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Pre-Ceremony

---

Olivia would do anything for her odd selection of friends. When she came to think of it, they were more than just friends, they were family, bound by someone precious that they lost to tragedy long ago. Each and every one of them had a piece of Samuel inside of them and together they carried his spirit and memory onwards through time and hardships. Olivia made sure to always remind herself of this fact, no matter what the circumstances, and she had a feeling that people like Britney Farron—to some extent—could understand, perhaps even respect that. No matter how long Olivia had been away from any of her friends, it always felt like a lifetime. One could compare her perception of time to that of a canine: Olivia had no idea whether ten years or ten minutes had passed when it came to seeing her friends. When her attention was entirely focused on Jyn, Olivia’s facial features produced that wide and warm smile her friends had grown accustomed to over the years.

“Thanks Olive,” Jyn said.
“You’re welcome, sweetie,” Olivia replied.
‘…damn it, I said it again… have I always said things like that? I honestly can’t remember… should I just ask her? No… that’s weird... I’m weird…’
“I’m sorry if I dragged you into all this. I forgot how clumsy I can be when I’m hungry,” Jyn continued.
“No need to be sorry, Jyn… I too am clumsy, all the time.”
“By the way, I did hear our names mentioned in the PA system. I was unable to hear the rest since I stumbled over...recklessly.”
Olivia chuckled underneath her breath; the girl was just too adorable.
“So, do you mind telling me why?” Jyn continued.
“Heh… of course not—it’s most likely our WARG initiation. Come on you silly goose, we’ll go there together,” Olivia said, locking her arm with Jyn’s and marched forward in a rapid pace.

When the two girls arrived at the reception area of the administration offices, most of their friends were there. Olivia always made a quick count in her head when she saw them; just to know who that was present and who that was not, and the results informed her that Remi and Aaron had not yet arrived. It was no cause for panic, but it was her process, which she needed to go through in order to relax. However, her train of though was interrupted by the frustration regarding Roy and the hotdogs, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“Hey Liv,” Thael said, which lightened her mood a few notches.
‘…has he always called me Liv? ...I can’t remember…’
“… Hi Thael,” Olivia replied, as the bones in her body were almost crushed from a ‘quick squeeze’ by the mountain that was Thael.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve rescued you from Britney back at the Windsurfer, but then the announcement...anyways, I guess congratulations are in order!”
‘…yeah, that’s right… you should’ve done that…’
“Well, if and whenever the ladies become interesting again, you’re going to be the one who has to put up with that wench, because apparently… she wants to ‘wreck’ you,” Olivia said.

---

Post-Ceremony

---

*
Olivia had barely finished her poorly formulated sentence before Freddy had at it. There was not much she could do when he decided to let his thoughts spew out of his mouth in what felt akin to an eternity of cruses and offensive sentences, even if he meant well. Olivia modestly and gently placed her palm over her eyes and forehead and then said: “Freddy, please… could we not?” However, Olivia was not sure if he or anyone else heard what she said, as he continued his rant. It was as if Freddy’s usual ravings had been amplified by Olivia’s newly appointed responsibilities as a Captain; it was as if the burdens of a lifetime of leadership descended upon her with impious fury and without mercy. Her heart and mind raced to the point of dizziness. She had to momentarily place her other hand on Aaron’s shoulder, so she would not faint.

Olivia could never have guessed that such a bantam amount of events in an equally bantam amount of time could amount to such an overwhelming feeling: she knew that both Thael and Remi would have made much better Captains than her, on paper; she had no idea if she would ever be able to control this group as her subordinates; and she knew that the one who should have been their Captain was none other than Sam. Olivia silently broke away from the group, gently caressing Jyn across her shoulders and Kat on her cheek—being the only two girls between Olivia and brief solitude—as a sign of ‘see you later.’ When she vanished around a corner and out of reach, Olivia almost despondently broke into tears. Her mind briefly rushed her to a place of imagination in which nothing in her current existence mattered; Olivia found herself standing in a field of endless high grass and white-clad skies, back to back with Samuel himself.

“What’s the matter? Are you giving up already?”
“…Why did you have to leave me…?”
“You know why.”
Olivia tilted her head ever so slightly, noticing the gown presence of Samuel standing behind her.
“I can’t do this without you…”
“Yes, you can,” Samuel said with great confidence, reaching his gaze towards the skies.
“What if they don’t listen to me… what if I can’t…”
“Olivia, don’t worry about it. They see me in you and you see me in them…. as long as you are with them, you’re always going to be with me… and everything will be okay.”
“…I suppose…”

Some sudden, distant metallic noise snapped Olivia out of her daydream, one from which she wished never to wake up. Her eyes were watery and swollen, but she made sure to cover herself from any concerned students or faculty members that passed her by. Her brief woolgather had consumed fifteen minutes of the twenty that they had been given, thus she was in a hurry all of a sudden. The only thing she would have time for was to procure her weapon, Cerberus, from the armory, where she had left it for maintenance a few days earlier. Yet again, Olivia had to pass up on a much needed shower and formal apparel.

Moments later, she took a nearby service elevator to the sublevels of the academt complex, where one could find training areas and the armory. Students were not supposed to use the service elevators, but Olivia did not have time to backtrack down the halls to the administration offices reception area and the regular elevator. When she arrived at the armory, Olivia was greeted by ‘Big Mike,’ the only man who was qualified to handle all that hardware. He was in the business of cleaning, maintaining, and modifying weapons of all kinds. He was an old gangster from the streets of Linea City, one of the roughest city-states in the world, where he used to run weapons and other illegal hardware.

“Hi, Mike.”
“Heeey, Olivia, w’sup?”
“Getting pushed by suits, you know how it is.”
“I feel ya, I feel ya. What can I do for ya?”
“You got Cerberus ready?”
“Right here,” Big Mike said, and uncovered the somewhat grandiose fusion gunblade. “I made some mods to it, as well—you’ll be blastin’ sh*t up in no time,” he continued.
“Oh, yeah? …what’s different?”
“I extended and modified the chamber, so that it’ll be able to hold various ammunition types that you find out there.”
“That’s cool. Thank you so much Mike, I really appreciate your help,” Olivia said, grabbed her gunblade and gave it a few swings and twirls.
“Woaahh! … Easy there girl, don’t want you messin’ up my place, you ‘ear?”
Olivia chuckled and grabbed the holster off of the counter and chucked the gunblade inside—when she wore the holster contraption, her gunblade was vertically suspended across her buttocks.
“I hear ya,” she smiled.
“You take care of yourself now, and of that fine booty you insist on covering up with that blade.”
‘…fine booty? …I have a fine booty? …ugh... that’s nice, I suppose…’
“Hah… I will, see you around, Mike.”

---

Main Gate

---

The early morning’s beautiful weather had vanished behind a series of dark clouds converging on Doral and the academy. This particular region of the world was prone to stormy weather, so every moment of sunshine was diligently harnessed by its inhabitants. However, the winds were not yet strong enough to tip anything over, as they were but modest breezes. But, this did not stop Olivia from looking forward to when the weather would pick up the pace, as she secretly adored stormy weather and rain. Or perhaps it was not a secret, considering that Olivia’s spirits were predominantly of those forces. Either way, the change in weather was a welcomed sight, just as the Appleberry’s were a welcomed sight. Olivia had always been fond of Kim’s family, especially Samuela.

Olivia hurried her pace towards the group, her face bursting into a childishly warm grin as she approached them. She noticed Magdalena being her usual self, so Olivia made sure to wrap her arms around her for a quick squeeze before moving on to the others, or more specifically: Samuela. Olivia was one of those people who became absurdly silly around infants, with ‘baby-talk’ and weird noises. Britney Farron hated that kind of behavior, which is why Olivia practiced herself to exaggerate it beyond reason. Little Sam did not seem to mind it, though. Olivia insisted on holding Sam for a while.

“Oh! Look at me, I’m such a beautiful little girl,” Olivia said with a somewhat comical tone. “Yes, yes I am! Thoochooo, googhi, goochiu! Yes! Such a nice little lady. Yes, look at me! It’s difficult to believe that I’m the daughter of a big, furry animal. Yes! Yes, it is!” Olivia continued, as she held Samuela in her arms, gently tickling the little one’s cheeks with her nose and mouth. When Olivia was finished with being silly, she shifted her attention to Michaela and Clair: “It’s so nice to see both of you again, and thank for the wonderful gifts.” And then Olivia fell into the depths of childishness once again, looking to her friends who had arrived. “Oh! Look there, who is that? Who is that?” Olivia asked Samuela, who was basking in delightful, enchanting laughter. “That’s Emily! Look, it’s Emily” Olivia said, gently grabbed Samuela’s arm and poked at Emily’s nose. “Yes, it is! It’s Emily. She has such beautiful hair, don’t you think?” Olivia said to Samuela. “Yes! Yes, she does.”

---

Field Marshall Sawyer

---

Once again, the friends had to stand in line and attention in front of a man of considerably higher rank. However, it was not just some random higher up. This was Field Marshall Sawyer, a hardened war veteran that thought most of the academy’s child-soldiers were too soft and that they were not good for anything other than being meat-shields.

“I am Field Marshall Sawyer, your senior operations officer. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be ‘sir’—do you maggots understand that?”

“Sir, Yes, sir,” the friends said in unison.

“Good! You unorganized, sorry heaps of amphibian shits have been assigned the defense and counter-strike of the Norton City incident, which began fourteen hours ago. The adversary is none other than the air superiority of Nautilus. You know what this means. There will be fast, multi-dimensional maneuver jets, infantry with jetpacks, elite paratroopers, and Mechs so big they could almost fit your mothers in them—it will be f-cking nasty. However, the Council has decided to send you there anyway, so here we are.”

“Now, ground transportation from the academy is tied up until thirteen hundred hours, which means that you will have to hike to Doral from here, where a Norton City naval unit is waiting for you. I don’t want to hear any f-cking moaning or crying about the transportation to Doral. You are the elite of the elite now, suck it up.”

“Olivia Celestine is your Captain. You do whatever she orders you to, no questions asked. Second command is assigned at her convenience. You will accept her decision without question, or moaning, or bitching. She will possess the one and only ‘tagger gun,” the Field Marshall said and handed Olivia a prototype firearm. “It’s a prototype weapon designed to tag enemies and relay holographic information to you based on our internal database. It will display health readings of the target, weaknesses, and other useful information. If you lose this weapon, you’re paying for it.”

“I will be in constant contact with you through the WARG application. We are expected to resolve the Norton City conflict within forty-eight hours, so I suggest you get your asses moving right now— Dismissed!”



Chapter II "Departure" *

After the Field-Marshall’s instructions to the group at the main gate, they were finally venturing into an unknown future. They did not know what or whom that would oppose them in Norton City, or anywhere betwixt, but they had each other and together they were stronger than anyone could possibly imagine. As they traversed the Doral farm belt towards the town itself, Olivia was in deep retrospect of what Field Marshall Sawyer had said, and what she knew about Nautilus. It was not an ordinary city-state; it was a massive air platform orbiting the entire planet. Some say that it could transform into a space ship and traverse the stars to alien planets, but it was most likely fairy tales conjured by propaganda. Olivia was not sure how she felt about going up against such a superior military force, perhaps her feelings would settle into their rightful place once she could see the enemy with her own eyes. The hike to Doral was about forty-five minutes on foot, if one kept a rapid pace. It did not take long for Olivia to succumb to lazy fatigue. She could have sprinted more than half the distance in one setting, they all could, but they were—or at least Olivia was—after all a lazy, former teenager. She did not care what the Field Marshall said about not complaining, he was not here to hear what she said.

“This…is… bullshit…,”Olivia panted. “How…in the name of everything… can… all the academy cars… be… occupied at the same time?” She continued. “I mean… come on!... how does something like… that… happen?!” Olivia stopped her pace and placed her fine booty on the dirty ground. “We’re taking five…” She said and yawned: “Oh my, I’m so sleepy…”

Sometimes, Freddy truly lovehated his friends. He lovehated them with the brutal intensity of a million suns gone supernova being bombarded by a trillion ultra-nukes, with a lit match being tossed on just to add that tiny bit of heat and intensity to make the analogy perfect. This was one of those moments. Freddy had to suppress a shudder at Kat's touch.

Sweet shitbricks I need to get laid. First that trick by Puck, and now just THAT makes me want to swoon!?

"Fuck you Kat!" Freddy exclaimed. After a moment, not wanting anyone to twist his words, he added, "Platonically! With a missile!"

It was a good thing it was hard to tell that Freddy was blushing. He usually went red with rage anyways. Between his volume, how explicit he was, his shockingly ridiculous physical capabilities and his many burn scars, Freddy actually looked rather frightening while enraged. To strangers, that is. His friends seemed to find it FREAKING HILARIOUS.

He heard Aaron's comment, and rounded on him, mouth a thin line.

"You're one to talk, Hot Head! You're like Terrence Baker, that one dude in the Assault on Giant anime!" Freddy said, before assuming the most brutish posture he could and attempting to imitate Aaron's voice, "I will kill ALL the Giants! Hnnnngrhghrrrrrr!"

Puck then spoke, and Freddy just stared at him for a few seconds. Then, slowly, he nodded, his body visibly relaxing.

"Yeah...yeah, that's fair. Okay, once we get back we're working on this shit! And...look, if you ever need someone to listen to you, you can talk to any of us. Me included. I won't fucking judge you for opening up to me," Freddy told Puck, "God knows I've been trying to get Remi to freaking show an emotion or two for years. The man's so cold that it's winter all year round in that room."

Thael then offered him hotdogs, and Freddy barely had time to wolf one down with speed and gluttony he didn't think he had before Thael wrapped him in a hug. Thael talked about how they'd be stuck with each other, and Freddy simply blinked. While his appearance looked blank, internally he was fighting the greatest battle of his entire life.

No...any time but now.

Freddy could feel the blood flowing to the exact wrong place. He could feel his underwear slowly becoming more inadequate as he felt Thael's embrace. In his mind, it was like two massive armies battling for the fate of the universe. One side fought for social non-awkwardness. The other army could simply be called the Army of Bones.

GOD DAMMIT LIL FREDDY, YOU CALM YOUR SHIT DOWN RIGHT NOW OR I WILL UPPERCUT YOU INTO THE GOD DAMN SUN, BEFORE BLASTING IT APART WITH NOTHING BUT MY PURE, UNBRIDLED RAGEFURY I SWEAR TO GOD!

"I-...yeah," was all Freddy said as Thael released him. He then coughed, feeling awkward for a very obvious reason.

***

The ceremony was fine. No problem. He didn't mind it. He...had to admit, he wasn't expecting Olivia to be the leader. However, when he thought about it, she was the obvious choice. Only Freddy put more effort into keeping the team in good shape, and the way he did it didn't exactly inspire confidence. A leader wasn't supposed to irritate his subordinates into finally giving in and doing what he asked. Olivia though...well, Freddy knew he respected her, and she was a smart girl.

***

OH MY GOD WHO DOES THIS DOUCHEGOBBLER THINK HE EVEN IS. I SWEAR TO HYPERCHRIST IF HE DOESN'T SHUT UP I'M GOING TO MAKE OUT WITH HIM THEN UNLEASH A THOUSAND CONCUSSIVE FORCES STRAIGHT INTO HIS VERTEBRAE!

It took every ounce, every last little scrap of Freddy's less-than-stellar self control NOT to say these things out loud. However, when they were rid of Sawyer, and he thought no one was listening, Freddy took the chance to walk up beside Olivia and proclaim, "Seriously, fuck that guy! But, hey, who are you thinking for the second in command? I'm personally thinking Remi's a good choice, since he's got the best tactical mind out of us. Thael's tempting, but he's too much of a natural leader. He's not vice-captain material, really."

It was actually rather arrogant of Freddy to immediately start bothering Olivia on her thoughts. He did catch himself, however.

"Wait, shit, sorry, you're probably still adjusting to this whole 'being in charge' bullshit. Er, not that it's bullshit you're the captain! Honestly you're the obvious choice! I mean, you're like, constantly there for us! Shit, I certainly think you're a great choice as captain."

He paused.

"Holy shitting Buddha I'm just being awkward I'll go over there now."

***

Freddy had been enjoying the hike. He loved physical exertion. It was simple, and when he was manic and his mind was racing and the world was nothing but infinite chaos it was one of the few things he could channel his energy into successfully without feeling the intense frustration of failure. When he was depressed, it was slightly less enjoyable, but meh.

So when Olivia dramatically declared it was time to rest, Freddy let out a loud groan.

"By all the stars in heaven and every single fuck I don't give, Olivia, don't be a lazy shit! It's not that long of a freaking hike! I mean, yeah, it's kinda bullshit, and I'm pretty sure that taint-licking scrub was lying to us, but if anyone can go without cars it's probably the superhumans who can bond with spirits!"

Sentinel seemed to voice his approval in Freddy's mind, and Freddy rolled his eyes. Sentinel loved when Freddy was being confrontational. Its approval filled him with shame.

Shut the fuck up.

Departure

---

The friends had just parted ways with the Field Marshall, rapidly advancing beyond the academy grounds and towards Doral. The scenery was magnificent, especially with the dark clouds converging on them in the distance. The deep growling of thunder could be heard and the light breezes had transformed into random gusts of air, capable of swaying trees about. As the friends crossed a hill overlooking the farm belt, Freddy approached Olivia with conversation.

“Seriously, fuck that guy!” Freddy said.
“Who, Sawyer? The man has probably seen more action than everyone at the academy combined, what did you expect?” Olivia replied.
“Anyway, hey, who are you thinking for second in command?”
“I don’t know, Freddy…”
“I’m personally thinking Remi’s a good choice, since he’s got the best tactical mind out of us…”
“You’ve got that right…”
“Thael’s tempting, but he’s too much of a natural leader. He’s not vice-captain material, really.”
“I don’t think they mean for us to have two captains at the same time. The second in command thing is only for if and when we split up, but we’ll see what happens then. No point in worrying about the future, a future we know nothing about…”
“Wait, shit, sorry…”
“Hmm…?”
“You’re probably still adjusting to this whole ‘being in charge’ bullshit…”
“No, it’s fine…”
“Err, not that it’s bullshit you’re the captain! Honestly, you’re the obvious choice!”
“…you don’t have to be humble for my sake, Freddy.”
“I mean, you’re like, constantly there for us! Shit, I certainly think you’re a great choice as captain.”
“That’s sweet of you to say…”
“Holy shitting Buddha… I’m just being awkward… I'll go over there now.”


Olivia smirked at the adorable boy, who was barely taller than she was. No matter how loud or obnoxious he would get during their journey, she knew that he would always stay by her side, even in the face of Armageddon. The thought was comforting. Fred truly had Sam’s loyalty, which made Olivia’s otherwise turbulent soul tranquil.

Later…

“Oh my, I’m so sleepy…” Olivia said and fell flat on the ground from her seated position, gazing at the cloud riddled sky.
“By all the stars in heaven and every single fuck I don’t give, Olivia, don’t be a lazy shit!” Freddy said.
“…I can be lazy if I want to…” Olivia said and closed her eyes.
“It’s not that long of a freaking hike!”
“…yes it is… and I’m still hung over…”
“I mean, yeah, it’s kinda bullshit, and I’m pretty sure that taint-licking scrub was lying to us, but if anyone can go without cars it’s probably the superhumans who can bond with spirits!”
“…‘taint-licking scrub’? That’s rich…Fred… I hope you entertain us with your clever choice of words the whole way…”

Olivia yawned as she tilted her body over to support it on one of her elbows. Surveying her surroundings she noticed a lonely Birch tree not thirty meters away.

“See that tree over there, Freddy? Why don’t you run over there and climb it, and then describe… shout… to me what you can see…” Olivia said. “… check how far we are from Doral… you know… that brightly lit antenna in the distance,” she continued.

Aaron took Freddy's insult in stride and in some ways took it more as a compliment. He understood that Freddy was one of those people that operated under the mindset of 'if I didn't like ya' I would scream at ya'. As the others began to file out of the admin office Aaron began to leave himself when he witnessed what would be by far the most hilarious thing he would most likely see in a long while. Thael being the kind hearted person that he was walked over to Freddy and gave him a hug in the most sincere and loving fashion, the funny part was Freddy's reaction. If anyone else was to come around the corner and see the exact same thing that Aaron was witnessing, he thought, it would look like someone was stabbing Fred with a rusty screw-driver and twisting it. Aaron stayed and watched the inner struggle rage in Freddy's head trying his hardest not to fall on the floor laughing. That was something that he would have to screw with Fred about later.

Remembering that he was on a deadline, Aaron quickly made his way back to his room and and changed into his official military attire. The room itself was stark and bland since he had no roommate and tended to keep his focus on what he had to do. As he folded his beret onto his belt and began to make his way out the door he paused in front of the mirror hanging on the door. The over all attire was something that made Aaron swell with pride, he had finally achieved his goal of becoming a WARG operative and he was one step closer to getting his revenge on the aliens that had stripped him and his friends of the most precious thing to them.

'I'm almost there Sam. One day soon I will be able destroy all of those damned monsters that took you from us, and I will do it so that none of our friends will have to suffer. Even if I have to kill them all on my own.'

As if on cue, a voice rose in the back of Aaron's mind and without even having to think about it he knew exactly who it was.

'You know that's not a healthy way to live Aaron.'

'I know...but its not fair that Liv and the others should have to fight and suffer. If I can fight for them and save them from all of the pain and suffering then why shouldn't I bear that weight for them?'

'Its not just about you Aaron. I know that you have been angry since that day but you have to learn to let go of that anger and let your friends bear some of that weight with you.'

Aaron let out a loud audible sigh because he knew that 'Sam' was right. All of the things that his friends were going to have to go through now that they were soldiers made him anxious and scared for them. Aaron had to grow up quickly since he never had parents and had to do things for himself. While some like Freddy, Puck and Fuzzy he wasn't worried about, Thael and Olivia he believed were not ready for actual combat.
Suddenly realizing that he was still on a schedule, Aaron quickly ran to the weapons store room and retrieved his two favorite short blades, then turned on a dime then bolted towards the main entrance of the campus. Once again Aaron silently fell in line with the others hoping that it would go unnoticed that he wasn't always there.

'Damn it! I have got to stop running late like this.'

As Aaron continued to berate himself he was reminded of where he was when Field Marshal Sawyer came in barking the details of their assignment. While he went through his speech Aaron kept himself at perfect parade rest doing everything that he could to not bring attention to himself. As Sawyer became more and more insulting and berating it was everything that Aaron could do not jump out of line and defend his friends from the overbearing asshole in front of them. Just as before a voice rang in his head,

'That would be a very bad idea Aaron and you know that. Curb your tongue for just a minute longer and you can be done with him.'

Taking "Sam's" advice he held his tongue and let him finish. When Sawyer was done with going over the details with them he let them loose and sent them on their way. Aaron's eyes narrowed on the door as it slowly opened up showing the grey stormy skies above them, he couldn't wait to get started.
====================================================================================================================
[c]Ch. 2: Departure[/c]

The skies above them showed signs that a storm was right around the corner which made their trek through the Doral farmland even more urgent that the group make haste. Aaron continued lost in his thoughts as the group began traversing up and down the rolling hills of the farmland, and as they crested the top of a particularly large hill Aaron took a moment to eye what was to be their destination. In the distance a small antenna could be seen which was some sort of radio transmitter (or so Aaron believed), that was Doral. As time progressed Aaron continued to watch his new Captain slowly degrade into the lazy youth that they all deep in their hearts knew they were, although Aaron believed that it was a bit more than the hike that was beginning to wear down Olivia. As Aaron started to walk up and try to talk to Olivia Freddy made the same move and began to carry on his own conversation with her.

'I guess I'll talk to her later. God knows that Freddy will talk enough for the both of us.'

Not much time had passed before Olivia finally succumbed to the attitude of her age and plopped herself down on the dirt road, loudly signaling that it was time to take a rest. As the rest of the group began to find comfortable places to sit and wait for their Captain to signal the march again Aaron looked out over the distance towards Doral.

'At this rate it will take forever to get there, and if the skies decide to unload a storm on top of us then I'd imagine Olivia and the others will be even unhappier.'

Aaron thought as he looked around at the group of friends. Freddy began 'shouting' at Olivia about this forced break and Aaron could see Olivia become more and more agitated with him. The sight brought an uncontrollable smile to Aaron's lips, something just wouldn't change. As Olivia sent Freddy on a BS assignment to climb a tree to get a better idea of their position Aaron finally saw his chance for a little bit of privacy with Olivia. As Freddy took off towards the Birch tree some thirty meters away, shouting new and imaginative curses as he went, Aaron slowly walked up to Olivia who was still laying on her side trying to nod off to sleep.

As he made his way over to her he could feel his heart begin to race, his palms start pouring sweat and his throat begin to dry out. He hoped that it wouldn't impede his conversation.

"I will never understand where he comes up with these creative curses, eh Liv?"

A Study in Green

Remi stared at the blade. A simple thing. Small, functional, no unnecessary adornments. The only embellishment, the academy logo inset in the polymer handle and a serial number stenciled into the pommel. 122876. The number had no special significance. But there was an elegance to the little object. A purity of purpose that Remiel found...pleasing. This was a tool, engineered for singular intent. It was meant to facilitate the deliberate acts of cutting and piercing. It had no other utility and needed none.

But it was not special. In spite of the singularity of its purpose, it possessed no special qualities that made it stand out from any other of the countless blades like it. It could save a soldier's life, be the critical difference between success and failure. But no one would spare it much thought.

Remi returned the blade to its sheath. Remiel aspired to be the knife. He worked and honed himself to be an instrument of razor edged intentions. Perhaps that was why. Perhaps, in spite of his utility, all that he had done to temper himself into an efficient, irreplaceable tool...he was replaceable, a fungible, forgotten piece of kit. He was alright with that possibility. All he had ever wanted to was to serve well. Glory meant nothing to Remiel. Glory was for bellowing blowhards and pageant queens. Remiel strapped the blade to the inside of his gloved forearm with conviction. He straightened and looked at himself in the mirror. He frowned.

But why not me.[/] After all, Remi had worked every preprogrammed wargame scenario in the academy's archive until he'd mastered each and every one. He had spent hundreds of hours on the simulations. He was a full order of magnitude higher than any of his team. He would have been even more highly placed if not for his consistant failure of the randomized scenarios. But what did that matter? On aggregate, he was still the best choice. The [i]logical choice. So why? What was missing. What was the flaw that kept him from command? Was there an imperfection he could not see? Was he simply made of inferior materials. Why?

Remi's frown deepened. He was no jealous. Jealousy was the purview of spoiled children and insecure fools. Remiel was not jealous. He was just trying to understand. Yes. That was it. This was just a matter of incomprehension. Remiel just wanted to understand the decision. Maybe he could speak with WARG's appointment council. It wouldn't take long, just one question. Remi inspected himself in the mirror. The combat, bodyglove clung to his lean, angular frame. A body he had worked as hard as his mind. Winnowed down until only skin, muscle, bone, sinew, and nerve remained. He was the second ranked unaugmented undergraduate close quarters combatant in the academy. Surely that counted for something. They had to know how hard he had worked to be the best soldier possible. They had to.

Remi's frown twisted and tightened into a grimace. He certainly wasn't vain. Vanity was for...the clock flashed backwards in the mirror, catching his eyes. The pale green numbers playing across the glass.

"Shit."

*****

Remiel had never been late to an official function in his entire tenure at the academy. He vaulted over another railing as he cut across the campus. Not once. Punctuality was a virtue. A single second could mean the difference between success or failure. He leapt down the remaining flights of stairs towards the main vestibule. How could he have most track of time today? The beginning of his combat tour! Remi whirled around a pair of cadets, his combat webbing slapping around his flanks. Now, more than every he needed to be vigilant. On point at all times. He couldn't let his personal hang-ups interfere with his duties. If he wasn't going to keep to task who would?

Bursting out of the main entrance, Remi decelerated as his team came into view. All momentum, all of his worries bled away for a single instance as he looked down on them and remembered. That's right. That was why he cared so much about some stupid Captain position. Why the numbers and the sweat meant so much. For a single, brilliant moment of clarity, Remi could see the forest for the trees. No one had spotted him yet, no one to see. For the single, private instant Remi smiled. Not a large smile, just a little grin. Like the light glinting off of his blade, it flashed and vanished from his countenance. Remi collected himself and rounded on his team, his face a mask, his movements fluid and sharp. He looked at each of them before finally turning to Olivia. He nodded.

"Captain."

*****

"With respect Captain Celestine, I believe we should keep moving under cover. If the Nautilus have secured the outer city and are anticipating our response, they are certain to have long-range sentries waiting for our approach. Every second we spend here is one more chance for them to take notice and organize a response." Remi kept low to the ground, knee-crawling forwards with swift, professional movement, that nonetheless looked completely ridiculous among his less disciplined squad mates. Drawing the spotter scope from his webbing, Remi extended the end over the ridge.

"...rangefinder puts us at being 1.7 kilometers from the city limits. I can see no signs of Nautilus patrols, though there could be forces hiding in the copses and residential structures as we approach."

Remi withdrew from the ridge, crawling backwards towards his group. He looked up and around at his squadmates. Some sitting, some standing. Some looking at him like he was a complete jackass.

"...what?"

-----After the Group’s Departure from the Main Gate-----

The Appleberry’s continued to wave at their grandchildren until the group vanished from their view. Once gone, their arms lowered themselves down. “And there they go,” Clair announced to no one in particular as her wife whispered a prayer. The old couple stood there, watching nothing for a moment longer until they turned to each other at the same time. They smiled at each other. They were both ready to go. As they walked towards the school building, Clair and Michaela’s hand automatically searched for each other and stayed glued together for the whole walk.

Clair’s hand instantly missed Michaela’s warmth once the two had to let go of one another to greet Dr. Perth at her office. They shook hands with their grandson’s doctor. “It’s good to see you again Dr. Appleberry, Mrs. Appleberry.”
“Thank you. It’s good to see you too, Athene.”
Dr. Perth glanced to the man standing next to her. “This is my colleague, Dr. Haziq Ramirez. He’s part of the science team researching the nature of spirits---…” Before Dr. Perth finished introducing the young scientist, Dr. Ramirez practically jumped his way over to Clair and shook her hands feverishly, eyes twinkling in admiration. Dr. Perth sighed, “he’s one of your fans.”

“It. Is. An. Honor. To meet you Dr. Edrik. I-I love your work. Your theory on Eternal Etro and spirits is phenomenal. I especially thought the concept of Yggdrasil is---…”
“Haziq. Calm down. Dr. APPLEBERRY is not here to listen to your ramblings.”

“Oh. Um. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” The young scientist laughed awkwardly before finally greeting Michaela. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He turned to Samuela, and in the most high pitched baby talk tone he could muster, greeted the infant, “hi there little princess. Hi! I’m Haziq! Ha-Zi-Q.” Samuela returned the greeting with a blank stare, either dumbfounded or unimpressed with his mastery of baby talk. Regardless, it was not nearly as exaggerated or as high pitched as Olivia’s baby talk was. “Aww… aren’t you just adorable! What’s your name sweetie pie?”

While her associate continued to fondle over the child, Dr. Perth sat down with Clair and passed her a tablet computer. “Here’s the medical records on Kimberly.” Clair took the tablet without hesitation, and after putting on her reading glasses, proceeded to read through the records full of medical mumbo jumbo as if she was casually reading the morning newspaper. Out of habit, Dr. Perth was ready to explain the medical results in layman’s terms, but quickly remembered that the man---… woman in front of her studied in the science field even before she was born. Clair worked as a botanist now, but Dr. Perth knew she could have mastered any field of science or medicine. She simply notified Clair that information considering Kimberly’s spirits was at the end of the document and left the old woman to her reading. While she waited for Clair to finish, Dr. Perth’s attention moved back to her colleague. “Haziq, stop harassing the poor girl.”
“I am not harassing her. I’m entertaining her.”
“I doubt it’s working if she’s giving you the thousand-yard stare.”
“No she’s not. See look! She’s smiling at me.”
Dr. Perth leaned in to get a better look at the girl. Then noticed something. “She’s not looking look you.”
“I think she’s a little too young to be having flashbacks of the good old days, Athene.”
“Observe, you sorry excuse for a scientist.”
“What are you talking about? I have astute observational powers,” Dr. Ramirez began then suddenly stopped.
“What? Did you finally realize you don’t have such powers?” Silence. “Haziq?” Dr. Perth looked up at Dr. Ramirez and then followed his line of vision. There, they saw Michaela and Samuela looking at the same direction, moving their eyes, and occasionally their heads, in unison when the invisible something moved. Taking some time to get to the conclusion, Dr. Ramirez finally asked, “you two can see spirits, can’t you?”

Michaela looked away from the invisible object and faced the scientists, but only smiled wearily, not affirming or denying the claim disguised as a question. But that was enough for Dr. Ramirez. The scientist suddenly gasped and screamed, “you’re Lady X!”
It took a moment for Dr. Perth to process what Dr. Ramirez said, “wait, what?”
“Lady X, you know, the test subject from---…”
“Haziq!”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. Participant. The participant in one of Dr. Edrik’s earlier case studies! Wow, I was wondering what happened to Lady X! Who knew she actually married him!” His eyes sparkled again, “wait, wait! That means almost every generation of this family has at least one person with some degree of heightened spiritual senses!”
“Haziq.”
“No, really. I mean, there’s Mrs. Appleberry, First Lieutenant Faye, and then there’s Samuela. That. Is. Amazing! I wonder if it’s hereditary. Is that even possible? Then again, I guess anything could be possible. We know too little about the spirits. Mrs. Appleberry, was your daughter---…” Dr. Ramirez slowly fell silent when he pronounced the word daughter. Quickly regretting that he even started the conversation. “Ah shi---… fuc---… damn it! Excuse my language.”

Clair calling for Dr. Perth’s attention made both of the doctors jump from where they sat or stood. Dr. Ramirez looked like he was preparing himself to get punched, but no such thing happened. Clair pointed at the tablet, “you mentioned that you think this ‘Ghost’ is either a product of psychological distress, a spirit associated condition, or a combination of both. Can you tell me why?”

While Dr. Perth moved closer to Clair to explain her hypothesis, Dr. Ramirez turned back to Michaela. Watching the young scientist facing down with puppy dog eyes, reminded Michaela of the time when her grandson and his friends accidently destroyed an entire cabinet full of china in her coffee shop. How they coiled in fear, huddling close to one another, faces down, waiting for the punishment they were sure they would receive. Michaela chuckled to herself, before placing her free hand on top of the young man’s hand. He looked up, surprised at first, but then he relaxed. “I apologize for my insensitivity.”
“I accept your apology, but… sweetheart? Just to make this clear, it’s not a taboo to talk about my daughter. She may be dead, but mentioning her is not contagious.” The man nodded. “As for my time during the… studies… Well, we don’t talk about it, because it just reminds me how much of a pompous jackass Clair used to be and apparently it reminds her how much of a dull-witted shrew I was when I was younger.” Dr. Ramirez wasn’t quite sure if the old woman was telling a joke or not. “It was a match made in heaven,” Michaela grinned. “Speaking of matches. Have you heard about the time I beat him in a boxing match?” Now, he knew she was just pulling his leg.

---

“Why did you tell Dr. Ramirez about the boxing match?”
“Why not?”
“I personally like to pretend that never happened.”

The two laughed and continued to joke around as they walked their way to the Academy’s main entrance. When they got close to their destination, the Appleberry’s noticed a familiar face walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. The red headed man, who was much too young to be wearing a Major general’s uniform, also noticed the couple, but made a deliberate attempt to ignore them. Clair and Michaela exchanged looks and nodded to one another. Their eyes narrowed on to their target.

The Major general knew he should have turned away and find another route, but he knew they would have chased him down regardless and he didn’t have time to waste. The redhead straightened his back up and continued to walk down the hallway. First, the soldier simply tried to walk to one side of the hallway. As expected, the old couple moved towards that direction, blocking him from passing through. Next, he tried moving to the other side and, once again, the couple blocked his path. From the third trial on, the Major general attempted more elaborate methods to dodge the encounter with the old ladies, ranging from various basketball moves to throwing his wallet and wrist watch at the feeble elders. It was a cheap shot and he wasn’t proud of it, but it was better than ramming them down. Not even he was willing to stoop that low just yet. It didn’t matter either way, though. The Appleberry’s deflected each attempt. In the end, they had him right where they wanted him to be: in front of them.

The two opposing forces stood in the middle of the corridor. Silently, the Appleberry’s returned the soldier’s belongings. “I believe you dropped this, sir.” The redhead sighed in defeat and accepted his personal items. “What do you want?”
“Oh nothing,” Clair smiled innocently. “I just dropped my bag here.” Slowly, Clair raised her handbag then dropped it to the ground. The two forces stood there in silence, before the Major general broke the silence with a sigh and was ready to pick up the bag before Clair stopped him. “Oh, no good sir. Please. I can do it myself. No need to trouble yourself.” The redhead groaned in frustration, “damn it, I don’t have time to---…”
“Oh! Ooooooh!” Clair cried as she turned her handbag inside out, letting its entire contents to drop onto the floor. “Oh noooo! How clumsy of me! Oh, oh!” Clair shook the bag for extra measure. “Look at this! Such a mess! The tragedy! Love! Help me! I can’t do this on my own!”
“Oh, you silly, silly person. You are so clumsy. Let me help you.” With that, Michaela practically shoved Samuela into the soldier’s arms. The redhead’s face paled. He held the baby as if she was something between a ticking bomb and a priceless fragile porcelain doll. Michaela started to help Clair pick up her belongs, “be sure not to drop her.”
The soldier glared at her, “then don’t give her to me!”
“Hmm? Oh, sorry dear, I’m having trouble hearing you.”
“You’re lying and you know it.”
The two old women laughed.
“I hate you both.”
Samuela giggled.
The Major general shifted the baby into one arm to point at her with his free hand, “and you are just as bad as them.” Mistaking the pointed finger as an offering, Samuela tried to bite it. The soldier quickly pulled his finger away from her mouth, “no. Don’t do that. You don’t know where my hands have been.” The Appleberry’s snickered. “Shut up you wicked witches. I’m trying to be mad here. What did I say about meeting me in public!?”
“Sorry, good sir, what did you say?”

The Major general sighed deeply and simply gave up. The Appleberry’s took their time picking up the scattered contents of the bag. A time, which the soldier spent scrutinizing the baby in his arm. The redhead’s rough gaze eventually softened up. He caressed Samuela’s checks and smiled back when she smiled at him. His eyes glistened when he recognized whose eyes Samuela had. It was the eyes of someone who’d never come back. Someone who would never smile like this ever again.

The Applberry’s wished they could have let the soldier stay longer with the baby, but world around them did not care. From the main entrance, another familiar figure appeared, wondering what was taking the redhead so long. The old man in an expensive dark colored suit walked towards the small group, then halted when he saw Clair. In a span of a few seconds, the old man’s expression changed from surprised recognition, to disgust, to hate, and to indifference. “Nathaniel. What are you doing here? Did you get what I asked for?”

Although his back was facing the old man, the redhead, Nathaniel, recognized his father’s voice and turned stiff. He did not dare turn to face him, however. Not with the baby in his arms. Nathaniel held Samuela close to his chest.

“Are these… people bothering you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then stop wasting your time on them,” he gave Clair a particularly dirty look, “they’re not worth it.”

“Mr. Edrik?” The man turned to another person who came running from the school’s entrance, “we’re about to begin.” Mr. Edrik nodded to the person and faced his son once again only to say, “hurry up,” and then he left.

Nathaniel stood still until was absolutely sure his father left. Once the front doors closed, the soldier returned Samuela to her grandparents and walked right passed them without a word. Without ever looking directly at any of their faces.

Once outside, the Appleberry’s finally figured out what all the commotion was about. Surrounded by camera lenses, flashes, and reporters, was Mr. Edrik. As the Appleberry’s slithered their way past the crowd, they could hear one of the reports talking about how the Edrik family, one of the most wealthiest and influential families, had made another significant donation to Oakridge Military Academy. The reporter claimed that William Victor Edrik stated that he had made the donation because he believed in supporting the young troops, but Clair knew that was a lie. William, and the Edrik family in general, never donated to charity: they made investments. The Edrik’s did this only to gain more power. They did this, to make sure Nathaniel would never have to fight in the frontline. It was difficult to deny the possibility that his family’s money bought him his rank at that age. Despite the fact that he was talented enough to have eventually earn that title on his own. But they didn’t care. They never did care: to the Edrik’s, they were the most important people on the entire planet. To loose an Edrik was a tragedy. That’s what they taught their children since birth. That’s what Clair used to believe a long time ago.

“Let’s go, Love.”

---

----- Departure -----

As usual, Kimberly was in the rear of the group when Olivia announced that she was tired and required rest. Worried that perhaps Olivia was not feeling well, Kimberly broke away from his usual spot and headed towards her. “Are… you feeling all right... Olive?” Kimberly’s hand reached up to touch Olivia’s forehead, but retreated at the last moment. There was no point in trying to check if she had a fever when he was mostly covered in battle armor. “I… can carry you if… you feel sick.” Kimberly was quite serious. In fact, he could carry anyone and everyone ---with some help from the spirits--- if need be. It would not be a comfortable ride ---not with him covered in hard metal and people being stacked on top of each other--- but it was not impossible. And anything that was not impossible was a potential choice.

Main Gate

And then Olivia fell into the depths of childishness once again, looking to her friends who had arrived. “Oh! Look there, who is that? Who is that?” Olivia asked Samuela, who was basking in delightful, enchanting laughter.

“That’s Emily! Look, it’s Emily” Olivia said.

Emily was standing next to her, looking off into the distance. When Olivia said her name, she jerked her head around sharply, like she'd been startled, and for a moment her face was flat and sour. When she saw the baby, though, she managed a smile. She bent down to reach its eye level, and smiled. It smiled back.

Olivia gently grabbed its arm and poked at Emily’s nose. “Yes, it is! It’s Emily. She has such beautiful hair, don’t you think?” Olivia said to Samuela. “Yes! Yes, she does.”

Emily giggled, and immediately felt childish for doing so. She thought the moment was supposed to be serious, and indeed, it had been until just now. She wondered why Olivia felt okay taking this detour to pay attention to a little child... but then she realized that if she were Olivia, she would have been happy for any distraction from what was coming.

"I didn't know you liked my hair, Liv," she said, still watching the baby.

“Of course I do, sweetie. We are like Day and Night, you and I,” Olivia said, while frolicking with Samuela, and then meeting Emily’s gaze at the end of her sentence.

"It used to be all black," Emily said. "When I was little." She ran a hand through her hair, a little self-conscious.

For a brief moment, of splendid ponder and retrospect, Olivia attempted to recollect an image of her dear friend during their childhood years, and whether or not she could see Emily with blackened hair. …do I know this?... hmm… I can’t remember… how embarrassing…

“I’m sure you were as lovely then as you are now,” Olivia said, with a slight tone of doubt. “Here, you want to hold her?” Olivia asked, hinting at Samuela.

"It only started to get lighter around the same time as I... well, yeah," Emily trailed off. "Sure. I'll hold her."

Olivia felt quite distraught over the fact that she was unsure of when Emily’s details changed in such a distinct manner. However, somewhere in the depths of her mind, the very back of her darkest corners, Olivia knew that she had seen it and taken note of it. Perhaps Olivia was too hard on herself regarding these things. Either way, she nodded and smiled at Emily’s comment about her hair.

“See, it isn’t that bad – children are just wonderful. Fits you like a glove,” Olivia said. She hefted Samuela into Emily's arms. Emily took the baby, trying to hold her gently while mimicking how Olivia had done it. It felt rather like holding a large, moving sack of water. She worried that if she adjusted her position even a little, she'd somehow hurt the child. Still, she smiled into the baby's eyes. Samuela smiled back.

"I think I like them only so long as I'm not in charge of them," Emily said. She looked back down at the baby. It was staring at her silently.

"What do you think?" She asked it. The baby stared at her for another moment, hiccuped, and started to cry.

"I think that's a yes," Emily said, hastily maneuvering to return Samuela to Olivia's arms.

Olivia gently received Samuela and slowly rocked the child back and forth, up and down in her bosoms to calm it down. However, Olivia’s expertise in the field of parenting abruptly ended with duties like these. She was not sure if the baby was responding to her comfort or not, so she turned around to hand Samuela over to her father. “Take her Kim, I don’t know what to do really,” Olivia said. Thereafter, Olivia faced Emily again.

“Well…” Olivia began, scratching her head in ponder. “…babies can sometimes be rocket science, I’d agree with that,” she finished.

---

Field Marshal Sawyer & Departure

Emily stood near the back of the group as Sawyer addressed them. The man didn't inspire confidence; she knew him, she knew his reputation, and she wondered if he cared about any of them even slightly. That he was the one who'd been sent to brief them had to mean one of two things, in Emily's mind: Either the Academy was desperate and had no time to give them a proper explanation of their mission, or they weren't expected to last very long.
She wasn't sure which she would have preferred.

They walked for what seemed like ages, much more slowly than Emily would have liked. Every so often, military vehicles would pass them, and Emily would wonder where they were going - and why WARG couldn't be on them. Orders were orders, yes, but this didn't make any sense. Surely there was some way they could have gotten there faster. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she wondered if the whole thing was a dream, or a farce. Or hazing. There had to be some explanation.

After several more hours - or what felt like hours - of interminable walking, Olivia stopped near the side fo the road. “We’re taking five…” She said and yawned: “Oh my, I’m so sleepy…”
Emily slumped down underneath a tree, pulled a flask of water from her bag, and took a long drink. She glanced at Olivia. The other girl's tiredness didn't inspire confidence. This was what they had trained for, after all, and yeah, she was winded too, but it felt like a bad idea to even mention it. Better to soldier on. "If this was so critical, couldn't Norton City have sent a car?"

Gazing at the dark skies, Olivia was not sure what she was doing or how she was supposed to do the things that the academy asked of her, or what her friends would ask of her in the future. It seemed as if everything had changed in the blink of an eye when the General said that Olivia was to be the Captain. How was Olivia supposed to be their friend, sister, mother, or whatever, all the while being the superior and commanding officer? It seemed an impossible task to her.

“How am I supposed to know? I guess they are busy with getting their butts kicked by Nautilus. That’s why we have to swoop in and save the day… apparently,” Olivia said, with a hint of sarcasm and despair.

Emily didn't say anything. She forced away her thoughts about Olivia, her confusion at the choice of leader. None of that mattered. She looked into the sky, and pushed herself to her feet. "Come on," she said. "We have to go. We can't be the soldiers who got there too late."

“We won’t be late, Em… there will be plenty of action for the both of us, for everyone,” Olivia said and fell flat onto the ground. She closed her eyes and floated away to a better place, however still very much aware of her present. “Just… relax for a second, Emily,” Olivia said, opening her eyes. When she didn’t hear an answer, she stood up and walked over to Emily, urging her to sit down. The blonde girl shook her head.

“What’s on your mind, really?” Olivia asked.

"It's not important right now," Emily said. "We have a job to do, we should do it."

“How are we supposed to do our job if our minds are elsewhere? Besides, we haven’t talked in a while…” Olivia said, and shifted her gaze into the distance where she could hint the Doral radio antenna. “…the world can wait,” she continued, looking at Emily again.

"Just ask yourself, Liv. Is this how this is supposed to go? We're promoted the day after graduation and then right away, we're on our own? I mean, when we get there, what good are we even gonna be able to do?"

“I’m sure Cid and the Council have their reasons. I mean… it’s not like we’re just some expendable soldiers. They know and we know that we become much stronger than we should be when we’re together, so… why shouldn’t they use that to their advantage? I can’t imagine that they would waste it on some meaningless mission… or a situation where we can’t change anything.”

"But that's just it," Emily said. "They know we're good as a team, but they're just gonna turn us loose on our own and expect us to... what? Win? Clean up? I feel like there's nobody steering this ship, Olivia, I mean - I'll do whatever you need me to do, but shouldn't someone who knows what's really going on be in command?"

“And who would that be then, huh, Thael? Remi? They barely know more than I do…” Olivia said and stood up, taking a few steps away from Emily, but remaining within quiet talking distance. Her head tilted, somewhat, down towards the ground, gazing at the grass playing in the winds. “… you know who that should have been our Captain… and I do my best to substitute him… but, it’s never going to be enough… Emily… I can’t be him,” Olivia finished.

Emily sighed and shook her head. "I didn't mean-- that wasn't what I meant. It's not, you know, it has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry, like I said: It's not even worth discussing now."

Olivia shifted her gaze towards the skies again, where she knew Sam was watching them from, in one way or another. And then she turned around to face Emily again. Locking her arms together and resting her weight on her left leg, Olivia continued: “…it’s always going to be worth discussing, Em… what we are… where we come from… how we got here… and what we are supposed to do – it all has a greater meaning, I’m sure of it. Sam didn’t die for nothing. If there is no clear objective, the objective is to win the war and exterminate every last piece of alien creature there is. That’s our mission, Em… that’s what we are supposed to do. Whatever this is… I don’t know and I don’t care. What I care about is you and all of our friends over there…” Olivia said, and shot the rest of the group a quit glance. “… we are in command, together, even if the academy has said that I’m supposed to direct what we do...” Olivia continued.

"Forget Sam," Emily said, kicking at the ground. "Forget the war, the big goals - that's not our job. We can't do that all on our own, it's bullshit if they expect us to. We can't know what we're doing right now, even with everything any of us can do that's not the same as the kind of experience we'd need to really work as a team -- we're walking to a war zone, Olivia. We shouldn't be tired or dejected. We should be terrified."

“Forget Sam? - - How can you say that?!” Olivia snapped. “He is the reason why we are even here in the first place. Don’t you understand? We shouldn’t be terrified. This is our chance - - the one we’ve been waiting for - - to get some… closure.” Olivia approached Emily and gently put her palm on the girl’s cheek. “This is it, Em… this is the time to finally put that awful… shit… behind us and begin a new life, our lives, without having to soak in fear and regret,” Olivia said, and backed away from Emily again. “We have our training… we have our spirits… and we have each other - - we are a team, and we’re not afraid. Is that understood?” Olivia said, as if giving her first, proper order as a Captain.

Emily regarded Olivia for a moment, then nodded briskly. "Understood."

It was only after they started walking again, and Olivia was ahead of her, that she smiled.

┊　　　
┊　　
┊

---

┊»ｄｅｐａｒｔｕｒｅ●

---

Leaving Campus

---

Olivia tried to imagine herself in retrospect sundry hours and days from her present, attempting to clutch the details of their hazy departure and the future mishaps that would inevitably strike. She was bewildered by her own inability to comprehend even the most bantam of things, which had come and gone so fast that they could hardly be said to have occurred at all. Similarly, Olivia devoted a few moments to muse on her current situation and how she had, somehow, gotten to it in one piece. Yet again she was struck by obfuscation, even though she had majored in metaphysical philosophy at Oakridge. Perhaps the mundane items of everyday conversation were too insignificant to her, to anyone who had indulged in matters of identity, time and space, and the universe, among other abstract notions. Olivia felt as if she had no middle ground; that she had to choose between being either this shallow, simplistic beauty she were with people like Britney Farron or this mysterious, philosophical introvert she were with, well, mostly herself. Her constant endeavor was to find balance between these two extremes, an endeavor she had learned about in history and religion—a man who once claimed to have learned the secrets of life from an ancient Kami named Gautama. She could find solace, however, in her eternal—inextinguishable and unconquerable—concern for her lifelong, permanent friends who were bound together by someone very dear to them. Olivia could not clearly identify why or how it could possibly happen, but she had a feeling that Sam was somehow with them, or would be in the near future. Perhaps they were experiencing their final days on this planet. Luckily, the brief mesmerizing, dark dance of Magdalena’s spirits brought Olivia back to her regular thoughts and senses.

---

The Break

---

Olivia was not particularly worried about their mission. Whatever damage Nautilus could do to Norton City was most likely already done and the friends would arrive to ashes. Cid and the Council already knew this, as did Field Marshall Sawyer. Olivia was positive that the true details of their mission would present itself soon enough, whatever its nature.

“Are… you feeling all right Olive?” Kimberly asked. “I… can carry you if… you feel sick.”
“Carry me? I’m not your daughter, Kim,” Olivia said. “Save your strength for whatever horrible things we’re going to encounter… over there, if there’s anything left at all,” she continued.

“If this was so critical, couldn’t Norton City have sent a car?” Emily said.
“How am I supposed to know? I guess they are busy with getting their butts kicked by Nautilus. That’s why we have to swoop in and save the day… apparently,” Olivia replied, with a hint of sarcasm and despair. The two girls proceeded to conduct a somewhat lengthy conversation, a few meters away from the rest of the group, before Olivia returned to her lazy spot and slumbered away.

“By all the stars in heaven and every single fuck I don’t give, Olivia, don’t be a lazy shit!” Freddy said. “I can be lazy if I want to…” Olivia said and closed her eyes.
…

Sometimes the only thing required to recover from what seemed an eternity of stress was a brief moment of relief. This was such a moment. All of Olivia’s friends were close by, emitting ambient energies that her body was familiar with, and the setting and weather was right up her alley. Olivia wished that they could just stay there forever, but she knew that such dream was impossible, at least in this world. Perhaps Freddy felt the same, perhaps Aaron felt the same, and perhaps all of them felt the same—she did not know, but in her heart she wished it to be true.

“I will never understand where he comes up with these creative curses, eh Liv?” Aaron said. Olivia, who was lying on her back again, opened her eyes and met the boy’s gaze, and then she tilted her head to catch a glimpse of Freddy.
“Maybe he should write poetry…,” Olivia replied and closed her eyes again. A brief silence erupted, which Olivia quickly strangled.
“What are you doing standing up, Aaron? Come lie next to me and relax for a second,” she said, waiting for the boy to get comfortable before she continued.
“You know what’s funny? Or… well… it isn’t funny… but, whatever… I could lie here all day and just forget about all my responsibilities and then face the death penalty if I knew that my decision would have made me truly happy for just a second,” Olivia said with a modest tone and volume, however realizing the awkwardness of what she just uttered:
“I mean… ehh… I don’t know… I just like it here…” she chuckled. “How are you feeling, anyway? It seems like it’s been a long time since we got around to talking,” Olivia inquired.

Moments later…

“With respect Captain Celestine,” Remi began.
“I believe we should keep moving under cover. If the Nautilus have secured the outer city and are anticipating our response, they are certain to have long-range sentries waiting for our approach. Every second we spend here is one more chance for them to take notice and organize a response,” he continued.

“I don’t like just sitting here, waiting,” Magdalena said. “It’s too open,” she continued.
“Just… one more minute,” Olivia replied.
“I think we should keep moving. Anything can happen out here,” Magdalena added.
“You’re right about that, Magpie,” Olivia said and smirked at her own cleverly conceived nickname for the queen of ember and darkness.

Remi executed some brilliant, however excessive reconnaissance work. When the man returned from his brief moment of professionalism, he uttered in ignorance: “…what?” He was under the impression that his friends were somehow mocking his behavior, which of course they would never do… except for some of them, perhaps.

“Both of you need to calm down… and never mind the ‘Captain Celestine’ stuff, Remi, it sounds weird. I haven’t known you for fifteen years just to have you reduce me to some impersonal officer,” Olivia muttered. “But… you’re right, you both are, we should probably get going again… so let’s go.”

---

Battle I

---

It did not take long for Olivia to realize her first fault as the commanding officer. She knew exactly what was coming when she noticed that serious, all too familiar hint from Kimberly, who had heard the creatures converging on the group from afar. Olivia snatched Remi’s ocular device and scouted the direction of the threat as per Kimberly’s warning. It was a horde of ten or twelve Xenomorph ‘Raptors.’ Olivia was shocked at how the creatures appeared unnaturally determined, as if they had been directed to this position for the specific purpose of attacking the friends. In an instant, Olivia gave the ocular device back to Remi and drew the tagger gun from the holster strapped to her right leg. She aimed the shot about seventy degrees above the ground, in the direction of the creatures. When she pulled the trigger, a brightly lit shell rocketed forward through the air, similar to the ammunition of a flare gun. At its highest point, the shell split into several smaller parts that sought their way into the flesh of the xenomorph creatures, which were less than forty-five seconds away from the group. Suddenly, the gun itself sprouted a large holographic image of the adversary, accompanied by various information retrieved from the Oakridge internal database, and in the distance, the friends could see small holographic tabs attached to each creature that displayed alphabetic, single-letter names and ‘stagger meters.’



¨“Okay,” Olivia began. “So, this stuff basically tells us when they are dead… and… uhm…,” she pondered, as she attempted to comprehend the device on the spot. “…right, yeah, weaknesses and such things.” Olivia put the tagger gun away when everyone had seen what they had to, and then drew her fusion gunblade out of its holster, which was dangling across her buttocks. “Remember your training, and remember the Academy’s rules of engagement and combat guidelines, and we’ll be fine,” Olivia said.

"Thael, Freddy and Kim, you’re on vanguard duty, try to provoke as many of them as you can. Kat, these creatures are weak to ice spirits, do what you can wherever you can, roam. Roy and Aaron, protect Kat, as soon as the Raptors see her spirits they are going to converge on her. Jyn, Maggie, and Emily, do your thing from the rear and watch our backs. Remi, you’re with me on the left flank,” Olivia instructed in the brief moment that she had before the aliens would reach them. She did not know if her tactics would work, and she was sure that someone else could have called something better, but it was what it was and she did her best with the time she had.

They prepared.

…Twenty meters…

They braced.

…Ten meters…

They unleashed.

…Impact… *

After Ceremony (Continuation)

Now it truly was embarrassing more than her 'tripping over' that she wasn't in her uniform during the ceremony and the uncomfortable moments of the certain happening was slowly being erased from Jyn's mind, never wanting to remember it again.

Shortly after minutes of digging through every corner of her room, Jyn's uniform appeared out from a klutzy turn of her gaze and found it hanging behind the hinge of a cabinet. Shaking in complete disbelief from what she considered on remembering, Jyn sighed deeply and began cursing at her frequent memory loss. Forgetting things wasn't always an issue but for the most part, especially with her hangover still intact, it would be a much more of an understandable case. She then realized that going over this certain kind of missteps might provide unwanted delays for her preparations. Jyn was quite aware of how her friends maintain utmost punctuality and so she proceeded on prioritizing her duties first especially the current major assignment she was officially involved in.

In fact, she was overjoyed of being involved more than anyone else from her circle of friends. To Jyn, it was a dear sign of success. She then thought it was the substantial effort she exerted towards her time in the academy which earned the higher up's recognition of her potential. But there was a pinch in her mind inclining that her involvement might be some form of a misunderstanding. Jyn might often be a positive thinker but she is also aware of the negativity circling around her ambitions. What if there was some kind of error which made it possible for her name to be mentioned in the PA system? There was a small percentage in her mind believing that it might be possible or it might just happen to be some hesitant decision-making which the higher ups had carried out since Jyn was strongly a part of the other people who were included in the assignment.

Thinking of it alone, Jyn slowly took a few steps backwards to her bed and gently sat as she got close. Her eyes were gazing at a void glimpse unbeknownst to where the focus was actually headed. Her expression was pale, not a single ounce of movement from her eyebrows or anything which could possibly render some hints of emotion. She pondered about the possibilities. She pondered it deeply until her thoughts sank into the depths of negativity. What if I was a mistake? Her voice jumped in audibly through her mind. Clearly, Jyn wasn't acting as herself but it was the grimmer edge of her humanity. Something gravely familiar from what she was from the past.

Before she could continue on thinking deeply, a familiar voice intervened her thoughts. It was nothing but a mere distortion at first but as the voice continued on, Jyn's imagination slowly caught it's ringing and quickly determined it's resemblance.

Samuel?!
"I thought you promised yourself not to drink?"
Hey come on, I'm an adult now
"Really? How?"
Yes. I am. Do I need to explain further? Oh wait. of course, you're a goner. You'll never understand growing up
"And your excuse is...?" Jyn sighed, knowing there weren't any reason which could provide an explanation to the promise she broke.
"What do you want this time?" Breaking the silence of their imaginative conversation, Jyn decidedly sprung out with her own actual voice since her head was still being lingered by the headache.
Nothing, really. Just checking out if you are on your optimistic self. Today is a big day, remember?
"Nothing to worry, Sam. I'm fine all throughout. I can handle things."
Samuel's voice sighed Listen, Jyn. You can't hide everything and stay positive forever. Let me know your troubles
"I'm fine, Sam!" Jyn exclaimed, her voice was raised slightly "There isn't anything for you to worry about me. I'm fine. Do I need to repeat myself a hundred times?"
"Okay, okay. If you say so. You know, if anything's bothering you, you could....just remember what we often say to each other back then"

There was a short pause afterwards, Jyn was retrospecting carefully of whatever the words were.

"Cast the troubles away, hurray hurray!"
Cast the troubles away, hurray hurray! Both of them recited in unison which made Jyn chuckling with a mix of guilt.
"You really are a terrible person for letting me remind that horrid thing" Jyn said jokingly, striking a smile towards nothingness.
I'm glad I did. I must say, memories are brighter than the sunshine
"Wait, what? What the hell?"
Oh, nothing

Jyn sighed again with utter annoyance.

After a short while, the voice never returned and faded from Jyn's mind. Miraculously, her negative thoughts earlier were abruptly forgotten, as if it was just a blank memory she tried to recall, though mostly, Jyn would blame her headache for actually making it possible. Jyn's smile never wore off not until she turned to glance up her uniform and then suddenly remembering something gravely important. "Shit. The preparations! Samuel...you..."

___________________________________________________________________________

A few Minutes after the Departure

The alluring set of vocabulary, the delightful tone of delivery and of course, the convincing sentences of 'encouragement'. These were most of the things which Jyn liked about the well-respected man. Though most of the time, Jyn might render obvious hints of discomfort through the blunt actions of military officials, but if it would be from the likes of Sawyer, there'd be a few considerations. Admiration wouldn't be something she would shamelessly throw in. It was rather the utmost respect in which Jyn showed both directly and indirectly.

The weather wasn't a very friendly advocate. There were times when the wind breezed gently while shifting a cold shivering flicker to it's waft. And there were times when it was streaming violently, though not strong enough to send moderately heavy objects flying. Perhaps it was common in Doral, one would say so from how it was often flocked by thick grey clouds and stormy-like appearances. Jyn didn't like the typical weather for it brought a few doubtful memories of the past. But it wasn't an unyielding issue which she couldn't withstand handling. There would always be a picture coming up in her mind once a particular setting such as a stormy weather comes into sight.

Shortly after the group traversed through rough terrains and hillsides, their pace firmed into a gentle rush as few members of the group decidedly took themselves into comforting chatters. Of course, the trendsetter was none other than the captain herself, Olivia who started off bragging to almost everything about the mission and some few words of consistent laziness. Jyn, on the other hand, had been shutting herself into complete silence from the first few hours/minutes of travel. It wasn't her intention on being such, it was just that she couldn't muster up a good and convenient topic to converse. She just watched her friends do the action while she followed them along the lines.

Freddy, however, was the more intriguing one. Even for his naturally blunt atmosphere, his unintentional ways of making almost everyone crook up a smile, including Jyn, gave a much more convenient tone of comfort amid the gloomy environment and the uncomfortable weather. Every crumb of his phrases made Jyn shake her head gleefully and in some cases, chortle delightfully. It's like things wouldn't be the same without him.

Jyn took a meek gaze at Olivia and Freddy as she lent her ears to their conversations. As their chatter went on and paused shortly, Jyn took some steps beside Olivia. She caressed her shoulder while clearing her throat to catch Olivia's attention. "Hey Olive," Jyn said in a chummy tone. "Or I might as well say, Captain Olivia Celestine." Trying not to sound as provoking, Jyn toned her voice with more friendliness following up with a chortle. "How's being captain by the way? I might help you with stuffs if you needed," Jyn paused as she glanced briefly at her back. "You know, resting for a while is a great idea. I must admit, It's a little tiring to just walk up all the way through to our destination. I can't believe the academy made us do this without occupying some of their vehicles." Jyn continued, suddenly realizing that she was starting to brag as well. "And here I thought we were 'elites'. Glorious indeed." She then sighed and rolled her eyes sideways. "But I guess this might just prove that we're a much more stronger team than everybody else. Right?" Jyn's eyes slightly widened, expecting for an affirmative response.

She then pulled her gaze towards Freddy, glancing the guy carefully as she inched herself a bit closer to Olivia. "By the way, we should try and annoy Freddy. Who knows, it might be fun while we take a stop" Jyn whispered, followed by a faint, screeched giggle.

The weight of his spear in his hands was surprisingly comforting. Thoughtfully, Thael took the spear from its storage locker. He and Roy-now appropriately dressed-had stopped by the training centre to collect their equipment. The small cantina next door would have icecream, which they could eat on the way to the front gates. Thael carefully pulled out his shield next, running his hands over its familiar contours, it’s golden sheen catching the light. Thael’s weapons were strong evidence that not only were spirits sentient, but also had aesthetic preferences.

Both the spear and shield were made of an ultra-resilient titanium-carbon nanoweave alloy, and originally had been a rather uninteresting shade of grey. As Thael used them more and more, they’d begun to change colour. It was slow at first; they’d seem a little shinier from one day to the next, but not really different. The day Thael mastered his Sunspear technique was when the change became noticeable. He’d been in one of the larger testing rooms with a few teachers and scientists. They’d been trying to develop the fitful bursts of light Thael emitted when sparring into something a little more reliable, and they were close. The researchers had been insistent: he shouldn’t need to throw it to get a result, but after repeated attempts they agreed he should give it a try. Thael had whipped the spear downrange with all his strength; as it left his hands, the spear had become bathed in golden light, and suddenly dozens of bolts of crackling golden energy appeared in the air and smashed into the solid concrete wall at the end of the range, gouging out chunks and sending debris flying. Upon retrieving his spear, Thael discovered it was a pure gold colour.

His shield had followed suit a few months later, which had inspired Thael to name that technique Golden Aegis. His weapons weren’t the only example. Thael himself had been born with deep black hair, but that had changed to his present sandy blonde as he grew more in touch with his spirits. His dogtags had also changed colour since he first received them, and Thael could’ve sworn the WARG badge was already looking shinier.

Thael donned his armoured combat suit and clamped his weapons into place on his back, then left the armoury, waving goodbye to the quartermaster. As planned, he met Puck at one of the smaller cafeteria’s near the armory, one they knew maintained a stock of frozen treats. Thael liked to keep things simple; two scoops of vanilla, no frills. Whilst Roy got as many scoops of most flavors that he could handle, with sprinkles—sprinkles are a necessity.

Thael licked happily at his icecream cone as they walked, his earlier dejection almost completely forgotten. “This was just what I needed,” he said to Roy, lightly kissing him on the forehead. “Thanks Puckins.”

As usual, Roy’s cheeks flared with a small blush, but he smiled regardless. “Just for you, Goldie,” he said, wrapping an arm around Thael’s waste gingerly as gave his own ice cream a lick. Almost as quickly as he’d done it, his hand found its way back to his side, coyly grasping at Thael’s fingers.

Thael not-so-subtly wrapped Roy’s hand in his own. He looked over at his companion, and suddenly he felt his cheeks flush slightly, but not out of embarrassment. He considered a detour, since they wouldn’t have much time alone together for a while, but ultimately decided against it. They were cutting it close already. Instead he turned his mind to the challenges ahead of them. “Do you think she’s ready?” he asked suddenly. “She’s done an amazing job keeping us all together, but she never really got over Sam. Do you think she’ll hold up in combat?”

Roy’s face didn’t flush from anything but embarrassment, but he smiled as best he could. Turning his attention away from his ice cream and toward Thael he shook his head. “I don’t think anyone’s ever ready,” he mused, “I know you think you are, but there’s always something out there that’s going to remind you that you’re anything but. Give her a chance, Thael.” Roy’s hands squeezed tightly and he gave Thael a reassuring grin, “People have a knack for surprising others. As for her mental state: just remember that none of us are any better. Remi’s got a cosmic Napoleon complex and Kim’s psychotic. Freddy can’t use his inside voice and I have issues with seeing people as… people. Sam gave us a chance; give Olivia a chance.”

“You’re right” he said in agreement. “I’m sure she’ll do fine. I’m sure we’ll all do fine.” Thael said the words, but he still worried, especially about Roy. An unpleasant image came to mind; Roy, cut off from the group after a badly timed shift, alone and surrounded. He squeezed the other man’s hand tightly. “Promise me that, when shit hits the fan, you’ll be careful, alright?”

Giving a cheeky smirk, he tilted his head at Thael and asked, “Can you use that word in a sentence, please? I’m having difficulty recognizing it.”

Thael sighed. “Just don’t die alright? I...I don’t really know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d have Freddy,” he said, licking his ice cream. After a brief pause, Roy looked at Thael, “And Emily, and Olivia, and Kat, and Remi, and Kim… should I go on?”

“But they wouldn’t be you.” Thael couldn’t help himself; he turned Roy around and kissed him soundly, getting a quick sampler of the various icecream flavors his companion had been enjoying. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be such a drag,” he smiled apologetically. “Let’s pick up the pace, maybe you’ll even be early for once!”

“I think that’s the point,” he mumbled, but nodded with a smile. “Don’t count on it. In fact, you should probably run ahead just incase,” Roy said, slapping Thael’s back and lightly pushing him forward.

Thael was seriously considering throwing Roy over his shoulders and forcing him to be early when his train of thought was abruptly interrupted. “Hey, Jared!” a voice yelled from overhead. Thael bristled at the use of his first name as the eldest of his younger brothers dropped from the sky, only slowing his descent with puffs of air mere centimeters from the ground. At 19 years old, Cameron Conrad had his brother’s face, but that was where the similarities ended. In fact, a stranger casually glancing at the three of them could easily have assumed Cam was actually related to Roy, with his slighter build and dark hair. Cam was also quite a bit more free-spirited than his brother; he was in trouble almost as often as Puck, and had a tendency to play fast and loose with the rules. He was also a notorious womanizer. Cam was well on his way to becoming a powerful Guardian in his own right; he had incredible control over his wind spirits. He couldn’t fly on his own, but Cam had taken to wearing wingsuits everywhere, using his spirits to achieve nearly indefinite gliding.

Thael glared at him. “One of those days, that’s going to get you killed.”
“Yeah right, these little bastards are way too fond of me to let that happen.” Cam said dismissively.
“No, I meant calling me Jared.”
“You’d have to catch me first.” Cam grinned, then turned to Roy. “Hey Roy, still boning this big lug?”

Roy flushed in response. “As much as you’re boning your five girlfriends,” he said, rolling his eyes, “At the same time, I presume?”
“Naturally” Cam said with a smirk.

“Cam, don’t you have training?” Thael interrupted.
“Yeah, but I heard you were shipping out and thought I’d see you off.” Cam’s tone grew serious. “Don’t get yourself killed out there, alright?”
“I’ll try not to. You watch out for Kyle and Mitch alright? Especially Mitch, the last year’s been tough for him.” The youngest Conrad boy was brilliant, but lacked social skills and was desperately homesick. At 13, he was at an age where those poor social skills were becoming problematic. “I’ll call them later, before I get to Norton city.”
“Alright, and I promise I’ll take care of them. Stay safe.”
The brothers shared a close hug, then Cam set off at a run. He abruptly dove forwards, spreading his limbs and calling his spirits to lift him up into the air. Thael watched for a moment, then resolutely turned towards the front gate. “Come on, we’re probably going to be late.”

------At the front gates-----------

As it turned out, they were just in time. Thael only had a few seconds to fondly greet Kimberley’s family and stuff an offered snack in his mouth before Major Sawyer called them to attention. Thael was used to loudmouthed drill sergeants, and accepted that they played a pivotal role in establishing discipline and enforcing the chain of command, but he also knew that any good officer understood when to use the carrot and when to use the stick. Major Sawyer evidently didn’t know what a carrot was, but Thael’s ‘at attention’ mask showed no sign of his disapproval. It was not his place to undermine anyone’s authority.

Once they were dismissed, Thael turned back to little Sammy as his friends prepared to march out. His deep voice was poorly suited to baby-talk, but he did have a trick that Sammy liked. Concentrating for a moment, Thael formed a luminous smiley face out of thin air. The infant cooed in awe and grasped at image, laughing as her little fingers passed through its warmth. Thael suddenly became aware that the rest of the group was already moving, so he quickly grabbed another tasty snack and said his goodbye’s to the Appleburry’s before racing after his friends.

--------On the road----------

The play of the sunlight across the rolling crowds was stunning as they walked along the side of the road to Doral. Though Thael would’ve prefered to take lead, he realized that was now Olivia’s responsibility, so once he caught up he stayed near the back of the group, falling in beside Kimbo. “Hey Fuzzy” he said by way of greeting. Kimbo gave him one of those ghastly smiles in response, but after that the two of them stayed quiet, just enjoying the walk. Thael liked that about Kimbo; he didn’t feel the need to fill the air with unnecessary talk. It was very relaxing.

When the group came to a halt, Thael was puzzled. Sure, he wasn’t exactly in top condition today, after last night’s festivities, but they were already almost halfway to Doral, and they had a 14 hour boatride ahead before they arrived at Norton City; there would be plenty of time to rest on the voyage. But again, he didn’t want to undermine Olivia’s new authority, so he stayed quiet. Five or ten minutes either way wasn’t likely to make much difference anyways.

♥♦♣♠ — At the Gates — ♠♣♦♥

It didn't take too long, after being accosted by Thael's brother, to scarf down the remainder of his ice cream. Internally screaming at the brain freeze that followed, he'd found a spot near the back of the group, preferring not to be associated with what was currently going on. His eyes traveled to Emily, Olivia, and the baby, immediately happy with his decision to remain in the shadows of a large oak. His eyes wandered through the group gathered there, a deep frown on his face. This was intentionally the calm before the storm, but it was riddled with so many desperate emotions that threatened to cave in on everyone. Roy didn't exactly have family to comfort him during these times; the fact that he had no idea whether or not his parents were even alive didn't help much either. There was no call and no visits, which didn't seem to affect Roy on the surface, but stung every time he looked at Kim or Emily or Thael. His sister was dead and his mother and father were probably worse off.

If these people were anybody else, he'd not care, much less he'd probably relish in the fact that this was scaring them out of their wits. The situation, though, was the exact opposite and Roy found himself anxious, as well—frightened even. What he'd said to Thael was true and even without being faced with the responsibility of leading a team, Roy was probably feeling as anxious about this as Olivia currently was. Whether or not anyone in their motley crew was ready didn't matter; that made him more anxious, but it also came with a sense of excitement. They'd essentially been cooped up in the Academy for so long and this was their opportunity to see the world and make a difference. For Roy it was more so a way to fuel his need for adrenaline than to help people, though he'd more than be dragged along should someone have a morality issue in regards to a random old lady in the middle of who knows where asking a group of trained military spec ops to get her cat from a building infested with Xenos.

A smile graced Roy's features at the thought of it, looking at Thael and Freddy in particular. If anyone stopped the group's advances just to help an old lady and her cat it'd most likely be those two. That's when he'd noticed they were leaving and Roy pushed forward to follow. The anxiety he'd been feeling still followed, but he made a good effort to suppress it enough to calm the jitteriness about to surface.

♥♦♣♠ — Departure — ♠♣♦♥

There were too many Sawyers in the world to be agitated by a particularly loud one. Almost everything said went through one ear and out the other. Even at attention, Roy's blank expression and stare into the distance was enough evidence that he was too far in his own head to pay attention to the insults and degrading comments Sawyer shot at the group. Whether someone cared or not, they were soldiers and they had a job to do. An asshole spouting insults or someone sugar coating the entire mission wouldn't change that. Upon leaving with the group, he grumbled quietly a slew of insults only Thael would hear, as he'd forcibly pushed himself against the big lug as they walked.

The entire walk there was sluggish, at best, and Roy's incessant need to get from point A to B as quick as possible led him to the forefront of the group. He unknowingly designated himself the scout and stopped only to let the others catch up. An irritated Roy was impatient and crabby, but worry about the mission kept himself from nagging at the rest of the group. He was upset himself, but he didn't quite feel a big enough ass to take it out on the others. But Olivia's call for five and need to complain grated Roy enough to grumble over toward the shade of a tree and pout to himself.

"You know, it'd be nice to get to Doral before sundown," he complained, "Before we all get overrun by Xenos with no way to see our hands in front of our faces."

He quietly watched from his seat as everyone conversed, talking about mindless things or urging Olivia to continue on. All he could do, or actually wanted to do, was shove his face in his hands and groan the rest of their small break. Mags was all too right: they were sitting ducks. But, Roy hadn't the nerve to demand they continue moving, as Olivia seemed adamant in spite of everyone's insistence. He'd just be preaching to the choir, or rather attempting to move the immovable. There was really no need to push Olivia further than she needed, as it was obvious this whole captain business was a bit of a daunting task. Asshole or not, Roy knew where the boundaries were when it came to his friends. Guess he'd just have to be content with staring pointedly at everyone.

♥♦♣♠ — The Battle — ♠♣♦♥

The moment the raptors came within earshot, Roy knew what was about to occur; this would be their first battle since leaving and it hadn't even been that long. Adrenaline pumping through his body, he'd taken notice to Olivia's immediate actions—Remi had heard them long before they all had. Roy jumped from his sitting position, falling back into what looked to be a gaping abyss and plopping down behind Olivia as soon as she gave her orders. He was itching to get in, but he'd listen to her instructions only because they made perfect sense. She was their captain now, after all.

It wasn't fear that drove him, as Roy had felt that at the pattering of a dozen tiny feet and it immediately vanished in a surge of adrenaline. Roy, even scared out of his wits, lived for moments like this. Senseless violence wasn't exactly what he craved, but the danger it brought was enough to plaster a ready smirk on his face. He'd not noticed his movements then, the spirits around him converging into the earth beneath his feet as they swarmed around him. He placed himself near Kat the moment Olivia ordered it, unsheathing his rapier and looking her right straight in the eyes.

"I got your back, Kitty Kat," he said, impatiently slicing the ground, "you just do what you gotta do."

The ground visibly grumbled around the two bodies, Roy almost pressed firmly against Kat's side. Olivia ordered him to guard her and by damn would she get the best meatshield outta him than anyone else. He was prepped and ready to go, waiting on those assigned front line duties to get into action. The moment Kat would reveal her spirits would be the moment the raptors would spring into action, eyes set on the literal glass cannon in the back and he'd be ready with his imps to stop 'em in their tracks to give Kat a big enough opening for one big swathe of ice. The thought sent waves of energy through Roy's body and he skipped in place, looking more than ready for the action heading their way. If he was actually ready or just stupid was up for debate.

"Let's go, let's go," he cried. The imps around him were as itching to go as he was, the spirits crumbling the earth around him, throwing dust and rocks into the air in anticipation.

Aaron felt his heart begin to pound faster and louder than he had ever felt/heard it in his life. As he stood looking down at Olivia as she lied casually on the ground holding firm, no matter what anyone said, to taking a full and dedicated rest. Even though Aaron had never really been an outsider of the group and always did his best to involve himself whenever the group did activities together, any time Olivia would get near him Aaron would always clam up and try to maneuver himself so that he wouldn't embarrass himself. As Olivia crooked her head and watched Freddy tromp off she answered Aaron's original statement,

"Maybe he should right poetry..."

The statement brought a hilarious image of Freddy at some dimly lit poetry club screaming his imaginative line of curses, both berating and insulting the patrons within it. Aaron let out an audible chuckle at the notion as he looked out to the giant teddy bear as he went about whatever it was that he was doing. A lull in the conversation brought Aaron back to looking at Olivia, specifically her frame as she lied casually stretched out on the road. As his eyes unconsciously ran down her frame Aaron felt his face turn beat red as he quickly raised his gaze back out across the field. The gentleman in Aaron was doing everything that he could to his eyes away from Olivia's frame, but raging hormones that seemed to have an ever tightening grip on his brain kept dragging his eyes back. As the great moral struggle raged in his head Olivia broke the silence that seemed to drag on forever,

"What are you doing standing up Aaron? Come lie next to me and rest for a second."

Aaron felt his heart physically stop for a brief moment as Olivia finished her sentence. If it wasn't showing signs of being nervous, he was certainly showing them now. Aaron's face went through every gamut of red imaginable, his forehead began to profusely pour sweat, and Aaron swore that his heart was audible to anyone close enough to hear it. Not wanting to give any signs that he was about to explode Aaron slowly eased his way down beside Olivia and stretched his arms behind his head to form a cushion against the rocky road. In his head Aaron couldn't help take a moment and laugh at himself. For years he had been wanting to be in this exact position and now that he was here he couldn't think even think of what to do next.

“You know what’s funny? Or… well… it isn’t funny… but, whatever… I could lie here all day and just forget about all my responsibilities and then face the death penalty if I knew that my decision would have made me truly happy for just a second,"

The sound of Olivia's voice calmed the raging storm in Aaron's head as he turned and looked at her while she spoke, the faint light of the stormy skies outlining the gentle features and contours of her face. At once everything seemed to fade away, his worries, his fears about the moment gone. Aaron listened to her words intently as she trailed off for a moment truly understanding what she felt at the moment. Liv quickly continued the conversation,

“I mean… ehh… I don’t know… I just like it here…”

"I know what you mean Liv, if there wasn't a war that we had to quell I think that I just might have to join you here."

“How are you feeling, anyway? It seems like it’s been a long time since we got around to talking,” Olivia inquired.

The question actually took him back, Aaron hadn't thought about the last time the two of them had actually talked. In truth, now that he tried to remember it, he couldn't even think of the last time they talked.

"I've been worse. Most of the time, when we were back at Oakridge, I just trained on using my spirits and sword technique together."

A long silence followed Aaron's answer. In his own mind Aaron was going yet another struggle in his head. He was trying to muster up the courage to finally ask Olivia what was really on his mind, thoughts and feelings were colliding with each other and numerous scenarios played through Aaron's already crowded mind. Finally, with the courage that he was looking for Aaron started trying to talk to Olivia again.

"Hey, Liv...there's something that I've been meaning to ask you for a long time now, but I've never been able to think of how to say it till now. I was wonder......"

Olivia quickly jumped up and looked out the distance with a serious look of concern on her face, and as she went about figuring out what it was she saw all Aaron could think of was,

"FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKK!!!"
==============================================================================
COMBAT:

Olivia had given the group their assignments for the fight as the Xenomorph's quickly approached. Aaron, with his swords drawn, stood beside Puck in front of Kat dutifully guarding her for the appropriate moment. As time seemed to draw to a halt Aaron gripped his weapon's handles so tight that his hand up to his wrist was turning white. He could feel his anger grow with each passing second as he watched as the Raptors continued their approach towards the group, when it suddenly dawned on him what he was going to do next. Before he could continue his train of thought the same voice from his room began ringing in his ear again.

"Aaron, don't do this....if you charge into the middle of those things you'll leave Puck and Kat almost defenseless. Puck won't be able to take on those Raptors by himself."

The statement only seemed to make Aaron angrier as he crouched slightly into his charging stance. Once again the world was cleared of anything that might distract him, time began to slow down as he felt the wind begin build up under his feet. Once the Raptors had reached the desired distance, Aaron took off with a burst of speed towards the first Raptor that he saw. He could hear the others shout their angry sentiments at him but he didn't care, all that mattered to him was to kill the Xenomorphs in front of him. As he came within touching distance of his target Aaron quickly dropped to his back as he turned his blade away from him and, using his speed and his fire spirits to heat up the blade, cut through the creatures hind legs(Gamma). Once he stopped his momentum Aaron once again charged at his target this time coming down with both blades on the creatures side leaving two gaping wounds(Epsilon). A smirk inched its way across his face, although it was short lived, because now he was in the middle of the pack with all eyes turned on him.

"How in God's name am I gonna get out of this?"

~⌡ Departure ⌠~

Kat stared off at nothing in particular, casually running her fingers over the smooth black handle of her knife. It felt right, carrying weapons. Naturally they gave her a sense of security, but they also provided an almost overwhelming feeling of pride. All their hard work, all their training, had not gone to waste. They were finally real soldiers.

Kat loved being in her combat gear almost as much as a skimpy dress. She wore light, flexible gear that granted her the freedom of movement she need to keep up with her spirits. They, and she in turn, preferred a more fluid style of combat. Clunky gear would just get in the way of that. She didn't carry much on her person, not wanting anything to hinder her. Just the necessities. Her sword, sheathed across her back and accessible from her right shoulder, her dagger, which was held horizontally on her lower back. She also carried two canteens, slightly larger than the normal size, which carried her third weapon. Given the nature of her spirits she found it best to carry a bit of water with her. It was not always going to be available. Though with this storm coming on, she imagined she wouldn't have too much trouble.

Kat stood off from everyone at the gate, lost in her own mind. She very much preferred to ignore the fact that no one was here for her. To say goodbye to her. Not that she felt sorry for herself or anything, but it was just easier if she didn't think of her parents at all. Avoiding the problem was pretty much Kat's life philosophy.

A cursory glance over the group, a subconscious check to see if everyone was there, landed Kat's eyes on Puck. He was off on his own as well. Likely doing the same thing as her. She took a step towards him, but the group was called to attention before she could say anything.

Sawyer, great soldier or not, was a twat. But he was a commanding twat, and one whose type Kat had gotten used to. She went through the motions again, salute, straight face, sir yes sir. If anything would push her to rise through the ranks, it would be having the ability to skip over these dumb formalities. Sure they promoted discipline and order or whatever but to her they were a nuisance. A waste of time. Not that what mattered to her really... mattered anyway.

~⌡ Break ⌠~

The trek was an arduous one. Very boring, very uneventful, very taxing on Kat's patience. If this was what the military was going to be like for real, just a bunch of walking, she was ready to go AWOL. Why couldn't she get like a car spirit or something.

As they walked, Kat made sure to air her opinions. Most got no response, and were mostly just for her anyway. Sometimes complaining made things easier.

"What a twat." She said as they left the Field Marshall.

"Not even one truck was available? Sounds like bull to me."

"Maybe if the academy spent less money on hot dogs..."

"WARG: Walking Around is Really... Great?"

When Olivia decided they should take a break, Kat was all for it. Was it the best idea? Probably not, as voiced by a few others. But she didn't mind too much. A break was always good to Kat. She moved and sat down against a tree by Emily, who was particularly vocal about moving on.

Kat nodded in agreement, not really sure whether she was really ready to continue the journey. Once the two began talking about more sensitive matters, Olivia being in the position of leadership in particular, Kat got up and moved away. If she had stayed, she would have joined in. And if she joined in, she would have voiced her opinions on who should really be leading. It wasn't Olivia, in her mind, and she didn't think Olivia needed to hear that. Obviously the thought had already occurred to Olivia, but hearing it from others wasn't exactly what she needed right now. Kat still felt like she was lying as she walked away.

Kat found a spot to sit under another tree, this time next to Puck.

"Don't look so grumpy." She said as she slid down against the rough bark.

"Not enjoying our first mission?"

She followed Roy's gaze to Olivia, and then looked back at him. "She's not absolutely terrible at this."

"Definitely a better choice than the either of us." Kat continued, laughing a bit. "D'ya think she'll be up to it?"

~⌡ Battle ⌠~

Kat's conversation with Roy was cut short by the approach of the pack. Kat hopped up with Roy and followed him into the formation the group naturally formed. She was grinning. Finally some excitement. Finally something that would make this feel like an actual mission.

"This is more like it. It's about time." She said calmly as she grabbed her first canteen.

Kat listened as Olivia gave out orders. She did quite well, and her plan sounded pretty solid. It was only a few moments after Olivia had finished talking that Aaron was already out of position. Kat knew there was nothing stopping him now, but shouted out after him anyway. "Get back here you idiot!"

She looked back as Aaron threw himself into the heat of the battle, and made eye contact with Roy.

"I got your back, Kitty Kat, you just do what you gotta do."

She nodded and smiled. "Glad at least one of my knights in shining armor decided to stick around."

Kat unscrewed the cap of the canteen and turned it over, allowing the cool liquid to gush out. It fell about a foot before it stopped and pooled up in front of her. The water floated there, its form still flowing despite being suspended. She emptied her second jug, allowing the contents to join the existing water. The water then stretched out, encircling Kat and Roy as one thin stream. She wanted to wait until more of the raptors were engaged before revealing her ice. A quick count came up with somewhere around ten of the things, and it would be best if some where otherwise occupied before the majority came upon them. In the meantime, Kat drew her sword and knife in preparation.

The feeling of everyone's spirits flaring was quite intense, and it brought a smile to Kat's face. Maybe she wouldn't have to go AWOL after all.

Departure

---

The matters of leaving the campus up until hostile endeavors were a plethora of hazy conversations between Olivia and her friends. This volume of attention from them was alien to Olivia, as she had been the one gracing them with her undying affection and care over the years. Surely, Olivia was accustomed to being the center of attention at the academy, in numerous different situations, but never in the same fashion when it came to her childhood friends—Olivia had always basked and rejoiced in the delightful reality of not having to care for her appearance or actions, all that much, when associating with them.

“Hey Olive,” Jyn said. “Or I might as well say, Captain Olivia Celestine.”
“How’s being captain by the way?” Jyn inquired.
“I’ve been the Captain for less than an hour, sweetie… I have no idea,” Olivia replied.
“I might help you with stuffs if you needed,” Jyn continued.
“That’s comforting.”
“You know, resting for a while is a great idea. I must admit, it’s a little tiring to just walk up all the way through to our destination. I can’t believe the academy made us do this without occupying some of their vehicles.”
“I have a difficult time believing it myself,” Olivia replied.
“And here I thought we were ‘elites’. Glorious indeed,” Jyn sighed and rolled her eyes sideways. “But I guess this might just prove that we’re a much stronger team than everybody else. Right?”
“You’ve got that right, sweet cheeks.”
“By the way, we should try and annoy Freddy. Who knows, it might be fun while we take a stop,” Jyn whispered. Olivia uttered a slight, almost inaudible chuckle.
“I think he’s had enough for one day, so let’s cut him some slack,” Olivia smirked.

Battle

---

Whatever happened during these times of great duress, Olivia had to stake focused and set aside her personal thoughts and feelings. It was an alien practice to her, even though she had simulated and attempted it before. Olivia had to force herself to set aside any inconsistencies with her command until after the confrontation, as it was no use to voice her concerns about it now. Orders were orders for a reason and meant to be followed, even by her.

Olivia dashed off to the left flank of what appeared to be the enemy formation, if ever there was one. She could hint Remi’s presence in the corner of her eyes behind her being, which strengthened her resolve and courage. In an instantaneously fluid motion, without disrupting her speed, Olivia sheathed her gunblade and subsequently cartwheeled across the moist grass, focusing her sight on a bantam rock and grabbing it as her hand graced its frame. Olivia then took advantage of her forward momentum to chuck the stone at one of the assailants (Alpha), which appeared to be conspiring with two additional creatures, (Beta and Delta). The tiny pack made no effort to hesitate their provoking adversaries, and thus broke away from the main horde to attack Olivia and Remi on the left flank.

As Olivia gathered momentum to propel herself off the ground towards the enemy, she vanished in a bright flash of lightning that emitted an instantaneous, banging sound. In what seemed the very same moment in time and space, she reappeared before the creature she had provoked (Alpha) and unleashed the momentum she had mounted to strike with her gunblade, in a crossing motion extending between her right shoulder and her left hip. The Raptor’s sprint came to a sudden halt, as it lost its balance and crumbled across the ground. The two other attackers (Beta and Delta) did not register what had happened and were continuing their charge towards Remi.

In agony, the Alpha Raptor retaliated and lashed out at Olivia with its grotesque tail. Blinded by the flashing light of Olivia’s lightning spirit, the creature missed its attack against her. However, the foul odor of the Raptor was surely beyond horrid and detestable.

-When Kim’s Family or Whatever Visited and Shit-

Freddy hung away from Kim’s family for the most part. He liked them, they were nice people, but he honestly had trouble socializing with anyone other than his friend group. He knew that if he did more than thank one of his grandmas for the food, and make plans not to eat it, he would yell at them for some stupid freaking reason. He did indulge in watching Olivia play with the adorable daughter Sam, however.
That baby was a freaking demon though.
Freddy got bored of watching Olivia play with something far more evil than anything else they’d ever face, and eventually found himself more or less staring at Puck. Freddy’s forehead was knit in a concerned frown as his eyes flowed over the troublesome man.
Freddy had always been more or less at odds with Puck. Freddy had been targeted by many pranks by him over the years, and Freddy wasn’t known for his calm and composed reactions to things. Freddy couldn’t remember a single day in which he hadn’t yelled at Puck at least once. And, beyond the pranks, and Puck had genuinely hurt Freddy rather badly before. Not physically, but emotionally.
He still remembered grasping flowers in his hand, having spent the night searching for Thael, and coming up short. Then, finding him with Puck the following morning, seeing them all...all...cuddly and just knowing what had happened. He remembered just running away before they could see him. See him on the verge of tears.
He had grown apart from Thael a bit since then, on purpose. However, he couldn’t get enough distance to forget his own personal feelings, and, beyond that, Thael was the person he mostly went to for advice on how to help others out. It was one of the things that had attracted Freddy to him in the first place. No matter what, Thael invariably cared. He even managed to see through Puck’s issues and find something beautiful there.
Freddy had been mad at Puck at first, but soon that anger cooled, and he figured he could at least be happy that two people he loved had found love. Now if only it hadn’t been with each other.
And, despite that, Freddy remembered that Puck was one of the people he mostly had to look out for. His problems were a lot like Remi’s, except more...active. Remi would plan a thousand ways to kill a man. The trouble with Puck was, he might actually do it.
Yet, despite that, Puck was, in Freddy’s mind, a good man. He acknowledged his issues, even if he didn’t do nearly as much as he should to fix them. He could love, laugh and feel like anyone else, and Freddy wanted him to be happy. Hell, really, Puck was already decently happy with his life as far as Freddy knew.
Freddy just hated that that happiness was with Thael.

-Just Two Dudes In A Tree With Their Morning Wood-

Freddy groaned loudly.
“Okay, cool, bullshit orders. Fucking classy, Olivia,” he complained as he began stepping toward a tall tree. As an after thought, he paused. After Kim made his offer to Olivia, Freddy sighed.
“Fuck that noise, Kim. She’s just being a fucking bum. Come on, climb this tree with me. We can talk and bond as men or some bullshit like that. Make friendship bracelets out of flowers like a couple gay little hippies.”
Kim frowned, but didn’t protest as Freddy grabbed him and more or less dragged him to the tree. It took a little doing, with Kim’s heavy armor and whatnot, but eventually, between Kim’s and Freddy’s efforts, he managed to get onto a sturdy branch. Once he was on that branch, Freddy climbed onto another, less sturdy branch.
“Okay, so, Kim, let’s talk-”
With a loud crack, the branch shifted. Freddy let out a flurry of cursewords at the speed of light as the wooden surface betrayed him and disconnected from the main tree. He flopped backwards, and landed harshly on his face. His body collapsed, and he laid like that for a few moments, unmoving, face connected to the dirt. He then lifted his face from the ground, his usual pouty expression on full display, dirt and grass on his cheeks.
“...I fucking hate nature.”
Freddy then scrambled back up the tree. He got to Kim’s branch, and then frowned. He seemed to hesitate a moment, then just grunted and, with an utterance of “fuck it”, flopped into Kim’s lap.
“Hope this doesn’t make you uncomfortable,” Freddy said as he more or less draped himself onto Kim, “If it does, fucking deal with it. You’re shockingly comfortable despite all the armor and I need to talk to you.”
Kim shook his head and made no attempt to move Freddy. A silent okay sign.
Alright. So, I guess, hey, hi, how’s it going, Kim? Everything’s going good up there? You’ve been taking your meds and seeing your therapist?”
"Yes. Mom."
Freddy immediately snapped back at him, "This isn't a fucking joke, okay man!"
He then paused, breathed deeply, and spoke. At first he was calm, but then his voice quickly started displaying his anger again.
“… I get enough bullshit from the others, please tell me you’re not getting lazy about taking care of yourself! I swear by all that is holy, unholy and everything in between that if you aren’t taking care of yourself I will uproot this tree and use it to REALLY fucking bond you with nature!”
Kim smirked, before speaking in a tone far more sultry than anything Freddy was used to from the man, "Kinky."
Freddy blinked, "…What?"
Kim blinked as well, "Huh…? What?"
"Holy hyperchrist Kim, you aren’t taking your meds aren’t you?"
Kim frowned, "Yes… I… have been."
"I call bullshit."
"I have… They just… don’t work some times… The meds."
Freddy paused.
“What?”
Kim hesitated, then spoke, "I take them… but I can still see ‘him’… He won’t go away…"
Kim seemed to be staring at nothing for a moment. Freddy had a feeling that he wasn't alone with Kim, at least in Kim's mind. Freddy knew a bit about hallucinations. When he was especially manic or depressed, or when his mind was more or less falling apart at the seams, he'd experienced minor hallucinations, momentary sounds and images. He couldn't imagine it was too fun to deal with that sort of stuff so often. Freddy frowned, eyebrows knit in concern, before he let out a dramatic sigh.
“I’m...sorry. Shit man, I shouldn’t yell at you. You have enough on your mind, you don’t need me being the giant dicknarbler I am and spewing vocal shit from my throat at you.”
Kim attempts a reassuring smile, but fails miserably as usual, looking for all intents and purposes like he wanted to rip off Freddy's head and drink the blood.
"Worrywart…"
"Hell fucking yeah I'm a worry wart. You're my friend. Fucking forgive me if I occasionally show concern!" Freddy snapped at him, then sighed.
“Look, it's just..you've...been through a lot. I mean, for one…look, we...we really never talked about...about fucking Nancy, have we?”
Freddy could feel Kim go stiff underneath him, and not in a sexy way. Freddy couldn’t see Kim’s face, laying on him as he was, but he couldn’t imagine that it had to be very cheerful right now.
“Sorry, I...I fucking know I’m being tactless right now. Look, it’s just...fuck, how do I say this? Sorry, sorry, you know me. I’m always shoving my foot through my own ass out my throat and into my mouth, and trust me when I say it tastes like shit. It’s just…”
He sighed, “Kim, I...we all remember losing Sam. The one that I’m five thousand percent sure you named your daughter after. Look...back then, I...I wasn’t so close to anyone. You remember. I was just that fucking angry asshole with the scars that made a few people cry by yelling at them too much. The one that was always shrieking to get his way and generally being terrible. So when Sam died, I...I felt alone. I felt like I had nothing left in the world and I made a mistake. A mistake that left just one more scar and that didn’t fix anything.”
Freddy sighed, “Just...promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay? If you’re hurting inside, talk to me. You’re my friend, my good friend. It’s my fucking job to be there for you, and nothing, I swear fucking nothing, is going to stop me from doing my god damned job.”
Kim was quiet for a moment.
When Freddy looked at Kim, he was pinching the bridge of his nose.
Kim said in a voice so quiet that Freddy barely heard it, "What… what kind of…mistake…?"
Freddy went silent.
“A fucking bad one. Promise me.”
Kim hesitated before answering
Kim nodded slightly, and spoke, "… I promise."
Freddy nodded, seemingly calm all of a sudden.
“...You know I wasn’t fucking lying when I said you were comfortable. I could seriously fucking nap right now. How in the name of shrieking Satan is all your armor comfortable?”
“I don’t know.”
Freddy chuckled, a soft smile on his face. In contrast to his usual prickliness, Freddy looked practically approachable at the moment, "Of fucking course you freaking don’t. Come on. Let’s-"
Suddenly, Kim moved with an intensity and speed uncharacteristic of him. He scooped Freddy up in his arms bridal style, ignoring the smaller man's protests.
"What the shrieking FUCK are you doing Kim god dammit you can't just grab me and drag me arou-" Freddy began, before Kim swiftly began leaping down the tree. Freddy then changed from protesting the situation to grasping onto Kim for dear life, arms wrapped around the man's neck and face buried in the armor of his chest.
"Zzzzgizzldifuginshtomygodkimwathnnnghizzzchchch," Freddy muttered under his breath during their descent.
Kim seemed to have a very intent look on his face. He barely glanced at Freddy, but he did say one thing before running off toward Olivia. It just so happened that what he said sent a chill through Freddy's entire body.
"Xenomorphs."
Freddy blinked.
"FUCKING WHAT!?!?!?!?!?"

-The God Damn First Encounter-

Freddy blinked.

"HOLY SWEET SHIT ON A SANDWICH MADE OF RAZORBLADES AND WHITE BREAD, AARON, IF THOSE FUCKING VAGINA FACES DON'T KILL YOU I SWEAR BY ALL THAT IS HOLY, UNHOLY AND SPIRITUAL THAT I WILL!"

Freddy moved as he shrieked, running toward the raptors while pulling his hammer from its harness on his back. He threw it up into the sky, then leaped after it. He met it in mid air, grabbing it and swinging it downward. He released it, letting it fly toward raptor gamma.

"PLUG YOUR EARS RETARD!" Freddy yelled, before unleashing a deafening roar from the sky. The massive noise caused the raptors that he hit to shudder, from pain and irritation more than any actual damage. They sure as hell were going to go after Freddy now after that display, he'd intentionally gone as flashy as possible. The physical force of his deafening roar gave Freddy another second of air time, before he fell. His hammer was too far away to use immediately, so Freddy got ready with his fists. His tonfa would only really be useful against human threats, so he didn't bother drawing it yet.

"COME ON YOU GIANT WALKING URINALS! YOU HURT ANYONE HERE AND I SWEAR THAT EVEN THE MIGHTIEST OF GODS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU FROM MY UNBRIDLED INFINITE RAGE!"

(TL;DR, Freddy damages one heavily and attempts to draw aggro on a lot. I can't imagine his deafening roar would stagger much, while the tossed hammer probably would be a decent blow. Deafening roar I imagine as being, like, 2 stagger points at best against these guys, unless they have really strong senses of hearing.)

Battle

Jyn unwrapped the straps of her crossbow's wooden case hanging behind her back. It was slightly heavy but the weight was something she already got used on carrying. Opening the case with swiftness, Jyn immediately grabbed the crossbow, taking a good grip of it's stock with her left hand and brushing through the foregrip with the other. She leveled the weapon to her chest as she took a quick glance of the scope if ever dusts took an invasion. This was it, something her heart had been pumping with exhilaration since the end of graduation. Her chest was throbbing heavily but none of it would ever contribute towards failure as what she strongly believed.

"Thael, Freddy and Kim, you’re on vanguard duty, try to provoke as many of them as you can. Kat, these creatures are weak to ice spirits, do what you can wherever you can, roam. Roy and Aaron, protect Kat, as soon as the Raptors see her spirits they are going to converge on her. Jyn, Maggie, and Emily, do your thing from the rear and watch our backs. Remi, you’re with me on the left flank,”

Taking note of the command with caution, Jyn stood a few inches behind Olivia, administering a sharp leash towards distant zones if ever there were possibilities of the creatures attacking from the rear side. She shifted her positioning, constantly rotating her gaze at ninety to one hundred eighty degrees while her eyes were glued to the scope of her crossbow. Her stance was ready for a target to shoot. Luckily, there were no incoming threats and it was safe to be certain that the rear side was secure. The front line was doing absolutely good except however for Aaron who did deviate from the team's positioning and went to face the creatures with none other than his own self. But perhaps she thought he could handle them for a bit. She did believe what Aaron was capable of and rushing in for a helping hand if ever the situation transitions into a troublesome scene wouldn't be a huge issue to carry out.

Suddenly, loud grunts and a clatter of movements sailed through Jyn's senses which made her turn immediately to where it was coming from. It was several inches before her where Olivia was battling against a few Raptors, which happened to broke past the defensive line with their blunt charges. Jyn swam her gaze throughout the vicinity, immediately taking a quick glimpse of another pair of raptors charging in towards a member of the group. "Remi" She muttered, then sprinted away from her position. Jyn made haste, sending off heaps of dirt with her combat boots as she ran with utmost speed towards him. As Jyn reached behind Remi before the raptors could come barging in, a piercing scream emerged from the aim of the crossbow's bolt, rocketing past Remi and hitting the Raptor Delta. The member of the pair was pinned down for now and Jyn knew it would bring itself back up again anytime soon however, the other raptor was still live and charging, almost at a peak where it could gravely harm Remi within a single hit.

Then, after a call of distress from being at an almost close gap, The Raptor's movement froze instantly as wisps of visible matter came circling through the being and formed a field of surging energies. Jyn's right hand was pointed at the creature's range, focusing sheer concentration on her spirits to lock down the creature's movements completely. The raptor stood steadily, frozen and appeared to be in a position it previously rendered, almost as if it was a statue. Jyn sighed audibly as her right hand shook from the concentration she was exerting to the time lock's strength. "That was close." Jyn said. Sweat came rushing down from her forehead afterwards. Then, as she feared, the Raptor Delta groaned itself back up, slowly returning to weary movements. "Oh c'mon at least rest for a bit while I play with your friend!" She exclaimed at the raptor.

Battle

Thael's blood froze in his veins at the sound of the raptor's rapid approach. This was it. It was finally real. For a split second, he was paralysed with a combination of fear and excitement. Then his brain kicked in. Ten hostiles; raptors in a standard pack formation approaching at high speed. It was practically a textbook perfect engagement, and Thael nearly began shouting orders himself. But Olivia's voice rang out clear and firm, and he automatically assumed his position. Their formation was solid; Thael was confident he, Freddy, and Kim could hold the frontline while the heavy hitters worked up their spirits from the back. Thael was also pleased to note Olivia’s formation left no one isolated: in theory, it might be tempting to split up Olivia and Remi to initiate a pincer action, but that would leave both of them exposed and could easily backfire. “Stand fast guys, we can do this!” he yelled as his spirits awakened, bathing him in light.

As the creatures drew ever closer, Thael carefully considered his options. The team had trained together ruthlessly, so few--if any--furthers should be necessary. Thael decided he’d opt for a single Sunspear attack as the creatures closed to range, aiming his actual spear towards a raptor on the left flank so that Olivia could easily retrieve the weapon and send it back to him, while dividing the sunlances evenly amongst other targets for maximum threat generation. He would also need to keep a close eye on Olivia and Remi, ready to leap to their side if they got into serious trouble. He also made sure to check back on Kat, Roy, and Aaron; once the initial shock wore off, the raptors would probably head straight for them, and he’d have to be ready to-

And then Aaron ran past him, sword blazing, right into the middle of the pack, and Thael’s weakness reared it’s head. He didn’t check with his squadmates, he didn’t even think for a second, he simply acted. With a roar, Thael heaved his spear at one of the raptors descending on Aaron in the middle of the pack (Omicron). As soon as it left his hand, lances of golden light snapped into existence out of thin air and smashed into the 5 raptors closest to Aaron (Kappa, Lambda, Sigma, Omicron, Omega). Still acting on impulse, full of the desperate need to protect his friend, Thael gathered his strength, and with a surge he leapt to Aaron’s side, landing with a burst of light that elicited cries of pain from the raptors (same 5 as before). He quickly stepped forward and yanked his spear from a raptor’s chest, golden light blazing from his body. “You will not have him!” he yelled defiantly.

That got some attention alright. One of the raptors lunged at him with claws and snapping teeth (sigma). Thael smashed it out of the air with his shield mid leap. A second (lambda) came in low from his other side, snapping at his legs, so Thael smashed the butt of his spear into its face. The third (Kappa) took advantage of his distraction, managing to wrap it’s jaw around his left leg. The combat armor buckled but did not break, and Thael grunted in pain as the crushing bite bruised his leg, but he didn’t slow down.

Then Freddy came smashing down from on high, hammer first into a raptor, a deafening shout washing over the rest of them and redirecting their attention away from Thael. Now that he had a second to breathe, Thael suddenly realized his mistake; he and Freddy had both impulsively rushed to help Aaron, but that left only Kimbo to hold the front line as the remaining raptors closed in.

Summary:
Thael uses Sunspear for medium elemental damage on raptors Kappa, Lambda, Sigma, Omicron, Omega, and heavier physical damage to Omicron
Thael uses Guardian Leap to move to Aaron’s defence, drawing aggro from and dealing light elemental damage to raptors Kappa, Lambda, Sigma, Omicron, Omega
Thael takes light-medium phsyical damage from raptor Kappa

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