The shelling stops.

Caitlyn returns to her quarter in the base. It’s a three by three meters flat with a bed and a desk set. The backpack that she has always carried from Maya’s Sorrow is lying beside the bed. Her spare fatigue, maid uniform, and her dress that she wore to sleep back home are stacked on top of the backpack. She picks up her dress. She misses wearing it. It keeps her breezy and unimpeded in bed while still properly covering her. She always sleeps in her field uniform these days. Command doesn’t tolerate delays because someone has to change.

Caitlyn sits on the chair near the desk. The quartermaster arrived at the base a couple minutes ago and assembled all the maid officers, both commissioned and non-commissioned. Genesis and Charlotte had to answer the rally. She hopes it means more supplies coming their way.

Caitlyn crosses her arms. She leans against the chair and extends her legs. She fixes her sight to the ceiling. The portable shelter has a dull grayish interior. The bright yellow lighting hanging above is the only thing that keep the room alive. Even Gvozdika’s room is still more pleasing to look at with its lack of furniture.

But tonight, her quarter feels more spacious than it should be. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling are weirdly cotton soft. They oddly appear lemon and pink to her eyes. She finds it amusing. She didn’t consume any drugs. There isn’t any for Androids. There is something intoxicating her and she knows it. She wants to believe that it’s happiness. She wants to believe that she twists and turns gracefully to its rhythm.

Caitlyn chuckles, thinking that she won’t get a good rest. It was an extraordinary night. She still can’t believe that a tank is the first partner that confessed to her. And she happens to return the feeling. All while they were witnessing a gorgeous shelling of telve positions. She really can’t calibrate when her memory keeps bringing up the image of PT with bright sparks decorating the night sky. It’s hard not to savor the magnificent moment for a while.

She raises the pendant and clicks it open.

“PT…” She mumbles as she gazes on the picture of her tank. The blossoms within her grow ever fragrant the longer she does it. The intimate urge becomes unbearable for every second she spends looking at his picture. Perhaps not even The Primus can answer how she can feel that way to a tank.

She even begins having thoughts. What will they do after the war? What can they do now to shore up their relationship? What are the venues worth considering for the next date? What sorts of things is he interested in? Do they coincide with hers? Is she just daydreaming or it’s the reality? Caitlyn can’t keep it in. She kisses the picture before shutting the pendant and pressing it to her chest.

Caitlyn laughs; A good laugh from within her core. The thought that a tank is hitting on her is too hilarious to let up. And she just accepted it. Even funnier considering how she won’t take any boy’s hand until she gets herself out of her own mess. Pathetic. She shoves that word on herself again, this time for laughs. She isn’t desperate to love or to be loved by a boy. She just thinks that PT deserves it after what they went through. They brought them closer. And the threat scale they imposed justifies them to be together.

“What if sister finds out…?”

There’s a knocking on the door. She hears Genesis calling her name. Caitlyn opens the door and greets her. To her surprise, Charlotte is not around.

“Where is she?”

“She got back to duty.”

“Even though there’s still a couple of hours left?”

Genesis shrugs. “Promotion points.”

“Understandable.”

Caitlyn steps aside. “Come in.”

Genesis walks inside. She observes the room with an open mouth. Her sight carefully sweeps from one corner to the other.

“It’s not that much, really.” Caitlyn says.

“I still want my own quarter though.” Genesis replies, her attention is still to the whole room.

“Hope you’ll get to color sergeant soon.”

Genesis glances at Caitlyn. “Thanks.”

The maid then notices the stack of clothes beside her bed. In particular, Caitlyn’s maid uniform.

“No way!” Genesis approaches it. She lifts Caitlyn’s dress slightly to reveal the uniform. “You worked as a maid before?”

“I was, for a year.” Caitlyn says, sitting down on the chair. “We ran an orphanage back home.”

“Orphanage, huh?” Genesis sits with her legs-crossed on the floor. “Sounds like something that Prime Respite would after.”

Prime Respite, other than being an enterprise that raises children, is also responsible for producing soldiers’ ration. There’s not a single Proxy that opens their field ration without seeing the company’s name written on it. She always remembers how they dragged her into this war every time she sees their name. She often put the blame on them. That might recede now. But she still doesn’t see herself forgiving that company anytime soon. It’s not a barrier that she can’t overcome. It’s the one that she deliberately left to keep her moving, to remind her that the struggle against them remains.

“Actually…they did.”

“Oh?”

“They scammed me and seize our properties.”

Genesis looks at her with concern. “Is that why you had a quarrel with your family?”

“They gave us time to pay them away. That’s why I’m here.”

“You must hate them a lot.”

“I won’t say hate per se.” Caitlyn shrugs. “Just keeping myself away from them.”

“Must be hard for you whenever you need some tins.”

Caitlyn chuckles. “Every tin I consumed has dents on them.”

“Seems like I have to be more careful around you.”

Caitlyn giggles at her statement. It really does feel like something she doesn’t do. She doesn’t see herself doing it to anyone else, even the telves. It’s the outlier of her personality. Perhaps she is just too invested in her anger for Prime Respite.

She stands up and shrugs. “Maybe.” Caitlyn then shoves the chair back into the desk and sits just across Genesis with her legs crossed.

“That’s a shame. I always idolize the founder.”

“Really?”

“Safe to say that she is a role model to all maids across the state.”

“I never know her.”

“Valeska Helena. She’s really the reason why I’m saving up. To buy my own land so I can work on them.”

“How about getting your home back?”

“That too.” Genesis takes a deep breath. “But I think it’s a bit unfair. The Primus himself backed her up when she first started.”

“And now she’s after small, independent enterprises.”

Genesis rubs her chin. “I don’t believe it. That’s against the whole point of Prime Respite. Mrs. Lena wanted to preserve the citizens of the state.”

“So…things changed?”

“Someone screwed up. And it’s not her.”

“You’re not saying that because you idolize her, are you?”

“Why would she dare to harm the people after receiving The Primus’ backup? That man will snuff her out the second she does.”

“So it seems.”

“How about you though?” Genesis leans toward her with gleaming eyes. “Do you have a figure you aspire to be?”

“A figure I aspire to be…” It takes a few seconds until she gets a light bulb. “My sister.”

“Your sister? What’s her name?”

“Jeanette Gvozdika.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“She is indeed pretty…and strong.” Caitlyn shrugs. “She’ll carry a mountain if she has to.”

“And you left her back home?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Caitlyn pulls her legs close. “I’ve said goodbye to her. But I’m starting to regret my decision.”

It’s starting to seem like a runaway from reality. It’s sickening and she doesn’t want anyone to see her that way. She left because she wants to be responsible. Not once she attempts to forget what she did.

Genesis drags herself closer. “It’s okay, Caitlyn.” She pats her. “At least you feel bad about it. Which implies that there’s still good in you.”

Caitlyn smiles. “I think I’m going to take the train home this rotation.”

Gloria might scream at her again. Perhaps this time Gvozdika might not stand up for her. She deserves it. But at least she returns to them. At least she doesn’t forget them.

“Hmm,” Genesis leers upward. “This is something that your boyfriend should know first.”

Caitlyn slaps her thigh. “Shut up.” She says, smirking. “I’ll tell him later.”

“Good for you, I guess.” Genesis rubs the back of her head. “Send your sister my regard, yeah?”

“For what exactly?”

“Come on. You can’t go home without telling your family that you made friends, can you? Unless you want them to doubt what you’ve been doing so far.”

Caitlyn chuckles. “Fair point.”

Genesis nods.

“What did the quartermaster tell you?”

“Supplies.” Genesis shrugs. “What else?”

“Elaborate.”

Genesis smirks. “No.”

Caitlyn slaps her thigh again.

“There’s nothing special really. Command just gave us priorities and she told us to be prepared to track respective unit requests.”

“You’re not going to drive PT anymore?”

“I still am. Because unfortunately Caution doesn’t get even a bullet.”

“That’s odd.” Caitlyn squints. “Aren’t they supposed to rearm and resupply units that they withdrew? I mean isn’t that the whole reason why they pull us back?”

“They’re redirecting all manpower, vehicles, and ammunitions to hold the D230 highway. We’re not combat effective now according to Command. And since we’re pulled to the rear, they specifically placed us on the bottom of the list.”

Caitlyn strikes a confused look at Genesis. She still isn’t convinced. She still believes that rearming and redeploying them will yield the same result. A well-fortified line. It’s just under different leadership. Is it possible that Command doesn’t trust Fort for the job because he lost an entire armor column that they gave him? But that push was Command’s order. And it turns out that the Thorns’ nest doesn’t exist. What is going on?

“Don’t look at me like that, I never know how Command thinks.” Genesis shrugs.

“Neither do I.”

“Do you think it’s stupid, though?”

“Maybe there are just things that I’m not aware of.”

“Probably.”

Genesis yawns. She lifts her right hand to cover her mouth.

“Oh boy…” The maid rotates slightly to Caitlyn’s right and extends her arms and legs.

“You sure do calibrate a lot for an Android.”

“I don’t know, Caitlyn.” Genesis rubs her eyes. “Everyone get weeks without calibration, while I get only three days max.”

“Even with tins?”

Genesis nods.

“Something to do with your design?”

Genesis stands up. “I don’t know. The more I think about it, the sleepier I get.” She then trudges toward the door. “Anyway, thanks for the night. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Seeing her slowly reaching the door, Caitlyn quickly stands up and blocks the door.

“Actually…” She then turns on the lock.

“What are you doing?” Genesis asks, with a face that wishes to be in bed in less than a minute.

Caitlyn grabs her shoulder and gently pushes the maid back. She doesn’t resist; perhaps too tired for doing so. She pushes her all the way until she sits on the bed. Genesis slowly looks to the left and right. The maid seems to understand Caitlyn’s intention now.

“Really, Caitlyn?”

Her quarter may be dull. Every officers’ quarter is. But that bed is definitely better than the mattresses in the enlisted quarters.

“It’s okay.” Caitlyn smiles at her. “Just rest here for the night.”

Genesis presses on the bed repeatedly. She gazes at the pillow like she longs to feel its softness. Caitlyn nods when she looks at her again. The maid put her legs on the bed and finally rests her head on the pillow.

“Wow…it does hit better than my mattress.” Genesis glances at Caitlyn. “I’m not going to be a bother, right?”

“Make yourself at home.” Caitlyn nods.

“Alright…” Genesis yawns again. “Thanks, Caitlyn. And good night.” Genesis turns herself facing the wall.

“Sweet dreams.”

Caitlyn collapses to her chair. She stares at her quarter. She shifts her attention from one wall to the other. She fidgets with her pendant, clicking it open and shutting it repeatedly. She waggles her right leg. Her eyes occasionally anchor to the maid on her bed. Genesis sleeps soundly like last time. If she could make comfort of KP’s seat, then it’s natural when she is in a proper bed.

Only a minute pass. Her mind still has yet to take her anywhere like it used to during idleness. Time has never been this slow. Was it because there’s someone on her bed, hence she felt obliged to keep watch? The door is locked anyway. No one can get in without raising attentions.

Caitlyn rests her elbow on the desk. She supports her head with her hand as she continues to gaze on Genesis. She shouldn’t be doing this. There might be no penalty, but it’s still a bed designated for her. She really wants to get extra hours of calibration. She just hands it away for the maid. Caitlyn shakes her head, convincing herself that it’s fine. Genesis is her friend now. Though they are about the same age, Caitlyn has more rights and privileges thanks to her rank. And she feels urged to share them because she deems Genesis to be more wretched than her.

“Ah…” She understands it now. She places her head on the table, wrapping her arms around it.

Gvozdika did the same. It’s gratifying to Caitlyn how she finally learned something from her beloved sister; And how she gets to carry out her merit as well. She now appreciates Gvozdika’s fondness of her more than ever. Because she exhibits a similar one toward Genesis. To think that she ditched the never-waning affection of her sister…

“Sister Gvozdika…” Caitlyn sniffs and sheds a tear. “I want to go home.”

She has traversed through the cold and remorseless flames of war for almost a decade. She forgot how the warmth of her sister feels like. And so, she believes that she could feel it like the first time again once she returned. It swells her longing even more.

“I want to go home.” Caitlyn says it slower as she shuts her eyes.

In the shivering darkness, she sees her sister lying amidst the rubbles. Caitlyn reaches for her in haste due to the lack of movement she is showing. Caitlyn grabs her. Gvozdika is all dusty and bloody. She put her fingers on her sister’s neck just beneath her head. She is still alive. Caitlyn sighs a relief.

She spots three silhouettes on the plains far ahead. She recognizes their shape. The Thorns, a platoon of them. Caitlyn is still within the distance of their direct fire. She takes a deep breath. She doesn’t feel like running away. But she doesn’t feel like taking a stand either.

Then the ground rumbles. A Chord emerges from where she came. It raises its gun defiantly, seeming ready to take whatever the Thorns have to throw. Even though it’s just a single Chord. The sight becomes more invigorating as two maids with blonde hairs pops out of the hatch. They glare at the Thorns like they dare them to hurt anyone further.

Then a Kris descends from the sky. Her hair flutters in the gust that it kicks. It brings three men who leaps off once it hovers just above the ground. One of them nods and flashes his eyebrows as they step forward. A Creeper cruises into the scene and stops just beside the Chord. A man steps down from the vehicle. A captain, just like the man who nodded at her. He smiles at her before gazing at the Thorn. His smile oddly remains.

Caitlyn then raises her head and glances past the line. Nine double-barreled Concaves on the distant hill elevate their guns. Her system catches a transmission.

“Coordinates, first sergeant?”

Something touches her cheek. A warm hand soaked by red liquid that marks her face. Her sister is there with a tiny smile on her face. But her sight is sharper than bayonet edges.

Caitlyn nods. She gently lay her down and stands up. She puts her helmet back on and stares at the Thorns in the distance. As far as she can tell, it’s not much aid against the Thorns menace. There are now three of them. She barely took out one. But her core is confident that she can take on them. Something is convincing her that she will hold her ground and survive to see the next dawn.

“Caitlyn.” Someone calls her.

Caitlyn looks around but she can’t find who does.

“Caitlyn.”

The ground quakes. She loses her composure as it topples her.

Caitlyn opens her eyes. Her left arm feels numb. Seeing Genesis standing beside her desk, she lifts her head and rubs her eyes.

“You’re awake already?” Caitlyn asks.

“It’s been two hours.”

“Oh…really?”

“Yeah.” Genesis yawns while she stretches her arms overhead. “Best two hours calibration since I enlisted, I think.” She tilts her head left and right.

“Are you returning to duty now?”

“I’m not doing it without asking for leave.”

“You don’t have to, really.”

Genesis crosses her arms. “I asked for a stay. I better ask for leave.”

Caitlyn stands up and pushes the chair back into the desk. “Alright, you’ve asked. Now you can go.”

Genesis looks away. “I appreciate it, Caitlyn.” She locks her hands in front of her. “I wish I can put it to words.”

Caitlyn gently shakes the maid’s left shoulder and smiles. “This war will continue to harm us. The best we can do is to make it a bit more pleasant.” Caitlyn shrugs. “For all of us.”

Genesis smiles briefly. She shoves herself forward and wraps her arms around Caitlyn’s waist.

“Friend.” She says, tightening her arms.

Caitlyn chuckles. “Friend.” She returns her gesture. “Oh, and for the necklace too.”

Genesis let go. “How did you…” She awkwardly looks at Caitlyn.

Caitlyn shrugs. “Lucky guess.”

Genesis chuckles. “You’re cute, Caitlyn.”

“Cute and funny?”

“Not yet…” Genesis glances upward while half-smiling as if she is trying to recall something hilarious from her memory. “Well…almost.” She winks.

“Good enough.”