Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Rising Tensions in the Motherland

Chapter 30: Rising Tensions in the Motherland

Frelia Region

Frelia Shipyards

 

Captain Mi’shka stood upon the bronze hull of the damaged HMS Monarch, staring out into the blue sky as a little girl in a brand new wheelchair tightly snuggled her oversized leather jacket.

The landship had reached Frelia, the Western Regional Capital of the Empire and was docked undergoing repairs as investigators and imperial mediators combed the ship top to bottom looking for signs of sabotage and subterfuge.

It had already been two days since they made port, and in the last forty-eight hours Mi’shka had been the subject to non-stop questioning and confinement.

Everything was a mess.

Colonel Potter was dead, Captain Skirita injured, and dozens of casualties along with many personnel unaccounted for, including his handler, Eleanor.

Not to mention the traitor Lieutenant Doria, the chief of security, who was now in the custody of the Imperial Royal Knights after the woman had tried to kill everyone on the command deck. Fortunately, Harper and Ensign Riza had managed to subdue the raving woman before she could finish the Captain off and kill herself.

A fine damn mess indeed. Mi’shka sighed.

“My brother is ok right? He promised he'd come back.” Jill asked, her quivering voice breaking Mi'shka's thoughts as she watched the crew unload the last batch of body bags from the ship. Though he had been reluctant to bring the girl here, Jill had demanded it, begging to be present in case any news broke out of about her brother’s whereabouts. He caved, obviously, and since then she'd been sitting on the deck for the last two days watching for any signs of her big brother.

“Yea, no doubt,.” Mi’shka assured, roughling the girl’s neon green hair and handing her a mechaman action figure he’d picked up from town. The DECOM-Crew had just finished pulling and IDing the bodies that were fused in the remnants of a juvenile nest they discovered in the cargo hold, yet none of the bodies turned up positive for the little girl’s brother or Eleanor for that matter.

Although both were being listed as MIA, he knew they were alive. He felt it, but Mi’shka also had a sneaking suspicion that the golden glow he saw prior to Captain Skirita ordering the Shiva barrage was actually Jack. He didn’t note it in his official report however. If the kid was truly as powerful as he seemed, he must have had a reason to keep it hidden. And unveiling that the kid had lied or cheated the exam would cause a lot of problems that would transfer to the next of kin. Like forfeiture of citizenship or benefits for the now estranged little girl that could spell criminal penalties.

He wasn’t going to let that happen, not on his watch. While he had a lot of questions, Mi’shka kept them to himself; none of that mattered as much as finding Eleanor did and that’s where all his attention needed to be right now. Well, that, and looking after the little girl that had nothing left because he got sloppy and let her brother get nabbed on his watch.

“Merde, they could at least given us something to eat if they were gonna confine us to the ship and interrogate us all day long,” a voice from behind complained. “Or let us shower!”

Peeling his attention away from the ME’s carting away the bodies for processing, Mi’shka looked over his shoulder where he spotted the other recruit, “Leon”, who was slated to enroll into the Academy soon. Fishing into his pocket, he fetched a warm rice ball he had wrapped in aluminum foil and threw it to the girl.

“For me?” Leon said curiously, catching the ball of foil in both hands before smiling enthusiastically as she realized what it was. “Wait, where did you get this?! How’d you leave the ship?”

Mi’shka smirked, putting a finger to his lips.

Leona J, Tali, from her boyish looks, attitude, and way of addressing herself as Leon, Mi’shka would have mistaken her to be a pretty boy if not for him having read her file.

“Leave the ship? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve been here with this sweet young girl the entire time. Ain’t that right Jill?”

“Yup!” The girl replied without hesitation, fidgeting with her mechaman toy. “Uncle Domino has been here the whoooole time.”

“Ah, that’s right,” Leona said, catching the hint and gorging herself happily as she joined the duo.

“Still nothing?” Leona whispered to Mi’shka in between bites, aware of Jill’s darting eyes along the horizon.

“No, Medical examiners and Decontamination crew just took the last of the bodies away. None of them were Jack or Eleanor. But…” Mi’shka hesitated. He didn’t want to say it out loud but he did. “Colonel Potter was among the deceased, the old bugger got caught napping in a hammock in the cargo bay. Ground zero of the infection.”

“I see…” Leona took a deep breath, blinking rapidly in response to the news and exhaling before looking at Mi’shka and giving him a reply. “I figured he was among the dead, he'd have found me otherwise. Never got to thank him for helping get me off the streets.”

“He always did go above and beyond. Even put up with my constant antics.” Mi’shka smiled sadly, reminiscing to himself of all the times the Colonel had saved his hide from being court-martialed or charged with insubordination.

But now he needed to shape up. There was a storm brewing. He could feel it, taste it in the air. Tensions were high, and with what he’d seen during his incognito visit to the city, things weren’t looking good. This whole fiasco was a political nightmare. He’d even seen several women come to blows over their discourse, setting off an entire chain of events that led to massive rioting down town.

“A damn mess.”

“Huh?” Leona asked, taking her attention from incinerating the evidence of Mi’shka’s unsanctioned adventure.

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Clever girl, she’ll definitely go far. Mi’shka mused to himself before eyeing his watch. They’d be here soon.

“A word of warning. You need to look after yourself Leon,” Mi’shka warned, putting his gaze on the recruit. “This is not a good time to be a soldier.”

“I’m aware Captain, thanks. Colonel Potter told me the same thing before we left Eden.”

“Funny, I heard it first from him too.” Mi’shka smiled to himself. At least a little part of the man would live on in Leon and himself. Suddenly Mi’shka tensed up as he felt the familiar aura of several Awaken approaching.

“Great, here comes the bitch-brigade.”

“WE CAN HEAR YOU!” An amplified voice called down from above.

“Yea, well, I wasn’t exactly hiding it!” Mi’shaka yelled into the sky where three women clad in crimson armor with black trim descended onto the deck of the ship. “And what can I do for the Order of the Black Thorn today?”

“It’s Black Rose.” One of the women seethed, her voice coated with venom.

"Eh Black Rose, Blue Rose, Red, Yellow, Green, you're all a thorn in my side anyway."

Before the woman could jabber off Mi’shka’s ear, an officer in the middle he recognized put her hand out and silenced her friend.

“Per Imperial writ, Captain Mi'shka Lyn Domino, as of this moment the Order of the Black Rose are detaining you for questioning regarding the disappearance of your handler, Eleanor Belfusa. If you refuse, we, per the authority of her Imperial Majesty, are authorized to use lethal force to detain, and to neutralize you should it come to th-.”

Mi’shka scoffed in her face, “And what? You think you three bitches can take me? We’re standing on a bathtub of blood and bodies. I could wipe out this whole district if I wanted to.”

“Is that a threat?” One of the heavily armored women stepped forward, hand on her sword's handle.

“Why yes deputy Moora that did sound like a threat.” Officer Helena replied, stepping forward and unsheathing her sword in a glow of electric sparks. The others followed suit with blades humming with electrical energy as their armors began to glow from the enchantments on them.

“Whoa!” Mi’shka raised his hands in surrender, “Hey now. I’m no threat here, just a fellow soldier asking about the capabilities of my fellow compatriots, that’s all.”

“Then comply with the imperial writ Mi'shka.”

“Yea, yea. I’m complying.” Mi’shka rolled his eyes, walking towards the trio, but not before turning to Leon and addressing the teen who was staring wide-eyed wondering what was going on. “Remember what Colonel Potter said, oh, and find Sergeant York for Jill would ya? I’ve left instructions with him and a key.”

“Uh, yea. Sure. Will do, Captain.” Leon replied, turning to Jill as the little girl began wheeling herself toward the Knights.

“Hey! Where are you taking my Uncle?!” Jill demanded as the group of women slapped heavy black cuffs around the man’s wrists and neck. "What did he do wrong?!"

"Eh, don't worry about me Jill, just going on vacation." Mi'shka smirked as he was being led away in chains. “Three hots and a cot! Don't wait up! I'll finally be able to catch my nap!”

He laughed, hoping to assure the girl before turning away and grimacing as they disembarked from the wreck of a landship.

What a damn mess.

 

 

 

A/N

 

 

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