…
…
…
Late in the afternoon, as the sun reflects and sparkles off of the waters of the Atlantean Ocean, a large, Elysian, two-engine flying boat soars through. An entourage of Elysian Navy Hellcat fighter planes flank and accompany it.
Sgt. Regis Altare looks out the window of the airplane's hold. The Hellcat pilots wave to him and give him sharp salutes. He returns the gesture and watches them fan out, continuing their mission.
Altare sinks into his seat beside Corporal Vesper Noir and heaves a sigh.
"Something on your mind, Leader?" Vesper asks him.
"Hmm… I'm just a little bit on edge. I'm not a fan of flying in airplanes - let alone seaplanes like this one." Altare admits to him.
Vesper pauses to ponder.
"If I recall correctly, wasn't your batch in the Military Academy vying for spots in the Airborne units?" Vesper tests, folding his arms, "Before they scrapped that and turned the Airborne units into standard Infantry at least."
Altare chuckles.
"I may have dreamed about it once, yeah." Altare rubs his wrists warily, "But the thing is, the last time I was on a plane, I was in handcuffs. Flown out in the dead of night."
"If I recall correctly, you were flown all the way to The Continent from Metro Elysium." Vesper tries to recall.
"Only to Shi'eoh Naval Station. I took a prison ship from there to the Continent." Altare explains, "It's left an impression on me, but I've never figured out why they put me on a plane and made me take two trips."
"Really? That's news to me." Vesper hums.
Vesper rubs his chin and ponders again.
"Ah, I may have an explanation. Or at the very least, a theory. The Lieutenant told me about this when she plucked me out of prison in the capital." Vesper crosses his legs, "I heard a lot of things while I was accompanying her."
"Oh? Do tell." Altare leans forward.
"You, and the other cadets who were expelled were apparently a handful for the Top Brass." Vesper answers. He traces his hand through the air and draws a circle, "Breaking up your trip would probably limit your exposure to the other troops. You, in particular, were tagged for 'sowing sympathy' for the Pavolians after all."
"They're human beings too. The Pavolians." Altare argues.
"I know. I agree with you, Leader." Vesper nods, "But in the eyes of hardline war hawks, that's anti-Elysian and treasonous. It's why I was imprisoned too. For having an alternate, humanitarian view on things."
While the two are speaking, 1st Lt. Ollie Kureiji approaches and sits across from them. Altare and Vesper rise up to acknowledge her, but Ollie shakes her head and urges them to stay seated.
"I couldn't help but listen in, boys." Ollie explains with a grin, "The exact words of then-Major Ravencroft was that, 'Cadet Regis Altare could have led a mutiny and taken the prison ship or a transport plane to a Pavolian port! Break up his trip!' It's what she said."
Altare recoils.
"Ravencroft… really thought I could do something that wild?" Altare asks with disbelief.
"Definitely an embellished story." Vesper adjusts his glasses and frowns, "Colonel Ravencroft and the late Brigadier Olivier were doing everything to expedite their anti-Pavolian sympathizer campaigns. Their wild stories are what broke the tie in Parliament when they were drafting their wartime policies."
Ollie folds her arms and nods.
"I agree with Corporal Noir. But that just makes things more complicated." Ollie heaves a sigh and clarifies, "Between the two of you and Colonel Ravencroft, that is. She's Lt. Col. Hakos' commanding officer now. That makes her your superior."
Altare and Vesper wear thinly-veiled frowns.
Ollie eyes the two of them and makes her plea.
"Gentlemen. We're taking this Catalina, ahead of the rest of our crews, to the North Beach and we're going to see Colonel Ravencroft in the flesh. I'm sure the two of you have… very strong opinions about her and what she's done, but I ask that you don't let that cloud your visions. Stay professional."
"Yes, ma'am." Altare and Vesper answer immediately.
Ollie smiles again. She produces a pair of training manuals and hands it to the two men.
"Good. So, until we get to the North Beach, I want you to read as much of this as you can with your crew. Think of this as your… in-flight entertainment."
Altare and Vesper turn to each other and then back to Ollie. Their curious gazes betray their thoughts.
"Just read it, and you'll understand." Ollie winks.
…
…
…
Meanwhile, at the shores of the North Beach, Colonel Nerissa Ravencroft and her adjutant, Major Shiori Novella, trod through the sand. Their combat boots dig deep into the ground, but their bootprints are dwarfed by the imprints of wheels and tank treads baked into the beach.
Shiori looks down and eyes the criss-crossing marks of vehicles slowly filling in with sand. Her eyes shimmer with admiration. Nerissa, on the other hand, doesn't regard the war-torn beach at all and. Instead, she looks into a hand-mirror and gussies up as she walks over the treadmarks.
"H-how do I look, Shiorin?" Nerissa asks, combing her jet black hair with her hands.
"We're on the frontlines, Risa. And they're soldiers. Professional soldiers. Ex-convicts led by a Pavolian defector, even. They're not going to care how you look." Shiori answers honestly.
Nerissa frowns at Shiori, but her adjutant doesn't budge. Shiori raises her brow at Nerissa, daring her to prove her wrong.
"I just wanted your opinion." Nerissa pouts, but her voice is softer than a flattened tire.
As she says this, however, Nerissa stumbles on a deep treadmark and tumbles towards the sea shore.
"ARGH!" Nerissa panics.
Shiori, however, rushes ahead of Nerissa and catches her in her arms.
"Honestly…" Shiori lectures her.
Nerissa's face flushes red. She closes her eyes and lets Shiori help her back up to her feet - hoping that no one saw her little mishap.
Unfortunately for her, a certain PBY Catalina lands belly-first on the waters of the shore and slows down nearby. First Lieutenant Ollie Kureiji, Sergeant Altare Regis and the rest of the Tempest crew are all looking out the window.
"Of all the people…" Nerissa wails.
She fixes her clothes and her hair again and stands in attention with Shiori at the shore. They watch the doors of the Catalina open and salute its passengers.
Ollie hops out of the aircraft first wades through ankle-high water. Altare, Vesper, Magni and Axel follow her. Together, all five of them salute and cross to the shore.
"At least they know how to walk without tripping." Shiori teases.
"Shut. Up." Nerissa hisses.
Shiori snickers, drawing a frown on Nerissa's lips. The Colonel heaves a sigh and turns back to the approaching soldiers.
For a brief moment, when her eyes meet with Altare's and Vesper's, she sees flashes of sharp glares. The two men quickly avert their gazes, however, leaving Nerissa wondering.
"What was that about?" Nerissa mutters.
Shiori's smile, meanwhile, wanes.
…
Nerissa and Shiori welcome Ollie and the Tempest boys at the seashore. She shakes hands and exchanges pleasantries with Ollie. All the while, Nerissa wears a practiced smile that wouldn't have been out of place in a political rally or an aristocratic high tea.
Altare and the boys just watch on in the sidelines. They stand in attention, waiting for the Colonel to come to them or try to shake their hands, but that time never comes.
"I'd rather not have to shake hands with that vile woman." Vesper hisses to Altare.
"Neither would I." Altare agrees, "If she's just as aristocratic as Olivier was, then she probably wouldn't even want to touch a common soldier's hand."
"Hrmph. Agreed." Vesper nods.
Magni tilts his head innocently and asks, "What did Ravencroft ever do to you guys."
Both Altare and Vesper glare at Magni. Axel pulls Magni away and shakes his head.
"I… wouldn't get into that, mate." Axel advises.
Magni raises up his hands.
"Alright, I won't pry." He surrenders.
Before Magni could say anything else, Nerissa begins to brag and give her account of the Battle of North Beach. She raises her voice so that even the Tempest crew could hear her spin her tale.
"Ohohoho! It was a hell of a battle, Lieutenant Kureiji, if I do say so myself! An absolute rout." Nerissa laughs haughtily, "Admiral Rexford's transports are armed to the teeth with machine guns and 20mm autocannons. They pounded the Pavie positions to dust well before the first Elysian boots set foot on the beach! Hah! And the Pavies could hardly answer back."
Every time Nerissa wholeheartedly says 'Pavie', Ollie shudders but she dares not complain.
Major Novella's brow twitches for a brief moment, but she renews her smile and chimes in immediately.
"Ahem. The Pavolian Stukas up in the air couldn't seem to make up their minds too." Shiori explains candidly, emphasizing 'Pavolian' to assure Ollie, "One moment, the Pavolians were trying to sink our escort ships. In the next, a large number of them broke off to go after the transports. They spread themselves thin and managed to do very little damage."
"Sounds like the Angkatan Udaran had conflicting orders in the skies." Ollie comments and turns away from Nerissa, "And it seems the Rexford Battlegroup won the battle for you."
Altare and Vesper quietly nod and agree.
'What the hell did Ravencroft bring to the table, then?' They both think.
"T-there was more to it than that!" Nerissa argues. She puts a hand on her hip and adds, "We still had Pavie MG nests scattered about. Stubborn Imperial Guard units stood and fought against us to the end. I landed my armored forces first and swept them from the field! We captured the trenches in… ah… how long did it take, Shiorin?"
"Thirty minutes, ma'am." Shiori answers, "We employed a textbook hammer-and-anvil assault with light and medium tanks."
Ollie and her crew look around them, measuring the distance from the shore to the trenches with their eyes. They look at all of the marks of tank treads crisscrossing the beach as well.
'That's a lot of ground to cover in thirty minutes ma'am…' Altare thinks, but he never gets the chance to speak.
Three unusual armored vehicles cross through the beach alongside them, moving with incredible speed. Colonel Ravencroft shields herself from the sand kicked up into the air, but Ollie, Shiori and the Tempest stand completely unfazed.
Nerissa coughs and dusts off her face before she beams proudly, pointing to the tanks.
"These, ladies and gentlemen, are the weapons that I brought to the table. Elysium's brand new M24 Chaffee light tanks."
Altare and the others regard the passing Chaffee tanks, observing them closely.
"Are you guys surprised?" Nerissa coaxes, nudging Ollie for a reaction, "They're like your old M3 Stuarts, but they're sleeker, have a smaller profile and pack a 75mm gun!"
"We knew about the Chaffees already, ma'am." Ollie answers coolly. She brings out a copy of the M24 training manual and shows it to Nerissa, "My crew and I have already been reading them. After all, I assume you want my PCAPs unit to man them."
Nerissa pauses. She covers her face and deflates like a balloon.
"Well, there goes the surprise." Nerissa pouts. She turns away, pats her cheeks and turns back with another practiced smile.
"Anyways, now that you've been acquainted with the tank, I'd like to invite Lt. Kureiji as my guest for afternoon tea!"
Altare's, Vesper's, Magni's and Axel's expressions all immediately sour.
"Hey Leader… we're not gonna be experts in that new tank just by watching them pass us by." Magni protests with a whisper, "That things' got a brand new engine. A new-series Twin-Cadillac too! I gotta get up close and personal with it to get the feel of them. You dig?"
"Yeah. And we didn't come here for some dumb, hifalutin' pinky-up tea party." Axel concurs, whispering as well. He glances at Vesper and adds, "Whaddya think, gramps?"
Vesper turns and looks like he wants to chime in, but he stays curiously silent.
So, Axel turns to Altare instead.
"Erm… what about you, Leader?"
"I'm not in the mood for a tea party either." Altare grumbles.
Suddenly, Colonel Ravencroft points to Ollie and adds, "Only Lieutenant Kureiji will have that honor, of course. Perhaps her adjutant, Corporal Regis too."
'She forgot that I got promoted to Sergeant…' Altare thinks, wincing.
Ollie heaves a sigh and then whispers to Altare.
'Play along, Sergeant.' Ollie urges, 'Corporal Noir and I have a plan.'
She passes Altare by and lays her hand on Vesper's shoulder saying, "Would you accompany me to partake of the Colonel's hospitality, Sergeant Regis?"
Altare blinks. Axel and Magni's jaws drop.
Vesper covers his face with his hand for a moment, hiding a piercingly sour expression. He takes a deep breath, adjusts his glasses and then speaks with a debonair, butler-like tone.
"Of course, Lieutenant Kureiji. I would be honored to dine with the esteemed Colonel."
Altare blinks again, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Vesper's debonair mask is ironclad.
Magni and Axel nod respectfuly to Vesper.
"Mate's taking one for the team. Kanata bless you, gramps." Axel muses.
Vesper smiles back and returns his staged gaze to Nerissa. The Colonel nods happily unaware of the ruse.
"Good, good! Please come with me then, Lt. Kureiji. Corporal Regis." Nerissa joins her hands together.
"He's a Sergeant, Colonel. Sergeant Altare Regis." Shiori corrects her.
"Right, right." Nerissa waves Shiori off and turns to the rest of Ollie's entourage, "Uhm… Major Novella can attend to the rest of you gentlemen. You folk can… do whatever enlisted folks do. Ta ta!"
Shiori's expression sours somewhat, but she maintains her smile.
"Gentlemen, if you would follow me." Shiori addresses them dutifully.
With that, Nerissa takes Ollie and 'Altare' with her to the command tent, leaving Shiori with the rest of the troupe.
Altare, Axel and Magni follow Shiori, but Altare walks beside her and whispers.
"You… do know that I'm the real Altare Regis, right?" Altare asks.
Shiori doesn't skip a beat.
"Of course I do, Sergeant Regis." Shiori gives him a sidelong glance as they walk, "Your reputation, and the reputation of the Tempest crew precedes you in the CONCOM ranks. It's why I'm absolutely confident that you and your PCAPs unit would thrive in our new light tank company."
"Then how come Colonel Ravencroft hardly seems to know what's going on?" Altare tests.
Shiori snorts.
"You do know I outrank you, right, Sergeant?" Shiori counters.
"And you seem to be someone who doesn't care much for rank either, Major." Altare answers.
"Touche." Shiori snickers, "You're absolutely right. I believe in meritocracy, believe it or not. Just like you."
"Do you? Working for someone like Ravencroft and all." Altare frowns, "You do know what she's done to me, right? What her policies have done."
"Leader…?" Magni asks him.
"Dez. Axel." Altare turns away from them, hiding his face, "Could the two of you leave me alone with the Major for a moment? Major Novella and I need to have a talk."
"Eh, but the field commanders are…" Axel starts.
"Just do it. Please." Altare snaps, his back still turned to the two.
Shiori turns to the two and wears a wistful expression but still speaks businesslike.
"I agree with Sergeant Regis. Please go on ahead of us. CONCOM's command post is at the heart of the Pavolian trenches we captured. My subordinates are prepared to receive you. The M24 Chaffee tanks are posted nearby too, so you can take a closer look at them. Sergeant Regis and I will join you shortly."
Axel and Magni turn to each other, unsure of what's going on. But they salute Altare and Shiori and carry on.
Once Axel and Magni get out of earshot, Altare turns to Shiori and waits for her to speak.
"I am aware of the policies that Colonel Ravencroft endorsed to Parliament. That's the Elysian Homefront Security Act, yes?" Shiori admits plainly, "I am also aware of how that act laid the groundwork for your expulsion from the Military Academy."
"And for sending my little sister to the war factories!" Altare snaps.
Shiori doesn't flinch. She simply nods to him.
"I sympathize with you, Sergeant Regis, but expecting an apology from the Colonel for the Act is foolhardy. She will not apologize. Not now. Not ever."
Altare furrows his brow.
"With all due respect, Major Novella, but I've put up with a lot in the past few years. Working under Ravencroft through my superiors? I can stomach that. But now that she's dragging me and my crew to this beachhead, eager to have a damn tea party instead of doing any actual work. I can only take so much, Major."
Shiori looks Altare in the eyes and answers honestly.
"Because Colonel Ravencroft probably doesn't even remember everything she did while she was lobbying for the war on Parliament Hill!"
Altare opens his mouth, but he holds his tongue for a while. He shakes his head and grumbles.
"Huh!? Her policies affected so many people - and she can just forget her crimes!?"
"Colonel Ravencroft simply did everything Brigadier Olivier told her to do. She asked no questions. She wanted to ride on the Brigadier's back up the ranks - to earn her pension without really 'earning' it. As a matter of fact, I'm the one who actually gets things done in CONCOM. She just signs off on my work and calls it a day. I had to coordinate with Lt. Kureiji for the switcheroo so we could actually get something meaningful done today."
"That doesn't make it any better." Altare growls, "That doesn't absolve her either."
"No, it does not." Shiori folds her arms and meets Altare's gaze, "She is a powerful woman who, as the commander of CONCOM, has a powerful signature - the most powerful on The Continent. But she did not earn her position like I or Prime Minister Ceres did. I agree with you there."
"Clearly!" Altare grumbles.
"But that doesn't mean she is incapable of doing good." Shiori adds, "Her signatures can make a difference. Maybe this war."
"I don't trust in Colonel Ravencroft to do something that grand." Altare snaps back.
"I'm not asking you to trust her - or to forgive her. I'm asking you to trust me." Shiori urges.
"You? Her adjutant?" Altare tests.
"You are Lt. Kureiji's adjutant, are you not?" Shiori counters, "Surely you don't agree with her 100% on everything, no?"
Altare exhales audibly.
"No. We agree on many things, but we're not always on the same page." Altare admits.
Shiori nods.
"So, please believe me when I say that Colonel Ravencroft listens to me. Olivier hung over her like an ominous cloud, but she's gone now. It falls to me to guide Colonel Ravencroft - and all of CONCOM - in the right direction. We wouldn't be talking here today if I had failed."
Altare takes a deep breath and shakes his head.
"I do remember Lt. Kureiji saying that she wasn't sure if Colonel Ravencroft would commit to the plan. But she suddenly gave her word. Out of the blue."
"I pulled every string of favors I had did everything I could to convince the Colonel." Shiori reveals, "I've exhausted my 'political capital' so to speak, so I will need the support of Lt. Col. Hakos, Lt. Kureiji and all of their BRIGCOM forces to see things through. That includes you, Sergeant Regis."
Altare turns away for a moment. He clenches his fists and grits his teeth.
"I know that. I know that, but… that's still a mighty big ask, Major. I suffered for years because of this. Kobo's suffering too."
"Sergeant Regis…"
Altare grasps at his tattered white scarf and groans.
"But if it helps me get back home to my sister, then I'll do it." Altare turns back to Shiori, "Those are my terms."
Shiori nods and offers her hand to Altare, "I will do my best to see it through."
Altare takes another deep breath and shakes Shiori's hand.
"Thank you, Sergeant Regis."
…
…
…
"So, Sergeant Regis, before we join your friends at the CONCOM HQ, there's something that I'd like your help with." Shiori reveals.
"If there's something I can do to help, I'd be happy to lend a hand." Altare replies courteously.
"Good to hear." Shiori heaves a sigh of relief, "You see, after the Battle of North Beach, our forces captured a peculiar prisoner: a Major Ina'nis Ninomae of the Pavolian Imperial Guard."
"That's an unusually high rank for a prisoner." Altare assesses.
"It is. Going by the After-Action Reports that Lt. Col. Hakos sent in, Pavolian forces tend to fight to the death or flee rather than surrender. Or commit suicide. Whichever comes first." Shiori rubs her chin, "It's why Colonel Ravencroft and the rest of the Brass were shocked by Moona Hoshinova's surrender."
"Honestly, we were surprised too." Altare replies, but his expression becomes grim, "I thought that peace was just around the corner, but then…"
Altare closes his eyes.
He remembers seeing Moona Hoshinova dying in the eyes of Ollie Kureiji. He hears Ollie's shrieking wails again for a brief moment and he shudders.
"I've heard of Hoshinova's plan. It's a shame that she couldn't carry it out." Shiori shakes her head, "But this prisoner of ours could be our second chance for a diplomatic solution."
"You think so?" Altare tilts his head.
"Ninomae says that she's willing to cooperate with us, but she hasn't revealed much. There seems to be more to her than what meets the eye. Or at the very least, she hails from one of the High Houses of Pavolia - one that the OSS says is very close to the ear of the Empress." Shiori explains.
"How close to the Empress could she be?" Altare tilts his head.
"It's hard to tell. She's keeping her cards close to her chest." Shiori shrugs, "But she seemed to react quite a bit when I mentioned Moona Hoshinova. I couldn't get anything else out of her after that."
Shiori turns to Altare and continues.
"You were directly involved in that incident with Moona Hoshinova. Perhaps you can get Major Ninomae to open up to us more. We might be able to sweeten her terms of surrender - or at least get us some more intel for the battle ahead."
Memories of the incident resurface in Altare's mind a second time. He shakes his head and faces Shiori squarely.
"Alright. I'll do what I can."
Shiori smiles.
"I like the initiative. I'll take you to her right now." She brings out a small case for glasses and shows it to Altare, "Let's help her see clearly, shall we?"
…
…
…
Shortly thereafter, in a small medical tent tucked away in the maze of former Pavolian trenches, Major Ina'nis Ninomae sits at the edge of her bed. She squints and sees the world warped in a faint but frustrating blur.
She rubs her wrists and feels the impressions of the ropes that bound her. However, her pistol holster is empty and she can see blurred silhouettes of Elysian sentries posted outside the tent.
"I'm still a prisoner, after all." Ina laments.
All of a sudden, the silhouettes of the Elysian sentries stand up in attention and seem to salute. Ina clears her throat and sits upright in anticipation.
True enough, the sentries part the tent flaps and let in another pair of figures. One of them has a familiar head of black-and-white hair. The second person, however, is someone she has never seen before.
"Good afternoon, Major Ninomae." The first, familiar person greets her, "I've brought your new pair of glasses for you. The quartermaster couldn't find the exact same grade, but it's close enough. Probably."
"Good afternoon as well, Major Novella. And thank you." Ina replies, squinting harder now at the second person, "This other person isn't Colonel Ravencroft, is it?"
"Nope. It's not my boss." Shiori confirms. She hands Ina the glasses case, "But he's someone that you might want to talk with."
Ina tilts her head curiously. She puts on the glasses and the blurry world around her sharpens. The image isn't perfect, but she is finally able to discern the face of the second guest.
"Altare Regis…!?" Ina gasps, blurting out his name.
"Yes, that's me." Altare confirms, "I'm surprised you know me."
"Grand Marshall Zeta Vestia published a list of high priority targets for the Pavolian Armed Forces, Sergeant Regis." Ina explains grimly, "You're Public Enemy Number Two, right behind Ollie Kureiji."
"I don't know if I should be proud or honored." Altare snickers.
"I wouldn't know either… having such a big target painted on your back." Ina shrugs and shrivels up and mutters beneath her breath, "But, knowing the Grand Marshall, I've probably earned myself a spot on that list."
Ina pauses for a moment and clears her throat.
"So, what is your business with me, Sergeant Regis?" Ina asks.
"Well, I was hoping that we might be able to cooperate more closely on your terms of surrender, Major Ninomae." Altare answers honestly, "I hear that you're willing to surrender, but you're withholding information from us. About the Pemaloe Detachment."
Ina purses her lips and lowers her head.
Altare folds his arms and presses the attack.
"If I didn't know any better, Major, then your offer to surrender might not be genuine. You could be biding your time and plotting against us. Are you waiting for your superior - Kaela Kovalskia - to break you free from here?"
At the mention of Kaela, her face quickly goes pale.
"T-that's not true." Ina protests, but she stops herself from saying anything else. She turns to Shiori and urges, "W-would it be possible if I spoke with Sergeant Regis alone?"
Shiori furrows her brow, but Ina lowers her head sheepishly.
"P-please, Major Novella."
Altare turns towards Shiori as well.
"I'll be fine, ma'am." Altare insists.
Shiori digs her hands into her trouser pockets and hums.
"I'll be outside if you need me."
Altare, meanwhile, pulls up a chair and sits across from Ina. Once Shiori steps outside the tent, Altare asks the prisoner.
"What's the matter, Major Ninomae? You said you wanted to surrender, but why are you so tight-lipped?"
Ina takes a deep breath and raises her head to face Altare again.
"Sergeant Regis, swear to me that you aren't an agent of Zeta Vestia."
Altare frowns immediately.
"I'd rather die than work for that maniac." Altare hisses.
Ina observes him closely, looking into his green eyes. After a short while, Ina heaves a sigh of relief.
"Such a swift reaction. You're not lying." Ina determines, "Humu humu. A minion of that wretched woman wouldn't be able to say that with a straight face."
Altare snorts.
"Are you willing to answer my question now? What's going on? What's with all the secrecy?"
"Zeta Vestia has many agents scattered throughout the world. Even some Elysians answer to her. I can't be too careful, even in your camp."
"Elysians… serving Zeta Vestia!?" Altare gasps.
"Does the name 'Mumei Nanashi' ring a bell for you?" Ina tests.
Altare frowns. He remembers the OSS agents Gawr and Watson mentioning that name many times.
"It does, unfortunately." Altare reveals, "An elite spy and saboteur under the codename 'Satwa'. Pavolian for 'animal'. I… just didn't know she was Elysian. An actual Elysian."
"Zeta Vestia operates on lies upon lies. Her loyal agents are just as warped and twisted as her." Ina folds her arms and adjusts her glasses, "What I'm about to tell you is something that could get me killed. So, I had to know if I can trust you."
"I'm no friend of Zeta Vestia." Altare declares, "I have some grievances against my country and some of the leaders above me, but I am loyal to Elysium - and I am fighting for my freedom to go home."
Ina falls silent. She feels Altare's gaze fixed squarely on her.
"Letnan Kaela Kovalskia, the right hand of Zeta Vestia, is dead." Ina reveals, "But this has been kept from the Grand Marshall, and from the Pavolian Armed Forces."
Altare's expression sharpens.
"When did this happen?" He asks.
"Only a few days ago." Ina admits, "At the same time, some Elysian agent also stole MERAK encryption machine gear wheels and an executive-grade cipher book."
"Ms. Melfissa…" Altare mutters.
He remembers the day that Anya Melfissa set out on her infiltration mission. She accomplished her mission and brought those items back to Elysian lines, but she never returned.
Ina watches him curiously, but Altare wears his poker face and stays quiet. So, Ina continues her tale.
"After Letnan Kovalskia died, a power struggle brewed up in the Pemaloe Detachment. I managed to position myself and my Imperial Guard officers to be the provisional administrators, but Agent Satwa - or Mumei Nanashi - holds true power. We have a truce in place. Satwa has promised to keep Kovalskia's death from the Grand Marshall and from the rest of the troops."
Altare folds his arms.
"Why are you keeping that a secret?" Altare thinks out loud, "You should assert your authority and tell the rest of the Detachment to stand down. You have the chance to save a lot of lives, Major Ninomae. Just like Kolonel Hoshinova did. Or rather tried to do."
"If I act carelessly, I'll end up just like Lady Hoshinova." Ina counters. She faces Altare and speaks candidly, "It is taboo to speak about this in Pavolian circles, but… Lady Hoshinova was murdered, wasn't she?"
Altare faces Ina sternly, holding his tongue.
"Please tell me, Sergeant Regis." Ina begs.
Altare closes his eyes and nods.
"In cold blood, yes." Altare reveals, "I watched her die in Lt. Ollie Kureiji's arms."
"Play your hand poorly and you'll bear witness to many more tragedies." Ina insists.
"But this can't last forever, Major." Altare counters firmly, "If Zeta Vestia's network is as strong as you say, she'll find out whether or not you take action."
"I… I know that, but…" Ina stammers.
"Then make her react to you - not the other way around!" Altare urges, "Act from a position of strength. Don't let her shadow frighten you away from doing what needs to be done."
Ina clutches at her chest. She feels the unsent letter in her coat pocket. Then, she sighs and speaks tentatively.
"... there is a way that I can get the Pemaloe Detachment to fold, but it will take more than a signature here at North Beach." Ina looks straight into Altare's eyes and offers, "I have to make the surrender broadcast from Kaela Kovalskia's camp… and I'll shatter this ruse with my own two hands. Can Elysium take me there?"
Altare smiles confidently.
"We'll make it happen."
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TEMPEST
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