Pedro and Gabriel and the rest of Explorer 9 group are already in the courtyard; the last members of the group to arrive were Alice, Thalassa, and Selena. Tiago arrived shortly after, accompanied by two light 4x4 LMV vehicles, each being driven by an android. Each vehicle is equipped with an M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun on a manual turret.
Tiago made sure his eyes scanned each member of his team. Everyone is lined up side by side, including Alice and her two alien companions. Tiago releases a light sigh and positions himself in front of his team. In his hand is his tablet with all the mission data. With quick gestures, he sends the file to all team members. "I ask that everyone open this document," he says, and then everyone takes their tablets out of their pockets and opens the file.
The file name reads: "Bonds and Recognition."
"You must be wondering why I chose this ridiculous name for the mission, aren't you?" Tiago looks at everyone again. "There's no specific reason, I'm just terrible at choosing names."
Tiago steps back, puts on his cap and sunglasses. He's quite confident this time with the group he has assembled.
"The mission is as follows, some of you may have already read it, but I'll tell you and add some things. We're going on a reconnaissance mission to villages nearby to gather clues about the whereabouts of our kidnapped citizens. And of course, we must make friendly contact with the local population, which is why we're taking these two special members with us," he points to Thalassa and Selena.
He notices the dissatisfaction in some members, especially Bianca. He focuses on her and says, "If you have anything else to say, now is the time."
"With all due respect, sir," she looks at Thalassa and then back at Tiago, "I see no reason to trust two people who invaded and tried to take away our freedom."
Tiago listens attentively to what Bianca has to say, and he understands her point of view, but he knows he can't let the tension between them escalate. "Look, I'm not asking you to trust her, but to trust the team. We are Explorer 9, not just another special unit, we are the bridge between our worlds, and under my command, I don't want to see intrigues," he looks Bianca in the eyes, "I chose you because you're the best sniper in the country, your skills and merits brought you to this mission. So don't let sentimentality interfere with your abilities." She remains silent, Tiago isn't sure if she agrees with his statements, but he hopes she'll be rational about the situation.
He turns his attention back to the rest of the group, "Each of you is in this group for a reason, some because you excelled in defending Campinas, and others for your unique skills. Together, I'm sure we'll kick the ass of anyone who stands between us and our people." He puts his sunglasses back on and finishes by saying, "Now, move your asses into the LMVs."
Everyone quickly gets into the vehicles. Pedro is responsible for operating the .50 caliber machine gun on the first vehicle, while Gabriel will operate the machine gun on the second vehicle. The group currently has 4 androids, each LMV being driven by one android. In the first vehicle, Tiago is in the front seat, with Lucas, Paulo, and the medic Luana in the back seats along with another android, and Pedro manning the machine gun.
In the second vehicle, Bianca is in the front seat, with Alice, Thalassa, and Selena in the back seat, along with another android.
The engines start, and they begin to move. To leave the base, they pass through a checkpoint and then through a large improvised gate that opens to let them through.
Tiago grabs his radio, "Alright everyone, we're leaving safe ground and entering hostile territory. Let's exercise extreme caution and always keep an eye out, and I want all rifles unlocked and fingers off the trigger, Over."
Tiago turns on his tablet again, this time opening the virtual map of the region. This map is constantly being updated with new regions, and since there are no satellites in this world, drones conduct advanced reconnaissance and transmit all information to the system that updates the map.
On his map, zones of interest are marked, with green indicating potential safe contact points. There are also various red points indicating possible enemy hostile positions. On the map, he can also see the enemy city marked in orange, indicating a small hostile presence, and at this exact moment, airborne assault troops are capturing the city with the help of an armored mechanized brigade.
He chooses a green icon, which seems to be a small village. "This should do." A good place to start. He passes instructions to the android, which instantly corrects the course toward the new objective.
Selena is looking out the window of this strange carriage, intrigued by how these things can move without horses. Minutes later, an image on the horizon catches her attention. It's the city of Matique; she can see plumes of smoke rising from the city in the distance. Alice notices what Selena is looking at and asks, "Do you know that city?" Selena looks at her and responds positively, "In my world, entire cities are destroyed in these kinds of operations in some regional conflicts, but we don't do that, not my country. Your city will be okay, and as soon as the enemy forces are completely subdued, I'm sure the Brazilian army will leave the city under the care of the local population. And look, I'm one of the people who hates wars the most, so I hope that with the capture of this city, the empire gives up."
"They won't give up," Thalassa interrupts, now gaining Alice's attention. "Certainly, losing Matique is a big blow to the morale of the Hurdian empire, but that won't make them give up. The empire is vast and has hundreds of cities a thousand times larger and better located, and they can always recruit more soldiers and beasts into their ranks. My people decided not to fight against the empire when they arrived, but in return, they demanded tributes and our knowledge. Did you know that there are high-ranking elves in the empire's ranks? Some command entire legions for the emperor."
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Alice stood there thinking about how many people must inhabit this empire. While Thalassa spoke to Alice, Bianca remained silent but listened attentively to everything. She still hadn't accepted the fact that she was standing next to people who had assisted in a mass civilian massacre, but as Tiago had said, she needed to act professionally and separate her personal opinions from the mission.
After an hour of travel, they seem to be reaching their destination. The vehicles slowly pass along a dirt road that cuts through a wheat field. Pedro is attentively watching the path; he knows that his distraction could mean the death of one of his comrades. A few meters ahead, he observes people running. The vehicles are moving slowly, yet they could easily reach those people if they wanted. "Sergeant, we have contact at 12 o'clock," Pedro says, adjusting his binoculars, "and they seem to be peasants, over."
"I noticed, stay alert. Surely, the village is nearby, and they are fleeing there, over," Tiago responds.
"I'd flee too if I saw horseless carriages coming my way," Paulo adds sarcastically.
In a few minutes, they can already see houses a few meters away; their architecture closely resembles that of medieval European houses. Pedro, still with his binoculars, interrupts the radio silence, "Sergeant, there's a small group of people blocking the road leading into the village. They seem to be carrying agricultural tools, over."
Tiago, to confirm, looks through his binoculars and then says over the radio, "Stay alert, but keep your finger off the trigger; they're just civilians."
The two vehicles stop about 100 meters from the village entrance. They are no longer surrounded by wheat fields, but by an open green field, and ahead of them is a typical medieval village with some frightened villagers trying to block their passage. Tiago orders everyone to disembark from the LMVs and assume a defensive position, except for Pedro and Gabriel, who need to operate the .50s. The androids stay slightly behind the vehicles to cover the rear, and Tiago concludes that making them too visible might further scare the villagers. "Do you think they will cooperate, sir?" Luana asks. Even if they don't cooperate and don't let the group enter the village or try to use force, Tiago won't react, just turn back; he doesn't want to shoot at civilians who are clearly frightened. He would be scared in their situation too.
"Okay, let's get started," Tiago turns and calls Thalassa. He knows this is the perfect moment to make sure if this plan of using the elf as an interpreter would work.
"You know what you have to do, right? I want you to go to those people and explain our situation. We're not here to hurt anyone; we're just looking for our people and have some questions about it for them," Thalassa nods, confirming everything Tiago said. "And Selena..." Tiago speaks as if trying to remember the girl's name, "you will accompany her, along with Alice. Don't worry; we'll be right here, protecting you, and if things get out of hand, we're leaving." Tiago says this last part while looking directly at Alice.
"What's the chance of this going very wrong?" Paulo asked João as he watched the three of them walk towards the huddle of frightened people.
"Well, care to bet?" They both look at each other, and the bet was made, with a slight smile between them confirming it.
---
"Do not come any closer!" grumbled one of the villagers while pointing a shovel at the group of three women approaching.
"Hello," Thalassa began, keeping a certain distance between them and the villagers, "we're not here to hurt anyone. My friends just want to ask a few questions and move along." She chose her words carefully to ensure a smooth interaction.
Even after these assertions, the villagers remained wary. Their apparent leader started speaking, "We don't know who your friends are. You may be an elf, but what about them? And those strange clothes with those strange carriages. As far as we know, you could be thieves just wanting to steal what little we have and then kill us."
Thalassa thought it would be easier; normally these villagers would make way for any traveler without asking.
"We're at war, obviously they'll be suspicious of everyone," Selena said in a low tone to Thalassa, so the people wouldn't hear.
Thalassa turned her attention back to the villagers, "I know it's hard to trust, but if these people wanted to steal or kill all of you, they would have done so already. And they are not thieves."
Before Thalassa could continue speaking, she was interrupted by Selena, "They are powerful and honorable wizards, and in exchange for your cooperation, they will bless your village."
The assertion that those strangers were wizards seemed to have changed the demeanor of the men, who now looked at each other and murmured quietly among themselves. "How can we be sure they are wizards?" the man asked.
Thalassa realized that they were now more compliant and willing to listen, and she wouldn't miss this opportunity. Her gaze turned to Alice, "I need your help and the help of one of your soldiers."
---
Tiago is there observing the whole situation. He can barely hear due to the distance they are at, but the little he can hear, he doesn't understand. This truly is a new world with its own rules. He notices that Thalassa now seems to be saying something to Alice; they stand there for a few moments.
Alice turns her attention back to Tiago and begins to walk again towards the group. "Did something happen?" Luana asked, "This doesn't seem right, Sergeant," says Bianca as she adjusts her sniper rifle.