The makeshift morgue consisted of a hospital, laboratory, and film studio equipment, arranged in an abandoned restaurant's refrigerator room. The conditions were not ideal, but considering their options it looked quite impressive. Doctor Julienne and Micheal went right into work, recording the whole process to later show in the Federacy. It was decided that the discovery would be concealed from the Republic, in fear of confiscating the bodies. Lena went outside, not to witness the dissection of corpses once again, as the sight made her nauseous. She felt someone trying to connect with her Para-RAID.
"Do you have a moment?" Shin's warm voice made her smile unconsciously.
"Sure, I just have finished what I had to do. How can I help you?" She thanked herself for pushing the work through the night, finishing most of the tasks before the schedule.
"We had the idea of organizing a small grill tonight, would it be okay to take some of the supplies? There is a functioning grill outside, so all we need is food. Of course, you're invited." Kurena and Anju were nagging him nonstop to get it done, so the boy finally called Lena.
"Sounds great! Taking a few sausages won't be a problem, I'll try to handle restocking at a local factory. The owner is a bit of a hag, but nothing I can't handle. I should have some soft drinks and alcohol in my basement, but it's too heavy for me to carry. Would you mind lending a hand?" Most of her house was in a deplorable state, but the cellar was preserved surprisingly well. Many of her mom's wine racks fell and broke, but most precious liquids were stored in secured chests individually. If she was to leave it all anyway, why not have a night of their lives?
"I'll be happy to help, but navigating the city is a little problematic. Can you take me there?" It wasn't exactly the truth, he knew he could tackle it with a trial-and-error, but he wanted the excuse to spend some time with her.
"I got an idea! Do you want an exclusive excursion throughLiberté et Égalité with the greatest tour guide ever? I want to show you some places, remember when you told me you lived in the First Sector? Well, I found your house!" Lena felt pumped up from excitement.
"….I don't particularly care about it. I have no memories of that place anyway. But a brief tour of where you lived sounds nice."He replied without much enthusiasm, but it didn't discourage Lena.
"We're settled then! I'll pick you up around the afternoon, sunsets near the Palace are breathtaking, I promise! In the meantime you guys can pick up the supplies, I'll notify them about the permission. Is there any Legion nearby? If it's clear, one morning of hangover won't hurt. Primevére wants to delay the departure by one more day anyway, so I suppose I might meet her halfway this time." She analyzed the logistics, as being the commander of an army took priority over fun. Lena knew this decision was a bit irresponsible, but she felt she owed the Eighty-Six a proper farewell.
"Nothing as of now. I'll call other Squadrons in the meantime, Raiden was adamant to make this celebration as boisterous as possible. By the way, Theo sends his thanks for the stuff you've sent him, it's pretty useful from what I can tell." He sighed, tired at the thought of a loud party raging all night, but a part of him was happy they made it. "Would getting fireworks be an overkill?"
"I was thinking the same thing!" Lena burst with laughter, imagining Yvonne's face seeing the Eighty-Six festivities. "Normally I would oppose it but… it's not like they can get any worse. Arguing that it would be insensitive towards the fallen, after all they had done to you, it doesn't hold up. You deserve to have at least one good memory from inside of Gran Mur."
"Then I guess I'll be waiting for you in our hut. Thank you for everything, Lena. I mean it."
The call ended, and Lena did her best to deal with her commander's duties. Yvonne tried to argue about rations, but with the reminder this would be the food for the refugees, she gave in. Sorting out the logistics wasn't easy, as most citizens refused to walk such distance on foot. She knew realistically the amount of people they could transport was limited, but it was the Republic's government matter to settle. Her job was securing the convoy's supplies and transporting the top secret documents hidden by them, without any of the Republic's officials noticing. Luckily Charlotte did her best despite the obstacles, making Lena's job much easier on that front. Hours had passed, and time to go for the meeting was quickly approaching. Lena spent half an hour digging through what was left of her closet, eventually finding a phthalo green halter dress, without any visible damage. She looked at the broken mirror, checking her appearance, and after putting up her hair, the girl was ready to go.
"Did you wait long?" She had asked from the barely running car, having many indentations after the invasion. It was small, with only two seats inside, but her other vehicles were too damaged or missing to use.
"Not at all. What is this thing?" Shin asked with a curious gaze, astonished by the pea-like automobile. Its light green color didn't help with fighting the associations, making him wonder if it was able to fit two people in.
"I know Mr. Snail might not look impressive, but he's the only one still running. In that sense, I would say he's persisting like a tank!" The boy couldn't suppress the chuckle at the ridiculous name given to the vehicle. He had no doubt it was linked to its speed capabilities, presenting like a clown car compared to the Reginleifs.
"Okay, okay, I got it. Mr. Snail will take us safely where we need to go." He laughed even harder after sitting in the passenger seat, observing Lena's questionable driving skills. "You would've been a terrible Processor."
"Shut up, it's not easy with half his gears not working. But it's true I have no talent for Juggernauts, Shiden once let me try piloting, and the biggest danger was myself." She blushed at the memory of the total failure.
"It had to be a glorious sight. I might wanna see it one day." Good mood lasted the whole journey, with Lena presenting the important spots or where something used to be. When they arrived, it wasn't the Milizé mansion they were standing before. The familiar door of Annette's villa was no longer there, but the chunk of the building remained.
"Your house is the one on the right. Don't you want to go inside for a bit? As far as I know, no one lived here since you had left. Maybe you'll find some memorabilia or old photos?" She knew it was pushy of her to take him here without his consent, but this opportunity would never come back.
"I'm not sure. I don't remember my parents' faces, even less so this building. Ironically, I see it had averted any major strikes. The part of me feels better not remembering, but I think Rei would want me to go in. Maybe there will be some photos of him…" He felt conflicted, as there was no sentiment awakened in him. It was an unfamiliar place, long lost during his time on the battlefield.
"I won't force you. If you prefer, you can stay in the car. I promised Annette I'll grab some stuff she had left from her house, but it won't take long. I'll be back fifteen minutes tops." Lena smiled sorrowfully, knowing it was the Republic's fault Shin's house was unrecognized by him. The lives it had taken and destroyed were countless, and no effort of hers could make up for it. She headed to her friend's mansion, leaving the young man on his own.
Shin waited for a few minutes staring blankly at the structure, but his brother's voice told him in his head to enter. In contrast to his expectations, there was a faint familiarity while looking at the living room. The house was left in a hurry, with clutter everywhere, as if someone had searched for something desperately. He couldn't remember any specific memory, but he instinctively knew, his room was upstairs. Step after step he climbed on decaying wooden stairs, reaching the upper floor. In the middle of the hallway laid a broken frame, originally hanging on the wall. When he crouched and cleared away all the glass, Shin picked up an old photograph. A man was standing in a lab coat, hugging a fair woman with locks of hair gently falling on his shoulder. Before them, two boys did a stunt, with a smaller child piggyback riding on the red-haired one. He didn't know when he started crying. Seeing his brother's smiling face for the first time in ages gave him a sense of relief and longing he couldn't comprehend. His parents' faces, long forgotten, were now newly enshrined in his mind. Shin carefully folded the photograph, putting it in his jacket's pocket. After calming down, he explored the other rooms, engraving every detail in the memory. If he couldn't remember, there was a way to memorize it anew. When he felt he had seen enough, the boy slowly exited his former home. Shin said goodbye in his thoughts, knowing he'd never come back. He expected Lena to wait for him in the car, but it was empty. Fifteen minutes were long gone, making the worry creep in. Suddenly, his sharp hearing picked up some noises coming out of the neighboring house. They were unmistakable sounds of struggle.
July 30th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)
26 days until the Legion's Large-Scale Offensive
The aftermath of the scandal was as spectacular as the trial itself when the high-ranking families cut off the Pivots to avoid public backlash. Fundamentally nothing had changed, but every politician tried to fend off any accusations connected to the case, expelling people on Pivots' payroll for show. Lena enjoyed increased independence, with the government trying to compensate for the harsh treatment of the esteemed family heiress. The charges against her were dropped as a consequence of the publication of the papers. The officials knew some of them might have a grain of truth, but the political consequences of pressing the matter further were too hazardous. She received a formal apology, with reinstatement in the military. Some people kept seeing a race traitor in her, but Lena paid no mind to those fools.
"I'm back." The girl said to herself, entering the headquarters. The constant stares were nothing new to her, at least now the officers were less willing to outright harass her. She passed the familiar hallways, missed during her stay in prison.
"Captain, glad to see you here!" A broad-shouldered man in a barely fitting uniform waived at her. Walter wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but his kind heart made him empathetic to the Processors after beginning his work as a Handler. When he heard about Bloody Regina's campaign for better treatment of the Eighty-Six and preparing against the large offensive, he stepped out of his comfort zone and decided to support her. He got his best friend involved, and despite Belgrade's less generous views, the man knew something was coming, and better to be prepared.
"I'm also glad. I want to thank you, jeopardizing your only family must have been a tough decision. We avoided a major setback, now we can focus on preparing the inside of Gran Mur." She thanked him once again and moved to her Handler room. So many memories were made here. Sitting in the well-known chair made her focus since there was no telling how long this luxury would last. She didn't know how much time they had left. Days? Weeks? Months? Or maybe time was to be counted in inexorable hours. Tightness in her chest reminded her of this anxiety, a phantom axe dangling over the Republic. It would've been better if the date was set. With the doom's clock showing hours left they wouldn't have to sleep every night, thinking if this was their last. Lena shook her head, doing her best to repel the taunting thoughts. She had won a battle, now was the moment to prepare for a war.
"Bloody Reina to Brísingamen Squadron. A lot has happened, but we now return to the anti-Legion arrangements. I do not know the current situation at the front, can you bring me up to date?" Lena submerged into the Handler mindset.
"YOUR MAJESTY! YOU'RE BACK!" Shiden's excited voice resounded loudly in her mind.
"We've heard you won, Queen, Second Lieutenant Lombardy tried to keep us up to date. Shiden was biting her nails every day waiting for any news about your trial." Shana, the vice-captain of the Squadron casually remarked.
"I WAS SHITTING MY PANTS, OKAY? Those white pigs squeaked more bullshit than we were prepared for, to throw Alba into our junkyard? At this pace when we'll kick the bucket they'll just put here fresh white goods. Damn, I thought those assholes at least loved their whiteness so much they would rather die than condemn it…" Cyclops ranted, letting out the pent-up stress. She felt extremely relieved to hear Lena's voice again, after weeks spent agonizing over her fate. Powerlessness over her own life was something she was used to, but worrying over a person dear to her tormented her in a completely new way. Shiden knew Lena didn't feel the same, but that didn't stop her from wanting the best for her Queen. If the Republic was so stupid as to execute the purest soul of all, she thought she would let it rot despite Lena's wishes.
"What that idiot wanted to say is, we all were worried. Legion deployed fewer attacks than usual, suggesting they are preparing for a large-scale offensive soon. We treat current assaults as their reconnaissance." Melusine explained calmly, to make up for her superior's state.
"There is not much time left then. The 'safeguards' on the entryway are ready, alongside most of the warehouses inside. Annette and Charlotte did a phenomenal job organizing everything. The biggest issue is ammunition, as the Pivots have vanished into the thin air. I have no idea who'll take over the factories, but the truth is, we'll have to take it by force. If we run out of fuel the game is over, so protecting the refinery and the power plant should be our priority. Civilians will have to fend for themselves, there are no forces to spare." Captain Milizé said coldly, assessing their situation. The engagement fiasco was supposed to cover that part but ultimately put at risk the whole operation. Lena was glad this chapter of her life was behind her, and now she could concentrate on what was essential.
"When those fuckers will raid us, they'll be in for a ride. Blowin' up some shit sits right in my alley." Cyclops found satisfaction in the planned detonation of the parts of the Republic's infrastructure.
"There is not much waiting for us here anyway." Shana shrugged embracing the vibe. They were probably going straight into their demise, but there was no reason to mop around. Every battle could have been their last, death was their companion, always lurking from the shadows. This time, they had the fireworks to lighten it up with a bang.
