Operation: Red Guard(IC, Open, Sci-Fi)

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

---

The cat-eared woman rolled her eyes as she heard the Elnoi woman question her origins. It was hardly the first time something like that happened, but it was never quite a pleasant time - she'd much prefer if people minded their own damn business, but that just wasn't how the world went, she supposed. Fortunately, before she had to give some half-assed answer, Kira cut in, introducing the newcomer as Max.

"Yeah yeah. Nice to be working with you and all that crap." She said with a smirk before turning back to her meal, though she continued listening to the conversation going on, and couldn't help letting out a small chuckle at Errol's giant bib.

Seeing the children enter the mess hall, most of them with their plates stacked with food, she felt sympathy for them. It was probably the first good meal they'd had in forever, and clearly they were intent on enjoying it - most of them, at least. She remembered the first time she had been able to buy a meal for herself: after spending over a decade with nothing but bland nutrient paste and water, she was very nearly overwhelmed by the taste of a simple steak.

Sighing, she turned back to her meal, only to notice Kira looking at her. "What? I'm not going to babysit them." She said with a raised eyebrow.

Meanwhile, Ajax had been enjoying his meal perhaps just as much as the children. Normally he put quite a bit of thought and care into his diet, but, having been forced to skip his lunch and part of his breakfast, he decided he'd have a hefty hamburger with a side of fries and nuggets. It was nothing compared to the mountain of food on Errol's plate of course, but it was still a deviation from the norm for him and as the others eagerly - or not so eagerly - conversed with each other and introduced themselves, the redhead simply enjoyed his meal in quiet contentment.

When the topic of the children came up, however, he swallowed his bite and looked in Kira's direction. "Commander Mathers, are you sure it would be a good idea to let the children off base?" He asked. "I understand that Fort Rawlings is not the most friendly environment for a group of children, but given the current state of affairs in Olympia, it is definitely the safest. With so many bounty hunters still looking for them I believe it would be in their best interest to just remain here." He stated. The truth was that he himself didn't want to see the children, who had already been through so much, be forced to fall into the life rhythm of a place like Fort Rawlings, but none of that would even matter if a bounty hunter captured them.

"Perhaps there is an alternative, but for now at least, I'd be very cautious about letting them out of our sight."

[Tomia]

Kira
Kira smirked at the idea of Monica babysitting the kids. "No of course not, not if we don't want our resident toddlers practicing their swordplay." She replied with a playful smile. When the conversation moved on, she continued eating her salad and thought pensively about Ajax's comment. He had a point about their safety, as much as she hated the idea of them being confined to the base. "You're right, we need to be concerned about their safety. But I don't want that concern to mean this just becomes a new prison for them. They've been through a lot, it's not going to be easy to gain their trust." She said, a slight frown on her face as she went back to eating for a moment.

After a bit she decided to change the conversation. "So Sal and Max, we don't really know much about you. Care to make introductions?"

"Not really." Max replied simply, taking another bite of her food afterwards. Sal sighed.

"Max, don't be rude. There isn't too much to say however. As you guessed we're mercenaries. We travel around taking jobs, which is what we were doing here. Max is from Xenro but..." He said as he got a dirty look. "She doesn't like talking about that."

"No she doesn't" Max added pointed. "Besides, that's the past. I'm much more interested in the present. What brought all of you to this "Red Guard" anyway? Also things on Mars seem pretty intense. As if the humans here don't like each other. What's up with that?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

---

Hearing Kira's response to his words, Ajax nodded. "You're right, commander. I wouldn't want them to stay here permanently either, and with everything they've gone through I'm not surprised they're slow to trust us - it's how they've managed to stay alive." He conceded, though he was quick to continue. "...But even then, I would suggest prioritizing their safety over other concerns." He added, leaving the rest of his train of thought unspoken, not wanting to bring down the mood of their group dinner with morbid terms just to elaborate on his thoughts.

If the children are captured or harmed, then it won't matter how they feel about life in Fort Rawlings...

It seemed his reservations were not out of place, seeing as Commander Mathers quickly changed the topic to something more casual, though he couldn't help sighing inwardly in mild annoyance as he noticed their two Elnoi guests were less than willing to share information about themselves.

Clearly, their aloof cat-eared comrade was of the same mind, as she audibly scoffed at Max's words. "Wow, you don't want to tell us anything about you, but you immediately start questioning us. Talk about fair." She said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe you'd like to hear about our life stories too while we're at it."

While he very much agreed with the swordmaster's perspective, Ajax kept quiet about it. Rather than try to further aggravate the situation, he opted for the diplomatic option yet again, suspecting that he was perhaps extending too much courtesy to their Elnoi guests at this point but keeping such thoughts to himself. "Though you just consider all of us 'human' without any other qualifiers, due to various cultural and historical factors there has always been quite a bit of friction between the people of Mars and the higher ups of the Sol Confederation. I could go more in-depth into all of that later, if you care to learn." The young man explained politely. "As for why we're here... in my case, it was a good opportunity to work with the army, which is what my father always wanted, while still following my chosen vocation."

"Pay's good. My boss isn't an asshole." Monica spoke with a shrug, adding her two cents to the conversation. "Great deal if you ask me."

[The Republic of Atria]

Michael

The mission wrapped up about as neatly as it could have. No shots fired, no injuries. One part of him was grateful, one part was a little bored. Still, it already seemed more exciting then spending most of his days cooking books. Not that it didn't have it's fair share of moments, he just needed a change. New variables. New people to figure out and work with or around.

They returned and his body was telling him that it was time to eat, which everyone else seemed to agree with since they all piled into the mess hall. He grabbed as balanced a meal as he could have and when he turned around, he saw a fair number of kids hanging around the- He squinted. Cat-eared woman. He'd seen plenty of people who get some gene mods to give small animal feature before, but never usually anyone in any sort of military organization. He noticed her in the meeting room, but never gave any thought until now. The poor girl was probably a literal pet project. There was some sympathy to be had for her, but he didn't get the impression that she would appreciate it.

Something about her body language told him that she wasn't exactly fit to care for a gaggle of children. Apparently, they'd all had similar experiences to his own. It made him... Angry. He hadn't felt genuine anger in a very long time. His mind was already racing with ways he could begin to track down the perpetrators and painfully end their existence. He had plenty of owed favors and contacts, he could pull it off.

He caught himself going down the rabbit hole again. It took stopping, closing his eyes and slowing his breathing to center himself again. He used to do it more often, but too much planning with too little information meant his thoughts spiderwebbed into possibilities and it was too much for him to keep track of in the moment. They'd be dealt with, that was what the Red Guard did. Hopefully. If not, then he'd quiet and personally ensure that the problem was rectified with the utmost precision and viciousness.

He sat at the table where the Elnoi woman was muttering something about human food and everyone was talking about the children and the cat-eared woman who was babysitting them. "Please tell me we have a plan to deal with whatever happened to the children. Also, please tell me I will be involved."

[Segral]

Errol Wyrick
Fort Rawlings Mess Hall

While the rest of his table enjoyed one of the most awkward dinnertime conversations he had the great displeasure of witnessing, Errol chose to begin dining away, immediately bringing his mouth to an impressively large thigh of white meat. The food wasn't even particularly good (the mess hall had much more to offer in terms of breakfast and brunch than they ever did for more savory meals), but it was warm, and he was hungry, which made even the most rancid of offerings taste like golden nectar. The beer was marvelous as well, freshly brought in from the local Olympian taverns. It outstripped the food by miles. Within minutes, he felt himself plunging through the beer at an equally marvelous rate, his bib catching some as it spilled down his chin and preventing it from splashing over his favorite vest. Good cheer, food, drink, and new stories. What a remarkable way to spend an evening. Well, it would be more remarkable without guests that looked like they had thoughts of slapping the other across the face. Perhaps he couldn't fault them, he would like to slap at least one of his guests, but still.

"To tewu th' truf, eyewuh...jelly coher inuh joinuh." Errol said with a hearty laugh in response to Max's question, his face becoming slightly difficult to look at due to the mass of tentacles curling around his chin and his unfortunate habit of speaking with his mouth full of food. "Excuse me, gently coerced into joining. Let my manners slip away for a moment. I had spent my entire life in service, and I was quite enjoying my retirement on Toro. The pension was considerably high. However, I was offered this assignment in exchange for more salary, as well as an even greater pension when I returned home. I'm only contracted for some years, and soon, I'll be able to return home." Errol shrugged, taking another sip of beer in between his sentences as a frown fell onto his face.

"But aye, I do wish it was on another planet beside Mars, another city beside Olympia, even. It is not just humans that hold tension. Mars and Olympia hold long and storied histories, full of rebellions, independence movements, radical ideologies, and too many people off the straight-and-narrow for its own good. Goons and gangs like the Soldiers of Adam and the Sons of Mars hate non-humans and see Mars as their rightful property. The government and rich men have abandoned those in Red Town, the poorest neighborhoods, for their own idealistic vision of what a city of progress should look like. When people are left alone, they form gangs, and when gangs stake their claims, there is blood." Errol said darkly, spitting a bone out into his plate to punctuate his words. "It is no wonder why we exist in our capacity. This city is liable to burn down at any moment."

Then, their company was joined by Michael, who brought their focus back to the children. A shame it was, that they had been plucked from one prison and directly tossed into the next. It was not a situation fit for any child. They deserved the chance to roam free, but what was the risk to their safety? A robot babysitter would be...unnecessary, and he couldn't help but feel the selection among the Red Guard to "babysit" them was...less than adequate. "I admire your enthusiasm, Michael, but no plan has been set in stone." Errol replied with a glum air to the other man's questions. "I have no doubt that every one of us would be involved in ensuring the children's safety, but even we may not be enough. As it stands, I would have to agree with Officer Wallace. I too wish they could resume life as normal children, but the risk is just too great. We've still not eliminated the threat that our informant warned us of, and there could be other forces we are not even aware of at play. It is the most logical option. I have no doubt in my mind of this."

[Tomia]

Max listened to Ajax's explanation, seemingly not bothered by the tone of his or Monica's remarks. "Ya, ya, this place has history I get that. It's just, humans have kind of reputation in the galaxy. I figured you all were too busy fighting other races to really worry about fighting each other." She said at Ajax's explanation of Mars before her eyebrows peaking up at his reasons. "I can relate to that I guess. Never really wanted what my parents wanted for me either, but you probably found a healthier solution to that than I did." She said candidly. It was pretty clear she didn't have much social awareness.

She snorted at Monica's answer, "Now that's a reason." She chuckled, "I like you Ears."

At the nickname Sal chided her, "Max..."

"Sorry sorry, Monica right?" She said apologetically before turning to Errol. Until the others, Max wasn't disgusted by the bizarre display of tentacles. "Your body is so weird." She said, not as an insult but instead out of genuine curiosity. "You talk a lot too, how do you know so much about this place anyway? You're from... well not here right?"

Sal piped up at this point, "You are pretty worldly for a mercenary." He commented to Errol. "But what you say, well sounds like its a sad state of affairs here. Why would humans do that to one another..." He ended with a bit of a sad tone as if he was actually pondering the question.

That was when Michael showed up and Kira looked at him calmly as she pondered his question. "I want justice for this kids as much as anyone, and when we get it you can count on a place if you want it. But we have to be smart about this. Something feels off about the whole thing, and I don't want to act until we know what's really going on. Mars is a powder keg right now, and it's our job not to light it." She told Michael as her eyes drifted off to the children's table. Where there should have been laughter and joy was solemn and foreboding silence. It filled her with a fit of anger.

"But trust me, we're not letting the sick bastards that did this off the hook."

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

The cat-eared mercenary simply rolled her eyes again as she heard the Elnoi woman give her a nickname based on what seemed to be her most noticeable physical trait. Seeing as it was something people did so often when they first met her - and the last for quite a few of them - it was far from a surprise, but that didn't mean she appreciated it. Especially since she couldn't just put this one six feet under and be done with it.

"Whatever." Monica replied as Max apologized to her. She didn't care much for the apology, but the woman was no longer paying attention to her, so no need to draw any. She was clearly a bit of a scatterbrained individual, anyway. Instead, the soldier continued enjoying her almost finished meal.

Ajax, meanwhile, listened to the Elnoi's response. Though he was far more interested in the local sphere, due to his family's inclinations he had learned plenty about the bloody wars that humanity as a whole had fought against other species across the galaxy, and though she surely did not intend for it, Max's words were a stark reminder of the less than agreeable reputation his species had in the rest of the known universe. He would've liked to reply with something, but he couldn't seem to find words for that. This statement and her story about how she had experienced what it was like to have a stifling family made him think that there might be more to this Max character than met the eye, even if she was far from open about herself.

Sal's intervention was yet another thought provoking comment, though before he could say anything about how there was so much more to humanity than a history of endless conflict and bloodshed, that they valued peace and harmony as much as any other culture might, Monica spoke up.

"Easy. Humans do that to other humans because they're fucking rotten." She stated.

"Come on, Monica, that's not true for everyone!" Ajax replied hastily, clearly more invested in the matter than his white-haired counterpart.

"No, not for everyone. You wouldn't hurt a fly." The soldier said with a smirk. "But what you would or wouldn't do doesn't matter when there's a bastard all bent up in the mind calling the shots." She added with a shrug. "Hate to burst your bubble, but most people aren't innocent or kind, especially those with any sort of power." She said, discreetly nodding her head in the direction of the children as if to prove her point.

Ajax wanted to respond, but once more, the sheer painful truth behind a woman's words gave him pause. Seeing his reaction, Monica sighed.

"Yeah, I thought as much. Don't get too worked up over it, it's not like it's your fault." She told him, before glancing at the rest of the people gathered around the table. "Anyway, the rest of you should be more careful. You keep glancing in the kids' direction and talking about them within earshot. They're not test subjects you know? Save all that for strategy meetings." She said before standing up. She was done with her food and the conversation was getting a little heavier than she preferred it to be during something like a group dinner, so she saw little reason to remain.

Before leaving, however, she leaned in close to Kira's ear and whispered something for only her to hear. Then, she straightened up and walked away.

[Tomia]

Kira
The commander watched the interaction between Ajax and Monica but didn't intervene, it wasn't her place to settle every single dispute between her crew. Monica made a decent point about the children however and Kira would have to take that into consideration. It was then that the cat eared soldier decided she had enough of dinner and decided to leave. Before she did however she whispered something to the older woman.

Crater's on Gale street, one hour

Kira raised her eyebrow at that but otherwise didn't react. She had assumed Monica had ignored her message but it seemed she instead just wanted to make a show of accepting the invitation. When she walked away Kira turned to Ajax. "Don't mind her kid, she has been through a lot. It makes you bitter sometimes. Don't let anyone make you feel silly because you see something wrong and want to fix it." She said before adding a smirk, "Besides, the world is a boring place without optimists, you'd just have a bunch of Monicas growling at each other." She joked as the meal continued. Soon everyone went their separate ways and Kira got prepared to head off base for the night.

The Next Day, 11:00 AM
It was after breakfast and Kira's hope for a quite day off was pretty swiftly ended when she got a call from the local police.

"Commander Mathers? This Sergeant Liam Hollister with the Colonial Police Force. We uh... have a situation we could really use your help for."

"What is it?" Kira asked, wanting to get to the point.

"It's better if we show you ma'am. I'm sending you a video you should watch right away."

Kira sighed, this job really had no intention of being an easy one.

"Alright, I'll gather my team and do that."

With that she sent off a message to all her team members to meet her in her office immediately. She waited impatiently until everyone had gathered.

"So, someone we have to kill?" Max asked as she and Sal arrived together.

"Well I was waiting for you all to arrive to find out." The commander told her new crew member. With everyone there, Kira pressed a button on her computer and the video that the police department had sent her began to play.

Kira immediately recognized the Tharsis academy, in the school district. It was a very large building with an old school look on the outside. The walls were a dark brick like color that used to be very common on Earth and the leading up to the main door was a concrete staircase. However, it wasn't the architecture that was drawing her attention. Standing on this staircase was a hulking man. He was dressed in black, in what almost seemed like a jump suit to accommodate his massive frame. Kira guessed he was at least eight feet tall if not larger. He held a large rifle in his hands as he stared cockily at the camera.

"This is a message to those cowards in Fort Rawlings. You have something of I want, and you're going to give it to me. I have two dozen kids hostage in this school. So we make a trade, kids for kids. You try to take them by force, or sneak your way inside, and me and my boys start shooting. You have twelve hours. Try and test me, I dare you." With that his deep and animal like voice stopped and the video cut off abruptly. Kira gripped her desk tightly, trying to process everything that just happened. That was clearly the monstrous person that their informant had warned them about. Had he been behind this all along? Or was something bigger going on. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, but for now something even more troubling demanded her attention.

"So..." Max said, breaking the silence.

"Max..." Sal said in a low and warning tone.

"Well, are we just going to stand around looking shocked or are we going to talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Kira told them sternly. "We're not handing those kids off to that monster, nor are they to know such offer has even been made. If he wants to pick a fight then we'll give him one. We stop whoever... whatever that freak is right now." Kira said strongly before sighing. "But I'll admit, I'm worried about the students at the school. So if anyone has a suggestion as to how we get out of this without bloodshed, believe me, I'm all ears." Her guard was breaking a bit at this admission, anxiety rising in her chest and threatening to swallow her whole.

Fuck I... I need to get myself together.

"Excuse me, I'll... Well talk amongst yourselves. I need to take care of something." Kira told them before walking as calmly out of her office as possible. When she was out of sight, she rushed towards her room and made her way into her bathroom. She dropped to the floor, vomiting her breakfast into the toliet as her nerves got the better of her.

I can't... I can't do this again...

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Monica Lantrix

---

Monica's morning, which had started on a surprisingly upbeat note, quickly took a turn for the worst as she and the rest of the Red Guard's inner circle was called to the commander's office for an emergency. After watching the video and hearing the demands of the hulking terrorist that had taken the whole of Tharsis Academy hostage, the cat-eared soldier was livid - they had only just managed to get those children, who had clearly been through a hell of their own, to safety, and already there were those who would take them away to continue exploiting them without mercy. Making a concerted effort not to lash out in anger during the briefing, she instead tried to think of how they could address the situation without caving in to the terrorist's demands.

These thoughts were promptly interrupted as she saw Kira leave the room quietly. Despite the facade the commander put up, she could still hear her footsteps as she rushed away from the office. Her anger flared up further and she bit down on her tongue hard enough to draw blood, but the pain served a purpose - the sensation brought her back to her senses, and she took a deep breath in order to control her emotions.

"So anyone got any brilliant ideas? We're not handing over the kids, so how are we going to take care of... you know, that fucking thing?" She said, vaguely gesturing in the air as she referred to the mutated man that had taken over the university. "I can try to sneak inside and take care of that bastard's henchmen to make sure nobody gets shot - Raela can help with that, too." She said, nodding at the other woman. "But, I don't know the place well."

Scrunching her brow as she thought of how to best address that, the Titan's eyes fell upon the Red Guard's medic. The young man was more than a little shocked at the threat presented to the Academy, and it was clear that he hadn't quite managed to snap out of it yet. Realizing that there was a reason for that, she called out to him. "Hey. Doc." She said. He didn't react, so she grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him roughly. "Snap out of it!"

Startled, Ajax looked at her wide-eyed. "W-what?"

"You went to Tharsis Academy, right? How well do you know the building?" Monica asked him. After calming down, he nodded.

"Yeah, I did. I know it like the back of my hand, I'll tell you anything you need to know." He said resolutely.

"Good." She replied laconically, before turning to the others. "We'll probably need a distraction regardless. Preferably one that doesn't immediately make this fucker and his cronies start feeling trigger-happy. Anyone got anything?" She asked the rest of the squad.

[Tomia]

June 9th, After Dinner
About an hour had passed from dinner after Monica had accepted Kira’s invitation to have a drink and the commanding officer was now heading off the base to make good on that invitation. Kira had initially meant for them to get a drink at the officer club within the fort, but it wasn’t terribly surprising that Monica had other plans. She was never the military type to begin with, it made sense that she would be more comfortable among the locals. With that Kira left the base wearing civilian clothes for the first time in a while. Specifically she wore a red dress, that might have seemed out of place for her. Many assumed that given her nature as a warrior and a military commander that she was a tomboy and not particularly feminine. However in Kira’s case it just wasn’t true. Maybe it had to do with growing up with so little, but she enjoyed dressing up for a night on town as much as any woman might.

After the fairly short walk, she arrived on the street where the bar was. Kira wasn’t very familiar with this area, as their base was near the border of the school district and the peak and so it was much more of an affluent area than she had ever visited on Olympia. This particular street was fairly down to earth though. From the outside at least it seemed fairly casual, with dim lighting and loud music, the kind of place Monica would be attracted to.

As Kira waited for her squadmate to arrive, she thought about what exactly she was doing. Their unit was not a traditional one and so the strict rules of fraternization that usually existed didn’t apply here. Still, even though this was just a drink among colleagues, Kira felt she needed to be cognizant of the fact that she was in charge. She didn’t want to abuse that authority, even unintentionally. Still, that couldn’t mean she should just be cold and distant to her squadmates, comradery was necessary for them to function after all. She then chided herself for thinking too much as she continued waiting for Monica to arrive.

Suddenly, a whistle from above drew the woman’s attention, and shortly afterwards, Monica dropped down from a nearby ceiling with cat-like grace, giving Kira a once-over. “Damn, commander. If I’d known you were going to dress this fancy, I would’ve put on something more appropriate. Now I feel like I’m not up to par here.” She said as she rubbed the back of her neck a little awkwardly, although she had a bit of a grin on her face. For the occasion the white-haired warrior had decided on a pair of jeans, along with black boots, a white tank top and her favorite leather jacket, quite the contrast with Kira’s more feminine look. She certainly wasn’t dressed to impress, having been under the impression that this was going to be a more casual outing.

“Then again, I’ve never been good at the whole… dressing girly thing, and I am not wearing a suit, so we’ll just have to make do with this. Hope you don’t mind.”

Kira turned when she heard the whistle and rolled her eyes at Monica's extravagant entrance. It was clear the other woman liked showing off her powers. The comment about her dress made the commander a bit self conscious, feeling that maybe wearing it gave the wrong impression, but she played it off in a cool demeanor.

"It's fine, I wasn't expecting you to dress up or anything. I know it's not a special occasion, but to be honest even going out to get a drink is somewhat rare for me so I figured I'd wear the dress while I had the chance. Besides this look suits you, not that seeing you in a dress wouldn't be amusing." She said, ending her comment with a grin.

“Oh you’d love that, wouldn’t you? I bet you’d like to see me wearing eyeliner and lip gloss too.” Monica shot back with a chuckle, before gesturing towards the bar. “Well, we shouldn’t stand here in the street too long, people might start getting the wrong impression.” She told the blonde before heading towards the bar.

“Well I certainly imagine there are worse sights in the world.” Kira quipped before nodding when Monica suggested they head inside and followed in behind her. The bar was a fairly nice one. To the right there was a small staircase that led to a dance floor that was filled with people dancing and flashing lights accompanied by music that vibrated through the room. To the left was a more secluded area that was slightly better lit and was not nearly as loud. Between the two areas in the center of the establishment was a bar, where bartenders were busily filling orders. The crowd was fairly young, and seemed to mostly be made out of the professional types and some students from the School District.

“Nice place”, Kira commented. “I was expecting more of a biker bar.” She joked to her squadmate. “So, do you want to get that drink now?”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret commander, I always want to get a drink.” Monica joked before leading Kira towards the counter, the two women sitting down somewhat off to the left, where there were fewer patrons and they could have a conversation in peace. “I’ll be honest with you, this isn’t the sort of place I usually visit in order to get buzzed, but, you know, I didn’t think taking my boss to the seedy black underbelly of Olympia was very appropriate.” She said. Just then one of the bartenders approached, asking if they would like something to drink.

“I’ll have a glass of whiskey.” The cat-eared woman replied, before glancing towards Kira.

“I’ll take a whiskey sour.” Kira told the bartender who then left to fulfill their orders. The commander then turned back to Monica. “Well I’m flattered, nice to know you have a sense of professionalism.” Smiling at the thought Monica had put in. “But to be honest, this isn’t the part of Mars I am used to experiencing anyway. The seedy underbelly was much more my experience.” She told the swordswoman as their drinks were brought to them and Kira offered her credit card to open a tab.

“Really? Well that changes everything. Next time you’re free I’ll take you to the Keychain, my treat.” Monica joked in response, before taking a sip from her glass. Normally she would’ve ordered a few shots to get in the mood quickly, but she had a feeling that wasn’t the best idea for this particular night. “All jokes aside… I get that. Before I joined the Titans I would’ve never had the kind of money to just walk in here wearing nice clothes and have a drink with a friend.” She admitted, before grinning at the blonde. “Not that I’m paying.” She added, taking another sip of her whiskey.

Kira chuckled at that last comment. “You really like reminding me of that huh?” She said before returning back to what they were discussing. They hadn’t been particularly close when they were both a part of the Titans, but Kira suspected they had a mutual understanding that they had troubled pasts.

“You know, I have to say, I know we haven’t worked together long but so far I’ve been impressed. The rumors I heard when I was with the Titans seem to be just that.” She said, taking another sip from her drink. “Not that I put much stock in them anyway. People like us, people who are… different, we were never going to fit in there no matter what we did.” Kira concluded, bitterness creeping into her tone.

“Yeah, well… I’m not sure how upset I am about that, to be honest. The only kind of place I would fit in is a place I’d rather never see again.” The white-haired woman replied, her previous jovial tone absent from those words. “I just consider myself lucky to have found someone willing to pay me for doing what I do best.” She added, taking a larger sip from her glass afterwards. She wasn’t sure she wanted the conversation to keep going down that path, suspecting it might sour their mood if it continued, but she also wasn’t quite sure of what else to say.

“So… rumors eh? What kind of gossip was there about me back when we were both in the Titans, hm?” She asked at last, some of her playfulness returning. She was genuinely curious about it after all.

Kira had felt a sense of sadness at Monica’s response. She really believes that doesn’t she? Kira could relate in a way, there were still times when she felt she would never be able to escape the trash heap she had grown up in. Still, she could sense the other woman’s mood begin to sour and doubted any show of sympathy would lighten her mood as opposed to make it even worse. That became even clearer when the cat-eared girl herself changed the subject back to something more playful and Kira was content enough to follow along.

“Oh you know, all sorts of scandalous things.” She replied coyly, sipping her drink before continuing. “Some said you were taking hits on the side for money, others said you once bought out a bar for yourself for a whole week, though I might be able to believe that one.” She added that last part jokingly before continuing. “I even heard one really strange story of an orgy involving you, an Elnoi mercenary and the wives of a few Neirel diplomats.” Kira finished laughing at the absurdity of that last one as she took a longer sip of her drink and waited for the other woman to respond.

Hearing as the blonde woman recounted the many rumors that had circulated through the ranks of the Titans during her time before joining the Red Guard, Monica’s amusement slowly escalated, starting with a few chuckles and ending with the cat-eared woman covering her mouth as she failed to control her laughter. Her cheeks were flushed with a hint of red as she finished, albeit not just because of the laughter. Leaning a little closer towards the other woman, she gestured at her to do the same.

“I wasn’t on board at first, but when I saw those girls I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance.” Monica stated before leaning back with a grin on her face, sipping some whiskey as she waited to see Kira’s reaction to her confession.

Kira raised an eyebrow at Monica’s gesture, but leaned in as requested. When she heard the other woman’s response she laughed genuinely but after a few moments she saw the warrior's face and couldn’t tell if she was joking.

“You’re fucking with me right?” Kira asked her, the alcohol spurring on a slightly more uncouth response than Monica was used to from her commander. The sheer sincerity of it prompted another laugh from the other woman.

“No, but that can be arranged.” Monica replied with a wink. Realizing she might be coming on too strong, she quickly decided to follow up with a change of topic. “But hey, now that you know something about me it’s time you told me something about you right? It’s only fair.” She added with a grin. “So what’s the most fucked up thing you’ve done, hmm?” She asked.

Kira felt a little flushed at the first comment. This wasn’t exactly where she had expected the night to go, but she wasn’t uncomfortable or embarrassed by the development. Then Monica asked for a story from her commander who smiled politely and shook her head.

“We’ll need more drinks for that.” Kira told her, gesturing for two more from the bartender as Monica watched with excitement.

“Round two already? Well, I’m certainly not complaining.” The soldier commented as she promptly downed what was left of her first glass of whiskey in anticipation of the next one, while Kira continued to speak.

“In the meantime though, I’ll give you a story. But I’m not nearly as interesting as you. The only story like that I have that even compares comes from back when I was at the academy on earth. I had a friend named Jade who was having some boy trouble, guy wasn’t treating her right and all. So I tricked him into thinking he was getting lucky and when he ran out of the room in his underwear looking for you know, protection, I locked the door and left out the window.” Kira shared, taking a fairly large drink from her newly delivered beverage.

Monica couldn’t help smiling a little wider as the other woman called her interesting, but as she moved on to her story, that was quickly replaced by a rapt interest which led to a hearty guffaw as she heard the conclusión to the tale. “Wooow, caught out of his room in his underwear, what a loser.” She said, still highly amused by the story. “Honestly though, he had it coming. He should’ve prepared that before the moment of truth.” She commented. “...And, you know, he had it coming for mistreating your friend and all that.” She added as an afterthought before sipping on her second glass.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done something like that for someone. I’ve never had many friends to start with, and if people ever needed me it was usually to kick someone’s ass.” The white-haired woman admitted with a bit of disappointment, realizing she didn’t have any stories of a similar vein to share. “Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun to do all of that, but… I suspect hearing about it wouldn’t be that[/] fun.”

Trying to think of something less bland to say, Monica continued. “You know this academy thing sounds fun, what was it like? When the Confederation picked me up they just put me through some combat trials, performance test, power training and all that stuff before throwing me to the dogs a few months later, so I didn’t really get to experience any of that.”

Kira shrugged in response to the question. “It was fine. Kind of just like military life for kids if you can imagine. Go to classes, train, eat meals with your classmates, find ways to pass your downtime etc. It was a nice change for me and so at the time I loved it, but I never really fit there. Made some friends though, so it wasn’t all bad.”

“Sounds more fun than what I had to do to join the Titans, at any rate.” The cat-eared woman replied.

“So.” Kira said, deciding it was her turn to ask a question. She knew it wasn’t a great idea to ask Monica about her past so she decided to take another track. “I’ve always wondered what your plan was. You don’t strike me as a military lifer, so what is it? Settle down with a family on some farm planet? Maybe start a training school for mercenary badasses?” She said giggling at that last thought.

Monica looked back at Kira with a blank expression as she took another drink from her glass of whiskey, which was already half empty. “I don’t get it.” She replied bluntly, albeit with sincerity. “My plan for what?”

Kira raised an eyebrow, unclear where the confusion was. “What do you mean ‘what’? You know, like the future, the rest of your life, all that.”

"Oh." Monica looked at the liquid swirling in her glass for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "Well, I don't know. I guess I always figured I'd die with my boots on, in a blaze of glory and all that." She said with a chuckle, albeit one that sounded less enthusiastic than before. "When you live a life like mine, you just don't tend to think about the future that much, to be honest." She stated.

After a brief pause, she looked back up. "What about you Kira, do [i]you have plans for the future?" She asked, curious.

“I used to.” Kira replied after sipping her drink. “When I was a titan I dreamed of having my own command, things like that. Before that as a kid I imagined being some rich celebrity on Earth. These days I don’t know, but I am open to the possibilities. Ideally though, I’d retire before my hair turns gray and try to find some peace, if that’s even a thing in this galaxy.”

"Peace in the galaxy, huh." Monica repeated softly as she rested her head on one hand, her elbow propped against the counter. "I hope it doesn't become a thing, or I'll be out of a job." She joked.

Kira frowned slightly at that. “You’re really good at your job Monica, but it isn’t the only way to live. We can be something other than soldiers.”

At these words, Monica's brow furrowed slightly and she looked back down at her drink. "Maybe you can…" She said with little enthusiasm.

Kira held back a sigh, it was pretty clear that they wouldn’t be able to have any deep conversation that night. She wasn’t surprised of course, but it made things harder to navigate. So for now Kira decided maybe it would be better for them to talk less. She finished her drink before turning back to Monica.

“I want to dance.” She declared leaving their past conversation behind. “Are you up for it?” She asked in a playfully challenging tone.

The brief awkward silence made Monica worry that she might be ruining the night with her moodiness, but luckily Kira came up with something else soon enough. Or at least, she thought it was lucky at first, until the words registered properly.

"Pass." The white-haired woman replied. "I don't know how to and I'm not sure I want to make a fool of myself like that.” She added.

The blonde soldier merely scoffed at that, standing up and taking Monica’s hand. “Come on, I’ll teach you. It’s really not all that different than fighting. Weren't you just bragging about your scandalous reputation? What’s one more story? Besides, this one might be fun too.” Kira said, smiling a bit flirtatiously at the end there.

Kira's words, by themselves, didn't do much to ease Monica's hesitation. But her gestures and her smile definitely persuaded her to reconsider her stance. Staring at her commander's face for a few moments, she sighed and nodded.

"Alright, alright. Just… give me a moment to prepare, alright?" She asked before downing what was left of her whiskey. Rather than stand up, however, she waved over a bartender, asking for another glass that she promptly downed as well.

With that little courage ritual done, Monica stood up, taking Kira's other hand. "Alright, I'm all yours boss. Just don't make fun of me, or I'll kick your ass." She joked, though it was clear she was still a little uncertain about this.

“Oh I’m so scared.” Kira chuckled with a sarcastic tone. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were scared.” She teased before letting up a bit. “It’ll be fine Monica, we’re doing this for fun after all.” She said, leading her on the dance floor where a new song was playing. It was sexy and upbeat in tone, which was fitting for the mood of the club. Kira and Monica made their way to an open part of the floor in the corner. The commander had figured the white haired woman would prefer somewhere more secluded.

“Alright, it’s pretty simple. You just want to sway your hips and bend your knees in rhythm. Imagine you’re dodging a sword strike if that helps.” She instructed, half joking with that last part. “After that, just do what feels comfortable, wave your arms, shake your hips, there’s no wrong answer.” Kira told her, deciding she would be a bit bold and help Monica get started by placing her hands on the white haired girl’s hips.

“Is this okay?”

Monica simply nodded at Kira's question, a sheepish grin on her face as she tried to do as instructed. Her face was fairly flushed now, both due to the three whiskeys she had on her and due to the close proximity with the other woman - not that she minded at all.

"You know, if you just wanted to bend your knees and move your hips, I could think of a few more fun alternatives." The cat-eared woman quipped, trying to match the rhythm of the music with her movements. "I think the song agrees with me."

“I’m sure you could.” Kira replied, rolling her eyes and smirking. “But that’s not something I do on a dance floor. Probably not the best way to win over the locals.” She quipped as she continued to dance. She took her hands off of Monica’s hips to raise them in the air as the beat dropped and the sound grew more intense. She leaned in, her lips against Monica’s ear.

“Besides, I find this plenty exciting. Don’t you?” She whispered, the alcohol emboldening her and taking away any inhibitions about professionalism she had worried about earlier.

Monica shuddered as she felt the blonde's hot breath on the sensitive fur that covered her ear, a soft gasp escaping her. Despite everything, she found herself craving more of that. It was a very strange feeling to not be the one in charge in a situation like this, but with Kira she didn't feel odd or out of place.

Slowly losing herself to the upbeat rhythm, the moody lighting and Kira's bold, intoxicating demeanor, she nodded.

"Yeah…"

They danced together for another few songs, their movements getting more passionate and focused on each other as the songs went on. After that they returned to the left side of the bar and found a quiet booth where they could have a few more drinks together. Eventually they both felt it was time to head back to the base.

As they left the bar Kira felt a bit of a chill, it was colder than it had been when they left, but at least the area was well lit enough that they wouldn’t be walking in the dark. She glanced quickly at Monica, trying to think of something to say to fill the silence.

“Thanks for coming tonight. This was really fun.” The commander said sincerely.

"No problem. Honestly, I think this was one of the best nights out on the town I've had in my life. I should probably be the one thanking you." Monica replied with a smile. She had somewhat cooled down after how intense things had gotten on the dance floor, though she couldn't deny that she was hoping something else would happen before they arrived back at the base.

"Say… Fort Rawlings isn't far from here, is it…?" The white-haired woman asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Uh ya, it's a short walk.” Kira replied, a little confused at why Monica made that sound like a bad thing. “Good thing too, it’s a bit chilly out here.”

“Oh, I can help with that.” Monica replied quickly, walking closer to Kira. Despite the potential for flirtatious comments, she said it genuinely and swiftly shrugged off her leather jacket before placing it on Kira’s shoulders - her build was a little broader than Monica’s, but it was ultimately a good fit. Now in just her tank top and jeans, she stepped back. “Better? I’m not cold, so don’t worry about me.”

“Better, thanks. That was sweet of you.”

The younger woman grinned at those words, but said nothing. As she stared into Kira’s eyes, however, she found herself inching ever closer, her hands moving towards her commander’s waist. “Hey, Kira…” She whispered softly, close enough that the other woman could feel her breath. A part of her, the side that was more animalistic and visceral, wanted nothing more than to drive Kira up against the nearby wall and see where things would go from there - with how the other woman had acted thus far that night, Monica suspected she wouldn’t refuse.

And yet, another part didn’t want that. She had very much enjoyed the other woman’s company, and in fact she had been attracted to Kira before that night, though she had done nothing about it under the assumption that the blonde wouldn’t be interested, due to the chain of command or for separate reasons. But the fact was that this hadn’t been her usual night out, and Kira wasn’t just another warm body she wanted to spend the night with. This was something different, and for once in her life, Monica felt that it wouldn’t matter if she wanted to take things a bit slower.

Exercising as much self-control as she could possibly muster, the white-haired woman leaned forward and, instead of aggressively making out with Kira, she simply pressed her lips against hers in a tender, short-lived kiss. She didn’t want the night to end, but she knew that they had a job to do and a life they needed to return to come next morning.

“Can we… do this again?” She asked, looking into Kira’s eyes.

Kira’s face was flushed as she looked back at Monica. “Yeah… We definitely can.” She said, relaxing into a small smile. “But first…” She then wrapped her arms around the other woman’s neck and pulled her into another kiss. This time it lasted quite a bit longer, and Monica was grinning as she pulled away.

“Can’t wait.” She said softly. In her elation, a giggle suddenly escaped her, and she quickly raised her hand to her mouth in surprise. Realizing there was no one around to make fun of it, though, she stopped caring about it and simply continued laughing. “You know, now I’m really glad we didn’t go to that officer’s club inside the base.”

Kira giggled in return. “Me too. By the way, your laugh is really cute. It’s nice to hear it.” Kira told her sincerely as they continued to walk.

Monica’s face flushed at the compliment, though she didn’t say anything for a few moments. The part of her that was used to having to prove herself to others seemed intent on making her respond with her usual aloof and defensive demeanor, but she realized that what Kira was saying was nothing negative, so she simply nodded. “...Yeah, thanks.” She said. Inching closer, she placed an arm around the blonde’s waist as the two continued walking, enjoying the unexpected closeness with the other woman.

As they moved across the relatively empty streets of the school district, the large walls of Fort Rawlings came into view.

“Well, I guess we’re here.” Monica said. Though she was still not quite content with her night coming to an end, the promise of a next time was enough to keep her in a good mood.

“Ya…” Kira said, realizing they hadn’t spoken about what would happen now. She didn’t want to rush things, despite the temptation, and surprisingly it seemed like Monica was of the same mind given that she hadn’t made any of her suggestive comments. Still, she didn’t just want to walk away unceremoniously like she was a stranger.

“Walk me to my room?” She asked gently. Obviously she didn’t need an escort, but it was an excuse for them to spend a few more minutes together.

With a grin still on her face, the cat-eared woman raised an eyebrow. “What, really? You don’t mind the guards and the rest of your subordinates seeing us together?”
Kira’s brow furrowed, Monica did have somewhat of a point. This night had been great, but their relationship, if there would even end up being one, was in its infancy. Complicating it with public exposure probably wasn’t a great idea.

“Maybe you’re right, but us walking together shouldn’t draw too much suspicion, maybe we can just…” She said as she gently slipped out of Monica’s arm, “...Be a bit more discreet about it.”

Raising a hand to her chin, Monica considered the situation briefly, before an idea came to her. “Well, maybe we don’t even need to do that. As far as anyone knows, we’re just two girls who had a few drinks together, right? That tends to cause some movement issues.” The cat-eared woman said, before leaning in close and whispering into Kira’s ear. “I’d love to walk you to your room, so just play along.”

Throwing an arm around Kira’s shoulders, Monica continued walking towards the base, laughing to herself and pretending to stumble a bit more than she would have otherwise. As she approached the main gate of Fort Rawlings, she fished her military ID out of her pocket and flashed it at the guards stationed there. “Drunken commander passing through! Nothing to see here gentlemen!” She practically shouted, slurring her words on purpose and laughing some more as she and Kira were waved through.

Kira flushed at Monica’s brazen announcement but kept playing along as instructed. She couldn’t resist however, leaning up and whispering in Monica’s ear, “You are so going to pay for that later.”

“I know. I can’t wait.” Monica whispered back as they headed further into the base. Fortunately for the two women, the rest of the base seemed dead asleep, allowing them to continue on without having to keep on pretending. “Well, that went well. And the hangover we’re both going to have tomorrow is going to help sell the story.” She joked.

Eventually, the two arrived at the commander’s quarters, where they would have to part ways, and Kira turned around. “Well, this was great Monica. It’s been… a really long time since I’ve had fun like that.” She then stood at her door a bit awkwardly before reaching for the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah…” Monica replied, awkwardly waving as Kira took out her keycard and reached for the reader next to the door. Before the blonde managed to open the door, however, Monica’s waving hand suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her around. Spurred both by the alcohol inside of her and by the wilder side of her briefly taking over, the cat-eared woman pushed Kira against the door, pinning her hands against the wall and giving her a passionate kiss.

When she managed to get a hold of herself a few moments later, Monica pulled away. She was slightly surprised at her own actions, but didn’t exactly regret them. “Good night, commander.”

Kira looked a bit stunned and short of breath, but managed to choke out, “Yeah, good night.” Before clumsily getting the door open and slipping inside.

Once inside Kira let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding in. That night… did not go how she expected. That of course was not a bad thing at all, in fact quite the opposite. But it brought with it new complications she’d have to deal with. As she slipped out of her dress and went to brush her teeth she couldn’t stop thinking about her squadmate who was quickly becoming more to her than just a friend or co-worker.

We’re really going to have to talk about this. She thought to herself as she got into bed, but that would be tomorrow’s problem. For now she contented herself with happily replaying the memories of the night over in her head until she drifted off to sleep.

The Next Morning
Kira woke up the next morning with a slight hangover, but that wasn’t really what was bothering her stomach that morning. That was so irresponsible of you. The commander chided herself as she ran through the events of the previous night. The slight fuzziness that existed made her very uneasy. Between the alcohol and her clear advances on Monica, Kira was very worried she had taken advantage of her position of authority. Despite those concerns, she had really enjoyed herself. Her and Monica got along incredibly easily, even if they both had their share of issues. Still, before anything more could happen between them, she needed to make sure she hadn’t already ruined both her personal and professional life. With that she shot out a text to her informal date from last night.

Hey, breakfast together? I’ll have some brought to my office for us. I figure we should talk in private.

She stared at the message for minutes on end before finally deciding to end her torture and send it. Without waiting for the reply she showered and got dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a black and red sweatshirt. She felt this would go better if she wasn’t looking too commander-like. She then made the breakfast arrangements and headed to her office, checking her phone regularly.

I’ll be there in ten. Came the succinct response at last, putting the commander at ease, at least a little.

Sure enough, eleven minutes later Monica arrived at Kira’s office, the door sliding open for her as she approached it. She wore a black shirt over the white tank-top from yesterday, and had clearly put some care into brushing her hair and making herself presentable, despite not looking too different from usual. Spotting Kira, the cat-eared woman flashed her a confident smile.

“Hey.” She said as she walked inside, the door closing behind her. A brief pause followed, Monica’s smile wavering slightly. “So… talk, eh? About last night, I’m guessing.”

“Hi.” Kira said, her tone a bit less confident as usual as she took in Monica’s put together look. She got the sense the other woman was just as nervous about this as she was. “Come on, sit down.” The commander said, gesturing to the table in the corner where she sat. It wasn’t the most luxurious office space, but between the table, her desk, and the small couch that sat against the wall it was comfortable enough.

On the table sat two plates of fairly standard breakfasts. Some scrambled eggs, sausage, and hash browns were on each plate as well as a small basket of biscuits between them along with a pitcher of water and two glasses.

When Monica sat, Kira decided to finally voice what was on her mind. “I did want to talk about last night ya. I wanted… to apologize.” She told the other woman looking a bit uncomfortable.

At this, Monica raised an eyebrow. “...What? Apologize?” She asked, confused about the blonde’s words. “Apologize for what? Having fun for once in your life?” She joked.

Kira allowed herself a small smile at that, but wouldn’t let it deter her from her task. “For last night, it was really inappropriate of me. I’m your commanding officer, and I should have known better to do something like that with alcohol involved. I guess what I am saying is, if you want last night to be in the past, and to forget it happened, I promise you it won’t affect your position here. Or if you want to transfer I’d understand that too.” Kira was clearly embarrassed and worried she had greatly overstepped. Even if Monica was not the regulations type, that didn’t ease her concern.

Far from feeling put at ease by the other woman’s words, Monica instead felt anger stirring inside of her. As the blonde finished, she didn’t wait for a second before cutting in. “So what, you think I went along with it just because I care what your rank is? Or that I’m some dumb chick that’s easily impressed by a shiny badge?” She shot back as she crossed her arms, her frustration apparent in her words. “Look, I’m not a schoolgirl you picked up off the streets. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I know what I want.” She added firmly. “Why even invite me if you were going to say all of this crap? It’s not like you didn’t have a million chances to stop if this was a concern.”

Kira frowned at Monica’s response, it wasn’t totally surprising but that didn’t make it much easier to hear. “Monica that’s not what I meant. I know you weren’t just trying to suck up to me. But that doesn’t mean my rank doesn’t matter....” She sighed. “Okay, what I’m trying to say is… I like you, and I really enjoyed last night. I just wanted to make sure you felt the same alright?” Kira got a little defensive at the end. “And I wanted you to know it was okay if you didn’t.”

Monica sighed. She wasn’t content with what the commander had said earlier, but her words did calm down her anger a little this time. “Yeah, right. Well, thanks for worrying about me, chief… but that doesn’t really matter.” She said, pausing for a moment as the weight of the words she was going to say next set in. “‘Cause I like you too, you know? I had a lot of fun, and I meant it when I said I wanted to do it again…” She stated. “So yeah, I feel the same. There, I said it. Happy now?” She finished, clearly a little embarrassed at that.

Kira smiled in relief, it was a much more natural one than before. “Yes, I am.” She replied cheekily. “Thank you for saying that, it puts me at ease. I’m sorry if this conversation makes you uncomfortable. I just needed to be sure.” She said, reaching her hand across the table for Monica to take. “Come on, let’s eat before it gets too cold.”

“Yeah… forgot about that.” The white-haired woman admitted with a chuckle as she awkwardly reached out to take Kira’s hand. Another thing she wasn’t quite used to, shows of affection like that. She suspected there would be more of that to get acquainted with in the future, but for now, she decided to focus on the meal and began digging into the scrambled eggs.

Kira was happy that Monica took her hand without issue, and began eating herself. There was a pleasant silence for a few moments, and while the commander was loathe to disrupt it a question buzzed in her mind.

“Monica, I know we haven’t really talked about what we both want out of this exactly, but if we were too…” Why are you so awkward? She chided herself. It was embarrassing that someone so sure footed on the battlefield could bumble this badly in private conversation. “What I’m asking is, would this be your first relationship?”

Finding herself taken aback by the question, Monica paused for a moment as she chewed on a bite of sausage, thinking over how to answer. “Well, you know you’re not the first person I’ve been with. Or the first girl.” She quipped with a chuckle, before recalling that their night together hadn’t actually ended like most others. “Not that we did any of that I guess. But anyway, I don’t usually stay with the same person for more than one night, so… yeah, I guess this is a first for me.” She admitted. It felt odd to be so open about herself with someone, but she didn’t really mind it if it was with her. It wasn’t technically true, since a few of those were repeated over a few nights, but that wasn’t relevant.

Kira nodded, “To be honest, I don’t have much experience in that area either. Well, one night is a bit short but most of my relationships didn’t last that much longer than that.” She admitted, hopefully that would make Monica feel more at ease. “I was thinking, since that’s the case, we should take things a little slow. There’s no point in labeling things or rushing to something we aren’t comfortable with right?”

Monica mulled over the question for a bit. It was interesting, and a bit unexpected, to hear that Kira’s case wasn’t much different from her own, though it did make her more comfortable to know they were on somewhat even grounds. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” She said, before offering the blonde woman a grin. “I’m definitely not going to be uncomfortable if something like last night happens again, though.”

Kira returned the grin with a playful eyeroll. “Good to know you are just as flirty sober as intoxicated.” She teased. There was one more thing they needed to talk about, but Kira was worried Monica might not take it well. “I hate to keep bringing up serious things but, there’s one last thing we should probably talk about. Remember last night when we worried about people seeing us together?” Kira asked, hoping Monica would get where she was going with it.

“Mhm.” The cat-eared woman hummed as she continued eating her meal. Swallowing her bite, she continued. “I remember. What about it? You want to continue keeping things under wraps?”

The commander bit the inside of her lip at the question. “Well… I don’t want anyone to worry my judgement is compromised by any kind of favoritism. And I don’t want people to resent you either. But… If that makes you uncomfortable, I don’t want you to think I am ashamed or anything.”

Far from uncomfortable, Monica simply shot the commander a confident smirk. “Well of course not. Who would be ashamed of making out with the biggest badass on the surface of Mars?”

That drew a smile to Kira’s lips again. “Well considering what you did last night, I hope the answer isn’t you.” She shot back playfully.

Monica smiled at the remark, resting her head on her hands. “Well now. Cocky, are we? We’ll have to find a way to settle that later.” She replied.

“Why do I get the feeling you already have some ideas in mind.” Kira replied, giggling softly.

“You know, your laugh is really cute too.” Monica said without really thinking, a part of her recalling what the other woman had told her last night.

Kira was a little surprised by that comment, but blushed and smiled. “Thank you, I’m glad you think so.”

At this point their breakfast was mostly gone, and it was close to time for Kira to start her day. “Well, we should probably get to our duties. Thanks for coming, I feel a lot better.” Kira said before leaning across the table and kissing Monica’s cheek.

“I’m glad you feel better.” Monica said, standing up as well. “I know you’ve got work to do and all, but since you want to keep this between us… we have to take advantage of any moment we get, right?” She said before grabbing Kira by the shoulders and pulling her into a passionate kiss.

Kira returned the kiss enthusiastically, and when they finally broke apart she smiled. “You’re really good at that you know?”

“Practice.” The other woman replied with a wink before leaning in for another round.

[Tomia]

Monica

As Monica began taking charge in the absence of their Commander, Sal looked concerned that this unit had an unstable working dynamic to say the least. Monica didn't seem particularly fit for command, given her temper and seeming lack of patience. But she was calling for a plan at least and trying to figure out how they should respond.

"Well, if involving the children is totally out of the question, our biggest concern is going to be finding a way to approach the school." Sal added. "The entrances will be guarded but... it's not likely that mercenaries know the lay out of the building. They probably just chose it because it was an easy target. That means that Ajax's knowledge could be invaluable." Sal pointed out. As he finished speaking he turned to see that Max was accessing Kira's computer.

"Uh Max..."

"Not now" She said dismissively as her fingers were moving furiously. It was clear she was looking for something. After a few minutes she managed to pull up a blue print of the school. She was staring at it intensely. "Hey Doc" She said, referencing Ajax. "What can you tell me about this room?" She said, referencing the buildings main security hub. "How can we get in there? and what kind of security measures does this school have in place?"

Meanwhile, Kira had managed to calm herself down slightly, even though panic was still racing through her mind. For now she decided not to return to her crew however, she wasn't ready to return after that extremely awkward exit. Besides, there was something else she wanted to do. She headed to the barracks where she had set up the children. It was a large room filled with beds and a private space for bathrooms and changing. The rescued kids themselves were sitting on their beds, huddled in almost a circle like formation. Cole naturally noticed Kira entered first and quickly stood up from his bed.

"Is something the matter?"

"Hi Cole, can we talk for a second?" She asked, gesturing for them to leave the room together. As they stepped outside, Kira took a breath.

"There's a situation, some mercenaries have taken hostages, they're demanding we turn you over." Cole immediately stiffened at this and Kira could tell he was getting ready for a fight again. "Easy kid, that's not going to happen. You're not going anywhere. I just wanted you to know, I felt you deserved that much."

Cole visibly relaxed. "Well, what are you going to do about the hostage situation?"

Kira sighed, that was the question that made her heart feel like it was in a vice. "I don't know yet... but we'll figure something out." She said, trying to convince herself as much as him.

"I can help." Cole insisted. "If we're the reason for this, then let me fight!"

"Cole, I get you want to help, but putting you in danger isn't the solution. You need to stay and keep your friends safe." Kira replied, shaking her head at the naivete of the request. "That's an order." She added, getting more stern. "Understood?"

"Fine, whatever." Cole said before skulking back inside.

Kira merely sighed as she walked away, heading back to her office so they could finally figure out what they would do about this situation.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

---

The young medic glanced at the blueprint of Tharsis Academy on the computer and mentally connected it to his memories of the place. "Only way in is through the door. There used to be an access through the vents, but - well, one too many pranks, let's leave it at that." He stated, catching himself before going on a tangent with the full story. Those students weren't going to save themselves, so they had no time to waste talking. Instead, he approached the computer terminal. "But there's a vent access here, right by the door." He pointed at a location just outside the campus' security hub. "It connects to another one here, near a side entrance. In theory, if you took care of the guards there before they raised the alarm, and moved quickly enough, you could get into the security hub and take control of everything. The cameras, the alarms, the lockdown system..."

"Sounds like a prime target then. I could get in and out, it's what I do." Monica added with a shrug. "I'm no good with computers, but I could bug it so that machine head over there can take over." She nodded in Max's direction. "We're still gonna need something to keep them distracted while that happens though, and someone to make sure that the students don't get shot." She stated afterwards.

"And someone to deal with the big guy when all that's said and done." Ajax pointed out.

"Obviously." Monica retorted.

Before anything else could be said between the two of them, Kira walked back into the office looking a little better than before. While Monica was in part relieved about that, she was also more than a little upset about having to be the one to verbally kick everyone's butts into gear so that they could figure out how to respond to this crisis. She'd never been one for leadership, which had been made clear to her by superior officers on numerous occasions.

"So nice of you to drop by. We were just doing your job and making a plan." She remarked.

"Monica!" Ajax snapped at her before turning to Kira. "Commander, are you feeling well?"

[Tomia]

Kira
The commander grimaced ever so slightly at Monica's words. They weren't wrong, but hard to hear especially given their conversation earlier that morning. She couldn't think about that right now, she had already wasted enough time on her feelings while lives were at stake. She gently raised her hand to Ajax. "It's fine Ajax, and I'm fine thank you. Let's get to business. So you said your plan needs someone to take on the big guy? I'll do it. If we can get the civilians clear, I'll take care of...whatever that monster is." Kira said, sounding determined. She had a moment of weakness in front of her crew, and she needed to reestablish her credibility.

"So" Sal said, interjecting. "Sounds like Monica here is sneaking in to the building, and Max will hack into the school's security from here. Our boss, will take on the big guy. I figure I can help her with that, plus deal with whatever guards there. I assume once the civilians are safe we can have some more soldiers help us too." He then turned towards Ajax. "That seems to leave one of us without a role."

"Actually, Ajax there's a favor I need to ask you." Kira said to him. "I know how much you want to help your former school, but I need you to stay here and look after the kids. They are the target here, and they're already on edge. They need someone here with them, can I count on you for that?" She doubted he would appreciate being sidelined, but she felt like he was the best one for the job. Besides, he was also probably the least likely to challenge her authority, and right now that was pretty important.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

---

The medic nodded at his commanding officer as she assured him that she was alright - he wasn't exactly convinced, but at a time like this they needed her to lead the unit, so speaking his concerns out loud likely wouldn't do any good. So far things seemed to be going well, with the other members of the Red Guard filling in Commander Mathers before she assured she would be taking care of the abomination that had threatened to do unspeakable things on the grounds of Tharsis Academy. Right afterwards however, one of the Elnoi siblings, Sal, spoke up, recounting the roles each team member had agreed to perform before looking at him pointedly and mentioning that he did not seem to have a duty to perform. Irritated by this remark, Ajax turned to glare at Sal. Not only had the Elnoi been thoroughly unhelpful throughout the past day, now he even tried to call him out like this?

"Do you really not have any idea of what a medic does?" He snapped at the Elnoi, his patience reaching its breaking point. "Besides-"

Before he could say anything more, however, Kira interjected. Holding his tongue, Ajax turned to his commanding officer while attempting to recover his composure, listening to her request. It made enough sense to him, of course, the children needed a familiar face to be with them through this crisis and if they had somehow caught wind of what was going on, surely they would need someone to reassure them. But would the Red Guard really be fine out there without its medic? Not to mention that Kira was right in that he wanted to help. Couldn't someone else fulfill the commander's request?

Briefly looking around at the team gathered within Kira's office, Ajax sighed inwardly. No, it doesn't seem like there's anyone else in here that's up to the task. He thought, before turning back to her and nodding. "Understood, commander." He told her. "We really need to bring someone on board that's better suited for this sort of task, though. Hopefully nobody will need any medical attention, but..." He trailed off, leaving the implications unspoken.

"Alright, so carrot boy is on babysitter duty. All clear on that front." Monica interjected. Ajax opened his mouth as if to reply, but the cat-eared soldier simply carried on before he could do so, a little louder this time. "Sounds like we're all set then. What are we waiting for?"

[Tomia]

Kira, at the Base
Kira nodded at Monica’s insistence that they get going. “She’s right, there’s no time to waste. Everyone gear up and meet at the transport depot in 15.” Kira informed the group and adjourned the meeting. Ajax and Max would be staying behind and so only Kira, Monica and Sal would be going of the people in the room along with a squad of backup who would move in once the hostages were secure.

Sal approached Ajax once the meeting was over, “Hey, I take it that what I said offended you.” He said, sounding a little awkward. “I’m not too good at this language, well I know all the words but sometimes how to use them is tricky. Anyway I’m sorry if I implied you weren’t useful. Had just meant we hadn’t talked about you.” He then awkwardly offered his Elnoi hand as he knew humans often did, “Truce?”

Being left with his thoughts, Ajax let out a brief sigh. He understood that the task Kira had assigned to him was a necessary one, but that didn’t mean he was happy about not being able to help his alma mater directly. Noticing Sal approaching, his stare hardened on reflex, but as he listened to the Elnoi, he realized that perhaps he had been a bit too quick to anger earlier. After mulling over it for a moment, he nodded and shook Sal’s outstretched hand.

“I apologize for snapping like that, I’m just… a little on edge after seeing that.” He admitted, referring to the video where the monstrous humanoid had made his threats and demands.

“That was certainly… unsettling” Sal agreed. “Been around a lot of the galaxy, never seen something quite like that. But, regardless I like our chances. We’ll make sure everyone at that school is safe.”

With that Sal departed to prepare, and after a small amount of time passed, the team was ready to move out. Kira would be going along in a convo vehicle with Sal and a half a dozen soldiers. However there was one other thing Kira would need to take care of.

“Monica.” She said, calling over to the soldier when she arrived. She wouldn’t let the fact that Monica was clearly not particularly happy with her at the moment distract from the mission, besides hopefully this would make up for it a bit.

“You can’t travel with us, this car won’t be able to pass the police barricade. So, I’ve got an alternative for you.”

She said as she moved over to a nearby parking spot where a tarp covered what looked like a vehicle. When Kira removed the tarp she revealed a motorcycle.

“It’s one of the toys the old unit that used to be stationed here left behind. What do you say, interested?”

Hearing Kira calling her over, Monica raised an eyebrow, but complied nonetheless. She was fully decked out in her usual armor suit, giving her a fearsome visage, but her manner was casual as she listened to her commanding officer. When the motorcycle was revealed, however, her tune changed completely and she let out a long whistle, admiring the sleek vehicle.

“I’m definitely interested, chief.” She remarked, her voice slightly distorted by the helmet. Getting on the motorcycle, she began getting a feel for the pedals and handlebars. “Are you sure about this?”

“Just don’t crash it alright?” Kira replied half jokingly. Before adding in a more sincere tone. “Get there in one piece, we’re counting on you for this one Monica.” Kira told her before heading off towards the jeep with the others.

“I make no promises!” Monica shouted back before taking off, headed towards Tharsis Academy.

---

The academy itself was surrounded by a line of police vehicles and barricades that cut off the campus from the rest of the city. However Kira had instructed the local police to give a bit of a wider berth towards the back of the campus and because of that there was a clear alleyway which Monica would be able to move through to get within the premises. Once on campus, there were a small number of mercenaries patrolling around the back entrance of the main building. Two soldiers carrying semi-automatic weapons currently stood at the base of the steps leading into the building. They were looking around but clearly bored and not at high alert.

Closest to the alley was an abandoned building that looked like it used to be an old generator room.

“Are you inside yet?” Max asked Monica from within her helmet. “If you need help I can always send in some drones.”

“No, not yet.” Monica replied. Hiding behind the generator building, she scanned the landscape for any nearby guards beside the two stationed at the door. From what she had seen, some other guards patrolled occasionally, but they wouldn’t circle around to that area for a while.

Waiting until the guards were looking elsewhere, the Titan made her move, bolting from her hiding place to a shadow on the wall of the building, turning off the light of her visor so that she would be more effectively concealed. From there, she darted towards the two guards and took out two of her knives, slicing their throats open before they had a chance to react. Without losing any momentum, she pulled the bodies into the building before too much of their blood was spilled - hopefully, that would buy her a few seconds while the others looked for their comrades.

It didn’t take her long to spot the vent Ajax had mentioned, and she promptly climbed in, recalling the path in her head and moving towards the vent that led to the hallway just outside the security hub. “I’m inside and on my way now.” She relayed to Max in a hushed voice as she moved, careful not to make too much noise.

Stationed outside of the door to the security room were two burly mercenaries wearing light armor and armed more heavily than their peers outside - instead of semi-automatic ballistic weaponry, the two wielded plasma rifles, likely smuggled from Elnoi space.

It was unfortunate that they wouldn’t do them any good. From an air vent above them, two oily black tendrils emerged. Without giving the two guards a chance to react, the tendrils lashed out, entering the guards’ throats. There was a brief struggle, but after a moment or two they were suddenly paralyzed, and the tendrils retreated back into the vent. A few moments later, Monica emerged, appraising her handiwork for a moment.

Then, she kicked down the door. Her strength, plus the added momentum of her jet boosters, caused the door to fly off its hinges and slam into an unsuspecting mercenary, driving him into the wall, while another one immediately stood up, startled, and pointed his gun at Monica.

“Red Guard. I’m authorized to put your guts on display, so I’d suggest you play nice. That peashooter ain’t gonna do much against me.” She cautioned him, her hand partially drawing her sword in a clear threat. Finding himself without backup, the man complied.

A few moments and four paralyzed mercenaries later, Monica inserted a data card into the computer terminal. “Alright,Elnoi, you should have full access now. I’ll leave the rest of the computer stuff to you.” She said, then, she turned around and made her way out.

“Excellent.” Max said, cracking her knuckles before her fingers started tapping furiously on the keyboard. In a moment she had control of all the security cameras, and she was able to locate where the hostages were being held. It was a large room that was clearly a classroom. It was filled with rows of desks that faced a large holographic board.

A number of students and staff were huddled in the corner, among them was a young Neirel woman who seemed like a teacher based on the way she was consoling an upset student. The teacher’s appearance had mostly been adapted to humanoid form but thin lines of gills ran up from her collarbone to her neck, almost looking like an intricate set of tattoos. Her chin on both sides of her face was also lightly colored in scales, that shined in the light, an interesting mix of purple and light blue.

There were two guards inside the room and two outside. Max wouldn’t be able to do anything about them all remotely without endangering the students but she would be able to help.

“Alright, emergency energy doors activated.” Max said to herself as suddenly across the main building hallways were cut off from each other by red energy shields that the mercenaries would have a hell of a time getting through.

“Alright sword lady, I’ve cleared you a path to the hostages. You won’t have to worry about back up, but there are still some guards for you to deal with. Two at the door, two inside. I’ve hacked their communications network, dumbasses linked it to the school’s network, so they won’t be able to communicate with each other. Just try not to make too much noise eh?”

Monica simply responded with an affirmative grunt before making her way to the classroom where the students were being held hostage. Stalking through the hallways, she was prepared to ensure that any kidnappers she came across didn’t have a chance to see her coming before finding themselves paralyzed or with a knife stuck in their throats, but as it turned out, Max was right - it didn’t seem like the academy was very heavily protected. Judging by what she had seen and heard so far there must have been eight guards total, perhaps ten, plus the mutated creature that had demanded they turn over the children.

Well, that’s boring, but I suppose it makes my job easier. The Titan thought to herself as she came upon the hallway that led to the classroom, only to quickly duck back behind the corner to figure out a plan of action. With no cover whatsoever between the ends of the hallway and the classroom door, and two guards that seemed a lot more vigilant than the other ones she had encountered so far, there didn’t seem to be a clear way she could take them out fast enough to avoid alerting their peers and placing the students in danger.

At least, that would be the case if she had been working alone. With some outside help though, she figured it would be easy to sow some confusion and carry out her job while they were distracted.

“Hacker, think you can kill the lights? Just one minute should be enough.”

“Lights out in 3, 2, 1….”

The first cries of surprise could be heard right away, and amidst the darkness, Monica began to advance slowly towards the door. She could hear threats and whimpers from inside the classroom, but no weapons had been fired thus far, which was a good sign. Instead, the thugs keeping the students hostage seemed more intent on investigating what had happened, attempting to communicate with their peers to no avail. Coming up to the first of the guards stationed outside the door, she quickly dispatched him with a stab to the neck before lowering his body to the ground in order to avoid making noise - paralyzing him would’ve been far too risky in this situation.

The next guard went down just as easily, but before entering the classroom, Monica took a moment to listen in, hearing two pairs of footsteps pacing around the room. It didn’t take a genius to figure that the two guards inside would be the only ones walking about, so after a moment, the white-haired warrior opened the door - slowly - and then dashed towards the one closest to her, using her immense strength to throw him at his comrade, causing the two to tumble to the ground, rifles flying out of reach in the process.

By the time the lights turned on again, Monica was standing over the two criminals, sword drawn and menacingly pointed at them as they remained on the ground, hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

“Hostages secured.” Monica relayed through the Red Guard’s secure channel, before taking her helmet off with her free hand and looking over at the students of Tharsis Academy and their Neirel teacher. “You’re safe now.”

The students, still frightened, stood behind their teacher who stepped forward towards Monica with a relieved look.

“Thank you… Officer? I am afraid I do not know who you are but I suppose it doesn't matter. My name is Anorarae ta’Osiri da’Malla. But you may call me Anora. I am an instructor here at the academy. I can’t tell you how grateful we are for your arrival.”

“I’m just doing my job.” Monica said in response to the Neirel’s words of heartfelt gratitude, somewhat stiffly. She wasn’t particularly good with handling praise, as her commanding officer had discovered the previous night. “I’m with the Red Guard. My comrades should be handling everything outside, so just stay in here until I get the all-clear, I’ll make sure nothing gets through that door in the meantime.” She said, pointing at the classroom door with the hand that held her helmet, her other still holding her sword above the two incapacitated criminals.

“Well, we’re certainly glad you did.” Anora replied to Monica, noticing her preoccupation with the two soldiers who were holding them hostage. “Here, allow me.” Anora said, stepping forward towards the two soldiers. She placed a hand on both of their temples and their struggling ceased as their bodies seemed to relax. She was softly chanting something in a foreign language and after about a minute both men were asleep.

“There, they shouldn’t bother us anymore… Sorry, I don’t believe I know your name.”

Surprised at the strange method the woman had used to subdue the guards, Monica stared at them for a moment, then sheathed her sword. “Name’s Monica.”

Anora bowed her head, “It is an honor to meet you Monica.” She told Monica before gesturing to the four students behind her, “These are my students, Xavier, Gloria, Fredrick, and Zaria.” She informed the soldier and the four students offered shy waves.

“We will stay here as you ask, and I shall pray to the Mother of the Sea for your comrades’ success.”

---

The second Kira heard Monica’s voice giving them the all clear, Kira signaled the head of the police force to prepare to take the building. She turned towards Sal, who was standing to her right. “Are you ready for this?”

“As I can be, have to admit boss, this isn’t exactly something I have experience with.”

“Fighting giant monsters or hostage situations?” Kira asked to which Sal merely chuckled.

“Both I suppose, but the monster is more concerning at the moment. What about you?”

Kira’s expression darkened. “The monster doesn’t scare me, but there’s so many people involved, it's going to be hard to keep everyone safe.”

Before Sal could respond to that, Kira heard a commotion that signaled the troops were about to move in. However, they didn’t even make it to the steps before academy’s doors burst opened and the mutant man from the video came stopping out, wearing massive baggy pants and carrying a large energy shield that covered his entire forearm. Behind him came a dozen armed mercenaries.

“Open fire!” The police captain shouted and soon bullets were flying on both sides as the police and soldiers took cover behind their vehicles and the mercenaries fanned out across the building’s entry way. Their leader seemed unconcerned however as bullets bounced off his shield harmlessly.

“MATHERS YOU COWARD! FIGHT ME!!!!” The beast bellowed, his voice deep and haunting.

Kira took a deep breath, before a steeled look came across her face. “Get behind him while I get his attention.” Was all Kira said to her squadmate before activating her own energy shield and charging toward the battle.

“You wanted me Captain Ugly? Well here you go!” She shouted, standing in front of him and staring into his eyes behind her shield.

Captain Ugly’s unnatural laugh reverberated throughout the battlefield.

“I don’t even know why they think you’re worth my time, puny earth woman!” He shouted as he reared back with his shield as if he was charging like a bull.

Sure enough he did precisely that, dust kicked up all around him as his massive feet stomped towards her like an elephant marching.

Kira took a deep breath and her vision narrowed onto her opponent. If she timed this incorrectly even slightly she would be smashed into paste. Just before Captain Ugly reached her she rolled to the side, flying past him as he hurled his way forward. It was a few moments until his momentum allowed him to stop and he realized he had missed. The commander heard his snarling as electricity sparked around her suit. Her shield expanded and suddenly a large energy blade shot out from across her right forearm.

“Sal! Get his attention!” She shouted and suddenly a machine gun spray was launched in the monster’s direction. The bullets mostly grazed off his shield, but a few richocted and found his forearm, causing him to release a menacing hiss as he turned his attention to his Elnoi target.

This was exactly the opportunity Kira needed, as she blitzed towards the monster, launching into the air and slashing down with all her power. A blinding flash of lightning followed and the thick smell of ozone filled the air. However, in a moment it became clear by Captain Ugly’s demonic chuckle that he had survived, having raised his shield just in time to prevent the strike. He proceeded to wave his arm and toss the soldier to the ground.

“You have some parasite in you and you think that makes you special? A god? There is but one god, ‘commander’ and you’re looking at him. I am humanity’s future!” Kira rolled to her left just in time to avoid the shield smashing down on top of her. Sand flew up into the air as she dodged smash after smash, barely having any time to think let alone stand.

“Leave her alone!” It was Sal, having slid right up to his foe, slamming his gauntlet covered fist into the creature’s stomach. Once more Captain Ugly roared at this interruption, grabbing at Sal and lifting him into the air.

“You are an annoying little space bug! Time for you to be smashed!”

At this point, the soldiers and police officers had turned their attention to the mercenary leader, bullets flying off of him and his shield alike.

Captain Ugly slammed his fist down towards Sal, only for it to be blocked by Kira’s shield. The commander was straining greatly to hold back the powerful strike.

“Sal! Go!” She shouted, but instead Sal grabbed his energy rifle and managed a shot at Ugly’s wrist. He howled in pain and Sal used the opportunity to leap into the air and bounce onto Kira’s shield. The momentum sent him flying towards their enemy, and Sal slammed his fist into the creature’s face as hard as he could.

Captain Ugly stumbled back, finally looking phased, and Kira knew this was her opportunity. Once again lightning surged all around her as she rushed towards her foe. He tried to swat at her but a swing with her shield sent him stumbling further back.

“You’re no god, you’re a lab rat!” She shouted as she continued to advance on her retreating foe. “And you are DONE TERRORIZING THESE PEOPLE!”

Once again a blinding light surrounded Kira as she slammed her blade into the ground. The blast sent her flying into the air and she gripped her shield with both hands as she launched a vertical strike at her foe’s chin.

The blast of lightning sent the mercenary monster flying and crashing into a nearby building. Kira, landed, breathing heavily as she stumbled to her feet. Cheers broke out as their victory was celebrated, but Kira ignored them for now. Instead she brought her hand to her ear piece.

“All clear outside, hostilies neutralized.”

---

Monica was standing by the door, hand on her sword and eyes fixed on the hallway, when she received her commander’s transmission. It was over, the threat was gone and they could finally evacuate the students trapped inside, as well as their teacher.

With just a curt acknowledgment to let the other woman know that she had received the message, the soldier turned to the students. “Alright kids and Anora, we’re good to go now. Follow me so we can get this over with.” She said as she walked out the door and onto the hallway, before immediately turning back. “Oh, and if any of you are squeamish then close your eyes and hold onto someone else. Left quite a mess out here.” She cautioned.

Thankfully the group made it out of the academy without any slipping incidents or upset stomachs.

When they made it outside, Anora found herself taking a deep breath. “I was so worried for a time. Those men, I could feel the hatred in their hearts, their willingness to kill, even children.” Anora said, her eyes growing sad before turning to Monica. “I am in your debt Monica, you and your Red Guard have my eternal gratitude.”

With the school evacuated, Kira approached Monica and who she assumed were the hostages she had just rescued. She was walking a bit gingerly given the strenuous nature of the fight but didn’t seem seriously harmed.“Good job in their Monica, that went as smooth as we could hope.” She said, turning to her comrade first and offering a compliment before turning to Anora.

“I’m Kira Mathers, Commander of the Red Guard.” She said offering her hand.

“Hello Kira Mathers, Commander of the Red Guard. I am Anorarae ta’Osiri da’Malla. But you may call me Anora.” She replied with a respectful bow of the head. She didn’t seem to pay the offer of a hand shake any mind and so Kira merely but it down before it became awkward. “I am an instructor here at the academy. Thank you for your help, I feared the worst before you and Monica here arrived.”

“You’re welcome, weren’t going to sit back and let this monster threaten children.” Kira assured her before a thought crossed her mind. “So, you’re an instructor here? That means you have experience working with kids with Tharasites right?”

“Of course.” Anora replied. “I have been teaching here for almost three years now and am very knowledgeable about Tharasites.”

Kira nodded, clearing thinking about something unspoken.

“Well, it was nice to meet you Anora. If you need anything else feel free to contact us through the police.” Kira told her, walking back towards their convoy before turning to Monica. “You did keep the bike intact right?”

The cat-eared woman let out a hearty laugh at that. “Hah! No way. Crashed it into a storefront a few blocks before reaching the academy. Some poor Sigal businessman nearly had a heart attack. I should’ve probably mentioned, I’m not what you’d call an experienced driver.” She said with amusement. “But hey, I got the job done didn’t I? And don’t worry, I already sent for someone to pick it up and take it back to the base.” She stated as she crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face.

Kira merely let out a sigh, unable to stop a small smile from coming to her lips. “Well, that’s the last gift I get you.” She joked, before adding, “But we are getting someone to teach you how to drive.” She then gestured towards the transport vehicle her and Sal had arrived in. “Come on, since you’re stranded now we’ll give you a ride.” As they made their way back to the truck, Sal was there waiting.

“That was a hell of a fight commander, never seen tharasites used like that. I’m starting to get why the collective feel so threatened by them.”

“Well, couldn’t have done it without you Sal.” Kira told him, giving him a friendly touch on the shoulder. “Sadly, I doubt that will be the last time. Now, come on, let’s get home and celebrate a bit.” Kira told him piling into the truck as they readied to leave.

[Tomia]

Fort Rawlings
“Cole, can you please stop? You’re driving me crazy.” Caitlyn told her friend as she sat at the table in the center of the room, playing cards with Jeremy and Amanda. Cole was pacing back and forth in their quarters, as he had been for nearly fifteen minutes.

“How can you just sit there and play cards? They could be selling us out right now.” He told her and she merely scoffed in response.

“You’re being paranoid, they’re trying to help us. Ajax just went to get us lunch. He’s really nice.”

Cole rolled his eyes at the perceived naivety but none the less relented and laid down on his bed with a sigh. “Look, I’m just worried. We have to be prepared. With the bounty on our head, we can’t trust anyone.”

“Cole, I get it. And it’s really sweet that you’re worried. But we have to live right? We can’t do that thinking everyone is going to stab us in the back.”

Before they could continue however, the lights began to flicker before turning off entirely. The emergency lights immediately went on, as Cole jumped up from his bed.

“Everyone stay back!” Cole said, stepping towards the front of the room.

“Ajax! Are you out there?” Caitlyn called, frightenedly trying to huddle around their younger friends.

Suddenly a keycard slid across the reader outside of the room, and the door slid open, disappearing inside the wall. Outside the room, with an expression that seemed no less surprised than the children’s, was Ajax, standing behind a small kitchen cart he had borrowed from the mess hall, which had a variety of dishes on it.

“It’s just me, it’s just me, don’t transform and beat me up or something.” He joked with a bit of a half-hearted smile as he walked into the room. “I… don’t know what’s going on here, but I haven’t heard any emergency transmissions, so we should be safe here. I’m sure whatever malfunction caused this will get fixed in short order.” He told the kids. “How about you eat something? I’m not sure what you all like, so I tried to bring a little bit of everything.”

Caitlyn seemed reassured by Ajax’s arrival, though she nervously glanced at the emergency lights while approaching the cart. The other kids followed her lead, hurriedly grabbing food off the cart as if it would disappear if they didn’t. Cole, however, stood ever wearily by the door, not making a move towards the cart.

“What’s wrong, Cole? Not hungry?” The medic spoke as he approached the teenager with an affable smile on his face, keeping some distance to avoid making the boy feel nervous.

“Someone has to stay alert.” He replied. “I’ll eat later.” He told the medic, before adding, “I appreciate you being here but nothing’s going to change the bounty I have… that we have on our heads.”

Ajax sighed. “Well, yes, that’s true. Nothing’s going to change the fact that there are bad people out there looking to turn you in for some money. That includes not eating or relaxing. If they’re going to come anyway, you could at least be well fed and rested when that happens, don’t you think?” He offered in response. “I understand it’s difficult to get out of that mindset when you and your friends had to look out for yourselves, but wearing yourself out is not going to help them.”

Cole ran his hand through his hair, giving off the energy of someone dealing with responsibility far beyond his years. “I know, but that’s the thing. I don’t know how to help them right now.” He said in a quiet tone, not wanting the others to hear. “These kids, I’m all they have. If they get hurt… That’s on me.”

“Not just on you.” Ajax added in a surprisingly grim tone given his previous remarks. “We took you in and promised to keep you safe while this whole situation is sorted, remember? If something happens, it’s not just you that’s responsible for it anymore.”

After a brief pause, he smiled again. “Maybe if we trust each other a little more, the burden will be a little easier to carry.”

Cole’s demeanor softened a bit, “Trust… You’re right, you people have been good to us, whatever your motivations are. Trust just hasn’t been a huge part of my life.” He told Ajax, before moving towards the cart and grabbing one of the sandwiches. “But, I guess I’ll just have to try to learn.”

After a few minutes of silence the door suddenly sprung to life, revealing a strange figure.

“Hi, sorry about the lights, needed a distraction.” A robotic and clearly modified voice said through the assassin’s mask. She wielded a blade in one hand, and her other hand was strangely uncovered, revealing a light brown skin tone and a well cared and manicured hand. “Now, what do you say we get this over quickly?” She said, the robotic tone still managing to communicate an unsettling level of cheerfulness.

Cole immediately turned from the cart he was standing in front of and threw himself in front of the attacker.

He sent a nearby chair hurtling towards the assassin. She rolled out of the way gracefully as the chair clanged loudly behind her. With incredibly quick movements she slithered her way towards Cole who raised his hand again to strike with telekinesis as he suddenly froze in place as if paralyzed. The assassin’s empty hand gripped Cole’s wrist as she let out a satisfied hum.

“Relax, it’s almost over.” She said, raising her blade towards him. Before it could make contact, it was deflected by a translucent blue energy field projected from a machine on Ajax’s wrist - seeing Cole in danger and seemingly unable to move, the medic had rushed to his side, using his shield projector to protect him from the assassin’s blow.

The assassin turned her head at the intrusion, the glowing eyes of her mask zooming in on the man now standing between her and her target.

“You’re not on the list, but oh well, one more body won’t cause much trouble.” She told Ajax, taking a step back as her blade suddenly irradiated with red energy. She struck hard against the shield, but when it didn’t give, she took another step back.

“Nice shield, let’s see how many you can protect with it.” She said, reaching for a knife on her belt and tossing it towards Caitlyn. Ajax reacted swiftly, running over to her and extending his shield to block the incoming knife, which he was quick to grab as it fell - better to have at least this much rather than fight completely unarmed, though at least he had his gloves on him if nothing else.

“You can’t be very smart if you thought you’d just waltz into a military base, do as you please and come out unscathed.” The young man spoke, seeing no other option than a verbal jab or two to win him some time to think of how to get out of this. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

The assassin merely chuckled, “You’ll find I can waltz pretty much wherever I want.” She clearly sensed her advantage and so didn’t seem in a rush to act on it. “Are you so naive as to ask that? There’s a million credits on each of these pretty heads, and those belong to me.”

She then took a few steps towards Ajax. “Now, you have two choices, step aside and you’ll be well compensated for making this easy on me, or continue to be a nuisance and die hopelessly? Thoughts?”

“I’d rather not pick either of those, miss. I don’t like false dichotomies.” The medic replied.

“Shame, I thought you’d be smarter. Well, let’s get this over with.” With that the assassin lunged her blade towards Caitlyn once again but her free hand went the other direction, reaching out for Ajax’s exposed wrist. He noticed, and rather than avoid it, he clasped her arm just as she touched him, yanking her back to keep her from harming the young girl.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be exactly what the assassin wanted - Ajax could feel his body quickly begin to stiffen, falling prey to paralysis. The experience wasn’t entirely familiar, as he recalled without much fondness how one of the other members of the Red Guard had pranked him into ingesting some sort of paralyzing agent.

Fortunately, in both occasions the person trying to harm him had underestimated him, on account of the simple fact that they were ignorant of his Tharasite’s abilities. Though he could barely move, he wasn’t as thoroughly paralyzed as Cole had been, and he could, at least, send a shock through his glove to keep the assassin from attacking anyone else.

The jolting shock caught the assassin completely off guard, as she dropped her blade and spasmed onto the floor. “How…” She barely managed to choke out as she hit the floor.

At this point Caitlyn finally found the courage to move, her skin hardening into metal as she took a step towards the assassin who was just starting to struggle to her feet.

“Leave us alone!” the girl shouted in an uncharacteristic rage, pinning her to the ground with ease thanks her metallic arm. A few moments later, a dozen soldiers poured in, signaling the end of the assassin’s threat on the children.

---

To say Kira was angry upon her arrival back to base would be a comical understatement. What should have been a celebratory environment after their victory was turned on its head when she learned of the assassin’s infiltration. Kira had immediately called the heads of her security teams into her office, and the distant sound of something thudding against the wall was enough to make clear it was not a pleasant conversation. After all, Kira had sworn to protect these children she had taken under custody, and she and her unit had come dangerously close to utterly failing in that mission.

Ajax and Cole were taken to the medbay and given drugs to remove the effect of the neurotoxin. As Ajax rested in the infirmary, a young private approached him. “Sir, Commander Mathers wishes to see you in her office.”

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

A few hours had passed since his encounter with the assassin, after which he was taken to Fort Rawlings' medical bay to recover. Fortunately for him, his Tharasite allowed him to recover from the neurotoxin administered by the assassin's touch quite a bit faster than a normal person would, but that power came with some less than desirable side effects. Cole, at least, had managed to sleep through the process after being sedated, but he had no such courtesy, as his body rejected the drugs. Thus he had been agonizingly awake during the entire time as the effects of the toxins dissipated - they caused him no pain, but lying paralyzed on a hospital bed for hours was quite the trying experience, if only for how maddeningly numb it was.

At last, however, he recovered his movement. As he sat up on the bed, he saw a young private approach.

"Sir, Commander Mathers wishes to see you in her office." He told him, offering a quick salute before going away. This left Ajax surprised. Had she been watching, or sent someone to watch over him? Had someone alerted her that he was fully recovered after seeing him move?

In any case, it was best not to keep the commander waiting. With that in mind, Ajax promptly checked out of the medical bay and then took a brief detour to his quarters before heading towards Kira's office. Normally he would've gone straight to the office, but with everything that had happened that day, he was starting to look a little untidy. He doubted she would care, but he preferred not to look disheveled in front of his commanding officer and decided to hastily brush his hair and make himself look a little more presentable before attending to the call.

Perhaps fifteen minutes after the private had first contacted him, Ajax arrived at the commander's office. He raised a hand to knock, but found that as he stepped up to it, the door slid into the wall right away. Clearing his throat, the medic walked inside, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Did you want to see me, ma'am?"

[Tomia]

Kira
Kira's head came up from her desk as her door opened upon sensing a presence. "Ajax, relax, come sit down." She said, gesturing to the seat across from her. Her tone was tired but gentle. "I wanted to apologize, and thank you. You did me a favor by sitting out the hostage situation and I repaid that by leaving you terribly unprepared and in danger. None the less you protected the children, and I can't thank you enough for that." She stood up at that point, "How are you feeling? Do you want a drink? I have a bottle I keep for special occasions and I'd say you earned it." She told him, trying to lighten the mood a bit before turning back to him. "I'm sure this hasn't gone exactly as you expected, but I want you to know I appreciate the work you're doing. We've stepped into something... something ugly, but you've gained my trust, and I don't say that lightly." A brief pause filled the air before she continued.

"Anyway, I didn't mean to interrupt your recovery, you're free to take the next two days off if you need it." It was clear she felt guilty about what had happened, and once again the anxiety of command was threatening to creep up and swallow her.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

Hearing the commander's invitation to sit down, Ajax obliged and walked further into the room, the door sliding closed right away. Sitting down across from the blonde woman, he listened intently. He could quickly tell from her tone that she hadn't called him here because of any trouble, which allowed him to relax a little, though he still couldn't help but wonder what was going on - the messenger had made this seem rather urgent.

What Kira wanted, as it turned out, was to thank him for what he had done to fend off the assassin and apologize for placing him in danger. Needless to say he was very surprised - as far as he was concerned he had only done what was expected of him as a member of the Red Guard, but he supposed even that was worthy of applause given the circumstances. Be that as it may, it was clear that Commander Mathers was somewhat nervous, as she quickly continued talking, offering him a drink, declaring her trust, and even offering him some paid time off.

"No, no, that won't be necessary, ma'am. I understand something like this would normally leave a person bedridden for some time, but I'm sturdier than I look, I assure you." He stated. A part of him couldn't help but suspect that, much like certain other members of the Red Guard, Kira saw someone fragile when she looked at him, and that it was this that was currently fueling her generosity. In that regard she was not unlike his older sister Jean. All the same, it wasn't something that he was particularly fond of. "You see, my Tharasite helps me deal with any toxins or contaminants that enter my bloodstream, so I'm fine, really." He explained. His eyes shifted to the drink that had been placed in front of him, and he figured there was no harm in partaking for once.

"Anyway, there's no need to thank me, I just did what I believe any of us would have done. We took in those children, I don't think any of us could simply stand aside and watch as they were taken right from us when we assured them they would be safe here." He explained after taking a sip. "But I appreciate your words, commander. They mean a lot coming from someone who's seen quite a bit of conflict up close. I'm sure my father would approve."

After a moment, the redhead spoke up once again. "How did the hostage situation go? Is everyone at Tharsis Academy alright?"

[Tomia]

Kira Mathers
The captain nodded, when Ajax asked about the academy. He was an alum and he had been more concerned than anyone when the news of the attack had broke through that disturbing video. "It went as well as we could have hoped. Monica managed to save everyone inside, and we took care of that... monster that was leading the mercenaries. He didn't go down easy, but we have him for questioning now. Hopefully we can figure out who he works for. You seem pretty attached to the school, did you enjoy your time there? Was it a good environment?" She asked him. She partly wanted to get to know him a bit better and get a sense of what the place and the people that worked there were like.

Ajax was about as relieved as one could imagine when the commander informed him that the situation had been taken care of with no civilian casualties. Hearing her question, he was a little surprised, and also a bit embarrassed - he didn't want to be seen as a worrywart after all - but simply nodded, a smile appearing on his face. "Well it is my alma mater, as you know, ma'am. And yes, I did quite enjoy my time there, it was an unique experience to be in an institution like that, devoted both to higher education in general and to the study and understanding of Tharasites in particular. I learned a lot there that I hope I can use to help people now." He stated. "Admittedly not everything was positive. At one point I nearly got expelled due to, uh, my brief involvement with the Caucus, but luckily I managed to convince them otherwise and graduate with honors. All's well that ends well, right?" He said with a chuckle.

Kira smiled and raised an eyebrow, "The Caucus eh? I didn't really take you for the political type Ajax. Does your family support independence then?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

"Um..."

Ajax seemed to be at a bit of a loss regarding how to best answer the commander's question. Not only was the issue of independence hotly debated on all public spaces - making it a tricky matter to discuss with your commanding officer - but his family's stance on the matter was also a little more complex than that of the average Red Towner. "Well, not exactly support independence. They're very attached to our people and are adamant advocates of martian rights, equality for Mars, all of that. Independence is a whole other beast - my family actually suffered quite a bit during the rebellions."

The redhead took a sip of the drink Kira had offered him before continuing. "You see, we're one of those names that have been around since the colony days. You know, like the Zhangs, the Deschains, the Rawlings. On the one hand, we've always been pretty loyal, first to the United Nations and then to the United Earth Government. But on the other, well, Mars has been our home for a pretty long time, and my family has watched their fellows struggle under the conditions Earth has forced on us just as long. These sympathies didn't earn us any favor from the UEG after the rebellion even though we actually fought to protect loyal citizens from being lynched by the Free People of Sol. So yeah, my family doesn't quite support independence, but they are very vocal about their criticism of the government and its shortcomings, especially its inaction in regards to the mistreatment of martian folk."

Realizing that he'd gone on for quite a bit, Ajax blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Um, sorry for the history lesson, I got a bit carried away. I think I answered the question though." He said. "Funny story, my father was actually livid when he heard about my involvement with the protests. He was mad that I nearly got myself expelled but I think deep down he was also disappointed that I didn't actually partake in the violence." He shook his head.

"So... should I ask about your own opinion, ma'am? Or maybe I should just change the topic before I get demoted to a nurse."

[Tomia]

Kira chuckled at Ajax’s nervous response. “Relax Ajax, we’re military but we’re not exactly regular army here. You’re allowed to have your opinions. Besides, it wouldn’t exactly serve to help public relations if we kick out all the Martians. And its fine, I could actually probably know more about the planet I’m serving on frankly.” She noticed the tone when Ajax talked about his father and decided to leave that alone for a moment in favor of answering his question. “As for my opinion, frankly I don’t really have one. I’ve spent most of my life on Earth, I know little about what the Martian people want or need. I’m a soldier, I see people in danger or being hurt, and I try to help them. I don’t spend a whole lot of time looking at the big picture. But… I have the feeling I won’t have that luxury for long.” She paused and looked a bit distant for a moment before returning to the conversation.

“Anyway, its been a long day. I don’t mean to keep you here. You’re dismissed Ajax’s take the night for yourself.”
With that Kira was left to her own thoughts as the doors to her office closed behind her medic.

---

Two weeks had past at the Fort and fortunately the fervor over the bounty had begun to calm down. After two weeks of it not being claimed the children were assumed to be gone by most and while some no doubt continued to seek the payday, there was no longer a frenzy among the Martian underground. The children themselves were also slowly settling into life on the base as they tried to deal with the scare of the assassination attempt. Kira herself had spent much of her time making sure security across the base was tightened, as well as sending out patrols across Olympia to make sure no more unrest would pop up. Today however she would hopefully be fixing another problem, one that would make the children’s lives better while they were forced to stay on the base.

Kira stood out near the front gate of the base expectantly. She decided she would wear informal apparel for this occasion. She wore a pair of jeans along with her red and black Titans jacket that symbolized her membership in the elite fighting unit. Kira had the sense that their guest wasn’t the military type and so the less that was emphasized the better. As she stood waiting at the gate, a figure that stood out in the mostly human crowd of the military base appeared. A Neirel, dressed in a fine sleeveless blue dress entered somewhat cautiously, seemingly lost in this unknown environment.

“Anora” the Commander called out, and the Neirel woman turned her head and began walking towards the other woman. “Commander Mathers, thank you for your invitation here.” The teacher said in a polite tone despite looking a bit out of place.

“Thank you for coming. I know you’re reluctant to take me up on my offer, but I’m hoping I can change your mind. Well not me, but I’m hoping they can change your mind really. So, would you like to meet them?”

Anora nodded softly, “Yes, I suppose I should. It is the least I can do given all that they have gone through.”

Kira nodded; glad they had at least gotten this far. However, she would likely need help in order to pull this off. “First there is someone else I’d like you to meet. Follow me.” She led Anora through the open courtyard before moving through the barracks, giving a very basic tour as they walked. Soon they come upon a particular room, and Kira calls through the door. “Ajax, are you there? There is someone I would like you to meet.”

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

"Yes. One moment please." Ajax's voice replied to his commander's request from within the room, and after a few seconds, the door slid open and he stepped out of the room dressed in a simple black t-shirt and white pants. His hair, usually tied up in a simple ponytail, was currently loose. A less formal looking presentation than he tried to put on whenever he was around the base, though it made sense considering he was in the privacy of his room.

Standing in front of his door were Commander Mathers, likewise in a more casual outfit than usual, along with an unfamiliar person, a purple-skinned young brunette in a blue dress, with gills running down her neck and scales on both sides of her chin, revealing her nature as a Neirel. Not knowing what to make of this visit, Ajax gave Kira a confused look before turning to the new arrival. "Ah, hello. Ajax Wallace, resident medic, at your service." He stated, smiling politely at the woman and offering a handshake. 'Resident medic' wasn't exactly an official rank, but hopefully that wouldn't matter here.

"What brings you to..." He trailed off briefly, glancing back for a moment. "Uh, my room?"

[Tomia]

Kira Mathers
Anora smiled politely at Ajax, "I am Anorarae ta’Osiri da’Malla, but you can call me Anora. It is nice to meet you Ajax." She opted for a small wave instead of reaching out and taking his hand. Kira then spoke up to answer his question.

"Hi Ajax, sorry to bother you on your day off but I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Anora here is considering joining us here on the base in order to look after and educate Cole and the others. I was hoping, since you are by the far the closest to them, that you could take her over to see them? I figure introductions might go smoothest if you are there."

Ajax was a little surprised by the lengthy name, not having come across many Neirel during his life on Mars. Noticing that she seemed to prefer avoiding contact, he folded his arms instead and turned to Kira, listening to her request. On one hand, it was great to hear that someone was considering helping out the children on-site, which would help continue to keep them safe while offering them valuable education and some measure of normalcy. On the other, he wasn't quite sure he was the right person for this.

It was a favor asked by his commander, though, so how could he refuse?

"Oh that's, that's great news. You would be doing us a huge favor, Miss Anora." He said with a polite smile. Glancing over at Kira for a moment, he nodded to her and then turned back. "Well, let's get going then. Follow me." He said before leading the way through Fort Rawlings, headed towards the children's rooms.

Anora nodded and followed along with Ajax down the hall. "Thank you for taking time out of your day for this." She said softly in a polite tone. Her English was pretty clear however there was a distinct guttural tone to her voice, almost as if speaking in this manner was unnatural or foreign to her body. "You said you are a medic? That is a healer yes? You must be very important in a place of war like this." After this exchange there was quite for a bit before she spoke again. "I heard there was an attack here? That must have been terrifying..." There was clearly nervousness in her voice as she spoke, the aforementioned incident clearly on her mind.

---

With Anora off to meet the children, Kira decided she would spend some time talking to her squamates and soldiers. First she visited the barracks, talking to some of the off duty soldiers, learning a bit about them. Hearing about their backgrounds, their families, hopes for the futures, resulted in a wave of anxiety rising in Kira's throat but she fought it back as she engaged in friendly conversation as best she could. After a bit of time she made her way towards the garage, turning into a nearby building off to the right was on the edges of the compound. Inside was a loft like building that Max and Sal had made their own. Strewn across the ground were various machine parts and half done creations.

Max sat at a large computer set up in the corner, typing away furiously.

"Hey boss," the Elnoi said cheerily without looking up from her computer. "What brings you here?"

"Just checking in Max, making sure you haven't blown anything up."

"Haven't gotten that far on the to do list big-shot." She said, finally looking up and giving her a smile. "I have made some progress on our assassin hunt however. I sent out some scouting drones and did some triangulation calculations based on what the kids remembered, and I found the lab they were being held in. I know I'm awesome, hold your applause. I sent two drones into the building but they both went dark. Which I'm guessing means there's something there still."

Kira nodded, this was progress at least. "Good work Max, see working together is much better than being enemies." She half joked before continuing. "Where's Sal?"

"Up here Commander." Kira looked up and saw the open second floor, where Sal was now standing. He slid down a nearby ladder until he was face to face with the military officer.

"Nice to see you Sal, been adjusting to the camp alright?"

"Been getting a lot of stares, but nothing I'm not used to."

"Well, if anyone gives you any trouble let me know." Kira assured her comrade.

"Will do commander, heard we have a guest on base?"

"Ya, a very important one who will be joining us for dinner." She then raised her voice and turned over her shoulder to Max. "So best behaviors alright?"

"Ya ya whatever."

After a bit more of small talk, Kira said good-bye to the strange pair before heading off across the base. Her next stop was the base's gym, connected to the main building complex near the mess hall. When she arrived it was scarcely populated, but she quickly noticed a muscular cat-eared woman alone in the corner, bench pressing.

"Hey stranger, need a spotter?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Ajax Wallace

Hearing Anora's question, the redhead slowed his pace a little as he thought of how to best answer it. "Yes, well, it was..." He began, only to trail off and shake his head after a moment. "Actually, to tell you the truth, it all happened a bit too quickly for me to be particularly terrified. One moment I was getting the children some food, and the next, there was an assassin in the same room. Before I fully realized what was happening I was already doing everything I could to protect them, and less than a minute later, it was all over." He recounted. "I guess there just wasn't enough time for my brain to turn on the fear." He added afterwards with a bit of an awkward chuckle. "Now that I think about it, I was a lot more scared when I heard about the hostage situation over at Tharsis Academy. I didn't get to personally go and help, but it's my alma mater so... yeah, that was scary to learn about."

Ajax let out a sigh. Unaware of the fact that Anora had been present at the incident, he figured the best thing to do was try to move on from such unpleasant topics. "But, I guess everything turned out alright in the end, right? Oh, and to answer your question, yes, you could say I am a healer. It's my profession and I would like to think I'm good at it, though thankfully I haven't had to do much for the people here just yet. I'm a recent hire, you see."

---

Monica Lantrix

Before Kira's arrival, the former gladiator had been aggressively bench-pressing a barbell with far more weight on it than any normal person could handle, although it wasn't hard to see that she wasn't particularly upset - that was just how she did things. She didn't notice the commander approaching at first, though as she approached and addressed her, Monica's eyes quickly turned in her direction, and the Titan promptly placed the barbell on the rack designed to hold it before sitting up. "Nah, don't need one. I was just about done anyway." She replied nonchalantly as she reached for a towel to wipe off the sweat.

"You know what's bullshit? They don't sell headphones for Acux or anything like that nearby and the speakers are 'for announcements and emergencies only', so no music while working out." She idly complained, setting aside the towel after a moment and turning to Kira, giving her a quick once-over.

"Nice jacket, boss." She said with a smile, albeit a short-lived one. "You want something?"