My mind continued to stew in the thoughts left behind by the voice. I mulled over the questions he had asked me as I began to make my way towards the military encampment to see what our next moves were. I shook my head along the way as if the simple action alone would fling the existential thoughts from my mind.

Why would he ask me if I wanted to be a girl? I am one now. I don't mind being one. Yet what did that have to do with me acting differently around others? Ugh, just stop it, Luna. Focus on what you must do; we can worry about this later.

I shook my head again, feeling my newly grown hair flailing about as a temporary distraction as I reached up and ran my little hand through the soft strands. I sighed and smiled as I toyed with my new locks before suddenly stopping when the sound of running engines caught my ears. My long pointed listening devices twitched and flicked as I glanced to my right towards the field where I had practiced with Alexander the day before, and I noticed rows upon rows of trucks and three large cranes.

"What is happening over there?" I muttered to myself as I watched as a handful of men and women of various races were mounting what looked to be medium-sized guns onto the flatbeds of the trucks.

Artillery wagons? I thought to myself. Now that's an interesting idea. Like a very early tank. I chuckled as I began to walk a little closer to get a good look.

From what I could see, there were roughly twelve trucks with no guns and about eight or so that already had decently sized guns fitted to them. One of which already had a crew of four manning one of the guns and seemed to be practicing while a small child… oh, that's just a gnome. A small gnome seemed to be shouting instructions at them from the ground.

"The gun doesn't stay steady when moving! So when you need to shoot, stop the lorry, then aim, then fire the gun." I heard the gnome explain as I inched a little closer. "And do not ever fire the gun while moving! These packers don't have a kick like the prometheans, but you still risk tipping the lorry; not only that, you won't hit shit bouncing around!"

I glanced over to one of the cranes that was in the process of lifting one of these guns and gently placing it onto one of the trucks. As the truck sagged under the weight, I saw men and women running towards it with tools in hand as they began to secure the weapon to the machine.

"Interested in large guns?" I yelped as the sound of Alexander's voice startled me.

I spun around to see the old wizard packing loki into his pipe, which he then magically lit. He took a deep drag and glanced down at me before blowing a smoke ring into the air.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

He smirked and nodded towards the camp. "Just down the road, you were so enamored you simply hadn't noticed me coming." He chuckled and took another drag. After a moment, he said, "I was actually coming to grab you, Squirt. The colonel would like to speak with us."

I gulped and nodded. Here we go. What is she going to do? Give us the plans? Ask how I did? Or maybe it's some good news, or not.

Alexander smirked and motioned for me to follow him. "Come. Let us not keep her waiting."

----------------------------------------

The air in the Colonel's farmhouse was rife with tension, to the point where I felt I could cut it with a knife. We were seated in the dining hall, though unlike before, it was packed with men and women of all sorts of ranks and positions I couldn't recognize. A rolling chalkboard was also brought into the room. At the far end of the table, it was covered in military jargon and symbols I couldn't decipher.

Many eyes were on me; no, all eyes were on me. I could see it in their faces. Why the fuck is a kid here? It was plastered across all of them. Yet Colonel Hass would hold a hand out to the few who started to point to me and dismiss them.

I was sitting near the front of the table, in the same seat I was in when I first demonstrated my power. I saw as the Colonel's maids moved amongst those packed in here tightly as they handed out manila folders, all of which were stamped with a title. OPERATION DAWNSTAR.

Once all the folders were passed around, it wasn't Hass who stood and spoke up, but instead one of her deputy commanders. Colonel Pitz, "Good morning."

"Good morning." The rest of the men and women replied.

The older man stepped in front of the chalkboard, his free hand smoothing out his pencil stache. "Little over seventy-two hours ago, we've come into contact with valuable intelligence that'll surely help us in our efforts to finally strike those who've invaded our land where it truly hurts." Pitz spoke, his expression stern and focused. He gestured to the folders on the table. "You may review the contents of what was passed around."

All at once, the officers in the room began opening the folders and laying out dozens upon dozens of papers and pieces of information. I gulped. Why am I here? Why do I need to be here for this briefing? I thought nervously, as I felt horribly out of place.

Alexander, who was sitting by my side, simply leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and side-eyed me as if he were bored.

"As you are all aware," Pitz continued. "The Rusivites have been able to deploy their fighting machines deep behind our defensive lines by massive pods." One of the maids stepped forward and taped a black-and-white photo of one of the few drop pods I'd seen. "As of recently, anywhere these pods dropped, we lost contact with the battle groups shortly after they opened. It wasn't until three days ago that we learned from a group of refugees what these pods truly are."

Once again, the maid stepped forward and taped another photograph to the board, and I had to squint to see what it was. It was a distant image taken from the sky. Yet it wasn't a pod; instead, it looked like a fortress. A large cylindrical tower is in the center, with metal walls surrounding it.

"They're deployable instant fortresses," Pitz explained. "Forward operating bases for the forces behind our lines, as well as supply hubs." He took a deep breath. "Yet it gets worse. These autonomous fortresses are also factories of sorts." Pitz stepped towards the photo and pointed to a grainy structure just barely visible. "This building here, next to the central tower, is a prison. From what our scouts could see and what intel we've gathered from our observation balloons, the Rusivites have been deploying what we've dubbed harvesters." The maid once again stepped forward and pinned another image.

This image depicts a large crab-like machine similar to the one I saw on the ground. Visages of the woman in the cage screaming flashed before my mind, and I winced and turned away as Pitz continued. "These machines, like the fighting ones, are autonomous in design; however, they do not carry weapons. Instead, they seem to be fitted with claws and hooks they use to round up people, combatants and non combatants alike, storing them within these two central baskets before taking them back to the facility. As to why they're doing this… This is still unknown. What we do know is that it is here." He points to the central tower. "Seems to be some sort of hub that produces more Rusivite fighting machines and potentially acts as some sort of power source. We have numerous reports from our scout teams during the prior probes reporting that fighting machines, after a few hours of patrols, return to these central towers, most likely to refuel and rearm. As to what their fuel source is, we are assuming magrite. Though again, we aren't entirely sure."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The maid stepped forward and pinned a final image on the board. "What we do know, however, is that Rusivite forces have been airlifting supplies and taking prisoners from these sites." He gestured to the final image, which displayed a zeppelin landing at the factory. "These supply drops seem to come every other day, as for the prisoner pickups. We only have one instance of this happening." Pitz turned to face us all, his eyes scanning over everyone in the room. I followed his gaze and looked at the other junior officers and ranked individuals as they glanced over the copies of the photographs and glanced up at Pitz. Many of them shared the same professional, stern look, though a few looked disturbed and others angry.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Pitz said, "if you remember what happened at Kassel, The Moonweaver, after forty years of silence, revealed herself once more and assisted our men and some of your very lives in escaping that massacre." He gestured to a few individuals in the room.

My heart began to race as Pitz continued, and my eyes locked onto his. "Our scouts have reported that she has been sighted at the fortress outside Dresden. Visual confirmation has been made, and we know that she's there." A few aids came over to the table and laid out a detailed map for everyone to see.

My eyes were wide, and my mind raced. Mother's still alive! She's still alive! Oh, thank Jesus, or whatever god is out there, thank fuck! I gulped, and I noticed Alexander side-eyeing me as I leaned forward in my seat.

Pitz took a deep breath and said, "And I think it's time that the 2nd Brigade returns the favor. Not just by rescuing the Moonweaver, but those taken by the Rusivite Butchers. We'll send a message, not just to the invaders but to the whole world. Heinmarr will not yield, and we will leave no one behind."

Around the table, the other officers smirked and nodded their heads. "In your documents, you will find detailed battle plans and assignments for each of your squads. Review them thoroughly and round up your troops; we'll do a more thorough briefing and overview of the operation in three hours. After that, you'll have twenty four hours. If the patterns are to be persistent, a Rusivite supply ship will arrive tomorrow, and if they're taking prisoners, then that means we do not have much time to save the Moonweaver and others. Any final questions?"

A wolf-man with a dark brown fur coat raised a clawed hand in the back of the room. "With all due respect, Colonel Pitz, will any of the other brigades be assisting in this assault? These documents only mention our few battalions."

Before Pitz could answer, Colonel Hass stood from her chair and placed her white-gloved hands on the table. "No. The Second Brigade will be alone in this operation. I've made it clear to my associates that we do not have the time to amass the rest of the brigades and their battalions in an all-out assault. As Pitz said, review the documents each of you was handed and examine the plans thoroughly. In the coming hours, we'll reconvene to discuss the broader details. Any more questions?"

No one seemed to raise a hand.

"Excellent. Dismissed," Hass said.

----------------------------------------

"So my mother is really alive?" I asked Hass who had requested I stay behind as everyone filed out of the room, leaving me with her, Alexander, and her deputy commanders.

Hass gave me a gentle smile and nodded slowly. "Yes. Last night, our forward observers spotted someone resembling her when overlooking Dresden."

"How'd she look?" I asked nervously. "Was she hurt? Is she okay?"

"We don't know the details, but it's said that armed guards were escorting her to the prison building. Rusivite soldiers, not machines," she clarified.

Actual soldiers? You'd think that wouldn't be surprising, but after seeing all the robots, and hearing they're actual bastards walking around, it almost seemed alien. I frowned.

"We assume she probably has an essence clamp on her. A device that seals off access to one's well," she said.

"An antimagic device." I clarified, and both she and Alexander smirked and nodded.

"Smart, yes. That's another name for it," Hass said. "While she has that on, she would be unable to use any of her spells; the same goes for any other caster they may have captured."

I nodded slowly. "Well, let's hope the plan to save her and everyone else works out."

Hass nodded slowly. "Indeed. Speaking of magic, how has your training gone? From what I've seen with my own eyes…" He trailed off and glanced at Alexander.

The older man cleared his throat and said, "Remarkable. Luna here has shown incredible talent." He glanced at me and smiled. "So much so, I wish I could take her on as my own apprentice."

This made my heart flutter a little, and I smiled widely as I glanced up at him.

"She still struggles to control the power of her spells, but even after two days, she's shown great improvement. I just wish we had more time to iron out the kinks."

Hass nodded slowly once more and said, "I know, I too wish we had the time, but unfortunately we do not. Luna, how are your combat capabilities?"

I blinked and stammered a bit. "M-my c-combat?"

"Elin, what are you about to say?" Alexander said as his eyes narrowed.

Hass crossed her arms, and her sharp, blue eyes burrowed into Alexander as a devious smirk formed on her red lips. "Luna is not only a prodigy in the healing arts, yet her destructive capability surpasses anything I have ever seen for someone her age. Alexander, you alone are quite powerful, as are many of my other magisters, yet her well, from what I observed, runs deeper than any of yours combined. You trained with her for nearly twelve hours nonstop on Bane's day, and it wasn't until nightfall that you had to stop."

"So what? Do you want her to be a living piece of artillery now?" Alexander scoffed.

My eyes widened; this could be it. Maybe I won't have to sneak into the frontlines to get to my mother. It's stupid and dangerous, but maybe I can try. I have to try!

Before Hass could respond, I said, "I could do that. If it means I can be the one kicking down the gates to get to my mother, I can do it."

"Luna, do not be foolish," Alexander scoffed; he sounded exactly like Isa. "You're a prodigy, you hold so much power; do not go and throw it away."

"This is my mother I'm talking about! My family, father, and Varis might be there too!" I glared at him.

Meanwhile, Hass smiled and kept her arms crossed beneath her breasts. "Exactly, Alexander, would you want to keep her away from them?"

"You're despicable." Alexander snarled.

Hass's smile was wide enough to reveal her canines. "I like to think of myself as an opportunist," she purred. "Why not use someone as capable as Luna? She needs her family, and I need someone capable of sheer power. It's a win, win."

"She's a goddamn child, Elin," Alexander snarled. "If you're such an opportunist, you would know that using a child would ruin your reputation if word got out."

"I don't believe the brass or anyone would care if that meant taking it to the invaders who're butchering our people." Hass's eyes glinted as she said this, and something about that look sent a chill down my spine. "She'd be praised as a hero. A girl who can cure life, vanquish the monsters who invade our land, and save her own mother! The bards and poets would go nuts for a story like that. Morale would be on an all time high." She smiled at me. "Doesn't that sound nice?" She asked.

I looked at her and gulped. "I just want to save my family; I don't care what people think of me. I never did." That's a lie; back then, I always cared. Too much, actually.

Hass smiled. "Well then, it seems her mind is set, Alexander." She looked at the older man.

"You're fucking insane," he said, snarling.

"Perhaps I am, but I can assure you, her safety is of the utmost importance to me, and I know that Luna will do her best to make sure all of my boys and girls return safely?" She said the last bit while looking at me.

I gulped. "I'll do my best to make sure everyone with me survives." I took a deep breath, though a memory came back to my mind. A few days ago, I recall Hass mentioning she didn't want me on the front. So I asked, "Colonel, I thought you didn't want me on the front when we first discussed this."

Hass once again smirked and shrugged her shoulders as she then fixed a few medals on her chest. "As I said, I'm an opportunist. Originally, I thought you were just good with healing, so I decided you'd only be good in the hospital. But after seeing how you can ignite the sky with a simple mote and increase the destructive powers of other basic spells…" she sighed pleasantly and said, "I was enamored."

A flip-flopping, Snake. I thought to myself. You truly are an opportunist, yet if I were in her position, I'd probably do the same. Probably.

"Luna, please reconsider this," Alexander said, and I shook my head.

"Master Alexander, you must understand this is my family. I cannot let them be, and… no offense, Hass, but I don't trust the soldiers to get them out. If…" My voice cracked. "If I fail… I-I would… rather know they're gone with my own eyes." I sniffed.

I don't know how I'd be able to live knowing they're gone without actually seeing it.

Hass smirked once again. "Excellent. I'll let you two be then, Luna. Please, in a few hours, return here for the final briefing, and I'll assign you to a squad."

"I can't believe we're going so low…" Alexander growled under his breath, though the Colonel smiled and said nothing as I turned to leave.