After Jessica's friends left since they needed to "talk" about it... grabbing her by the shoulder I asked softly. "What if they refuse?"

"Then the die was cast Mistress... and we were found wanting... But Mistress... I ask of you to even if they refuse to do what you did to me to them." She managed to choke out at the end.

Humming softly into her ears, she slowly calmed down and wiped away the tears forming in her eyes

"Jessica." I start and pulled her head to face me our eyes looking into each other, now her attention turned to me fully. "I will not lie, your female friends are decent lookers, but those men among them? Well maybe they will have a place. But let me make this clear! If they accept and willing to become my slaves, I will leave them within your hands to train... but if not, well Zora is a good example of what will happen to the women and the men? I will need people for experiments. Do we have an understanding?" I stated my terms.

If they accept then I have new staff... if not well the girls will have their usage and I have several spells I have thought about but have not made yet.

At the sound of shouting and Nora coming up here it seems Tanya is back... but his face showed that I wasn't going to like it as he held a sickened expression...

Without saying anything he past me his phone... I nearly crushed the thing once I saw what was on it.

…

Jessica, Tanya and I were on the second floor of our temporary HQ, I glared down at the three staffers and the single intel officer.

The staffers wore a blank tan uniform from top to bottom without even a service weapons for personal protection. Tanya had already tore apart anything they had carried, with this. I removed a few dozen makings and added a few more... these Para's where busy and cleared out many of the former hardpoints.

The intel officer wore a ocean blue with the symbol of the Eiffel tower with an eyeball on top stitched on her breast and armband, with her being the most vocal about something called the laws of old... but has yet to elaborate.

"You keep blabbering about this 'laws of old' but we have no idea what you are talking about?" I stated in French, "But from the photos Nora had shone me, I can't say I condone Tanya's actions but what she did would not be seen as the person who started the shift in the war... for something normal... into this."

"She beheaded our protection detail-!" She shut up once I moved the phone in front of her, squinting her eyes but scoffed, "FRIA? Do you expect us to care? They are spooks." Her voice had a rather strong accent, stronger then what the grunts or staffers had... I doubt she was from the Brest or Bordeaux Junta.

"Ah... but what are you?" I asked.

"In intel officer of the Frankish Paras." She stated almost annoyed.

"Yes, a military spook... and by your logic I should have Tanya behead you."

She countered with a grin, "But I am uniformed."

"So where they. Plus I can always tear that uniform off you, force you in civilian dress... then toss you out the window and claim you tried to escape... of lookie lookie a spook not in uniform." I grin and cup her cheek, "Their are many way to avoid the rules of war, but I am playing good soldier for this resistance... if I was with my own resistance well." I shrugged, and slap her.

"As far as I am concerned is that any Junta Paratroopers are open hunting session." I said coldly and my breath became visible for the moment. "Tanya I accept your offering, but I grant one of your choosing to you."

Tanya's eyes light up. But it dimmed at my neck words, "The intel officer is off the table... and it will be your problem for training." I turned away and began to read some of the more extensive reports, orders and interestingly 'Phase one' of their three phases to conquer Athtrim.

…

Aboard the Command Assault Ship off shore.

…

A ship weighted heavy in the water with the front opened up to spill out the amphibious tanks and transports, the small craft around this ship had already dumped off scores of Marines... but what was unexpected was that Marines having to protect civilian from fellow soldiers or ending up in shoot outs with them... but what was worse was the crimes both sides committed to each other.

Three men and one woman were in the main command deck, all of the other officers were sent out and the crew knew when to run as his temper was short and legendarily loud.

The Marine Lieutenant-Major De Gull, his uniform was a naval blue shaded camo, his posture said he was reading something... but no he was glaring down the other three. He was utterly disgusted by what his men had found and was waiting for his men to be mistaken and end up massacred by some mod of Athtrim's citizenry wanted revenge.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" He asked, his voice raspy from a lifetime shouting orders... his left hand held a transcript from his Marines that had only been deployed recently...

The other highest rank spoke, "Sir orders are to break the enemy's will to fight... I have to be honest we have no idea what we have done wrong." Despite the rank difference of him also being a Major but of the Para elements and was placed under the command of the more experienced marine who was in-charge of the university district and the surrounding area.

"Yes... you did... but failed utterly. You not only failed you made them return the kind actions your FUCKING PARAS DID!" His voice dripped with venom. Without another word he slide the transcript, on it was a rather hastily made report about para troopers being found decapitated and a note... and the only reason his marines found it was due to several staffers being missing with them, who due to the genius of the officers in front of him allowed vital intel to even go ashore.

The three read it, with a mix of disbelief. But the woman spoke. "Permission to speak freely."

"Granted." He grunted.

"So what sir? This only proves that if they are willing to do such barbaric acts we can do them back in kind." She stated, he glared.

"Did you read it at all? Lieutenant Marsay. The note left behind clearly was a threat about actions we had done to THEM!"

"Sir our paras would never break the law of old!" She countered slamming her fist into the table, entering into a war she could not win against a man, that would could and has shouted down his senior officers into silence.

"Yes... the laws of old... the word is laws, for instance the law about men and women that can't fight to be allowed to live in peace right?" He asked, it was redundant as his own men were playing police force arresting Paras left and right... "Or the ones that stated the children were to be protected at all costs including life and limp?"

He snarled the next words, "Or was it when MY MEN! Found your fucken men having their way with POWS FOR FUCK SAKE!" His shout shook the room and those in front of him had their ears ring. "I am expecting to find, those lost staffers raped and barely alive... and I gave my men orders to not kill him or her, and that those crimes aren't to be mentioned at all in the reports if found."

The Para Major jumped at this, "You can't! I wi-!"

"You will what?" He countered, "Until further notice all three of you are being demoted to the lowest enlisted grade, pay is withheld for the rest of the Athtrim campaign or two months effective imminently." He stated and slide three more piece of papers with the orders and his own and their superiors signatures.

"Sir..." The last one who hadn't spoken yet. His hands were rubbing each other and his eyes said it all, the guilty of being unable to control his own men.

"Yes." He asked, just a looked told him what was about to happen. He turned his back to the man, since if he saw anymore, he would have to stop him. Out of sight out of mind.

"Permission to have some dignity." He asked softly. His tone was solemn his facedown cast and his other two comrades didn't see it. 

"Granted." He stated, his voice had a sympatric edge but it was said like a guilty verdict for a death row inmate. "Now you two, prep yourselves for combat, since I am throwing you into the last APC before it goes ashore... also enjoy the fighting."

The man saluted at the back of the Marine officer. Walked outside of the command deck, closed the door... later that night a muffled gunshot was heard from that man's room. On his deck was a simple note:

"Dear family...

I am sorry... no matter what is says about my death, I chose the easy way. At the time of writing this I was just informed that my men, those I had trained with those I commanded. My brothers and Sisters in arms had gone and broke our tenets simply because they couldn't keep up the fight and hold themselves to the Laws of Old...

Since that day, when I was brought into the Frankish Paras I felt like to be the only one who was calm enough to see what monsters the Brest Junta tried to make of me... if you read this, please by the gods flee. Leave the Junta and move on.

I wished I wasn't pushed into this role... I haven't even see battle and yet... I have failed my Junta, Country and my Family... Forgive this coward...

Your dearest Buffon First lieutenant Bragard Jac."

…