--- Lopez Farmhouse, Mexico ---
September 16, 2024
"I can't believe the intel was bad," Nicholas said. "I think Tom is getting too old for this."
"It is not like Tom to be wrong," Cortez replies. "He is usually on top of things. Command must have screwed something up."
"Maybe he just wanted time alone with your wife Jackson," Jessy said in a cocky voice.
They all chuckle quickly from that.
He looks at them all and snaps his figure. They are talking about the Lopez family daughter. She has taken an interest in him. As the saying goes, the ladies love a man in a uniform. "She is fifteen you prick. Keep your fantasies to yourself." He says with a chuckle. He is used to Jessy's extreme comments.
"Sensitive," Jessy comments. "Fine then, should we talk about…"
"We are not talking about that," Nicholas interrupts. "What happened in that country stays in that country. We agreed."
Sharpe could not help himself but chuckle from that, thinking back on the memories. He has been learning this unit for nearly seven years now. Delta Operatives have come and go, some in battle, others moving along in life in retirement or a desk job.
He cannot imagine ever leaving this line of work. Taking a desk or staying Stateside just seems like a waste of energy when he knows he can do some good. After what happened in North Korea, Thailand and facing down the Chines Special Forces or what he calls, the Baby Dragons all over Southeast Asia.
Up ahead is the farmhouse they were staying at for the past weeks. "I wonder what meal they are planning tonight."
"They are just preparing the hookers," Jessy said in a smartass tone. "Major, remember that lovely girl in Marawi?"
"Jessy..." He responds.
"What?" Jessy asks. "When you recruited me, you accepted everything that came with me. All the good and all the sexy."
"I knew I should have defected when I had the chance," Cortez said laughing.
He looks at him with an evil smirk. "For one, you keep changing the city in that story. Two, I don't remember anything. I pretty convinced you spiked my drink. I am starting to think that was a set up from the start."
"And yet we had to bust you out of jail," Cortez comments with a smirk.
"First thing, you didn't. That was Kevin you are talking about. And…" He and then stops.
All for Delta soldiers stops and aim their weapons in all directions. All the bantering stops, and they all are in full combat mode.
"You feel it too?" Nicholas asks softly.
"Yeah," Jessy replies. "None of this feels right."
He takes a glance around. His HUD says it is 1354 military time. The farmhouse is up ahead in sight, but something seems off. The place does not look alive.
They have been in the country for six months, four months overdue. Their mission is to kill or capture the self-proclaim King of the Cartels, Armando Carvallo. Three other Special Forces units went after him and all failed.
This time they are trying something different. No one knows what he even looks like so besides trying to find him, his plan must squeeze him and force him to come to them. Wanting to keep as little of a presence he can, his Delta team goes out, find a target and usually calls in Captain Bailey Army Rangers unit or the Mexican Special Forces the Fuerzas Especiales del Alto Mando and they do the job.
The plan is to make Armando Carvallo come out and then his Delta does what they do best, come out of the shadow and complete the mission.
While moral is still high, since they have put a massive dent in King operations, no leads on who the King is, just his name, assuming that is his real name.
Right now, though, nothing feels right him and his Delta soldiers. "Try contacting Tom again."
Nicholas speaks through TCOM, requesting Tom and then Quincy. When no one responds he knows something is off.
It is only the late afternoon; the mom and daughter should be hanging clothes outside to dry. The husband should be out in the shop, working on the truck. Right now, they see and hear nothing.
He points to Nicholas and Cortez and singles them to go left. He then singles Jessy to get on his six. When everyone acknowledges the order, everyone breaks and keeps low in the crops and tall grass.
He and Jessy get to the front door and quietly go inside while Cortez and Nicholas quietly go through the back door. They all sweep through the two-story house and find nothing.
"Building clear," Nicholas said.
Cortez lowers his rifle and looks puzzled. "Maybe they were forced to leave?"
He looks to Cortez. "No. Nothing looks out of place. No struggle or signs of them rushing. Everything looks normal. Let's hit the barn."
During the six months in Mexico, he kept on the movie, not wanting to stay in one place for long. He liked this farmhouse; it is out of the way from everything and a good place to hid and stay low.
Tom said they got word that one of Armando Carvallo lieutenants was going through the valley twenty kilometers south from here. Jessy said it would be best to stay here two more days to recon that lieutenant. The risk seems low to stay two extra days because the Cartels still did not even know they are here in the country.
After securing the house, they move out and head to the barn door. They line up on the large barn door, weapons at ready.
They were about to open but they all stop, hearing this sound inside.
He raises his hand and gives them directions on how he wants them to storm the barn.
He watches as Cortez and Jessy open the large door. Nicholas and he storm him, rifles ready to run anything down.
The first thing he sees is the source of the sound, a dog eating… Toms left arm.
He lowers his rifle down until he is only holding it with one hand. He looks around, eyes widen with disbelief. He can feel his right hand shaking and refusing to stop.
The ground is covered in a pool of blood. He takes a single step back as he saw that his boot was in the pool.
"Is that…. Quincy…." Nicholas asks out loud, more speaking to himself. His voice sounds broken like he is refusing to accept what his eyes are seeing.
"I… I don't know…" He responds, struggling to summon the words to respond.
As he looks around, he sees a hand, what looks like a foot that is missing all its toes. He sees a liver, intestines, and other internal body parts. He sees a few fingers around, body parts everywhere in the pool.
Over a decade of military training is forcing him to take notice of every detail in the room and he can stop it. The mind counting every single body part.
The dog starts to back away as it carries away the arm. He wants to stop the dog, but his mind is not responded. He has been through a lot with Quincy and Tom. Tom and he goes back all the way to the North Korea mission, and this is how he dies.
Cortez shots the dog to prevent Tom's arm from being eaten.
Jessy walks up behind him. "Sir…" His voice sounds broken.
He forces himself to look at Jessy and see that he is looking up. He slowly turns and looks up and sees what he sees.
Both the husband and wife who took them in are handing up there by chains that are in their arms and legs. Both are naked with stab wounds all over the place, so the blood could drain out of them. The wife's breasts are cut off and the husband pens and balls are gone too. He can see that the extreme lengths they went were to send him a message, that he failed.
"What kind of monsters are they?" Nicholas said.
"Por favor, que Dios los proteja..." Cortez said in Spanish, his voice showing he is struggling in keeping himself together.
"God is not here Cortez," Jessy comments.
As they talk among themselves, he looks around. He has lost men before but never like this. And the family placed their trust in him for protection and he is the reason their faith. As he thinks about the family, he realizes that someone is missing.
He looks over to Nicholas. "Nick, we are missing the daughter."
"Yeah," Cortez comments. "I found something."
He looks over and sees Cortez holding a recorder. He walks over and takes it. He sees there is only one file in the recorder, so he plays it.
"My, my. You dear Americans always please you control the world and yet here I am. I believe you saw my message and I hope you enjoyed it. Let your arrogance be your downfall."
In the background he can hear someone crying and people yelling.
"About the cute girl, I do have here. I know you would like to hear her voice, so you know she is ok. Here you go." The recorder then holds out and Sharpe can hear her screaming.
"It hurts, please stop. Please, momma, help me!"
Then the recorder moves away but her voice can still be heard in the background as she begs her rapist to stop.
"Meet me at the refinery and if you're fast enough, that is all my brother will do to her."
He lowers the recorder and looks around. Everyone heard it and everyone has the same expression of disbelief. He has no idea what to do now. The only two options he can see is abandoned the girl or go save her, leading his team into a trap.
He takes a deep breath, already knowing what they will do to her if he takes option one. "We got to go."
***
--- Farmhouse, Present ---
January 4th, 2026
Sharpe awakens and sits up quickly, knife in his hand and aiming to kill. He is breathing and sweating heavily. However, he feels his hand unable to move forward. It is like something is holding it, controlling his actions.
Rory looks directly at him. She is sitting on his lap, legs on each side of his. One hand holding the knife hand, using her superior strength to control him. Her other hand moves to his face trying to calm him down.
"Shh… Jackson. Everything is ok," She said in a soothing voice with her figure on his lips. She can see his eyes looking around, trying to remember where he is at. His eyes radiate for the thirst of blood and pain. "You are safe with friends. Nothing bad is here."
She then takes his head and places it onto her chest, letting his mind come back to the real world. She knows the warming heart of a woman is always a cure for a troubled man.
As Sharpe starts to breathless and calms down from his mini panic attack, she glances at her hand. She is impressed by how fast his reaction is. While the chances were low, if it was not for the fact that she noticed him having a nightmare and came over to help, he might have stabbed someone.
"Rory… that is you right?" Sharpe asks as he gets out of his dream.
She takes his knife from his hand and hides it, not wanting him to see what he did. "Yes, Jackson. Everything is fine." With her hand, he lifts his head off her chest. "Now, is that you?" She asks with a motherly smile.
Sharpe takes a deep breath as he collects himself. "Affirmative."
She lets out a chuckle hearing him answer like that. When they came to this farmhouse, she was worried that some memories would come back and haunt him.
"Is… is…" Sharpe begins to ask before she puts her figure on his lips to shut him up.
"Shh. You will wake everyone up," She responds. "Everyone is still asleep. Randy snores louder than you so no one heard your racket. Selina over there by Lelei. She was reading her a bedtime story and fell asleep."
She then thinks of an idea. "Let us go outside. The raining has stopped."
Sharpe takes a deep breath and looks at her, finally getting his head straight. "No, I am fine."
She holds him back and tightens her grip in his shirt. She gives him a commanding stair. "I wasn't asking." She then stands up grab uses her overwhelming Apostle strength and forces him up. She then points to the door.
Once she sees him grab his jacket, he then heads out the door. She then takes the knife out and puts it in her bag, intending to sneak it back to his stuff later.
She then grabs her jacket and quickly gets outside and stand by his side. There is a moment of silence between the two until she speaks first. "The farm again?"
"Yes," Sharpe answers. His voice shows that he is still a bit delusional.
She grabs his jacket sleeve and takes him to the side of the house; both sitting down on the wooden deck floor and lean against the wall. So far, they have developed a give and take relationship. There are times she just gives him and listens to what he says, usually in combat. But other times she takes control and he submit, like right now. Both learned where their strong and concede those areas and trust each other.
As she sits there, she remembers the first time they all went to Earth, at the resort. It was the most fun she had in ages. Meeting a high-level government official in a civilized manner, the food, the bonding she had with the girls and Sharpe and the best of all, the after-party slaughter of those Chinese agents.
But she remembered snooping in a private conversation between Sarah and Sharpe. Sharpe was drunk and they got into a small fight, but he finally broke down. She has not known him long, but she has never seen him crack once.
He and his old team were considered some of the best, top of their careers in Southeast Asia so they were transferred to Mexico to fight a Chinese backed Cartels. Somehow, Armando Carvallo the Cartel King was able to outsmart Sharpe, chopping two of his teammates into pieces and crucifying the farming family parents. Then lured Sharpe into a trap, burning the family daughter alive in front of him. He has never forgiven himself for that*.
She knows that Sharpe is too prideful to accept anything less than full responsibility for what happened. That is one thing she loves about him when they first met but there is the time it gets to an extreme. It is like a double-edged sword; one side is it drives him so that never happens again, but the other side is cutting into his body and soul. She has been struggling in finding a way to help him forgive himself.
Sarah and she have had a few conversations about what to do and the only thing they came up with just loves him. Always remind him that he is not alone.
"You know Jackson," She said. "During all my adventures, there are times I couldn't save everyone. What was one of the final lines on why I left Taylin all those centuries ago, he made me killed Queen Nefara. She was a Succubus who led many of the Dark Races in the east."
Sharpe looks down at her, not knowing who she is talking about.
"Nefara was a powerful woman, her name shook the hearts of many. She was a major reason why the Empire was needed back then. The Empire was once a Republic like your country is now. Taylin told me she was going to strike at the Republic while it was still young, scared that it would become as powerful it is today. So, I killed her." She said, thinking back on that event.
She left out a lot of information when she said that. It was a vastly different time and Taylin used her love and trust in him. He knew that she blindly follows the one she loves, a curse she still has. She looks up at Sharpe and smiles, glad she is following the right one now.
"After I killed her and deep in the Hardy's pit, that was a crazy fight. Still in my top ten." She says with a prideful smile. "But I later learned that Queen Nefara wanted to form a peace treaty with the early Republic, to bring peace in the lands. Her daughter Queen Famulis swore vengeance."
Sharpe hears that and takes a deep breath. He places his arm around her.
She accepts the arm and cuddles up within him.
"I get what you are saying Rory," Sharpe said.
"I know you do," She said and takes a breath. "Sometimes in life things just happen. You want to find a reason, justification or something but sometimes you just need to move on."
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Sharpe grunts a little. "Rory. I lost men. People have died and I have killed many people. I am ok. I do not wish anyone under my command died but it comes with the job. This… this is just different. Usually, when a mission goes bad you can look at it and see the mistakes and adjust. That is what the Army teaches. Make everything a learning experience. No matter how many times I look back, I cannot find any mistakes. So, I am afraid of repeating something."
As he spoke, she gets up and gets in front of him. She sits on his lap again and gets close. She places both of her hands on his cheeks. Her right hand only has a scare now, mostly healed. She looks directly into his eyes.
"Look," She said. "This doesn't help you or anyone else. You do not have to forget them, but you can move on. We all know you will do everything to keep everyone safe. No one thinks you would waste their lives so recklessly. You have earned that trust. Everyone loves you and you need to embrace it."
She can see his reaction. He knows that she is right and knows that he should move on. But she also can see that he wants to protest. She believes a part of him wants to blame himself.
Before he can protest, she kisses him to shut him up. After a moment she leans back while still on his lap.
She can see his confused and shock reaction. "Remember that one night. You were explaining why you like Optimus so much(1)? It is an example that lives the test of time for you. Something you can ask what he would do as you figure out a problem. I think you said, 'he does the right thing because it's the right thing'. "So, do the right thing for the people here."
She can see she is breaking through his thick skull of his. She refuses to let Palapon take ahead in his soul. She has seen too many good people who were consumed by their need for revenge. The need is so natural and so easily justified but once something goes down that path, it is hard to come out.
She also sees why Aphrodite did not want her to tell Sharpe or anyone the truth. She could see in Sharpe's eyes if he knew their Gods are still alive, he would resent them for doing nothing. She wants them to stand on their own two feet, which means there will be suffering which is sadly a part of life.
"That family though…," Sharpe said.
"That family allowed you and your team to stay there on your mission," She responds. "That met they liked you people and felt like you were doing right. Regardless of what happened in the end. You know what, this family was nice to us. Before we leave maybe we should do something nice for them."
She just thought of the idea. She is hoping maybe if they do something nice, it should help him get that chip off his shoulder and start to move on.
Sharpe thinks about the idea, not rejecting it. "Like what?"
She pats him on the shoulder. "I know you will think of something. I am heading back inside. It is cold."
She gets up and heads back inside.
---
Sharpe enjoys getting up before anyone else. When he was a kid, he remembers watching a documentary about Major General Tecumseh Sherman from the Civil War. He got up early in the morning to make sure his army was safe. Mornings were the best time to move troops and attack your sleeping enemy.
He spent the time checking on the ground, seeing if it is good enough to drive. The ground does seem muddy, but he thinks the vehicles should be able to drive through it. It will delay their arrival by a day, two max. He is starting to think it would be better to just stay here, so he intends to tell Alnus Command.
He sees Hisiko walking around, starting his daily chores. He through the military gets up early but damn, farming life starts when the stars are still awake.
He takes a deep breath and walks over to him. "Morning Hisiko."
Hisiko looks over, adjusting his pants. "Good morning Major. I hope you slept well."
He is hesitant to respond but then odds his head. "I slept well. Thank you for letting my Rangers rest here."
Hisiko waves his hand at him. "No need. It was an experience. This will give us enough stories to tell the townsfolk for a few months."
He glances over to the farmhouse as he hears his troops packing and waking up. He looks back at Hisiko. "Still, you didn't have to. I know we took a lot of your resources."
"Don't worry about it," Hisiko said. "I am just glad everyone had a good time. Your strange talking movie picture thing was interesting. That is common in your world?"
"To common actually. Easy to get lazy," He said and glances down. He then looks back up at him. "We overall had a good time. It is not every day we spend with civilians outside Alnus. But there is something that was bothering me."
He can see the man getting a little nervous. He sees why Sarah keeps telling him to improve on his civilian speech. "Your roof was dripping water a lot."
"I am sorry for that…" Hisiko said before being waves off by Sharpe.
"Hold on," Sharpe continues. "If you don't mind putting up with us for another day, we can earn that meal from last night. Got a spare hammer and a list of projects we can work on?"
Hisiko looks confused at first, not understanding the off. Then he finally understands. "You don't need to do any of that."
"I want to," He said. "We are stuck here to the afternoon anyway since the mud still too muddy. I like to repay your kindness. It is the best we can do."
He spent some time thinking about it after Rory left. While the dripping did not bother him, he slept in the intense rains in Southeast Asia. But Rory was right, he needs to find a way to let go and move on. Maybe doing something nice to this farming family might help him let go.
Hisiko thinks about it and nods. "Well. With all of your help, there is a lot of things I could get done quickly. Alright, I will get a list and we can get to work."
He nods and heads back to the house to get everyone. He intends to give everyone a task.
---
Selina finishes cleaning up the Rangers mess that is inside the house. Besides putting everything back into the vehicles, her father told everything they were staying another day because of bad road conditions. As payment, Vanguard-7 is going to do chores for the family.
She puts the projector back into the back and hears banging on the roof. She looks up as a reaction. She can hear two of the Rangers on the roof fixing the leaking sections. She can hear Frost but does not know who the other one is.
"What do you want me to do with this one?" Naminto asks. "And what are these inside the bag?"
"Hold on," She said and looks over. Her face turns bright red when she sees him looking into her bag. He pulls out a few of her tampons.
"These are strange? Do you use this for fishing but how would the fish eat this? It looks cotton so maybe a bandage or a clearing tool." Naminto said as he talks to himself.
She starts to get angry at him. 'Why does this always happen to me!' She thinks to herself.
She then smacks him across the face and grabs her bag. "You know it is rude to look into a Girls bag. It is not polite!"
Naminto holding his cheek, trying to figure out why he got slapped. "I am sorry. I just want to learn more about your people's stuff. It is so fascinating. So, what are they?"
She is hesitant to respond. "They a girl thing. No boys allowed."
"Selina," Lelei asks, breaking the tension. "Is everything ok? I hear you yelling."
She takes a deep breath and looks at him. "Boys... Yes, Miss Lelei. We are just talking...
"Ok," Lelei said.
"You should ask first Naminto," She said.
She closes her eyes, seeing that he is just wanting to learn more and see that he has no idea why he got slapped. "Let me show you my tablet."
"Tablet?" Naminto asks as he walks over.
"Yes, it is like that projector you saw last night. Besides watching on the wall, you watch things on this," She said as she pulls out her tablet.
"Cool," Naminto said as he looks at it. "How it works?"
She smiles, loving how excitement and energy. "Let me show you." She then turns it on and sets it on the table.
"You can watch movies like that one or you can play games." She said as she pulls out Candy Crush. She then explains the game to him.
For a moment they between playing the game, matching up the colors.
As they play the game. his expression reminds her of when she first saw all these devices. They look so strange and baffling. She could not understand what they were. The first time seeing any of this was when Sharpe saved her, and they spent time watching Transformers.
"Was that the only talking pictures or are there other people in them?" Naminto asked.
She giggles hearing that. It reminded her of when she asked if those robots in Sharpe show were real. They looked real and talked so they had to be real, she could not believe that they were hand-drawn.
"They are not real and maybe later tonight I will show you, but it is like what you saw last night." She said.
She is finding it strange that he is being nice to her. The other kids in Alnus just picked on her because of her nationality but now they ignore her because of who she is. The only friends she can make are adults who do not care about that stuff. He does not seem to care either though.
"How long have you been with them? The Rangers I mean." Naminto asked.
She thinks about it. It has felt so long now that she has been around them. She wishes she kept tack. "I think on their calendar it has been a year and a half. But for us, about a year, I think. That is what Lelei said."
She then looks at him and sees this blank stare. It is clear he does not understand what she meant by two calendars. She doesn't blame him; it has been hard to fully understand everything herself. "It is ok. It has been a while."
"Cool," Naminto said. He then walks up to her, getting uncomfortably close.
She takes a step back, nervous. In her experience, the only time guys got this close was because they wanted her body, excluding the Rangers and Other Worlders. Her father said that boys his age only want one thing and can be jackasses if not raised properly. But she knows he will say anything because Rory said he is overprotective. "Yes…?"
"Naminto, please don't scare our guest," Babora said, his mother. "Remember what we talked about personal space?"
"I am sorry mom," Naminto said and looks back to Selina. "I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you or to embarrass you. I am just happy to have a friend. There are not a lot of people my age around here."
She looks to Naminto's mom and sees her cooking in the kitchen. She sees both Tuka and Lelei in there helping her cook, clean and doing other house chores. She saw Rory in there not too long ago, but they all kicked her out after burning water. She does not understand how that's possible, but Rory found away.
She looks back at the boy. "It is ok."
"I wanted to ask what kind of adventures you have gone on?" Naminto asks with a lot of energy. "When we go into town, I hear stories from Adventures and Knights all the time. Slaying monsters and being heroes."
"Ahh…" She thinks about that. Most of the time she has only been in Alnus when everyone else goes to war. But she remembers a few adventures she has been on.
She walks away and starts cleaning the floor. "Well, I have only been on a few missions with my father. I never was part of anything battles, but do you know of the city of Italica?"
"I never been there but yes," Naminto answers.
She smiles and then explains her adventures in Italica. She tells the boy about how the city was attacked by bandits and her father lead the city to victory.
She then tells the story when the time they went to Elies to explore but were forced to fight the Empire. That they went to this elf village and she found a witness that helped them find a kidnap Ranger. She then explained that her father attacks an Imperial fortress and fought the Imperialist cavalry on foot.
As she goes on, she can see the boy enjoying her story. It feels nice that someone her age wants to listen to her. Her nervousness starts to go away as she feels more comfortable.
That is when Babora walks up. "Wow, you are a chatterbox." She said in a sweet voice.
She stops talking and looks up at the mother. "He wanted to know about our adventures."
"I know," Babora comments. "It sounds like you been through a lot. Maybe one day you might want to marry my son. He always wanted to venture around and slay monsters."
"Mom!" Naminto said embarrassed.
She giggles, glad that he is now embarrassed. She shakes her head and holds up a finger. "I am not allowed to date boys until dad is ninety-five. Dead or alive. Plus, ten more if he died."
Babora blinks and then laughs. "Wow, is that true?"
"Yes, he did say that," Lelei comments as she cooks. She is chopping some fruits while using her telekinesis to stir the soup. "But that doesn't mean we listen. He is just being a dad by their standards."
"Lelei is correct," She said. "And I didn't know you knew how to cook so well Lelei."
"My last master said cooking is the job for a woman," Lelei said as she puts the fruits into the pot. "He said that he helps in developing the mind for magic, but I know he was lying. He was just being lazy."
Tuka laughs hearing that. "That sounds like my father. They think because they go out hunting and do that 'manly' work." She said, air quoting manly.
Babora chuckles. "I understand my Elf sister. They go out and leave the real work to us."
She hears all this and is confused. Her father goes out like they say but he fights monsters and Apostles. "I am sorry but are you calling my father lazy?"
"Yes," Tuka said. "He might be a great fighter, but they always ignore his domestic duties. Even Sharpe. You know how Sarah always complains how he never does his paperwork.”
She was about to correct Tuka but stops after hearing that last part. She thinks about that.
"Ahh... I am standing right here..." Naminto said, scratching the back of his head.
She holds out her hand. "Your right. He always wants to watch movies or go to the firing range. But I get to go with him, so it is ok."
"I enjoy cooking," Lelei comments as she prepares the Burgo Boar. "I find it relaxing."
Tuka laughs. "You completely missed the point, but I guess."
"Besides, last time I made my husband helped, I had to redo everything and throw him out."
Selina's eyes widen and she smiles. She raises her hand. "I saw an episode about that. It was when Peter and Chris went shopping for the Lois mom and she got angry at them for helping."
She sees them all looking at her and she looks confused. "What? It is my father's fault. He lets me watch his stuff."
Babor and Tuka start to laugh at that.
"Well, I have to agree," Tuka said. "When my father tried to help with dinner back home. He just got in the way and I felt like I was not needed anymore."
"Yes," Babora said. "I hate feeling like my husband didn't need me. By the Gods, I love him so much."
"I love my daddy too," She said with a smile. "I know everything you all said is true, but he did save me twice and took care of me. So, I love him."
"I notice that you mention your father a lot. It seems like you are found of your father," Babora said with a smile. "That is so cute. Now you understand why we do silly things for them. Love is a powerful thing."
"Now can both of you go outside and give our boys some water. It is getting hot outside." Babora asked.
She smiles hearing all that. "Yes. Father is the closest thing to me. If I am ever in trouble or alone, he is always there." She then pulls out her Polaris neckless. "I have this so even though he is at war, we are together."
Babora looks at the neckless. "Wow, that is beautiful. And beautifully detailed. He much he rich."
"He isn't rich. On average he is surrounded by four girls. Sometimes five if you include Sarah and Noriko. I am pretty sure he is poor because of us." Lelei comments in her standard tone, minding her own business.
Everyone looks at Lelei and laughs at what she said.
She takes the tray. "I be happy to."
"Ok mom," Naminto said.
Both take the tray and heads outside.
"It sounds like you been through a lot," Naminto said all excited. "I have never been around past the farm. The farthest I have been was Naiktai."
She smiles, surprised how easily impressed he is. "But it is nice that you still have a mom and dad."
"But I thought he is your dad?" Naminto asked.
"He is," She said in a confident voice. "He took me in because my birth parents and my brother were murdered. But he is a soldier and is gone a lot, so I am alone a lot."
"You lost a sibling too? My sister died when I was young." Naminto said.
"Really?" She said as she looks at him. "Was she killed?"
"No," Naminto replies. "She died from a bad fever."
"I am sorry," She said.
"It is ok," Naminto said. "I was too young to really get to know her. Anyway. you don't have anyone in Alnus that takes care of you when your dad is gone?"
"No…." She said as she stops herself. She starts to think and thinks of how Sarah been keeping an eye on her and been helping her. The more she thinks about it, Sarah has been acting a lot like Naminto mother. She mostly just seen her as a babysitter for Sharpe since she works for him. But more she thinks about it, the more she is acting like Naminto's mother. "I don't know. I have people who keep an eye on me back at base. I think I don't know what a mother example is to compare. Let's just get the drinks to everyone."
Once outside she sees the two Rangers on the roof, hammering away. "Hey, boys! I have water here if you want some!" She yells.
Frost sits up and waves at her. "Thanks kids. Just set them there. We will get some later."
She waves back and sets down the mugs of water. She turns around and starts walking.
That is when she sees the new Ranger Sofie. She is leaning against one of the JLTVs, probably on guard duty. "Hi, Sofie. It is Sofie, right? I have some water here. I know you been working hard."
When she approaches, Sofie looks down at her and gives her a death glare. "Get away from you me brat. You too boy."
Her eyes widen and take a step back. "What?"
"Look, I will leave you alone and you leave me alone. Let's do that," Sofie said and walks away.
"What is her problem?" Naminto asked.
"I don't know. It's probably her time of the month..." She said. "She is new, but I don't know…"
"What a brat... I was just being nice... why does everyone always hate me..." She mumbles to herself.
"Oh, well," Naminto said in a cheerful voice. "I wonder what everyone else is doing."
She never ran into an Other Worlder who was that mean before. She knew there are bad apples, there always are but she did not expect to see one in Vanguard-7.
She turns around and heads out into the field. She sees her dad, Randy, Scott, and Andrew constructing a large shed and everyone else is fixing fencing.
"I will go over there. Why don't you go to Alicia by the fence." She spoke.
She rushes over to her dad's location and stops there. "Hi, dad. Hi, everyone else. I have water for everyone."
"Thanks, kids," Andrew said.
"Thank you, Selina," Sharpe said. "I hope you are not being good."
She giggles hearing that. "Of course not. Being good is for squares."
"Selina. What does that mean?" Scott asks as he grabs the water mug.
She was going to answer but stops. She realizes that she doesn't know what that phrase means, it is just something that her dad says a lot. "I don't know. Why are squares bad on your world?"
Sharpe chuckles. "I will tell you someday."
She then sees them all laugh. She just looks at them confused. "You Other Worlders are backward."
"Hey Jackson, where do you want this?"
She looks over and sees Rory standing there. But what amazes her is that she is holding up this large heavy bolder. She is holding it up like it is no bother. "Wow Rory, you are strong?"
"Well someone has to be in this group," Rory said.
"Holy fuck..." Randy said, shocked by the sight.
Andrew walks close then stops. "Note to self, never piss her off."
"Noted," Sharpe said, looking at her amazed by the sight.
"Boys... stop gazing at my body and tell me where you want this?" Rory said, getting annoyed.
"Well, don't throw..." Sharpe said before Rory interrupts him.
"I heard throw," Rory yells and throws it, going a football field away.
In the distance, everyone can hear Alicia yell. "Damn girl, nice arm!"
"Thanks, warrior sister!" Rory yells and waves. She then flexes. "I am good."
She is always amazed by Rory, impressed by how strong she is. She sometimes wishes she is as strong as her. She then looks back up to her dad. "Hey dad, are we watching another movie tonight?"
He looks down as she wipes the sweat off his forehead. "I wasn't thinking about that. You pick."
"I have a few ideas," She said happily and then looks around. "What are you all doing?"
Sharpe takes a drink and looks around. "It is good to get into debt. Anything given to you for free ends up having no value."
She looks back at him. "What debt? I didn't think the family wanted money."
"Not every debt is about money," Sharpe said. "You don't want to be a taker Selina. Going place to place and accepting free stuff. You never want to feel like you are entitled because then you feel like the world must bend to you."
She nods at what she said. "Because they helped, you want to return the favor correct? But do you mean by being a taker?"
"Life is a constant struggle between taking things from people and giving back to people," Sharpe said. "Most of the time it is small things, thing you would never think about. If you go on in life only taking things from people, you never will do anything for yourself and only rely on others. As also your reputation is particularly important. You don't want people thinking of you as a beggar, only coming here to get free stuff." He thinks of his statement. "Basically, I do t want farmers and these small towns seeing us coming and feeling the need to hide the food."
"I think I get it," She said. "You want to be friends and friends don't take advantage of the people they help. So, you should always give back like you are doing."
Sharpe shakes his head. "You don't want to go too far extremes. If you give too much, then you have nothing to give and people will try and take advantage of you. It is just, it is better to be a giver than a taker. If the world had more givers, this would be far better, on both worlds."
"I understand," She said. "Now when we leave, they will remember everything we did. Next time we come by them will be happy to see us."
"Correct," Sharpe said. "We couldn't pay back in food but because we helped them do all of these things they needed to be done anyway, we now respect each other and equal."
She smiles at the idea she can pick. She has an idea and nods. "Thank you. I need to go to help make dinner. Will see you later."
As she heads back, Naminto walks over.
"They are nice," Naminto said. "I can't believe you allow women as soldiers."
She looks to him hearing that. She understands that women on average are physically weaker than men but as her new father once said, there is a will and there is away. That and weapons are the great equalizer in life. A gun can easily kill someone far stronger. The proper training and determination, anyone can overcome anything. "What do you mean?"
"My dad always said I need to protect my mom when he is away," Naminto said with pride. "I think it cool though. That woman challenged me to a wrestling match later."
She giggles hearing that. "That is Alicia for yeah." She then imagines the match and would love to cheer on Alicia."
As they walk back to the house, Naminto looks to her. "What is your favorite thing they have? Is there something you enjoy the most?"
She smiles, enjoying that someone her age taking interest in her. She thinks about his question, finding it very generic but she understands. "While I like what my dad likes, Noriko showed me this cute show that I am liking. It is called Hello Kitty."
"Hello, Kitty?" Naminto asked, confused by that. "Why would a Neko say hi?"
She giggles hearing that. "I don't know. My friend introduced it to me, and it is cute."
She then thinks. "But I bet you have some cool stuff to."
Naminto was going to say something but stops and think. "I don't have magical toys like this. You, people, are definitely from a different world. We are simple people and live from day to day."
She smiles, liking that. "Well, I like simple things. I grew up in a major city in Edras. Everything is about what's on the outside. You have to act, talk, and be what everyone else wants you to be. I always thought it was normal but once I was sold into slavery I got to see much of the world. I realized it was a dark place. My faith the only reason why I made it until my new father saved me. So yeah, I prefer the simple life."
"Your faith? What is it?" Naminto asked.
"I worship Maritta, the Goddess of fertility and... motherhood." She said as she thinks back on her time with Karlin.
"I never met a Maritta worshipper," Naminto said. "We believe in Flare."
"Flare, the God of the sun," She said. "To help your crops?"
"Yes," Naminto said. "We get a lot of rain from the mountains so we need as much sun as we can get."
"That is cool. I know there is a small temple in Edras for Flare, but I never have seen it." She said.
She then looks at the house as they approach. "Want to sneak upstairs? I will show you some other shows and games. There is this new show my dad wants me to see. It is about talking turtles who fight like ninjas. I also know of this game that has birds trying to save other birds. I just don't understand why they are angry."
She looks to Naminto and he looks confused. He has no idea what she is referencing. "Let's go before they give us more work."