A Couple Hours Later

“Ah, so here’s where you all went.”

“Hey, sir.” Major Hackett nodded toward Saito as he stepped through the doorway. She then returned her attention to polishing the silver gun resting on the table before her. “Did you need something from us?”

“Nah…” Saito shook his head, watching Hackett clean her gun for a few moments before shifting his gaze over to Captain Travis and Researcher MacTavish, who were tending to their own gear at the same table. All around them were dozens upon dozens of lockers and a handful of locked closets, each one containing guns, ammunition, sets of armor, and anything else that could be found in an armory. Eana’s Gatefort armories were larger and better equipped than most in SERRCom, even among all of the organization’s Earth-bound bases. After all, as SERRCom’s Primary Fortress World, Eana usually served as the rendezvous and departure point for any large operation — and as such, the world needed to be able to provide SERRCom forces with all the tools that they needed.

Eventually, Saito cleared his head of idle thoughts and returned his attention to the Major. “I’m just out for a little walk. Still, it’s nice to see you all taking this mission so seriously.”

“We do ship out in under a day,” Travis pointed out. “Gotta make sure all of our gear is in shape.”

“True.” Saito nodded, and then smirked as he eyed the weapons in Hackett and Travis’s hands. The Major’s silver weapon bore the shape of a shotgun, with a large barrel, while Travis had a regular assault rifle at his side. “A Railshot and an AR02,” the Colonel mused. “Not your typical weapon picks, Major, Captain.”

“Well, we are storming a base, sir,” Hackett pointed out. “We don’t need the range of an assault rifle, and against any potential Black Suns defenses, the stopping power of a Railshot could be useful.”

“If only my own shooting interests ranged that short,” Travis grumbled. “As a marksman, why do I keep getting put on missions where we go indoors? Can’t we do any outdoors shooting?”

“That’s part 2 of the op, Captain,” Saito declared. “Focus on part 1, first. Once we hold the Gatefort, you can switch back to your sniper rifle and snipe to your heart’s content.”

“Can I get a Railrifle instead of the usual SR02? Since, uh, you know, Black Suns shields are usually pretty tough.”

The Colonel chuckled to himself. Whereas the Gauss-SR02 was SERRCom’s standard sniper rifle, the Railrifle was a higher-power, longer-ranged, but slower-firing anti-materiel rifle. The Railrifle and Railshot both were SERRCom’s only small arms that utilized proper railgun technology; when combined with a larger caliber size than their Gauss cousins, the Railrifle and Railshot both had devastating power, focused at long range and short range, respectively. The Railrifle in particular was a beast of a weapon capable of utterly obliterating any unshielded target — and flooring most shielded targets — from up to 5 kilometers away. In exchange for this power, however, the Railrifle’s internal battery had only half the operating time of an SR02, and the weapon itself was incredibly ungainly to carry around. As such, its use in field missions was largely restricted.

Not that that’ll stop Travis from trying to get his hands on one, the gun nut that he is, Saito mused. He’s right that it would be more effective than an SR02 against Black Suns shields, but… “I’m afraid I’ll have to reject that proposal, Captain,” the Colonel stated. “CSF-1’s role in part 2 of the op will be a mobile one. And ‘mobile’ is one thing that a Railrifle definitely isn’t.”

Travis sighed and slumped his shoulders. “I figured you’d say that, sir. Worth a shot, though.”

“Next time, Captain. Next time,” Hackett responded while offering Travis a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, though on her face was a barely suppressed smile of amusement.

Saito merely smiled to himself as he watched the other two officers. A moment later, he shifted his attention to the side, where MacTavish was sitting hunched over her laptop, which was plugged into an armor chestplate that laid on the table beside her. “…Hey, MacTavish,” the Colonel greeted her, causing her to jump in her chair and stare at him, wide-eyed. “…Little jumpy today, I see.”

“U-um… r-right…” MacTavish muttered, averting her gaze as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“You’ve been pretty quiet all day. More than usual, in fact. Is something wrong?”

The Researcher remained silent for several more seconds, fidgeting in her seat as her attention jumped all around the room — though never to anywhere near Saito’s face. “…Uh… w-well…” she eventually spoke, “…I, just, um… …w-why am I, uh… here?”

“Because you’re a member of CSF-1,” Saito replied, as though it were the most obvious fact in the world.

“Y-yes, but, uh, well… I, uh…” She cast her gaze to the side; following her eyes, Saito spotted the lone pistol she had next to her. “I’m, um, not good with, uh…”

“Right… I see where you’re going.” The Colonel sighed, and then turned to face her fully as he planted his hands on his hips. “This mission is much more of a direct assault than CSF-1 is usually called for, and it’s true, there’s less meaning to bringing a support member like you on a mission like this.”

“Y-yeah—!”

“However, that isn’t to say that you’ll be useless. The fact of the matter is, MacTavish, you’re the best in-field hacker and tinkerer I know — and we’ll be going up against the Black Suns, who have plenty of tech to hack and tinker.”

“…Oh… b-but…”

“Everything will be fine, MacTavish,” Saito declared, flashing the Researcher a broad smile as he did. “Just treat this like any other mission. Leave the gunfights to the Major, Captain, and myself, and you can handle dealing with any technological threats that come our way.”

“Honestly, we might not get into any gunfights, anyways,” Travis pointed out. “We’re with the Eximius Vir. They can take out any threat before it gets even close to us.”

“Captain’s got a point. With all of the Eximius Vir here, all four of us are practically redundant,” Hackett stated, and then passed the Railshot next to her a forlorn glance. “I wonder if I’ll actually get to use this thing…”

“Heh… true, true. Having the Eximius Vir around will certainly make things easier on us,” Saito remarked. “Still, let’s make sure we all take this mission seriously. It may seem just like a reclamation of an old, abandoned colony, but we will be up against the Black Suns. Even if the soldiers in question aren’t actually part of the Suns and are just using Black Suns equipment, we’re bound to have a tricky fight ahead.”

“Fighting the Black Suns… oof…” Travis grimaced. “All of their weapons out-range ours, their shields are tankier than ours, their mechs are faster than ours, and they have Chaotics… you know what, on second thought, let’s just leave everything up to Mote and Kate. What do you say, sir?”

“Not a bad idea, Captain. But that’s not the kind of op that Shepherd wants. He wants a symbolic op, that involves both us and the Eximius Vir. So, like it or not, we’re part of this.”

“A typical top brass move…” Hackett muttered.

“Don’t worry, Captain, I’m confident we can handle this,” Saito declared. “If I thought there was substantial risk, I would’ve pushed back a lot harder than I did.”

“Still, though, sir. I still don’t understand the importance of Sunova in the first place. Haven’t we already gotten everything important from that planet? What could be left?”

“W-well, actually…” MacTavish spoke up, briefly meeting eyes with Hackett before diverting her gaze and fidgeting when she realized that she had drawn the attention of Saito and Travis, as well. “Uh… Sunova actually appears, um, a-among the Dreadnought coordinates…”

“Really?” Saito passed the Researcher a curious glance. “Huh. I didn’t expect that.”

“Well, we did discover the Master Ayas there, right? And the Nanocreatures?” Travis questioned. “Maybe that’s why the Aldredas were keeping track of the planet.”

“Th-the Ayas, um, o-only appeared on Sunova after, uh, th-the first Chaos Energy Quake,” MacTavish refuted. “C-can’t be the reason…”

“And based on the stories I’ve heard, there wasn’t anything like a Nanocreature research lab in Sunova’s caves, like what we found at that space station,” Hackett mused. “Hmm… so, are you saying that there really is something else on Sunova that we haven’t found, yet?”

“M-maybe…”

“It’s also possible that there was a lab deeper in the caves that we hadn’t yet discovered,” Saito pointed out. “Based on the stories I’ve heard, by the time SERRCom encountered the Nanocreatures in the caves, they were already loose. If there was a lab hidden in there, well, that would certainly explain where they came from.”

“If that’s the case, then what’re the chances there are more…?” Travis questioned uneasily.

“Well, we at least know to be careful, this time. Plus, we’ll all have our powered armor to protect us. In a worst-case scenario, we just need to flee the Black Suns beam jammers and have one of our ships beam us to a decontamination bay, to incinerate any nanites that are clinging to our shields.”

“True, I guess…”

“All things considered, Commander Shepherd has put a lot of resources into this op. We should be able to handle almost any conceivable scenario, so long as we keep our wits about us. Speaking of…” The Colonel stretched his arms into the air and opened his mouth wide as a yawn overtook him. “…I think it’s time we all got some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, after all.”

“Ah, r-right…” MacTavish responded quietly as she began unplugging wires from her laptop.

“The Captain and I will finish up here soon,” Hackett commented. “You go on ahead of us, sir. Don’t worry, we’ll get our sleep.”

“Good to hear, Major,” Saito replied as he turned toward the armory’s exit. “I’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning. Let’s make this op a successful one!”

---

*

“Mark!!”

“Huh—? Whoa!” Mark glanced to the side just in time to see Danielle perform a flying leap at him, latching onto his torso in a big hug and sending him staggering back. An amused grin overtook his face as he quickly regained his balance and began stroking Danielle’s hair. “Excited to see me, huh?”

“Of course!” Danielle exclaimed, turning her head upward to look Mark in the eyes while she remained attached to him. “It’s been over a month! That’s the longest we’ve ever been apart since we joined SERRCom!”

“Heh… I suppose so,” Mark commented, his grin softening into a mere smile. He then shifted his gaze to around a meter behind Danielle, where a certain blond-haired woman with a red bandana and crimson greaves had approached. “You here to see me, too, Kate?” Mark questioned.

“I’m not here for you, specifically,” Kate immediately refuted, her arms crossed as she turned to look off to the side. “I was just out to get some fuckin’ fresh air, and ran into Danielle here, and then she just dragged me around everywhere…”

“Aw, admit it, you missed him, too!” Danielle remarked, finally releasing Mark to bound over to Kate’s side.

“I won’t admit shit. Especially not anything that fucking sappy.”

“I see nothing much has changed while I’ve been gone,” Mark said, stepping up next to Kate and Danielle and then looking down at the area around them. The three currently stood atop the roof of Eana’s Gatefort barracks, a five-story structure from which the entirety of the sprawling Gatefort complex could be seen. A large, green courtyard lay out in front of the barracks; the campus’s main administrative building stood across the courtyard from the barracks, and along the east side of the courtyard was the building that hosted Eana’s Interstellar Gate. Mid-afternoon light cast long shadows across the Gatefort campus east of the Interstellar Gate building, where a number of hangars and vehicular maintenance structures could be seen, complete with dozens of mechs and tanks under repair or in the process of being moved around the fort. To the south of the maintenance complex were a handful of football-field sized landing pads for SERRCom spacecraft, though even at a hundred meters long, they were only large enough to support Frigates, Destroyers, and a select few Cruisers.

All in all, Eana’s Gatefort sprawled across a large plot of land several kilometers on a side; beyond the bounds of the fort were the beginnings of a small town, accompanied by a small lake to the north, and some distant mountains to the west. Aside from that, however, the region surrounding the Gatefort consisted entirely of sprawling plains, stretching from horizon to horizon. The only man-made feature breaking up the endless plains were a number of railroad tracks, spreading out like a web from a massive train yard attached to the Gatefort, just behind the building with the Interstellar Gate and north of the maintenance complex. A handful of freight trains could be seen coming and going, transporting goods to and from some of the other facilities that dotted Eana’s surface, such as mines, power plants, or factories. SERRCom had been developing Eana for nearly three decades, after all, and as a Fortress World, the entire planet was marked for military use — several dozen facilities dotted the planet’s surface already, all taking advantage of a Terra planet previously unmolested by intelligent life.

“It’s a big place, isn’t it?”

Mark glanced over at Danielle, who herself was slowly sweeping her gaze across the sprawling Gatefort below. “…True,” he eventually replied. “Eana is SERRCom’s Primary Fortress World, after all. It stands to reason that the facilities here would be massively accommodating.”

“Now if only the barracks were more ‘accommodating’,” Kate grumbled. “All this fucking space, and I still have to share a room? Give me a fucking break.”

“You don’t like rooming with me…?” Danielle questioned warily.

Kate passed Danielle an annoyed glance. “Oh, don’t fucking give me that. It has nothing to do with you, I just want my own fucking space every now and then. Is that so much to ask?!”

“Well, we are here on a mission,” Mark pointed out. “Temporary quarters are always bound to be more cramped than permanent ones.”

“Yeah, yeah, fucking, whatever…” Kate muttered. “Still, for a Primary Fortress World, this place is an undeveloped mess. They still don’t even have goddamned rails through the Gate!”

“You can hardly compare Eana to other Primary Fortress Worlds like Siionkagh, or even Kandieras,” Mark refuted. “SERRCom’s only been operating for almost 30 years. Compared to the hundreds of years that the CSA or the Nimalians have on us, of course their Fortress Worlds will be more advanced and developed.”

“You don’t have to be that advanced to mount an Interstellar Gate around two railroad tracks…”

Danielle cocked her head inquisitively. “Why would you want to do that?”

“So you can use the Gatetrain network, duh,” Kate retorted. “Everyone knows it’s faster and easier to transport large amounts of goods by train, right? Well, the CSA and the Nimalians — hell, even the Syraus figured out that you can send trains through the Interstellar Gate if you mount the Gate just right around the rails. It makes shit so much more efficient, but SERRCom has barely adopted it at all!”

“I’m pretty sure there are plans to,” Mark pointed out, and then gestured out toward the train yard. A handful of construction machines could be seen parked just outside of the Interstellar Gate building. “Just give them time, Kate. Maybe they’ll even be done by the next time we’re on Eana.”

“’Give them time’, he says…” Kate grumbled.

“Well, I don’t really know much about any of this… but riding a train to a different planet sounds fun!” Danielle remarked.

“It isn’t really any different from a regular train ride,” Mark said. “It’s actually kind of mundane…”

“Wait, you’ve done it?!” Danielle spun around to face Mark, her eyes wide with interest. “When—? Oh, it must’ve been while you were on Nimalia, right! I wanted to ask about all the stuff you’ve been doing, actually! But then you disappeared after the briefing…” Her expression transformed into an impatient pout. “Where’d you go? I wanted to talk to you!”

“It was just some mission prep with Mote, that’s all,” Mark replied with a sheepish smile. “Sorry if it seemed like I was running from you, I really didn’t mean it. After all, we’re talking now, right?”

“Oh, true, yeah…” Danielle nodded along, and then re-adopted her wide-eyed grin of interest. “So, what’s Nimalia like, huh? Tell us, tell us!”

“We’ve been to Nimalian worlds before,” Kate pointed out.

“Yeah, but not, like, the Homeworld or anything! Nimalia’s gotta be different, right?”

“Ah ha ha…” Mark chuckled in response. “I suppose it is, in a way. I’ve only seen a couple of cities on Nimalia, though; most of our time there was spent in a desert town.”

Kate snorted. “Sounds like a shithole.”

“Well, some of the people living there would agree with you…” Mark admitted. “Compound Tresnon can take a little bit of getting used to, and the people living there can be a little standoffish at first. But ultimately, they’re all good people, I think. And the food items there are very unique.”

“Aw, I’ve been missing your cooking…” Danielle commented. “But I guess getting to try out new foods would be the dream of a cook like you, huh?”

“In a way, I suppose. There’s supposed to be some kind of Thanksgiving-like holiday on Nimalia in a few weeks, actually. I was hoping to make a few dishes for that, if I’m back in Tresnon by then, at least…”

“Hmph. Sounds like you’re having a lot of fun,” Kate drawled.

“Ah… well, there’s been a few instances of danger, too, but… I guess so,” Mark replied sheepishly. “…Have things not been going well around here in my absence?”

“I’ve really missed you. Does that count?” Danielle questioned.

“Tch…” Kate passed Mark and Danielle an irritated glance before shaking her head and turning away. “…It’s nothing. I doubt you or the Captain could’ve actually changed anything anyways, Mark.”

Mark eyed Kate warily. After a couple moments of uncomfortable silence, he said, “…I’m sorry for not being around to help. I’ll do my best to make it up to you on this next mission.”

“What?! No, that’s not—! Agh…” Kate released an irritated sigh. “You and your damn apologies… look, Mark, this isn’t your fuckin’ fault, I’m not blaming you for anything. It’s just…” She crossed her arms and kicked angrily at the ground, her crimson-and-gold greaves actually chipping away at part of the cement. “…Mission after mission, we’ve been losing, losing, losing! And I fucking hate losing! And then you come in, and start talking about all the fucking shit you’ve been up to on an alien planet… it’s just, infuriating!”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t you fucking apologize for something that isn’t your fault!” Kate snapped, only to facepalm a second later. “Ah, damn it… it always feels like I’m the one who’s wrong when I snap at you, Mark.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kate. I know that people just need to vent, sometimes. I don’t hold it against you.”

“And there it is, that’s fucking why, you’re too damn understanding… who am I supposed to get mad at now, huh?!”

“Well, we’re gonna be fighting the Black Suns, right?” Danielle pointed out. “Why not them?”

“Yeah, but that’s not until fucking tomorrow! I just want to fight something, damn it!” Kate stomped her foot impatiently. “Aaarrghh! This fucking mission had better go down without a hitch! I want a complete victory, I want to fucking wipe the floor with the asses of those Black Suns mercs!”

“Be careful,” Mark cautioned, “the Black Suns are known for employing highly skilled Chaotics. You could get hurt if you let your guard down around them.”

“All the better!” A mischievous grin crossed Kate’s face as she began cracking her knuckles. “An actual, proper fight against other Chaotics… do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had one of those?! Oh man, now I can’t fucking wait for this mission! I wanna kick some Chaotic ass!”

“And now that Mark and Captain Travis are here, we’re back to being full strength!” Danielle remarked with a grin as she threw her left arm around Kate’s shoulders, and then extended her right arm to put it around Mark’s shoulders and draw him in closer. “Don’t worry, Kate! With all of us here, I’m sure everything will be fine!”

“Alright, alright, don’t fucking jinx it, now.”

“…It is good to see the two of you, again,” Mark commented, gently patting Danielle on the head as he passed Kate a smile. “I know things have been rough, lately, but I’m rooting for you, too, Kate. And maybe, when this is all said and done, I’ll get a chance to show everyone around Nimalia. How’s that sound?”

“Oooooh! Really?!” Danielle questioned, her eyes practically sparkling.

“…I guess I’ve heard worse ideas,” Kate muttered, her arms crossed as she pursed her lips and looked out over the Gatefort — though Mark could tell that the faintest of smiles was threatening to overtake her stoic expression.

“Sounds like a plan, then,” Mark declared. “But, in the meantime, we should probably return to our quarters. It might be mid-afternoon here, but we have less than ten hours before we need to meet up with the Colonel.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know how fucking interplanetary time zones work,” Kate retorted, turning away from the edge of the roof and leading the trio to the stairs down into the barracks. “But even if I only get half as much sleep as I need, just you fucking watch, I won’t let us lose this time!”

---

*

“Another mission…”

Mote idly looked down at his hand, muttering to himself as he walked through the corridors of the Gatefort. The mission clocks read just past midnight SERRCom Earth time; Eana’s own local time didn’t match, but that ultimately didn’t matter. SERRCom’s standard clock across the whole organization was set to be the same as Earth’s clock, specifically Coordinated Universal Time with zero offset. As such, Mote was already on the way back to his temporary quarters for sleep, despite the sun still being up.

As he walked, he occasionally passed other soldiers and officers that were going about their own duties; sometimes a soldier would recognize Mote and stop to offer him a salute, but he never responded with more than a firm nod or affirmative grunt. His mind was elsewhere, focused on the operation in which he was about to participate — and all of the circumstances that surrounded it. The Black Suns… Mote thought to himself, his brow creasing in confusion, …I knew that they were no good. But ultimately, they’re only mercenaries, and the group we worked with a few months ago didn’t seem as impressive as the ‘hype’ around the Suns would indicate. So why bother with such a large operation to remove them…?

“Be careful with those furrowed brows, son. Nothing will give you wrinkles faster.”

“Hmm…?” Mote momentarily stopped in his tracks and snapped his attention to the approaching voice — and then immediately straightened up his posture and saluted when he spotted Commander Shepherd approaching him. “Oh, sir!”

“It’s fine, Lieutenant. At ease,” Shepherd replied with an amused smirk. “You look like you’re deep in thought. If it’s a question about the op, feel free to ask.”

“Well…” Mote dropped his hands to his sides, but maintained his stiff posture as he eyed the Commander. Shepherd was about average height for an Earthian man, but that still made him shorter than Mote by three inches — so Mote found himself looking slightly downwards to meet his superior’s eyes. Nonetheless, Shepherd’s confident demeanor dominated the hallway, and filled Mote with a sense of mild unease. The Colonel said to be careful around Shepherd, and I do trust Saito, but… I still don’t understand why… “…Ahem,” Mote eventually cleared his throat and his thoughts, and then refocused his attention on Shepherd. “No questions about the op, sir. I understand what’s expected of me.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Lieutenant,” the Commander replied, and then gestured down the hallway. “I’ve actually been meaning to speak with you, Emerson. Mind if we walk and talk?”

“Uh… no, sir. I was just returning to my quarters, anyways,” Mote answered, falling into step beside Shepherd as he began walking. “Did you need something from me, sir?”

“Oh, no, hardly. Your participation in Operation New Dawn is more than enough,” Shepherd declared. “I was merely curious, Lieutenant. The last time we spoke, we were in the middle of a rather interesting conversation, before being interrupted. I’d like to pick up where we left off.”

“Oh… right.” Mote nodded absentmindedly as he thought back to the brief conversation he had with the Commander over a month and a half ago, before the recruits had even left Earth. As far as Mote recalled, Shepherd had raised concerns about handing the recruits over to the Nimalians — a concern that Mote himself couldn’t help but agree with. I also remember Saito cautioning against Shepherd’s world view… Mote mused, but he never offered a concrete reason as to why. I suppose speaking with the Commander myself is the next best way to see. “Is there something you wished to add, sir?” the Electrotechnic eventually questioned.

“Well, time has a way of altering opinions,” Shepherd remarked. “It’s now been a month and a half since the recruits were sent off to Nimalia, and with them, Captain Travis of CSF-1, and Lieutenant Cox of the Eximius Vir. I’ve heard that you weren’t pleased at the idea of being split up.”

The beginnings of a grimace crossed Mote’s face before he fought to suppress it — he was talking with a member of SERRCom High Command, after all. “…I suppose I did say that, sir,” Mote eventually replied.

“I’m not reprimanding you, Lieutenant. I fully understand where you were coming from. I was just curious to see if you still think the same, after being split from your compatriots for this long.”

“…Oh. Well…” Mote fell silent for a moment as he ran his mind over the memories of his past several missions. “…Mark’s help would always be appreciated. But, thinking rationally, I’m not sure if his presence would have helped on our previous missions—“

“I didn’t ask if Cox would’ve been a help,” Shepherd cut in, drawing a startled glance from Mote. “I asked whether or not you liked being apart.”

“…I… suppose not, sir. He is my friend. That being said… uh, permission to speak freely?”

“I’ve said it before, Lieutenant, and I’ll say it again: the Eximius Vir always have permission to speak freely in my presence.”

It’s usually a trap when officers say that, Mote thought bitterly, …but if I want to figure out why Saito dislikes Shepherd, then I might as well take him up on this for now. “Alright then… generally speaking, I don’t have an issue when a mission splits up the Eximius Vir. We all have very different abilities, after all, so it would be naive to expect us to always stay together. This time, though…”

“It’s because of the circumstances, isn’t it?”

Mote passed Shepherd another surprised glance, only to find the Commander looking back at him with a serious expression. “…Well, yes, sir,” Mote continued. “Both the duration of the separation, and the reason. It feels… asinine.”

“I fully understand what you mean, Lieutenant,” Shepherd declared, returning his attention forward as he guided Mote around the Gatefort corridors. “Ostensibly, we’ve sent the recruits off to Nimalia so that they can train and better themselves, for the sake of strengthening SERRCom. So why, then, would we weaken ourselves by sending parts of CSF-1 and the Eximius Vir to act as chaperones, of all things? Certainly, we could have sent some other officer, instead.” He then passed Mote another glance. “Am I close?”

“I… suppose, sir.”

“It certainly is a puzzle, isn’t it?” The Commander stopped walking next to a long window; Mote stopped to join him in looking out across the central courtyard which was currently bathed in afternoon sunlight. “It makes you wonder what the true goal of this Nimalian excursion really is. Particularly if you’ve heard some of the troubles that the recruits have gotten themselves into — run-ins with violent criminals and the Nanocreatures, of all things. And yet, Lead would have them remain on Nimalia.” Shepherd glanced at Mote again, with an eyebrow raised inquisitively. “It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

Mote nodded. “It does, sir.”

“I’m glad you agree. SERRCom’s attitude toward other organizations in the galaxy has been distressingly lax as of late. The Nimalians, the Core Space Alliance, even the Black Suns… just how long will we roll over and play along with their every whim?”

Mote found himself nodding along. When Shepherd says ‘SERRCom’ or ‘we’ here, I’m sure he’s actually talking about General Lead… but even so, he’s right. Why ARE we just playing along with the other nations? We seem to be giving up a lot, so what do we gain?

Almost as if to answer Mote’s unspoken question, Shepherd continued, “don’t get me wrong, Lieutenant. The Nimalians have done us a great deal. They helped to get our space fleet off of the ground by lending us use of their foundries, and they sell equipment to us at discounted rates. However, that was all in exchange for copies of our Subspace Drives — that is to say, we should not have any debts to the Nimalians.”

“…Are you saying that General Lead sent the recruits to Nimalia because he thinks we’re still indebted to them?”

A subtle smirk crossed Shepherd’s face as he chuckled to himself. “Who knows? That could be it. But there certainly is a pattern of behavior. You can look to the Black Suns for that, as well. Despite the Suns very clearly infringing on SERRCom’s sovereignty when it comes to Sunova, we’ve yet to condemn them. Even worse, we’re simply sitting by as a Black Suns officer is allowed to get close to the recruits on Nimalia!”

“I’ve heard about that as well, sir…” Mote responded, his face scrounging up in frustration. “I did think it sounded suspicious.”

“Exactly. Lead is trying to please every influential organization in the galaxy, ostensibly in the hopes of negotiating ourselves into a better position… but all he’s managing to do is weaken our image.”

So he’s dropped the pretenses and started criticizing the General directly, Mote thought to himself. I suppose it IS a little unbecoming for a member of High Command to speak ill of the leader of SERRCom. If this is what Saito was talking about, then I think I understand where he was coming from. But even so, no one should be free from criticism, not even the General of the Space Forces himself…

“For SERRCom to stake its place in this galaxy of ours, we need to prove that we are — above all else — self-sufficient,” Shepherd declared. “We need to demonstrate that we respect our own sovereignty, and our own people. And we can’t do either of those things if we let PMCs get away with a slap on the wrist, or put our own precious Chaotics at high risk for the vaguely possible benefit of better education.”

Mote nodded. “I agree, sir. But what can we do about it? These are both decisions that came straight from Lead himself…”

A broad smile formed on Shepherd’s face, covered partly by his bushy mustache. “I’m glad you asked, Lieutenant. It shows that you recognize that things need changing around here. That said, you are correct — these directives come from Lead himself. There isn’t much that can be done about that, even by a member of High Command such as myself. However… I think I can offer you a step in the right direction, Lieutenant.”

“…How so?”

“You’ve worked under Colonel Saito for years, so I’m sure you understand how close he and the General are,” Shepherd began, and then slumped his shoulders as he heaved an exaggerated sigh. “…I don’t mean to speak ill of the Colonel, but as he currently is… the fact is that if you disagree with the direction SERRCom is heading, then you won’t get anywhere if you remain under his command.”

“Wait…” Mote drew back in surprise. “Sir, are you saying…?”

“Join the General Forces,” Shepherd declared. “With my guidance, and your power, I’m certain we can put SERRCom firmly on the path of self-sufficiency. Only then will we be able to look our galactic colleagues in the eye, and say that we deserve to stand among them.”

“…”

“It’s a big ask, I know. And I’m sure we’d face push back against putting you under my direct command. But we’re ultimately talking about the future of SERRCom, here — no, the future of all Earthians. This path is far from an easy one.”

Mote simply stared at Shepherd in silence for several moments, unable to find any words with which to respond. Joining the General Forces under Shepherd’s direct command… he thought to himself, shifting his gaze to look out at the distant horizon through the hallway window. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this. I agree with most of what Shepherd has said, but why me? Why now? And why such a massive promotion?… After another couple moments of thinking, Mote opened his mouth to reply. “…May I ask a question, sir?”

“Of course.”

“…Why me? I’m just a Lieutenant, while you’re the Commander of the General Forces. A member of High Command. I just don’t see what I could offer you…”

“Don’t undersell yourself, Emerson,” Shepherd replied confidently. “You’ve been blessed with a power and reach that precious few will ever have access to. The people of Earth love you and the rest of the Eximius Vir, and your martial ability is nothing to scoff at. Hell, you fought off a Drakkar Faction Leader single-handedly — that kind of power is exactly what SERRCom needs to prove itself to the galaxy.”

…Right. He wants me because I’m a Chaotic… Mote idly looked down at his right hand, watching as he allowed several small sparks to dance in his palm. ‘With great power comes great responsibility’, so the old quote goes. I’ve always understood that, lived by that. But… With a deep breath, Mote turned to face Shepherd fully. “…I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer, Commander. Not yet.”

“Oh?” Shepherd turned to face Mote himself. “Not yet, eh?”

“Yes… I understand that you’re working for the betterment of SERRCom, sir, and I do appreciate it. I sincerely do. But I don’t think that I, alone, will be that great a help to you. Not to mention that joining you would inevitably mean splitting up the Eximius Vir.”

Shepherd nodded in understanding. “True. I suspected that might be a concern for you.”

“Just as with you, sir, I believe that SERRCom’s future lies in self-sufficiency… but I don’t think that splitting ourselves along idealogical lines is quite the answer, and that’s what would inevitably happen if I left the Eximius Vir right now. Plus, well… I may not fully agree with Colonel Saito on every subject, but I do still trust him, as I do everyone else in CSF-1, and the Eximius Vir. And I enjoy working with them.”

A disappointed smile spanned Shepherd’s face. “…That’s a shame, Lieutenant,” he eventually replied. “But, I understand where you’re coming from. You have a good head on your shoulders, to be able to so clearly voice such an opinion.”

“Thank you… sir. I hope I haven’t disappointed you.”

“Oh no, not at all, Lieutenant. As I said, I was asking a lot of you — it’d hardly be fair for me to get mad that you turned me down!” The Commander chuckled briefly. “Still, if you ever change your mind, my offer stands. I’ll always welcome anyone with an earnest desire to shape SERRCom’s future for the better.” He then passed a quick glance at his wristwatch. “…Apologies, Lieutenant. I’ve kept you up for so long on the night before a mission! Let me get out of your hair.”

“It’s no trouble, sir,” Mote replied as Shepherd turned away and began walking down the hallway, in the direction the duo had come from.

Shepherd offered a casual wave in response, not once turning around to face Mote. “Get some sleep, Lieutenant. I expect great things from you tomorrow!”

“Yes…” Mote muttered to himself, remaining standing in the hallway as he watched Shepherd leave. It wasn’t until the Commander disappeared around a corner that Mote finally turned his attention away, just to stare once more out the hallway window. I can’t leave the Eximius Vir. Not yet, as annoying as things have gotten lately. And not before I can verify why Saito doesn’t like Shepherd. Is it really as simple as them disagreeing on how much SERRCom kowtows to the rest of the galaxy? Surely not… Mote shook his head, and then turned down the hallway to find his temporary quarters. Now isn’t the time for thinking about that. I can decide how to approach things later. For now, I need to focus on the mission… and how to show the galaxy that SERRCom won’t simply let them push us around.