CHAPTER 18

ACCEPTANCE

Gasping for breath and sweat rolling down their faces, Dutch and Jadis smirked at each other. A trickle of blood ran down the side of Dutch's mouth and a darkening bruise adorned Jadis's cheekbone. The two had been sparring for over an hour before finally calling it a day. "Good to see you've improved," Dutch praised as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "That was one hell of a right hook."

"Which is more than I can say for you," Jadis said with a snort. "You've definitely gotten soft in your civilian job." Around them, the other members of Dutch's team were sparring as well in hand-to-hand combat. From the corner of his eye, Dutch caught a glimpse of Jeffrey swiping his foot to knock his much larger opponent to the mat. 'He's definitely got Standall's determination,' he thought. 'There may be hope for him yet.'

"All right everyone hit the showers," he announced. As his men headed to wash up; Dutch pulled Jeffry aside. "Good to see you're improving, but don't get overconfident. When facing a fully grown Norma they won't be easy to take down since they can make our Mana useless against them."

"Yes sir," the boy answered though Dutch could sense something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't get what you told me out of my head." Jeffry scowled. "All I want to do is come face to face with this Male Norma and annihilate him."

"You're not the only one who wants to get their hands on him." Jadis grinned maliciously as she cut in on the conversation. "That little abomination wouldn't last 5 seconds with me. It never takes much effort to break a Norma's body, mind and soul. Though I wonder if a male might be more fun." Just the thought made Jadis's mouth water, along with other places.

"No one will be doing anything to that little freak without my say so." Dutch ordered. "But we have an important task at hand before we do anything to retrieve Subject Alpha." At that moment, Dutch, received a ping from his personal assistant Ms. Yung-Si. "You two get washed. I'll be on my way soon." As they walked to the showers Jeffry still felt uneasy that Jadis showered with the men. But he guessed she did it to show the guys who they were dealing with. His first day of training one guy had went to cop a feel and Jadis crushed his eye socket with the shower head. Dutch meanwhile snuck into a hidden alcove and opened his Mana screen to display a sharply dressed woman with chin length black hair appeared. "Ms Yung-Si."

"Greetings Mr Villson. I have news that I felt you needed to hear right away." A satellite view of the world appeared, zooming in on a stretch of forest that bordered the Enderant Union and the Galia Empire. "A Norma transport Vehicle that was carrying two Norma children suddenly disappeared in this area. Not only that but we managed to identify several unknown vehicles that have exited the area but have never entered. According to historical records, there used to be an underground mine in the area that was closed off when it caved in decades ago. We suspect this could potentially be a terrorist facility."

"Good job Ms Yung-Si." Dutch praised. "Is there anything else I should know?" Three dots appeared over the woods each one with a picture displayed beside them. "There are three entrances from our data, the original mine entrance close to a large waterfall, a lake fed from an underwater river system, and a pump station used to drain water from the mine in the event of a flood."

"Send me the data. Contact me if you find anything more." Dutch ordered. "For now, use the cloaked Mana drones to maintain surveillance. I suspect these terrorists have managed to do the same with their Mana."

"Yes Mr. Villson." As soon as Ms Yung-Si ended the call, Dutch called a private line to contact Master Embryo with an update.

"Ah Mr Villson." Embryo greeted. "I hope you and your team are fully prepared for your mission."

"We are master Embryo. And I have good news. My team has located a possible hideout of this terrorist group."

"Excellent work. I admit I doubted you, but you seem to be turning this around after your first failure." Though he remained calm, Dutch felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up from anger.

"I assure you I won't fail you a second time master." Dutch saluted. "I'll contact you as soon as final preparations are made."

"For your sake Dutch, I hope you and your team don't disappoint me," Embryo warned as he ended the call.


In the week following the Category 5, all was quiet. Though this did little to put the residents of Arzenal at ease. The First Of had escaped back to wherever the DRAGONs came from and the general consensus was that it would be back. The question was when. Some were still grieving the loss of friends or even loved ones. As if mimicking everyone's state of mind, it had also rained nonstop which only seemed to enhance the gloom.

However, something miraculous happened on the seventh day that made everyone's spirits lift. It was snowing, the dazzling white flakes making the winter sky look alive and dazzling. It had been over nine years since anyone at Arzenal had seen snow since it rarely fell this close to the equator. The kids woke up squishing themselves against the large window in amazement, eager to go outside and play. Training of course wasn't cancelled but the change of scenery did help ease tensions among the base a little.

Over in the graveyard, the newly placed graves stood out amongst the rest. One in particular stood out due to the fresh batch of violet flowers placed in front of the Grave as Arzenal's sole male Norma knelt before it, not caring how cold he was. Even with the rare sight of snow he hadn't seen since he was 11. He could not appreciate it if she wasn't here to see it with him?

"Naomi, I wish you were here." Cal didn't know why he bothered. But some part of him hoped that felt even in death she could hear him. "I'm doing all I can to keep moving. I know that's what you would tell me to do." He chuckled slightly and wiped at his eyes. "Everyone is coping in their own way. Zola's been down since the attack, but Hilda, Rosalie and Chris are supporting her. Vivian is still her cheerful self, but I can tell her, and Miranda are missing you. Ersha and Salia are doing all they can to keep everyone strong but even I can tell without you there they have lost something very special."

An overwhelming weight came over him as he felt a horrid pressure in his chest. "It should be me lying in the ground. You didn't need to die because of me." He remembered all the times she was there for him, comforting him as he poured his heart out to her about the night his Gramps died and the argument they had when he revealed his past and how he thought his whole life was a meaningless mistake. And even then, during all that time even when she said it right to him, he couldn't tell her that he loved her. The tears came before he could stop them, boiling hot then instantly freezing on his face. And what was the point in wiping them off? He let them fall, his lips pressed hard together, looking down at the thick wet mud where Naomi lay.

'The reason I can read you like a book is because I love you.' Those words echoed through his head.

"I love you too Naomi." He sobbed. The darkness and the silence seem to become all of a sudden much deeper, that same feeling as if time had slowed down as the rain hit his body more lightly. Cal raised his head and saw in the distance through the thick mist of the rain and clouds a silhouette of a para-mail. 'No it can't be, I'm just hallucinating, it's not real' he told himself as that familiar voice spoke out in a whisper.

"Poor child. You suffer so much."

"Go away!" Cal growled.

"I feel your pain and your loss Cal. But all is not lost. You don't have to suffer any longer. The people you care about, you won't have to lose anyone ever again." That voice sounded understanding but there was something very wrong. A thinly veiled threat beneath the seeming benevolence.

'Shut up!' Cal clutched at the wet long grass trying to keep his mind together and in a second of the flash of lightning and thunder, the voice and the silhouetted Para-mail had vanished as everything returned back to normal. He felt a hand grip his shoulder and turned to see Salia standing over him, a dark green poncho protecting her from the snowfall.

"Cal are you okay?"

"Yeah sorry. I was just…spacing out." It wasn't the truth, but he didn't want to worry her.

"You need to come back inside. It's getting dark and you're soaking wet. You'll catch a cold." Knowing it was pointless to argue with her Cal did as he was told, taking a final look behind him at Naomi's grave. "You can't stay out there every day. It won't change anything."

"I know." Cal sighed sadly. "I just really miss her."

"I miss her too." Salia admitted as she hugged him tightly for support. "She was the best friend I ever had. But it won't do you any good waiting outside at her grave all day. I know what it's like to lose someone very close who died because of me." Then realising what she had said pulled away. "Oh no Cal I didn't mean..." But Cal didn't look shocked or hurt in the slightest.

"No your right, it is my fault she's dead."

"Oh Cal, don't say that, it wasn't your fault." Salia gripped both his hands tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No it is. I got reckless and treated this place like it was all fun and games, like nothing would harm us."

"Cal…" she whimpered.

"I got so use to being the one saving my friends like some stupid hero in an anime. And now you've all lost a friend and squad mate you've known all your lives. I'm sorry." Before she could say anything, Cal walked away. "You don't have to deny it. I know it was my fault. But I appreciate that you're trying to make me feel better. I just need some time alone." Salia watched as he walked further and further away before vanishing around a corner.

"Cal…" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."


The Mall had been closed off for 6 days but finally the armorers managed to fix the huge twisted dent in the storage room doors and gate. "Thanks for being a big help…hero of Arzenal," Jasmine said with a wink as Mei grinned broadly.

"No problem, the Mall is essential to Arzenal's operations," Mei said. "Too bad it's too late for you to open. Me and the girls could really use a feast right about now." Over by the entrance to the arcade, Vulcan lay on his side whining in boredom.

"I know boy, but everything will be back the way it was tomorrow," Jasmine said as she stroked the dog's side. "'The Grand Reopening of Jasmine's Mall.'" Looking up, Jasmine saw a familiar tall Pinkette walking towards her, a carboard box in her arms. "Hey there hon." Jasmine greeted "Is this the last of her things?"

"Yes I took these from her locker and our room." Ersha said, her voice wavering. The other half of the quarters she had shared with Naomi that was filled with colors of Violet and Azure was now empty and colorless. Jasmine took the box that contained the last of Naomi's possessions ranging from stickers, old photos of her time as a pilot, keychains and two pieces of jewelry. A rose gold bracelet and an indigo gem neckless. And soon even that wouldn't be left. Whenever a Norma died, all their possessions were collected and taken away to be destroyed in the incinerator in the very bowels of Arzenal.

"It's always sad to see someone go." Jasmine sighed. "But Naomi was always a bright light in a dark place like this. She'll be missed."

"She always saw the best in everyone, always knew how to make people smile." Ersha added. "Jasmine, do you think I could buy the bracelet and necklace?"

"Of course, but why?" Jasmine asked.

"It's for Cal, I think it will help him if he has something to remember her by."

"That's really thoughtful of you hon. Thanks for keeping an eye on him." Ersha began to zip open her satchel until Jasmine stopped her and handed her the two pieces of jewelry. "This one's on the house. That boy needs a helping hand. Losing someone you love can be tough."


The next morning Cal woke up heavy and tired. The entire week he hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep. Every time he tried the nightmares came back. Still too early for roll call and not wanting to sit around anymore, Cal went to the infirmary where Maggie was waiting for him.

"Will I be fit enough now?" he asked. Maggie examined the large healing scab and applied some cream and a thinner bandage.

"Yes it's been 8 days now. It will feel a little stiff but as long we keep it bandaged it should be fine." It was then she noticed the huge bags under his eyes. "You need to sleep, or you won't heal. And no more punching the wall. Otherwise, I'll leave it to get infected." Rolling over to her cabinet, Maggie pulled out a small bottle of pills. Depression and anxiety were common ailments on Arzenal so she always kept a few bottles on hand. "Here," she said as she tossed him the bottle. "It'll help take the edge off. Just follow the instructions exactly so you don't get addicted." After checking his other injuries, Maggie sent him off and since everyone else was still doing morning drills, he grabbed a quick breakfast before heading to the locker room. "You finally decided to join us," Zola said as he walked in. "I take it you've been given the all clear by Maggie?"

"Yeah," Cal nodded. "I'm just glad to be doing something instead of sitting on my ass."

"Glad your back in gear." Hilda added. "Just ready yourself. Training hasn't been going well since the Commander changed everything."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's awesome!" Vivian chirped as she ran over and threw her arms around him. "We're training with the other squads! It's great to have you back Big Bro." Cal smiled at Vivian still acting her bubbly self but could feel the absence from Naomi not being there. It was if a huge hole had been left in the first squad. Cal forced it out of his minds as he changed into his new blue and red pilot suit since his old one had been destroyed in the attack. 'At least I won't have to go back to wearing my original green one,' he mused.


Finishing her fifth cigarette, Jill lit another one. The past week had made her more irritable than ever. The NMB and Bronson's father had been up her ass over the unexpected attack and how the Inspector was almost killed. Ever since, Emma had isolated herself in the guest quarters and refused to come out. Under normal circumstances she would have lost her position of Commander but since she had saved Emma from being DRAGON food, the NMB committee had allowed her to keep her post.

"It's times like these I wish I could just resign," Jill said to Jasmine who dropped off the latest paperwork to be filled out.

"You're telling me, we've never had an attack this bad before." Jasmine admitted. "It's a miracle that we only had a few casualties."

"But we'll still have to adapt," Maggie added as she joined them. "The two armourers will have to be reassigned to base personal since Hannah lost a leg and Leah has been left permanently deaf due to her head trauma. Other than that, everyone else will be up and about very soon."

"What about the Inspector?" Jill asked. "Is she coming out for more than an hour today?"

"About that…" Maggie said nervously. "I passed by the guest quarters to try and coax her in coming out and I overheard a conversation she had with her father." Jill raised an eyebrow. Judging by Maggie's expression and tone it wasn't good news. "She was talking about quitting and that Jadis might return as inspector if she did." Jill sprung up as Jasmine gasped loudly. The command staff heard this as well and turned their heads in horror.

"Get back to work!" Jill barked as the three women left to chat privately.

"You think it's true? Pamela asked nervously.

"I hope not. If that bitch comes back, we'll all suffer for it." Hikaru said. They then noticed Oliver had curled up in a fatal position on her chair.

"Hey Olivier, don't worry." Pamela reassured hugging her.

"She'll have to go through us first before she lays a finger on you." Hikaru added as she patted her on the back. Her friends' assurances did little to ease Olivier's panic. Jadis had first arrived at Arzanel when Olivier was 8 and she still sometimes had nightmares about her, and she began to cry as Pamela and Hikaru held onto her for support.


Once inside her office, Jill slammed her prosthetic fist onto her desk. "Fuck! If that bitch comes back…"

"She'll be a huge problem if Libertus is to begin," Maggie frowned.

"I won't let that evil woman touch Cal," Jasmine vowed through gritted teeth. Jill sat behind her desk and knitted her fingers together.

"We need to act now," she decided. "It's time for Siegfried to get back in action." Jasmine and Maggie's eyes bulged in surprise.

"Are you sure Jill?" Maggie asked.

"I'm not but now is the time for Cal to prove he's got what it takes." Jill decided. "I think it's about time he was brought in to Libertus."


Due to the Category 5 attack, Commander Jill had ordered all the squads to train together in the simulators and develop combat formations and strategies if a Category 5 were to ever occur again. But that was easier said than done, with the three Captains having different styles in combat. Each pilot only listened to their respective captain's orders and the competition for getting the most kills made everyone frustrated.

"Irma, Tanya you're too far out!" Scarlett barked.

"Wait I thought we were in formation Tango?" Tanya said confused.

"Hey, I called for everyone to get in that formation!" Eleanor yelled.

"I told you we need to change to formation Echo to take charge of the battle!" Zola shouted in frustration. With all three captains trying to take charge it caused everyone to double take and not even 3 minutes in, more than half the pilots had failed their simulation mission. After an hour very little had improved and Zola, Scarlett and Eleanor called training to an end as they met beside the hanger exit.

"This isn't going to work." Zola said irritably.

"Commander Jill will throw us in the brig if we keep this up." Eleanor gulped.

"I hate to say it, but we'll have to start over with our formation and approach to a Category 5 attack." Scarlett decided. "We should meet in one of the empty classrooms and come up with something because at this rate we'll be DRAGON chow in seconds."

"A three-way, huh?" Zola teased making Eleanor grimace covering her chest. "That could be fun."

"C'mon we need to focus." Scarlett warned. "We lost 5 pilots that day and next time it could mean all of us." At this Scarlett saw Zola's expression change to one of defeat and shame. In all her time as Captain, Zola never lost a comrade and Scarlett knew first-hand what it felt like to lose a squad mate. "Hey, don't let it beat you up. If Naomi hadn't done what she did, then we would have lost both you and Cal too."

"It doesn't make it any easier, but I guess dwelling on it doesn't help either." Zola reckoned before kissing Scarlett on the cheek.


The training didn't fare much better the following few days and neither did the squads' morale. At one-point, Sadie bad mouthed Zola which resulted in a fistfight between her and Hilda until Zola and Scarlett wrenched the two girls apart. Miranda wasn't able to take down a single DRAGON bigger than a Schooner and began to lose confidence in her abilities. Once everyone had finished, they all left to wash up but Ersha and Salia noticed one simulator in the far corner was still being used.

"Cal, we're all done now, don't overdo yourself again." Salia urged. "You need some time to rest."

"Cal please come out." Ersha begged, knocking lightly on the simulator door. There was a sudden loud thud that made them flinch followed by a few seconds silence before Cal finally clambered out.

"Sorry," Cal mumbled, "I just needed to finish the rest of my simulator mission." Looking past his shoulder, Salia frowned as she saw the screen had a huge crack from where Cal had punched it. His mood had scarcely improved over the last few days and his exhaustion was starting to show. His hair was messier and stuck out more than usual, his eyes were bloodshot with huge bags under them, and the colour in his face was chalk white.

"You've been having nightmares again, aren't you?" Ersha worried, holding his face to meet her gaze.

"You don't need to worry about me." Cal grumbled. "I don't need sleep. I just need to keep training."

"No you don't!" Salia yelled. "You've been pushing yourself too hard for days now. It's not good for your health! You need some sleep!" Cal simply nodded, not listening. Sleep was the last thing he wanted. Images of Naomi plagued his dreams desperately trying to escape her cockpit, water filling her lungs as she called out his name.

"I just need a shower to help clear my head." He sighed heavily.

As everyone showered and began to change into their uniforms Ersha decided to not let Cal stress himself any further and pulled Salia to one side. "I can tell he's been having nightmares about Naomi," she told her.

"I won't leave him to deal with this on his own." Salia said. "I know what it's like to be saved by someone but at the cost of their life."

"Salia we talked about this," Ersha argued. "What happened to Ann wasn't your fault. You can't let what happened to her and Naomi beat you up." But Ersha could tell by Salia's face she thought otherwise.

"I know, but it doesn't make it easy to lose another best friend." A single tear ran down Salia's face and Ersha hugged the smaller girl.

"I know I miss her too." Salia sniffed as those last words of her old friend played through her head. 'Don't die on me Salia.' "I know. Why don't you come outside today with me and the kids? You get Cal and bring him along. I need to go see someone first."


Up on Arzenal's top fields, thick layers of snow covered every patch of green. At one end the older residents were engaged in a free for all snowball fight. Vivian ran all around the place, peltering Hilda, Rosalie, Chris and Salia with snowballs as they tried desperately to catch her. On the other end, Mary and Cal helped the kids with making snowmen and snow angels. Miranda and Coco were pushing a huge boulder of snow almost the size as them. Once they had built the lower body, the other kids made the middle and head as Cal helped them to lift up the heavy boulders of snow on top of the other. Taking in turns, he picked them up so they could make the face since it was too high for them to reach with Abigail taking last to place the carrot for the nose.

"Wow, it looks so cool." Abigail beamed.

"Hey, it kinda looks like you." Ersha joked as the kids erupted in laughter.

"Oh very funny." Cal rolled his eyes and then noticed Ersha was holding something small. A baby, short light brown hair tied in a single braid on the side of her head while a pink scarf had been wrapped around her neck. "Who's this?"

"This is Serra." Ersha announced. "She just arrived yesterday, be careful kids she's a little shy." The kids gathered around to meet the newest arrival, but Cal looked away as boiling anger filled his stomach like acid. 'Another harmless baby just shipped off here. Bunch of sick bastards!' She didn't look older than one and yet the humans thought a tiny baby like her was a monster. All because she couldn't use Mana. Ersha saw the change in Cal's body language and had an idea. "Hey why don't you hold her." Ersha said handing him Serra.

"No wait Ersha I don't know…"

"Hold her like this." Ersha showed as Cal suddenly found the tiny infant shoved into his arms. Cal looked down at Serra who stared up at him blankly.

"Hey there…my name's Cal." He said awkwardly. Serra cooed happily, tugging at his shirt, then nuzzling her face into his chest.

"I think she likes you." Ersha smiled.

"Hey Ersha! Big bro! Help!" Cal and Ersha looked over and saw the others had finally cornered Vivian. Chris and Rosalie had blocked her off while Hilda and Salia closed in with snowballs in hand.

"Shall we?" Ersha asked.

"You go on ahead. I'll stay with the kids and keep them out of trouble." Cal said. Ersha was disappointed but was happy to let him look after baby Serra. Taking a seat on a rock, Cal watched in amusement as the older girls ran for their lives as Ersha chased after them with a huge snowball the size of a cannon ball. Miranda and Coco teamed up against Mary, Nonna and Marika while the kids hid behind Ersha and started throwing snowballs at the older Norma. Cal wanted to join in, but he was much too tired. However, when Hilda turned her back to him, he couldn't resist taking a cheap shot at the back of her head. She was about to fire back until she saw the baby in his arms.

"Coward!" she yelled, seeing the smug look on his face. But once Serra had unexpectedly puked on him, she along with Vivian were the ones laughing.

"C'mon let's get you cleaned up," he grimaced in embarrassment, taking baby Serra inside the base and into an empty bathroom. Once he cleaned off himself and Serra, he saw that she looked much happier. "Do me a favor, if Vivian wants to hold you, be sure to puke on her too." He joked. "I'm sorry you have to live in this place. I hope whatever happens here, Ersha and the other kids will make you feel right at home." Serra however rested her head against his chest and began to fall asleep.

As he began to leave his foot caught the edge of a mop which hit the floor with a loud clang. Cal jumped as he felt a huge shadow come over him, his heart bashing at his chest as the whole room began to get darker by the second. Serra felt it as well and began to whimper in fright. The bathroom door swung shut leaving them locked inside total darkness as Cal froze in fear. The only thing he could hear was his own rapid heavy breathing and Serra crying. He heard a sudden scream and cry for help behind him and to his horror saw Naomi suspended in mid-air as if she was underwater, thrashing around desperately trying to escape.

"Cal help me!" Came the voice of Naomi that was being drowned out by the water filling her lungs.

"No, please no!" Cal began to hyperventilate hearing his heartbeat echoing through his ears. Then Naomi was consumed by flames followed by her screams of pain as the flames came rushing at him! "CAL PLEASE HELP ME!"

Coming to, Cal found himself back in the restroom, Serra was squealing out in terror and Ersha was standing over him. "Cal! Cal look at me." She cried, holding his face trying to bring him back to reality. "It's okay. Just breathe."

"I'm okay…I just…" his voiced faded into ragged gasps. Ersha took Serra in her arms and began to rock her back and forth to settle her down. Cal took deep breaths that hurt his throat as cold sweat dripped down his face. "Shh it's okay." Ersha soothed as Serra stopped crying.

"Sorry…I don't…I don't…I was just cleaning…us up…and…" He stuttered through deep breaths. His hands were shaking as he held one hand to his chest to steady his heartbeat as Ersha knelt beside him.

"What did you see?" She asked putting a hand on his shoulder. "You were screaming."

"The nightmare it was there right in front. Why…why is this happening?"

"It's Naomi isn't it?" she asked. Cal nodded and Ersha put her arm around him, trying to make him feel better.

"Cal what happened are you okay?" Salia panicked as she ran into the restroom.

"He just had a bit of a panic attack," Ersha assured her. "Can you take him to his room? He needs some sleep." Ersha handed Salia the spare keys to his room. She helped him to his feet and walked him back to his room while Ersha tended to baby Serra. After taking two of the pills that Maggie had given him, within minutes he collapsed unconscious on his bed.

'C'mon Cal you're better than this.' Salia thought as she began to remove his clothes, his skin ice cold to the touch. Unwilling to leave him alone like this, Salia changed out of her uniform and into one of Cal's long white t-shirts before climbing into bed with him. 'Don't worry Cal I won't let you take this burden alone. I'll help you get better. You're our only chance for Siegfried to return.'


Everything seemed so light and relaxing as a warmth spread across Cal's body. Opening his eyes, he found himself once again in a dark void, the ground as if he was walking on water. Cal looked down to see floating on top was a glint of gold, his bracelet. He reached down to grab it, but it sank out of sight the second his hand came near it.

"I feel your pain Cal." It was that voice again, but louder and far clearer, that he could identify it as a voice of a man.

"Who's there?"

"I am someone who wants to help you. All the pain you have suffered because of society and the loved ones that have lied to you. You don't have to feel that pain anymore." The voice was coming closer, but the person was nowhere to be seen. "All those who thought you were a monster and an accident couldn't have been more wrong."

"What…what do you mean?"

"No one realizes just how special you are, a male Norma that will climb higher than any human that has walked this earth." Cal saw the outline of a sharply dressed slender man stepping out from the darkness, too dark to make out any features save the long hair that draped down to his lower back.

"It's you," he realized. "You're the person I've been seeing."

"That is right." The man chuckled. "I have been watching you for a long, long time. Ever since you came out of hiding. You don't have to fear me Cal. All I want to do is help you." Cal didn't know what to think or even whether to trust this stranger. But there was something about his voice. A soothing hypnotic quality that seemed to put Cal at ease. "You will not lose anyone else you love ever again. All you have to do is take my hand." The man stuck his hand out and Cal could make out a green suit sleeve. As if in a trance Cal walked towards the figure wanting to take his hand when something appeared behind the man. A pin prick of light that rose in brightness and took the form of Naomi. Her lose pink her swished behind her, encased in an aura like a glowing angel. But when he looked to her face, he saw the look of fear as she shook her head as if she was trying to warn him and his instinctively pulled his hand back.

"No I can't, I won't." Cal felt a sudden surge of anger and determination bubble inside of him. "I don't need your help. I'll make sure myself that no one I love ever dies again." The man hummed in annoyance before stepping back into the darkness.

"Very well. I'll leave for now, but we will meet again. I strongly advise you to consider my offer." Before Cal could counter, there was a sudden flash of white and a rush of cold that hit Cal like a thousand ice cubes. Cal's eyes widened to find himself not in his bed but standing on the edge of Arzenal's cliffs, his feet on the edge of the drop to the sharp rocks which broke the surf at the cliff base. Cal jumped back and landed in the melted dirty slushy snow before he got to his feet and ran past the graveyard and back inside of Arzenal. He ran to the first squad's locker room and doused himself with the cold shower water, waking him up fully as he kicked himself for what had almost happened. 'What the hell was that?!'


From behind her desk, Jill observed over the progress of today's sortie. Second squad had been called to a Category 2 and managed to defeat the enemy with only minor damage. "Second squad return to base." Jill ordered. "Well done everyone."

"Roger that." Scarlett confirmed. Jill leaned back and felt a headache coming on as she looked at the abnormally high stack of paperwork on her desk. Inspector Emma still had not come out of the guest quarters apart from eating and receiving the weekly supply shipments. And while Jill didn't miss her at times overbearing presence, her absence did result in Jill having to take on her duties in addition to her own.

"Pamela, you have the Command Centre," she announced. Before any of the command staff could ask why, Jill had already stepped out and returned to her office. After lighting a fresh cigarette, she pulled up the footage from the security cameras she had Mei install throughout the base following the night Cal had barged in on their meeting. She couldn't take any chances now that Libertus was on the verge of beginning. Footage from the guest quarters showed Emma still cowering in her living room like a child hiding from the boogey man, so next was the hallways from the previous night. An unexpected shadow caught her eye and she switched feeds, her brow furrowing as she saw none other than Cal walking around topside as if in a trance. Jill's hand clenched her desk as she saw him approach the edge of the cliff next to the graveyard only to stop at the last moment. She knew he hadn't jumped since Zola hadn't reported him absent for morning training so what was he doing? Finally, Cal snapped out of it and ran back inside.

Leaning forward, Jill clasped her hands in front of herself. She had seen Norma who snuck up on top only to throw themselves off the cliffs more times than she cared to think about. But the way Cal walked wasn't like that. It was more like he was being drawn by something. Behind her a sudden gasp drew her attention and she turned to see Salia standing in the doorway with a clip board in hand. "What…what was he…" Salia whispered.

"Salia," Jill ordered, "I need you to go get Cal and bring him to the lower hanger, tell Mei to go and bring Maggie and Jasmine."

"But…what was Cal going to…"

"Don't argue!" Jill barked, making Salia flinch. "Just do as I say. I want to have a little talk with him." Salia disappeared back out the door as Jill closed her eyes and clenched her prosthetic fist, the memories of that day flooding back.

Surrounded by a bright white light her body feeling so light her mind felt so at peace and blissful as a long-haired slender man stood before her, his smile so gentle and understanding. "Take my hand Alektra. Allow me to share your troubles. You don't have to bear this burden alone."

"EMBRYO!" She seethed through grit teeth, her prosthetic hand gripping the chair arm so tight she crushed it.


Spamming buttons like machine gun fire, Hilda pressed her attack on Rosalie who was trying to go on the defensive. She and Rosalie had opted for a tournament match of FighterSTORM-Z with Hilda picking a battle mage against Rosalie's skeleton overlord. "C'mon you useless bag of bones." Rosalie panicked as she franticly shot a jet of emerald green flames from her character's mouth. From behind, Chris watched and patiently waited her turn. If Cal was here, he would have challenged them to a tag match against him and Chris but with him still grieving Naomi's death, she was once again forced to wait and watch from the side lines.

"Hey guys can I have a turn now?" Chris asked tentatively.

"Just give us a minute Chris I'm about to take the win." Rosalie said, just before Hilda managed to goad Rosalie into her trap, defeating her on the spot. "Shit!"

"Aw c'mon is that it?" Hilda rolled her eyes. Without Naomi, she had lost her main rival in the arcade. And Cal, Rosalie and Chris just didn't give her the challenge she craved.

"This time you're going down." Rosalie boasted as she put in a fresh token.

"Bring it." Hilda smirked. Chris however stood behind them and sulked. She would have like to have gone somewhere else but Salia was studying, Ersha was tending to the kids, Vivian was off somewhere causing trouble, and Miranda was shopping for upgrades. Even Captain Zola was too busy working on joint strategies with Scarlett and Eleanor. It was times like this that Chris felt so depressed and out of place, but she was too shy to say anything to Hilda and Rosalie.

Looking off towards the hanger, who should she see but Cal standing over his Glaive as it was being repaired. He seemed to be doing a little better so maybe if she asked, he'd hang out with her.


Cal watched as the Armorists continued to fix the dents in the armor, replacing the parts that couldn't be repaired. He groaned in frustration by how much the repairs were going to set him back. Between that and the time he had spent in recovery following the Category 5 he was now over 13 million in debt. Over to his right, Miranda was watching her own Glaive as it was upgraded.

"Nice paint job," Cal admitted.

"Thanks." Miranda said. She had used the money she saved up to change its color from the standard grey to a Dallas blue with white highlights. "I got it this color so it will be harder to spot the next time we have a night sortie."

"That's smart." Cal admitted. "They'll never see you coming." Miranda blushed slightly as she shuffled her feet.

"Is it okay if I get red instead of white when I buy my new pilot suit?" She asked twiddling her thumbs. "I want it to be just like yours."

"Oh yeah?" he teased. "You'll really have to bulk up your muscles to fill it out." Miranda pouted and Cal couldn't help snickering. "I'm kidding. Go ahead, it'll look good on you."

"There that should do it." Mary sighed in relief. Now that they were finished, the three rookie armorists came over to talk.

"The paint will be dry in a few hours." Noona informed. "Hope Jasmine didn't charge too much."

"That's an understatement." Marika rolled her eyes. "She charges over five thousand for the new plushies of Cal…oops!"

"Wait what!" Cal yelled. Marika went red and dashed off with Mary and Nonna following after her. "Hey Miranda come play some pool with us."

"Okay I'll be there in a second." Miranda called as she turned to face Cal. "You think Coco will be in our squad?"

"I hope she does." Cal answered. "I know you worry about her. You're like a big sister to her."

"It wasn't always the case." Miranda giggled. "Back when Mary, Nonna and Marika where in preschool, they use to bully me since they were a year older. Until one day Coco thumped all three of them."

"I never took Coco for a fighter." This made Miranda laugh as she ran after the others. Cal was about to leave until someone called out to him.

"Hey, you busy?" He turned around and there was Chris walking up to him.

"Not really, I was about to go to my room…"

"Will you play some arcade games or watch elite space with me?" she asked. Cal really wasn't in the mood for company but as Chris looked at him, her pink eyes almost begging him, and he just didn't have the heart to tell her no.

"Yeah sure. We'll play some games then we can binge watch an entire season." Chris's spirits rose skyward but when they were interrupted by Salia, the look on the Vice-Captain's face sent them plummeting back into the dumps.

"Cal, Commander Jill wants to see you. Now."

"Uh…yeah sure. Sorry Chris. I promise we'll get together later." As she watched them both walk away, Chris wondered what was going on. Salia could get irritable at times, but this was the first time she had actually seemed furious.


Walking deeper into Arzenal, Cal wondered where Salia was taking him. The cold shoulder she was giving him only confused him even more. "Can you tell me what's going on?" He finally asked.

"I have something to ask of you." Salia replied in a snappy tone. "What were you doing when you left your room? I woke up to see you had gone." Cal didn't know what to say. He couldn't explain how he just magically found himself on the edge of Arzenal's cliffs.

"I just needed some air."

"Don't lie to me!" Salia cried. "You were going to leave us for good!"

"Salia what are you…" But before he could finish, an overhead light clicked on and Cal found himself in a dark hanger. And beneath the light stood Commander Jill, a cigarette in her hand and a look of disdain on her face.

"You know I had hopes for you." Jill said coldly. "I thought you would be the one. But I was wrong."

"What…what are you talking about?" Cal demanded.

"We saw the security footage Cal." Salia told him. Her anger had faded and instead her face had a look of hurt. "You were going to jump, weren't you?"

"Your Gramps was one of the bravest men I knew and always did right by us." Jill growled. "It's a shame he raised such a coward."

"What!" Cal snapped.

"Did this life get too much for you that you decided to almost throw yourself off the cliffs?" Jill accused him. "Was it too much? Learning the truth about your past? Or was it Naomi's death? To think that she died for someone as pathetic as you." Cal's eyes widened in shock before he grit his teeth in anger.

"You…you BITCH!" he yelled, making Salia jump back. "Where the hell do you get off lecturing me! Gramps and Naomi are both dead because of me! What do you know about what it means to lose everything!" In a blur of white, Jill crossed the hanger deck and her prosthetic arm sailed into his gut.

"Cal!" Salia gasped. The boy doubled over, the wind knocked out of him as Jill grabbed the collar of his uniform and yanked him up to her level.

"Do you see this?" Jill asked as she lifted up her prosthetic. "You think I was born with his arm? And Gaz and Naomi don't equate to a fraction of the people I've lost. Everyone here has lost people. You really think you're special? Just because you had a nice life with a parent that loved you? You were going to throw away EVERYTHING Gaz did for you. You stupid pathetic child!"

"Jill that's enough!" From out of the darkness, Jasmine, Maggie and Mei came walking out from where they had been watching in the shadows. "You've made your point," the elder woman said.

"The hell I have," Jill argued. "He's been coddled for too long and it's time he faced the truth. This is what it means to be a Norma Cal. We fight and kill no matter what. And if we die, we die. There is nothing else for us. If you can't handle that then the next time you go out, you'd better let a DRAGON rip you to pieces. That's the only way out of this life." Jill let him go and Cal collapsed to his knees on the deck.

"I…I wasn't going to jump," he finally wheezed out.

"Then why were you out there?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know!" Cal yelled. "I just woke up and I was standing on the edge of the cliff!" Slowly, he climbed to his feet, still clutching his stomach from Jill's haymaker. "I don't want to die for nothing. I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to let anyone else die! So what the hell am I supposed to do!?"

"That's for you to figure out," Jill said. "Your grandfather was on the verge of taking his own life after he lost everything. But he found a purpose to keep him going. It was because of him that I'm not dead."

"What do you mean?" Cal asked as Jasmine rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Your Gramps did more than just protect you," she told him. "Why do you think he sent you here? It was because he was our ally. He even saved Jill's life. If it wasn't for him Jill and I wouldn't even be here."


For the next hour they told him everything. The formation of Libertus, the Ancient Folk who like the Norma couldn't use Mana, how Gaz first contacted them, and how he saved Jill's life and helped cover up Arzenal's involvement in Libertus. After hearing the whole story, Cal felt himself grow numb as he wiped his face and remembered the note Gramps had snuck into his pocket the night their cabin was attacked.

'Above all, I don't want you just to survive. I want you to live. Live the best life you can even when it hurts to do so. It's your life. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.'

'Is this what you meant Gramps?' Cal thought. 'Living by taking control of not just my life but helping everyone else take back control of theirs? Is that why I exist?'"

"So now that you know what do you plan to do?" Jill asked. As if a haze lifted from Cal's mind, everything was crystal clear to him.

"All I've done since I arrived here was accept this life. Fuck that!" Jill raised an eyebrow at his response. "I'm through being helpless and I'm through wallowing. I'm sick of letting humans treat us this way just because of how we were born. I want to join Libertus. I want to help free the Norma and everyone else who can't use Mana."

"Well, well," Maggie said. "It seems like you finally get it."

"There's just one problem," Jill said. "In order to fight the humans, you're going to need to be able to reach them first. And none of the Para-mail here are able to fly the distance to the mainland."

"Well," Cal said with a pause, "I guess I'll just have to save up and build a machine that can!"

"Actually," Mei finally spoke up, "I may already have something for you." The young mechanic looked to Jill who nodded, Mei grinning with excitement as she ran back into the shadows. A clunk of a power switch and the rest of the hanger lights turned on to reveal a Para-mail sitting in storage in the very back. One unlike any model Cal had ever seen before. Jet black with red highlights, it was almost as bulky as a Hauser but had a leaner build to it like an Arquebus with four large red engine pods sprouting from its rear.

"What is this thing?" Cal asked.

"This is Siegfried." Jill announced. "It's not really a Para-mail. It's actually something entirely different. Worth an entire squad, and a key part of Libertus."

"I remember you telling me about this," Cal mused, "that a man can only pilot this thing. Why?"

"It was built by the ancient humans when they allied with us," Jill explained. "Using reverse engineering, they created a machine keyed to their specific biometrics so it could never be used against Libertus. Unfortunately, with them gone, and all Norma being women, it's remained asleep ever since. Its job was to serve as the Knight of Villkiss, the machine upon which all of Libertus depends on."

"And with Villkiss and Siegfried, the Norma and Ancient folk tried to free themselves?" Cal asked, the revelation making his head spin.

"That's right." Jasmine answered. "Unfortunately, 10 years ago, all the ancient humans and the Norma who allied with them died. All save for Alektra of course. And if it weren't for your Gramps, we would have lost her too."

"Siegfried was meant to be a symbol of hope," Jill said. "A shield to protect the sword meant to slay the one responsible for all of our suffering." Cal looked up at the black machine and felt as though it were speaking to him.

"I'll do it," he announced. "I'll train harder and keep fighting no matter what it costs me. I'll live not just to honour my Gramps and Naomi but for everyone."

"Cal," Salia whispered, her heart fluttering.

"But is that what you really want?" Jasmine asked. Cal's mind wondered back to the babies Ersha showed him and all the poor kids that were snatched away from his parents, the night him and Gramps were attacked and everyone else who was forced to live this life.

"It is," he decided. "I want to fight, for our freedom, for every Norma's freedom. So that no one is forced into this life ever again." Maggie and the others looked to Jill who sighed in resignation.

"Fine, I'll assign you to Siegfried. But if you ever waver, I'll throw you off the cliffs myself. Also, keep this a secret from everyone. Because if any human, especially the inspector, were to find out then every Norma now and to come after us will be doomed for all eternity."

"I swear." Cal saluted. Jill held her hand which Cal accepted as Jasmine and the others smiled in relief.

"Welcome to Libertus." Jill said, taking out a black metal bracelet from her coat pocket and handing it to Cal. "And take this."

"What do I do with this?" Cal asked as he gazed at the cracked shiny walnut sized gem in the centre.

"It's the key to controlling Siegfried." Mei butted in. "You better put him to good use."

"I will," he promised. "I'll make you all proud."

"Salia, starting tomorrow I want you to train him how to use Siegfried." Jill ordered. "I expect you to be ready when your next Sortie begins."

"Welcome aboard kiddo." Jasmine smiled patting him on the back. A short while later, Cal found himself back in his room, escorted by Salia to make sure no one saw where they had come from. Upon arrival, the first thing he did was pick up the sleeping pills Maggie had given him and toss them out the window.

"Cal what are you…" she tried to ask.

"I don't need them anymore," he told her. "I know what I have to do, and I won't let a few bad dreams keep me from doing it." Salia sat down on the bed and Cal took a spot beside her. "Are you okay?" Salia looked up and Cal saw she was on the verge of tears.

"You really scared me Cal. Were you really going to jump?"

"Salia I swear I didn't know what I was doing. I just woke up and found myself on the cliff edge. I swear I wouldn't have or will ever do that."

"You promise?" she begged placing her hand on his.

"I promise. I could never do that to you all. You, Zola, Ersha, Hilda, Vivian, Rosalie, Chris, Jasmine, Maggie, Mei, Scarlett. You all mean the world to me. Without all of you…my life wouldn't mean anything." Salia smiled and wiped her eyes.

"You're always finding some way to fight back again even after all you've been through." Cal stared down at Salia's bracelet, the one Naomi had given her and sighed.

"It was because of her." Cal admitted. "She always knew how to bring me back."

"It's hard to see her go," Salia admitted. "But we have to keep going. I just wish I could have helped you like she did."

"Don't be ridiculous," Cal told her. If it wasn't for you and all your hard work in training me, I would have died back at my first sortie. All those things I did was because you helped me like you still are." Without thinking Salia leapt onto him and before he could respond, she kissed him. Immediately after breaking off, Salia began to remove his top. "Salia what are you doing?"

"Cal please…I want to." Salia sobbed unzipping her tunic. "Be with me the way you were with Naomi and the others." Cal felt the hurt Salia was feeling but he wondered if doing so in her current state of mind was the right thing to do. Once exposed, Salia undid her twin tails, her sleek dark hair falling loose down her slim back.

"Salia are you sure…." Cal tried to ask when she suddenly kissed him again. Surprised at her aggression, Cal relaxed and wrapped his hands around her back, his fingers undoing her bra as it slid down her arms and beginning to stroke her silky skin.


Once the rest of the armorists had signed off for the day, Mei had gone down to storage to take Siegfried up to maintenance level and parked it in Cal's stable where Commander Jill was waiting for her. "Have Cal's blades and rifle equipped to Siegfried," she ordered. "And get the ice bullet launcher out too." Mei beamed at the thought of her sister's invention finally getting put to use.

"You got it." Mei pumped her arm.

"Also I think Siegfried needs a repaint," Jill suggested which made the smile on Mei's face widen.


Opening her eyes, Salia felt a warmth spread throughout her as she looked up at the sleeping face of Cal who seemed to be looking healthier and more at peace then he had been in days. Now that Cal was a part of Libertus he would now bear the responsibility of piloting Siegfried which meant training would be even harder than before. For now though, she could let him rest and smiled happily as she nuzzled into his shoulder. Being with a man was everything she had hoped for, and she was happy Cal was the one she got to experience it with. But she could also sense there was a bit of hesitation and sorrow from Cal. It was if he wasn't fully ready to commit to anything like he did with Naomi and that he was still grieving for her.

'Don't worry Cal you don't have to bear this loss alone,' Salia vowed. 'Once Villkiss and Siegfried are back we'll do it together.'

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Thanks for the support you guys have been giving me throughout this story, now with Siegfried back in action lets hope all goes well for our characters. Great thanks to Eric Michael Kline for helping me out and editing these chapters, go check out his account his stories are a blast.

Now here's another character Bio.

Jadis Kellerman

Height: 5' 11", 180 cm

Age: Late 30's

Eyes: Canary Yellow

Hair: Silver

Weight: 78kgs

Build: Jacked, Muscular (think Valmet from Jormungand or Michelle from Terra Formars)

Voice Actor: Nika Futterman (Asajj Ventress, Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Profile: A deep hatred for Norma has always inspired Jadis to work hard and keep them from roaming free. Jadis always worked and trained hard in the military to outshine the outnumbering men in her life. As a result she became feared amongst the men and put those out of commission for trying to cop a feel. She was the first to volunteer in joining Dutch and his team in stopping Libertus 10 years ago. Former Inspector of Arzenal, Jadis ran the place with an iron grip. Due to her status of being human she had control over all the Norma at Arzenal and punished chose who dared to talk back. Her main victim and target was Zola who both despise each other deeply, it didn't take long for Jadis to break the young woman's mind and spirit and a result lost an eye after a bad Sortie. Now retired she left many scars on the residents of Arzenal and now back in action she hopes to repay the Norma another visit.