Pina watched as the dawn began to break in the hazy sky, greeting the ruined city with the warmth of a old friend returning from the fray. Yet she felt it being cold from its lack of love, as she blankly stared at the sulking remains of a once proud city, now sporting several gnashes and wounds everywhere.

She remembered the tales of old, how as humanity arrived from the destruction of the two Empires of Roma, they were immediately attacked by elves, and how the old city burned down, spelling doom to the Helgan Empire, whose ingenius ruins still echo in the lands.

She could still hear the endless cries of the elves as they keep on yelling over their lost city, with some even old enough to remember, clinging to a lost dream like their decaying empire.

And as she stared below the new city of Italica crumbled into smoke and rubble, she couldn't help but see the same thing.

She closed her eyes, hearing the cries of the damned calling out to her, pleading for her protection, to which she couldn't do anything, she felt the many people began to pile on one another, their desperation as potent as their smell, as they tried to surround her.

Pina cried out, but to no use. She tried to grab her breath, yet each slow crawl of a second making each breath scant, as she felt her body being crushed by the maw of the crowd.

And all the while, she could see their fearful eyes, tears cutting through their caked skin as they cry out for her, their voices tearing each other apart as the called her in many titles.

It was then as she cried out, a large roar swept it all away.

It was then the large roar of an engine snapped her out of her thoughts, as she looked up, seeing the large flying craft, or "Dragonfly" as it began to rise up to the sky.

She stared it in a scant few seconds, looking blanky at it rose farther and farther away, disappearing into the dark clouds, sweeping past the barrier unheeded.

She remembered that Wyvern Flights were basically sparse, as the skies seemed to choke the riders to death. Yet they past through uheeded, their machinery awesome as they are terrifying.

She sighed, and began to pick up her armor.

Pina could feel them looking at her for guidance, as they sat on the chairs, eyes scant, as their first combat mission. She could see Hamilton comforting Bozes, with Panache murmuring with Norma.

She could see the experience slashing deep into their skin, scarring them as they quietly talked to one another in hushed whispers.

Yet that was strangled into a silence as they looked up from their seat to her with expectant eyes, eyes buried deep in exhaustion, seeing the glinting armor she wore a sign of her rank, seemingly ignoring the fact that they were the same age.

They all simmered in silence for a while, their mouths closed from the pressure building up.

Until Pina squeezed out her words, breaking it all apart.

"How was Count Formal's daughters?" She sked, her aim unsteady, causing her to miss the maddening pressure.

Bozes then clsoed her eyes, stared at her, face buried in exhaustion. Her armor was dented and punctured, hair matted.

"Ellie and loui are alright." She answered, voice laced with sweet familiarity. " They nearly got them. We were just in time to reach them."

"Apparently we had to be in the vanguard. Trying to push through the crowded alleyways.

Panache then followed suit, her hard headed nature crashing through the situation.

"But it was a chaotic fight to get out of the city, but the explosion really helped us out."

The words that came of out Panache's mouth hit Bozes like an arrow, causing her to shiver

"Yeah. those soldiers weren't human." Bozes quietly noted.

"Uh-huh. I saw one of them took on a volderaan." Norma noted, eyes clouded with smoke that lingered from the chaotic battle.

It was then the room broke, washing them over with fear that began to carve into their faces.

Yet Noma's clouded vision blinded him the the many eyes looking at him with sharp concern, as he sat there, unfazed. Pina remembered they had to put some 'painkillers' in his system.

"A volderaan." Bozes reiterated.

"Quick as well."

Panache shook her head.

"How are these people?"

Pina sighed.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

Pina immediately walked out of the room, catching her friends darting their eyes back and forth.

Immediately, as she left, she caught Panache slip through the door, her armored boots racing towards her like a loyal dog

"Where you going?" She asked her, her eyes boring into the princess.

Pina sighed, her heavy body carried by her bones.

"Going to their camp. Shouldn't you be with them to tuck them to bed?"

Panache playfully nudged Pina's elbow.

"You shouldn't say that to your future sister in law."

Pina snorted.

"Anyway. Good that you're here. Might need your feminine charm."

She and Panache walked down the hall to where the North Americans were being camped at, encountering a guard on the way, talking to their apparition of theirs.

He then spotted the two, and suddenly stood still, his compact 'rifle' stashed to his side. Pina was entranced by the black thing, standing around harmlessly, as it didn't spout out numerous shards of fire. She looked over to the man, who ushered them inside the room.

The room was a spare conference room of the count, one of many in the palace. It's history was insignificant. The room didn't carry any notable artifacts from the old city, with the Treaty of Peace between Emperor Claudius and the Helgan Empire. The remains of centuries old art that until today but their own artisans to shame.

But as that was no longer true, as Pina laid her eyes on the first time Royalty met her Brethren from their long lost home.

She then gazed at the room, it simplistic but no less regal air was now violated under a harsh bright light as numerous white tents were strewn around with the luxurious furnishings shoved away. Pina's eyes raised in shoc as she saw the numerous people sitting everywhere, ignoring any regality or even basic maturity, staring above the numerous gazes as she saw different varieties of men and women look at them funnily.

Yet unlike the ceremony below, it was muted, and even the women sat in the same table as the men without any sign of seduction.

Until she caught Isaac, who sat on the floor in the far corner alongside a few others, mug in their hands, all of them staring at them with the same amount of confusion, and promptly head to them.

Isaac gave a nervous smile, his body seemingly rattled.

"Hello, Your Highness, and… friend?" He greeted, in horrible Saderan.

A low chuckle caused her fact to shiftz seeing an attractive blood-haired man staring at her with green eyes.

"What brings you here, your Highness?" Captain Jasper asked with a cool smile, in a more palatable dialect.

"Nothing unusual. Mind if we sit?"

Pina watched as the man hesitated, before looking to his subordinates eyes as they became conflicted, speaking in whispers as if that would mask the woman in front of them.

Pina was amused, feeling their hesitancy sticking to her.

They decidedly shrugged.

"Sure."

Pina and Panache sat in the table, as both troops scooted their way to the side. The general mood slowly lightened as the eyes on her back began to lighten, as the silence was filled in by general murmurs.

She then assessed the members of the circle.

One was a freckled face woman with deep blue eyes that reminded her of the sea, giving a dimpled smile as she played with her shoulder-length silver hair.

The other had the face of a dog, quietly growling as they entered his territory, Pina felt nervous as his different colored eyes scanned every detail of her, eyes wondering what they wanted from them.

Until that stare was broken as the silver haired girl shook the man, before saying something in their language, English. The man bowed, and yielded to the woman, in a strange, yet delightful way.

"My…apologies, ma'am."

It was then she realized that she was bathed in nervous silence.

It was then Captain Jasper slowly grabbed the large thin cylinder in the middle of the room, and spoke some words to the girl.

She nodded, and Jasper stood, walking down to the table, while exchanging some loud words with others.

Within a few seconds, He returned with a few cups, with the girl pouring a brown hot liquid into them, as well as refilling her cup a bit, before gesturing to drink with a small smile.

Pina and Panache looked at each nervously, eyeing the strange dark liquid in front of them.

With a gulp, she immediately sipped, closing her eyes as the steam blew on her face.

And immediately coughed it out, standing up as she raised fury in her voice

"What is this- filth! Are you trying to poison her?"

She looked around, feeling the nervousness flatten the voices in the room, pressing her against all sodes quickly, as she wished for her swords.

It was then the man with the different colored eyes looked straight at her.

"Fleet sludge."

"Why does it taste filthy?"

"It's supposed to taste filthy." Torres mused, sipping, staring at it as if it were a broken machine. "Makes you awake for… long time." he explained, sputtering his garbage Saderan.

She then broke her posture, seeing the numerous eyes staring at her, as the held their own mugs steaming with that brown 'Fleet Sludge'.

It was then realization struck her point blank, as eyed her cup.

We're Special Forces. The best of the best.

She looked over to Isaac, who shook his head.

"We understand if-"

And immediately drank it, the bitter hot liquid burning her throat as it scalded down to her stomach. Her eyes teared up, as the uncomfortable taste of grounded dirt threatened to exit her body.

Yet, she continued, not letting a single drop slip through.

And as she finished her drink, she felt the elixr spreading all over her body, as she felt it increase her strength, her heairs raising the back of her skin, eyes scanning the entire table.

"More."

Torres smiled, raising his glass.

The relief thinned the tension out as the air began to lighten in the room, with the woman breaking out into smiles, before talking to Japser about something.

Torres grinned at Jasper, as they spoke amicably about something.

It was then Isaac nudged her, before staring at that black box.

"Milk." Isaac held a white something. "So drink taste good."

Pina put in the milk into the sludge, as the color of the liquid lightened, she drank it one more time, unlocking the quite tasty beverage, earning a bunch of cheers from the entire room. Pina quickly turned to Isaac for an explanation.

Isaac shook his head.

"You.. won them." Isaac then turned, exchanging a few words, before turning to the two.

"Oh, We'll play… poker." Isaac then began to gesture her to the rest of the table, who were looking at them expectantly.

Panache smirked.

Pina's heart staggered, as she glanced at her cards once more time.

She then tried to discreetly gazed at Isaac's cards, which earned her a smirk.

She snorted, feigning disgust.

But she quivered as she caught a glimpse of his better cards, that could easily force her to lose.

Yet she gazed into Isaac's eyes, and locked into his, as his tongue quivered.

Isaac closed his eyes, and folded.

"Wow." Jasper noted, eyes narrowing at his subordinate, before returning upwards.

"Congrats Princess!" Alice said.

She then saw the small pile of packets of what they called 'brownies' in front of her.

She eyed the small grey packets, and how inside was soft and spongy from her fingers pressing on it.

She looked around the table, seeing the expectant eyes around her.

She then opened one of the thin, shiny packets, seeing the brown, gooey thing inside.

She recognized it as some sort of bread, seeing the yeast creating holes in the bread.

It was similar to the Marpacifico's delicacies, that sweet substance named sugar, they called it. Her mind was refreshed as memories awash her from the last time she tasted it.

Until the room around them interrupted into shouts, blaring their ears forcing both of them to draw their swords.

Pina looked around wildly, seeing the rising masses speaking in excited tones, indicating a victory of some sort. She met some of their gazes, who gave her a wide smile that burned her off, causing her to turn to Isaac.

Isaac raised his eyebrow, before leaning in closer, his tone grey in seriousness.

"Oh, looks like they killed that Dragon of yours."

Pina and Panache looked up, movement freezing, as his words shocked their bodies into silence for a few seconds.

"What?" Pina asked, blinking.

Jasper peered into the screen in the middle of the room whistling out a low tume as if the destruction of such a large monster was merely trivial. Torres, meanwhile, had his face twisted in a storm of shock and pity.

"Yep. Jesus. They weren't screwing around. They used Warthogs. Two of them. We couldn't get them without clearance from the brass." Torres commented, gritting his teeth.

Everyone's ears perked up. Jasper chortled.

"It's a goddamn dragon. Brass would've used a nuke if the Svalbard treaty forbade their use here."

"But not for a Lanky nest." Torres began to shake his head.

Jasper closed his mouth, turning away to Panache, interpreting on what just happened.

Alice looked at the shuffling form of Torres as he left the room, before turning to Jasper.

Jasper merely shrugged, gesturing to her to do what she thought was best.

She nodded, before running off after him.

"Shush. News from home."

"-Geneva Conference to discuss the future of interstellar affairs. With so many broken colonies now rendered worthless from excessive Lanky terraforming, it is now a question of if, on how will Humanity as a whole will recover."

Then, the president immediately came on the screen, flanked by her staff and several high-ranking officers.

"We have won the war. Now we must win the peace. For our sake, and for our children's."

"Good speech." Jasper noted.

The image then showed the regurgitated footage of the Vinland Operation spat out and cleaned, as it only showed numerous ground-attack birds striking Lanky positions, and armor columns chasing after retreating lankies as they sprayed them with autocannon rounds.

Isaac merely sighed, drinking another cup of sludge, eyeing the numerous cards sprawled all over the table.

Guess it was his turn to pack up, agaon.

Panache was busy talking to Jasper about the Shirke footage, with Isaac rolling his eyes at Jasper's bullshiting his way through.

But a single nudge turned to his side, as he turned.

His heart bumped into panic as he saw the sweat pouring off her skin, grabbing every single breath with desperation and intensity.

Pina looked at him with wild manic eyes, scanning the room around her before she rushed outside, panting.

Isaac immediately catched up with her as she held her chest, gesturing the young private guarding to hold. He immediately wore his helmet on, turning on the auto translation.

He watched as she catches every breath that stood in abundance as if a woman starved, as between each breath, she coughed out every word.

"You… you did it. You killed the flame dragon."

Isaac blinked, before nodding.

"I suppose we did."

"I remember the stories." Pina continued, looking at the murals on the ceiling that were a tapestry of the history of species long gone. A legacy of the old count.

"The flame dragon destroyed nations in a single night, ravaged whole populations. And that a hero would rise up and defeat the dragon."

She paused, giving a bitter chuckle that spoke of longing.

"Many people had risen to the challenge, trying to give to the people that we can stave off oblivion."

Isaac smirked.

"We don't need hope, Pina."

"This is the North American Defense Corps. Hope comes to die here." Isaac mused, pointing to his SI patch."We don't need to wait for some hero. We do the job, and we do it well."

"But if you couldn't?"

Isaac gave a mere sad smile.

"Then people die."

Pina then eyed the badge, her eyes shifted to another.

A faded, blue color speaking in rich dark colors, with an arrow burrowing beneath a red circle. Engraved were the words 'VIRTUS IV', above a young bird holding on to a olive branch on a sandy red soil.

"What's that?"

He gazed at his chest armor, before giving a small hum.

"Family heirloom."

She eyed it for a few seconds, before it hit her.

"That's… Mars, isn't it? Your homeworld?"

His silence gave her the answer.

"Virtus. The God of Strength. Is this a military amulet? It's pretty small, and worn out. What's NASA?"

He shook his head.

"No, Virtus was the name of the expedition. NASA was the one who was in charge of the organization."

Isaac paused, before giving her a warm, sad smile.

"This belonged to my ancestor. He was the first man on Mars."

"Even as those two nations were embroiled in war. they stood together against all norms. Even against the harsh conditions of everything against them."

He then turned, watching as Pina looked him with rapt attention.

"Mars sounds like a lovely place to visit." She then looked up.

"It was…" Isaac's mind trailed off, fighting of the ghost of a long dried pool of water.

He turned, giving a small smile.

"But, we could save your world."

Pina beamed, unaware of his turmoil yet the radiance bouncing off her armor blinded him all the same.

"I'll be counting on that, Son of Mars."

Parna eyes tracked the numerous food as they plopped down on the shiny table.

Some of it was hard to understand, yet could barely grasp, such as the pile of greens, but others were alien to her, such as the brown meat dipped in aromatic juices that beckoned to her as it sjone against the harsh white light.

Yet it paled in comparison to the numerous eyes sticking on her back, from Elizabeth, as quietly looked on that 'datapad' of hers, with her occasionally looking at her.

She was in an expansive grey room, adorned with harsh, but bright white lights that shone underneath several tables that housed several tables, some of which were occupied by men and women wearing dark blue clothing that wasn't flattering to them at all.

Each bite pried open the chest hidden from her, the soothing sounds of home, the faint sound of her denmates as they basked themselves under that warm sun, all concentrated in that one bite.

Until that was gone, leaving her in that light grey room.

The entire thing felt surreal to her, with the floors, the table and even the people felt bare. They weren't poor, given the numerous dishes, but they didn't have any extravagance as well.

But she could feel, as she gleefully took every helping as if she was starving, the judging eyes from the humans. Eyes trained on her as if she were still a slave, as she felt her meal turning sour, each flavor now stinging her mouth with guilt.

"I don't deserve this."

She immediately ran off, leaving behind her half finished meal.

She could hear Elizabeth's calls as she got out of the large hall, into the narrow corridors as her feet echoed against the metallic floors, dodging past other men and women who gave her glimpses of surprise.

She continued on, letting her legs move for her as she turned each corner with no reason to her mind, only comprehending the massive labyrinth she was in.

Yet each small decision she took was pushed back the same grey walls that bit and eweed through her hope, threatening to hit her with the cold air of despair as the walls looked at her with solemn sadness.

She wanted out, she wanted to leave, back to the place she once called home.

Until a shout caused her eyes to focus in front of her.

There was a man in front of her, followed by another, barking strange orders towards her. They wore the same blue grey uniforms as the ones in the feast hall, yet they carried a strange set of armor that resembled tunics. And their hands carried white clubs that shrieked at her with sparks that a blacksmith could only produce.

And they pointed their sticks at her, Parna stiffened, feeling the hairs on her back stand up as she saw the glow of lighting on one end.

Parna's training kicked in, her burning desire to flee burning the dust off from her unsheathed skills.

As one of them moved a step closer, eyes staring down at her with grim conviction, ready in his resolve to eliminate her, before contorting in extreme pain as Parna could see the shock begin to set in as she held him close.

The other two immediately were paralyzed as Parna had suddenly incapacitated them, and as the two charged at her.

She immediately stabbed one of them, his body shaking uncontrollably up.

And pummelling him to the sole female, knocking her off her feet, sending them crashing below.

She watched as she stared at the men and women writhing in pain, their faces looking at her with a storm of fear, frustration, and pain.

"Don't move."

A gruff voice growled at her from behind.

Parna turned out around, body gnashing in pain yet her mind steeling herself to fight once more,

Until she caught that grey thing pointed at her, eyes drawing into that dark abyss that called to her.

She glazed over to the one holding the spout with, fear freezing her, as she watched the man holding the pistol looking at her with no words out of his mouth.

He was a balding man that had the youth dried up inside of him, but his eyes still stabbed her, prying her open as he tried to scan every detail in his face.

She stood there entranced. Her mind had evaporated, as this man was no other man she'd seen, his eyes were dark pools that sucked in her soul.

It only took the shock from that stick that she finally felt anything, feeling the ominous eyes ripped apart as she feel to the ground.

In another part of the BattleCarrier, four men stared at the monitor on the wall, eyes trained on seeing the bunny girl being strapped into a gurney, her limp, bruised form open to them all, yet garnered no reaction, as their eyes looked at her like a specimen.

"How are they doing?" Lopez asked, turning to Major Lindhall.

"Master-at-arms is angry we got 5 of his own in the medbay." He noted, eyes unbroken.

Captain Moreno whispered something into Lindhall's ear, which the man merely nodded.

But another man said nothing as he continued to stare at the subject like an insect, eyes tracking every breath she drew in, scanning her body.

Finally, he sighed, years of age pouring out of his body, as he looked away from the screen as the girl was sent to her room, cutting the feed short.

"You guys weren't shitting."

The Major nodded, finally turning to him.

"So, how's your first encounter with them?"

The man shook his head.

"No match for a SEAL platoon, but close enough. What's her Shrink records?"

The diplomat handed him a datapad, to which he held in hands, an as each second passed by, the silence in the room was quietly torn by the sound of cracking metal, which earned them all a bitter chuckle.

"Jesus Christ." He finally announced. "I thought the initial recon reports were bad enough, but…wow."

Lopez merely smiled, yet his smile was small as it was hollow, as his eyes burned with a different emotion. He turned to the man, looking at her expectantly.

"We could use her, Mark, w-"

"You dragged me out of Earth for this?"

Lopez smiled.

"We lack HUMINT assets below. The world is too chaotic. We're thinking of sending down the SEALs, but we need a guide, and a network. She's a former prostitute of a high ranking gangster. We could use that."

Mark's eyes narrowed at him. The two SEALs looked at him in strange awe, weapons undrawn.

"North America, The Sino-Russians, are at peace. The entire world is now united. No more back room deals, at least, not for now. No more of your war."

Lopez smiled.

"So, what, prey tell, is waiting for you back home? Some crummy PRC unit in the middle of a rat infested maze of PRCs?"

Mark merely grumbled, eyes boring down at the older diplomat with pure hatred.

Before he signed, closing his eyes. Nodding.

"They warned me about you."

Lopez nodded solemnly.

"I know, Mark. But it gets the job done."