Interlude V
James Holsy
“This makes no sense,” the normally stoic Vanguard said, speaking to the receptionist at the SERE training ground.
A few feet away, it was clear that a few high-ranking generals were also nearby, clearly also ticked off about the current set of circumstances.
“You mean to tell me, that you had an entire SERE training team there ready to go, and he somehow lived?” A familiar voice called out, but James couldn’t quite place it.
Looking over the two people talking were clearly related as they almost looked like mirrored copies of each other. While one was slightly older with a denser tone of body muscles, the other was more youthful with an agile frame that seemed to imply that in a few decades they too could bulk up to be in the same stratosphere of strength as the elder.
“I don’t know what happened, there was a veritable death ring around him, ‘T’ was there, along with a whole ring of insectoids.”
“Wait, he killed them? And yet he still pled guilty to desertion?” The elder of the two asked.
From the discussion going on, it was clear that they were likely talking about a part of the mission that went sideways. Though which part was still up for debate, but it was an aware glance from the son up in Holsy’s direction that caused the elder of the two to pause in his beratement of the lesser, before nodding and gesturing for the younger to follow.
Seeing the action, James could only nod in understanding.
“Here are the official transcripts of what has happened.” The temporary secretary who had recently been assigned to the SERE training compound to help with the reconstruction efforts stated, handing over a list of documents.
“Look you can’t just tell me what happened?” Vanguard asked, his tone getting a bit angered.
“Sir, I understand your position, but know that you are not the only person to specifically ask about this person today.” The receptionist said, giving a quick glance to his left at the retreating duo of familiar cultivators, two that for the life of James Holsy, he knew he should know but just couldn’t place given how long of a day it had been.
Looking at the stack of papers, Vanguard just leafed through the first few pages, then seemed to come to a conclusion dividing the stack in half and handing half directly to James.
“Sir, you can’t just do that. I would need to see that man’s clearance.” The temporary secretary stated.
“You understand the unit I am attached to right?” Vanguard asked.
At that the secretary paused, then glanced down at their terminal once, as recognition crossed their features.
“I am aware and I thank you for all you do.” The secretary stammered.
“Well, he is my personal assistant, talent scout, and lackey for the team. You know what that makes him?”
“Cleared to know?” The Secretary asked, a noted look of concern on his face.
Vanguard looked like he was about to say something pithy, but then exhaled a bit at that comment, figuring it was close enough. “That’s right, he’s cleared to know. Also, if these documents were that important you should provide them in a classified folder that had the classification standards clearly visible.”
At the oversight, the Secretary went pale, “right.”
“I think, we are all just going to overlook these lapses in protocol due to minimal manning, and try to call it a thing to improve on next time.” Vanguard stated.
“Yes sir.” The Secretary stated.
With that Vanguard and Holsy both left the immediate area, only to turn a corner then another until they were in a fairly confined space. Well as confined as the suddenly bustling SERE training center could be.
While Holsy and Vanguard had been here to retrieve their newest tabbed member of the unit. Auxiliary members of the mobile Combat Medical Support wing had also been mustered to come out and support the area in an effort to look for not only missing SERE candidates in the midst of their trials, but also trying to find out exactly what happened.
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By now everyone knew the basic details, that being the large colony of subterranean evolved insectoids had risen up and gone in a mass exodus. Some went over the base, while others went in a long path around the base to an as yet unknown destination.
With the two of them looking at the provided documents it was relatively easy to start sifting through, trying to find out what happened to the wayward squad member that both Vanguard and Holsy were working diligently to get their hands on. Knowing that once they got someone of his caliber to their team, he would likely stay for a career. This of course was how Vanguard managed to grab and keep James away from his sister.
While scrolling through the documents, James came to a document that immediately caused his senses to tingle.
Name: Frank Fotos
Status: Re-Awakened.
MOS: Combat Medic
Body Cultivation Level ??. Core Value ??.
Talent: F-Rank ??. SSS+ ??.
Strength: 70
Dexterity: 71
Agility: 70
Mind: 69
Power: 70
Willpower: 32
Markings:
Greater Healing Mark: +15% Power, +15% Efficacy
Dark Marking 1: Unknown
Dark Marking 2: Effect Unknown
Glowing Orange and Shaded Mirror Mountain Tattoo: New (Gained during SERE training)
Note: Energy signature twice as potent as all three markings noted above combined.
Seeing the note about a seemingly new marking, Holsy was confused. Then even on the next page found that there were multiple sets of images of the said new double mountain tattoo. One was in high definition color, the second was in energy exposure spectrum or EES for short. Then there was a third set in poison tones, these were the sets used to identify people who had been exposed to high levels of radiation.
According to the third set of images, Frank’s arm tattoo registered off the spectrum for what a human could endure.
“Hey check this out.” Holsy said, taking out the noted stat section and tattoo imaging.
“What is this?” Vanguard asked.
“I don’t know, I was hoping that you could tell me.”
“Well according to this, Frank should be dead. Not only that, but everyone who was within a hundred meters of him, should be dead.” Vanguard noted, then apparently a eureka moment crossed his face. “I guess that explains this document.”
At that, Vanguard handed back the stack of attributes, which James re-checked noting the exceptionally high values for all noted attributes, including Power, arguably one of the hardest to advance.
Then before James had too long to think about everything, he pulled up an official redacted advocate approved plea deal.
Seeing the document, and that it was signed by an Advocate, James couldn’t help but feel sick to his stomach.
“Oh, no. He asked for an Advocate?” James asked, just seeing the document that all but assured some minor infraction had to be agreed to.
“Yeah, but something is off about it.” Vanguard stated.
“What do you mean?”
“Read the charge he is convicted of pleading no contest to.”
At that, James went deeper and saw the official reprimand, followed by the sentencing.
Subject Frank Fotos pleads Not Guilty to the charges of “Excessive use of Lethal Force.”
“What? That can’t be real?” James said, the charges seemed like they had to be made up.
“If you read the non-redacted portion of the transcripts, you can sort of see what happened. The full charge should read excessive use of lethal force while defending themselves from an overly aggressive investigator.” Vanguard stated.
“What?”
“One second, let me find the exact spot.” Vanguard said, sifting through his stack of documents, before coming across a page with a lot of sections marked out in thick black ink. Ink that a cultivator could easily ready by just tilting the page just right to read the way the letters seemed to appear through the thick black markings.
SERE Certificate Earner Frank Fotos was in the process of being questioned about his seeming lack of involvement in helping to protect the SERE compound during a monster swarm, when the candidate managed to offend the senior ranking officer giving the interrogation.
When asked to give a blatant lie for a new control question, Fotos made a note about the interrogator’s mother. At which time the Interrogator struck Fotos twice in the face. Fotos then made a threat to the Interrogator who proceeded to “try to neutralize the perceived threat.”
At which point they tried to strike Fotos for a third time, only to have their hand begin to corrode and rot as if exposed to dangerously excessive amounts of radioactive materials. The Interrogator’s hand and arm began to rot away at an exceptional rate, and quarantine alarms were set.
Page 1 of 5.
Advocate noted that Fotos was willing to help heal Interrogator’s arm if he could be forced to wait at the Cultivator prison at the end of Death Row during his time for a trial.
The condition was accepted so long as Fotos was able to preserve the arm.
After a fifteen minute operation, Combat Medic Fotos not only removed all traces of the radioactive materials from the Interrogator’s fist and arm, but was able to restore full functionality to the noted limb.
Upon agreement, Frank Fotos was sent to the cultivator prison stationed at the end of Death Row, while he awaited his court case to be heard.
Page 5 of 5
“He had them, they were clearly trying to illicit a confession out of him with force. Then apparently he asked for an advocate, which is a death sentence for us cultivators. Gods, they should have taught him that much at the Academy” Vanguard said, shaking his head, only to realize that the Academy was shut down before he could likely go through the mandatory legal courses. “Wait, we should be able to get him off on that alone. Due to the lack of training, he didn’t know about the Implied Jeopardy created by a cultivator demanding an Advocate to take part in their negotiations.”
James for his part looked hopefully, but then something caught his eye as he went back to the second and apparently last page of the transcript that was provided.
“Wait, I don’t think Frank intends for this to go to trial.” James said.
“What? It has to.”
“No, see the one thing the advocate got for him was that he would be placed in the Death Row penitentiary while awaiting his trial.” James began.
“That’s the same one that he already got exonerated from?”
“The very same.” James replied.
“Then they will likely be waiting to schedule a trail for him the moment he lands.” Vanguard said.
“Anything we can do?” James asked.