Jack closed the journal in his hands, taking a breath as he sat in the gürteltier-class dropship's rumbling gunmetal interior.
Across from him, Python sat, chewing on a daylilly leaf as usual.
To his right, Lieutenant Jessica Ashfield, and at the far end beside the cockpit, Tangerine and a frozen stiff Yukino, along with six helmeted awakened all clad in white-colored suits of armor.
Yukino had been a last minute tag-along, a new addition to fill in a need for a team medic outside of Jack.
Trained as a hoshido shinobi, the pink-haired woman was a valuable asset for the infiltration mission at hand. Of course, she wasn’t a soldier, so she wasn’t given any rank. Instead, Yukino was an attache-specialist, a guest of the queen to assist Fireteam Majestic in this operation.
He hadn't wanted to bring her but she was eager to help and Ada wanted someone she knew close to him.
Simultaneously, his team included a Mechframe, Damocles and her pilot, Tangerine who seemed to have mellowed out a bit since last Jack saw him.
Still, that didn’t mean the teenager had forgiven Jack, but, at this time, Jack didn’t really care.
The mission came first.
Jack’s team would be assaulting a facility in the capital of the Theocracy. One headed by a High Table member known as the Green Bishop, aka, the Pope of the Holy Nation, and the man who had created Lilith and now the de facto leader of what remained of the monster-infested state.
Of course, they wouldn’t be going it alone. Attacking the heavily fortified heart of the papal nation would be suicide even with a full army backing him. Instead, Majestic team’s goal was to link up with a group known as the Reclaimers, a military faction of partisans, rebels, and paladins headed by none other than Lord-Commander Lita von Strongarm.
Once there, they would formulate a plan of infiltration, attacking the hidden facility as a decapitation strike to remove the head of state with Lita and her group replacing what remained of their government.
That was the plan anyway. Simple. So long as they succeeded.
“Hey.”
Jack looked up at Python, the latter eyeing Jack up and down. “You ok?”
“I’m fine.” Jack replied to the narrow-eyed man. “You?”
“Could be better. Can’t say I’m too thrilled being back in a dropship flying over winter mountains,” Python smirked, “But, it’s just like old times. I’m happy you're here though.”
“Yup.. just like old times,” Jack murmured, turning his head to look out the port window that showed nothing but white.
But it won’t be the same as last time.
Suddenly, Python moved, sitting beside Jack.
“Hey, lad…” Python said, addressing Jack informally in a whisper. “Are you sure you’re ok?”
“I am,” Jack replied, noticing everyone that several of the commando’s helmets faced him slightly. “Just focusing on the mission.”
“Right. The mission. Sure it doesn’t have anything to do with that journal?” Python pressed. “You’ve been glaring the entire trip.”
“Like I said, I’m fine.”
“Look, I-”
“I’m fine Colonel. Drop it,” Jack ordered coldly, his golden eyes flashing a hint of red.
Python’s eye twitched, a moment passing in silence before he rolled his jaw.
“Yes, sir. Sorry, I asked.”
Jack and the rest of the crew sat in silence, not much said besides the occasional clearing of throats.
At least, on the surface.
Jack could tell the members of Majestic were talking, their voices inaudible to him thanks to their squad VC that linked their helmets, Of course, Jack could always tune into it and override their private channel to listen in, but he refrained, allowing them their peace.
From aways, Jessica occasionally glanced at Jack, but neither had spoken since he visited her shared apartment.
Should I say something?
She had skipped Yun’s and Tyrah's funeral to be on this mission, yet try as he might, Jack didn’t know what to say to the woman.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Sahaqiel had nothing to add, so, he remained silent, instead opening the journal again to read Leslie's diary.
*BZZT*
An orange light turned on, illuminating the interior of the dropship.
“Ten minutes out to drop site Golf!” The pilot called out over the intercom.
Jack exhaled, standing up as the flight chief called everyone to collect their gear and rise with the rear door of the dropship opening and allowing cold night mountain air to flood into the vessel’s interior.
Standing up, Jack noticed Yukino still remained seated, the woman wide-eyed while others hooked up to the chute line.
“Come on Yukino, it’s time,” Jack said, the overhead light flashing from orange to yellow.
“Y-y-yup! Just give me a moment!” Yukino let out, looking out the window at passing mountains. “This is uh… very high up.”
Yukino’s behavior was very reminiscent of Mai’s, a similarity that pulled at Jack’s heart, but he ultimately ignored it.
A part of Jack wanted to tell her of Ivan, to let her know that her revenge would soon be at hand. But… he couldn’t. Not yet. The location of the Green Bishop had been provided by Ivan, along with intelligence on the Gold Queen and Red Rook whereabouts. Vital information that would be useful in battling the Black King’s goals.
So far, she seemed to be back to her old self, although, if Jack had to guess, it was only a facade. One that would collapse if the truth came out now.
So… Jack said nothing. He had his list now. All those he would have to kill to protect what he loved.
And he wouldn't have had it without Ivan's help. Jack, could only hope that when the time came, Yukino would understand.
“Didn't you go through the paradrop course?” Jack asked, placing a hand on the woman as Python checked his parachute.
Yukino's face twisted.
“IT WAS A THIRTY MINUTE LECTURE FOLLOWED BY THROWING ME OFF OF THE PALACE ROOF WITH A PARACHUTE!!” Yukino protested, clutching her duffle bag filled with gear. “This hardly compares!”
“... That's fair.” Jack said as the light above flashed three times. “Alright, grab onto me.”
“Kay, just give me a sec,” Yukino said, grabbing Jack with a chuckle. “Not how I expected the circumstances to be to get you to hold me.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” Yukino said as Jack hugged the woman from behind and she put on her wrap-around helmet commonly used by all members of the airborne. “Are you sure you can carry me and all this bag of… cans?”
“Are you forgetting I can fly?” Jack said.
“No, I just don't wanna plummet to me death in case there's a weight limit. J-just so you know! I'm not fat it's just my cybernetics!”
Jack rolled his eyes.
“Hook up!” The flight chief barked, signaling everyone to fasten their chute openers to the line above. “Prepare to jump!”
“Your helmet,” Python said, handing Jack a helmet as the light turned green and he donned his own helmet. “See ya on the other side.”
“We are green! Drop! Drop! Drop!”
One by one, Majestic team cast off, the awakened leaping out of the aircraft with Jessica leading the way.
When it was Jack and Yukino’s turn, the latter tensed up, the woman making a slight muffled sound with her cybernetics twitching.
“Let's go.”
Jack stepped to the edge and unfurled his feathers, the silver plates overlapping upon one another to create majestic wings that hung off his white armor.
“Oh, this is gonna suUUUUUUUCK!” Yukino screamed, eyes closed as Jack leapt, the pair plummeting into the snowy mountains below. “NoNONONONONONONONonononOnononononononononoNONO-Nnno no?”
Yukino trailed off, opening her eyes.
“Are you done?” Jack asked, standing upon a snowy plain with the woman in his arms.
“Pfft, that was it? Jeez see? No sweat. EZ PZ! No SweA-T” Yuki let out before Jack dropped her into the snow. “Hey! I’m a delicate flower here!”
“Yeah yeah, get up, we’ve got to head to the rally point and meet up with the others,” Jack said, walking off with Yuki’s duffle bag as he sent Sahaqiel ahead.
“WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO ME!”
*****
After walking for an hour, Jack and Yukino eventually spotted the Damocles, the GEN-5 MECHFrame kitted out in white reactive camo.
“About time you made it,” Python said, the man sitting beside a pot of stew alongside the rest of the taskforce taking a moment to eat before they shuffled on.
“Is this everyone?” Jack asked, eyeing the group of blonde women under his command and Jessica who was stirring the pot.
“Eleven by eleven. We're all accounted for.” Python reported.
“Good. We're at RV Fox now, we need to get to RV Delta by night to meet up with the paladins. We're a little behind on our time table so I want us packed up and on the move in five,” Jack said, tapping on his gauntlet that pulled up a holographic map of the nearby area.
From their position, they were fifteen miles out from the next RV point, the next spot where they would meet up with the partisans before heading out to Lita’s hideout located in the ruins of a theocratic city.
A countermeasure to mask their presence within the Theocracy.
The commandos quickly broke down their camp, moving in concert and filing out as the snow began to pick up.
As the light snow turned into a heavy blanket, Jack raised his hand, the wind moving to displace the falling white away from the strike team.
“How much further until we're at the next checkpoint?” Yukino huffed, her voice clearly audible on the TEAMCOM thanks to her helmet.
“Ten miles,” Jack replied.
“Uuugh.”
“Jack.” Sahaqiel reported, the angel above the group. “Rithorns.”
Jack blinked, putting a hand up to stop the group.
How many?
“Fifteen. There's also a nest agent with them.”
“What's wrong?” Jessica asked, shouldering her rifle.
“Rithorns and a nest agent.” Jack relayed, the group tensing up.
Rithorns were monster’s indigenous to the mountain region and part of the reason no one ever visited the mountains. The creatures were a combination of an old Earth snow leopard mixed with a porcupine and a turtle. It had the face of a prehistoric sabertooth, coat of a snow leopard, a turtle shell decorated with poisonous quills and a torso that ended with a long stringy tail adorned with spikes.
Dangerous in their own right, they were made more so threatening by the presence of a nest agent. In the past, Jack would have avoided the threat, but… Jack had come a long way since his time on the Frelia mountains and now, it was time to shake off a bit of rust before the main course.