"To Secretary of Defense Charles Robinson, I have assembled a Task Force regarding the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) issue on Alagore. As you heard, during the Battle of the Hiplose Forest, two of our soldiers were wounded in a recent "friendly" artillery fire. The coordinates adjustments provided were incorrect, resulting in a saturation bombardment close to our recon teams.

As you already know, we cannot utilize traditional communications and navigation doctrine. Our junior and non-commissioned officers have done an excellent job improvising around the issue, using digital markers and small UAVs to calculate distance for fire support. However, I do not need to explain the limits of the makeshift tactic. We have only been operating on Alagore for two weeks but need to move infrastructure there as soon as our foothold is secured. This is tolerable if we remain in a defensive position, which the enemy is forcing us into; if we wish to go on the offensive, we will need our infantry to provide position coordinates for proper fire support.

Assuming Colonel Hackett can hold the city of Salva will give our rear forces time to set up a long-term situation properly. Combat resources will remain the primary focus to maintain our foothold, but I am preparing this new geology survey task force to address this issue. Major General Taylor Webster (4thID) informed me that they do not believe they will have the area secured to begin construction of an airfield based on the intensity of the enemy attacks and unexpected demand on resources for the defense of Salva, the situation around the dwarf borrian (Vagahm), and the northern printer.

I am directing my Terrestrial Operations Command to lead the task force, working closely with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Because creating an airfield at this moment, we will be forced to survey on the ground, something our troops have not done since the Second World War (Context: Without satellite and/or aircraft support). We have contracted with private companies with experience in landscape surveys to begin a crash course training our task force. Hopefully, by the time this course is complete, the situation around Salva will have improved, allowing us to work on the greater area. - Major General Harris Space Command

March, 13th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

Yuplenia Mountain Range, Verliance Aristocracy

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Benjamin Ford handed an MRE to a group of formal prisoners. While the prisoners were maintaining order, the situation was stressful, as they had been freed from Orlatus Airport and were taking a breather for the first time.

The Unity caught them with their pants down, and the only reason they made it out of their trap was the foresight of having Combat Fire Team-Ghost provide a rear guard. This allowed the Comanche and Redcoats to escape while the enemy was regrouping. It was the first time that the Americans faced Unity. While they escaped, it was clear that they were more advanced than the Verliance Aristocracy.

While handing an MRE to a Nagal militiaman, Ford, the human, spoke to him before walking away. The Sergeant couldn't understand the man, but he could tell the human was thankful for the meal. He then prepared to hand over another MRE to a guardian; however, he noticed someone was trying to get his attention.

Looking toward his right, Ford noticed that it was the dual-eye girl named Assiaya. She stood about chest height, holding her hand as if she wanted something. She was still wearing the olive-green men's T-shirt that covered her entire body and the basic body armor that Ryder made her wear.

"Are you okay?" Ford asked.

Assiaya nodded her hand, signaling that she was okay. However, she pointed to the MRE.

To his confusion, the Sergeant wondered why the girl wanted an MRE as the Captain ensured she was fed before himself. "I am sorry, but we do not have enough for seconds. Everyone gets one, and that is it."

The girl shook her head and pointed to the MRE and then to the former prisoners, being very animated. Seeing this, he considered giving her another as he didn't want to anger the Captain, seeing how close the two had become.

"Ben. She wants to help pass out the MREs."

Hearing his comrade, Ford turned toward Bruno Barrios, a Hispanic team member. "Is that what she wants? Is that wise?"

"Of course," Barrios said. "Let her help; it would be a good distraction, keep the Brat busy, and help with morale."

"Do you think it is wise to call her a Brat?" Ford asked as he handed the girl a dozen MREs.

"I heard the Captain call her that," Barrios said as he laughed. "Reminds me of my dad always calling my brothers a brat. He always said far worse, but that's not the point."

After handing Assiaya a dozen meals, she struggled to hold them all within her small arms but was passionate about carrying them herself. She then walked away, heading to a group of Salva militia. The dual-eye girl handed them each a meal and began talking to them. While Ford couldn't understand what they were saying, he recognized some Latin words. It sounded like the girl was thanking them.

"Adorable kid," Barrios said.

"Yes, she is," Ford said. "I am kind of surprised. If her story is true, you would expect her to be a, well, literal Brat or an antisocial kid."

"She probably wanted to impress the Captain," Barrios commented. "But she did say that she was a servant. It could be second nature to her. Besides, have you seen the two?"

"I think we all saw that. Do you think the Boss will take her in after we return to Salva or drop her off at an orphanage?"

Barrios chuckled as he passed an MRE to another prisoner, saying, "Even if they have an orphanage, I don't see Mathew letting her out of his sight. Look at his eyes. He might not have concluded yet, but there is no way he would drop her off with someone."

"That is pretty cool," Ford said. "After going through all that, it makes sense."

Ford watched the girl for a little longer as she chatted with many of the native prisoners before continuing his work assisting the former prisoners. Suddenly, his mind wandered back to their recent engagement against the Unity.

"What are your thoughts on the Unity?" Ford asked.

"There is a lot to consume, but I think we made a good first impression," Barrios said. "But, we will have to keep our heads low and think smart."

Hearing his comrade, the Sergeant turned toward Bruno Barrios, a Hispanic team member. "In the Philippines, I spent most of my time-fighting pirates and insurgents. Was Mexico anything like this?"

"Nope," Barrios said as he helped down a British technician off the drone. "Mexico was just a slugfest. I preferred being in Sudan, fighting the Iranian Republican Guard, then that."

Ford found that shocking to hear. The United States has had many on-and-off wars between Mexico and the Southwest States. Decades of neglect, the Cartel's drug running and human trafficking into the States for profits became unstainable for both countries, leading to many mini wars against the Cartels – a loose term to represent the dozens of different crime organizations that operated within the continent.

In the late 2050s, the situation was contained. At the same time, Special Forces and government agencies worked with the Mexican government to include such organizations. Toward the end of the decade, the situation became out of control when the Zorro del Desierto Cartel assassinated the Arizona Governor. At that point, military forces were forced to be deployed to remove the Cartel's influence from the border towns. The first military campaigns on American soil began in the Aleutian Islands during the Second World War. The war was not traditional, like the Middle East campaigns, street by street, rooting out guerrillas, mercenaries, and illegal businesses.

"And you don't think this will be a slugfest?" Ford asked. "After what I saw, these are not going to be people in pajamas or speed boats."

"You are not getting it," Barrios said. "Going up against the Iranians, while they had heavy hardware, at least I understood what I was dealing with. While we are on a learning curve with this new enemy, we can adapt and counter it once we understand. That is the easy part."

"You are far more optimistic than I expected," Ford said, surprised by the answer.

"I missed out on clearing out the southwest states," Barrios said. "But I was deployed to Ciudad Cuauhtémoc in part of a support mission with the Mexican Army. It was every horror story I heard from the War on Terror. The number of Mexican soldiers, federal police, and citizens who acted as spies for the Cartels sent a chill down your spine."

"I heard the stories," Ford said. "You were with the 1st Cavalry Division?"

"That is correct," Barrios said. "Most of the fighting happened around the city. Much of the time, we were finding tunnels. The Tunnel Rats would have been proud."

Ford then looked around at the native people they had saved and remembered why they were on this mission in the first place: a small village that had allowed this leader to be taken. "Thinking about that, maybe it isn't wise to help these people."

"I trust the Boss," Barrios said. "Don't get me wrong, I met some amazing people. I didn't mean to imply everyone was backstabbing. There are always those few, and that is part of life. Hell, in my neighborhood growing up, there was this school gang that bullied everyone. God, I hate them."

"What about us here?" Ford asked. "I have not forgotten what happened with that Kitsune village. The only reason we are out here is because of them."

"You are still blaming them?" Barrios said with a surprised look.

The response confused Benjamin Ford as he thought everyone was still angry with that village. "Yes. The only reason we are here is because of them. We were betrayed by them."

"What they did was shitty, but does it equal to betrayal?" Barrios said. "They never promised to work with us, and everything that Elder said was practical, regardless of my personal feelings. We might have done the same if the roles were reserved. I cannot blame them for putting their people first."

"So, we should just forget?" Ford asked. "Didn't you just say you had to deal with people betraying you during your tour in Northern Mexico?"

"Not at all," Barrios said. "I do think the village would have sided with us if our CO was not taken. My point was that we go into people's backyards and then are shocked when the owner doesn't like it. We had to work every day to earn the respect of the population. People started trusting us once we had results and showed that safety was established. And from there, you build on top of it. But that was different than what we are dealing with here."

"How is it different? We didn't have to deal with this in my Southeast Asian tour."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Were you invading or assisting local forces on their behalf?"

"Point taken."

Bruno Barrios smirked and nodded at the Sergeant to look the other way. Ford did and saw Fraeya sitting in the passage seat, looking sad. Natilite and Ar'lya were with her, talking to her about something. However, he had a good idea of what the subject matter was.

"We were requested here," Barrios said. "We didn't invade a country, trying to force our objectives on the domestic people. These Militiamen also fought for us to come. Now the question is, what do we do with that? We were asked to save them, and now we must show we can. As the Elder said, I bet those betrayal issues will fade once we prove ourselves. We are not fighting Cartels or Terrorists with asymmetric objectives but nations with clear, understandable goals. At least, that is my two cents."

Ford stared at the Hispanic man, surprised by his deep insight into the situation. He realized he had misjudged the man, seeing him only as a ladies' man and nothing more. "You pay attention."

"I try to," Barrios said. "I like to listen; I just don't like to let people know what I am thinking about."

"I can understand that," Ford said.

The fellow Sergeant then nodded toward Fraeya again. "You should ask what is up," Barrios said.

Benjamin Ford turned back to the vehicle the elf girl was in. He did not need to be told why she was upset. According to Colonel Robert, her father, Raegel Holiadon, was on the cargo airship and only missed freeing him by minutes. Her emotions and disappointment must have been extreme.

For Ford, he felt guilty that he was the one that stopped her from jumping onto the airship. He knew if she attempted to get onto the airship, she would either become a prisoner or die. Something he couldn't allow. "I think she is still pissed at me."

"I would be," Barrios said. "However, she knows you were right to stop her. We all know."

"What should I do?"

"I would wait until we get back to Salva. Let the girls comfort each other. We're guys. We're not good at that. Once we are back and not under the stress of being surrounded and killed."

The idea of waiting could have settled better with Ford. He wanted to walk over there and address the issue; however, he felt that Barrios was correct. The Sergeant had no idea what to say or how to fix it, knowing there was no solution.

He decided to wait as there was a better time to address the issue. He does not regret stopping the elf girl; however, he understands why the elf girl would be upset. Her whole reason for joining Comanche was to save her father. He can only hope that Fraeya will forgive him.

*****

Walking through the crowd of formal prisoners, Assiaya saw those who looked exhausted but thankful for being freed. She could relate to them; as a formal slave herself, she could understand what their fate could have been. That was why she wanted to help and pass out the strange-looking meal bags that the Americans called MREs.

The Altaerrie barely escaped the Unity attack on the mountain port. They spent a few hours finding a safe place to camp and regroup. Essential supplies were given to the survivors; while most had stuck with the soldiers, a few left to try and survive on their own.

"I cannot believe we escaped."

"I know," Assiaya said as she handed a MRE to one of the Salva prisoners.

To Assiaya's surprise, most prisoners were Salva, not from Earth. This led her to conclude that the most valuable people had already been placed in the Unity airship.

"Look over there."

Assiaya stopped and saw a female speaking loudly—not bearing, but loud enough to be noticed. The woman was a Wood Elf with tannish skin and long black hair. The elvish woman walked along the Altaerrie, thanking them for being rescued and providing religious blessings. Based on her clothing, which was dirty like everyone else, it was the classic High Priestess uniform. The rob-like dress had a dark blue base with white lacing. The white half-coat over the shoulders had six circles representing Tekali children.

The High Priestess approached two of the Altaerrie handing out bagged food. Assiaya recognized them, Benjamin Ford and Bruno Barrios, friends of Ryder. They seemed confused as the two men couldn't understand what the Priestess said.

Approaching the Priestess, Assiaya said, "Hello. I do not think they understand you."

"I came to the same conclusion," the woman said. "I wish to thank them for saving us. Tekali has blessed us."

"I understand," Assiaya said. "I am surprised to see a High Priestess among these soldiers."

"As a servant to the Temple, it was my place to motivate and support the men defending our homes," the High Priestess said. "My Temptress and I were among the troops before we were taken prisoners."

"Where is the Temptress?" Assiaya asked.

The woman's natural smile was replaced with a forced one, hiding the sadness. "I believe our Temple leader was heading to the Unity capital on the airship. I am afraid to say that she is destined to be executed by their barbaric beliefs."

"Executed?" Assiaya said. "I know they hate Mother, but that is horrible. If only we came sooner."

"It is okay, my child. Everything was meant to be. At least you saved some of us, and with that, we can honor their legacy. By the way, you may address me as Elisen. I was there among the Salva defenders, blessing the Militia and soldiers."

Assiaya heard stories of religious women of the Temple staying with the soldiers. From what she understood, the reason for this was for these Priestess to give moral blessing and motivation to the warriors before battle. These men were willing to die for family, country, and Tekali, so someone should provide the blessing.

The other thought Assiaya's mind raced to be the imagination of the Temptress being shipped to the Unity. The Katra didn't tolerate other religions, so she could expect the Unity to make an example out of the Elisen. It was a sight she had seen a few times while being Kallem's slave, where the Priestess Edra forced him to remove everything related to Tekali and anyone from the Temple who refused to convert.

While Assiaya hated her former Master, she was forced to admit that he kept the excitement and punishments to a minimum. She was not convinced that the Vampire Lord had fully converted, so he fought any unnecessary deaths until his hand was forced.

"At least you are alive," Assiaya said. "When we reach Salva, we will need a Temple to bless us."

"I do not know if I can," Elisen said. "Without a Temptress, the Temple will struggle to represent Tekali and bless the people of Salva and our Altaerrie saviors. However, I will do my best. It was clear that our Mother had greater plans for us. Otherwise, we would be heading to our doom right now. I can only hope to rise to the challenge."

Impressed by the conviction, Assiaya nodded with support. "While being a slave, the only thing that kept going was Mother looking down. I knew someday I would be free, and here I am."

"I am happy to see someone as young as you, who is still strong spiritually," Elisen said. "Remember one important fact. Our Mother can only show us the path, but we must have the strength to pursue it."

"Thank you." Assiaya bowed and watched Elisen walk away to give a blessing to the other former prisoners.

"There are so many different types of people here."

"I know," Assiaya mentally replied. "I was expecting only soldiers."

The formal slave girl wandered through the crowd. That was until a young Wood Elf male stopped the dual-eyed girl. While dressed in gray prison clothing, his mannerisms made it clear to her that he came from a wealthy family.

"Can I aid?" the elf said, staring at the girl.

The tone frightened Assiaya; however, she regained her composure. "You look like a nobleman," she said.

The elf's ears twitched as he stared at the girl with surprise. "How could you tell?"

"I was Kallem's slave-servant for six years," Assiaya said. "I know nobility when I see one. Also, you must have come from a respectable family to be here if you were not a casual militiaman."

The Wood Elf chuckled. His smile quickly disappeared as he took a depressing breath. "That explains why a child was among them. You are correct, the House of Elstina. You can call me Folen. I am a noble from Salva, or at least my family was until the Templar convinced us to rebel."

"You said was."

"That is correct. They were killed for acts of rebellion."

"I..., I apologize," Assiaya said, surprised by the response. She understood the suffering from the outside world logically, but seeing it was different.

"Do not be. My mother and sister are with the others, but my father was killed during the siege. While I wish he were alive, at least he did not die in vain. The Altaerrie did come. He was very loyal to the old regime and was excited to have a moment to stand against the changing world."

The girl looked over and saw many Altaerrie providing medical aid and security. She couldn't see Ryder as he was probably meeting with the other officers. She looked back at the elf and asked, "What kind of nobility was your family? Economical? Political?"

"We were an economic House. Our business was owning armory workshops. At least it was. With the city's fall, there was a high chance our armory was destroyed or looted of anything worth."

"You can always rebuild your House," Assiaya said joyfully. "We are alive and free, and with the protection from the Altaerrie, we can do anything."

"Someone is optimistic."

"Because you never are," Assiaya thought. "After everything we have been through last week, how can you not?"

"I have been since the Akuma encounter; we should be promising. Kallem and the Unity will not be too kind once they learn of their actions."

"You need to have hope. Something that no one has had for years," Assiaya replied.

"Speaking of hope, my biggest worry is that Ryder will abandon us once we reach Salva. He did say we would take him there, not what happens afterward."

"I know," Assiaya mentally responded. "I have been fearing that myself since meeting his friends. If that happens, I would have preferred us forever lost in the wild rather than be alone again."

"That is an interesting perspective," Folen said. "My family was loyal to the old regime and prospered under it. If our fate is time for these foreigners, it would be wise to make the best of it. It is what my family would wish for."

Seeing a renewed spirit within the Wood Elf expression, Assiaya smiled. Before responding, she heard Natilite, a Valkyrie Templar, working with Ryder's friends.

"Come on, Assiaya," Natilite said in a sweet voice. "You do not want to wander off."

The girl with dual eyes took the hand offer. She returned to the Wood Elf and said, "It was nice to meet you, Lord Folen Elstina."

Elstina tilted his head as he stared at the girl as if he were having a deep conversation within his mind. The Wood Elf smiled and nodded his head in acknowledgment. "I have not heard that name in a long time." He paused for a moment before nodding. "I believe we will meet again soon."

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Assiaya followed the Valkyrie away.

"That was nice of you to talk around people," Natilie said. "However, you should be careful. And you should not tell people that you were a Kallen slave. It might give someone the wrong idea."

"But we are all enemies of him," Assiaya said.

"That is not how life works." Natilite stopped and lowered herself until she was at eye level with the formal slave girl. "If the wrong person finds out what your formal master was, they might try taking you for a reward."

"The Templar is correct."

Not enjoying having to hide, she understood that Templer was correct. "I am sorry; I did not mean to cause problems."

Natilite smiled and placed her hands on the girl's upper arms. "Do not be sorry for wishing to help. It was brave and honorable to want to uplift their mood."

*****

Seeing the Templar remove the dual-eye girl from the other prisoners, Ryder was thrilled that he was no longer mingling with them. It was not that he didn't trust any of them, but he would never trust a man he personally didn't know with the girl. And her going around telling everyone where she came from didn't help.

However, that brought attention to a significant problem for them. How do you return to Salva with all these people quickly and survive? The fact that they need more wheels significantly limits their mobility.

Knowing that Assiaya was safe, Ryder turned to the vehicle hood with a makeshift map of the region—the exact maps they had been using so far as a replacement for MGRS maps until the Army Geospatial Center could create proper grid maps. While the quality was impressive because it was hand-crafted, it needed to be more detailed for modern warfare.

Captain James Miller of Ghost placed two coins on the map, representing where they were and the goblin-infested tunnel. They were relatively close compared to how far he had to run from Forlace. But again, the issue was transporting all these people, and based on what he was informed about that tunnel, getting through there sounded like hell.

Hell was something they were growing used to. The truth was that the only reason they made it out alive or accessible from the Unity trap was that the Ghost Team ambushed them. That did not mean there weren't any casualties. A few of the prisoners were wounded and killed. At the same time, one Redcoat was injured in the short engagement, something Ryder felt guilty about as they originally came looking for him. That every casualty was his fault because the only reason they were out here this deep behind enemy lines was that he was taken - and that it was his idea to assault the Unity mountain port.

"We need to figure out how to get here," Miller said as he pointed to the other side of the Yuplenia Mountain Range. "And quickly going through the tunnel."

"Let's not complicate it any more than it needs to be," Webster said. "Let's just get over there."

"I have no idea what the tunnel is," Ryder said. "However, if Kallem let us get away before, he will not allow it this time. He will have to respond."

"That crossed my mind," Webster said. "We could slip by Aristocracy forces because they were still recovering. With the amount of formations we saw heading west, they would have the sector lockdown hard. We will have to fight through."

"Razorfist might still be there," Miller said.

"Most likely not," Ryder said. "If the situation were as bad as you were saying, they would be forced to return to Salva. The question is, do we have enough supplies?"

"Not enough to get to Salva," Webster said. "But we might get close enough to contact the city for aid."

"I doubt the Unity knows about the tunnel," Miller said. It might give us an advantage."

"But, the Aristocracy might figure it out once we reach the other side," Webster said. "We need to be careful."

Ryder turned back to the map, not liking the situation. If everything went right, it would be close. The problem was that there needed more room for error, and he knew the Unity would be right on their heels. With the Verliance Aristocracy on the other side of the mountains, most likely waiting for them.

However, they have no choice.

"Let's give everyone another hour to rest," Ryder said. "After that, we keep going until we cannot."

"How about the prisoners?" Miller asked. "Some have already run away."

"At this point," Webster said. "Anyone who leaves the convoy is on their own. We cannot babysit everyone every inch of the way. They are adults; they need to be responsible for themselves."

"I agree with Webster," Ryder said. "Colonel Robert said he would focus on the prisoners, but if anyone wants to flee, that is their problem. Miller, Ghost should take the point. Webster, watch the rear."

The three captains agreed to the plan and left to prepare to head to the mountain tunnel.