It didn't matter if you were a newly founded mercenary unit, Erebonia's 4th Armored Division, or any group in between, the true strength of any armed group was in its logistical capabilities. That was something Fie understood very well from her days with Zephyr, so the news that Friday's classes were shortened so the students could assist in the packing and transportation of goods they would need for the trip wasn't at all a surprise for her. Lugging around heavy boxes of supplies wasn't her idea of a good time, but it was a necessary evil so she carried it out with few complaints.
At least there was some entertainment to be had in watching some of the other students who had never done something like this before struggling with the menial task.
Once everything was delivered to the academy's station they were afforded a short break. Fie almost laughed at the relief the others displayed – didn't they realize they still needed to load all the stuff onto their ride once it arrived? It would be funny once reality arrives in the form of the armored train they were supposedly waiting for.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy at seeing the students in charge of piloting the soldats arrive. How did they get such a cushy job? Still, just how big of a train were they riding if it could pack a bunch of soldats alongside them?
Not to mention the Divine Knight that Rean soon arrived in. She wasn't sure if it really was as cool as the stories she had been told about them made them out to be, but it didn't take a genius to see just how much better it was compared to the mass produced soldats. It was like a giant human walking among them and not a simple vehicle of war.
The fact they were bringing along a machine that only their instructor could pilot wasn't lost on her. A bit of an odd decision for what they claimed was a simple field exercise.
Jealousy and awe over the metal behemoths were put on hold when the train truly did arrive. The Derfflinger, according to the briefing she had been forced to sit through. One of Erebonia's most modern armored trains, created specifically for their use. And certainly more than big enough for them and all their stuff.
She was no train junkie like that one Class IX guy who was beside himself with excitement, but even she could tell that this was one hell of a train.
When the locomotive opened up a bunch of crew departed, presumably to assist in the final transfer to the Branch Campus, but nobody was looking at them. Instead it seemed like most of the other students were gawking at the hot RMP officer who departed alongside them. There was an opportunity here to avoid manual labor.
Springing into action the petite girl made her way over to where the soldats were. "Need any help?"
Somehow she had found herself in the advantageous position of being in the same club as the girl responsible for most mechanical issues and the student of the only teacher on this side of the room. "Aww. Thanks, Fie. Can you start moving some of the Drakkhen's into the train?" While Tita looked quite grateful for her offer of help Rean merely shook his head with an amused smile on his face. The guy probably understood her true intentions, but as long as he kept his big mouth shut she was willing to ignore him.
With careful precision the girl maneuvered the machine into the designated bay on the train. It wasn't as if she needed to take it that slow, but the longer she took meant the less boxes for her to lug on board after. Work smarter not harder as Xeno always used to say.
The former jaeger didn't immediately exit the machine once finished, instead opting to glance around the cockpit for a moment. She hadn't really noticed it at the time due to the adrenaline of piloting a soldat, but this area wasn't too bad. It was a bit of a tight fit and the chair wasn't the most comfy thing ever, but if she took a nap inside one of these things nobody would ever find her. Sneaking in wouldn't be the hardest thing either as usually only Tita was around...
Something to consider for another day.
Thinking about a nap caused her to yawn, but she quickly freed herself from that train of thought. Falling asleep right now while everyone knew she was there would definitely end poorly for her. Reluctantly she exited the machine, albeit at an exceptionally slow pace.
Rean – who had somehow already gotten his Divine Knight onto the train – was there to greet her upon finishing, and together they waited for Leonora and the tiny Class IX boy to finish with their respective machines. After that came the inevitable ordering of them to assist with the final bits of loading, something which caused her to sigh tiredly, but comply with regardless. As she walked away she noticed the RMP officer approaching her teacher. For a brief second their eyes met and Fie couldn't help but feel as if she was under intense scrutiny from the blue-haired woman. It was an unsettling feeling.
Sharp eyes glanced around the dock before settling upon a somewhat funny but also kinda dangerous sight: Towa carefully balancing two heavy boxes as she slowly approached the lead car. Knowing what she did of the older girl she was probably trying to set a good example for her students by working super hard. Unfortunately she was also way too tiny for such a task and the top box was wobbling dangerously.
With a sigh she lived up to the reputation she earned as Sylphid as she crossed the room and deftly snatched the top crate out of Towa's hand. "Eep! Fie! Don't do that! You startled me!"
She felt no remorse. "Next time don't overburden yourself like that."
"Ahaha..." Towa colored in embarrassment. It was pretty adorable. "They didn't seem quite so big when I was grabbing them."
Since Fie had no idea where the box needed to go she contented herself with walking alongside the other girl. "So!" Towa chirped as they approached the train. "We haven't had much chance to speak since the year started. How has your first month been?"
"Fine, I guess." Was the neutral answer she quickly gave. After speaking she actually took the time to think about the question, but her answer remained the same. These first few weeks weren't anything like she had expected, but neither was it an awful time. It was... fine.
The teacher let out a soft giggle. "I'm glad to hear it. Truth be told I was worried you would have difficulty settling it, but it seems those fears were unfounded."
"Huh?" Sure things had been fine, but she didn't believe she had been settling in all that well. Especially not to the level needed for an outside to call her out about it.
"Well, both Tita and Sandy have been saying good things about you ever since you joined their club, and Instructor Rean was praising your work ethic during the last faculty meeting. Oh! And Instructor Randolph seems to have high expectations of you too!"
The news that others had been talking about her out of earshot was somewhat unsettling. It was also a little embarrassing. Fie couldn't help but look away from the earnest instructor. "I'm just doing what I was told." She mumbled out awkwardly.
"Maybe so, but that doesn't change the fact that others have taken note of the good work you've been doing. But I'm sure this can all be overwhelming to you, so if you ever need any help I would be glad to help!"
"...I thought Rean was in charge of that?"
Towa let out a giggle even as she placed the box in its proper position, prompting Fie to do the same. "Maybe so, but I still want to help. Have to admit I'm a little jealous that you've gotten so friendly with the other instructors. Plus, us girls gotta stick together, right?" She finished with a cheeky wink.
Friendly? One was a loose acquaintance at best and the other was a complete busybody who constantly forced himself into her life. "I guess so?" Still, best to just give a standard answer instead of arguing the point, especially as it caused the little teacher to beam happily.
"Great!" A glance around after exiting the train revealed that the last few items were being brought onto the train and that there was no work left. "Principal Le Guin will be holding a final meeting in a few minutes, so make sure you attend that." With that final declaration the instructor scurried off towards a large group consisting of Juna, Rean, Randy, and that RMP Major. Not a place Fie wanted to be.
As much as Fie wanted to just go inside the train and relax until it was time to go she was not suicidal enough to risk the ire of Aurelia. Instead she did her best to keep out of sight until the meeting time, lest she get dragged into any more tiring conversations.
Eventually the intimidating woman arrived and after a surprisingly short and tame speech the students were ordered on board the train. Most of the others began touring the train, but she had already gotten a good grasp of it thanks to her earlier work. The train had six cars and the final two were reserved for the soldats and other equipment. With the front car being for the engines and command, that just left the middle three to investigate. The second car proved to just be a staff room so she immediately discarded it from her mind, especially when the teachers announced they were holding a staff meeting.
The third and fourth cars were of greater interest, with the latter proving to be filled with rooms for the students. Of course she was once again stuck with Altina and Juna, but this time in a tightly cramped room with bunk beds. Joy. The third car was a lounge with plenty of room for the students to relaxed and an entire kitchen to provide meals.
And of course behind the counter was... "Sandy."
"Hi, Fie! What do you think?" The cheerful girl gestured to the station around her.
As her eyes roamed over the entirety of the kitchen space, only one word came to mind. "...Tiny."
"Ahaha... yeah." Her club mate rubbed the back of her head nervously. "It might not look like much, but it's well organized and stocked, at least?"
That reminded her of their earlier conversation. "You were gonna take inventory of everything back there, right?"
"Yup! I'll try and squeeze it in tonight, but Instructor Towa wants me to focus on serving snacks and drinks to anyone." Her eyes widened in realization and Fie winced, already knowing what was coming. "Do you think you could give me a hand? It'll surely go a lot quicker with both of us."
"Kay." Her answer surprised even herself, but in hindsight it made sense. As much as she would have loved to go to her room and sleep there was too much excitement and noise going on. Something that was destined to grow once the teachers finished their little meeting and began passing along info.
Thus instead of sleep she soon found herself behind the counter trying to parse what was in each and every can tucked away in all the storage places while the other girl multi-tasked by jotting down her findings while manning the counter to serve the other students. Thankfully, as Sandy had said, it was all very well organized and they were able to progress quickly.
While Fie would readily admit she had no real kitchen experience, years spent in Zephyr gave her something of an understanding of how most military units operated their supplies, and this RMP-controlled train was no exception. Lots of cans. Lots of non-perishables. Things that were easy to transport and slow to spoil. She half expected to find a box with nothing but field rations at some point.
All very practical, but not very exciting, especially after the past month spent acquainting herself with normal civilian fare.
"Aww..." Something which the other girl took glumly. "I knew it would be like this, but it's still kinda depressing. Hard to make anything tasty without the right ingredients!" She turned to the former jaeger with a hopeful look. "Has Instructor Rean said what you'll be doing yet?"
"Nope. Kinda annoying."
"Huh?!" Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a loud pink-haired girl. "Fie? What are you doing back there?"
Said girl stared back dryly. "I'm a part of the Cooking club, remember?"
"I know that! It's just... I didn't think you would actually do anything."
That was definitely an insult, even if Juna simply blurted it out without thinking. Still, Fie couldn't help but find herself silently agreeing with the Crossbellian. It surprised even her that she was getting involved with weird things like this. Thus she merely replied with a disinterested shrug.
"Fie's great!" Sadly for her Sandy was interested in coming to her defense. "She's really helpful and nice!"
Said girl shared a look of bemusement with Juna. Helpful and nice? That definitely wasn't how she would describe herself.
"Of course she is!" Juna agreed with a forced smile, almost certainly saying that simply to avoid conflict. "I just wasn't expecting her to... yeah." The girl trailed off lamely. "I'm just gonna go sit over there and play some Vantage Masters."
The girl's retreat was kinda funny. Was she seriously planning on playing the card game by herself? Hilarious if true.
Thoughts about her pink classmate were put on hold when the door to the second car opened and in walked Randy and Rean. While the former simply gave a short wave before departing into the other cars, the latter began to approach the counter. "I see you two are hard at work. Good job. Can I get a juice, please?"
"Of course, instructor!" Sandy began to hum a cheerful little tune as she went to prepare the order, leaving Fie alone with the swordsman, something which she assumed was intentional on his part.
She fixed him with a flat stare. "You know what we're doing yet?"
She realized she was starting to get used to his awkward laugh, but that didn't make her feel any better about what it meant. "We all will soon enough." He rushed to reassure. "Instructor Michael will brief all of Class VII on our mission first thing in the morning. Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight, although I guess that's not much of an issue for you, is it?"
"Nope." Sleeping was something she was quite skilled at. Still, having to do it because of an early meeting? And with that pain in the ass RMP officer to boot?
Blech. Not looking forward to that at all.
That was when Sandy returned with his order. The young teacher took his time in savoring the drink, but was thirsty enough that it still didn't last long. "That was great, Sandy!"
"Hehe. Thanks, Instructor Rean! Hopefully I'll be able to get some better ingredient soon so I can treat you to a real Alster specialty next time."
"Ooh. That sounds good. It's been so long..." He seemed nostalgic. Was there a story there? Maybe she would ask Sandy about it later. The Ashen Chevalier was quick to pull himself from his reverie. "I don't suppose either of you know where Altina and Kurt are?" Two identical shakes of the head greeted him. "Alright. Don't stay up too late."
It made sense he didn't ask about the fourth member of Class VII considering she was sitting in plain view, and that was where he went next. Out of the corner of her eye Fie observed as he chatted briefly with the girl, presumably telling her the same things. That changed when he sat down opposite her... and pulled out a Vantage Masters deck of his own.
She couldn't help but blink. Seriously? Was everyone playing the stupid game? Maybe she had been hasty when she ignored Juna's earlier offer...
The feeling of eyes gazing upon her drew her attention away from the card game. The owner of said eyes was that blonde guy who swaggered around everywhere. Ash, if she recalled correctly from training.
The wannabe punk was glaring at her from a nearby seat. If he was trying to be intimidating it failed miserably, and Fie made it known by letting out a very loud and obnoxious yawn, causing him to glare ever more intensely.
"U-Um..." Sandy must have noticed the one-way tension in the air. "D-Do you guys know each other?"
Fie shrugged, not wanting to make a scene, especially as her club mate seemed intimidated by the guy for some reason. "Not really. Didn't even know his name until Rean kicked his ass during soldat practice." ...Not wanting to make a scene did not preclude her from taking that parting shot, of course.
"Still did a lot better than what you did." The guy growled out. "Was expecting better from someone like you."
His shot actually hit home, but Fie knew the most important part of battle was to not show weakness. So outside of a minute twitch of the eye her expression remained unchanged. "Maybe. Hard to tell. I don't usually cheat." She tilted her head thoughtfully before amending her statement. "At least not in training fights."
"Heh. Maybe we'll have to find out some time." With that he got up and walked off, but not before giving her a tiny smirk.
That was weird. She had initially dismissed the guy as just another dumb punk, but for some reason that felt wrong to her. He kinda reminded her of a few jaegers she used to know. The kind who hid actual intelligence under a lot of bravado.
The guy was probably still just a dumb bully, but now she wasn't entirely certain of it. Best to be wary of him.
A loud cry of dismay drew all attention in the car and Fie was no exception. The owner of said cry was Juna, who had slumped onto the table lifelessly. Opposite her Rean looked sympathetic as he collected his cards and departed, but as he passed the sharp-eyed jaeger noticed the tiniest of smirks on his face. Didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
Feeling a surprising amount of sympathy towards the vanquished, Fie asked Sandy for a fruit juice. The pigtailed girl must have understood her plans as she smiled and quickly complied. Drink in hand the silver-haired girl approached her classmate who was still lying on the table dead to the world.
Juna didn't look up from her depression until Fie plopped the drink right in front of her. "Huh?" With confusion on her face she glanced between the drink and the girl. "F-Fie?"
"You looked like you needed this." Now that she fully comprehended what she was doing Fie found it hard to look at the other girl. Where had this uncharacteristic act of kindness come from?
"H-Huh?" A wide-eyed Juna only made the awkwardness worse. "T-Thanks..."
Awkwardness aside, watching the pink-haired girl chug down the entire glass without pause was pretty funny. "That bad, huh?"
"It doesn't make any sense!" Juna wailed. "He was using a beginner deck and he still beat me three times in a row! They weren't even close games! My card!"
Personally, Fie found the entire situation to be quite numerous, but something told her that laughing at the dejected girl would end poorly for everyone. Better not completely ruin what little team dynamic currently existed. "It's late. Wanna head to our room?" A wordless nod was her only reply.
After biding farewell to Sandy, Fie and the despondent Juna made the short trek into the next car where there room was. It was empty, but shortly after arrival the door opened once again and a troubled looking Altina entered. Whatever the problem was went unresolved as the girl had no intention of speaking, Fie had no intention of prying, and Juna was too busy yelling incoherently into her pillow.
Instead the three quietly got ready for bed. Bunk beds were a new concept to the former jaeger, but she had slept in trees and other weird places before so this was nothing to her. Instead she simply closed her eyes and allowed the sounds of the train lull her into rest.
A gruff man observed from his position atop a distant cliff as the train passed beneath him. It was certainly one of the faster trains he had witnessed, but neither the speed nor the darkness of night was able to keep his gaze away from the armored locomotive. Beside him two other men did the same.
His eyes were drawn to the windows of each car. Inside he could make out the sleeping forms of the many students and staff. Had he wanted to he could have easily counted them.
It was something any jaeger worth the mira could do, after all.
Sharp eyes honed in on one particular window He couldn't prevent the corners of his lips from curling upwards as he gazed upon one sleeping girl in particular. Despite everything that had happened she looked well, even if he understood that many scars lay deep inside a person.
Beside him one of the men let out a pained sigh. "Sorry, Boss. We really screwed the pooch on that one."
"We underestimated her pain." The other agreed with a deep voice.
"No biggy." He replied with an easy shrug. "We've been in this business long enough to know that some plans are destined to go wrong. It's been far too long since any of us geezers were kids. Couldn't have known she would act like that."
The man paused to light up a cigar as he watched the armored train pass off out of view. Beside him the taller of his comrades ran a hand through his hair. "You sure this is alright? That Ashen kid is gonna be your enemy in a few months, after all..."
He let out a barking laugh. "You worry too much, Xeno! The Gnome said we have at least half a year for the Rivalries to begin! Until that happens he isn't my enemy. I got no problems with Fie being with her new crew. Beats the hell out of her wandering around on her own. When the time comes I'll give her the choice."
"...And if she chooses to oppose you?"
He paused to take a long drag from his smoke. "If she does that then I'll respect the hell out of her choice, but we're jaegers. You both know what that means."
The man couldn't help but glance skyward. "...I would have preferred to stay in Gehenna, but the Goddess has decided to bring me back for a second round. I was promised the brawl to end all brawls at the end of the world and nobody is gonna stop me from getting it. "Not the Snakes. Not the Gnomes. Not the government..."
"...And not Fie either."
Leonidas let out a hum. "Does the mission remain the same?"
"Yup. Seems like a lot of the players are gathering around these parts. We're gonna be doing a little recon. For now I want you two to keep an eye on Lil' Miss Ogre and her Snake pals as they conduct their little experiments. You're not here to start a fight, but you know how it goes."
"Notice you didn't include yourself in there, Boss. What's up?"
For a second the man didn't answer, instead appreciating the flavored smoke in his mouth. "I remember when you guys used to follow my orders without question. No respect these days..." His grumbling was playful and all three of them knew it. "Me? I'm gonna be doing a little recon of my own." He shifted his gaze down the tracks in the direction the train had gone.
"I thought you had no problems with Fie being with a new group?"
"Sure, but I'm still curious about it. All I know about the Chevalier guy is the stuff you and the others have said. Want to see what kind of ship he is running for myself. Make sure the guy is good for her and all."
Neither jaeger said anything immediately, but he could see the mirth in their eyes plain as day. "And what if you don't like what you see?"
He let out a snort. "Then it's obvious. We change the mission. I know Fie's a big girl and can take care of herself, but if they're tormenting her..."
Rutger Claussell pulled the cigar out of his mouth before stomping on it hard. "...Then our job is to utterly annihilate them. Nobody hurts our little princess and gets away with it.
Fie yawned tiredly as she stepped out into the warm Sutherland morning air. The absolute worst part about this whole trip? Having to be up and ready by the time the train pulled into the camp site. She was still a few hours short on rest and there was a sinking suspicion in her mind that chances for naps would be few and far between these next couple days.
Privately she envied the others. They must have been just as tired as her, but their enthusiasm for this exercise was enough to motivate them awake. Not even the unenviable and quite imminent task of unloading the train and setting up their campsite seemed to deflate them any.
Soon enough the train slowed before coming to a complete halt. She and the other students all departed to discover that they had parked in a little clearing just off one of the region's major highways. Logistically it was a sound location, but it left them kinda open to attacks from the higher elevation around them.
Even though there was less stuff to unload overall the task took a long time because they also had to assemble the camp. She did what needed to be done, but ninety minutes later when everything was finally finished she was fully prepared to sneak back into the train and curl up for a nice relaxing nap-
So when that jerk Rean approached to inform her that it was time for Class VII's mandatory briefing she considered the merits of shooting her teacher in the back.
With great reluctance she accepted her fate as she dragged her feet towards the front car where the meeting was to be held. The seat was uncomfortable and the table hard, but as she was the first one there it was time to take advantage of that. Resting her head on the hard metal she closed her eyes and-
"Claussell!" ...Was rudely interrupted. Glancing up she found herself staring into the irritated eyes of Major Michael. Also present was the other RMP officer – she at least seemed somewhat amused. Her Class was all there too, looking somewhat torn between amusement and sympathy. Except Kurt, of course. The guy refused to look in her direction. Just how much time had passed...?
Two minutes. Dammit.
Since this was not the kind of battle Fie could win she reluctantly sat back up and listened to Michael drone on and on about Class VII's mission. Scout the area. Perform specific tasks for people. Visit the noble in charge of the area. Pretty much all the junk she had already assumed. There really was no need for her to be awake through all this...
The only thing of note happened after they left the train. The other RMP officer – who finally introduced herself to Class VII as Major Claire Rieveldt – would be accompanying them into the city itself. Although Fie had never met the woman before in her life, she had a distinct suspicion that she had heard the name before. That plus her position all but assured that she was a person to be wary of, even if she seemed quite friendly on the surface.
The group of six separated temporarily as they made their final preparations before leaving camp. The news that they had to walk was kinda annoying, even if she was used to it. One would think a school capable of affording a big armored train would be able to get them some actual transportation, but noooo. At least the others looked equally annoyed as they walked off.
Except Altina, but she had a feeling that the smaller girl was going to cheat and ride atop her combat shell for at least part of the trip.
"I heard about what you did."
"Huh?" She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the approaching figure. It was Rean, of course.
The swordsman smiled down at her. "Freddy told me that you agreed to help him out. He wanted me to pass on that he was looking for... plant bits and bee larva." His smile flattened upon speaking those final words.
"W-Wait. I-" She hadn't agreed to help at all! Her answer had been noncommittal with the full intent of blowing him off under the pretense of being too busy! But Rean didn't know that and given his bleeding heart nature...
"I'm not sure what we'll find out there, but he told me what you're looking for, so I'll keep my eyes open too. I'm sure between the two of us we will manage to find... that stuff."
Dammit! The guy looked about as disinterested in the idea as she was, but because he couldn't help but help literally every single person in need he wasn't going to refuse, and now she was roped into his twisted nature!
These special operations missions were already off to a terrible start.
A few minutes later and she found herself waiting at the exit of camp, their designated rally spot. Given that she was used to traveling light she wasn't at all surprised to be the first one there. Sadly she knew that there just wouldn't be enough time for a nap as the others probably weren't far behind.
A few minutes later Altina approached. The two stood there silently until Kurt arrived, followed by Juna, and taking up the rear was Rean and Major Claire as they chatted together about something or other. Rean's warning that the trip would take a couple hours and to keep an eye out for monsters was wholly unnecessary. Fie was pretty certain literally everyone knew all that. Eventually he finished detailing their route and Class VII plus guest made their exit from camp.
Little did she know that these next two days would shatter the safe little world the former jaeger had erected for herself.