EMPIRE

[SOMEWHERE FAR SOUTH OF CAPITAL]

[REVOLUTIONARY ARMY MAIN HEADQUARTERS ]

(Support squad department)

Inside the hall which is functional and minimalistic, with walls painted in neutral tones like grey.

Revolutionary slogans or symbols symbolising freedom and justice were hung and incorporated into the decor,

serving as reminders of the cause the Revolutionary Army fights for.

A large map of the Empire's territories is hung prominently on one side of the wall,

which is used for strategic planning and coordination of support operations.

The workstation, equipped with storage cabinets and drawers, was being arranged by two new recruits to organize paperwork, supplies, and belongings.

“What the hell? Why do only our support have to do all the hard and arduous work of arranging all statistics and sending the reports, information and miscellaneous items to other squads?

Here we are breaking our backs and working as goons while the other squads like Infiltration, Regional and Assault squads are fighting and gaining glory by slaughtering the Evil Empire forces.

If only I were a little stronger, I would have made my place amongst their glorious ranks.”

A recruit of the support squad, who had been working for a whole week while arranging documents, complained to his fellow squad member, who had also been recruited at the same time as him.

“Do not complain if you don't have the strength to back it up and our work is also very important for the Revolutionary Army,

While we do not fight the enemy head on, our support squad provides logistical support to the major fighting force,

ensuring that they have the resources and supplies they need to carry out their missions effectively.

Our unit handles tasks such as transportation, supply distribution, and base maintenance.”

Said Mira to her partner while arranging the important documents in a neat manner.

As new recruits, they have not yet earned the right to wear official insignia or emblems denoting rank or unit affiliation.

Instead, their uniform features are simple, which consist of a long-sleeved shirt or blouse in a neutral colour, such as white or grey.

“But we have to..”

[SLAP]

“Ahhh”

Just when Jiro was going to argue against mira, a hand seemingly came and slapped the back of his head.

Jiro immediately turned around and just when Jiro was going to teach the bastard who slapped him a lesson, his eyes fell on the bastard who was their superior.

The superior definitely did not look like someone who was suited to the support unit,

as the superior was bulky and had the air of a veteran captain who had fought countless wars and emerged victorious while getting battle scars in his wars.

The man was wearing a uniform that consists of a dark-coloured, military-style jacket with a high collar and epaulettes on the shoulders.

And obviously with insignia and a batch of Revolutionary Army's emblem unlike them.

Color instantly drained from Jiro's face and he saluted his superior. In response, the superior just snorted and made his way toward Mira.

Mira was going to apologise for talking to her peer during work hours but her mouth came to a halt when out of nowhere the superior patted her shoulders.

Excellent work in conveying the essence and value of our work to this ignorant person. Despite being a recruit, you have a great mindset.

Keep up the good work and supervise this fool to complete his tasks without complaining.”

The superior complimented Mira while still emitting an air of war veteran, and then he turned his head towards Jiro.

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"Recruit, engrave my words in your heart, for I will only say them once. Many young recruits have made serious mistakes by not paying attention in this Scouts unit of the Revolutionary Army.

And squads that worked on the front lines while fighting with their lives on the line paid for the result of someone else's carelessness.

The attacking squad's outcome was only one thing which is a gruesome ‘death’ due to someone else's mistake.”

The superior then waits some time, letting his words sink in the recruit's head, then says again, his gaze fixed on the recruit and his words are of finality.

“There is no glory in the front lines and the only thing reigns supreme there is blood and carnage. While you are working in this safe environment,

other squads are fighting the Empire's Forces and making heavy sacrifices almost every day,

While fully knowing that even their dead bodies will not be buried after their deaths,

instead, their bodies will be hung on stakes at the streets as a show of consequences of going against the Empire.”

As he said that to the recruit, the superior took a document out of the cabinet and then made his exit from the room.

leaving Jiro and Mira contemplating their actions and getting a deep sense of heavy burden on their shoulders.

.

“You should cut some slack for the new recruits they only came the previous week and will slowly get responsible eventually,

Placing heavy burden on their shoulders during the first week of their work was a bit unnecessary, don't you think, Geralt”

The leader of the scout squad jokingly said to his assistant, aware of Geralt's strict demeanor but also his genuine concern for the support unit members.

“Overcoming their burden will only make them grow more responsible and will help them become more aware of the expectations that the other units keep on support unit, sir.

I don’t want them to make the same mistakes I did and regret still now.

If my actions make them more responsible while making me look a little bad in front of them, I will gladly play the bad guy's role.”

Said Geralt to his superior while handing out the documents that he took out of the previous room.

“Ok, do as you wish. Did you bring yesterday's infiltration squad's deployment report?”

The head of the support department said to his assistant, not minding his stern attitude.

“Here are the reports regarding yesterday's infiltration and reconnaissance at the hidden research facility by the infiltration squad.

The details regarding the location and other important things are in the documents and,

The research facility was related to one of prime minister Honest's researchers and it seems the researcher was conducting experiments on humans and Danger beasts.”

Said Geralt gravely, his thoughts were of pure disgust towards the researcher who had experimented on countless children in the research facility and sold his humanity like the other High-ranking individuals in the Empire,

The high-ranking officials of the Empire see the lives of the common populace with no power as worthless cockroaches.

After the assassination of the Emperor and Empress, the capital has now become a place where demons live while wearing human skins,

people have to be more cautious toward fellow humans than the danger beasts.

Just after gaining power through the ‘puppet child Emperor’, Honest has now filled all his relatives at important high-ranking positions within the Empire, gaining full control over the imperial army,

and now has made the Empire a place no better than living hell, where people can only cry tears of blood.

“How many prisoners were kept there and how many lives did the infiltration unit save during their reconnaissance?”

The head of support department asked. His playful demeanour changed to a serious one instantly after listening to Geralt and reading the reports of yesterday's operation.

“There were approximately thirty-eight mutant hybrid danger beasts which were identified as children ageing from 3 years to 16 years through the documents in the research facility,

and all of them had lost their humanity and had become fully beasts with no rationality.

The children were freed from their suffering by the infiltration squad and only one child who somewhat resembled a human was recovered.”

Geralt took a pause, hesitating to tell his superior the torment the child was going through that slaughterhouse.

“He was kept unconscious in a tank through which various cables were extracting the child's blood for which purpose we can not understand, as it was not in the files that were kept in the facility,

The Infiltration squad had written in their report that they had freed the child from that facility and the child is now being treated at the Revolutionary Army medical facility still in a comatose state.

And there was also an incinerator placed in that facility, so we don't know how many more children had been sacrificed by that mad researcher.”

Geralt answered in response to his superior's questions, still struggling to understand the madness that was ensuing inside the Empire,

where these kinds of insane people that had abandoned humanity and were showing their worst side which could not be defined even by monster's standards.

“What is the child's age and his condition?”

The Department head asked calmly, as he already knew how disgusting the current Empire has now become.

After he joined the Revolutionary Army as support department head as he was responsible for information supply, he had already seen the darkness that is lurking inside the current Empire,

and people who are willing to sell their humanity for the sake of insatiable power and greed.

“The child looks like a six-year-old but we can't judge his age exactly as he was severely malnourished and was being kept inside an antiseptic tank for an unknown amount of years,

The kid has a bald head which is marred by grotesque red spots that got on his skin like a pox,

But the doctors in the medical department noticed an eerie thing - the child's hands were smooth and milky white, contrasting with his horrific appearance."

Geralt reported while thinking about what kinds of inhumane experiments the child has gone through and the child's current mental stability.

If the child has also had lost his rationality, Geralt knew they had to kill the child to free from his misery.

“The doctors have said the boy will wake up in the next two or three days”

“Okay, report to me what happens with the child when he wakes up. I will bring this topic up in the next Revolutionary Army's meeting with the Infiltration unit department's head.

You have been dismissed for now. Go rest for now in your quarters and don't even think about working more hours as you always do.

You and I both know that the human body needs sleep to work at its best.”

The support department head said to Geralt while dismissing him

“Yes sir”

Geralt saluted his superior and made his way towards the quarters.

‘Will the child ever overcome his trauma or will he wither away?’

Geralt thought in his way while thinking about the poor child.

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