't hamper the main goal. He gave him the location of the presumed tactician, switching the point of view to the Strangler's. It was his duty to trace any High-priority Targets, to ensure moving their bodies to the base in the best shape possible. Capturing them alive would be perfect for Mad Hatter, but on the battlefield, this luxury was not always granted. After all, the mission always took priority.

He had watched as the cannons obliterated two attacking Processors with deadly precision. Strangler preferred killing Alba, but that didn't mean he was willing to spare anyone else. Republic's machines crumbled easily, with the lousy design ignoring any safety precautions. In comparison, the Federacy had much more resilient vehicles, although losing in terms of speed and mobility. The Dinosauria had breached the last Sector, spotting the large crowd of mainly Alba escaping from the small building. The murderous intent flared in its mind, ready for the merciless slaughter. Suddenly, the sensors detected a loud human voice.

"EVERYBODY RUN! DON'T STOP NO MATTER WHAT!"

The Shepherd instinctively turned to the source of the noise. A small white-haired figure was yelling at the crowd, neglecting to prioritize her safety. Maybe if he were still human he would be moved by the sacrifice and selflessness of this person buying the time for others to escape. However, he was no longer capable of those trivial feelings. So why was he so focused on the petite girl in the middle of the street? Unexplainable longing hit him unexpectedly. It was years since he last felt any human remnants. How was it possible, that he suddenly wished to embrace this woman, take her to safety, and protect her with all his might? This must be the tactician. He tried to reason with himself, not understand the phantom pain in the long-gone chest. The Strangler had moved on his own, pointing the cannon at the figure, ready to shoot.

"No. Ignore the woman. Henceforward she is a High-priority Target No. 36.

Code Name: Valfreyja. Bring her back alive to the Mad Hatter."

No face couldn't fathom what had happened. This was a preposterous decision made on a wild guess. But somehow every part of his dormant human soul screamed with all its might to keep the girl alive. Why? What was so important about her? He could not remember, but the pain of losing her seemed to be equal to the worst torture imaginable. Multiple questions had arisen in Shepherd's mind, but no memories resurfaced soothing him with answers.