Behind Alabaster Walls

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21

Ikrisia sat at a table in a small room, cell phone in hand. By the looks of her body language, the conversation wasn’t about anything splendid or relaxing. Instead, she leaned forward, elbows on a jaku wood table, and her free hand clenched in a fist. “Report,” she said as the phone lines were transferred over. “Yes.” She listened as her large, triangular ears were filled with the events concerning a plane traveling at remarkable speeds crossing Vekaiyun air space over to Allegheny, then, crossing their radar once again as it jetted toward Packilvania. It only clarified what she had heard from the briefing she was given only minutes ago.

“Me? Mad? Oh, I don’t know, Ikavu Commodore, I would think that my own officers would be able to at least fucking tell me what’s going on when it is occurring! I don’t care! Look, I’m not playing this game with you, commodore. We just saw Listonia attacked with missiles today, do you expect me to be any pleasant over the news that a plane traveled across Vekaiyu so fast that our planes that had scrambled to intercept it barely left the ground before it was already past them?” She paused. The events from earlier today had finally bubbled forward and needed a place to vent. “I don’t give a damn! No. Yes, warn the Alleghenian government of this plane, unless it’s already passed over by the time this conversation has ended. Goodbye.”

As she clicked the phone shut, Ikrisia stood from her chair and pushed it in, returning back to the civilian area. “At least it wasn’t a missile. But I wonder what Gordon would say to that if I spoke with him tonight on the matter.”

22

Free Pacific States – Liberty City
EPTO headquarters – Vaeda’s rooms

As his personal limit of tolerance had been reached, he didn’t really knock at the door. He just entered. Uncaring about protocol, about privacy, about anything else but the matter he needed to be handled. And when Vaeda Desanti glanced at him, half surprised and half irritated, he sustained her gaze. As if she wasn’t the pro tempore Secretary of the whole EPTO, but just… just the woman to whose escort he had been assigned to.

«Lady Vaeda, I’m sorry for the intrusion, but there’s a matter of extreme urgency needing… your complete attention»

«Lieutenant…»

«Lady Vaeda, your complete attention. With all due respect, obviously. But I’m the one leading your escort. I had honestly expected we’d have been replaced by a Mahanonian EPTO team five minutes after your appointment, but as this has not yet happened and it’s not scheduled to happen for the next future… here I am. Leading your escort. Which in the very end means I’m not subject to your direct authority, being the one having to decide what’s safe and what’s unsafe»

«Lieutenant, I’m not in the mood…»

«Neither I. But our respective moods are irrelevant. Until different orders, we’ll have to… live together, if you’ll pass me the term»

«I do not think I will»

«A pity. I apologize: as soon as my agenda will allow it, I’ll look for a better term. Right now, I’ll stick to it, as it’s exactly what we’re doing. But if we want this to work… I regret to inform you that our level of communication has to be increased. I have to be informed in advance about your whereabouts. About your movements. About your agenda… because mine is rather simple. Watching your ass 24/7… well, not literally, of course, but you have the gist of it. Above all I would be extremely grateful if you could inform me in advance when you plan to meet someone who’s managed to violate the aerial spaces of half the nations of TEP, violated direct requests from the FPSian airforce, violated direct requests and denials from LC International… and who’s now standing in the middle of the landing strip claiming to be a Damon Diehl ’having to meet Vaeda Desanti as soon as possible for a matter of extreme urgency’»

23

Carbonis Corporation, Carbonis, The East Pacific

“Did he believe you?” the voice spoke with his back to the advancing soldier.

“Yes sir, he never questioned the report.”

“Thank you Baker. You did well. I believe my death may open some doors for your promotion. You have served this nation admirably,” Terebyeva spoke as he extended the glass of vodka in his hand, toasting to a completed mission and a job well done.

Looking towards the empty dock of the plane they gave Damon, he sipped at his liquor, “I hope that man succeeded. He is good…not an Elite, but something else, something beyond us,” he spoke to the soldier at his side.

“What do you mean General?” Baker questioned, curious as to the new approach Terebyeva was taking towards Damon.

“Today we saw a Mahanionian born to the most famous Elite General, but he was neither an Elite nor a Mahanionian like we suspected. We saw a man searching for something beyond our respective governments and militaries and that is a trait I recall seeing in only one other man,” Terebyeva turned to Baker, the look of intensity burning behind his eyes at the possibilities of what this revelation could mean for them.

“General…I do not understand.”

“In due time you will son. But for now, it seems I need to promote a new General,” Terebyeva began walking out of the room.

Following beside Terebyeva, Baker looked up, “any ideas on who that should be sir? Ilya Novosti seems a likely candidate. He has been handling our affairs with the Kaduesz and Dmitriov impeccably well. If I may suggest him sir, I believe him to be the best choice,” Baker responded.

“You have suggested an excellent choice Baker. Unfortunately Ilya is needed to hold Dmitriov. We are having the most resistance to our presence in that nation. His experience and skills are most suited to continue our international affairs there.”

“Then who do you think we should get to replace you sir?”

“Replace me?” Terebyeva laughed, “I do not intend on quitting. I am just stepping out of the light, which is exactly why we need someone who will put his face to the position and has no interest in doing the job. Someone we know we can trust to do what he feels is right and who has shown the ability to stand against Mahanoy.”

“Sir, are you sugges-”

“Diehl. He has no interest of being a General, which makes him the best candidate. He has no ties to our nations. Find him for us Baker, we need to bring him here before Mahanoy puts the noose around his neck. If they get their hands on him, extracting him will become bloody. We cannot afford to expose our counter assault too early.”

“General, you are either brilliant or a mad man,” Baker stopped, amazed that Terebyeva intended to use Damon as a puppet.

“There is a fine line between those two states,” Terebyeva laughed, striding down the hall towards the inner sanctum of the Corporation.

24

The Grand Duchy of Reziel - Classified Location
Archangel’s subterranean secure facility

When the steel doors of the elevator closed behind him, Lachdanan observed the long hallway, appreciating the final result. During the last years, the whole facility had drained a good part of the budget dedicated to the Archangels’ corp… and honestly, probably they would have never bee able to collect all of the funds, hadn’t it been for the erians coming from a number of Noble Families whole males were serving or had served in the corp itself. But now… it was almost finished. Surely the most secure facility of the whole Grand Duchy… probably able to side straight near the region’s best ones. But what was even more worth… till now, its location was basically unknown to the most part of humanity. Even FPS wasn’t informed about it… and that was definitely a relevant consideration.

«Colonel… forgive me. This way»

Moving his thoughts back to the present, Lachdanan nodded silently while following the other Archangel through a number of hallways, until they finally reached a metal door guarded by two more elites. Recognizing their leader, the two men saluted him.

«Storm, nice to see you here. General Novac has been asking about you since he begun being able to… speak again. Man… he has both of his feet inside the grave, but it’s rather obvious he’s a man accustomed to immediate obedience. Luckily enough he’s too weak to even move an hand, otherwise I’d bet he would have kicked our asses»

«Is Major Sawyer inside?» asked the Colonel, grinning at the picture he had just been given.

«I think he’s being kept as an hostage by General Novac. Something like ’Bring Colonel Reiser here or I’ll hold this man for the whole eternity’» replied the guard, opening the door.

Chuckling quietly, Lachdanan entered the shadowy room. His eyes need a short while to get accustomed to the semidarkness… surely enough, bright lights were an annoyance for the General’s eyes. However, that short while was too much.

«Resier» the voice was a whisper… but the tone couldn’t be misunderstood, revealing all of the impatience of a commander whose orders are being executed too slowly.

«General Novac… you’re finally back. We were beginning to think you had gone knock out just because of a little bruising» he grinned, smiling as an heavy and irritated breath was everything he got as an answer.

«Storm… behave. Within a couple of days, the man here will kick your ass if you don’t. Won’t you, General?» Sawyer’s voice was deep as always, and Lachdanan was happy to note that the earlier worries seemed to have vanished from it. A good sig. Novac’s conditions would have soon improved. Relieved, the Colonel moved a bit nearer, observing the Mahanoian’s paleness.

«I’m happy to see you back, Novac»

«I’m happy to be back, Reiser. But as much as I appreciate your folks’ discipline… I’ll now appreciate just as much if you’ll be kind enough to tell me where the hell I am»

«That’s a question many are being asking, Novac… but you’re lucky enough to be entitled to an answer. You’re in the Grand Duchy. Not RNH, not EPTO. This is an Archangels’ facility. This was the one safe place in the whole world I could think of»

«Mahanoy»

«That’s indeed something we should discuss» grinned the Colonel «because well… I am not persuaded it would have been just as safe. Not sure why… but my instinct saved my butt dozens of times and I’ve learnt to trust it»

25

Vaeda smiled, sensing her own frustrations at the intrusion and pushing it away, replacing her military jacket and pulling her hair back quickly into a clip she looked to the man.

“I understand Derrick,” she spoke with a soft sigh as she sat down again, “I was wrong to assume that you would place your government as a higher priority. Right now as you have undoubtedly noticed, The East Pacific is in a state of unrest. There are wars breaking out, tensions escalating, and governments fracturing. This leaves our organization in a very vulnerable position. We must strive to obtain a sense of stability for this region. It is after all what the General would want. If he were here now, I know that is exactly what he would say,” she spoke, her eyes peering off to the distance at the reminder that Novac was obviously missing from the equation. She had received no word to his condition or whereabouts; the reality of the worst case scenario filling her with despair.

“I could speak his intentions as they have always been well known to me. Unfortunately, I am not a General. I am not a military professional. I cannot determine the most strategic course of action. What I can do is utilize those people that I know can form a plan of action. That man waiting for me on the tarmac, breaking every flight restriction laws our region has, is one of those people. He is not bound by government nor law and he can help us. He has just helped us. You see, that woman he saved was the target of an attempt to overthrown a government. He was called in because he is one of the best pilots our nation has as you have just witnessed for yourself. I was updated about this mission when I was requested to Allegheny to oversee our ambassador’s condition there. Mister Dinardeau was also the target of this attack to take down the Alleghenian Supreme Commander. While that gives our nation much need to be involved, I feel that our best decision is not getting actively involved. I hope you can understand my need for secrecy and my desire to not involve more people than have already been involved.”

26

At Vaeda’s answer, Derrick grinned devilishly. The woman was no General… but she wasn’t the frail creature she liked to be considered.

«I’m not a politician. I’m not a strategist. Governments, plans, coups… nothing of my business. My one concern is the safety of your ass. I’m the one charged to take the bullet on your behalf, should we ever come to it… and I’m aware you’re not in the position of revealing confidential data to me. That’s fine. I’m not your best friend, not your hair-stylist. But if I have to be there for the abovementioned bullet… it would be of great help if you could warn me you’re expecting friends. Just to avoid me a bloody process of deciding whether they are friends or not. A simple ‘I’m waiting for a person’ will be enough… just to spare me the surprise. I hate surprises. This cannot honestly be a matter of discussion. It’s take or leave»

«I am…»

«Do you meet him here? Or are we planning to move somewhere else? That’s the one thing I’m interested in hearing… aside me being fired for being irrespective of the protocol, if that’s the case»

[hr]
Free Pacific States - Garneldo
Shiro academy - in the meanwhile

Closing the communication, Jordan Carlyle grinned. He loved having a support network. Information was priceless. Information… it was power.

Moments after, the SMS was ready.

— Begin quote from ____

Elysia,
DD is in Liberty City. Having to meet Vaeda. EPTO HQ, prolly. If you’re anywhere in FPS, hurry up before he vanishes again. If you need help getting there, just ask. As always. And don’t forget… you owe me one.
J

— End quote

As soon as he received the delivery confirmation, the young professor glanced outside the windows. Liberty City. There was plenty of internal planes leaving from Garneldo… but he had to move far faster than that. Damon wasn’t a guy sticking around for so long. Faster. Which meant he had to push a couple of strings. The mobile appeared in his palm once again as he whistled quietly.

27

https://forum.theeastpacific.com/invision-404

En route to Mahanoy, The West Pacific

“Approaching Mahanoy. Lock and load. X6 and Z5, take the front. Alert them we are entering airspace.”

Looking out the window, Brandon held back the pain he was experiencing and pointed to the rapidly approaching planes, “Welcome to Mahanoy,” he grinned, their escort immediately bombarded with a Mahanionian assault team. “Officials or not, their job is to keep anyone from entering this nation who is not authorized.”

Pulling out the phone in his hand, he sent out a message before closing it and looking at the land before him. The aerial signals were in the distance and as they approached, more planes joined the escort, preparing to take the entire team down if the order was given.

“Dinardeau!” the pilot yelled back, “they are requesting you.”

Standing slowly, Brandon braced his side more, trying to hide the obvious pain but failing with that simple gesture. “Excuse me,” he spoke, moving towards the cockpit and taking control of the headset while talking, leaving the Alleghenians without his explanation as they entered Mahanoy, the vast land spreading before them.

The aerial signals had been no lie, the lines of them reminding any unwelcomed aircraft they were not authorized to be here.

28

Cain and Rhodes had been in the front of the formation when the Mahanionian patrol intercepted them and their Mahanionian escort. “Oh! Looks like we are getting the red carpet!” Rhodes exclaimed, he rocked his wings and waved to one of the new Mahanionian pilots who had just arrived, he did not return the greeting.

“Uh, Rhodes. I don’t think this is the red carpet.” He said as more targets popped up on the RADAR, before long even more planes had joined the escort. "The high pitch whine of a missile lock indicator proved that. “All right guys, don’t worry they have missile lock, we would do the same thing if they were coming to our home. So stay calm!”

Indeed, Ambassador Dinardeau had explained the situation which prevented them all from being blown out of the sky, however the massive escort was quite the sight.

The land below was nothing but pristine mountain and forests, no city or airport could be seen for miles. After a few moments though a structure could be seen on the horizon, it was apparent that it was massive as it took a long time to come into view. Other structures rose around it as they approached and then as the city came into view a massive wall surrounded it.

“Well that is a sight!” Audrey called out over the comms.

“Yup they just don’t build them all conventional like we do. This stuff is the work of master artisans.” Cain responded in awe. The sun glinted off the massive structures, taller than the highest building in Allegheny. The airport matched the scale of the city itself. Massive long runways with several parallel strips to accommodate heavy air traffic. The escorts and the VIP jet had finally landed, taxiing to a drop off point where they could refuel and do routine maintenance. Cassandra and Patterson had been in awe of the sights they could see out the plane windows before they landed. “This is the epitome of what we have tried to aspire to for many years. Truly I am stunned.” Patterson said aloud. Cassandra smiled, choosing to keep her words for when they would enter the city instead.

29

Cool wind blew past sending fallen flower petals dancing across the freshly upturned ground. The mound of dirt was flattened and as the man stood there staring at the headstone, he stared as a rose petal caught the tip of his polished shoe, clinging to it in its last moments before being swept away, blown away in this tenuous world.

“So what is it like being dead?” the voice approached from behind him, but the man did not turn to face the newcomer.

“You tell me,” the man spoke, his voice hinting at sarcasm as he stooped down to collect some of the dirt in his gloved hand. sifting it through his fingers as he looked at the headstone.

“I saw you at my funeral. I am glad to see the one man who I would have wanted there in the end was there. But your service? What happened to that?”

“There will be no service. It is the General’s curse to die alone. No funeral marked the fall of our great leaders, I should find myself no different. Just a passing through time, a fragment of a memory, just a name on a page in history, never to be known beyond that moment.”

“Damn man, that’s some deep stuff. I mean, it’s not like you really died. You don’t think we would forget you so easily if you did, do you?”

“You had an impressive service Brier. So you went with the black stone after all?”

“Not as impressive as that,” Brier motioned to the saddened angel preparing for flight at the head of the grave, the serene creature mourning its own fate as it prepared to take its final flight. “There was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.* Rest in Peace, Mitkä Terebyeva,” Brier read the phrase at the base of the statue, whistling as he looked towards Terebyeva, “One hell of a statement you are making there.”

“It is not for me,” Terebyeva responded, tucking his hands behind his back as stood back up and looked towards the statue, “the man it is for will understand.”

“Man General…one day I’ll understand this all,” Brier laughed, “but you Elites are tough cookies to crack. Your hidden messages, the monolithic symbols, the secret communication…you create works of art just to get a message to someone that can be done in two seconds via a phone or email. Maybe it’s my generation sir, but wouldn’t it just be easier to tell the person that instead of constructing this statue and hoping that the person you are trying to talk to sees it and even more, understands it?”

Terebyeva grinned, “One day.”

“Okay, okay, I get it…only time…yada yada, but look, can you go talk to the spaz. The kid will not listen to me. He does not like the idea of ‘dying’. You are much better at these affairs. Talk some sense into him. Explain to him why it’s necessary,” Brier spoke as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his overcoat.

“I already have. Ki’s funeral is to be held in the town he was born. He is young and lacks confidence, but he is nonetheless sharp. He understands the need for us to sacrifice our lives to remain in the shadows, but he is still young, wants to believe there is another way. Let him have his time. I do not want to crush his spirit. He needs to believe in his ideologies or we will lose him,” Terebyeva responded, turning from his grave and walking towards the cliff side, looking out at the ocean, the salty mists of the crashing waves below lingering in the air.

“Why did you insist on being buried here can I ask?” Brier again intruded the man’s silent recollection in his attempts to understand.

“I was always rather fond of this place,” he admitted looking back to the mourning angel taking flight. “Between land, sea, and sky.”

“Sometimes I wonder about you General. Who you really were in Mahanoy and all…”

“In due time you will understand,” Mitka reassured as he again walked away, leaving behind the tomb constructed for his memory. “There is no point rushing to understand what is best learned from experience. Emotions and wisdom should grow together. Some truths are best learned when you can cope with the emotions that come with the knowledge.”

“You know…when you say things like that sir, you don’t reassure me that we’re on the same team you know…it sounds like whatever secret you are hiding is something that will put us against each other.”

“A man has many mistakes he must carry with him through life. Some rocks break a man, keeping him at the base of the mountain in trepidation of knowing that the fallen boulder will set him back at the base. Some rocks define a man as he bears his load to the pinnacle of the mountain just to stand atop it with his rock and look down at what he has accomplished. Your life will be defined by which path you choose to take. It is much easier to leave the rock break you and never climb that mountain, but the question is, will you be Sisyphus and stand at the pinnacle just to catch one brief glimpse of life and self satisfaction?”

Leaving Brier to stand alone with his thoughts, Terebyeva returned to the corporate building, engaging himself in the latest project while Brier looked out over the ocean, knowing that there had to be reason why Terebyeva choose this very spot to erect his statue.

30

As the entourage landed, plane by plane lining up beside one another, the pilots began exiting their planes, laughing and joking as they walked towards the delegation plane they were protecting, hoping to grab the Alleghenian pilots and invite them out.

It was not until the approaching entourage on foot stooped them that all stood and saluted. Lining up before the plane, the hatch opened and Brandon stifled his pain to lead the Alleghenians down the stairs. Standing before him though was a line of the top Mahanionians, saluting their new allies. While he had expected some attention to be given, the full salute had been unanticipated and it had startled him as he froze for a moment on the stairs.

Forcing himself to continue descending, he looked back to Cassandra and Patterson with a look of ‘I swear I didn’t do this for show’ in his eyes, the slight shrug confirming he was not behind the rather impressive greeting. Holding their salute until the delegation stopped before them, the leading officer lowered his arm and with it all the men around him followed. “Welcome to Mahanoy Commanders,” he spoke, his voice hardened by years of shouting commands over the roar of plane engines.

“Sir, while I thank you for the greeting, it was really unnec-”

“Dinardeau, of course we are going to open our arms to our newfound allies,” a voice of a woman sounded from behind as she approached to the front of the line, “after all, we would not want to send the wrong image about our nation to anyone.”

“Lady Diehl,” Brandon bowed his head in respect as the finely dressed woman extended her hand, “it is an honor to see you.”

“It is my pleasure to be welcomed here to be among the first to greet those creating an alliance for our nation. I can look back in history and say, ‘I was there when we shook hands for the first time.’ What greater moment could one ask for?” Aria spoke, her voice a soft contrast to the previous man who had spoken, “Please, let us not waste time on this tarmac. We have arranged for a dinner. Let us not keep our stomachs waiting.”

Leading the ambassadors into cars, they drove towards one of looming buildings, the monolith stretching towards the sky, Babel’s tower constructed in its fullest, the magnanimous goal of touching the heavens achieved.

As they entered, the black uniformed men appeared more in number, all stopping to salute the entourage as it entered the lobby, the ornate grand hall spreading out around them. The hall for dinner had been several floors up and traveling the expanse of the facility had proven to be more of a hike than it appeared.

Sitting at the set table, Aria extended her hand to Cassandra and Patterson, “I hope that we can make your stay here enjoyable. Please let me know if there is anything we can do to make you feel more at home while here. I am sure our nations differ in many respects, I should hope that we can accommodate to your needs while you are here.”

31

“Here,” the deep voice broke from room as Damon stepped into the room quickly, the sound of rushing footsteps behind him confirming he was on the run.

“Damon!” Vaeda nearly cried out as she stood, “what are you doing?”

As she finished her sentence, armed men entered the room, holding their aim on Damon as he backed against the wall, his eyes darting around the room as he looked for any place to continue running until his gaze fixed itself on the window.

“Do not move,” the voice came coldly, ordering Damon to stand down.

“Miss, are you alright?” a man spoke as he looked to Vaeda who appeared alarmed while he tried to assure that her safety was met. It was not until they saw the Rezelien guard in the room that the men stood down and saluted, relinquishing their authority over the situation.

“Please, no more of this,” Vaeda begged, “Damon…can you behave for just one moment?”

“No,” he spoke, his body language preparing for another run, “not until they stop trying to restrain me.”

“Damon…” Vaeda spoke softly, “please…”

Turning back to the guard, she begged silently that he give the command for them to leave, knowing that until Damon’s guard dropped he would be impossible to reason with. And picking up the understanding, he ordered away the guards as he remained in the room.

“Thank you Derrick,” she spoke as she motioned towards a chair for Damon to sit.

Hesitantly looking to Derrick, Damon slowly moved forward, unsure of whether or not this man would attempt to put him down as well.

“Damon…look, this is not Mahanoy. Your actions are restricted her. You may be an officer back home, but here you have to follow the rules. Not all nations respect contempt for rules…they will hold you accountable for breaking them.”

Crossing his arms, Damon again looked toward Derrick cautiously before breathing heavily and assuming the man was safe, “can we get this over with? I am a sitting duck here Vaeda…you know that.”

“Is that what this is about?” Vaeda moved closer, kneeling beside Damon. “Damon you are safe here.”

“Safe?” the word came out with a sneer, his deep voice hinting at a a foreign accent. “From Mahanoy? There is no where to hide from those hounds.”

“Damon, I know…”

“They shot me Vaeda…who knows where the next bullet will come from? Where am I going to be splattered next? They are going to stop at nothing until I am dead. You and I both know that.”

32

The hike up the steps proved to be tiring on Cassandra, the pain from her prosthetic was more than usual today. She unconsciously adopted a very slight limp that one would need to be paying attention to the way she walked to catch it. Patterson was in awe from the massive towers to the ornate interiors, his mouth was slightly open as he took in the sights. Cassandra found his actions amusing, going from field officer to an important representative of the armed forces, he hadn’t taken on the same appearance of professionalism that Cassandra has adopted early on.

They were an odd sight amongst the black wearing Mahanionians. Their mix of gray and back clashed with the overall dress of everyone in the room. It was an alternate society, something they wouldn’t find back in The East Pacific. There was a significant amount of culture shock to be had. No nation in their region to their knowledge had reached this level of prosperity.

“I hope that we can make your stay here enjoyable. Please let me know if there is anything we can do to make you feel more at home while here. I am sure our nations differ in many respects, I should hope that we can accommodate to your needs while you are here.”

Cassandra nodded. "Thank you for the offer, I shall keep it in mind. I’d like to thank everyone for this opportunity, to be invited to visit your great nation is an honor. Mr Dinardeau has been an excellent liaison to our nation.

Air base.

The Alleghenian escort were now checking their planes for any damage that may have inadvertently occurred on their trip, standard protocol but it had to be done.

Rhodes had finished early wanting a chance to the pilot named J. “Nice moves out there.” He said as he approached J’s plane. Before he could get a response though he was ambushed by the rest of his team mates. Audrey wrapped her arm around Rhodes’ shoulder. “Aww, look guys! Rookie is impressed, how cute.”

Rhodes pushed her off as Major Cain ordered her to stop, “Alright Captain, leave him alone. Rookie is allowed to be impressed.” Cain shook J’s hand, “Major Roger Cain, nice flying out there. Let me introduce my Pilots, you have already met Lieutenant Jackson Rhodes, my second in command Captain Audrey Speers and the asshole of the team Captain Ralph Moore.”

33

«It will probably come from someone annoyed by your obvious problem with respecting any authority which does not originate from the Elite Empire, Lieutenant» answered Derrick «And honest… if you’re thinking you’ve not been shot down because you’re such a fast runner, well do not overestimate yourself. You’ve been allowed to reach this room because… someone else warned us you’d have attempted it. Attempted it in a condition of utter unreasonableness. And luckily enough, our internal channels of communications are quick and efficient enough to have avoided the worst»

Noticing the young Mahanonian’s stiffening, Derrick was barely able to avoid shaking his own head in complete disapproval before focusing back on the woman.

«Lady Vaeda, I’m assuming the rest of this conversation will not be anything of my business. As there’s obviously no threat here… I’m ready to be dismissed. As explanations about this bravado will be requested and required, far better if it’s me and my guys cleaning the mess. No need for the pro tempore Secretary being forced to a personal intervention. You know… opportune understatement»

34

Politely dismissing Derrick with a smile, Vaeda closed the door and turned back to Damon, surprised to see him standing there.

“We have a meeting,” he spoke, his voice empty as he walked towards the door.

As she watched his back, she frowned, the young man she fondly remembered was now gone, his time spent running taking its toll on the youthful spirit he once had. The reports detailed his disconnect well, but like anything, the reality was a harder pill to swallow than the written words. Walking behind Damon, she watched as he remained straight backed, moving forward like a soldier on the war path, and it was then that she noticed the slight tremor in his hand.

If he noticed, he left no indication towards the knowledge as he went to open the door before his body seemed to drop from underneath him, his head striking the door on the way down. Dashing to his side, it was all she could do to roll him onto his side and let the seizure pass on its own.

Two minutes passed until his body fell silent, allowing a trickle of blood to fall from a new cut on his mouth. Sitting by his side, she brushed her hand through his hair, talking in soft tones, “it’s okay Damon, you are doing well. Just relax, take slow breaths. It will pass. You are doing well. I am here,” she continued her constant reassurance until the man slowly came too, opening his eyes with a disconnected gaze before he sat up and clutched his head, allowing the groan to escape on its own accord.

“Damon…when did these seizures start?” Vaeda asked, looking to him for some answers. Nothing in the reports detailed a history.

“It’s expected,” he answered, pulling his knees up and resting his head on them, becoming sensitive to his surroundings.

“Damon, you never had this before. What happened?”

“It’s a side effect of the revival process,” his deep voice growing weaker, making the words difficult to extract.

“Revival! What are you talking about? Damon…who revived you?” Vaeda asked moving closer and rubbing her hand on his back, both concerned and alarmed at the news.

“Carbonis,” the word barely spoken above a whisper.

The revelation hit her harder than a ton of bricks, stealing her breath as she continued to rub his back. “Damon, do you remember where you came from?”

“No,” he responded, bringing his gloved hand up to wipe the blood still trickling from his mouth.

“What do you last remember before today?”

“Something about a flag and apples. Lots of apples on the ground. I think. Maybe it was a plane. I don’t know,” he confessed, his mind struggling to recall its memories, “the last real memory I know happened was watching mom and dad dance at your ball. Everything else…I don’t know if its real or not.”

“But that was four years ago!” Vaeda’s mind screamed. And without speaking her thoughts, she knew Damon sensed her alarm as his muscles tensed.

“I guess that was long ago,” he again barely whispered, “can we just get this over with. I want to rest,” Damon almost begged as he reached up and used the door handle to help pull himself onto his feet, surprised that he managed to keep control of his baser functions this time around.

“Rest here, I will speak for you.”

“No. I made this mistake, I will fix it.” Without allowing for an argument, he opened the door and walked out, holding his gloved hand to his mouth to absorb the blood that dripped from the cut along his tongue.

As the official questioning proceeded, Vaeda remarked how well he kept it together, answering their questions concisely and accurately, leaving out the most sensitive pieces of information in the process. Mahanionian bred…that much could be said as she watched him finally nod with respect and depart at the end of their questioning.

Once outside, he retreated back to the clearing, Autumn no longer there. Laying on the ground again, he looked up to the sky, the clouds above shifting. He tried to find in them shapes, but all he could see were the types of clouds.

Sensing his need to be alone, Vaeda returned to her room, allowing him his time to recollect his thoughts. With his memory gone, no doubt he would begin to feel like he was losing himself piece by piece. But the memory wipe…why? Carbonites were infamous for their chemical cocktails of annihilation, but a wipe on Damon? It was almost as if they were attempting to hide something…or perhaps protect him from something else? Pondering the thoughts, she barely noticed the time trickling by and the report that she engaged herself in complete while she stared away at the screen before her.

35

Free Pacific States – Liberty City
EPTO headquarters – Right outside Vaeda’s rooms - Later

Smirking at the two men guarding Vaeda’s door, Derrick just shook his head, signing he wasn’t in the mood of discussing about it. The needed explanations had been given… but it hadn’t been a painless process. The note of demerit would have followed him for a rather long while… and the Major had been right: he had to consider himself rather lucky if they weren’t court-martialing him.

«That bad?» asked one of the standing guards, another Rezielan Archangel.

«Is she inside?»

«Yessir»

«Diehl?»

«Inside the perimeter. A discrete escort… seems he’s playing with clouds and…»

«Derrick you old bastard!» cried a voice down the hallway. Sighing, the EPTO Archangel had no need to turn to know who the man was. Moments after, Jordan Carlyle patted over his shoulder.

«You seem a panda without his own bamboo, Derrickderrick. Don’t be a fool… cheer up. You’re assigned to such a beautiful woman… you cannot be depressed»

«Jordan, I’m not…»

«They say she has the most beautiful ass in the whole Mahanoy… is it true?»

As the Archangel remained speechless, Jordan laughed loudly.

«Ok ok, I’l stop embarrassing you. Let’s be serious. I owe you a big favor, but you shouldn’t worry. At all. You know I’m not someone who asks without giving back. I’ve already made a couple of calls and…»

«Calls? About what?» stared Derrick, with Jordan opening his own eyes in complete surprise.

«Your demerit, silly one. I’m rather confident we’ll be able to solve it… part of it, at least. A number of EPTO guys are in debt. That’s the circularity of debts and favors, dumb Archangel. Today you receive… tomorrow you’ll be requested to give back. That’s why I’m hating this change in the EPTO leadership… my net in TEE is not so articulate. Oh well… I have trusted…»

«J… my demerit was decided fifteen minutes ago? How the hell can you…»

«Fifteen minutes?!?» interjected Jordan «Wow man… you’re making me waste so much time. And I do not have it. I owe Jill a dinner. And I have Damon running after the clouds out there… and I definitely have to make an attempt to see Vaeda’s ass» he grinned, producing two tickets out of his pocket «TEP Hockey League… VIP seats for the final. The price of your silence with Jill about Vaeda’s ass, you know» he winked, before knocking the door and entering the room, with Derrick remaining outside it as still as a statue, barely able to really hear the following…

«…Lady Vaeda, I’m so glad to have a chance to finally meet you. Jordan Carlyle from Solanthus… an old friend of our troublemaker out there»

After that, the door closed. And only then Derrick realized that Jordan had been waving right in front of his eyes an EPTO maximum-clearance-pass. A clearance three levels above Derrick’s own. And he was supposed to be the Secretary’s personal bodyguard.

36

“Mister Carlyle, please take a seat,” Vaeda offered as she motioned towards an open chair, her Mahanionian military jacket draping over it as if the woman barely cared to consider it an important part of her dress attire. Instead, she wore a white tanktop over the black framefitting skirt and seemed more laidback as she laid herself on the sofa.

“What brings you to see me? Your appearance is a surprise and I am not sure what honor it is that would bring us together,” she spoke, her eyes moving from the young man with his gray eyes and brown hair. He almost seemed Mahanionian enough but the lack of any visible body injuries cast doubt. A Mahanionian that age would probably be sporting his first battle scar visibly with pride or in some cases, shame as they attempted to hide their weakness.

37

«Diehl»

Jordan smiled as, at that simple statement, Vaeda’s attention was finally focused.

«Our beloved cloud-chaser out there… not sure if he’s a genius or a complete idiot, really. The whole thing of invading everyone’s airspace is the biggest what-the-hellish thing I’ve seen in a while… and I am a true specialist, in breaking rules. But now… well, I’m not in the position of keeping him ‘safe’. Not without the help of some Mahanonian prominent guy… or gale»

As the comment remained suspended, Jordan smiled ruefully.

«I’d have followed the Novac path… but it seems Storm is doing his best to keep the General’s location as completely confidential. There’s no answer from New Irem… and hell knows if my net is as deep as the ocean itself, there. Consequently… if Damon was rushing here to meet you, I suppose I’ll have to make the bet and spin the roulette. Which brings me to the very heart of the problem… taking the fact someone in Mahanoy is trying to kill him as… yes: a fact, well then… would it be in his best interest to keep his whereabouts as secret as possible… or should we place him in the middle of the whole region’s attention, knowing this will eventually hinder Mahanoy’s chance to just make him… disappear?»

38

“So he is alive!”

Vaeda smiled as she sat up and looked to Jordan. The man may have been no Mahanionian but his mindset was certainly of those she had seen in the young Elites. How far would he go to protect his friend?

“We must keep him in the open,” Vaeda responded without hesitation, “Damon’s inclination is to disappear. He becomes such a vulnerable target when he hides. There becomes little we can do to actually protect him when he is away from the public face. Those who hunt him are clever, brilliant minds, trained in eliminating their targets. Damon may be a brilliant young man himself, but he is far from vulnerable and his tendency to not consider every person an enemy leaves him at the disadvantage of being open to an attack or betrayal. Our General has been doing his best to keep Damon alive, but without him at the helm, I am afraid that our primary defense has been lost.”

Falling to her thoughts a moment, she removed the clip from her hair and began to play with it absentmindedly, “Damon…oh he is so young…too young to have asked to be part of this war. I just want to give him a chance to live his life and decide for himself what he wants out of it. Too many people have taken it upon themselves to try to make that decision for him by removing him or placing him into a position he has not asked to be part of. People seen Damon as a born Elite, raised and trained to take his father’s place. I see what I see in every young Mahanionian his age…an aspiration to be the best he can be. He did not ask to be born of his father and it so very unfortunate that people cannot see past that.”

Turning her eyes back to Jordan, “I apologize for my digression. It is very important that we keep Damon in the public face. So long as he was the icon he was in Kuro in Mahanoy, he was barely touchable. Since he has left the school and decided to run, he has become a target outside of any of our protection. I want him to live. You are both so very young…I am sure you can understand what I mean. This constant running for his life is killing the young man we have fond memories of. I want him to have a chance to love, to choose if he wants a family, to choose for himself he wants an active military life. I would hate to see someone remove those choices from him. He needs you Jordan. There is only so much I can do on my end. He needs friends like you to bring him back. Young men who can remind him what people his age should be looking forward to doing…not this constant running for his life.”

39

Cassandra’s pain had not gone unnoticed by Brandon as he slid his hand onto her aching leg from beneath the table, gently massaging above her knee to remind her that he had noticed her pain and appreciated her well kept together response to it. Despite the unseen gesture beneath the table, Brandon’s face seemed fixed, his expression locked, and it was at that moment that Cassandra realized he was wearing an elaborately designed mask played on a stage of expert actors. No Mahanionian at that table was who they appeared to be and she would not have noticed if she had not seen the drastic change in Brandon’s expressions and actions since their arrival.

“We are very much glad to hear that he has been well received. We tried to send someone who could aptly play multiple roles. His ability to adapt makes him a valuable resource to have on your team,” the voice of one of the officers spoke up, the man smiling as he met Brandon’s gaze.

She felt the slight tightening of Brandon’s grasp on her thigh in response to the man, watching as Brandon bowed his head in a polite gesture of respect among Mahanionians. But his silence was unnerving and the hidden innuendos unsettling to her…what were they referencing?.

“We heard you were injured! What the hell did you do?” laughter broke as a man approached from behind and slapped Brandon on the back. Was it a genuine response?

“I fell,” Brandon confessed, his face turning into a faked grimace in mock simulation of his embarrassment at his own clumsiness.

“A Mahanionian…defeated by a wet floor!” Laughter broke out among the table and Cassandra watched as Brandon remained in control of his reactions, his facade well played.

“What is worse is that I slipped twice,” Brandon lied, the laughter sounding real enough to Cassandra but for once the reason for it not well known, “A Mahanionian beaten twice in the same game.”

“Miss, is it miss? I see, thank you. Miss Phillips, please enlighten us about your nation. I heard rumors that your military has all blue-eyed men,” Aria broke the conversation with a simple twist, smiling as she did so, giving Cassandra the faintest impression that perhaps this woman was more in control than any of these iron-willed men were willing to admit.

40

Cassandra put her hand on top of Brandon’s and gave it a light squeeze for a few seconds, the pain subsided only a little from his gentle message but she appreciated it nonetheless. She smiled a few times to make the others believe she enjoyed their little joke, but maintained an air of observance upon the other guests at the table.

Patterson on the other hand paid no attention to anything behind the scenes allowing himself to fill up on wine and enjoy the company, he was good for military decisions but for gatherings such as these he only served to distract others away from her quiet analysis, a role he was inadvertently and wonderfully filling tonight. It would only be a small matter of time before the cunning Mahanionians saw through this however.

“What is worse is that I slipped twice,” Brandon lied, the laughter sounding real enough to Cassandra but for once the reason for it not well known, “A Mahanionian beaten twice in the same game.”

“Ah yes, quite clumsy of you Ambassador.” She said with a chuckle. “Good thing we had him patched up quickly. I don’t think the first Ambassador to our country bleeding to death would have been good for international relations!” The joke elicited laughter from the table and Cassandra took a moment to take a sip of water.

“Miss, is it miss? I see, thank you. Miss Phillips, please enlighten us about your nation. I heard rumors that your military has all blue-eyed men.”

“If only.” Cassandra joked again. “But in all seriousness though, our military has a series of ‘upgrades’ which can be given to the soldier when they volunteer for an eight year contract. The eyes you speak of are ocular implants, which give the common foot soldier increased visibility in low light conditions, crisp, clear vision, and limited zoom functionality. They do have a slight blue glow to them which is pretty visible at night, one of the few downsides. They are also capable of transmitting a heads up display directly into the users vision, one that only they can see. It’s used by many of our military members and has done wonders for both the Army and the Air Force. The Air Force especially liking them due to the implants ability to allow the user to see faster moving objects such as fighters that people like you and I may have trouble keeping up with. Many officers do not have them and conscripts are barred from having them until they sign the contract.”

Cassandra took another sip of water and cleared her throat as the room became silent waiting to hear her speak. “I do not know what you have heard so far, but Allegheny is a nation of strong will. We have suffered through our past and through our suffering we became stronger. We are fiercely independent within our own borders, but we welcome those who espouse ideals similar to our own. When we pledge our loyalty and friendship to someone we mean it, only the most heinous of betrayals could break that. If you ever come to Allegheny you will see what I mean, independence is paramount to our people, we create our own things, we take care of our families and expect nobody to help us while doing it, I have even heard stories of people who would rather starve to death than beg for food. These attributes have made us a strong nation among ones who do not have them. We know our place in this world and we strive to improve that standing. You have made a good ally Lady Diehl, that I assure you. Our people are our nation, to understand them is to understand Allegheny.” Cassandra sat back, a soft smile upon her face. She was satisfied with her answer hoping that the anyone who had any reservations about the alliance would see that there was no need to worry.