Chapter 110: Chapter 109 – New Briefing

6 Months Later

 

Yuna sat in the dim meeting room of the LIA headquarters as she waited for her captain to arrive. She was about ten minutes early from the scheduled start time of her briefing. It would be the first time she had spoken to her captain in the last two months. 

‘I wonder if my missions have changed.’

The door opened and the room grew brighter as the light from outside flooded in. 

“It’s a bit dark in here,” the captain said as he walked in. The lights inside the room grew brighter, revealing the captain’s old and grizzled face. He smiled at Yuna as he closed the door. “You may sit.”

She had stood up in response to his arrival and was in the process of saluting him when he spoke. She dropped her hand and sat back down. The captain pulled out a chair across from her and seated himself.

“First, I would like to congratulate you on your graduation,” the captain said. “I’m pleased to be one of the first to be able to call you officer.”

Yuna smiled and nodded her head in thanks. 

“Second, I wish you good luck as you enter your second year at the Academy. I take it you enjoyed your first year?”

“Very much, sir.”

“I also heard that you’ve already past rank B? Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That is wonderful news, officer,” he smiled. He gave her a small applause. “That is fantastic for one as young as you are. If your growth continues, you may be able to reach the higher ranks and become a ranking member here. I wouldn't be surprised if you reach rank A within the next two years.”

Yuna smiled again but said nothing.

“However, I did not call you here just to extend my congratulations,” the captain continued. “This is a briefing and so that means I will be assigning you a new task. I will also be updating you on your previously assigned missions.”

“Understood.”

“The first thing is that your mission related to the human named Yuki Mayumi is still active and should be a priority.” Yuna nodded. “You've been doing a splendid job so far with this and so I hope you will be able to maintain this level of competence. Second, you no longer need to observe the Academy. You have given us enough information during your first year that we are no longer worried about them.”

‘One less thing to worry about now,’ Yuna thought as she kept nodding.

“Now your new mission,” he said. He tapped the table and a screen appeared. “There have been reports of a new dark guild. Rumors started spreading roughly three months ago. They have been raiding supply trucks headed towards Mason Inc. but their true intentions have not been revealed. I have just sent you a file containing all of the information we have of them as of now.”

Yuna opened her watch and clicked on the file that had just arrived to her inbox. She read through it before closing it with a perplexed expression.

“There is only one page here, sir,” she said. “All I know are their suspected activity and the fact that their name is Valkyries.”

“Yes, I know that there is only one page. That is because that’s all we have,” the captain explained. “Your job is to give us information so that that one page becomes preferable a lot more.”

“I see.”

“But there is some good news. We know how to get you in. Or at least get your foot in the door,” he said. “The Valkyries have recently started recruiting. There have been rumors that the recruiting center is located at a bar. The location is within that one page we sent you. All relevant information regarding how you will join them is also included. Your task is simple. Infiltrate and gather information. Give us anything about their aims, resources, strategies, and personnel. Are there any questions?”

“No sir. Not at this time,” Yuna replied. 

“If you have any in the future, you have my contact information,” the captain reminded. “This is a high profile case and so any questions you have, I will try to answer as quickly and thoroughly as I can.”

“Understood, sir.”

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“Quick question before you’re dismissed,” he said. “Did you stay in contact with Yuki during your break?”

“I tried to contact him but he rarely picked up,” Yuna replied. Her eyes drifted. “I don’t know if he was busy or not. Maybe he had something important to do and I was just bothering him.”

“Well, it was break. Most people would be busy having fun and all that,” the captain reassured her. “I’m sure you’ll be able to communicate more with him during the school year.”

‘But Yuki doesn’t seem to be the type to do things just for fun,’ she thought.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re dismissed. Remember, you can always ask me questions. Especially if they pertain toward your assignments.”

“I understand, sir,” Yuna said. She stood up and saluted him. “I will be heading back to my dorm now.”

The captained waved goodbye to her as she opened the door and left.

---

 

Yuna entered the familiar dorm that she had lived in for an entire year. When school was out, the staff had allowed students to stay in their dorms if they had no means to return home or had no home to return to. Yuna fell in the latter category.

‘Now let’s look at my one page of information.’

She sat on her couch that smelled of flowers. The dormitory maids seemed to have cleaned her room in the time she was gone. Tapping on her watch, she brought back up the file her captain had sent her. 

‘Dark guild. Named Valkyries. Current status: Active. Suspected to have been established some time last year. Multiple raids on Mason Inc. supply trucks have been accredited to them. Because of the nature of the materials in the supply trucks, the Valkyries are assumed to have moderate to advanced technology. And that’s it.’

The entire summary on the guild was exactly one paragraph long and only took up about a third of the whole page. Another third was filled up with a giant picture of what looked to be a bar of some sorts. 

“The Hideout,” Yuna read out loud. “A new bar that was recently opened in Junction. It has no suspected affiliation with the Valkyries, but it is reported that members of the guild use the location as a meeting place.”

According to her mission details, this was the place that Yuna was to go to in order to be recruited. The entire recruiting process, however, was not actually known.

“They barely got word of the fact that the Valkyries have started recruitment two days ago,” she said, not impressed. “How am I supposed to get into a guild when I don’t even know how they operate?”

The one page report only told her of the line that would start the process. Her entire mission was to “Find what you can. Any and all information is welcome at this point in time. You will report your findings during your monthly report.” 

‘Well then. Oh, there’s something in small print.’

“‘You are allowed to consume alcohol during the duration of this mission’,” she read. She sighed and closed the page. She rubbed her eyes.

‘A mission is a mission. I’ll have to do what I can with what I have. Even if what I have is almost nothing.’

Yuna laid down on the couch and released another sigh. She would have preferred to keep the mission she originally have of observing the Academy then this new mission. Why she, a new officer, was given this assignment stumped her. She scratched her back as she pondered this.

‘Well, whatever their reason is, it’s still a mission. It’s my duty to carry it out.’

She reopened the page and scanned it briefly again to make sure that she didn’t miss any part. Finding nothing, she closed it and rested her hand on her stomach.

‘Tomorrow is when I’m supposed to start the mission. I hope this goes well.’