by Andrew Mack
At once, the entire platoon raised their rifles at Lieutenant Orlando. Orlando stopped and turned back to look at Nichols. Simply and confidently, he said “Do what you have to, Lieutenant. But if you shoot me, it will be the last thing you do.”
As he said this, the five other DAG soldiers raised their rifles and pointed them at Nichols. Orlando turned back around and continued to walk up the ramp of the frigate. Nichols softly said “Let him go, but no one else.”
Orlando got to the top of the ramp and made a left into the quarters. He was met by Alexis, Tunsall, and Trujillo, who were all standing in front of Ambassador Bird. Tunsall and Trujillo were holding rifles, but did not point them at Orlando. Orlando then declared “Ambassador Bird, I am Lieutenant Orlando, DAG. I am the head of Ambassador Yi’s detail team. He sent me here to escort you back to the Ambassador Compound. Are you alright?”
Ambassador Bird responded “I am Lieutenant. This is my assistant Alexis Bird. Where is Ambassador Yi?”
Orlando looked at Alexis before looking back at Bird and saying “Now that we have verified you are alive, he told us to meet him at your personal condo with two of my soldiers to perform a security sweep. He does not trust anyone right now, sir.”
Bird replied “Understand Lieutenant. We are ready.”
Orlando looked at Tunsall and Trujillo. After sizing them up, he asked, “Who are you two?”
Alexis answered for them. “This is Tunsall and Trujillo.”
Orlando looked perplexed. “DAG uniforms, but no insignia. What is going on?”
Tunsall answered “We were recruited to fly the Ambassador for this mission, sir.”
Orlando was now really perplexed. “Recruited?”
Trujillo answered “We are cadets at Odgins, sir.”
Orlando was astonished. “Cadets? Who the hell is the Commanding Officer on this detail?”
Tunsall answered “Commanders Nolan Willits and Avery Jones, sir.”
Orlando raised an eyebrow. “Willits and Jones?”
Trujillo also answered, “Yes, sir.”
Orlando shook his head. “Willits and Jones were on security duty? And they recruited the two of you to fly on this mission?”
In unison, Trujillo and Tunsall answered “Yes, sir.”
Orlando asked “What about Mollanari, or what’s her name, Rix?”
Trujillo and Tunsall just looked at each other before Trujillo responded “We do not know those people, sir?
Underneath his breath, Orlando whispered “Security Detail? They must have really done something to piss off Kimakawa.”
Bird asked loudly “What was that Lieutenant?”
Orlando half grinned and replied “Nothing, sir. If you will follow me.”
Orlando turned around and the four of them followed him back towards the ramp. Alexis asked “Lieutenant, speaking of Director Kimakawa, it is urgent I get a message to him, letting him know of our arrival. I assume you have a C-Bar Transmitter in your DAG office that I can use.”
Orlando, still walking, but not looking at Alexis, replied “I do Miss, but Ambassador Yi gave me specific directions not to let anyone communicate in or out.”
Alexis stopped on the ramp down and grabbed Orlando’s arm. “Is Kimakawa your boss?”
Orlando nodded and said “Yes.”
Alexis said “Then you will take me to your office to deliver this message. Whatever punishment Yi gives you, will be marginal to Kimakawa’s.”
Orlando paused for a second before finally saying “What the fuck is going on?”
Alexis smiled and said “Chaos...smartest person wins….”
Alexis continued to walk down the ramp, now in front of Orlando. As they got to the bottom, Nichols had his rifle up and said “I was alright with you checking on your Ambassador. You see, he is fine. But I cannot permit you to leave with him.”
Orlando walked directly up to Nichols again and confidently said. “We are leaving, and the invitation to shoot us is still there.”
Nichols replied “I am serious this time, Lieutenant.”
Orlando kept walking and said “So I am. Just remember, we shoot back.”
Nichols pointed his rifle right at Orlando and yelled “Halt!”
Alexis went right up to Lieutenant Nichols and said “What are you doing? Just check with Commander Devanoe.”
Nichols replied, “I have my orders.”
Alexis stated, “This is no time to start an incident. We are on the same side.”
Orlando turned around and said “Exactly Lieutenant. Remember, we are on the same side.”
Nichols stared at Orlando, continuing to point his rifle right at him. He did not say anything for ten seconds, never taking his rifle down. Orlando asked, “Are you gonna shoot, or are you just going to point it at me all day?”
A few more seconds went by, until finally, from behind, Commander Nick Devanoe yelled “What the hell is going on?”
Nichols, not moving, yelled back as Nick was walking up “My orders were to not allow anyone on or off the frigate, sir.”
Nick Devanoe walked up to the two and looked at Orlando and said “Who are you?”
Orlando replied “Lieutenant Orlando, DAG. I am here to get Ambassador Bird.”
Nick responded “Alright, relax. The Lieutenant was only following my orders and this is an AuFa base you are on. We are all on the same side.”
Orlando looked Nick up and down and said, “Are we?”
Nick looked at Orlando and said “Excuse me, Lieutenant?”
Alexis got in between both of them and said, “Lieutenant, relax. This is my brother, Commander Nick Devanoe.”
Orlando said “AuFa?”
Nick noted with his expression that this was odd behavior. He nodded, and simply said “Yes.”
The two said nothing for a few seconds Orlando afterward said, “We all got a role to play. DAG team, let’s go.”
The DAG team began escorting Bird out. Tunsall and Trujillo were curious about the exchange. All through school, all they wanted to be were pilots in the AuFa. And yet, in this exchange, both, far more surprising to Tunsall, their loyalty seemed to be for Lieutenant Orlando and his fellow DAG soldiers. Alexis looked at Nick and said “I will talk to you later.”
Nick smiled and said “No you won’t, I am leaving.”
Alexis walked back to him, a look of confusion on her face. “I thought…”
Nick continued, “Once I get this frigate refueled and restocked, I gotta take it back to Torsalli.”
Alexis shook her head and said, “I don’t know what to say…..”
She gave her brother a big hug, and Nick said, “Gotta get back to my day job. Make sure Tunsall and Trujillo stay close to you, alright.”
Alexis, still hugging him, said “I will. Thank you.”
She let go and stood there for a few seconds. Tunsall and Trujillo stared at Nick. Tunsall said, “Thanks for everything.”
Nick, nodding at Alexis, said to Tunsall and Trujillo, “Make sure you watch her.”
Trujillo half-smiled and said, “I think she can take care of herself.”
Nick gave a small grin and said “She thinks she can. You guys know better.”
Alexis gave a small frown and turned around. Sprinting up to Lieutenant Orlando, she asked, “Lieutenant, where is this DAG office?”
Belinea 8.9
Avola
AuFa Base Six
The Robot Doctor had attached a titanium foot and ankle back to Argo’s leg. He sat on the table, wiggling it around to see what kind of flexibility he had with it. Argo put a sock over it while the Robot Doctor asked, “Lord Argo, we are not done with the procedure. We still need to attach regenerated flesh and skin to the skeleton frame.”
Argo however, had enough. “Nope, we are done. This will get me back to Beline
a where a real surgeon will operate on it.”
He strapped on a boot and hopped off the table. Lieutenant Walva was waiting for him outside the medical wing, where he addressed him walking by. “Lord Argo, are you feeling better?”
Argo looked at him and said, “I am missing a foot, Walla, what do you think?”
Walva responded with, “They were able to attach an artificial foot to your body, no?”
Argo kept walking, Walva followed. Argo continued, “Is there another explanation for my walking?”
Walva continued, “Speaking of my Lord, the Majavkee Lords would like a final word with you before you go.”
Argo kept walking, with a small limp now. They turned a corridor as he said, “Unless it’s a thank you, let’s try not to arrange that.”
Walva continued, “Yes, my Lord, I understand your hesitation. But there are some issues they would like to bring up.”
Argo answered, “Like their incompetence?”
Walva answered, “Like the body count, sir. There are over nine hundred and fifty dead miners out there.”
Argo kept walking with the small limp. He continued, “I like to call it dead protesters..., and will I at least get a thank you?”
Walva quickly said, “Not likely my Lord.”
Argo kept walking while talking, “Nope. We do their dirty work for them, and instead of an ounce of gratitude, I am going to get a one minute lecture on the chaos I have created them.”
Walva inserted “There is the loss of the entire Mining Facility, my Lord.”
Argo continued “Do they not have others? See how many miners revolt now after what we did. Shit, you could guard them.”
Walva replied “Flattering as always, my Lord, but I think there is a point that may have been missed…”
Argo snapped back, “You want to lose your tongue again?”
Argo stopped, and Walva froze. Neither said anything for a second before Argo said, “Which way to my transport? I cannot get out of here fast enough.”
Walva responded, “You are going the right way, sir, it’s just that…”
Argo cut him off and said, “You packed all my shit, my armor, everything?”
Walva answered “Of course, my Lord, it’s just that…”
Argo interjected again, “And Leahy is doing alright?”
Walva answered, “Captain Leahy is still in surgery but the Doctors say he will make a full recovery.”
Argo turned a corner and said, “Good, make sure we get a transport to Belinea when he is well enough to travel.”
Walva answered, “Of Course my Lord, it’s just that…”
They turned one more corner and twenty meters in front of them was Argo’s transport. There were eight Majvakee Lords waiting next to the ramp. Argo stopped and looked at Walva and said, “You just forgot to tell me the Majavkee Lords are waiting next to my transport?”
Walva continued “The thing is sir, with all due respect, I was unable to finish a sentence, so the opportunity did not present itself in our conversation…”
Argo grabbed Walva’s chin and said, “Walla, do me a favor and pretend I cut your fucking tongue out again for the rest of the trip back, understand?”
Walva nodded while Argo was still gripping his chin. He attempted to say ‘Yes, my Lord.’ But the grip caused it to sound like “Hes, ny ord.”
Argo let go and walked over to the ramp. Lord Bialos was the first to talk. “Lord Argo, we have a situation.”
Argo answered, “If you are responding to the attack on Mining Center Six, let me say…”
Lord Bialos continued, “There are over nine hundred dead miners out there. How are we going to keep them from revolting?”
Argo took a breath, then said, “The first thing you can do,...is develop,...I mean make them understand,....tolerance can be a surprising…..you know what? Fuck it! “
All the Majavkee Lords were taken aback. “Bialos, and the rest of you dickless shits, grow a pair. Yes, this should have never happened. If you guys had half a brain, you would have figured out a way to keep the Valmay, the Mining Guild, and the miners happy. So you are gonna have to go with plan B and rule by fear. The Council will spin this as a full military revolt, forcing us to leave multiple Battalions of AuFa soldiers behind. Trust me, the miners are so scared, they will not revolt again.”
Lord Evander continued, “And the Valmay?”
Argo practically laughed, “You are welcome? No Octavioius Killian, no Valmay.”
Lord Bialos said “It is not that simple my Lord….”
Argo replied, “But it is. Mine the Vait, protect the Vait, sell the Vait. You want to keep the miners from revolting? Every now and then, try giving them some money, you greedy fucks.”
Argo turned to walk out, and now next to the ramp was Quillisar Balerra. She was standing there with her hands folded in front of her robes. Argo looked at her and said “And who are you, Quillisar …”
Balerra took her hood off and said “Balerra...I heard you were leaving without saying goodbye.”
Argo smiled and said, “Quillisar, I did not even know we were friends. Now, if you will excuse me…”
Balerra continued without moving, “An SS officer leaving a Quillisar who has a direct message for your boss? Where is your faith, my child?”
Argo smiled. He continued. “My apologies, Quillisar. I was in a hurry to meet up with a ship that is going home.”
Balerra continued, “Certainly they will not leave without you Lord Argo. Did you see what happened out there, at the Mining Facility?”
Argo replied, “A lot of unnecessary dead miners?”
Balerra corrected him, “A lot of unnecessary dead members of the Quill, my child.”
Argo replied, “Do not protest and there is a good chance you will not get shot.”
Balerra countered, “Not exactly a positive declaration for change. Physically, the body can take a lot. But the spirit, the soul of the energy, cannot exist without purpose to live. That is what my members were seeking. But that is not what I was referencing.”
Argo answered, “Hopefully you are going to tell me before the next Offering?”
Balerra answered, “I have been around for quite some time my son. There are very few Quillisar’s older than me…”
Argo, in a sarcastic tone, replied, “A fact that surprises no one…”
Balerra continued, “A long time ago, a Quillisar Priestess went off on a Spaventa. Do you know what that is?”
Argo responded, “Probably not a weekend on Vandabri…”
Balerra continued. “Spaventa is an enlightenment. It is a walk for one hundred days into the rocks, caves, and mountains of Avola. You can drink water, but you cannot eat. You only take in every bit of energy the planet and its surroundings give you. Only the highest, most dedicated of Quillisars can achieve this pinnacle. When they do, they come home and engage their newfound energy, glowing in their field stone, among the rest of the Quill. But, only one Quillisar, in all my years, has been able to light up all the field stones in a mass, regardless of color.”
Argo asked, “You, Quillisar?”
Balerra shook her head. She said, “No. But your Quillisar will know who I am referring to. I thought I would never see it again, until it happened yesterday in front of you.”
Argo was now silent. He just stared at her. He replied, “What would you have me do with this information?”
Balerra responded, quietly but confidently, “You tell Prill what you saw and that it was no Quillisar that caused it. You watch his reaction.”
Argo paused for a few seconds with an odd look on his face. Balerra took a step forward and whispered. “Containment is an illusion if you cannot see what you actually possess.”
Argo stared at Balerra for a few more seconds. Finally, understanding the full reference, he asked,
“Anything else, Quillisar?”
Balerra stepped to the side, and Argo proceeded to take a step onto the ramp. As he was taking his next step, Balerra said, “Lord Argo, one more thing.”
Argo stopped and slightly shook his head. He turned around, and Balerra continued. “Hating these people is your problem. Having the power to kill them without consequence has now become mine.”
Argo looked at her and, while nodding to the Majavkee Lords, said, “You can start with that collection of imbeciles right there.”
Balerra responded, “You tell yourself that if you want. Just do not tell that to someone who lost a loved one yesterday.”
Balerra turned around and walked away. Argo shook his head again and walked up the ramp.
Belinea 8.10
Belinea, Capital City
Ambassador Compound
The two TC’s landed as the six DAG soldiers led by Lieutenant Orlando all got out. Tunsall, Trujillo, and Ambassador Bird, followed. The entire group of nine walked down the path next to the rows of Ambassador condos. All were naturally camouflaged by the very tall pine trees. The misty rain gave a fog-like condition everywhere, making it a little easier for security and ideal for privacy. Lieutenant Orlando led the group, and said, “Ambassador this way.”
Bird looked over at Tunsall and Trujillo, each with armor on, each with rifles. He asked, “Where did Alexis go?”
Trujillo answered, “She is at the DAG office. She said she had to send a message.”
Jones was looking out the window while Willits was eating a piece of fruit. Jones said, “Hold on, I see something.”
Willits asked sarcastically “Adult entertainment? Or something else?”
Jones answered, “Definitely something else.”
Willits got up and stood next to Jones. Jones squinted his eyes trying to see better. “That looks like two DAG soldiers escorting someone in front of Bird’s condo, but that is not Bird.”
Willits added, “That person is too short.”
Jones asked “Who the hell is that?”
Ambassador Yi was walking with two DAG soldiers from Lieutenant Orlando’s team. He had a hood on as he tried to camouflage himself a bit so no one would recognize him. He stopped in front of Ambassador Bird’s condo and tried to open the door. He was talking to himself as he whispered, “The master code is here somewhere….”